International School Manila

ES PARENT BULLETIN
Volume 16 26 April 2013

IMPORTANT DATES TO REMEMBER

MAY
1, 13 10 National Holiday No School 4th Quarter Assembly (FAT)

From the ES Administration

Whyshouldcurriculumhaveastrongconceptual base? Attheheartofaninquirybasedlearningandteaching approachistheno onofaconceptbasedcurriculum. Butwhatisthatandhowdoesitwork?Firstly,facts, skillsandcontentarecri cal.Childrenneedtohave accesstosubjectareaknowledge.Knowingmental mathfacts,therulesofspellingandpunctua on,and theexperiencesofhistoricalguresindierentplaces and meareextremelyimportant.Butcurriculumis alsoabouthowthiscontentisframedanddelivered tothelearner.Ifourgoalsareunderstandingfocused, thencoveringcontent(o enachievedbyskimming thesurfaceofmanyvariedfactsandtopics)needsto bereplacedbyprovidingchildrenwiththe opportunitytouncoverbigideasorconcepts;andto teachthemtodothisbythemselves.Inthisway,a teachersjobisul mately,tomakehim/herself obsolete! Aconceptbasedlearningframeworkenableschildren toa achwhattheyarelearningtotheirownlivesand experiences.Itallowsthemtomakeconnec ons withinandacrosslearningareas.Ithelpsthemretain andapplywhattheyhavelearned.Italsosupports dieren a on,whereindividualneeds,strengths, backgrounds,interestsandchallengesaremet. Dieren a ngfactsandskillsisunlikelytomeetthe varyingneedsofdierentlearners.Aconceptbased curriculummeanwhile,givesaclearfocusof

1,8,15,22, Wednesday Morning 29 Student Late Start @ 8.30am 10, 24 11 29 30 31 ES Parent Bulletin K-12 Dance Recital AFAC Recitals, 330PM 430PM (AMR)

Last Day of After School Activities

JUNE
5 2nd Semester Report Card Distribution Grade 4 Moving-on Ceremony, 8AM 10AM (FAT) Early Student Release @ 12NN

instruc onforstudentswhoarestrugglingacademicallywhileprovidingapla ormforextension.Itcrossescul turestoconnectwithstudentsrespec vebackgrounds,andis(indeed,mustbe)signicant,relevant,anden gaging. Atpresent,thereareunitsofworkoccurringacrosstheES,inarangeoflearningareas,whichexemplifytheide asabove.Forexample,Grade1studentsarediscussingplacevaluerela onshipswithinandbeyond100;fourth gradestudentshavebegunaunitofinquirythataddressestheideaofthinkingscien callyinordertoexplain

Elementary School Parent Bulletin

26 April 2013

ourobserva onsofthenaturalworld;Grade3arenowinquiringintohowourideas,throughsignsandsym bols,arerepresenteddierentlyacrosslanguagesandcultures.InKindergarten,thechildrenaretalking aboutstoriesandhowtheyconveymessages,helpusshareideasandmakeusthink.InGrade2Math,the ideaofhowwecanuseshapestorepresentpartandwholerela onshipsisbeingtackled.Andacrossthe Preschool,thebigideasofhowwecontributetoshareddecisionmaking,howwemakeinformedchoices, howwecommunicateideasbywri ngandreading,andhowcanproblemsolve,areconstantlyatthefore frontofallconversa ons. Aconceptdrivencurriculumischallengingtocreatebutthechallengesitprovidesareverymuchworthit. ElementaryPrincipal

Adam Campbell

Michael Rourke
ElementaryAssistantPrincipal

From ES PE Team
AsPhysicalEduca onteachersweareoccasionally askedques onssuchas: Atwhatageshouldmychildplaycompe vesports? Atwhatageshouldchildrenspecializeinsports? HowcanIsupportmychildhavethebestsports experiencepossible? Whatac vi eswillmychilddoinPElessons? WhenwillmychildswiminPE? WhathappensifmychildisinjuredatschoolinPE lessons? HowsafearePElessons? Thegoodnewsisyoucanndinforma onandlinksto ar clesonallofthesetopicsonthePETeachers'Blogs (h p://espe.ismonline.org/)Thisweekspostisabout waysthatparentscancontributetoaposi veyouth sportsculturesothatchildrenwillhavefunandlearn posi vecharactertraitstolastalife me.

Amanda Pekin
ESPEProgramLeader

Elementary School Parent Bulletin

26 April 2013

From the Admissions & Advancement Office

WithdrawalProcedureforStudentsLeavingISM
Forthosestudentswhowillbewithdrawingfrom Interna onalSchoolManilathisyear,thefollowing procedureapplies:

Parents are obliged to inform the school ocially through a WITHDRAWAL NOTIFICATION FORM, on or before May 10, 2013, if their children will not be returningtoISM.

Oce. Only a er 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 Oce. Please note that one copy of the transcript is provided free of charge, addi onal copies cost P100 each, payable at the Cashiers Oce before release. Please coordinate directlywiththepar cularSchoolOceifyourequire morethanonecopyofschoolrecords.

Failure to do so will lead to a deduc on of US$1,000 from the Facili es Upgrade Deposit (FUD), in compensa on for having held a space for the child and thus preven ng the School from oering that space to another child prior to the summer holiday break.

STEP3:InordertoreceiveyourFacili esUpgrade DepositorFUD(formerlytheSpecialProjectDeposit) refund,thefollowingmustbesubmi edtothe CashiersOce:

1)SignedStudentClearanceSlip 2)SignedFacili esUpgradeDepositCer cate

TheWithdrawalNo ca onFormcanbeobtained fromtheAdmissionsOceordirectlyfromtheISM websitewww.ismanila.orgunderAdmissions>Re Enrollment&Withdrawal>Withdrawal

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 Cer cate may claim the refund at theCashiersOce.

STEP1:ReturntheWithdrawalNo ca onFormto theAdmissionsOceorscannedandemailedasan a achmenttoadmissions@ismanila.org.

For any ques ons related to FUD cer cate, please call 8408522 and look for Ms. Rhodora Villa or MarissaS.Dulayat8408506.

Upon receipt of the Withdrawal No ca on Form by the Admissions Oce, a copy will be forwarded to the appropriate School Oce and the Finance Ocefortheirac on. The School Oce, upon receipt of the Withdrawal No ca on Form, will ini ate the student clearance procedure which requires a Middle or High School student to have the Student Clearance Slipsignedbytheindicatedteachersandocesfor clearance. For Elementary students, the Elementary Oce will handle the withdrawal clearance. Note that school transcripts and records will be available from the par cular school oce approximately een working days a er the childs last day of a endance at ISM. Please coordinate directly with the par cular School Oce if you requireotherarrangements.

Please allow the withdrawal process to go smoothly by star ng 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 Oce. The forms are available through the web site: Admission > ReEnrollment&Withdrawal>Withdrawal

1. ElementarySchoolYearbook:ALAALA 2. MiddleSchoolYearbook:SALINLAHI 3. HighSchoolYearbook:KAWAYAN Manythanks,

Stephanie H. Hagedorn
DirectorofAdmissions&Advancement HagedornS@ismanila.org

STEP 2: If required, and when completed, the Student Clearance Slip must be taken to the Cashiers
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Elementary School Parent Bulletin

26 April 2013

From the Admissions & Advancement Office

DearParents, Pleaseberemindedthatkeepingyourcontactinforma onupdatedisvitaltofacilita ngcommunica onwiththe school.Ifyouwouldliketoview/changeanyofthedetailsonyourcurrentrecord,simplyfollowthestepsbelow.

STEP1:GOTOwww.ismanila.org

UPDATING PARENT CONTACT INFORMATION

In order to best serve the ISM Parent Community, it is essential that information be quickly disseminated when necessary. For this reason, the accuracy of your contact details in our database is of the utmost importance. Please note that Parent Contact Information must be updated online by the parent. To make any changes or verification in contact information, please access one of your childrens data file via the ISM website (www.ismanila.org) and then under Login, click on Powerschool Public Access and enter your Username and Password. On the page that opens, click on the Demographic Update icon for changing or updating demographic information. 4

Elementary School Parent Bulletin

26 April 2013

From Operations and Security Office

Drivers,HelpersandBodyguards Drivers, helpers and bodyguards should not be wai ng on campus for students throughout the school day. A er droppingostudentstheyshouldexittheschoolgroundsandnotreturnmorethan30minutesbeforedismissal me. Thosewhorepeatedlyfailtocomplywiththeregula onwillhavetheiraccessprivilegesuspended. Only those vehicles carrying parents or other people with business within the school will be allowed to return to the campusbefore1:45p.m. There are designated areas for unaccompanied drivers, yayas, helpers and security escorts to wait for parents and students. Unless specically authorized, they may not enter any other area. In the interest of security, and to prevent conges on at the pedestrian entrances to the covered parking area, parents are requested to emphasize to their employeestheimportanceofcoopera ngwiththesecuritystaandremainingintheappropriateareas. Termina onofEmployment In the event of the termina on of service of a family employee, parents are asked to secure the former employees ISM ID card and return it to the Security oce. If this is not possible, it is important tat the Security Oce is s ll informedofthechangeofcircumstances. Finally, I would like to thank all members of the ISM community for their coopera on in helping us maintain ISM as a safeandsecureenvironmentforourchildren. Firearms All members of the ISM community are reminded that it is strictly forbidden for rearms to be brought onto the campus.Thisincludesconcealedweaponscarriedbybodyguardsforcloseprotec on.Anypersonarrivingattheschool with a rearm should inform the gate guard and arrangements will be made for the weapon to be safely and securely storedduringthevisitorsstay. SecurityStaDirec ons Oursecurityteamisendeavoringtomaketheschoolassafeandsecureanenvironmentaspossibleforallmembersof our community. We as that everybody cooperate with us in this important task. In par cular, all those entering our campus are requested to comply with any direc on given to them by members of our guard force. In the event that anyone is unclear as to the purpose of such instruc ons they can seek clarica ons from the security oce. Please notethatitistheparentsresponsibilitytoadvisetheirstaaccordingly. Thankyouforyourcoopera on.WearelookingforwardtoanothersuccessfulsemesteratInterna onalSchool Manila.

Regards,

Michael Flynn
Director,Opera ons&Security

Elementary School Parent Bulletin

26 April 2013

From the Human Resources Office

DearParentsandStudents, Theendoftheschoolyearisfastapproaching,andwewantedyoutoknowthat,star nginAugust,weshallbeintro ducingaCampusCardpaymentscheme.Thissystemhasbeenintheresearchstageforsome menow,andwe havebeenconsul ngcarefullywithourcolleagueschoolsinIASAS,allofwhommakeuseofacardforpaymentson theircampuses.Thesystemworksthroughanindividualiden tychipthatisimplantedintostudentIDcards. Oneofthemainpurposesformakingthismovetoistoprovideadebitsysteminthecanteen.Someofthebenets are: Limittheamountofmoneythatstudentsareobligedtobringtoschool. Speedupcanteenlinesduringbreakssincecashexchangewillnotbeneeded. Giveonlineaccesstoparentssotheymayseewhattheirchildrenareea ngatlunch. Theinten onistorunparallelcash/debitsystemini ally,butin meweintendtomovetowardsacompletedebit systemduringschoolhours. Parentsandstudentswillhaveseveralop onswithregardstotoppinguptheircard.Theycandothisonlinebycredit cardorpaypalorthroughanaccreditedbank(allforaminimalfee),atkiosks(similartoATMs)locatedintwodier entareasoncampus,oratthecashiersoce. Inaddi ontopurchasingfoodatthecanteen,theSmartCardmaybeusedforpayingotherac vi esthattakeplace oncampus:schoolplays,FamilyFunday,concerts,Tshirts,etc.WealsohopethattheUniformShopwillbeableto acceptpaymentsinthisway. ParentsandhelpersmayalsoapplyforanIDcardcompletewithchipshouldtheywishtouseadebitsystemoncam pusratherthancashpayments. Inconjunc onwiththedebitsystem,theSmartCardsissuedinMiddleSchoolwillallowstudentstoaccessthenew lockerswearepurchasing. Weshallbesendingoutmoreinstruc onsonhowthissystemwillworklaterintheschoolyearandagaininAugust. Likeanynewsystem,wesuspectthattherewillbesometeethingproblems,butwearecondentthatweshallover cometheseandthatthecardsystemwillbebenecialfortheen reschool. Sincerely,

Michelle Mapua
DirectorofHumanResource

Elementary School Parent Bulletin

26 April 2013

From the ATAC Office

4thseasonprac cesarenowtakingplaceforsomeof nextyearsHSteamstostarttraining.Thisisopenfor currentgr.8swhowillbefreshmen9thgradenextyearto jointheseprac ces.Ifyouhaveques onstalkwiththe coaches. ThankstoCoachAndyandthesailshcoachesfor runningagreatmeetlastweekendwithgreatfeedback fromthevisi ngoverseasschoolsthata ended.All resultsareavailableviathesailshblog. Welookforwardtohos nganinvita onalTaeKwonDo (TKD)meettomorrowattheMSgymandthefollowing weekwehostthelocalJudocompe onatthecovered court.ISMisthehostvenuefortheseeventshowever themeetsarecoordinatedandrunbythelocalTKDand Judoassocia ons.BestoflucktoallourISMmar alarts compe torsintheseupcomingmeets. Pleaseremembertheswimmingfacilitywillclosefor renova onworksMay17andtheplannedreopeningof thepoolissetforSeptember1st.Wearebuildinganew2 levelgrandstand,newlockerrooms,newstoragearea, newcoacheslockerrooms,addi onalrestroomsforthe publicandresurfacingthepoolsurrounds. ISMSummerSportsCampsinforma onisnowavailable ontheATACsummercampsblogpage.Theinforma onal yerwillalsobeintheparentbulle ns.Signupsareona rstcomerstservedbasis! AgreatwaytostayintouchwiththeISMATACprogramis tosubscribeviaRSSfeedtotheATACblogandalsoto followviatwi er(seetwi erfeedonthebloghome page).EachMondayIwillposttheweekshappeningsand highlightimportanteventsforstudentsandparents informa onontheATACblogandintheregularFriday parentbulle ns. GAMESCHEDULEPDF:(accesstogameschedule informa on)Informa onaboutallmidweek/weekend xturesforISMteamscanbefoundviatheATACblog. Pleasenotethegamescheduledoeschangeo endueto involvementwithmanylocalschoolssopleasecheckthe pageregularlytondoutthelatestinforma onofwhere andwhentheBearcatsteamsareplaying.Clickon
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schedulestabortheBearcatlogotobedirectedtothe powerschoolsecuresiteh p:// powerschool.ismanila.org/public/ Youwillneedyourpowerschoolusernameand passwordtoaccessthegameschedulepdf. BEARCATDEN:h p://atac.ismonline.org/bearcatden/ OurBearcatDenisopenforbusiness,pleasedropby tocheckouttherangeofBearcatproducts.Wehavea greatteamofvolunteerswhorunthedenandare alwayslookingformorepeopletohelpout.Ifyouare interestedinjoiningafantas cgrouppleasecontact anyofourdenmembersduringdenopeninghours.If youreinterestedinjoiningtheDenvolunteersplease contactCarolynChingfordetails carolynqching@yahoo.com.Wearealwayslookingfor newvolunteersandencourageparentsfromES/MSto joinourgroup.PleasenoteendofyearlunchforDen volunteersisMay30thfrom11:30am(venuetobe announced)FinalsellingdayfortheDenwillbeJune 4th,Denwillbeclosedforinventoryandsummerpack upJune5.Thedenwillreopenforbusinessinthe newschoolyearonWednesdayAugust14th2013 RegularOpeningHoursfortheBearcatDen:Wedand Fridaysfrom11:30am1:00pmandeacha ernoon from2:304pm.

Elementary School Parent Bulletin

26 April 2013

From the Treasury Office

DearISMParents: ThisisaremindertopleaseviewandchecktheISMWeb Onlineath p://community.ismanila.org/d/2/forthelat estupdateonyourbillingstatementandse leanyre mainingbalanceofaccount(s). Pleasenotethatthe2ndsemesterTui onfeeforSY2012 2013wasduelastDecember07,2012whileotherminor feesonyourbillingstatementsarealreadydueasbilled. Forthosewhohaventse ledyet,weappreciateyour immediatese lementoftheaccounts. Forrelatedbillingandpaymentques onsincludingany usernameandpasswordconcerns,pleasecall8408522/ 8408506/8408512andlookforRhodaVilla (Accountant)orMarissaDulay(TreasurySupervisor) andElmerEsguerra(Cashier).Youcanalsoemailusat villar@ismanila.orgordulaym@ismanila.org.andesguer rae@ismanila.org Regards,

Business Office Administration

There are still art pieces available! Visit the Advancement Office at the Plaza Level until April 30, 2013 or call 840-8662/840-8606.

From the Art Department

ES ART NEED YOUR PAPER & PlASTIC POTS!
Newspaper, packing paper, magazines, wrapping paper, Yogurt pots, ice cream tubs, cream pots . Dont throw it away we will recycle it into some amazing artworks!

International School Manila ELEMENTARY SCHOOL AFTER SCHOOL ACTIVITIES (ES-AFAC)

Important Dates to Remember

SECOND SEMESTER
May 17, 2013 (Friday) Last day for Aquatics AFAC May 31, 2013

Thanks

Your ES Art Team

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Elementary School Parent Bulletin

26 April 2013

TO REGISTER
If you are interested in joining one or more of the camps, please drop by ES Office/ Cashiers office and fill up the permission slip, or print out the next page. Fees are to be paid directly at the ISM Cashiers Office. Deadline of payments are on May 25. Please take note that payments are non-refundable.

Elementary School Parent Bulletin

26 April 2013

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