ES Parent Bulletin Vol#16 2010 Apr 16

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    16 April 2010Volume 16

    ES PARENT BULLETIN

    International School Manila

    IMPORTANT DATES TO REMEMBER

    APR

    12 - 23 MAP Testing for Grades 3 & 4

    21, 28 Wednesday Student Late Start @ 8.30am

    19 - 23 PTA Used Book Fair, CMC Lobby

    22 ES Parent Coffee @ 7.30am, Little Theatre

    30

    ES International Day - Flag Ceremony @

    7.25am, ES Playground

    International Day Concert, Fine Arts TheatreSchedule on page 2

    MAY

    3 Labor Day Holiday - No School

    10 Presidential Elections - No School

    15 K-12 Dance Recital

    From the ES Administrationrom the ES Administration

    The teachers of the grade are responsible for establishing the

    classes their students are moving to. For example, Grade 3

    teachers will organize the Grade 4 classes for next year. Onc

    the grade level has made their final draft, the lists are then re-

    viewed by the Counselors, Learning Support and ESL Program

    Leaders, and the Principal and Assistant Principal. At the end

    of the school year, you will receive a section card informing

    you of your childs teacher for the next school year.

    It is not uncommon to receive special requests from par-

    ents. In order to minimize inequalities among sections, we do

    not accept special requests from parents for placement with a

    particular student, classmate or teacher. To do so we would

    have to honor 650 preferences and this would be impossible t

    do. If you do have any concerns about the process or ques-

    tions about next school year, please do organize a time to

    meet with us. To help with the process we would request

    those parents who are not returning next school year to begi

    the withdrawal process and inform Admission Office and the

    ES Guidance Office.

    Next week, the Elementary School has been invited to watch

    the MS production of Seussical, which we will be doing on

    Friday afternoon. This is a great opportunity for our younger

    students to watch our older students perform!

    International Day will be on April 30 this year, kicking off with

    our flag ceremony in the ES Playground at 7:25am. This will be

    followed by our series of grade level music concerts, a new

    format for this year, which we hope you enjoy! Students are

    welcome to dress in an outfit that represents their home cou

    try.

    On April 22, we have our final ES Parent Coffee of the year at

    7:30am in the Little Theatre. We will be discussing homework

    and also collecting general feedback from you, as we look

    ahead to the 2010-2011 school year.

    Please note that Grade 4 students will be bringing home an

    envelope today containing their individual results from the ex-

    ternal ERB writing assessment. If you have any questions,

    please meet with your childs class teacher.

    We hope everyone has a great weekend!

    Yours in Education,

    Simon Gillespie Michael Rourke

    Dear Elementary School Parents,

    It is at this time of year that we start to receive a lot of ques-

    tions about classes for the next school year. Class numbers in

    each grade level for next year will be remaining the same, with

    four groups in Preschool, five groups in ECLC, and six groups

    in each of Grades 1 4. Aside from the students going into

    their second year of Preschool, where we maintain the group

    and teachers as much as possible, mixing of classes is some-

    thing that happens at every grade level. We have a relatively

    transient student population and we feel it gives us the oppor-

    tunity to balance the classes for the start of the new year. It

    also helps the children expand their circle of friends and helps

    them to adapt to change.

    This sectioning process is very involved, one is on which all the

    teachers spend considerable time and give a lot of thought and

    consideration. The aim of the process is to create balanced

    groups in terms of gender, language proficiency, academic

    needs, emotional and social dynamics, and a mix of ethnici-

    ties. Students receiving Learning Support and ESL are also dis-

    tributed evenly across the classes. As much as possible, we

    also try to place each child with a least one other person they

    work well with.

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    The ES International Day Concertwill be held. . . Friday, April 30

    Students should dress for International Day, repre-senting any country they choose. We hope to see you

    there!

    ~ Music Team

    From the Music Departmentrom the Music Department From the Art Departmentrom the Art DepartmentHi all. Just a reminder that

    the Art Department has an

    ongoing need for recycled

    materials. In particular, we

    are in need of ribbon, gift

    wrap, plastic and metal lids/

    caps and broken toys. Any

    deliveries can be dropped off

    at room 1189 opposite the

    ES gym.

    Many thanks!

    We hope you all had an active holiday. Please send photos of

    your children being active over the break to share with the PE

    department. If any families have photos of swimming with the

    whale sharks at Donsol, we would love to see them. We are look-

    ing for photos of children actively involved in water sports as

    part of an article in the upcoming Bamboo Shoots on swimming

    and all the fun activities we can enjoy once we learn to swimsafely such as scuba, sailing canoeing, kayaking, surfing, para-

    sailing, water skiing, jet boating etc. We would also love to see

    photos of parents being active with their children, as research

    tells us this is the best way to foster lifelong activity in your chil-

    dren. Please rename photos adding your childs name and grade level and forward photos to Pe-

    [email protected].

    Amanda Pekin and the ES PE Team

    From the PE Departmentrom the PE Department

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    Head Lice

    During the last week, we performed one of our

    regular head lice checks in ElementarySchool. Lice prefer to live in clean, well-kept hair

    and we are all susceptible to getting them, espe-

    cially in a setting such as school where there are

    many children in close contact.

    Please inspect your childs hair every week. This is

    recommended for all school children, particularly

    of elementary school age. You will need to use a

    very fine toothed comb and part the hair into

    sections, examining each section thoroughly be-

    fore moving on. Regular, thorough combing

    through the hair using plenty of conditioner mayhelp to prevent lice eggs holding on to the hair

    and prevent an infestation but an existing infesta-

    tion may require pharmaceutical treatment.

    We recommend that you check your childs head

    thoroughly and, if you find any live head lice, buy

    one of the many preparations available from any

    mainstream pharmacy to eradicate them (ask

    your pharmacist for advice). Follow the instruc-

    tions on the container and ensure that all family

    members are treated. You need to thoroughly

    wash any soft furnishings eg: bedding, cushioncovers, hats or even helmets. Soft toys should also

    be put into plastic bags for a week and then

    washed thoroughly.

    Please continue to inspect your childs hair on a

    daily basis until no live lice can be detected and

    then reduce the inspections to every 3 days. Your

    child can come to school after the first treatment

    but you must ensure that there are no live lice in

    the hair before coming to school. If no more lice

    are detected, you can continue with one inspec-

    tion every week. With a little vigilance, we canensure that the children at school suffer as little as

    possible from these troublesome little creatures!

    Thank you for your continued support.

    From the Clinic

    From the School Clinicrom the School Clinic From the ATAC Officerom the ATAC Office

    Sailfish Swim Club

    Dear Swimmers and Parents,

    Please be reminded to reserve/purchase yourdinner tickets for the Awards Night (May 27).

    Early reservation would be much appreciated to

    facilitate our catering reservation. You can ap

    proach one of us at the ES Canteen from 2:15 to

    3:15 pm from MF. (Christie Jeffries, Lorna Gon

    zales and Pia Miralao)

    For more information please visit the Sailfish

    Blog http://sailfish.ismonline.org/

    Cost

    Swimmers Free

    Parents Siblings 250 pesos.

    Thanks

    Christie Jeffries, Lorna Gonzales andPia Miralao

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    From the Admission Officerom the Admission Office IMPORTANT information regarding Re-Enrollment

    for School Year 2010-2011

    Dear Parents,

    It is RE-Enrolment time!!!

    You have two choices for getting the Re-Enrollment forms this year:

    1. DOWNLOAD the forms from the ISM website (under Admission go to the Re-Enrolment & Withdrawal link)2. PICK-UPthe forms at the Admission Office (by parent or child or if you would like a helper to do this, please supply them

    with a letter of authorization.)

    Please follow the instructions on the Re-Enrollment Clearance Form and return the following completed documents:

    Parent and School Shared Agreements form to the Admission Office

    ISM Drug Policy Form to the Admission Office for students re-enrolling for Grade 7 and Grade 9 only

    Board (proxy form) is an optional form that can be submitted to the Admission Office Health Clinic Form to the Clinic

    - Updating Form (front side) must be completed forall children- Physical Examination Form (back side) must also be completed for children entering Grades 1, 5, 9 along with the

    Tuberculosis Screening Form

    IMPORTANT KEEP THE RE-ENROLLMENT CLEAR-

    ANCE FORMto fulfill the re-enrollment requirements. Bringand show this form to the respective school office to obtainthe Class Schedule for HS or MS students or to the Cashier toobtain the Section Card for ES Students.

    Please note thata Re-EnrollmentDEPOSIT PAYMENT

    is not required to reserve a space at the School for SY2010-11. However, parents are obliged to inform the School inwriting, on or before 15th May, if their children will withdrawat the end of the academic year. There is a WITHDRAWALNOTIFICATION FORM for such purpose; this must be sub-mitted to the Admissions Office on or before 15th May of eachschool year. Failure to do so will lead to a deduction ofUS$1,000 from the Facilities Upgrade Deposit (FUD), incompensation for having held a space for the child and thuspreventing the School from offering that space to another childprior to the summer holiday break.

    If you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to

    contact either of us.

    Regards,

    Gary W. Jerome

    Director of Admission

    Margie Endelman

    Deputy Director of Admission

    E-mail: [email protected] Office: 840-8488

    From the Superintendentrom the SuperintendentCHANGE IN PROCEDURE

    Dear Parents:Every year we have to deal with the administrative burden of try-ing to collect from parents the $1000 Re-enrollment Deposit. Thisis difficult for many parents, especially those whose fees are paid

    by the sponsoring company, and more difficult still for the schooltrying to collect from parents, especially those who are not sure oftheir circumstances.

    This year we shall try something different. There will be no re-enrollment deposit. Instead, we shall expect all departing fami-

    lies to complete the WITHDRAWAL NOTIFICATION

    FORM on or before May 15th

    . Failure to do so will lead to a

    deduction of $1,000.00 from the Facilities Upgrade Deposit.

    As I am sure you understand, we at school face considerable pres-

    sure from families applying to enter their children into ISM. Wehave to establish the May 15th deadline in order for us to be fair tothose families on our waitlist. The earlier you can tell us that youare leaving school, the sooner we can provide clear answers toincoming families.

    Sincerely Yours,

    David TozeSuperintendent

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    From the Environmental Councilrom the Environmental CouncilECo are excited to invite you all to this years Earth Day Celebrations!

    When? Thursday 22nd April

    PCF, INVISIBLE and TRASHEBOLSES will be selling recycled goods@ Outside the canteen. 10.30-3pm

    Recycled Beads and Bag making Workshops run by PCF and INVISIBLE@ Little Theatre. 3-4.30pm.Please bring plastic bags and glossy magazines. All are welcome.

    ISM's first meat-free menu!No meat or fish products will be sold in the canteen or concessionaries.

    Not only is this in accord with the United Nations declaration that "Meat is one of the toptwo or three contributors to the most serious environmental problems, at every scalefrom local to global", it also resonates with current health and wellness thinking thatmany people consume far too much meat in their diet.For just one day, we are asking you to vote with your stomachs for a sustainable lifestyle.

    Earth Day is our chance to Eat Well for the World.

    Join us!

    For more information on all of these events,please check outwww.ism-online.org/gogreen

    Many thanks for your support,

    And dont forget to visit your communitygarden!

    Have you ever wondered how our food is made?Where it came from?

    'Food Inc,' directed by Robert Kenner, ex-

    plores where the food we purchase at the

    grocery store really comes from, and what it

    means for the health of future generations.

    Thanks to industrial food processing, the

    way we eat has changed more in the past 50

    years than it has in the previous 10,000 -

    and it is having dire environmental and

    health impacts.

    On Wednesday, April 21

    @ 3pm in the Little Theatre

    ECO invites you to explore where your

    food comes from.

    Welcome to the world ofFood Inc.

    "Dream the world you want and deserve to live in. Write itdown.

    Communicate your vision passionately, as ifyour life depended upon it!"

    (Randy Hayes, Founder of Rainforest Action Network)

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    From Student Council, Service Learning & ECorom Student Council, Service Learning & ECoHelp Support PCF and INVISIBLEHelp Support PCF and INVISIBLE

    Your children can bring plastic bags, magazines, ring pulls from soda cans and tetra paks to

    school. We are helping PCF and Invisible by collecting these items and they use them for

    making things and sending their children to school. For more information go to: http://

    www.youtube.com/watch?v=hlOZXdDn3h4

    From pop can tab

    to purse!

    From plastic bag

    to purse!

    From drink

    holder to bag!

    From magazineto jewelry!

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    Battle of the Bands

    International School Manilas annual student-run Battleof the Bands (BOB) competition is in its eighth year. Thisyears event has more participants than ever before; 15Bands and 14 singers, and promises to be the most en-

    tertaining BOB yet! The Battle of the Bands committee isalso working with the Philippine Community Fund (PCF)to raise funds for the construction of 10 permanentfamily homes for the people living in the Tondo on theSmokey Mountain dumpsite. Proceeds from ticketsales and our raffle will go towards achieving this goal.

    Tickets for April 17 and 18 are P250 each. These twonights are the preliminary judging nights and will takeplace on ISMs Middle School Field.

    Tickets for the night of April 24 are 350 pesos. This nightis the Final night of competition and will take place on

    ISMs Elementary Field.

    Note: Tickets this year are Baller-bands (rubberbracelets), and there are 3 different colors: yellow forday one, pink for day two, and blue for day three.Baller-Band tickets are on sale at lunch at ISM. WhileBaller-Bands are limited in number and only on saleduring school hours, those who would like to attend theevent can also purchase entry into the event upon arrivaleach night.

    The Battle of the Bands committee hopes you can at-tend!

    HAVE FUN IN THE SUN

    - BUT TAKE CARE

    Care in the Sun Tips:

    Between 11am and 3pm seek shade

    Cover up in the sun with T shirt, hat and sun-

    glasses

    Use a broad spectrum sunscreen with a SPF of 15

    or greater

    Take extra care with children, their skin is often

    more sensitive and easily burned.

    Check moles for changes in size, shape and color or

    any new skin growths and report any concerns toyour doctor.

    From the School Clinicrom the School ClinicFrom the PTArom the PTA

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