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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)
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12 August 2011Elementary School Parent Bulletin
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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
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12 August 2011Elementary School Parent Bulletin
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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
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
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12 August 2011Elementary School Parent Bulletin
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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
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12 August 2011Elementary School Parent Bulletin
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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
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12 August 2011Elementary School Parent Bulletin
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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
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12 August 2011Elementary School Parent Bulletin
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, com- bined 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 from page 7)
(Continued on page
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12 August 2011Elementary School Parent Bulletin
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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 from page 8)
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12 August 2011Elementary School Parent Bulletin
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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
(Continued from page 9)