Jan

uary

2012 - V

olu

me 7

, Ed

ition

4

I n t e r n a t i o n a l S c h o o l 0 f K r a k o w

M o n t h l y N e w s L e t t e r J a n u a r y 2 0 1 2 E d i t i o n

I S K VO I C E

2

B e R e s p e c t f u lB e R e s p o n s i b l eS t r i v e f o r E x c e l l e n c e

I n t e r n a t i o n a l S c h o o l 0 f K r a k o w

Founded in 1994, ISK is an independent, not-for-profit school that provides a world-class education for children from 3 years old to university entrance. Beautifully situated just outside the Krakow city limits, our spacious campus provides a quiet green setting with fresh air and a studious atmosphere...

The “Evening of Fun” was a great event and a huge thank you goes out to all of the volunteers who helped out.

Photos from the event

RISK has begun! Please take a moment to walk through the front lobby. There are jars set up near the front door as well as on Ms. Basia’s desk with teachers’ names and promises for RISK labeled on them. The 3 jars that collect the most money will be the winners. Teachers will perform their RISK duties during spirit week so search sofa cushions, under the seats in your car, and in piggy banks for spare change to add to the teachers of your choice! Remember, all proceeds go toward Brick-by-Brick and we’re already half-way to our goal so let’s see how much we can collect with RISK!! Happy helping everyone!

The Brick-by-Brick service learning project has been initiated by Ms. Oswald and Coach Adam. The plan is to gather funds towards the re-building of Mr. Ryszard Nowak’s damaged house. Various activi-ties have been planned. Stay tuned for more details!

Brick-by-Brick has raised 2,500 zł for the Nowak family. Thank you to everyone who has generously given to help this family.

3

Brick-by-Brick Fundraiser News ................... 2

After School Fun ............................................ 4

Go Hussars! Basketball Tournament ........... 6

Szlachetna Paczka Success Story ................. 8

Drama Class On the Road ........................... 10

Mind and Body ............................................. 12

Carpe Diem! ................................................... 14

Being Justyna Kowalczyk ........................... 15

Interview With Grade 0 ............................... 16

Made In Egypt Grade 6 Social Studies ....... 18

Early Years’ Visit to Gibon........................... 19

Dinosaurs in Preschool ............................... 20

January 2012, Volume 7, Edition 4

6 Go Hussars! Go!

13 Cross Country Fun

18 News From Early Years

8 ISK Helping Out

ISK VOICE

At the International School of Kraków students are offered a broad spectrum of after-school activities. They are meant to help students to develop their

interests and to extend their learning. Activities are lead by ISK teachers or professional instructors. Here we highlight ballet classes, guitar classes and soccer practice. Check out our school website for a full list of after-school activities.

School FUnAfter

4

5

February Events Calendar

Jan. 30th - Feb. 3rd - Literacy Week Feb. 1st & 2nd - Ethnographic Museum trip

Feb. 2nd - 5th - Math Counts, Vilnius

Feb. 8th - 12th - Middle School Choir, Warsaw

Feb. 9th - 12th - High School Knowledge Bowl

Feb. 14th - Board Meeting

Feb. 17th - Teacher Inservice

Feb. 20th - 24th - Winter Break

Feb. 20th - 24th - Ski Camp

5

January Events Calendar

January 9Winter Break ends.

January 16-20Middle and high school students semester 1 exams.

January 16Winter term After School Activities begin.

2012 Ski Camp February 17-26

Registration Deadline January 12th

6

The girls’ Middle & High School basketball team saw its first tournament action during the Inspi-racja sponsored tournament. The highlight of the tournament was an intensly played double over time win by the Hussars. After trading bas-kets in the first overtime, Sage M. came through with some clutch free throw shooting to win the game in the second over time.

The Hussars finished 6th out of 8 teams and were very competitive in each match. Congratulations to the team for representing the school with a winning attitude.

Team Participants:Emi L. Beth H. Caroline M. Sage M. Magda K. Diana A. Sophie v. W. Agnes J. Cecilia P. Wiktoria W. Magdalena B.

BasketballTournament

Go Hussars!

Go Hussars!

7

8

On January 20th 2012, during a ceremony in Kraków City Hall, the Szlachetna Paczka initiative announced that, thanks to the ex-traordinary generosity of ordinary people, almost 12 000 less fortunate families were supported with packages full of things they wished for at Christmas but could not afford. The total value of goods the pro-gram managed to distribute to families in need was about 18 million PLZ (5.5 million USD). The President of Poland, Bronisław Komorowski, supported the initiaitve and prepared packages for Szlachetna Paczka. Jerzy Dudek, a renowned Polish goalkeep-

er, took an active part in this project, as well as Agnieszka and Urszula Radwanska, world-class tennis players, Monika Pyrek, a famous Polish pole vaulter and a large number of anonymous people who care.

ISK is Always Ready to Help Out!

We would like to thank the ISK com-

munity for making the Szlachetna

Paczka initiative such a success.

Thanks to your support and gen-

erosity we were able to sponsor six

families in December.

With best wishes,

The Early Years

and Elementary Team

Szlachetna Paczka Reflections in Grade 3

I think it’s important to help people because they deserve what other people get. They are also people that need help. I feel very happy to be participating in this project because we can help them in several ways. Some people don’t get the things that we get so we can help them. When the fam-ily will get the packages they will maybe cry of happiness. They will be very, very happy to get all the things from us.

I think it is important to help other people because not every-

body likes to be poor or wants to and they might not be able to

afford everything they really need. I felt very happy helping the

family because they really needed that stuff and the father is

dead so they need even more help than most poor people. I think

this family will feel very, very happy because they didn’t have any

of the stuff we gave them and it will make their Christmas a very

happy one!I think it’s important to help these people because they can help you some day. I feel happy to help these people. I think the family will feel happy.

I think it is important to help other people because it is nice to make people’s life joyful, kind, and loving. I feel happy to be able to help this family so their life won’t be so bad.When the family gets the packages they will be full of joy and will have a Merry Christmas.

It is important to help others because they will help you. When I help with this project I feel happy and grateful. I think this family will feel thankful and happy when they get these packages.

I think it’s important because it’s nice and good to help other people. It feels nice to be able to help people because it’s a nice feeling to have. I think the family will be surprised and be happy and thank us for so many things for them.

I think it is important to help other people so

they’re happier than before. I want to help other

people. I think this family will feel happy be-

cause they waited for a long time.

I think it is important to help other people because they are

kind of poor and also don’t have a lot of things we have. I

felt great helping the people who are much poorer than me

and my family. I think when the family gets all these

things they will be super happy and will be wealthy again.

I think that it’s important to help people be-cause people don’t always have good luck. I feel glad helping in the project because I really like helping people who need help, shelter, and food. I think the family will be very happy to get the packages because they will get what they need.

I think it’s important to help other people because the world should be fair and

those people might even die. I felt very happy to help with the project. It was

very nice and l loved to be able to help the poor people. I think the family will

feel very happy and excited when they get the packages. They will have lots of

stuff and I think their house is going to be filled with things and they are going

to be very happy.

KubaMaciek

Nicholas

Ada

Serena

Bo

Kevin

Zosia

Cora

Julia

9

On January 20th 2012, during a ceremony in Kraków City Hall, the Szlachetna Paczka initiative announced that, thanks to the ex-traordinary generosity of ordinary people, almost 12 000 less fortunate families were supported with packages full of things they wished for at Christmas but could not afford. The total value of goods the pro-gram managed to distribute to families in need was about 18 million PLZ (5.5 million USD). The President of Poland, Bronisław Komorowski, supported the initiaitve and prepared packages for Szlachetna Paczka. Jerzy Dudek, a renowned Polish goalkeep-

er, took an active part in this project, as well as Agnieszka and Urszula Radwanska, world-class tennis players, Monika Pyrek, a famous Polish pole vaulter and a large number of anonymous people who care.

ISK is Always Ready to Help Out!

We would like to thank the ISK com-

munity for making the Szlachetna

Paczka initiative such a success.

Thanks to your support and gen-

erosity we were able to sponsor six

families in December.

With best wishes,

The Early Years

and Elementary Team

Drama Class“on the road!”

Drama Class Performs in PODGORZE!Drama is one of our new classes offered this year in the Middle School. It has been a semester filled with a lot of learning and fun. Students began with exercises designed to create self-awareness and knowledge of the im-pression we make when we move, talk, and “be” on stage. Students then learned of the elements needed to create a character, and lastly, how to put that character into an original or scripted scene. Finally, the plan was to

take our performances “on the road!”

The destination for our final scripted performances this

semester was PODGORZE! Mr. Lucas had met a teacher from the private school “Dona” this summer, who invited him to bring students for a cultural and dramatic exchange. All 8th grade Drama students jumped into two taxis on Monday morning and began interacting with and acting for three classes of “Dona” students at 9:15 am! First, their grade 5 class performed an original Christmas play in English for

us. We then had students Gabriel H, Peter H, Sophie v W, and Han-seul C successfully perform two scenes previously taken to com-

Death KnocksScene from

Candy and ShellyScene from

petition on the speech team (Death Knocks and The Audition). This was followed by Daniel H and Enrique A presenting poetry selections from Wil-liam Blake and Shel Silverstein respectively, and Arthur M and Quentin F presenting a dramatic excerpt from the classic play Death of a Salesman. Before this first session ended, Agnes J and Pat-rick T presented for the first time a scene from The Rainmaker. After speaking with the Grade 5 students for about 10 minutes, we were all offered tea to have with our snacks.

Following this break, Cecilia P and Frankie R wowed the Dona year 6 audience with the first presentation of their scene Candy and Shelly. This was followed by Sophie and Hansel’s encore per-formance of Bell, Book, and Candle. We ended this session by singing a song prepared by their class to sing with us in English.

Our last meeting was a shorter but enjoyable visit with the oldest students at Dona School, the high school students who were in the middle of a German lesson! These students spoke the most English and wanted to talk to our students at length. After one encore performance of Candy and Shelly, our 8th graders chatted with these high school students for about 15 minutes.

Before leaving, we shot a group photo out on Strona street. Students then returned to ISK in very good moods. (The laughter and good humor in the taxi was contagious!) All agreed that our performances were good and

that speaking English with these students was not only an enjoyable cultural exchange, but also a worthwhile service towards helping these students build both language skills and bridges to the English speaking world.

Paul Lucas, Drama Teacher

11

Death of a SalesmanScene from

Over the last several weeks Grade 1 students were intro-duced to geography through several exciting activities. As can be seen in the pictures, both Grade 1A and 1B participated in creating a large, colorful collage depict-ing a world map. They used magazine clippings, colored pencils, and markers to fill in the oceans and continents. Not only did the students have the opportunity to iden-tify their country of origin, they were able to practice their cooperation skills by working in groups and pairs to complete the project. Next time you are in the neigh-borhood, stop by to take a look!

Susan Oswald, Grade 1A teacher

For Mind

12

Before Christmas, Grade 1 students spent a lot of time in Physi-cal Education class jumping, balancing and moving to a rhythm in preparation for their Winternational performance. Now they are taking their skills up a level as they start a unit in gymnas-tics. First it’s important to build the strength in their arms, so warm-up activities include push-ups and wheelbarrows. Next, they help each other to balance on straight arms with feet in the air. Walking on their hands and allowing their body to fall into a roll helps students learn how to control their body as they fight the force of gravity. The ultimate goal is to run and jump into a handstand, and then exit into a graceful roll. The best part is that we can actually do gymnastics in a gym! It’s lovely to have so much space to stretch, run, jump and roll. In case you hear your Grade 1 child using big words like teamwork, awareness and persistence, it’s because s/he knows that these are qualities needed in order to succeed in gymnastics. So far it looks like the students are on the road to success!

Lou Panetta, PE teacher

and Body

13

14

CARP

E

E

I

M

D

Snowy winter makes a great time for ISK’s Physical Education class-es as we can practice cross country skiing on the school grounds. We have 20 pairs of cross country skis and plenty of space around

the school for the students to enjoy this sport. Grades 5 through 8 eagerly participate in this activity even if the temperature reaches as low as -10oC. Students learn the basics of both classic and skating styles after they get used to keeping their balance and handling the long ski poles. They prac-tice techniques of making turns, which can be challenging because this maneuver on cross country skies differs from the one on alpine skis with which most students are familiar. We hope for a long, snowy winter and more cross country fun!

BEING JUSTYNA KOWALCZYK...

15

I’m in Grade 0 and I Like Winter Because...

...I can make snowforts.

...we make a snowman and have a snowfight.

...you can make snow-balls

...winter is the time when I can do a snowman.

...I can play snowfights.

...it’s snowing and I can make a snowdog.

16

...Christmas is in the winterand I can play.

...I can make igloos.I can make snowman

and we can make snowball fight.

...I like to play in my igloo.

...we can make snowmanand have snowball fights.

...I make snowballsand snowman.

...I can make a snowman.

17

18

In Grade 6 Social Studies, we’ve learned about An-cient Egypt. Egyptians made a paper called pa-pyrus from a plant that grew along the Nile river.

They crushed it and soaked it in water. So, we also tried to make papyrus-paper, but since we do not live where it grows, we used some old paper, flour and wa-ter to change its consistency and

make it look like the real thing.What is hieroglyphics anyway? Well, hieroglyph-

ics is an ancient language that is based on pic-tures, and they’ve got more than 700 different symbols in the alphabet! That is long. We have only 26 letters in English. Can you imagine how long the song must

have been for those Egyptians having to learn their al-phabet? Yikes! Unfortunately, this meant that 95% of Egyptians had no clue what was written on the walls

and tombs that the great Pharaohs left behind in the Valley of Kings.

For our papyrus project, we had to follow a rigorous process to make the paper just right for us before we could begin writing our hieroglyphs. First, we made a goo, which is water mixed with flour, and then we weaved some papers together like a puzzle. When it dried over the De-cember break, we decorated on top of it using a short version of the hieroglyph alphabet. We wrote our names and then we told a story about our own lives, much like the scribes did in ancient Egypt to tell new generations about the life of the Pharaohs who ruled Egypt. It was really fun.

By this experiment, we could realize how they lived in that time and the social structure they had and how important scribe’s jobs were since there wouldn’t be any artifacts or information about the Pharaohs if there was not any scribes.

Hyo-Rye, Grade 6

Made In

Egypt

All our Early Years students had great fun at the Gibon Play Center. After we ar-

rived by our school’s taxi service, the children had their snacks. It turned out to be arguably the short-est snack time ever as the children just couldn’t wait to start explor-ing the place. All the nursery chil-dren and preschoolers ran, jumped, climbed, and crawled for two solid hours! They must have had a great time as the only breaks they took were to get a drink of water. They fell in love with the place so if you would like to take your child there again, please check out their web-site. We would like to thank Ms. Es-meralda for going to the play center with us and being a great help!

Dominika Skiba Preschool teacher

Early Years’ Trip To Gibon

19

All our Early Years students had great fun at the Gibon Play Center. After we ar-

rived by our school’s taxi service, the children had their snacks. It turned out to be arguably the short-est snack time ever as the children just couldn’t wait to start explor-ing the place. All the nursery chil-dren and preschoolers ran, jumped, climbed, and crawled for two solid hours! They must have had a great time as the only breaks they took were to get a drink of water. They fell in love with the place so if you would like to take your child there again, please check out their web-site. We would like to thank Ms. Es-meralda for going to the play center with us and being a great help!

Dominika Skiba Preschool teacher

Early Years’ Trip To Gibon

20

Have the Preschool B teachers lost their minds? What do chocolate chip cookies and dino-saurs have in common? Well, just ask any of our students and you will find out that “Edwina: The Dinosaur who didn’t know she was Extinct” loved to bake chocolate chip cookies for ev-eryone. In fact, even when Reginald Von Hoobie-Doobie proved to Edwina that she is extinct, Edwina simply did not care, and continued to be a great neighborhood friend by baking more cookies! So, in honor of our favorite dinosaur, here are a few photos of the Preschool B stu-dents making their own chocolate chip treats.

Enjoy. We sure did!

D i n o s a u r s a n d . . . C H O C O L A T E C H I P C O O K I E S ?

21

D i n o s a u r s a n d . . . C H O C O L A T E C H I P C O O K I E S ?