Parent Bulletin Issue 5 SY1314

7/29/2019 Parent Bulletin Issue 5 SY1314

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ISM Upcoming Events 12

26-27 CWW

23-25 MAP Tesng

20 Courtyard Event

Guidance & Counseling 5

13 Progress Reports Access

MIDDLE SCHOOLMIDDLE SCHOOLMIDDLE SCHOOL

ISSUE # 5

SY 2013 2014

WEEK OF:

SEPTEMBER 16 to 20

Weekly Publication for Middle School Parents

Friday BulletinInside this issue:

Events & Acvies:

SEPTEMBER

Service Learning

Admissions & Advancement

Athlecs & Acvies

Music & Drama

Academic Bowl

MAP Tests 2

3

6

8

9

10

Powerschool Update:

16-20 FCD

Dear Parents,

From September 16 - 20 we welcome two consultants from Freedom from Chemical

Dependency (FCD) Educaonal Services. FCD is a non-prot organizaon that pro-

vides substance abuse prevenon educaon for schools and colleges in the United

States and around the world. For the duraon of their stay, FCD presenters will meet

with students, counselors, wellness teachers and administrators. We are also pleased

that the FCD consultants are previous visitors to ISM so they are familiar with the

school and community.

Since 1976, they have taught over a million students of all ages. Their mission is to:

Provide educaonal communies with the guidance and training necessary to

implement comprehensive, eecve approaches to substance abuse prevenon

Educate students, parents, teachers, and school administrators on the physiologi-

cal and psychological eects of alcohol and other drugs

Promote awareness of drug addicon, including alcoholism, as a progressive,

chronic and oen fatal disease

Teach students and adults how to recognize the early warning signs of substance

abuse and to intervene appropriately

Empower young people to make healthy, responsible choices regarding alcohol

and other drug use

Encourage and support the non-use of alcohol and other illegal or illicit drugs

during the growing years.

A parent meeng on Thursday, September 19 starng at 7:45 A.M. in the Lile Thea-

ter has been scheduled and all parents are invited to aend.

Looking aheadMeasures of Academic Progress (MAP) Tesng begins on September

23; please see the leer included in the bullen. September Classroom Without Wall

(CWW) acvies will take place on September 26 and 27. Grade 5 students will re-

main on campus and parent volunteers are needed to assist with the Amazing Race on

Thursday, September 26 from 7:30 10:30. If you would like to volunteer and sup-

port students at a race checkpoint, please contact your childs grade 5 Advisor.

Have a fabulous weekend!

Yours in Educaon,

Simon Gillespie Clarissa Sayson

Middle School Principal Middle School Assistant Principal

19 Parent Coee

CALLING FOR GRADE 5 PARENT VOLUNTEERS!

We are looking for volunteers to help us during the Grade 5 Classroom With-

out Walls (CWW) acvies. Be part of the Amazing Race! If you would like to

help, please email your childs Grade 5 Advisor. Help us make it a wonderful

experience for your children!


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September 13, 2013

Dear Parents,

From September 23to October 18, ISM will conduct tests called Measures of Academic ProgressTM (MAP).

What are MAP tests?

MAP tests are an external assessment from the United States, used to assist in determining students instrucon al level.

Currently, there are 370 internaonal schools in 123 countries, including 56% member schools of EARCOS (East Asia Regional

Council of Schools), who conduct MAP tesng.

Who does MAP tesng at ISM?

Students in Grades 3 to 10 take MAP tests. Students receiving Learning Supportand ESL support will be given the opportuni-

ty, where appropriate, to parcipate in the MAP tesng. Parents will be contacted individually regarding any modicaons

taking place.

What do MAP tests assess and how oen do they occur?

These tests will measure academic growth across the school year in the areas of Reading, Language and Mathemacs, andare administered twice a year at ISM. They will be taken again in Semester 2 of the 2013 -14 school year.

How do MAP tests work?

Your child will take the tests on a computer. MAP tests are unique in that they are adapve. The test becomes more dicult

the more quesons the student answers correctly. When a student incorrectly answers a queson, the following test ques-

on is adjusted accordingly and is at an easier level. In this way, your child will take a test specically created for his or her

learning level.

How are MAP tests reported?

Your childs MAP results are reported in RIT (Rasch Unit) scores. This is a dierent type of score than a typical test that pro-

vides a percentage correct. Parents will receive a report that shows their RIT score, the normave RIT scores for the grade

level at ISM, and the normave scores for students in the United States within the same grade level. These reports will be

available in November.

What does ISM do with the informaon that MAP provides?

Teachers use the data from MAP tesng to inform learning and teaching. It assists in determining which skills require enhanc-

ing, which skills students have already developed, and which skills need to be introduced. MAP tests also provide our school

with a reference point for the ongoing development of the school -wide curriculum. This data allows us to look for trends

within certain areas of our curriculum.

How do I prepare my child for MAP tesng?

Factors such as sleep and how a child is feeling can aect the results of a standardized test. Your class teacher will let you

know which three days in the coming weeks your child will sit the tests. Please talk to your child to help avoid him/her feeling

anxious about MAP tesng.

Lastly

It is important to remember that MAP results provide one piece of assessment data in the process of acquiring informaonand making judgments about student progress toward intended learning. At ISM, we believe sound assessment involves cre-

ang a multude of ways to measure and communicate student learning over me a photo album versus a single snapshot.

For more informaon on MAP tesng, please consult the NWEA (North West Evaluaon Associaon) website at www.nwea.org. In

addion, parents can access the MAP Parent Toolkit athp://www.nwea.org/support/arcle/930/parent-toolkit.

Sincerely,

Simon Gillespie Clarissa Sayson

Middle School Principal Middle School Assistant Principal
http://www.nwea.org/http://www.nwea.org/support/article/930/parent-toolkithttp://www.nwea.org/support/article/930/parent-toolkithttp://www.nwea.org/support/article/930/parent-toolkithttp://www.nwea.org/support/article/930/parent-toolkithttp://www.nwea.org/


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Seven Ways Students Can Get Involved in Service Learning

All of us have experienced the ethical conict that arises when a homeless child knocks on our car window

at an intersecon. Adolescence is a me when many students start to grapple with their response to pov-

erty, climate change, and other issues facing our world. The problems seem so big, that somemes stu-

dents feel helpless to aect change. Thats one way to look at it. The other way is to do something about

it! As the Dalai Lama said, If you think you are too small to make a dierence, try sleeping with a mosqui-

to.

The Middle School Service Learning Program oers students a diversity of opportunies to give to others

and help safeguard our environment. Here are seven ways that your child can get involved in service and

environmental projects:

1. Saturday Service

Beginning on October 12, eight dierent service oppor-

tunies will be oered on Saturdays. Some events in-

volve a trip to visit a service partner, such as La Mesa

Watershed and Chosen Childrens Village (CCV) near

Tagaytay. Other events involve hosng a local educa-

on program, such as Love 2 Learn, on the ISM cam-

pus. Along with the joy of giving, students benet by

interacng with children from dierent backgrounds

and geng to know the Philippines beyond Maka andTaguig. See the inset Saturday Service Calendar and

discuss which trips interest them most. To parcipate,

students simply pick up a Permission Slip from the MS

Oce on the Monday before the trip. Once its been

signed and returned to the oce, a student can sign up

on the roster. Some trips ll up quickly so encourage

them to sign up early. And yes, parents are welcome

to aend!

2. Classroom Without Walls

For two days in late September and a week in February, students take part in our Classroom Without Walls

(CWW) program. Acvies range from teambuilding acvies to hands-on service projects. Some trips are

run from campus on a daily basis, while others involve an overnight trip. All of them oer rich opportunies

for experienal learning, bonding with classmates, and helping others. In some cases, students run fundrais-

ers and supply drives to support CWW service partners running up to their trips. For details about specic

CWW plans, contact your childs Grade Level Coordinator.

3

SEMESTER 1

SATURDAY SERVICE DATES10/19 Love 2 Learn

11/9 Habitat for Humanity

11/16 CRIBS / Papaya Academy

11/23 Chosen Childrens Village

11/30 La Mesa Watershed

12/7 Philippine Childrens Fund

12/14 Tzu Chi Foundation

CLASSROOM WITHOUT WALLS9/26-27 (G5 teambuilding @ ISM)

2/10-14


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3. ECO Council

ECO stands for Environmental and Community Outreach. This club is open to all MS students and meets

regularly to plan and promote Saturday Service projects, special events ,such as, No Impact Week, and assistwith community building acvies around our campus. There are also smaller service clubs associated with

service partners, such as CCV. Students can see Mr. Willey or Mr. Cook to get involved.

4. M.Y.O. Service Trip

Students can make their own service trip. All they need is a teacher chaperone and a plan. Some Advisories

create service projects together. Sports teams can get involved through events such as the Homeless World

Cup. Of course, there are also a lot of opportunies for students to get involved in service acvies through

a parents employer, religious group, and out-of-school clubs.

5. Start a Family Tradion

Many ISM families have forged their own es with service partners. Some students even celebrate their

birthdays by vising their favorite service partner site. Its easy to arrange family visits. If youd like assis-

tance organizing a family visit, contact me at the email address provided below.

6. Random Acts of Kindness

Service is more than one-o events. There are lots of ways students can help others, and our planet,

through their daily acons. Encourage students to pracce Random Acts of Kindness such as wring a

leer to a grandparent, conserving resources at home, inving a new student to a sleepover, or reaching

out to students who need a friend. Studies have shown that such acvies oen benet the giver even

more than the receiver.

7. Walk the Walk

This is perhaps the greatest challenge of working with adolescents, whether you are a parent or an educa-

tor. Its also one of the most important. Share your own struggles with issues such as poverty, the environ-

ment, and inequality. Model empathy and compassion. Get involved in service projects that suit your own

interests and concerns. Research shows that a respected adult role model is one of the most powerful in-

struconal tools.

Internaonal School Manila holds Service as one of its core values. Those of you who have been here for a

while, know how integral service learning is to our commitment to educang the whole child. There are lotsof ways for students (and parents) to get involved. Encourage your child topick acvies they are inter-

ested in and try new things. If you have any quesons, dont hesitate to email me at

[email protected].

All the best,

Cory Willey

Student Advisory Coordinator4


5/15

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IT Parent WorkshopCome to this hands-on workshop in our MS comput-

er lab (Room 1039) immediately following the par-

ent coee from 9:00 am 10:00 am on Thursday,

September 19. These workshops are put on by our

IT integrators and are designed to help parents

beer support their child at home.

This session will focus on:

Review updated Parent Portal and teacher

blogs.

Introducon to Google and how the applicaons

are being ulized by students. See you there!

Marc St. Laurent

Middle School Counselor

Parent Group Discussions

The ES and MS counselors will facilitate

parent group discussions starng on

Sept. 24th and connue throughout the

semester. A key focus of the group will

be to highlight and discuss parent and

child related issues. If you are interested

please contact Ms. Perez in the ES Guid-

ance Oce. We look forward to seeing

you there!


6/15

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Dear Parents,

Please be reminded that keeping your contact informaon updated is vital to facilitang communicaon with the

school. If you would like to view/change any of the details on your current record, simply follow the steps below:


7/15

The rst RIFA Soccer Fesval for all ES teams, MS C teams (9 aside) and MS girls teams (7 aside)

will be held tomorrow, Saturday, September 14th. All up to date informaon about our ES/MS soc-

cer teams and the RIFA fesvals etc. can always be found here:

hp://atac.ism-online.org/atac/1st-season/es-soccer-rifa-league-fesvals/ and here for MS

hp://atac.ism-online.org/atac/1st-season/ms-soccer-rifa-league-fesvals/

Parents please note that all permission slips are issued to all players via the coaches at training pri-

or to each fesval with all fesval details for our ES and MS teams.

The 1st season pracce schedule which runs from August 19th to October 11th is posted on noce

boards around school, and is also available on the ATAC blog (hp://atac.ism-online.org/

schedules/hs/) .

The ISM XCountry teams raced at home last Fri-

day for the second race of the season at our twi-

light meet. It was a great event and many thanks

to the Bearcat Council students who helped with

the nish line and marshaling dues to ensure

smooth, well organized races were held. Race

results can be found here:

hp://atac.ism-online.org/atac/1st-season/

cross-country-race-results/

Our Varsity Volleyball teams and XC team travels

overseas this weekend to Kuala Lumpur for the

Twin Towers volleyball exchange and the XC run-

ners are at Taipei for the TAS Tigers XC exchange.

Best of luck to our traveling teams in this im-

portant preparaon for IASAS on October 9th.

IASAS Venues this year are Volleyball/XC at Jakar-

ta and Soccer is at Taipei.

The Pre IASAS Soccer Exchange Schedule for this

weekend is included please come out to support

our boys and girls varsity teams.7


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New families please take some me to peruse the ATAC blog as this will help orientate you with

the wide variety of co-curricular programs ISM oers.

A great way to stay in touch with the ISM ATAC program is to subscribe via RSS feed to the ATAC

blog and also to follow via twier (see twier feed on the blog home page).

Each Monday, I will post the weeks happenings and highlight important events for students and

parents informaon on the ATAC blog and in the regular Friday parent bullens.

GAME SCHEDULE PDF (access to game schedule informaon): Informaon about all mid-week/

weekend xtures for ISM teams can be found via the ATAC blog. Please note the game schedule

does change oen due to involvement with many local schools so please check the page regularly

to nd out the latest informaon of where and when the Bearcats teams are playing. Click on

schedules tab or the Bearcat logo to be directed to the power school secure site:

hp://powerschool.ismanila.org/public/

You will need your power school user name and password to access the game schedule pdf.

The Bearcat Den is open for business. Please drop by to check out the range of Bearcat products.We have a great team of volunteers who run the den and are always looking for more people to

help out. If you are interested in joining a fantasc group please contact any of our den members

during den opening hours or please contact Carolyn Ching for details at: car-

[email protected]. We are always looking for new volunteers and encourage parents from

ES/MS to join our group.

BEARCAT DEN informaon: hp://atac.ism-online.org/bearcat-den/

Have a great year at the Home of the Bearcats!

Regards,

Mark Pekin

Director of Athlecs/Acvies

8


9/15

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Do you know lots of interesting facts and general knowledge? Are

you fast on the buzzers? Do you like Are you Smarter than a 5th

Grader?THEN COME TO

Middle School Academic Bowl

TRYOUTS/Practices!!!

WHERE: Room P046 (Mrs. Birchenalls classroom)

WHEN: Every Thursday 3 pm - 4.pm starting Thursday 12th September.

The successful students will represent ISM at the next Academic Bowl compe-

tition which is to be held here at ISM on Wednesday 6th November. .

All Middle School students are very welcome to come to the tryout/practice

sessions.


10/15

IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT!!! All girls interested in auditioning

for the AMIS Honor Choir in February are encouraged to attend an

optional information & practice session for auditions, the first half

of lunch time this Monday, Sept. 16, or Monday, Oct. 7. Details for

auditions are also posted on Ms. Hausman's blog.10


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When: November 22 - November 24 2013 (not including travel days)

Where: Guangzhou, People's Republic of China (Check out the website for more details:

hp://www.ista.co.uk/whats-on/fesval/guangzhou-middle-school-fesval/Group

Audions will be held on Monday, September 23rd, and Wednesday, September 25th,

from 3:00 to 4:30 p.m. in Room 1149. Plan to aend ONE SESSION, where you will play

improv games and do acng exercises with individual components. Sign up with Ms. Grev

and Ms. Rankin, and pick up an audion form!

Thank You,

Ms. Carrie M. Grev

Theater & Music Educator

Opportunity for 7th & 8th Graders Interested in Theater Experience!!!

ISTA (Internaonal Schools Theatre Associaon) PRESENTS....

Guangzhou Middle School Festival:

Chinese superheroes and landscapes -from classical to modern


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Documents

Parent Bulletin Issue 5 SY1314