Principal’s Report

07 August, 2015 Ta l a n o a Volume 5

Newsletter of International School SuvaNewsletter of International School SuvaNewsletter of International School Suva

Dear Parents and Guardians,

What with the opening of our new

building and Fun Day we have had a

tremendous first four weeks and the

rest of term looks just as busy. Thank

you to everyone who came to school

on July 22nd to celebrate with us as we

opened our new building. It is a great

testament to everyone involved and only fitting that Mark Halabe,

former Chair of Council, was our Chief Guest for the event. On

behalf of our entire community I thank Ram Bali and Vinesh Chand

for their leadership, building and financial, without them we would

not have had a building to open. Please do feel free to come in and

have a look around. You will find Joan, Salote or me on the second

floor and we would be happy to give you a tour.

This term we have welcomed three new members of faculty:

Brittany Buffington, Kate Passin and Matthew Dadley. Brittany

Buffington was employed in response to increasing student numbers

as a teacher in our new Year 1/2 multiage class. She started at the

beginning of term. Brittany graduated with a Bachelor of Science

majoring in Elementary Education from Salisbury University in

2012. For the past eight years, she has held teaching positions in

primary and middle schools in New Zealand and the USA. Kate

Passin started on 27th July 2015 in a part-time capacity as the

primary school counsellor. Kate graduated in 1988 with a Bache-

lor of Science majoring in Psychology with a minor in Education

from the James Madison University, USA. In addition she has a

Master of Education in School Counselling from the University of

Georgia awarded in 2004. Prior to relocating to Fiji with her family,

Ms Passin was the counsellor at Bethesda Elementary and

Westchester/Winnona Park Elementary Schools. Initially Kate will

be working at ISS one day a week. Matthew Dadley commenced

work on the 5th August in the English as a Second Language/

Learning Support department. Matthew graduated in 2004 with

a Bachelor of Arts (Hons) from the University of Otago. He then

obtained a Graduate Diploma in Arts (English Literature) in 2012

from Victoria University in Wellington. In 2012 Matthew enrolled

in the first iteration of Teach First New Zealand and he obtained his

Postgraduate Diploma in Secondary Teaching in 2014 from the

University of Auckland after having taught for two years.

Finally a few notices.

International Youth Day is celebrated on 12th August and we will

be commemorating this day with our whole-school assembly on

Friday 14th August from 1.45 pm.

The second Coffee with the Principal will be held at 9.45 am on

Tuesday 11th August in the conference room, second floor of the

new building.

A Consultation with the School Council will be held on

Wednesday 26th August from 6 pm in the Amphitheatre.

You are invited to all of these events. Please do come along.

Inside this Issue

PTFA - Fun Day Article

Counselors Corner

ISS Soccer

High School News

Year 11 Camp Overview

Primary Update

\

Primary Athletics Carnival

ISS Netball

Upcoming Events

Dear Parents and Guardians, As this Talanoa is sent out we are on the eve of Fun Day 2015, with a very positive feeling all around the school that this might just be the best Fun Day ever! Our imminent success is a reflection of the massive support from our families and the ISS community in all of the areas that make Fun Day so special: preparing and cooking for our international food stalls; contributing to the theme baskets that make up the fantastic prizes for our raffle; supporting our teachers and students to run their year level stalls; and providing books, clothes, toys and other items throughout the weeks of our Fun Day Mufti Competition. The response to the Mufti Competition was outstanding - our book and white elephant stalls are now fully stocked with pre-loved items ready to find new homes with happy shoppers! And we are delighted to announce our winners - class 5S came storming home in the last week of the competition to be Primary champions, while class 1001 were consistent throughout, taking out the Secondary competition. Both of these classes will shortly be celebrating with a Super Fun Breakfast Party. The winners of our Fun Day poster competition, Leamalie Jenson, Eseta-Claire Navunisaravi and Khushi Patel, will tomorrow be able to proudly see their designs on the Fun Day programs and around the school. The program, from the police brass band opening Fun Day at 10.00am until the ISS Teachers' Band closes the day at 3.00pm, is full of highlights. The stage will be host to ISS student bands and dance acts will perform throughout the entire day, we have a Zumba session open to all at 11.00am and magic shows at 11.30am and 1.30pm, the raffle will be drawn at 2.15pm and our international food and activity stalls will be running from go to whoa. The PTFA thanks you for all of your support; looking forward to enjoying tomorrow with you, Myke Leahy

Bula everyone... term 3 seems to be the busiest of all the

terms, where some have to make serious decisions about

subject choices for Years 9 and 11, programs for tertiary

studies, there is final preparation for external examinations,

preparation for Year 10 and 11 work experience, as well as

facilitating transition processes at various levels. Bearing all of these in mind; research, honest discussions,

and clear thought and planning need to take place so that our students are better able to make wise decisions

that could ultimately affect their future career paths.

When students are making choices for subject combinations:

Do ensure that your choice of subjects is in line with a particular career

option in mind.

Therefore, we are asking that students go onto the career cruising

website: http://public.careercruising.com/en/ that provides assessment

tests that match up interests with career options. There are many features to

the program (Explore My Interests, Learn about Careers, Explore Education

Options, Choose My Courses, Build My Resume) and students could use this

to build up their career profiles.

Please email the counsellor directly for the username and password.

Both student and parents should discuss the results of career options

suggested and remember these are only guidelines.

Career planning is an ongoing process that can help manage student learning and development. It is

advisable to start talking to students about their interests, values, skills and preferences for future career

options, as this will get them thinking about future career goals and opportunities.

The Year 10 and Year 11 ACT students have the Work Experience Program towards the end of term 4 that

enables students to:

Witness first-hand what happens in a typical day on the job, getting a realistic idea of the positive and

negative components of a job which helps them make a more informed choice when it comes to career

planning.

Meet people in their different work placements’ and be able to ask them questions, such as what

they like best about their job, how they ended up in their line of work, and what qualifications are

required.

Learn about related careers in the same field, which could give you more ideas about what kind of

career they may want to go into.

At present, each Year 12 student is considering their future career path and applying for suitable tertiary

institutions/universities that would best match their needs. By now, most students have a fair idea of what

career path they plan to take. It is advisable for each student to have at least two possible career choices.

Once the student has chosen possible career choices, then the following steps are taken:

Identify at least three proposed destinations for study and potential universities where courses of

interest are offered.

Research relevant websites and identify entry requirements and application closing dates for the

course(s).

Research costs (tuition, accommodation etc.)

Identify whether they need to complete additional qualifications such as SATs or TOEFL. Many

Australian and New Zealand universities require students from non-English speaking backgrounds to

have done the IELTs test.

Identify whether a personal statement is needed (usual for application to US and UK uni’s) the content/

direction of this should be discussed with parents/guardians or other mentors after viewing relevant

websites.

Decide whether to pay for services from a University Admissions Centre that enables applications to be

sent directly to a variety of nominated universities automatically. These must be completed online and

examples are: Austraila (UAC), USA (Common Application), UK (UCAS).

Identify opportunities for scholarships. A good scholarship website is: www.fastweb.com

Prepare/update curriculum vitae.

Any student or parent should feel free to visit the counselor or approach any member of staff should

they wish to discuss issues relating to any of the above. We wish all students the very best as they prepare

themselves for examinations, subject choices, work experience and university options.

Fenella

School Counsellor

SOCCER

Champions of Suva

The Under 12 team took out the Suva Primary Schools’ Soccer Tournament last

Saturday beating Swami Shraddhanand Memorial School (SSM) 1-0 in the fi-

nal. The goal came from Tristan Whitefield in the 2nd half of the match.

The side played attractive soccer throughout the tournament and scored more

goals than any other team. The key ingredients for their success were discipline,

teamwork and determination. It was also an occasion for them to interact with

local children and to showcase the ISS spirit. Support and encouragement from

parents made it even more special.

The end of the tournament doesn’t mark the end for the team; some of our play-

ers have been selected in the Suva Under-14 team that will play at the Inter-

District Tournament. We will continue to have regular training sessions and

matches with other teams. It will also inspire more children in school to join

High School News

Term 3 always seems a very big term in the High School. There are major in-school 'mock'

examinations and internal assessment work, final year students are applying for university

courses and sitting finals for the AST tests, the year 10 students are making decisions about

work experience placements and progression into the next program, and overlaid with this,

there are major sporting events happening. This involves a great deal of decision-making and

prioritizing of certain activities that students find stressful, and of which I am sure, are the

subject of extremely stressful and intense conversations at home right now.

The 'mock examinations' start on Friday Week 6 for both the Year 10 and the Year 12 IB

Diploma students. Parents should have already received the timetable via email (don’t hesitate

to ask for another to be sent if you need it). These examinations are meant to provide an

experience as close as possible to finals so students are encouraged to read the requirements

and conditions for sitting external exams given to them by the IGCSE or IB Diploma

coordinator. The same rules will be set during this in-school exam session. Similarly, papers

are as close as possible to those normally expected in the external exams and are marked and

graded accordingly. Students are expected to come to school for the examinations they are

sitting and then return home once they have been completed, allowing additional preparation

time. Their performance will be reported through a special report where teachers will write

short comments indicating areas needing focus in the weeks leading up to the real

examinations. Close to the external examinations 'Predicted Grades' are provided by teachers

to the external examining body. The mock examinations are part of this process, but the

prediction is informed from a more complete picture. Teachers evaluate potential performance

in the finals using observed performance over the two year period and completion of internal

assessment tasks as well as the mock marks. This is no easy task and is taken very seriously

by teachers. Predicted grades can be used for early university applications by the Year 12

students.

Movement into Year 11 is looming for the Year 10 students. Many thanks go to those parents

who came to our meeting last Thursday and took the time to complete our questionnaire

afterwards. Parents indicated that they wanted information about subject choices and one of

the outcomes is the development of a preliminary survey of student interest in subjects that

may be offered next year. This will be given out on Monday and it is hoped that it will make

our decisions about subject combinations and timetabling easier. Students have also been

asked whether they would be interested in a couple of new subjects next year. It is, however,

an initial expression of interest, and students and parents should be aware that the final

decisions will not be made until Term 4 once the Mocks are completed and assessed.

Alongside subject selection goes careers advice. Students have completed the career cruising

website and many have been surprised at how close some of the options have been to their

future aspirations. At the end of the year, the year 10 and year 11 ACT students will go out on

work attachments. This is an important step in helping them to decide what they want to do

(or not do) post school. Student reflections from last year overwhelmingly suggested that this

helped in affirming decisions about university or subject choices.

Many of the Year 12 students are now well into the university application process and some

are seeking teacher assistance for advice about courses and career plans. Parental advice of

course plays a pivotal role in this process along with the need for students to get as much

information as possible. Students and parents are encouraged to search relevant sites and go to

campuses when on holiday in the country students plan to study in. Students interested in

attending local universities are encouraged to attend the open days as well as visits from

overseas universities held in local hotels. These are advertised in the newspaper and we try to

also advertise events in the pastoral times. The Career Lunch program initiated by the PTFA

is also a wonderful avenue for students to gain information. All High School students are

encouraged to attend and be student hosts for visiting speakers. Thanks go to Dr Elise Huffer

who was the most recent visiting expert giving her time to this project. Our next lunch is on

Monday 10th August with Mr Nick Hobgood.

The achievements in sports, particularly netball, are detailed in another article in this issue of

Talanoa. Certainly after spending many hours on the sidelines each Saturday, it has been a

real pleasure to see the progress and skill development demonstrated by all the students.

Whilst the Open Boys’ team head off to Lautoka next week to participate in the National

competition, we are all extraordinarily proud of all the students who played in the U-15 and

U-17 teams. Everyone is now looking forward to the competitions that are coming up in

basketball and badminton.

CAS/ DOE projects are winding up for the Year 12 students, but are being carried on by the

Year 11 group and these will be reported on in the next Talanoa. Some groups have such

commitment to completing their projects that they have allocated their free time on Tuesday

afternoons as well as the regular Thursday afternoon sessions to complete any outstanding

projects.

We have exciting guest speakers coming into school in Week 6; Imasango, a guest poet from

New Caledonia and Mr Nicolas Beriot, a climate change expert. On another note, we also

welcome a new member of staff to the High School team, Mr Matt Dadley who will teach

Year 9 and 10 Learning Support and provide ESL assistance. He has a strong background in

English and is a welcome addition to the team. It is also nice to welcome back Ms Amandine

Neirinck from maternity leave and I would like to thank Ms Sara Volkmar who has done a

fantastic job in covering Ms Neirinck's classes while she was away.

I hope everyone has a great Fun Day experience. Special thanks go to all the parents and

families who are helping out and congratulations to the Year 1001 students who ensured that

they were able to win one of the breakfast prizes for their significant level of donations

sourced during mufti days.

Megan Navunisaravi

Head of High School

mnavunisaravi@international.school.fj

Year 11 camp, 2015 During the last week of term 2 I was fortunate to have the

opportunity to join the year 11 students and their teachers as

they ventured forth on their annual camp. After a 2 hour bus

ride to Nabouva Village, north of Korovou, we started with a

Sevusevu ceremony before the bus dropped an assortment of

students, teachers, guards and guides, as well as a mountain of

backpacks, eskis and equipment at the village of Nayavu. The

weather was perfect as we set out, a welcome relief from the

rain of the past few days, and after leaving the village we

began walking inland, though lush, tropical country side, up and

down many unwelcome hills. As the hike progressed the group slowly spread out, with the

sprinters out front, and those that enjoyed a more moderate pace coming up the rear.

We arrived in dribs and drabs at our campsite, where most of us flopped down and rested, before

finding a nice shady spot to eat lunch. The campsite was in a valley on a flat piece of ground that

had obviously been used by cows quite recently, so finding a spot free of cow poo for the tents was

crucial. Nearby was a beautiful little creek, with the whole area surrounded by hills covered in

banana trees on one side and rainforest everywhere else. After setting up our tents we sat and

rested, or played cards, or mucked around in the chilly but refreshing creek water.

That first night the students had to cater for themselves, so it was interesting to see the range of

cuisines that had been organised. Celeste’s arrangements were probably the best, with a high tech

camping stove on which she cooked delicious smelling pasta with a meat and tomato sauce. The

rest of us made do with anything that could be cooked over an open fire, which included copious

amounts of marshmallows, consumed sitting around a campfire under a magnificent sky full of

stars.

After breakfast on day 2 we all set out on a 2 hour hike, through thick mud over a steep rise, then

walking through a river to a stunning series of rock pools and waterfalls, right in the middle of the

rainforest. We stayed there for 2 hours, eating our lunch, and just enjoying the coolness of the

water and the beauty of the surroundings. Some of us climbed 150 metres up the waterfalls, which

was a little hairy at times, but great fun. That night we ate a truly delicious lovo, with chicken,

palusami (made by Esita, with the world famous Rotuman coconuts) and cassava, which our

guides had prepared for us. Again this was finished up with marshmallows and chatting around the

campfire under the canopy of stars.

We were a tired, straggly, smelly bunch when we finally made it back to the village on the 3rd day

after hiking in the heat, all looking forward to hot showers, good home cooking and mattresses. As

always there were lots of memorable moments on camp, which for me include having great chats

with some of the students, especially Tessa next to the rock pool, Aurora while hiking, Talii by the

campfire, and Arjun by the lovo. Other interesting events were being forced to climb the water fall

by Mr JC and his inner child, trying to understand Mr Mario’s sense of humour, watching the

guides cook banana soup ( everything but bananas – instant noodles, biscuits, tins of tuna, garlic

chopped with a machete….)and listening to the guides’ singing, Honourable mentions should go

out to Bea, for celebrating her 17th birthday on camp, Alex for doing the whole hike with a broken

arm, and of course Pana and the guides from his village for looking after us so well.

Maria Dunbar

PRIMARY ATHLETICS CARNIVAL 2015

ANZ STADIUM Thursday, September 3rd

9.00am - 1.45pm

Dear Parents and Caregivers, On Thursday, September 3rd, Year Reception - Year 5 students will take part in our House athletics carnival. Each student in year 1 - 5 will participate in all events which will consist of 100m sprint, shot put, discus, high jump, long jump and triple jump. Reception students will compete in 50m sprint, sack race, egg and spoon race and coconut throw. From the results of this carnival, a team of athletes will be chosen to work towards the primary inter-school zone competitions during the Term 3/4 holiday period. Parent Helpers Welcome As this is a new format this year with many events taking place we are hoping to get as many parents involved as possible; especially those who helped out at the swimming carnival as you all did an amazing job. We would very much appreciate your help on the day. Parent volunteers please note that we will allocate a task to you as place judges, event supervisors or marshalls as needed on the day of the carnival. If you would like to help out with these tasks, please call me on 8660522 or email jhedditch@international.school.fj. Timing and Transport The ISS competition will start at 9am and each child will participate in all of the events according to their age group and house colours. Students are expected to come to school as usual and will be transported by bus to the stadium. They will leave school at 8.15 am and will return by 2pm. Reception students will return to ISS at 12-12.30pm. All students, wearing their house T-shirts will need to bring their morning tea, lunch and a drink with them. Hats and sunscreen are also needed. What to Bring Each ISS student participating will need to bring the following items:

Morning tea

One or two bottles of water

Lunch

Appropriate running gear (flat soled shoes, shorts, house colour t-shirt)

School PE uniform shorts and house T-shirts

Sunscreen lotion

A hat

We are looking forward to a great day. We hope to see you there, either as spectators or helping with duties. Should you have any queries or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact me. Kind regards, Joe Hedditch PSPE Teacher

2015 ISS NETS season began with a huge interest from students and we were able to

register U15 and U17 Girls’ teams and two Open Boys’ Teams in the Suva Zone 1

Secondary Netball Competitions.

The students were very enthusiastic and eager for game time and such enthusiasm carried

our school teams through the season right to the finals of the Zone Competitions.

Our U15 grade comprising of players between the ages of 11-14, the youngest team in the

grade, made it to the quarter final stages just missing out by a point to Ballantine

Memorial School. The team was captained by Tamena Evers and featured some young yet

aspiring players like Laura, Eseta, Joy and Lahaiba from Year 6.

In the U17 grade, the players aged between 14-16 years played their hearts out in the semi

finals and then the playoffs for 3rd and 4th positions in the Zone, just losing out to Nasinu

Secondary School by one goal. The team was captained by one of the school’s talented

players,

Melini Navunisaravi.

Melini has been outstanding in her role as captain both on and off the courts and this

commitment got her selected into the Suva U19 team that will be participating in the

upcoming Fiji National Netball Championships at the end of this month in Suva.

Our Open Boys’ teams were again the teams to watch at the competitions as their skills in

both basketball and netball redefined their flair for their game. The teams were captained

by Inigo Lavina and Emily Drakeford.

The ISS NETS Open Boys Team A went on to defend their Open Boys Zone Title against

Basden Secondary School and qualified for the Fiji Secondary Schools’ National Netball

Championships in Lautoka on the 14th and 15th of this month.

The ISS NETS team to the National competition will be looked after by Mr. Fesaitu

Mario, Mr. Jonathan Uluiviti and Tanya Vatubua. The players consist of Inigo Lavina

(Captain), Ernest Gibson (V/Captain), Saimoni Navunisaravi, Mohammed Uzair Aktar,

Timoci Ravouvou, Jose Santos, Waisea Jikoiono, Zane Elias, Emily Drakeford, Kaash

Patel, Eroni Ravore, Minsoo Kim, Puana Puana and Shou Izumi.

For the parents and teachers who had been following the teams from Day 1 of

competitions, many were encouraged to see the growth and development of the players’

skills and their knowledge of the game.

The success of our ISS NETS this year is credited to players’ commitment and

enthusiasm towards training and discipline. As the teacher in charge it has truly been

exciting working with these young players and seeing the interest grow in the school.

On behalf of the ISS Nets and Management Team, I would like to rally support from the

ISS Community at the Fiji Secondary Schools National Championships next week, as we

wish the team the very best in Lautoka.

Thank you for making us proud!

Tanya Vatubua

Teacher-in-charge

Week 5 Monday, August 10

Year 1 Day Camp

Tuesday, August 11 ICAS Maths

ICAS Maths

Wednesday, August 12 Year 3 Camp

Year 8 Camp return Friday

5:00pm ISS PTFA Social Hour

Thursday, August 13 Year 3 Camp

Governance

Friday, August 14 Year 3 Camp

Whole School International Youth Day Assembly - Year 4

Inernational Youth Day Assembly

International Youth Day Assembly Y11

Week 6

Thursday, August 20 Music Recital - Gulnara and others (6pm - 9pm)

Friday, August 21 Primary Assembly (8.15 - 9.00)

Primary Press

Middle School Social

Y10 12 Mock Exams begin

YC Update

Week 7

Monday, August 24 8:00am

PTFA Bookclub

Wednesday, August 26 Year 9 Camp

2:40pm ISS PTFA Monthly Meeting

Thursday, August 27 Year 9 Camp

ISS Blood Drive

Friday, August 28 Primary Assembly - ECH2 (8.15 - 9.00)

Year 9 Camp

Week 8

Tuesday, September 1 Year 7 Poetry Slam

Wednesday, September 2 AST

PAT Test Y9-10

Thursday, September 3 AST

Council

Finance

Friday, September 4 Early Childhood Father's Day Breakfast (7.30 - 8.30)

Primary Assembly - Year 3 (8.15 - 9.00)

PAT Test Y9-10

Talanoa

Saturday, September 5

Family Sports Day

Upcoming Events (Week 5 - Week 8)