Head s corner….. - osc.lkosc.lk/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/Issue-9-SY-2017-18.pdf · -...

Effective school counselors are essential elements in schools of excellence. Research is unequivocal regarding the importance of addressing the social-emotional domain of students of all ages as they move through the complex social and educational challenges found in all good schools. I feel OSC is particularly fortunate to have two top quality school counselors on our educational team. Steve Parenteau and Andrea Fleming are both experienced professionals with strong backgrounds in both private and school based counselling services. The work they do is often quietly in the background as they provide essential services to our entire school community. As I was reviewing my educational article resources in preparation for this week’s newsletter I came across this article excerpt by Carolyn Stone at the University of North Florida. The very simple approach of listing tasks that are identified as appropriate and inappropriate offers a very nice way to think about what our counselors typically tend to handle in a school setting. How School Counselors Should and Shouldn’t Be Spending Their Time In this article in ASCA School Counselor, Carolyn Stone (University of North Florida) outlines what she believes are appropriate and inappropriate activities for a school counselor: - Appropriate: Individual student academic program planning; - Inappropriate: Coordinating paperwork and data entry for all new students. - Appropriate: Interpreting cognitive, aptitude, and achievement tests; - Inappropriate: Coordinating cognitive, aptitude and achievement testing programs. - Appropriate: Providing counseling to students who are tardy or absent; - Inappropriate: Signing excuses for students who are tardy or absent. - Appropriate: Providing counseling to students who have disciplinary problems; - Inappropriate: Performing disciplinary actions or assigning disciplinary consequences. - Appropriate: Providing counseling to students as to appropriate school dress; - Inappropriate: Sending students home who are not appropriately dressed. - Appropriate: Collaborating with teachers to present counseling curriculum lessons; - Inappropriate: Teaching classes when teachers are absent. - Appropriate: Analyzing grade-point averages in relation to achievement; - Inappropriate: Computing grade-point averages. - Appropriate: Interpreting student records; - Inappropriate: Maintaining student records.

Head’s corner…..

Issue 9 - SY 2017-18 20 October 2017

- Appropriate: Providing teachers with suggestions for effective classroom management; - Inappropriate: Supervising classrooms or common areas. - Appropriate: Ensuring student records are maintained as per state and federal regulations; - Inappropriate: Keeping clerical records. - Appropriate: Helping the principal identify and resolve student issues, needs, and problems; - Inappropriate: Assisting with duties in the principal’s office. - Appropriate: Providing individual and small-group counseling services to students; - Inappropriate: Providing therapy or long-term counseling in schools to address psychological disorders. - Appropriate: Advocating for students at IEP meetings, student study teams, and school attendance review boards; - Inappropriate: Coordinating schoolwide IEPs, student study teams, and school attendance review boards. - Appropriate: Analyzing disaggregated data; - Inappropriate: Serving as a data entry clerk. “Appropriate vs. Inappropriate Duties” by Carolyn Stone in ASCA School Counselor, September/October 2017 (Vol. 55, #1, p. 6-9), no e-link available; Stone can be reached at [email protected]. Phil Joslin Head of School [email protected]

mailto:[email protected]

Secondary School Principal

Through this week’s 3 Way Conferences, I hope that

everyone has now had the opportunity to meet with

teachers, share successes and discuss strategies for

improvement. We aim to ensure that parents are

always kept well informed of students’ progress and

these conferences help to focus that communication.

The next formal update on progress takes place at the

end of the semester with a full written report and

transcript grades for students.

Next week our SGA will be getting us all in the mood for

SAISA with a pep rally on Monday for students. Our

teams have been training hard, be it on the volleyball

court or in the pool and we are looking forward to some

intense competition at the end of the week.

MAP results will be published at the beginning of next

week; please do note that on Wednesday 25th there will

be presentation by Ms. Hicks and Mr. Grandbois for

those wishing to dig a little deeper into understanding

the data generated by this testing.

Wishing everyone a

great week –

Go Geckos!

Claire McQuillan Secondary Principal [email protected]

Upcoming events:

Next week SAISA sports:

Boys’ Volleyball at ASB, Bombay

Girls’ Volleyball at LS, Kathmandu

Swimming at TAISM, Oman

Friday 3rd

November – Poya Day

Attention Parents of Students Grades 10 & 11: We are pleased to announce the opportunity to sit the PSAT exam on October 25th. This exam is optional for students in Grades 10 & 11 only and is used to prepare students for the SAT, an entrance exam for college admissions in the USA as well as some schools in Canada. The exam will take place on October 25th at 14.00hrs (students should arrive at 13.45hrs) in the SMPR. The fee for the PSAT is 3,300.00LKR, payable in advance to the Cashier’s Office. The exam is proctored by Mr Pradeep Karunaratne. By taking the PSAT, your child will receive free access to the College Board’s My College Quickstart where s/he can try hundreds of practice questions to help improve test-taking skills. The College Board also provides students with a customized study plan based on PSAT performance, allowing your child to focus on those areas which need the most help. Studies have shown that students who take the PSATs or SATs more than once often score higher on subsequent tests as well as find they are more confident and relaxed when moving on to the SAT and/or ACT. Students who take the PSAT can opt-in to the College Board’s free Student Search Service as well as a possibility for American citizens to qualify for National Merit Scholarships. Any questions? Contact Ms Natalie or Ms Fleming in the Student Centre. Andrea Fleming Secondary Counselor

From the School Counselor…..

Primary School Principal

New Learner Profile - Open-Minded As we venture through October it seems very fitting to focus on our Open-Minded profile. Students are perceived to be open-minded when they understand and appreciate their own cultures and personal histories, and are open to the perspectives, values and traditions of other individuals and communities. They are accustomed to seeking and evaluating a range of points of view, and are willing to grow from the experience. Activities for Parents

Encourage your child to try out new things - new food, new games and new activities.

Expose your child to different festivals, celebrations and traditions and be sure to present them in a non-judgmental way Encourage your child to really listen to others when they speak. UN Day was a great opportunity to show our diversity as a school and acceptance of different cultures, all in the spirit of open-mindedness.

Halloween Activities The primary school will acknowledge Halloween on Friday, October 27th. Children are encouraged to dress up in their favorite Halloween costume for the day. Please plan accordingly if your child has PE or swimming on this day. Ensure they have proper clothing and footwear. We will have a “costume parade” on Friday morning on the Basketball Court, directly following our morning announcements. There will also be a few “trick or treat” stations around school for our students. Additional activities will vary, dependent upon class teachers and age of students.

Afterschool Activities A reminder that Block 2 of our afterschool activities does not begin until Monday, Oct. 30th. Please take note of your child’s activities, once confirmed for this block, and help them organize and plan for what is needed each day. As a reminder to parents, the activity timings are as follows:

KG > 1:45 to 2:30 Gr. 1 – 5 > 2:45 to 3:45

Have a lovely weekend. Regards, Jason Grandbois Primary School Principal [email protected]

Indoor Athletics Mini Meet for Grades 3-5 We have been invited to participate in a fun and friendly “Indoor Athletics Mini Meet Event” at The British School in Colombo. We participated in this last year and it was lots of fun.

The event will take place on Tuesday 14th November from 2-5pm.

We would leave school at around 12.00pm and return at 6pm. (Full travel details will be sent out later).

We can take a team of 8 boys and 8 girls.

Trials will take place during lunchtimes and the 8 boys and girls who finish top in the most events will be selected.

Please see full details of the events can be found here: Events rules and scoring for indoor athletics (002)

There will only be a little time to practice before we go but we anticipate that this will be a good opportunity for children to be involved in.

Please click on the link below to add your personal details and give permission for your son/daughter to take part in the event if they are selected.

Deadline to complete the form is Saturday 21st October. Ms. Kelly and I are away at SAISA next week so trials will take place at lunchtimes from Monday 30th October.

https://goo.gl/forms/Eyc8qlierW7Zf8bm1

Sue Turner Primary School P.E. Teacher Primary School Activities Coordinator

PRIMARY SCHOOL TRACK AND FIELD TEAM TRIALS

As soon as we return from the December break we will be straight into the track and field athletics season. All students from Grade 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 are invited to try out for the Primary School Track and Field Team. The selected team will have an opportunity to compete in a Meet that we will host here at OSC. The tentative date for that is Saturday 17

th February.

We will also be entering a team in the ISAC track and field competition again. However, this year the ISAC organization have sent qualifying entry times/distances so we anticipate that only a few of our team will qualify for this. The events will be sprinting, long jump, high jump and relay. We usually select 5 boys and 5 girls for each age group; Under 9, Under 11 and Under 13. Two boys and two girls can be entered for each event, plus one reserve. All 5 team members will train for the relay and will be expected to be there for the event. However, only 4 boys and 4 girls will actually race. The competition takes place over three days, Friday 23rd, Saturday 24

th and Sunday 25th February 2018 (venue still

to be decided). To be eligible for a place on the team your child must be available for all three days. If your child is in grade 1 or 2 they must have a parent with them at the competition for supervision purposes. Age groups for this event are determined by age as of 31

st December 2018 (the year of the competition).

The closing date for entries is early January so trials will begin Monday 30

th October during lunchtimes.

A place on the team will be dependent on times and distances, responsibility and attitude. If selected, training will take place during Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday after school activity time and some lunchtimes. If you would like your child to be considered for the track and field team, please follow the link below and complete the online form. https://goo.gl/forms/iU8aqgfTwl5s6u5J3 DEADLINE IS MONDAY 23

rd OCTOBER 2017

Sue Turner Primary School P.E. Teacher Primary School Activities Coordinator

http://osc.lk/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/Events-rules-and-scoring-for-indoor-athletics-002.pdf

https://goo.gl/forms/Eyc8qlierW7Zf8bm1

https://goo.gl/forms/iU8aqgfTwl5s6u5J3

Environment Club ASA Hi we are the Environment club. We are finding ways to improve the environment. We are an after school activity (ASA). Some of our ideas are:

- Composting the food scraps from the canteen

- “Wear Green” Day

- Waste Free Wednesday

Do you know what a waste-free lunch is? A waste-free lunch means that you have no trash to throw away when you're done. (just compostables such as apple cores, banana and orange peels). The best way to reduce trash is to not create it. These are some students that got involved in our “Waste-Free Wednesday”.

OSC News ASA Off the Grid Visits Sinharaja Rainforest By Kamila Sahideen

At the cusp between September and October, the student-led ASA Off the Grid (OTG) team set out on their first two-day expedition out of Colombo. A small determined group comprising seven DP students and two supervisors came together from diverse spheres of interest, for the sole purpose of adventure. OTG is about stepping outside your respective zone of comfort, geography and routine. It is a quest to re-define your grid of experience and rediscover yourself. The chosen destination for adventure on this nascent outing was Sinharaja rainforest. The team plunged eagerly into the Sinharaja located at a point liberated from the confines of Wi-Fi or phone connection. We started with the required hike from our bus to Martin’s Lodge which lies buried deep in the rainforest. Almost every step, we were rewarded with rare reptiles and bird sightings, and rugged rocky terrain. In the evening, we hopped over boulders in the (resident) stream at the foot of Martin’s Lodge and treated our feet to a meditative fish massage. The forest by torch-light was a whole new stream of delights. Steadily, every member of our team discovered a new treasure - a sleeping snake, a camouflaged lizard, a bright purple flower. We felt at home, outdoors in this forest’s embrace. Feasting our eyes on the live forest while savoring homemade iddiyapam, pol-sambol and kiri-hodhi. Early the next morning, we set out for our Moulawella hike through rugged terrain which soon became a vertical incline. We took long-steep-strides, through streams and were rewarded when we reached the boulder, balanced precariously at the peak of the mountain. Rain settled on our shoulders like diamonds, ushering in cool breeze. We savored the view and breathed in the forest fully, taking in all its glorious history, ancient towering trees and exquisite creatures. There were several different kinds of informal learning we witnessed - from leadership and accounting to photography skills, scientific species names and practical leech management techniques – to overcoming fears by staring them down the precipice. Our team learned what is really meant to be Principled, Risk-takers and Caring Inquirers. We were proud to see our OTG team leaders play an active role in every part of the decision-making process. From planning to making payments. We returned still high on forest-fueled adrenaline. A kind of rejuvenation endemic to the Sinharaja Forest. We are already planning our next adventure! Team: Malaika, Maha, Madeline, Amira, Theo, Januda, Yuki, Mr Lockwood and Ms. Kamila

After a restful holiday, Gecko Athletes were back in the pool and gym this week to continue their preparations for next week’s SAISA tournaments. The Boys’ Volleyball team travels to Mumbai, the Girls’ Volleyball team to Kathmandu and Swim team to Muscat. Good luck to all our athletes in these competitions. One Wednesday afternoon the boys football team ran out in a pre-season friendly game against the British School. It was an exciting game that saw the British School take the lead early in the game. The Geckos fought back well with some creative football to lead 3-2 at half time. Geckos started the second half strongly, but failed to capitalize on a few well worked chances. The British school finished the game the stronger team, scoring two late goals to win the game 4-3. The season begins for real in two weeks time. In preparation for SAISA, the boys and girls Volleyball teams are in action this Friday afternoon in a tournament against Subarathi College, Panadura Girls School & Mahinda Rajapaksa College. Games start at 3.00 pm in the gym. Come and cheer on the Geckos

Gooooo Geckos Steve Turner Athletics Director & Head of Physical & Health Education

20 October Secondary 3-Way Conference 7.30 am to 3.30 pm

21 October High School Musical “Blood Brothers” rehearsal 10.30 am to 1.30 pm

25 October PYP/MYP Parent Workshop “Understanding MAP Assessment”

12.40 pm PMPR

28 October ACT Testing 7.30 am SMPR

28 October COMUN Faculty Advisors and Student Coordinators Meeting

*30 October Co-Curricular Activities Block 2 Begins

30 October - 2 November

Primary Production Rehearsals - Auditorium

4-5 November TISSL Swimming Championships - Sugathadasa Stadium Pool

6-8 November Primary Production Rehearsals - Auditorium

9 November Primary Production - Auditorium 3.30 pm

9 November Primary Production - Auditorium 6.30 pm

9 November Board Meeting 5.00 p.m.

11 November Housing & Habitat HomeRun

*Additions/changes to the calendar

School Community Network

SCN NEWS

BIG THANK YOU!!

Thank you to all the parents who volunteered during the UN day activities. The day was a huge success and the Canteen looked amazing. The students all

had a wonderful time sampling dishes from around the world and learning more about what it means to be a part of the international community. SCN could not have made this happen without the support of our wonderful parent volunteers.

Thank You!!

COFFEE WITH CONTENT

The coffee with content morning was a great learning experience for all. Thank you so much to the parents who participated and especially to Andrea Fleming, the Secondary Counselor, for your illuminating talk on mindfullness. We look

forward to more on this topic in the future!!

Dates to Remember

November 11 - Welcome Back Picnic

OSC NEW SLETTER

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CATEGORY PRICE MONDAY TUESDAY WEDNESDAY THURSDAY FRIDAY

Breakfast 200 (without protein). 300 (with protein)

Egg – Boiled

Coconut Rotti

Roast pan

Red rice

Chicken curry

Fish curry

Lunu miris

Pol sambol

Dhal

Egg – Bull’s

eye

Parata

Roast pan

Red rice

Chicken

Fish curry

Lunu miris

Pol sambol

Potato Curry

Egg – Omelet

Dossai

Roast pan

Red rice

Chicken curry

Fish curry

Lunu miris

Pol sambol

Dhal

Egg –

Scrambled

String hoppers

Roast pan

Red rice

Chicken curry

Fish curry

Lunu miris

Pol sambol

Potato curry

Egg – poached

Godamba Rotti

Roast pan

Red rice

Chicken curry

Fish curry

Lunu miris

Pol sambol

Dhal

Lunch – Western

Junior 250. Others 350 (only 1 meat item)

Sweet corn and celery rice. Roast Chicken. Steamed fish and Pak choy with soya ginger sauce. Baked mash potato. Buttered steamed vegetables. Penne Pasta. Tomato basil sauce.

Tomato flavored Mexican rice. Chicken Hot Pot. Mexican style Fish. Creamy potato augratin. Honey and butter roasted carrots. Vegetable Lasagna. Tomato sauce.

Classic pilaf rice. Lemon Chicken. Fish Stew. Roasted Potato wedges with garlic. Char grilled vegetables with olive oil. Buttered spaghetti. White sauce.

Spicy Mongolian Vegetable rice. Roast Chicken. Fish curry. Oven roasted potato. Stir fried vegetables. Penne Pasta. Minced Chicken with Pasta sauce.

Briyani basmati rice. Masala Chicken. Baked fish lemon sauce. Tempered potato. Mixed vegetable curry. Buttered Spaghetti. Pasta Carbonara.

Lunch – Asian 250 (only one meat item)

Steamed red rice. Fish mustard stew. Green beans tempered. Dhal curry. Pol sambol. Gotukola mallum. Chutney pickle. Papadam.

Steamed red rice. Fish Tikka masala. Cabbage tempered. Potato curry. Pol sambol. Mukunuwana mallum. Chutney pickle. Papadam.

Steamed red rice. Spicy Sri Lankan Chicken baduma. Leeks tempered. Dhal & Spinach curry. Pol sambol. Polos mallum. Chutney pickle. Papadam.

Jaffna Fish curry. Brinjal curry. Potato Pol sambol. Kos mallum. Chutney pickle. Papadam.

Steamed red rice. Butter masala chicken. Mixed vegetable curry. Dhal curry. Pol sambol. Mallum. Chutney pickle. Papadam.

Menus…...contd/...

OSC NEW SLETTER

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CATEGORY PRICE DAILY ITEMS

Drinks 100 King Coconut

Watermelon

150 Chocolate drink

Snacks 100 Cookies

Chicken Puff

Apple Tart

Fish Bun

150 Croissant (Cheese/Chocolate/Custard/Chicken)

200 Pizza

Meat Puff

Chicken Pizza Croissant

Sausage Croissant

Sandwich/Salad corner

350 upwards Make your own sandwich/salad

Brown bread, white bread, tortilla wrap

Grated Cheese/sliced Cheese, Tomatoes, Onion, Bell pepper, Apple, Cucumber, Ham, Chicken, Egg, Tuna.

The Overseas School of Colombo Pelawatte, P.O. Box 9 Battaramulla, Sri Lanka Tel: (94-11) 2784920-2 Fax: (94-11) 2784999 Email: [email protected] Web: www.osc.lk

House for rent at five minute walking distance to OSC with two large living room spaces; two master bedrooms ensuites with air conditioning; additional bedrooms with bathrooms; domestic living space with separate entrance; large kitchens - (one formal and another working kitchen); private garden with water feature; front and back verandas; roof-top clothes washing and drying area; Solar water heating with pressure pumps; two car garage with automatic roller-door; multi-purpose turfed backyard - house located centrally to banking, supermarkets, restaurants and a country club (Water's Edge). Please contact Terana Sariffodeen @ +447449147444 or email ([email protected]).

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

mailto:[email protected]

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