informer december 2014

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The Informer

ISS Middle School students posing at the Park Güell

2 • THE INFORMER • 10 December 2014 www.isstavanger.no

From the Director:In this issue of the Informer, I would also like to share with you some information about the men and women who make up our ISS Board of Trustees. Our current Board includes the following individuals who offer their time as volunteers in this important governance role:

Mr. Dominic Genetti, works for ExxonMobil and is an American citizen.

Mr. Garry Hargreaves, a British citizen, is the NATO representative and the Board Vice-Chair.

Mr. Chris Isenberger, is both the Parent-Elect representative and ConocoPhillips representative and is an American citizen.

Mr. Arne Thorsen Kolle, is a Norwegian citizen who works for Norske Shell.

Ms. Åshild Hanne Larsen, the Board Chair is a Norwegian citizen who works at Statoil.

Mr. Are Manneråk is the Board Treasurer and a Norwegian citizen who fills the Board slot reserved for a parent paying the school fees privately.

Mr. Hans Christian Næss, is a Norwegian citizen and is the Employee-Elect Trustee

Mr. Jonas Odland, is a Norwegian citizen who works for Schlumberger.

And finally myself, Dr. Linda Duevel, who sits on the Board in my role as ISS Director and I carry an American passport, but am half British, half American.

I thank the members of the Board of Trustees for their willingness to devote their time and talents to the governance of the school. The ISS students are the beneficiaries of the hard work of the Board. We welcome our new Board members this year, Dominic Genetti, Chris Isenberger, Arne Thorsen Kolle and Jonas Odland.

On Friday, November 28, Board Chair Åshild Hanne Larsen hosted a full-day workshop held at Statoil for the Board members plus Deputy Director Gareth Jones and myself to concentrate on setting goals, working on the school’s Strategic Plan and doing exercises connected with the concepts of good Board governance. ISS has been blessed with generations on fine Boards and it has been my honor and privilege to work with them. Spending time together discussing governance is an important exercise for high-functioning international school boards. We were fortunate to have Dr. Richard Spradling, the American School of The Hague Director, join us as facilitator for the day.

THE INFORMER • 10 December 2014 • 3www.isstavanger.no

Improving communications is a topic that every school should have as a goal. We would never expect in a complex organization such as ISS that brings together students, families and employees from around the world to never have differences of opinion or significant questions to ask. It is a given that questions and issues will come up from time to time. That is why it is important to build an ethos in a school that encourages our stakeholders to feel empowered to share their ideas, their questions and their complaints when they occur.

As our Parent/Student Handbook reminds us, “Good, consistent, and timely communication between faculty members, parents and students is encouraged and expected. Since both the faculty and parents have the best interests of the students in mind, it is important that communication be open, constructive and follow guidelines as practiced in Norway.

When students or their parents experience any problems arising at school, it should first be discussed in a conference with the teacher or other applicable school employee. It is anticipated that most problems can be solved at this level.

If not, the parent or student should speak with the principal. If the problem is unresolved after this effort, the problem should be put in writing and submitted to the director. The director, working with the parties involved, will try to resolve the matter.

If the student or parent is not satisfied with the resolution at this stage, they may refer the matter in writing to the Board Chairperson who will decide whether the item should be added to the Board’s agenda at its next meeting. If it is added to the Board agenda, the Board’s decision regarding the issue shall be final. Complaints regarding personnel shall be considered by the Board only in executive session and only when the complaint is written and signed by the complainant.”

This is a good system and one that takes into account all levels of the organization. If you have an issue, please do not be shy about putting the policy in place as outlined. ISS has a long and strong history of listening to its stakeholders.

If you have visited the school recently, you have no doubt noticed the big blue cabinet in the lobby that holds a 3D printer that usually is humming along building the latest creation from one of our Design Technology students who has sent their project electronically to be built by the printer. DT teachers Mr. Steve McGill and Mr. Aaron Ciuffo lead their students in creating some quite remarkable projects using a variety of mediums in the classroom. Knowing


that the work underway would be fascinating to the hundreds of people passing through our lobby each day, Mr. McGill built the display cabinet himself to display the 3D printer and examples of student work. Have a look yourself when visiting ISS. Design Technology—just one more reason that we have many parents telling us that ISS was the right choice for their students’ education here in Stavanger.

One more reason that ISS proudly promotes that it provides “Academics and more. . . “ to its families will take place on Monday, December 15 from 18.00-18.15 at the Torgterrassen Shopping Centre in downtown Stavanger. ISS is proud to be the only foreign school in Stavanger to be invited to take part in the first-ever “Living Advent Calendar.” See www.levendejulekalender.no for details. Our high school music students will be performing—it should be great!

This is our last issue of the Informer of the calendar year 2014. We wish all members of our community a safe, happy and healthy holiday. We are also in the process of saying good-bye to a number of our students and their parents who are transferring out of Norway. In early 2015, we will welcome some new students to the school, but this year—after a number of years of increasing enrollment--we are experiencing a reduction of numbers. In the school’s 49 year history, we have developed considerable expertise in dealing with the inevitable ebbs and flows in the oil industry. We thank those families who are leaving for sharing their precious children with the school and we wish you all the best in the future.

Regards,

Dr. Linda DuevelDirector

[email protected]


As outlined in the article related to well-being later in the Informer, last month the annual safety walk together with Bedriftshelsetjenesten took place and the report outlined the following conclusions:

Out of the 21 areas externally assessed by the Bedriftshelsetjenesten, 18 were assessed as being Green Areas indicating excellent controls, protocols and practices were in place for the areas assessed.

In three areas it was recommended that we should seek to develop improvements.

No areas were highlighted as red and needing urgent attention.

The following comments were made:

• Ensure that there is a risk assessment of all the chemicals in the building in a consistent format and ensure appropriate training for all employees who handle chemicals.

• All safety representatives must complete HSSE-training.

• Fix the emergency light, located in the high school library

As a school we always welcome external checks and evaluations are currently working on addressing the areas highlighted by the Bedriftshelsetjenesten.

Gareth L Jones (B.Ed Hons, MBA)Deputy Director

International School of [email protected]

News from the Health, Security, Safety and Environment (HSSE) Committee


From the Deputy Director Gareth L Jones (B.Ed Hons, BA) E-mail: [email protected]

In my last two Informer articles I wrote about how we had structured our strategic and operational planning under our core values and objectives of Learning, Well-being, Community and supporting objectives of Infrastructure and Resources and Governance and Leadership as we seek to ensure that our Vision and Mission is used to drive our school forward.

I also noted that I would like to share aspects of what we are doing in these areas in subsequent issues of the Informer.

In the October article I wrote about Learning and for this edition I turn to Well-being.

As we updated our Guiding Statements we took a closer look at Well-being and developed the following value statement:

Well-being (Value)At ISS, we value the whole child and believe students leading physically and emotionally healthy, ethical, active and balanced lives in a safe environment will contribute to their self-esteem and enable them to become more effective learners.

Well-being (Strategic Objective)Provide a safe environment that nurtures the emotional, physical and developmental needs of all its students, and promote the basis for a safe, healthy and meaningful working environment for our students and staff.

By articulating what we believe about well-being we are commutating a number of key messages to our students, parents, ourselves and the broad community about what well-being is and means in the 21st century.

Let me start by deconstructing this value statement.

From the initial line we state that we value the whole child. Yes we value learning and academic achievement, but our approach to delivering an education is not one dimensional and does not start and stop at the academic side of learning. It is academics and more!

So when we talk about delivering a holistic education which includes well-being we are fundamentally talking about nurturing and nourishing in three main areas. These are:

1. Promotion of the whole child with a balanced inclusive philosophy that meets the physical and developmental needs of its students. As outlined in my last Informer article by having an inclusive philosophy we believe that all children have the opportunity to participate and

be successful in their learning, (we do not select students out of high stakes tests), as well as in the sport, arts, clubs and activities. This also brings an underlying ethos of ’challenge’ into the lives of our students. They can take risks to attempt things that they never thought possible. They can strive for and achieve success and come to understand and experience failure and with this learn how to develop a response and resilience to it so that as they go through life they can use these skills in order to respond rather that react to new situations, difficulties and problems as opportunities for growth and development. The notion of ”balanced” means that as well as the more ’formal’/’traditional’ educational provision of Language Arts, Mathematics, Social Science and Social Studies we expect students to develop a second language, (providing support for their first language/mother tongue where possible), participate in arts (typically in: art, music, band, choir, drama, physical education, after school sports and a range of other activities both during and after school. As well as developing their technological (information and design) skills in order that they can be prepared to meet the challenges of tomorrow. Developmentally we provide academically rigorous and developmentally appropriate, externally benchmarked intoned learning, (curriculum content and skills), as well as English as an Additional Language support and learning support throughout the school for students who require it. We also gain feedback in regard to well-being through participation in Norwegian annual national surveys and faculty and staff work environment surveys and in the spring of 2015 we intend to launch our annual parents survey in which se seek to gain feedback on well-being as well as our other core and supporting values.

2. Provide programmes and structures that meet the social and emotional needs of our students. In order to support the social and emotional needs of our students, ISS has developed a pastoral support programme which starts with the contact with the homeroom teacher at each grade level robustly supported by an Advisory or Personal Social and Health Education programme, four counsellors across the school and a full-time school nurse. It is important for us that all the adults in the building are conscious of the social and emotional needs of our students and the students are able to get access to and feel comfortable approaching our staff if they need support with social and emotional difficulties. Trying to develop structures and promote activities that contribute to the well-being of students and enable them to


flourish is a continuing challenge for us and over the course of this year the Well-being Committee is conducting a ’literature review’ of best practice in further identifying ways to develop and promote activities that contribute to our desired and articulated ISS learner profile attributes and dispositions throughout the whole school and not just within pastoral and advisory programmes.

3. Promote a culture of safety and actively seek, identify and implement methods to improve the Health, Safety, Security and Environment of the school for students and staff through planned audits & inspections. The third area of focus within the area of well-being typically seeks to address what traditionally may be termed HSSE or Health, Security, Safety and Environment. In this domain there are a number of areas that we continually look to in order to ensure an appropriate environment for learning. This includes:

• Registering and reporting upon near misses and acting on their findings

• Conducting seven safety audits on an annual basis fro m an internal control perspective.

• Conducting multiple audits by external bodies such as the Bedriftshelsetjenesten, playground safety, fire department and electrical controls. We also meet annually with the Regional Security Officer from the US Embassy in Oslo who visits ISS to provide feedback on our safety and security protocols as well as providing us with any updates in regards to global risk factors and whether we need to adjust or amend any of our specific safety and security protocol. We also invite the Stavanger PST (local security police office so that we can gain insights from the national and local perspective also. Over the years our relationships with both these agencies has been excellent and they will contact us immediately in the event of any change in status in regard to safety and security issues.

• Conducting bi-weekly spot checks in the afternoon to control use of seat belts.

• Conducting Fire Drill, Alert and Lockdown practices. In addition to this, the Crisis Response Team at ISS also runs annual table top exercises using external facilitators in which we get to review our preparedness in

relation to specific risk situations and update our protocols in light of what we learn whist conducting these exercises.

• Ensuring appropriate risk assessments are completed

• Maintaining the school’s Environmental Lighthouse Status. In this regard, I am pleased to inform you that we have recently been re-authorized as an Environmental Lighthouse school for the next three years. We are very pleased to continue this association as we were the first school in Norway to gain this award. The scheme continuously challenges us to make improvements in all aspects of the environment at ISS.

• Ensuring there is effective communication in regard to aspects of HSSE. This includes monthly HSSE reports to the Board of Trustees, regular HSSE reports in the Informer (please see also in this addition of the Informer) as well as ensuring that our SMS and e-mail emergency system is up to date and working efficiently and effectively.

I hope this has been able to provide you with an insight to Well-being at ISS and the importance that we place on it. In my next Informer article I hope to turn to look at our third core value and objective: Community.

Can I take this opportunity to wish you an enjoyable holiday.

With kind regards,

Gareth

Gareth L Jones (B.Ed Hons, MBA)Deputy Director

International School of Stavangeremail: [email protected]


The Counselors’ [email protected] [email protected]

THANK YOU to all of our 12th graders who have worked diligently to complete their university applications to the UK, US, and Canada by the ISS deadline of November 15, 2014. It has been an incredibly hectic time of year for seniors given the IB workload coupled with numerous college applications - we sincerely applaud your efforts. Please note that for any applications not yet finished we can no longer guarantee processing and mailing before the holidays.

We would like to congratulate those students for whom we have already submitted UCAS applications –all of them have already received conditional offers from universities including:

University of BathUniversity of BristolUniversity of GlasgowUniversity of GloucesterUniversity of LeicesterLoughborough UniversityUniversity of ManchesterUniversity of StrathclydeUniversity of Worcester

UNIVERSITY VISITS

This fall we have had visits from universities in various parts of the world anxious to recruit international students. On November 17th representatives from the Arts University and University of Bournemouth (UK), University of British Columbia (Canada) and Drexel University (USA) gave presentations to Grade 12 students during Senior Seminar and then gave a small College Fair in the cafeteria at high school lunch.

We strongly encourage all high school students to attend these visits to talk to university representatives to find out more about the opportunities and programmes available to them in further education.

TO ALL STUDENTS WHO TOOK THE PSAT THIS FALL

The PSAT results will arrive shortly and we will let you know when they are here! Please set up an appointment with Ms. Jetabut or Ms. Brown in order to collect your test score and exam booklet in the high school office. Since the PSAT provides a predictive measure of future performance on the SAT, you can use feedback on your test performance

to create an individualized study plan for the SAT. Once you have your results, see the following link for more information http://professionals.collegeboard.com/profdownload/sample-psat-nmsqt-student-score-report.pdf

NOTICE TO ALL ELEVENTH GRADE STUDENTS AND THEIR PARENTS

If you are planning to apply to a US or Canadian College/ University it is strongly recommended that you take your first ACT and/or SAT Reasoning Test during the spring semester. Please consult with Ms. Jetabut or Ms. Brown in order to determine the test of best fit. Senior year is stressful enough – you do not need to add on additional standardized exams to your workload! Please check the registration deadlines for international students and make sure you register online prior to the deadline to avoid any late fees.

Also be sure to check if the College/University you are planning to apply to requires the SAT II Subject Tests. If these are required then it is recommended that you take these during the fall semester of your senior year.

The SAT Subject Tests may not be taken on the same date as the SAT Reasoning Test. We will discuss these exams in more detail at the Junior Seminars, which will begin after the winter break.

For those of you who have begun studying or have already registered for the exams – well done! You are well on your way.

To register online for the SAT that will be offered here at ISS on May 2, 2015 go to www.collegeboard.com. The registration deadline is April 6, 2015.

To register online for the ACT that will be given here at ISS on April 18, 2015 go to www.actstudent.org. The registration deadline is March 13, 2015.

Please note: Spaces for these exams fill up very quickly. It is recommended that you sign up as soon as possible to ensure that you will be able to take the examinations at ISS.

Junior Seminar will be held during last block every ‘Friday 1 and 3’ second semester beginning January 9, 2015. We will be covering topics such as IB Programme completion, post-graduation plans, career and college exploration, personal statements, and the extended essay.


The Counselors’ [email protected] [email protected]

NOTICE TO ALL TENTH AND ELEVENTH GRADE STUDENTS

You are invited to participate in the CIS International Student Registry Service to receive free admission information from CIS Member Colleges and Universities. This is a no cost opportunity to hear from member colleges and universities in the US, UK, Canada, Australia, Mexico, New Zealand, Japan, Middle East and Europe. To complete an online registration form go to: https://www.cois.org/page.cfm?p=1285&LockSSL=true

SUMMER STUDY PROGRAMS

We have received a wide variety of brochures and information from summer study programs. Please check the college bulletin board or ask in the Counseling Office for more information

American University of Paris – www.aup.edu/summer

INTERNATIONAL BACCALAUREATE-SPRING REVISION AND SUMMER COURSES 2015

The following websites offer resources on IB revision and review programs. Please take a look and plan ahead as appropriate: Oxford Study Courses – www.OSC-IB.com

Lanterna IB Courses – www.lanternaeducation.com/ibStanford University – www.ibsummerschool.comIB Revision Camps Vienna - www.ibwise.com

TO ALL OUR NINTH GRADE STUDENTS

Remember, 9th Grade is important! Now is the time to improve those study habits, balance your workload and extracurricular commitments, and learn best practices to manage your time. Every course you take, every grade you earn, and every choice you make will be a part of your overall high school profile.

Make it count!

As the frost slowly spreads over our autumnal landscape, this is a natural reminder that the holidays are right around the corner. There is still much to do in the few days left before Christmas break; so make the most of each day and know that we continue to be by your side during this very busy season.

May this winter break bring everyone much needed respite, reunion, and reflection as we look forward to a glorious New Year!

Mrs. Brown Ms. Jetabut

Cheryl Brown June JetabutHigh School Counselor High School [email protected] [email protected]


News from the IbDP/IGcSe Coordinator

Service Learning in the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme at ISS: December 2014

In this Informer I wanted to share with you some of the service learning activities that are currently going on in the High School. Service learning is a key component of the IB Diploma CAS (Creativity, Activity, Service) programme, and all 11th and 12th graders following the IB Diploma are involved in one or more service learning opportunities. Regular readers of the Informer will have recently seen some of the activities of the ‘Girl Effect’ group promoting awareness of breast cancer on ‘Pink Day’, and the ‘School for Life’ group who were involved in real practical help for disadvantaged children during their trip to Thailand in October. The ‘Cameroon Service Project’ is again very active this year, raising money to improve the school buildings in Stephane’s village, and I am sure many of you are looking forward to their annual Candlelight Dinner in January.

Those of you who attended the ISS International Festival may have seen the ‘International Red Cross’ group, who raised awareness for the work of the ICRC around the world through a treasure hunt for the young visitors to the festival and incidentally raised kr 470 through voluntary donations. This week they are topping up this amount through a ‘Guess the number of chocolates in the jar’ competition at High School lunchtimes.

Service learning projects for CAS involve five stages: investigation, preparation, action, reflection, and demonstration of results. One group who are actively involved in a project as I write is the ‘Fretex’ group. A number of 11th and 12th grade students are regular volunteers at the local Fretex store, just around the corner from ISS. Fretex is a social enterprise, and the shop sells donated goods to raise money for charitable

activities of the Norwegian Salvation Army, both locally and globally. However, investigation showed that many of our students and parents may not be aware of the store, or why it may be a good place to shop. The students decided to organize a Fashion Show for the High School during a lunchtime, and to use posters to inform the community of what Fretex has to offer. Preparation for this involved an advertising campaign through the Daily Report and posters in the school foyer, which amongst other things aimed to demonstrate the range of Christmas gifts and decorations that were available to buy. The Fashion Show itself showed how recycling (or upcycling) could allow you to be stylish on a budget, while reducing the amount of new items bought and then discarded. Buying clothes at Fretex can provide three benefits in one: save money, save people, save the planet! I hope that as the students reflect on their project, and consider the results of their work, they are happy with what they have achieved and feel that they have learned a lot in the process. We are grateful for all the support and encouragement from the staff of the local Fretex store, especially Jeanette Livesay and Torill Jensen, who have been so enthusiastic throughout this project.

It is a busy time at school as we approach the holidays, and the 12th graders prepare for their IB Mock Examinations in January. Perhaps the message of the Fretex group to take a look at our local store can help reduce some of the stress of the seasonal shopping! I wish everyone a peaceful holiday, and all the best for the coming year.

Lynn ParkIBDP/IGCSE Coordinator

[email protected]



Part

y ou

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Merry Christmas!

The Fretex Fashion Team

Ready, dear?

On the catwalk


H i g h S c h o o l N E W S

An article in Global Us (2013) stated that international schools are like a micro-world where many countries and cultures are represented and where students can gain amazing international exposures through their education.

What would normally take an adult years of traveling and research could very much take a year or two for a student attending an international school. They can experience inclusion and diversity in their everyday routine while being exposed to other students from all over the world. Debates and discussions in class get to a whole new dimension, the international dimension.

While in some international schools students might not gain access to the local culture while attending international schools, at ISS we do not want our students to be living in an international school “bubble”. As you can see from curricular links, sports and service learning projects such as the Fretex project highlighted in Ms Park’s article, we are conscious that our students should be contributing members of our

host community too. Nonetheless, students learn a wide array of other cultures, customs and traditions through their classmates. More importantly, they learn to be understanding and have an open mind.

In our interconnected world, these skills are priceless and hard to gain. They might just sling students into future international career success and geographical mobility.

Still, international schools do not only need to be cognizant of the host culture and “international” culture, but they also need to be mindful of the school culture is it developing and instilling. According to Fullan (2007) school culture can be defined as the guiding beliefs and values evident in the way a school operates. “School culture” can be used to encompass all the attitudes, expected behaviours and values, that impact how the school operates.

Over the last week, I have seen a culture of collaboration with our High School students. With our Fretex

The Russian Federation’s representative at the IMUN Conference speaks his mind!

School Culture in an International School Context


H i g h S c h o o l N E W S H i g h S c h o o l N E W S

group, or StuCo, who again organized a wonderful Winter Formal, assisted by the School for Life team that provided the food, and our PA and parents who ably assisted with the evening, one saw various school stakeholders coming together to achieve a common purpose.

This in many ways is a microcosm of what an international school is.

Any business textbook will state that collaboration depends on good communication and shared values. However, in the context of an international school this can be more problematic since there are an array of languages with varying levels of proficiency, encapsulated with different cultural perspectives and insights. Different cultures can have different styles of communication and different understandings of what good education looks like and what it should achieve.

In an international school context there is an onus on us to understanding these differences. Once these differences are understood, they can be dealt with, and the collaboration required to develop a positive

school culture and community can be more easily/possibly achieved. At ISS we are well placed to realise this goal.

Finally, I would like to wish all our families an enjoyable and relaxing holiday, and we look forward to seeing you in 2015.

Dr. Liam BrowneHigh School Principal

[email protected]

The President of the Security Council, reports back at the end of the IMUN Conference


H i g h S c h o o l N E W S

The popular MUN club at ISS attends two Model United Nations conferences a year.

The first one, IMUN, took place in early November in Lisbon, Portugal. The eleven students who attended represented the countries of Colombia, Russian Federation, Canada, New Zealand and Turkey while one 11th grader took the role of President of the Security Council.

Students lobbied and merged resolutions, gave opening

speeches and debated for two days, discussing topics such as biofuels, investing in mental health and the question of Ukraine.

Everyone worked hard to learn their country’s policy, to research their topics and to play a role during the conference.

The beautiful surroundings, professional conference centre and welcoming host school all added to a very successful and enjoyable event.

IBERIAN MODEL UNITED NATIONS - IMUN - 2014


H i g h S c h o o l N E W S H i g h S c h o o l N E W S


Middle School News and Events

Welcome to the last Informer of 2014!

Firstly, let me take this opportunity to wish you all a wonderful, relaxing and safe holiday. I also wish you much happiness for 2015. We look forward to seeing all the Middle School students returning (bright and breezy!) on Wednesday, 7th January!

Choir and Band Concerts

Congratulations to the Middle School band students (and Musical Directors, Tony Mudra, Ryan Walker and Sanna Tranberg) for providing wonderful evening entertainment on November 26th. We are really looking forward to the Choir Concert that takes place tomorrow night -11th December. The students and staff have clearly worked hard to provide two evenings of festive entertainment!

Middle School Dance

The first MS dance of the year took place on Friday, 5th December with a ‘Red Carpet’ theme. We had a wonderful turn-out for this event and it was a fantastic success. Thank you to all the parent helpers, to Mr Keereman for being the DJ and to Middle School Student Council (and their advisors Mrs Uddenberg and Mr De Bleser for their excellent overall organization).

In preparation for this dance, all Middle School students learnt some rock and roll (swing) dance during their physical education classes. All classes learnt some new skills which they used to great effect at the dance! They also learnt the importance and purpose of correct dance/social etiquette which, of course, is a life skill – even though they don’t realise that yet!

Activity Day – Last Day of SchoolWednesday, December 17th

Next week is the last week of school, and as usual, the middle school will be continuing with a regular class schedule until the last day of school. On Wednesday, December 17th, the schedule will be a little different. The entire Middle School will be going ice skating in the morning. The ice skating is courtesy of the Parent Association (thank you to them). Some information for you:

• The ice skating and skate hire is paid for so the only money that is necessary will be for snacks, drinks, etc. Please bring coins for the vending machine as the cafeteria is not open in the morning.

• We will return to school in time for lunch.• Due to the fact that the entire MS go at the same

time, the ice rink does not have enough skates for hire. PLEASE bring along your own skates if you have them.

Barcelona! - here we come!


Middle School News and Events Middle School News and Events

• Students will be travelling by bus from the school to the ice rink and will return to school by bus.

• Students will have regular scheduled classes in the afternoon – Norwegian followed by Exploratory.

• This is a regular school day so we will take attendance as usual and the buses will run at the end of the day so picking up students will work just like any other school day.

End of Q2/Semester 1

Time is certainly flying by in the Middle School! The end of Quarter 2 and Semester 1 falls on Wednesday, 17th December. That, of course, means a new set of Report Cards should be arriving at your door in the New Year.

This semester report will contain narrative comments in all subjects on strengths, challenges and goals for improvement, as well as a student self-reflection from all subjects.

Middle School Recognition Ceremony – Q2

You are cordially invited to attend our next Recognition Ceremony to celebrate all the events and achievements during Quarter 2. This will take place

on Monday, January 19th from 13:50 until 15:15.

Middle School Musical – ‘Camp Rock’ Rehearsals – students in the Cast.

Congratulations to all students who auditioned for this year’s MS Musical. We were very impressed with their audition and their preparation for this.

The Cast List has been published last week to great excitement!

After school rehearsals for the musical will begin after the holidays. The first after school rehearsal will be on Wednesday 7th January (15:30-17:30), Sunday, 11th January (13:00-16:00). Not all students will be needed on these days. You will be receiving the overall rehearsal schedule each week by email if your son/daughter is in the cast of this production.

I hope that you have a wonderful, relaxing and joyous holiday time whether you travel or whether you choose to remain in beautiful Norway.

Happy Holidays!

Carol WallaceMiddle School [email protected]

I will MISS you...!

Middle School News and Events


Our days are filled with a focus on academic work. A well-rounded set of subjects offers students opportunity to learn, grow and prepare for life-long learning.

All students have the following subjects: Art, Character Education with the counselor, Information Technology, Language Arts, Library, Mathematics, Music, Physical Education, Science and Social Studies.

One of the changes that we have worked on over the last few years is adapting our language arts learning to follow the approach developed by Teacher’s College of Columbia University. This rigorous approach to reading and writing has been adopted by many international schools. It stemmed from work of our literacy coordinators who worked with other literacy experts and leaders in other international schools. We have found the approach offers more structure to teaching writing for each grade level. At the same time, there is a clear articulation of knowledge and skills among the grade levels. Teachers are excited by the results they see in the quality of student writing.

For reading, we measure results by using the Developmental Reading Assessment to ascertain gains in fluency and comprehension. At the same time, the assessment offers teachers information that guides instructional levels and offers the appropriate challenge for each student.

While the nights have been getting longer, there has

been full activity in academic, social and well-being areas of school.

We enjoyed the International Festival, and we thank all those who spent months preparing for fun that afternoon.

There were two winter concerts that filled the theatre with music and joy.

We had a peace procession (fredslys) on the dark morning of 5 December.

Students took part in art classes after school as well as embroidery classes and gymnastics.

Grade five students involved in dance on Fridays will have a presentation after school on Friday, 12 December. Over 100 students in Grades K-5 participate in dance on most Friday afternoons.

Our juletrefest is scheduled for the last day of school before the holiday. This is a tradition a teacher of Norwegian classes and I started over 25 years ago, and it is now one of our traditions at ISS.

IBA youth basketball has started and it is good to see so many students take part in the practices on Friday evening and games on Saturdays.

Students in grade 4 spent four days at Gullingen leirskule for outdoor education week, and I certainly

Peace is many things

Primary School News


enjoy the opportunity to see the student in action. Thank you to students who did a fantastic job working together and taking on the challenges of outdoor life and staying with our group away from home.

Thank you as well to the ISS teachers for leading the trip: Ms Jeanne Bouvier, Ms Ceri Britton, Ms Kari Hvidevold, Ms Zsuzsi Kallenberg and Mr. David Beaty. You can see what we were doing at the following website:http://www.gullingen.no/index.php/leirskule/galleri-2/week-47-14

Grade 5 students will travel to Gullingen 16-20 March with a focus on cross-country skiing.

A highlight in January will be the Primary School musical, Shakespeare Rocks. Come join in the fun and support our students who have been practicing for months. The musical will be presented 18:00, 22 January, 19:00 23 January and 14:00, 24 January in the Lovelace Theatre at ISS. Come enjoy the music, costumes and set of this musical that makes Shakespeare’s works so easy to access.

I wish all the ISS community a happy holiday, and we look forward to continued work and effort of our students in 2015.

Len Duevel, PhDPrimary School Principal

[email protected]

Proud fishermen

Rehearsing for the Winter Concert

Primary School News


Early Childhood

Thank you, parents for the wonderful turnout for our Kindergarten-Grade 2 Concert, “Snowman at Sunset”. The children provided an outstanding performance singing. Mrs. Perks guided the children through all of the process of learning the songs and practicing to be performers on stage. It was a wonderful way to kick off the holiday season.

The children in Early Childhood have continued to be busy working on a variety of engaging learning activities. Leading into the holidays, the child have participated in a number of special events such as an early morning lantern walk, visits to the Christmas tree farm, pictures with Santa, Julefest- singing around the Christmas tree, gingerbread baking and class winter parties.

Preschool 3 have been learning about shapes and their senses (taste, smell, touch and sound). They have had a lot of fun making instruments, finger painting with chocolate, and using their senses to explore Sandved Park. Miss Joyce has been cooking with both classes of preschool 3 and Miss Caroline has been doing creative art with both classes of preschool 3. The

children have really enjoyed these hands-on activities and the teachers have enjoyed getting to know all of the preschool 3 children.

In Preschool 4 the children have been learning about life on a farm—the farmers, their many jobs, their crops and the live animals that typically live on a farm. In each of the studios the children have been exploring and experimenting with elements of farm. They have cooked, created a farm environment and have been experimenting with structures of barns and buildings using blocks. All our preschool children continue to enjoy exploring nature. Currently the children are investigating the changes that occur in winter.

In Kindergarten, like our other Early Childhood students enjoy the opportunities to explore nature. All of the children had a wonderful time at Troll’s wood—Hundvåg. Recently, the children have begun a theme of activities based on the “gingerbread man” including reading several stories about gingerbread man; creating their own symmetrical gingerbread man; writing about the location of the gingerbread

Young apprentices learning from a master pumpkin carver

Early Childhood


Early ChildhoodEarly Childhood

Field trip fun

man the classroom (each evening, he is moved to a different location, and the next day, the children write about where he is, using various position words—above, under, next to, behind, etc.); various counting, patterning, and sorting activities with gingerbread men; create graphs displaying which part of the cookie was eaten first, which gingerbread story the children liked the best, etc.; predict what will happen to a gingerbread cookie if it is submerged in water and of course- decorate and eat some gingerbread cookies!!

In Grade 1 the children have continued to learn about changes in the environment—winter including how animals prepare for hibernation.

For part of the time in Mathematics the children have been grouped according to whether they need numerical skills reinforced, consolidated or extended. The teachers found these focused sessions to be extremely beneficial to all children.

The newly introduced WISH time has been a great success with the children. This is a wonderful way for the children to have choice and get to know their peers across the grade level. All of the WISH activities support the grade one curriculum including Science and Social Studies.

Jill RavenEarly Childhood Principal

[email protected]

There is something not right here ....Too good to be wasted ...

Sunshine from inside!

Chocolate!!!


Library News!The ISS libraries are regularly putting great new materials into the collection. Currently we have over 20,000 materials available. ISS students AND their families are always welcome to check out books.

The ISS Library is now on !!!!!

Follow us to stay updated on library news, events, and new materials!twitter.com/ISSlibrary

Holiday Books & Movies: Come browse our selection of holiday books and movies…

We look forward to seeing you!

ISS Library Staff

[email protected]


MOVEMbER takes place during the month of November, males growth moustaches in support of increasing the awareness of prostate cancer. 1 in 36 men will die of prostate cancer, which is 22% of all male deaths from cancer.

This year teachers from all sections of the school took part in the event.

We raised a total of kr 3800, this money will be donated to the Norwegian Movember prostate cancer organisation.

Best regardsRichard Smith

High School Science [email protected]


All School News


All School News

Shakespeare Rocks is a fresh, funny and up to date look at the life and times of William Shakespeare.

With a cast of hilarious historical characters and amusing glimpses into some of his works you will find out how he came “To Be”.

Specially written for 2014 – The Shakespeare Celebration Year - this show

may teach you things you never knew about the Bard!

Come along and be wonderfully entertained by our super enthusiastic cast.

Get your tickets now!

Welcome!

Shakespeare Rocks by

Steve Titford performed by

STUDENTS IN GRADES 3-‐5

Lovelace Theatre

Thursday 22nd January, 2015 at 18:00

Friday 23rd January, 2015 at 19:00 Saturday 24th January, 2015 at 14:00

Tickets: Kr. 20 from the main office

Tel. 51 55 43 00


All School NewsLucia means light, and Scandinavians treasure it especially during the darkest months of the year.

Legend has it Lucia was a young woman in Italy who was martyred for her faith and love for the poor during the 3rd Century. She is celebrated throughout Scandinavia with a light procession.

Coinciding with Santa Lucia is the old, Norse LUSSI NATT. Norwegians used to believe the darkest night of the year to be between the 12th and the 13th of December. Evil spirits were about and people stayed indoors.

Baking was to be done prior to this evening.

Today we find the Lucia tradition in homes and schools around Norway.

At ISS, children from 2nd grade dressed in white, will carry candles and sing the traditional Lucia song.

On Thursday, 11 December the procession will start at 11:00 and will visit primary classes grades PS – 5th to hand out pepperkaker.

Our

Juletrefest

is a tradition and highlight of the season at ISS.

If you like to sing or listen to children singing round the tree, join us for the Juletrefest:

Wednesday, 17 December, in the cafeteria:

• Grades PS3 - 1st at 14:00 - 14:30

• Grades 2 - 5 at 14:30 - 15:00

Welcome to

Norwegian Juletrefest!!!


ART & DESIGN ISS 2014-15

Silk painting is an art, a hobby and a passion.

For eight Mondays, one of our parents, Simonetta Ivaldi has offered silk painting classes after school to students in grades 3-7.

Students took part in learning a variety of techniques, and the photos in this copy of The Informer are from the Gutta technique.

Other techniques were using salt, wet on wet with water, anti-spread treating the silk before painting and finishing with batik.

Students have been so lucky to take part in the art work and extend their skills and knowledge, and this has been followed up with a “wow” factor of beautiful silk ties, picture frame covers, pictures of sunset to hang and the final project will be making greeting cards in silk.

Silk painting



Grade 6 students have been learning about the first Art ever created by humans. This is cross curricular with their Social Studies Unit on Early People.

They have been practising various drawing techniques, from blind drawing to memory drawing.

Their detailed observational drawings of personal objects (artefacts) were used to create mono prints, directly onto a painted ’cave wall’.

They had lots of fun collaborating on this display and found the process of printing surprisingly magical and unpredictable!CA

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Grade 8 Art students have been studying Leonardo da Vinci’s anatomy drawings to learn how to draw the body accurately.

In one Art lesson, they had the exciting opportunity of stepping into da Vinci s shoes, with the expert help of Mrs. Barnes, HS Biology Teacher. Students learnt through dissection, how a chicken wing is similar to the human arm.

They made detailed drawings of their discoveries, just like da Vinci did when he opened up human bodies in the 15th and 16th Century. Students loved this unique opportunity to be hands on, combining Art and Science, and soon forgot any fears they had!

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Every year in September Stavanger celebrates the Nuart festival.

Nuart is an annual international street art festival established in 2001 with a focus exclusively on Street Art since 2005.

In addition to a multitude of public art works, Nuart also stages one of the most anticipated exhibitions of the year. The exhibition is held at Tou Scene.

On Wednesday November 17th, the Art department took half of the 6th graders to Stavanger city to explore the new and existing Street Art.

Students observed the art and were asked to answer questions to let them think about the hidden message and the techniques used by the artists.

The trip concluded with the exhibition in the Tou Scene.

It was a great experience for them to look at the city in a different way and the students were amazed by the multitude of art in their own city.

Jenny Price and Mirjam Mols

Art Teachers 6th

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Four IB Art students, Benedetta, de Luigi Anna Chiandet, Lotte Olsen, and Sergey Kim, took part in the stenciling workshop held by the street artists, Icy and Sot. This workshop is connected to the Nuart Street Art Festival that takes place every year in September. Icy and Sot live in Brooklyn, but are from Iran.

The four IB students learned how these two brothers work and then created a large stenciled mural. All in just three hours. The mural is displayed outside of Metropolis Youth Center in Storhaug (by St. Petri church).

Jeane SvihusIB Art Teacher

[email protected]

Nuart Stenciling Workshop


ISS Sports News

Relay racing

The javelin is not my best discipline....Long jump!

How’s your balance, my girl?

Triple jump!


ISS Sports News

Fourteen middle school students competed in the Stavanger ´ Team Athletics competition to determine, ´ hvem har Stavangers sprekeste klasselag´ (which school in Stavanger has the fittest class of students?)

A variety of events tested speed, strength, stamina, balance, coordination, jumping ability, throwing ability, and teamwork of local students.

Our very fit students produced some fantastic results and finished in fourth place!

Well done Vikings!

Here is the fourth fittest class in Stavanger!!!!

Which school in Stavanger has the fittest class of students?

Triple jump!


Parent Association News

11th Annual ISS Parent Association

International Festival 2014

The Numbers Are In! Net Profit for Festival 140,000 NOK

Corporate Donations 31,000 NOK

Thank you to all parents, volunteers and sponsors for supporting ISS and the PA.

We could not have done it without you!

Thank You & Tusen Takk!!! Join us in the planning of next year’s festival.

Open festival meeting on March 3 2015


Parent Association News

7 Top row: Drawstring Bag kr 70, ISS Cap kr 50, 3 different colors coffee mugs kr 902nd row: Pencil case in 2 colors kr 50, iPad Soft covers in 2 colors kr 50, Yellow Safety Vest (L, XL, XXL) kr 503rd row: Snapwatches in 3 colors kr 120, Headcover Scarfs wear many ways kr 15, ISS Festival Cookbook kr 150

HELP YOUR CHILDREN AGES 4 – 7 LEARN ENGLISH AVAILABLE AT THE KIOSK FOR A LIMITED TIME

Top row: Children Hoodies Price: kr 180 Size SMALL 110/120 (Red, Blue ONLY), Medium 130/140 (Red, Blue, Black), Large 150/160 (Red, Blue, Black) 2nd row: Photo left: Children Full Zipper Fleeces Size: 8/10 and 12/14 Red n Blue ONLY Price: kr 260 Photo on right: Ladies Short sleeve V-Neck Tshirts size: S, M, L Price: kr 1153rd row: Photo left Ladies & Men Long sleeve Tshirt (Black ONLY) Size: S, M, L, XL sizes: Men: M,L, XL Price: kr 120, Photo on right: ADULT Full Zipper Fleeces Colors: Navy, Red, Black S, M, L, XL Price kr 260

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We have lovely gift ideas for Adults and Children!

Looking for Christmas Gift Ideas, then stop by the P.A. Kiosk!We have lovely gift ideas for Adults and Children!


Service of Nine Lessons & Carols A Festive Ecumenical Service in English

Stavanger Domkirke

Tuesday 23rd December 18:00 (doors open at 17:30) Supported by The English speaking churches in the Stavanger area Organised by Revd. Peter Hogarth The Anglican Chaplaincy in Norway, Stavanger Congregation. Contact: [email protected] Mobile Tel: 48604061

HOUSE ExCHANgE available in a beautiful old market town in Lincolnshire, England.

Four bedrooms, enclosed garden and car available.

Prefer Stavanger but Sandnes ok. Exchange can take place any time or during school holidays.

Contact: 00 44 78 89 84 25 60.


EKSCLUSIVE QUALITY HEREKE CARPETS

Available here in town, both silk and wool ! www.sultancarpets.no

…If finest means best in the carpet trade, then Hereke makes the best rugs in the orient. The materials and colorings are excellent and the designs imaginative and wide-ranging.”

-From Oriental Carpet Design: A guide to traditional motifs, patterns and symbols, by P R J Ford, London:

Thames & Hudson, 2002, pages 134-5.

Our Guarantees: 1. ★ Authenticity : Purchase your one of a

kind, quality Hereke Carpet securely with our authenticity guarantee.

2. ★Labour Guarantee : No child labour. All of our products are produced by experienced artisans. ★ Price Guarantee : Due to low overhead cost our prices are compatible with the Hereke rug prices in Türkiye. www.sultancarpets.no, Tel: 95932842

I am a registred yoga instructor (RYT), trained at Sunshine Yoga Academy,

Calgary, Canada. (https://secure.yogaalliance.org/IMISPublic/Registration/Teachers/teacherdirectory.aspx ) I instruct Raja / Ashtanga Yoga, 8 limbs of Yoga and Medical Yoga. Please see my web site for details: www.karmayoga.no

RAJA YOGA: Wednesdays at 8:45 to 10:00. Monday 19:30 to 20:45. MEDICAL YOGA: Tuesdays at 9:30 to 10:45

Wednesdays at 19:45 to 21:00 START: January 5, Week 2 PRICE: 600 kr for 6 weeks or 140 kr per drop inns. Address: Madlasandnes 133, Hafrsfjord (Near International School) Tel: 9593 2842, Fatos

Develop Body Awareness and Mindfulness!

Take Yoga Classes at Karma Yoga Studio

one-to-one tutorinG available!StruGGlinG to tell your xylem

from your phloem?not Sure why pythaGoraS waS So

concerned about a Square hippopotamuS?

Ex ISS student (2010 cohort), with Politi attest, in Norway for 2014/15 Academic year, has one-to-one tutoring vacancies available for Middle & High School students in a variety of subjects, including:

• Spanish from Middle School up to IB HL• Maths from Middle School up to IB SL• Biology up to IB HL• Chemistry/Physics up to IGCSE• English up to IB HL

Focus on other skills such as revision techniques, essay-writing and presenting strategies also possible. Limited places available - first come, first served!

For more information and/or queries regarding rates, please contact Louise Heavey 950 650 43 or [email protected]


Editor: Liv Nærland Høie Phone: +47 51 55 43 22 E-mail: [email protected]

The Informer is issued on the ISS web-page: www.isstavanger.no

Go to “News” and then to “Informer” and current issue.

To have CLASSIFIED ADS published in The Informer, please e-mail: [email protected] editor reserves the right to edit ads to fit the space requested by you.

Prices: Companies1 Private persons2

ISS Teachers/Students and their parents3*

Full page (260 x 180mm) NOK 2400 NOK 1200 NOK 600

1/2 page (130 x 180 mm): NOK 1200,- NOK 600,- NOK 300,-



1/16 of a page (28,5 x 88 mm): NOK 200,- NOK 100,- NOK 50,-

1. If you run a business/company/activity that makes your living, you are a “company” price-wise. 2. If you have a small activity, a non-profit foundation, organise a charity, advertise your belongings for

sale, insert small personal ads, etc., you are charged a “private person” price.3. *These prices are valid from January 2010

If you do not wish to receive the Informer any more -

or if you have changes to your e-mail address,

please notify Liv N. Høie at 51 55 43 22 or e-mail: [email protected]

Lunch MenuIn addition to the daily HOT MEAL and the soup of the day, the cafeteria also offers a vegetarian option for lunch

Issues of the Informer in the school year 2014-2015 are due: 03.09, 29.10. and 10.12. 2014. In 2015: 28.01, 11.03. and 27.05. Deadline is one week before.

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december W 10.12 Lasagna Th 11.12 Pinnekjøtt (Norwegian lamb ribs) F 12.12 Mexican gratinated fish dish

M 15.12 Christmas meatballs of pork T 16.12 Tagliatelle w/salmon and shrimps W 17.12 Julegrøt (Rice porridge)

January 2015W 07.01 Chili con Carne Th 08.01 Pasta all’arrabbiata F 09.01 Breaded cod w/potatoes and vegetables

M 12.01 Risotto and chorizo T 13.01 Pasta alla norma W 14.01 Mexican lasagna Th 15.01 Chicken w/soy sauce and sesame F 16.01 Thai stewed salmon

M 19.01 Thai pork stew T 20.01 Pasta alla Carbonara W 21.01 Chicken Korma Th 22.01 Beef Stroganoff F 23.01 Fish nuggets

M 26.01 Chicken couscous T 27.01 Pasta w/vegetables and tomato sauce W 28.01 Sweet & sour pork Th 29.01 Meatballs F 30.01 Bacalao


December11 Middle & High School Choir Concert, 19:0012 CSP Talent Show17 Middle & High School Activity Day17 Juletrefest, Early Childhood, 14:00-14:3017 Juletrefest, Primary School, 14:30-15:00

18/12 2014 - 6/1 2015 Winter Vacation

January 20157 Back to school7 Middle School musical rehearsal, 15:308 Middle School swimming practice, 15:3012-23 Grade 12 IB Mock Exams19 Middle School Recognition Ceremony, 13:5022-24 Primary School Drama Production: Shakespeare Rocks25-30 THIMUN Conference - The Hague28 100th Day of School30 Cameroon Service Project Candlelit Dinner, 18:00

February5-7 Middle School basketball - Aberdeen6 Girl Effect Teacher Talent Show10 & 11 ISA Testing, Grades 3 - 911 Grade 9 to 10 Transition Information Afternoon, 15:3012 IB Information Evening, 18:0016-20 Winter Week - no school24 Careers Day 26 8th to 9th Grade Transition Meting, 18:00

march5-6 Middle School Student/Parent/Teacher Conferences5-7 Middle School Musical12-14 NECIS Swimming, Luxembourg13 Grade 4 Assembly, 10:3015-20 8th Grade Outdoor Education Week16-20 Grade 5 Outdoor Education Week, Gullingen27 EC and PS Student/Parent/Teacher Meetings

30/3-6/4 Easter Holiday - no school

april8-12 Middle School Girls Honour Choir9 EC and PS Track and field practice10 Drop Everything and Read14 Grade 5 Assembly, 10:3016 Middle School Recognition Ceremony, 08:4523 5th Grade/Middle School/High School Spring Concert29-30 6th Grade Trip to Oslo

The Informer is published by international School oF Stavanger

Treskeveien 3NO-4043 STAVANGER

Norway

Tel: +47 51 55 43 00 Fax: +47 51 55 43 01

E-mail: [email protected]

High School Office: +47 51 55 43 43Middle School Office: +47 51 55 43 11

Primary School Office: +47 51 55 43 23

Director: Dr. Linda DuevelDeputy Director: Mr. Gareth JonesHigh School Principal: Dr. Liam BrowneMiddle School Pricipal: Ms. Carol WallacePrimary School Principal: Dr. Len DuevelEarly Childhood Principal: Ms. Jill RavenBusiness Manager: Ms. Linn Åsheim

IB Coordinator: Ms. Lynn ParkHigh School Counselors: Ms. Monchaya (June) Jetabut and Ms. Cheryl BrownMiddle School Counselor: Mr. Matt ArmstrongPrimary School Counselor: Dr. Jack RavenSchool Nurse: Ms. Heather Melhus

The ISS Vision StatementInspire a community of responsible, globally- engaged, empowered learners.

The ISS Mission StatementISS provides an internationally-accredited, engag-ing and challenging English-language education in a supportive, multi-cultural environment where students have the opportunity to fulfill their potential.

Our ValuesLearning, Well-being, Community.

The International School of Stavanger (ISS), founded in 1966, is an independent, non-profit Norwegian foundation accredited by the New England Association of Schools and Colleges and the Council of Interna-tional Schools. The school enrolls students from ages 3 through 18. ISS offers an international university preparatory curriculum that combines the best features of many national educational systems. Both the Inter-national Baccalaureate Diploma programme and the International General Certificate of Secondary Educa-tion external examinations are available to students.

In 2013, the school has an enrollment of nearly 800 students who represent over 50 nationalities, including students from six of the earth’s seven continents.

High School event Middle School event Primary School event All School event

Calendar of Events School year 2014-2015

A memorable International Festival is over ....

informer december 2014

Documents

board treasurer

board slot

current board

iss board of trustees

norwegian citizen

american citizen

new board members

american school