es parent bulletin vol#1 2011 aug 12

8/6/2019 ES Parent Bulletin Vol#1 2011 Aug 12

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12 Aug 2011Volume 01

ES PARENT BULLETIN

International School Manila

IMPORTANT DATES TO REMEMBER

AUG

15 Preschool & Kindergarten Regular Day Begins

17, 24,31

Wednesday Morning Student Late Start @8.30am

19ESL Parent Afternoon Tea @ 1-2pm, ES Office

Lounge

22 First day of After School Activities

23

PTA Bearcat Welcome @ 7.30am, Little Theatre

Open House for Preschool, Kindergarten and

Grade 1

• 5.00pm Refreshments, Little Theatre

• 5.15pm Introductions and Inquiry Learning

Overview, Little Theatre

• 6.00 - 7.00pm Classroom presentations, in

your child’s classroom

24

Wednesday Morning Student Late Start @

8.30am

Open House for Grades 2 - 4

• 5.00pm Refreshments, Little Theatre

• 5.15pm Introductions and Inquiry Learning

Overview, Little Theatre

• 6.00 - 7.00pm Classroom presentations, in

your child’s classroom

26ES Parent Bulletin

ES Assembly @ 8am, Fine Arts Theatre

29School Holiday for National Heroes Day - No

Classes

30 School Holiday for Eid-Ul-Fitr - No Classes

From the ES Administrationrom the ES Administration Dear Elementary School Parents,

May we extend the warmest of welcomes to all new andreturning students and parents for the 2011-12 academicyear at International School Manila. This week we havehad 170 new students starting in the Elementary School,representing 28 different nationalities, forming part of atotal of 53 nationalities within the entire Elementaryschool.

Diversity

One of the key parts of our mission statement is an ex-plicit acknowledgment of being a ‘diverse and dynamic’school. What does this look like in reality and most im-portantly, how does this look within our classrooms? Thiswill manifest itself in a learning environment that cele-brates the diversity which each class has to offer. It al-lows each student to bring their own cultural context andexperience to the learning table and share with theirpeers. It is the promotion of an inquiry process which ac-tively encourages students to pursue areas of learningwhich engage, connect and mean something to them, as

an individual. Hopefully, it is much more than just an an-nual celebration of International Day – it is a very realsense that all are equally valued and celebrated andthat our students are given regular opportunities to cele-brate and discuss their own culture and context. As ourstudents and your children progress through their learningin 2011-12, I hope that you are able to see and experi-ence this in reality and it becomes more than just wordson a piece of paper.

Questions?

One of the cornerstones of effective schooling and learn-ing for your child is a strong relationship between the

school and home. Please do have an on-going discussionwith us about your child and their learning. Central to theinquiry process of learning which we advocate at ISMand model for our students, is questioning. Please do nothesitate to ask us questions and give us feedback aboutwhat is going on at ISM. It is only through this on-goingdialogue that we can continue to be on a path of schoolimprovement with a focus on our students’ learning.

(Continued on page 2)



12 August 2011Elementary School Parent Bulletin

2

Please visit your child’s classroom blog! The blogs will keep you informed of things goingon in the classroom and they are for your use, too. Please leave us comments so we knowyou are enjoying reading them!

You can get to each teacher/class blog through our Elementary School blog:http://es.ism-online.org/

How do you know your child is being successful at school?

Success in schools can be measured in so many ways. Is my child achieving their personal best in terms of academic suc-cess? Have they formed strong and stable relationships with their peers? Are they being challenged? As a school, the aca-demic rigor elements of our program are relatively easy to measure, whereby we gain regular data in all areas of cur-riculum to see how your child is progressing and how we can use this data to set goals and impact their learning. The dis-positions element and social/emotional side of education is, by its nature, a greyer area. Gaining concrete data (for ex-ample, how do we measure happiness??) involves asking our students to reflect on their school experience and to developself-awareness of the choices they make, the independence they are developing, and the different perspectives that existin our world.

At this stage of the school year, our initial goal is to ensure that your child feels safe, settled and happy in their new class-room environment. Teachers are working hard at establishing relationships with their entire class and ensuring that they

get to know each individual student, how they learn and what motivates them. This relationship building is fundamental togiving our students the space to be happy at school and then will ultimately flow into personal challenges for them, asthey strive for their own personal academic success.

Open House

We look forward to welcoming our entire ISM community on two ‘Open House’ evenings on Tuesday 23 August (Preschool,Kindergarten, & Grade 1) and Wednesday 24 August (Grades 2, 3 & 4). Our goals for these sessions are to share morespecific details about how we learn at ISM Elementary, spend some time with your classroom teacher learning about thespecific curriculum at that grade level, and provide you with an opportunity to meet other parents in your children’s class.The evening will look as follows:

5pm Refreshments (Little Theatre)5:15pm Introductions and Inquiry Learning Overview (Little Theatre)

6 – 7pm Classroom presentations

Assembly

On Friday 26 August we will be holding our first Elementary whole school assembly. This will be at 8am in the Fine ArtsTheatre and will be a chance for us to celebrate the start of the school year together.

We look forward to working with you over the next year and supporting your child’s learning.

Adam Campbell Michael RourkeElementary Principal Elementary Assistant Principal

(Continued from page 1)

From the ES Administrationrom the ES Administration

http://es.ism-online.org/

http://es.ism-online.org/




3

Pizza Day! Every Friday is Pizza Day for ElementarySchool (grades 1-4). The pizzas are being sup-plied by Piadina.

Pizzette Quattro Formaggi - Php 60.00Pizzette Margherita - Php 50.00

Coupons will be sold at

the undercovered ESplayground every Fri-day from 6:30 a.m. upto 7:30 a.m. These cou-

pons are then redeemedby the students at theES Cafeteria duringtheir lunch break.

Pizza Day!

RECESS SUCCESS!

The Physical Education team has two green recess boxes in the ES Plaza with sports equipment for children to use

during their play time. Children simply need to hand in their school ID to a supervisor located near the recess box.

At the end of play, children return the borrowed equipment and collect their student ID card. This system helps

students be responsible.

SEND IN YOUR ACTIVE PHOTOS

We have a bulletin board in the playground showcasing all

the ways our community was physically active over the holi-

days. Please send/e-mail me a photo of you and/or your chil-

dren being active. You can place photos in an envelope and

send to school with your child addressed to Amanda Pekin,

Elementary School Physical Education or simply e-mail me

at [email protected]

Lastly we have a website which has a list of the activities

children can become involved in and around Manila. Check

out http://sportsmanila.wikispaces.com/

From the ES PE team

From the PE Departmentrom the PE Department

http://sportsmanila.wikispaces.com/

http://sportsmanila.wikispaces.com/




4

ES After School ActivitiesSchool Year 2011-2012

First Semester: August 22 - December 9, 2011

The AFAC Mission is to develop confident and committed students that are enthusiasticabout learning. We provide opportunities for students to engage in safe and fun rec-reational activities that extend their educational experience in ISM.

Our program begins August 22 and ends December 9, 2011 during the 1st Semes-ter and continues January 16 and ends May 25, 2012 during the 2nd Semester.Registration for first semester activities will end on August 17.

We will send a confirmation letter to you through the child’s Homeroom Teacher or Advisor on August 19. This form will have the child’s schedule of confirmed activities.

Thank you,

Bill BlankenshipES Afterschool Activity Coordinator




5

ATAC (Athletics & Activities) is up and running for school

year 2011-12! HS Tryouts are now over and coaches will

be posting teams lists this week for varsity and junior var-

sity squads. Thanks to the 220 students who came out

for HS tryouts this is a great response for our 1st seasonprogram. Our ES Soccer tryouts and MS tryouts for 1st

season teams began this past Wednesday Aug 10 thru

to Friday Aug 12. ES/ MS students have been attending

with good numbers as well this week to all 3 tryout ses-

sions to begin training and to meet the coaches.

The ATAC all year round teams start next week Aug

15th information posters are on notice boards giving the

times and venues to meet for tryouts.

The 1st season practice schedule is now posted on the

blog and around school This schedule is valid from Aug

15th - Oct 21st.

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 related to the sports and activities program.

Using the blog you can find out about; IASAS our inter-

national schools league for HS competition, schedules

for tryouts, season practice schedules and weekly

matches, ATAC guidelines, facilities photos, Bearcat

Council, Bearcat Den, IASAS hosting/housing, coaches

From the ATAC Officerom the ATAC Office blogs and much more…..

Until PowerSchool opens, general details of the weekly

match schedule will be posted on the ATAC blog and in

the Friday bulletins…..

Friday Aug 19th

Varsity/JV Soccer/Volleyball v Faith at ISM

Sat Aug 20th

ISSA MS/HS Volleyball League matches begin

ISSA ES Soccer Festival at CSA (Dasmarinas Village) 8-

Noon

RIFA girls and boys soccer league matches begin (MS

and HS Teams)

Fri Aug 26th

HS Varsity/JV Volleyball v Brent

Varsity Girls Soccer v Miriam College

Visit the blog on a regular basis to keep up to date with

all the action! Go BEARCATS in 11-12!

Mark PekinAthletic Director

http://atac.ism-online.org/






6




7

August 4, 2011

Dear Parents,

Greetings and welcome to the school year 2011/12 Interna-

tional School Manila. I hope that these weeks of summer vacation have given you the opportunity to enjoy some fam-

ily time together. As I am beginning to realize myself – with

my son and daughter in Grade 10 – children grow up far too

quickly!

I want to take this opportunity to remind you of some of the

support services and campus procedures to ensure an orderly

and efficient school start. I hope you understand that, in sucha large community, it is essential for us to establish certain

agreements in order to make things easier for everyone.

School Office hours Monday – Friday, 7 am – 4 pm.

Uniform Shop Extended days through to Sept 2, 2011

Monday – Friday, 7 am to 4 pmRegular hours start the week of Sept 5th 2011

Tuesdays and Thursdays, 7 am to 4 pm

Canteen

Parents can now sign up for prepaid meals for Elementary

School children. Please proceed to the Urban Chef

(International Cuisine) and Yogi Chef (International Vegetar-

ian Cuisine) offices located in the MS/HS Canteen for sign

ups. Cost for lunch is Php90.00. Parents of MS/HS students

can also avail of the debit system for the main concessionaire(Urban Chef). You may also refer to the ISM website for

additional information on the canteen concessionaires and

services.

Bus Service

Over the past three years there has been a significant growthin the number of students choosing to use the ISM Bus Ser-

vice on a regular basis, with this usage reaching just over

25% of the total school population during School Year

2010/11.

In an effort to continue this steady growth the School Ad-

ministration conducted a review of our existing busing ser-

vice. Further to this, last December the PTA canvassed theopinions of parents of both existing bus riders and students

who do not regularly use the bus to identify possible im-

provements to the service. Based upon the School’s review,and informed by the PTA survey, a bidding exercise was held

to select our school bus provider for the School Year

2011/12.

After a careful evaluation of the submitted proposals a deci-sion was made to change our school bus service provider,

and so I am pleased to welcome T Shuttle Services, Inc. to(Continued on page 8)

From the Sailfish Swim ClubSailfish Swim Club News

• TRYOUTS: for grades 1‐12 will continue during the week 15th‐

19th

August. Come to the swimming pool straight after school.

• SWIMMING STARTS: Swimmers who have already completed

their tryout or are existing Sailfish Swimmers, swimming starts

on Monday the 15th

. Squad lists are posted on the Swimming

Pool Notice board.

• SAILFISH REGISTRATION: Sailfish is holding a registration day

on Friday the 26th

of August. From 3:00‐5:00pm, swimmers will

be able to pay their 2,000 pesos fee, and will be able to pick up

their Sailfish T‐shirt and Swim Cap. You can pay your fee on the

day or you can pay now at the cashiers office.(please bring your

receipt on the 26th

)

• TIME TRIALS: On Friday 26th

all Sailfish swimmers will also be

doing a time trial. Swimmers aged 8 years and younger will

swim 25m Freestyle, Backstroke and Breaststroke, 9‐18 years

will swim 50m Freestyle, Backstroke and Breaststroke.

• QUESTIONS/INQUIRIES: Pleased contact Coach Andy: astfal‐

[email protected], or go to the Sailfish Blog: http://sailfish.ism‐

online.org

From the Superintendentrom the Superintendent

http://sailfish.xn--ism-sn0a/






8

ISM. The decision to appoint T Shuttle Services was made inthe interests of securing satisfactory standards of fleet service-

ability, operational flexibility and value for money. Safety and

security were of course our first priorities, but we were also

mindful of the identified desire of many parents to avoid in-

creases in cost whilst maintaining as flexible a service as pos-sible. In particular, it was clear that the door-to-door service

that has traditionally been provided remains a feature valued

by many parents, and I can confirm that this service will con-tinue to be offered for most riders, where practicable and al-

lowed by village associations.

With the introduction of our new bus operator there are anumber of features of this year’s service that I would like to

highlight for parents:

1. All rates set for Semester 1 of School Year 2011/12 for both regular riders and occasional coupon riders remain

the same as last year. This despite increases in fuel prices

over the past twelve months. These rates will be main-tained for Semester 2 unless there are significant sus-

tained changes to the price of fuel, and any adjustments

will be proportional to the rise or fall of running costs.

2. As with past practice, the agreement for student use of the

bus service will be between parents and the school bus

service provider.

3. All buses to be used for the regular school routes will be

newly reconditioned, refurbished and commissioned for

this service contract.

4. A minimum of fifteen buses will be used to operate the

regular ISM bus service. An additional bus will be heldon campus to provide a replacement in the event of me-

chanical problems or significant delays caused by unusu-

ally heavy traffic conditions. Further to this, two NissanUrvans will be deployed as rescue vehicles and in support

of low passenger volume bus routes.

5. T Shuttle Services Inc. will provide a driver and one bus

attendant for each bus deployed on a regular school route

and all T Shuttle Service personnel must undergo screen-

ing by ISM before being deployed. T Shuttle Service staff will undergo an ISM orientation program before deploy-

ment.

6. The School will continue to provide one School Marshal,

assigned from our security staff, to each regular bus route.

7. Each school bus will carry a GPS unit to be monitored

from the ISM Security Office.

8. All regular school buses are fitted with seat belts for all

seats and students will be required to use them.

In addition to the points above, parents should note that there

will be an adjustment to the afternoon departure times on

regular school days. Due to the very low numbers of students

making use of the 4:15 pm and 5:15 pm activities buses, these

services will no longer be operated. In their place a new, combined 4:45 pm service is being offered. This change has been

made following discussions between the School Administra-

tion, the ATAC and AFAC Offices and our new bus service

provider. HS and MS after school activities will be arranged

so that participating students who ride the bus can make use of this service whilst avoiding the need for students to wait

around on campus without a structured activity to keep them

occupied.

The scheduling of the combined 4:45 pm service will also

allow additional buses to be deployed to the 2:30 pm and 3:20

pm departure times. It is planned that this will help addresstwo other areas of concern identified by parents: student travel

time and limited areas serviced by the 2:30 pm routes in the

past.

As part of our discussions with T Shuttle Services we have

stressed the importance of making the bus service an attractive

option for travel between home and school for as many stu-dents as possible. They have expressed a willingness to ex-

plore ways in which they can, within the constraints of run-

ning an efficient and practical service for the majority of rid-

ers, provide a viable transport solution for all those who ex- press an interest in using the school bus service. Of course,

there will always be certain locations or needs that cannot be

provided for but if the offered bus service does not at first

appear to address a particular need, in regard to location or

routing, parents are encouraged to discuss this with the Trans- port Office staff.

I encourage all parents to consider making use of the ISM Bus

Service for their students. Should parents wish to discuss inmore detail the school busing arrangements for the new school

year, or they have any particular concerns or needs they can

also contact the ISM Transport Coordinator, Ms. Ruth Estella,on 8408541 or email Ruth at [email protected].

Billing

Billing statements are now sent to parents and other patrons

through email and are also available for online viewing on theSchool website to facilitate access. A user ID and password

has already been provided to existing parents and is available

for every new parent. Parents are advised to maintain an up-to-date email address for billing information. Please read care-

fully the School Fees and Payment Schedule on the web. As

was the case last school year, there will be no re-

enrollment deposit. Instead, we shall expect all departing

families to complete the WITHDRAWAL NOTIFICA-

TION FORM on or before the second Friday of May 2012.

Failure to do so will lead to a deduction of $1,000.00 from

the Facilities Upgrade Deposit.


(Continued on page




9

Payments

Payments may be in cash, check or through wire transfer in

any of the BPI, Citibank and HSBC branches. Please make

sure that the name of the student for whom the payment

is being made is indicated on the deposit slip, check, or inthe bank instruction for wire transfer to ensure proper

recording. Contact Treasury Office at 840-8506 if you have

questions.

Operations and Security

Access and parking within the campus are important securityand safety issues. For the well-being of all members of the

ISM community, those entering the school campus are re-

quested to follow the procedures outlined below.

Vehicular Access

During drop-off and pick-up times, vehicles may enter through Gates 2 and 3. Those entering through Gate 2

should proceed to the drop off area and, once the student has

alighted or boarded, they should exit via Gate 1. Those vehi-

cles entering through Gate 3 must turn into the covered park-ing area and use the designated drop-off areas. All vehicles

must exit through Gate 1.

(Please note that Gate 2 may only be used by vehicles dis-

playing a valid ISM vehicle sticker.

Alternatively, vehicles entering through Gate 3 may park inthe covered car park. The spaces reserved for parent-driven

cars should only be used by those vehicles which are driven by parents themselves. Vehicles in which parents are travel-

ing, but which are driven by a driver, should not use these

spaces.

Rather, they should park elsewhere in the covered car park or

make use of the outside spaces next to the power center.

Family/company drivers should not remain within schoolonce they have delivered a student. They should exit the

school and return no sooner than 30 minutes before the

scheduled pick up time.

Visitors to ISM may only enter through Gate 3. There is an

area for short stay visitors’ parking near Gate 1.

The Pedestrian Gate

Location

The pedestrian gate is located in the perimeter fence mid-way

between Gate 1 and Gate 2. There is a paved area between

the road and the perimeter fence, allowing easy access to thegate. The pedestrian gate is solely for the entry of members

of the ISM Community at the beginning of the school day. It

will only be open between 7:00 and 7:45 (8:00 to 8:45 onWednesdays). Due to parking restrictions and in the interests

of security it will not be open in the afternoon for pick-ups.

During the time it is open, it will be under the supervision of

members of the ISM Guard Force.

Drop-off Procedure

Drivers should stop adjacent to the paved area and studentsshould alight from the right side of their vehicle. The driver

should then move off, clearing the space for other vehicles

dropping off students. Under no circumstances should a stu-

dent be dropped off from the middle lane. This is dangerousas the student would need to walk in front of another vehicle.

Drivers are reminded that traffic regulations forbid parking

on the roads around ISM. Therefore, vehicles should only be

stopping for the brief time it takes for a student to alight.Drivers must not wait for anybody to return to the vehicle.

Car Stickers

The car stickers for the school year 2011/2012 are available

from the security office. Each ISM family will be issued one

vehicle sticker free of charge.

Any additional stickers will be issued following payment of

Php100.00 to the cashier’s office.

For vehicles already displaying an existing sticker, parentsshould submit a completed renewal form with a copy of the

current LTO official receipt. For new vehicles, parents arereminded that a copy of the vehicle’s certificate of registra-

tion and a current official receipt need to be submitted withthe application.

Applications for vehicles registered with companies or other institutions should be supported by a letter of assignment.

In order to facilitate the easy recognition of authorized cars at

the gates, the stickers should be affixed to the top right cor-ner of the windshield. Further to this, old ISM stickers is-

sued in previous years should be removed.

Vehicles not displaying this year’s car sticker will not be

allowed access from August 31, 2011

ID Cards

Parent IDs

Parent IDs issued in previous school year will continue to bevalid for the new school year 2011/2012. Parents who require

replacement school IDs due to loss or damage can acquire

these from the Security Office upon payment of Php100.00


(Continued on page 10)




10

to the Cashier.

School Passes

School passes issued to parents’ employees and representa-

tives need to be replaced for this school year. As of August31, 2011 the light green bordered passes issued for the school

year 2010/2011 will be invalid. Each family will be given

two free school passes. Additional school passes may beobtained after paying a processing fee of Php100.00 each to

the Cashier’s Office.

Visitors’ Passes

All visitors must secure a pass from the guardhouse at Gate

3. Before entry will be allowed, a telephone check will be

made with the relevant office to confirm the visitor’s busi-ness within the school.

Vehicle checks

The practice of inspecting vehicles will continue. During off

-peak hours all vehicles will be checked before they are al-

lowed to enter the campus.

During peak hours (drop off and pick-up times), all vehicles

without valid stickers and randomly selected vehicles with

stickers will be asked to undergo an examination.

Whether an examination is conducted or not, it is importantthat the security staff at the gates are able to identify the oc-

cupants of vehicles entering the campus; therefore IDs must be clearly displayed. Vehicles with tinted windows must roll

down windows to allow a clear view of the interior of the

vehicle.

Drivers, Helpers and Bodyguards

Drivers, helpers and bodyguards should not wait on campus

for students throughout the school day. After dropping off

students they should exit the school grounds and not returnmore than 30 minutes before dismissal time. Those who

repeatedly fail to comply with the regulation will have their

access privilege suspended.Only those vehicles carrying parents or other people with

business within the school will be allowed to return to thecampus before the scheduled pick up time.

There are designated areas for unaccompanied drivers, yayas,helpers and security escorts to wait for parents and students.

Unless specifically authorized, they may not enter any other

area. In the interest of security, and to prevent congestion atthe pedestrian entrances to the covered parking area, parents

are requested to emphasize to their employees the importance

of cooperating with the security staff and remaining in the

appropriate areas.

Firearms

All members of the ISM community are reminded that it is

strictly forbidden for firearms to be brought onto the campus.This includes concealed weapons carried by bodyguards for

close protection. Any person arriving at the school with a

firearm should inform the gate guard and arrangements will be made for the weapon to be safely and securely stored dur-

ing the visitor’s stay.

Security staff directions

Our security team is endeavoring to make the school as safe

and secure an environment as possible for all members of our

community.

We ask that everybody cooperate with us in this important

task. In particular, all those entering our campus are re-quested to comply with any directions given to them by

members of our guard force.

If you are confused or unclear as to the purpose of such in-structions, please seek clarification from the security office.

Please note that it is the parents’ responsibility to advise their

staff accordingly.

Thank you for your cooperation. We are looking forward toanother successful year at International School Manila.

Best wishes,

David TozeSuperintendent


es parent bulletin vol#1 2011 aug 12

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