ISSUE # 26

SY 2014 2015

MIDDLE SCHOOL
WEEK OF:

Friday Bulletin

Weekly Publication for Middle School Parents

MARCH 9 to 13

Dear Middle School Parents,

This month as part of our advisory program we are continuing to discuss Digital Citizenship and what is our responsibility as users of technology and the online world. This is a
great opportunity to be speaking with your child about how they are using technology
and how they are demonstrating responsibility.
With students further increased screen time in their lives at school and home we would
like to trial a period of time with no devices at lunch - while we find that the majority of
students use their break time for social interaction, being active and eating, there are a
number of students who struggle with this balance. We will be communicating this to
students at our assembly on Friday and will update everyone on how this trial period
goes.
March 19 is scheduled for student led conferences in the Middle School. You will have
received a separate email with the detailed information for the afternoon in terms of
the process and also strategies and questions for taking part in the conference together
with your child.
Have a great week ahead
Yours in Education,
Simon Gillespie, Middle School Principal
Amanda Pekin, Middle School Assistant Principal

Leaving ISM?
Please be reminded that parents are obliged to officially inform the School in writing
through a WITHDRAWAL NOTIFICATION FORM if their children will not be returning in August for School Year 2015-16. Families are encouraged to submit the Withdrawal Notification Form, stating the student's final date of attendance, immediately. Forms must be submitted on or before May 8. Failure to submit the form by that date may lead to a deduction
of US$1,000 from the Facilities Upgrade Deposit (FUD), in compensation for having held a
space for your child, preventing the School from offering that space to another candidate.
The Withdrawal Notification Form can be obtained from the Admissions Office or directly
from the ISM website under Admission > Re-Enrollment & Withdrawal > Withdrawals
Please feel free to contact the Admissions Office at 840.8601 for questions or clarifications.

Inside this issue:

Student-Led Conferences

MAP Testing

Athletics & Activities

ISM Upcoming Events

Events & Activities:

MARCH

2-13

MAP Testing

19

Student-Led
Conferences

APRIL

1-10

School Holiday

21

Parent Coffee

30

Activity Day

MAY

National Holiday

4-14

MS Art Exhibition

After-School Activities Office:

Season Dates for Season 3 and 4:
Third Season: February 16 - March 31, 2015
Fourth Season: April 13 - May 29, 2015

Dear Students and Parents,

Welcome to our Middle School student-led conferences. We hope that you find this time together sharing your learning to be a worthwhile experience. The purpose of this student-led conference is to provide students with an opportunity to share their learning with their parents and teachers in their classrooms. The goals of a student-led conference include the following:

Encourage students to accept responsibility for their learning and progress.

Help students recognize and take ownership for the things that interfered with their learning success.
Teach students the process of self-evaluation.
Facilitate the development of students oral communication skills and self-confidence.
Enhance communication between student and parents.

During the afternoon of March 19, you will take part in one of two sessions (12:30 2:30 p.m. or 3:00 5:00 p.m.)
together with your child going around to each of their classrooms. The schedule for each session is included in this
program guide. We encourage you to attend the first session if your surname begins with the letters A-K, and the second session if your surname begins with the letters L-Z (If you need to attend the other time because of conflicts, this
is acceptable).
During each class that you visit your child has prepared a presentation of their learning for you. They will be sharing
work samples and their reflections, and we encourage you during this time to engage in a conversation. Included in
this guide are some suggested questions that you may ask your child to facilitate the process. Students in Grade 5 and
6 may be using school provided laptops and students in Grade 7 and 8 should bring their laptop with them. As part of
Physical Education you will be in the MS Gym, please bring appropriate footwear.
On the back page of this guide is a worksheet for you and your child to complete at the end of your session. This time
is an opportunity for you to sit down and reflect together on the afternoon and to set goals for the remainder of the
school year.
Thank you for taking time to participate in your childs learning during our Middle School student-led conferences. We
hope that this has given you additional insight into your childs learning, and an opportunity to understand what happens on a daily basis in our classes at International School Manila.
Yours in Education,
Simon Gillespie
Middle School Principal

Amanda Pekin
Middle School Assistant Principal
2

Please attend one of the following two sessions 12:30 2:30 or 3:00 5:00 p.m. You will begin in
your childs advisory where an overview will be provided. Then go in order of your childs schedule
spending approximately 10 minutes in each room (the time is flexible). Your child should know their
schedule and where to go, but if you need an individual copy of their schedule or a map of the Middle School, please stop by the Middle School Office.

Guiding Questions for parents to ask students during and after the conference:
1. What has been the most difficult part of this class?
2. What has been you favorite assignment this year?
3. What assignment did you learn the most from this year?
4. Which subject do you feel is the most difficult for you? Why?
5. How do you think I could help you in this subject?
6. Do you feel that I am helpful to you, in your studies?
7. How do you manage your time when you have assignments that are large?
8. What inspired you to.....?
9. When you're given a choice, what type of assignment would you choose?
10. How do you communicate with your teacher for help?
11. Do you use the tutorial time after school?
12. Do you challenge yourself to try new things?
13. Do you take risks with your assignments?
14. How do you learn best?
15. What study habits do you need to improve? Why?
16. How will you use what you know about your learning styles to improve?
17. How well do you manage your time? What do you need to work on?
3

Dear Parents,
From March 2nd to March 13th 2015, ISM will conduct tests called Measures of Academic ProgressTM (MAP) 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 support 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.
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 November.
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 affect the results of a standardized test. Your class teacher will let
you know which three days in the coming weeks your child will sit the tests. 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

Amanda Pekin
Middle School Assistant Principal

The practice schedule for season 3 is posted on notice boards and on the ATAC blog. Season 3 will run
from Feb 9th to March 31st.
Well done to the VBoys softball team and coaches who won the ASSL League final last Sunday 8-5.
Next Tuesday Mar 10 ISM is hosting the MS Academic Bowl at the Little Theatre from 9am-2pm. Drop by
to check out the action as our MS test their minds against Faith, Brent and Chinese International School.
Upcoming datesMar 5-7 IASAS Debate and Forensics at ISM
Mar 5-7 IASAS Art/Dance/Drama at SAS, Music at ISB
Mar 6 Twilight track meet at ISM
Mar 7 ISM Chess Invitational/Swim meet at BSM
Mar 7 HS Golf team at Wack Wack
Mar 7 Sailfish swimmers at British School Meet.
Saturday Community Tennis for semester 2 has now commenced again. See link for information on dates
and how to book. Use of the courts is only available to ISM community members. Outside guests are not
allowed http://atac.ism-online.org/atac/saturday-community-tennis/
Please note the practice times for the following ATAC programs: ATAC all year round teams- 3:15-4:30.
Sailfish/Gymnastics and all HS seasonal teams now conclude practice at 4:50pm each day. MS seasonal
teams 3:10-4:45pm. The last bus is now 4:55pm and all after school programs will conclude by 4:50pm in
order to try and clear the campus prior to 5pm due to the ever increasing traffic concerns in our area.
Parents and students please take some time to peruse the ATAC blog it has a wide variety of information
and links to our sports and activities program. If you have any questions regarding the competitive program of sports at ISM after reading the information on the blog please send an email
to pekinm@ismanila.org and I will endeavor to assist you as best I can.
Bearcat Den- drop by our fantastic spirit store. There is a range of new products and items to purchase
including items from our service partners. Bearcat Den hours of operation- 7am-4pm Mon-Fri.
The ATAC game schedule pdf which is updated regularly by Triz Gonzalez (ATAC Athletics Coordinator)
gives the most up to date information on where/when and who our Bearcat teams will be playing
throughout the school year. Access to the game schedule is via the ISM parent portal. Use this link to access the parent portal, log in with your user name/password and look for the ATAC Game Schedule tab.
Remember to refresh the page when the pdf schedule appears so you view the most current schedule.
GO BEARCATS!
Mark Pekin
Director of Athletics and Activities
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Sign up to host grade 10 and 11 students for the week

of June 8 - 12th. For Career Experience Week to be successful it will need the support of the ISM community,
please sign up today!

Sign ups are easier than ever before, just contact me and
fill out the survey with basic information regarding your
company or organization!

Google Sign up form: http://goo.gl/forms/2z6tncYDOR

Or contact Crystal Cappuccio at cappuccioc@ismanila.org