MIDD LE SCHOOL

Friday Bulletin
Weekly Publication for Middle School Parents ISSUE # 25
W EEK OF MARCH 4 TO 8, 2013

From the Middle School Office

Dear Parents: This past week during assembly time, we talked to students about course registration for next school year which will take place throughout the coming week. We also had students from the High School Robotics class and club speak to the students and demonstrate the robots they had created; they were received with much excitement. Please spend some time discussing course offerings with your child so that s/he may make an informed decision when selecting classes. Three new course offerings, Dance Remix, DigiART and Robotics, are being made available to Grades 7 and 8. Dance Remix allows students to further their dance experience established in Dance Revolution. Through performances and dance recitals, students will explore their creative side in dance units such as Modern, Social and Hip Hop. Students must have completed Dance Revolution before registering for this course. DigiART focuses on doing art on a computer and will include photography, graphic design and moviemaking. Robotics encourages students to create, design, problem solve and bring an idea to life. The students will have fun learning how to build robots to accomplish tasks and then modify the robots to improve them. Computers will also be used to tell the robots what to do and how to behave to accomplish goals. Students will register for courses during the school day. After registering, the student will be sent a confirmation email with an attachment summarizing the courses that were selected; parents will also be copied with the confirmation. Please print out the confirmation sheet, sign it and return the form to the Middle School Guidance Office by March 15. This week also sees the start of MAP (Measures of Academic Progress) testing. Please see the separate letter included in the bulletin for more details. In the event that your child misses a testing session, we will hold make-up sessions on Wednesdays starting at 7:30 A.M. If your child requires a make-up session, the MS Office will notify you and we ask that you make the necessary arrangements to bring your child to school early on Wednesday. On Thursday, March 7 students will be released early at 12:00 noon, and we will have an afternoon of Student-Led Conferences, which provides an opportunity for students to share their learning with their parents. We have sent via email and posted on the MS blog more detailed information about the afternoon schedule, questions you can ask your child during the conferences, and a goal setting sheet. Please check your email and review the material prior to March 7 so that you can maximize the conference time with your child. On that afternoon parents will accompany their child to each class for approximately ten minutes and have the opportunity to discuss samples of work. For PE classes, parents will have the opportunity to engage in activities led by their child. As such, parents are encouraged to dress comfortably in attire and shoes so that they can try out some of the activities. We hope to see as many parents as possible getting involved and trying out the fitness activities. For student-led conferences, parents will not need to schedule appointments. Please note that if both parents are unable to attend the student-led conference, your child is expected to go home at dismissal and not remain on campus. Have a fabulous weekend! Yours in Education, Simon Gillespie Middle School Principal Clarissa Sayson Middle School Assistant Principal

Inside this issue:

Measures of Academic Progress (MAP) Test From the Office of Admissions and Advancement From the School Clinic From the Treasury Department From the ATAC Office 3rd Season Training Schedule From the PTA Show Choir Auditions MS Academic Bowl From the HS Guidance Office ISM Community Art Auction Adult Language Courses MS Parents Bash 2 3

5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

UPCOMING EVENTS
MARCH
4 to 8 4 to 27 5 7 8 15 18 to 22 25 to 27 28 to 29 Course Registration MAP Testing Academic Bowl Student-Led Conferences Progress Report Distribution MS Party (Grade 5 to 8) English Honors Testing Spirit Week School Holiday

The Yearbook Pictures are now available for pick up in the MS Office.

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Measures of Academic Progress (MAP) Tests

Dear Parents, From March 4 to 27, ISM will conduct the Measures of Academic ProgressTM (MAP) tests for Semester 2. What are MAP tests? MAP tests are an external assessment from the United States, used to assist in determining students instructional level. Currently, there are 370 international schools in 123 countries, including 56% member schools of EARCOS (East Asia Regional Council of Schools), who conduct MAP testing. Who does MAP testing at ISM? Students in Grades 3 to 10 take MAP tests. Students receiving Learning Support and ESL services will be given the opportunity, where appropriate, to participate in the MAP testing. Parents will be contacted individually regarding any modifications taking place. What do MAP tests assess and how often do they occur? These tests will measure academic growth across the school year in the areas of Reading, Language and Mathematics, and are administered twice a year at ISM. The Semester 1 tests were taken in September/October during the first semester. How do MAP tests work? Your child will take the tests on a computer. MAP tests are unique in that they are adaptive. The test becomes more difficult the more questions the student answers correctly. When a student incorrectly answers a question, the following test question is adjusted accordingly and is at an easier level. In this way, your child will take a test specifically created for his or her learning level. How are MAP tests reported? Your childs MAP results are reported in RIT (Rasch Unit) scores. This is a different type of score than a typical test that provides a percentage correct. Parents will receive a report that shows their RIT score, the normative RIT scores for the grade level at ISM, and the normative scores for students in the United States within the same grade level. These reports will be available in early May. What does ISM do with the information that MAP provides? Teachers use the data from MAP testing to inform learning and teaching. It assists in determining which skills require enhancing, which skills students have already developed, and which skills need to be introduced. MAP tests also provide our school with a reference point for the ongoing development of the school-wide curriculum. This data allows us to look for trends within certain areas of our curriculum. How do I prepare my child for MAP testing? Factors such as sleep and how a child is feeling can all affect results of a standardized test. Please talk to your child to help avoid him/her feeling anxious about MAP testing. Lastly It is important to remember that MAP results provide one piece of assessment data in the process of acquiring information and making judgments about student progress toward intended learning. At ISM, we believe sound assessment involves creating a multitude of ways to measure and communicate student learning over time a photo album versus a single snapshot. For more information on MAP testing, please consult the NWEA (North West Evaluation Association) website at www.nwea.org. In addition, parents can access the MAP Parent Toolkit at http://www.nwea.org/ support/article/930/parent-toolkit.

Sincerely, Simon Gillespie Middle School Principal

Clarissa Sayson Middle School Assistant Principal

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From the Office of Admissions and Advancement

Dear Parents, Please be reminded that keeping your contact information updated is vital to facilitating communication with the school. If you would like to view/change any of the details on your current record, simply follow the steps below.

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Withdrawal Procedure for Students Leaving ISM

For those students who will be withdrawing from International School Manila this year, the following procedure applies: Parents are obliged to inform the School officially through a WITHDRAWAL NOTIFICATION FORM, before the second Friday of May, if their children will not be returning to ISM. Failure to do so will lead to a deduction of US$1,000 from the Facilities Upgrade Deposit (FUD), in compensation for having held a space for the child and thus preventing the School from offering that space to another child prior to the summer holiday break. The Withdrawal Notification Form can be obtained from the Admissions Office or directly from the ISM website www.ismanila.org under Admissions > Re-Enrollment & Withdrawal > Withdrawal STEP 1: Return the Withdrawal Notification Form to the Admissions Office or scanned and e-mailed as an attachment to admissions@ismanila.org . Upon receipt of the Withdrawal Notification Form by the Admissions Office, a copy will be forwarded to the appropriate School Office and the Finance Office for their action. The School Office, upon receipt of the Withdrawal Notification Form, will initiate the student clearance procedure which requires a Middle or High School student to have the Student Clearance Slip signed by the indicated teachers and offices for clearance. For Elementary students, the Elementary Office will handle the withdrawal clearance. Note that school transcripts and records will be available from the particular school office approximately fifteen working days after the childs last day of attendance at ISM. Please coordinate directly with the particular School Office if you require other arrangements. STEP 2: If required, and when completed, the Student Clearance Slip must be taken to the Cashiers Office. Only after the Cashier has received and signed the completed clearance form will the childs transcript or school records be released from the Elementary, Middle or High School Office. Please note that one copy of the transcript is provided free of charge, additional copies cost P100 each, payable at the Cashiers Office before release. Please coordinate directly with the particular School Office if you require more than one copy of school records. STEP 3: In order to receive your Facilities Upgrade Deposit or FUD (formerly the Special Project Deposit) refund, the following must be submitted to the Cashiers Office: 1) Signed Student Clearance Slip 2) Signed Facilities Upgrade Deposit Certificate Please note that the FUD refund will not be released before your childs last day of school and may take up to thirty (30) days. Only the person whose name appears on the FUD Certificate may claim the refund at the Cashiers Office. Please call the Cashier at 840-8506 if you have questions regarding your FUD Certificate. Please allow the withdrawal process to go smoothly by starting the process early. Thank you for your help and understanding. If you will be withdrawing before the end of the school year and wish to receive your childs YEARBOOK please submit the appropriate form to the School Office. The forms are available through the web site: Admission > Re-Enrollment & Withdraw-

al>Withdrawal
Elementary School Yearbook: ALAALA Middle School Yearbook: SALINLAHI High School Yearbook: KAWAYAN Sincerely, Stephanie H. Hagedorn Director of Admissions & Advancement

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From the School Clinic

TIME TO SIGN UP FOR THE 2013

INFLUENZA VACCINATIONS
Vaccination Day: March 13thWednesday Last day to sign up/pay: March 6th Wednesday Price: Php 480.00 Vaccine: GSK Influenza vaccine Influenza or commonly known as flu trangkaso is caused by the influenza virus. The influenza virus is easily transmitted through things you touch or in the air we breathe. Flu vaccine is recommended for everyone above 6 months old. Getting the flu shot should be done annually because the circulating strains of the flu virus change each year, hence the composition of the vaccine is updated annually. For tropical counties the flu is present year round with peaks during the months of July September. Everyone with a valid ISM ID may participate in this vaccination session. Order forms are available at the Cashier office or by visiting the Clinic. Please complete the form and make your payment to the Cashier. Payment for these vaccinations must be made to the cashier department by no later than Wednesday 6th of March .The vaccines will then be ordered and no further registrations will be accepted. If you would like to discuss the vaccine or have any questions please contact Jowell Custodio or Claudette Bekedam at the Clinic.
Clinic direct number: 840 8581/82 Email: clinic@ismanila.org

From the Treasury Department

Dear ISM Parents: This is a reminder to please view and check the ISM Web Online at http://community.ismanila.org/d/2/ for the latest update on your billing statement and settle any remaining balance of account(s). Please note that the 2nd semester Tuition fee for SY2012-2013 was due last December 07,2012 while other school fees on your billing statements are already due as billed. For those who havent settled yet, we appreciate your immediate settlement of the accounts. For related billing and payment questions including any username and password concerns, please call 840-85-22/ 840-85-06/840-85-12 and look for RHODA VILLA (Accountant) or MARISSA DULAY (Treasury Supervisor) and Elmer Esguerra ( Cashier). You can also email us at villar@ismanila.org or dulaym@ismanila.org. and esguerrae@ismanila.org.

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From the Athletics & Activities Office

3rd Season sports practice schedules for Badminton, Softball, Track & Field and MS Mixed Touch is available via the ATAC blog schedules pages http://atac.ism-online.org/ schedules/hs/ or school notice boards. IASAS Track and Field (April 10-14): Housing letters for the IASAS Track and Field event are now available via the ATAC blog. Please sign up early to house a visiting track athlete in April. We need to house 150 athletes. Teams arrive the day we return from spring break so deadline for return of letters is March 15th in order for us to confirm all housing assignments prior to the holiday starting. For general information about housing at IASAS tournaments, please see the housing and hosting page: http://atac.ism-online.org/iasas/iasas-housing/ ISM Summer Sports Camps information will be coming out next month. Announcements will be placed in the parent bulletins and all information will be available on the summer camps page on the ATAC blog. Stay tuned for more information next month! On Friday, March 8, is the ISM Twilight Track meet with Brent and Faith. Meet starts at 3:15pm and runs till about 7:30 pm. We need some parents to volunteer for timekeeping/marshalling duties if you can assist please contact pekinm@ismanila.org On Saturday, March 2, is the second Track meet of the year at Brent for our MS/HS track and field teams. Good luck to all competitors. ISM Aquathon sponsored by the Sailfish Swim Club is this Saturday. Please check the sailfish webpage for details. A great way to stay in touch with the ISM ATAC program is to subscribe via RSS feed to the ATAC blog and also to follow via twitter (see twitter feed on the blog home page). Each Monday, I will post the weeks happenings and highlight important events for students and parents information on the ATAC blog and in the regular Friday parent bulletins. GAME SCHEDULE PDF (access to game schedule information): Information about all mid-week/weekend fixtures for ISM teams can be found via the ATAC blog. Please note the game schedule does change often due to involvement with many local schools so please check the page regularly to find out the latest information of where and when the Bearcats teams are playing. Please click on schedules tab or the Bearcat logo to be directed to the power school secure site: http://powerschool.ismanila.org/ public/ You will need your power school user name and password to access the game schedule pdf.

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HS Student registration for ATAC activities (new for school year 12-13): A Google doc registration is now available for all HS students who will take part in any ATAC seasonal sports teams, MUN and Cultural Convention programs. Please take the time to complete this online registration for activities that you plan on joining this school year. Please access the form via the HS Student Registration tab found under the helpful hhortcuts bar on the ATAC blog home page. *Please note this is for HS students only and you must use your school email address to access the link. Personal gmail or hotmail addresses will not allow you to access the page. BEARCAT DEN: http://atac.ism-online.org/bearcat-den/ Our Bearcat Den is open for business, please drop by to check out the range of Bearcat products. We have a great team of volunteers who run the den and are always looking for more people to help out. If you are interested in joining a fantastic group, please contact any of our den members during den opening hours. We have a new volunteer coordinator. Thanks so much to Carolyn for stepping forward to take on this role. If youre interested in joining the Den volunteers, please contact Carolyn Ching for details: carolynqching@yahoo.com. We are always looking for new volunteers and encourage parents from ES/MS to join our group. Regular Opening Hours for the Bearcat Den: Wednesdays and Fridays, from 11:30 a.m. 1:00p.m. and each afternoon from 2:30 p.m. - 4:00 p.m. Regards, Mark Pekin Director of Athletics/Activities

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From the Parent-Teacher Association

PTA CULTURAL SHOW 2013
After all the fun, excitement, and food from the various countries that represented the ISM community during the International Family Fun Day, it is now time to showcase the folkdances and folksongs from our multicultural society. The Cultural Show will take place on the 19th of March, 2013 in the Little Theater from 7:30 until 9:30 am. All ISM parents are welcome. Criteria in the performances are as follows: Members of the ISM community especially parents are encouraged to participate. Maximum two performances; either a dance and/or song from each country. Performances must not exceed 4minutes for each item i.e., a total of 8minutes for two performances. All participants must register and confirm on the 6th of March at the very latest to be able to join this event; and If you wish to invite an outsider guest who is not an ISM parent please contact the numbers below. For further inquiries please contact: Marsha Ronald, DMD on 0921- 693- 7676 or Maria Handa on 0917- 817- 9988 Yours truly, Marsha Ronald, DMD PTA Head of Hospitality

PLEASE SAVE YOUR CEREAL BOXES, SHOE BOXES,

or any kind of cardboard and bring it to Ms. Morgan's room (1188) any time this week! We need cardboard for our sculpture projects! Thank you!

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Middle School Academic Bowl

On Tuesday 5th March 2013, ISM will be hosting the second semester Middle School Academic Bowl competition against Faith Academy, Brent International School and ISM.

Date: Tuesday 5th March 2013 Time: 09.00-14.00 Venue: Little Theatre, ISM
Teachers and parents are very welcome to watch this event with their classes. (See the schedule below)
The following students will represent ISM: Caroline Strang: grade 8 Bianca Catoto : grade 8 Hyun JIn (Emmy) Nam: grade 8 Jessica Zhang : grade 8 Jessica Mae Cuadro: grade 8 Ilham Thomson : grade 7 Kaiwen (Calvin) Zhang : grade 7 David Yuanwei Zhang : grade 6 Ibrahim Ahmed: grade 6 Mangal, Ratul: grade 5 Olivia Heugh : grade 5

Schedule:
09.00: Opening Remarks 09.10: Toss-up Round 1 09.40: Toss-up Round 2 10.10: Math and Logic Round 11.10: Toss-up Round 3 11.40: Lunch 12.30: Toss-up Round 4 13.00: Envelope Round (HSMC, MSMC, LT) 13.30: Penalty Toss up 14.00: Closing Remarks 14.15: Depart

Valerie Birchenall MS Academic Bowl Coach

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From the High School Guidance Office

Dear HS Parents, We are very pleased to introduce/reintroduce you to an exciting initiative developed back in 2010 by the HS Guidance Department in cooperation with the HS Administration:

Bearcat Career Experience

As we all know well, high school for students is (among many things) a time of self-discovery. It is a time where our students begin to better acknowledge their aptitudes/likes, where they hone their strengths and where they begin to sort through that rather complicated map known as their educational and future career path. Unfortunately, it is often a map with gaps between what they learn in their academic classrooms and the real world their teachers are working to prepare them for. In short, we hope to help bridge that gap for some of our high school students through a five-day summer internship (June 10th 14th, 2013) with various companies in the Metro Manila area. Last year we were very fortunate to place over 120 ISM high school students (sophomores and juniors) with 30 companies (including Alaska Milk, Asian Development Bank (ADB), and Makati Medical Center to name a few) in the Metro Manila area. This year, we definitely feel those numbers could increase. However, in order to make this a reality, we need reputable companies from a variety of industries to form partnerships with us and take part. As parents of our dedicated and motivated HS students, you may own, be employed by, or know of a company interested in supporting this very worthwhile endeavor. We ask for your support in helping us develop potential Career Experience placements and subsequently, lasting positive relationships with companies in the Metro Manila area. We ask that you take time to reflect on this important initiative (currently in its 3rd year) and its value for our ISM community. Please take a look at our website here http://bearcat-careers.ism-online.org/what-is-a-bearcat-career -experience/ . This page should give you an idea of what the program is all about. You might also want to check out this video too. http://bearcat-careers.ism-online.org/media/ If you are in a position to take one or more of our students at your company or know of an interested company, please let me know. Please also contact me at mcqueend@ismanila.org if you have any questions or need further clarification. Information about how your son or daughter (current sophomores and juniors only) could apply for a Career Experience position will be communicated to all of you at a later date. You can also get more informed and up to date posts about the Bearcat Career Experience by liking our facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/BearcatCareerExperience Thank you very much for your support and I look forward to hearing back from some of you. J Sincerely, Doug McQueen High School Counselor

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