MIDDLE SCHOOL

Friday Bulletin
Weekly Publication for Middle School Parents
ISSUE # 11
WEEK OF NOVEMBER 07 TO 11, 2011

From the Middle School Office

Dear Parents: We hope that everyone had a restful holiday. As we head into the final six weeks of the first semester, please talk to your child about ways to stay focused and manage assignments. If a concern arises, encourage your child to take initiative for his/her own learning and see a teacher for assistance. As emailed through the Superintendents Office last week, ISM will hold classes on Monday, November 7. In connection to this, AFAC and year round ATAC activities are cancelled; seasonal ATAC practices will still be held. On Tuesday, November 8 Middle School parents are invited to attend the High School Parent Coffee and a viewing of the documentary Race to Nowhere. Produced in the United States, the film examines the impact of current schooling practices on the lives of students and challenges viewers to consider how best to prepare students for the future. You can also visit www.racetonowehere.com for further information about the film. If you are interested in attending, the Parent Coffee will begin at 9:30 A.M. in the Little Theater. On Thursday, November 10 we will be hosting an MS Parent Coffee starting at 7:45 A.M. Please join us in the Little Theater to get some updates on what has been happening in the Middle School. Have a relaxing weekend! Regards, Simon Gillespie Middle School Principal Clarissa Sayson Middle School Assistant Principal

Inside this issue:

From the Superintendent From the Clinic From the Athletics & Activities Office End of Season Sports Awards The Blackout Event 2nd Season Practice Schedule Calendar for SY 2012-2013 2 3 4 5 6

UPCOMING EVENTS
NOVEMBER
07 to 11 08 10 10 12 12 14 to 18 19 21 to 25 22 25 26 29 to Dec. 09 29 30 DECEMBER 02 03 05 to 09 08

ESL Placement Test PTA General Meeting (7:30 A.M., LT) MS Academic Bowl Parent Coffee (7:30 A.M., LT) Service Learning Trip K-12 Dance Recital (3:00 P.M., FAT) ERB Test Service Learning Trip PTA New Book Fair (FAT Gallery) Gr. 5 & 6 Beginners Recital (5:00 P.M., LT) Filipiniana (FAT) Service Learning Trip MS Art Exhibit (FAT Lobby) MS Art Exhibit Opening (FAT Lobby) School Holiday (Bonifacio Day)

Gr. 58 End of Semester Party Service Learning Trip Spirit Week MS Concert (5:30 P.M., FAT)

POWERSCHOOL GRADE UPDATE

REMINDER ISM will have classes on Monday, November 07, 2011. Please note that AFAC and year-round ATAC activities are cancelled for November 07, 2011. ATAC seasonal sports training will be held as scheduled.

November 11 November 25 December 09

Progress Reports Distribution Grade Update Grade Update

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From the Office of the Superintendent

Dear Parents: As you know, the School maps out its calendar some twelve months in advance in order to allow families time to plan their holidays and for faculty to plan for the learning that will take place in their classrooms. We pay particular attention to prevailing government policy in regard to established national holidays and noted the change in direction of the present Administration whereby regular holidays would fall on their true calendar date. Very recently, we have learned that Monday 7th November has been declared a holiday for Eid al Adha, even though the religious festival is on Sunday 6th November. Having lost one school day already to a typhoon, I am reluctant to concede that we should lose another day of instructional time and consequently we shall hold classes as planned on November 7th. Sincerely, David Toze Superintendent IS Manila

From the Clinic

The Clinic is offering the next session of vaccination on Wednesday November 23rd . This month in partnership with GSK we are offering Typherix vaccine at a cost of 871.00PHP. Typherix is a vaccine which helps prevent typhoid fever, an infectious illness caused by a type of bacteria called Salmonella typhi. This vaccine can be given to both adults and children aged 2 years and over. Typherix contains a small part of the bacterium which causes typhoid fever. This is not infectious and cannot make you ill. When you are given the vaccine it will trigger the bodys immune system to prepare itself to protect against typhoid fever in the future. Typherix will only prevent disease caused by the bacterium Salmonella typhiand not against salmonella bacteria that can cause food poisoning or gastroenteritis. Since the bacterium is present in the bowel movement (motion), the infection can occur in any country, but it more commonly occurs in places or countries with poor personal or public hygiene. This vaccine is required every 3 years. The last day to book/pay for the vaccine is November 16th. To register for the vaccine please visit the Clinic and see Nurse Jowell, or email the Clinic@ismanila.org for more details.

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From the Athletics & Activities Office

IASAS RESULTS: Congratulations to all our teams who went to Singapore prior to the break. It was a great tournament and ISM performed very well to take 2 silver and 2 bronze medals. Well done to all athletes and coaches . First Season results: Volleyball @ SAS : Boys 6th place, Girls 2nd place (SILVER) Soccer @ SAS: Boys 3rd place (BRONZE), Girls 2nd place SILVER) Cross Country @ SAS: Boys 3rd place (Bronze), Girls 5th place The HS Awards ceremony will take place next Thursday evening from 5:30 P.M. in the new Loft house for all 1st season HS teams. ISM Varsity Boys soccer will play in the RIFA League championship final to conclude their season this Saturday, November 5th at ISM MS field at 10:00 A.M. Good luck to all players for the final game of the soccer season this year. 2nd season sports tryouts conclude today and the season practice schedule is posted on the ATAC blog and on school notice boards. This schedule takes effect as of Monday, November 7th for all 2nd season MS/HS teams. See schedule in this bulletin. IASAS GOLF: becomes a reality following the IASAS tournament in Singapore the IASAS Board meeting was held and a proposal for Golf to become an official IASAS sport was accepted and approved by the board. From next school year, IASAS Golf, which has gone through a 4 year trial, will now become a part of the IASAS Schedule. The tournament format, host for the 1st IASAS Golf event will be worked out this school year and ratified at the April meeting. This is an exciting addition to the IASAS program of events. ISM golfers get practicing ready to be a part of the action next year at IASAS Golf. 2nd Season opening event: Next Friday, November 11th, sees the start of our 2nd season matches for HS teams, we hope to have a big crowd out to support the teams as they begin the season. The program of events is listed below and there will also be some fun games and family activities during the matches at the HS field to keep people entertained and make it a family fun afternoon/evening. Come on out and have some fun, cheer for the ISM Bearcats and enjoy the school spirit! Hot dogs and drinks will be on sale by the HS field. Rugby: 4:00 P.M. ISM JV vs. Faith, followed by ISM Varsity Rugby vs. Faith Boys Basketball: 4:15 P.M. ISM V vs. Brent V, followed by ISM JV vs. Brent JV Girls Basketball: 4:15 P.M. ISM JV vs. Brent JV, followed by ISM V vs. Brent V Touch: games are still being confirmed with Faith and or Brent at the ISM MS field from 4:15 P.M. MS and HS Academic Bowl: Our MS/HS Academic Bowl teams led by Mr and Mrs. Birchenall will travel to Faith Academy next week (Tuesday, November 8th for High School and Thursday, November 10th for Middle School) to take part in the fall academic bowl competition. We wish the participants the very best of luck in this first competition of this year. IASAS MUN is in two weeks with teams arriving on Wednesday, November 16th. The MUN conference will take place on November 17th-19th with teams departing on Sunday morning, November 20th. If you have signed up to house a visiting delegate, you will be receiving your housing letter with information next week beginning from November 9th. We are looking forward to hosting this important IASAS event. Stay tuned for more details in next weeks bulletin. The ATAC Blog (http://atac.ism-online.org/) is the one stop shop for information related to the sports/activities program. Please take some time to peruse the blog for information. GAME SCHEDULE PDF: (access to game schedule information) Information about all mid week/weekend fixtures for ISM teams can be found via the ATAC blog. Please note the game schedule does change often due to involvement with many local schools so please check the page regularly to find out the latest information of where and when the Bearcats teams are playing. Click on schedules tab or the Bearcat logo to be directed to the http:// powerschool.ismanila.org/public/. You will need your Powerschool username and password to access the game schedule. BEARCAT DEN Regular Opening Hours for the Bearcat Den: Monday, Wednesday and Friday, from 11:30 A.M. 1:00 P.M. & 2:30 P.M. 4:00 P.M. Tuesday & Thursday afternoons, from 2:30 - 4:00 P.M. If you are interested in joining our group of volunteers in the Bearcat Den, please contact our BCD volunteers coordinator, Radhika at radhikasavantmohit@yahoo.com or pop in to the Den near the HS Cafeteria and talk with one of our volunteers. They will be very happy to make you welcome. Regards, Mark Pekin Director of Athletics/Activities

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Calendar for SY 2012-2013