august 26, 2015 i am isc volume 1, issue 3 · break (school closed) map testing dates 6 good...

Individuality Collaboration Involvement Respect Responsibility I AM ISC

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AUGUST 26, 2015 I AM ISC VOLUME 1, ISSUE 3

Dates to remember:

August 31st to September 18th:

MAP Testing

September 7: Online progress reports

September 14-18:

CPAA Fall (K3-3rd)

September 19:

Curacao Clean-up

September 25:

Wilhelmina Funds Bake Sale

September 28-October 2: Siman di Kultura

September 28: Online progress reports

October 2: Early dismissal

October 5-9: Regatta Break (School Closed)

Good Afternoon ISC,

Thank you to the high school parents, students, and IB teachers

who attended last night’s IB and College Information Night! We

had a very good turn-out. In fact, additional chairs were needed

to accommodate everyone. Thank you Mr. Sever, Ms. Fig, and

Ms. Sini for the presentations.

A very important community service event is coming up on the

19th of September. For many years ISC has traditionally held an

annual beach clean-up in the month of September. This year ISC

will team up with Curacao Cares and their scheduled island-wide

clean-up. We have been fortunate to be assigned the Caracasbaai

beach area this year, a beach we have “adopted” for many years.

In order to have a general idea of how many people from our

community will be there, sign-up sheets have begun to go out to

homeroom teachers and also posted in the offices for parents. For

more details, please see the write up on page 2. Please come out

to help! To learn more about Curacao Cares, please click on their

logo below.

Have a great rest of the week!

Sincerely,

Douglas Vaughan

Director

From The Director

INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL OF CURAÇAO

ISC WEEKLY NEWSLETTER

Our Vision: An

international

education

today for the

global citizens

of tomorrow.

Our Mission: ISC educates students from diverse cultures to have the skills to think

creatively, communicate effectively, reason critically, and act compassionately.

Inside this issue:

Caracasbaai Cleanup 2

College Counseling 2

HS Student Council 2

PTA News 3

Tech Corner 4,5

MAP Testing Dates 6

Teacher Spotlight 6

Elementary News 7

Suzuki Violin 8

Standing Desks 8

Traffic Control 9

IB Score Results 10

http://www.curacaocares.org/


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ISC & the annual Curaçao Clean up event on September 19, 2015 (8:00-10:30 a.m.)

College Counseling Lynn University (located in Boca Raton, FL) will be visiting us on September 9 at 9:30am. All interested 10-12 grade students should come to Lagadishi room. Parents are also welcome. For more information please visit their web-

site:http://www.lynn.edu/

SCAD (Savannah College of Art and Design) will be visiting us on September 23 @12:30pm. All interested 10-12 grade students should come to the art room. Parents are also welcome. For more information please visit their web-

site:http://www.scad.edu/

**In case you missed last night's college presentation it has been made available

on the ISC website under “important links”!

- Ms. Fig

High School Student Council

Any high school student who is interested in participating in student

council should come to the first meeting this Thursday August

27 during lunch in Room 9.

- Ms. Fig

It is a matter of great pride for ISC to continue cleaning up

the Caracasbaai area each year. This tradition is a 21 year

old one and we value our ability to do something for our

island home. Students, their parents and teachers come to-

gether, bright and early, to spend some time outdoors as they

focus on getting rid of trash, sort out recyclables and burn

some calories in a relaxed atmosphere. The grade 12 stu-

dents are given the responsibility of organizing this event to

encourage them to take the initiative and lead by example.

Their CAS learning experience is closely supervised by their

IB & CAS Coordinator. We invite parents and students from

grade 3 onwards, to sign up in their respective homerooms

before Thursday, September 4, 2015. Permission slips will

soon follow and these must be handed in on time for a stu-

dent to be permitted to participate on Saturday, September

19, 2015. Hope to see you there!

Ms Sini Murali

IB & CAS Coordinator

2014 Clean-up at Caracasbaai.

http://www.lynn.edu/http://www.scad.edu/


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From the PTA

Dear ISC Community,

The PTA would like to extend a warm welcome to the ISC family - students, parents, teachers, and faculty alike. We

wish you all an incredible school year! By supporting and organizing different events to our ISC community, PTA will

be working towards helping students with their CAS hours and offer them a fun filled memorable year.

We got off to a fantastic start with our new member drive during the Back to School Night. We signed up 25 new mem-

bers and are thrilled to have them on our team. Bon Bini and Masha Danki to all!

Also, a reminder the PTA is open to EVERYONE. We invite you to join any of our meetings. Our next meeting is

scheduled for September 3rd, 2.15pm – at the lower school side. We would love to hear from you, welcome your ideas,

suggestions, participation and involvement. Remember, any help in any size is greatly appreciated.

This year, we will share PTA news in the weekly ISC newsletter. Stay tuned! We have some exciting and fun things in

the works.

Warm Regards,

PTA

[email protected]

Even though it seems too soon to be thinking about Halloween, it will be here before we know it. Join our Halloween

Committee and be involved in planning, organizing, and improving one of the best ISC events: the annual ISC Hallow-

een Party!

We promise it will be fun and well organized. We have some new ideas as well as the standards we do every year and

are always looking for further ideas and suggestions from you. Those students who join the committee can earn CAS

hours.

Any type of help and involvement is greatly appreciated. There are many ways to help with the Halloween party and any

help or involvement, big or small, is always welcome.

Time and place for our first meeting:

Date: Tuesday, September 8th

Time: 8.30 am.

Location: Boosty (at Cas Coraweg)

If you are unable to attend the first meeting, yet still would like to be involved , just send us an email letting us know so

we can add you to the Halloween Party Committee email list.

Sincerely,

Cristina Ramirez Lionarons

ISC PTA

Halloween Party Committee

[email protected]

PTA Halloween Carnival

mailto:[email protected]:[email protected]


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Tech CORNER View classroom/homeroom pages

1) Go to the ISC Portal page and login into the

system.

2) On the main page you will be able to see

general announcements, school events, docu-

ments, links and your child’s calendar events.

3) Click on MORE in order to get additional

information about one of your children.


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Tech CORNER View classroom/homeroom pages continued...

4) Under your child’s main

page you will have access to

recent scores, homework/

assignment, attendance re-

port, schedule, progress re-

ports and report cards

(Grades 3-12).

Note: First Steps to 2nd par-

ents only have one page

listed (Homeroom).

5) Just click on the subject

under the PROGRESS box In

order to access the class

page created by the

teacher. You can also click

on the button CLASSES and

select the subject from the

list

6) On the class page you will

get more information:

course description, home-

work, assignments, quizzes,

attendance record, class

folders, documents posted by

the teacher and links.

If you have any problem with

the portal page, please do

not hesitate to contact our IT

Department ([email protected])

mailto:[email protected]


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Ways to help your child prepare for

testing:

Make sure that your child is well

rested on school days and especially

the day of a test. Children who are

tired are less able to pay attention in

class or to handle the demands of a

test.

Give your child a well-rounded diet. A

healthy body leads to a healthy, active

mind.

Provide books and magazines for your

child to read at home. By reading new

materials, a child learns new words

that might appear on a test. Ask your

child’s teacher about a suggested read-

ing list or get suggestions from the

ISC library.

Sincerely,

Beatriz Santaella

Director of Curriculum and Instruction

Measures of Academic Progress® (MAP®) Testing Dates

Date Class Subject Time

August 31st 7th Grade A Math 11:45 - 1:15

September 1st 4th Grade Math 9:45 - 11:15

September 2nd 6th Grade Math 12:30 - 2:00

September 3rd 8th Grade Math 12:30 - 2:00

September 4th 5th Grade A & B Math 9:45 - 11:15

September 4th 7th Grade B Math 11:45 - 1:15

September 7th 7th Grade A Reading 11:45 - 1:15

September 8th 4th Grade Reading 9:45 - 11:15

September 8th 9th Grade A & B Math, Reading, 12:30 - 2:00

September 9th 6th Grade Reading 12:30 - 2:00

September 10th 8th Grade Reading 12:30 -2:00

September 11th 5th Grade A & B Reading 9:45 - 11:15

September 11th 7th Grade B Reading 11:45 - 1:15

September 14th 7th Grade A Language Usage 11:45 - 1:15

September 15th 4th Grade Language Usage 9:45 - 11:15

September 15th 9th Grade A & B Math, Reading, 12:30-2:00

September 16th 6th Grade Language Usage 12:30 - 2:00

September 17th 8th Grade Language Usage 12:30 -2:00

September 18th 5th Grade A & B Language Usage 9:45 - 11:15

September 18th 7th Grade B Language Usage 11:45 - 1:15

Teacher Spotlight: Mr. Daniel Cwik

Mr. Cwik first came to Curaçao and the ISC community in August of

2004 and is now going into his 12th year teaching our high school

students. Over the years he has taught various subjects, but has been

ISC’s IB History teacher for students in grades 11 and 12 from the time

he first arrived . Apart from IB, he is currently teaching World History

10, Model United Nations (MUN), and Curacao History. Mr. Cwik

enjoys active student engagement in his classes and developing student

leaders.

He takes particular pride in coaching students to develop public speaking

skills and forming the foundations of proficient debating skills regarding

international policies. These skills are showcased throughout the year at

MUN conferences and various levels of coursework.

On a personal note, Mr. Cwik is an avid traveler, reader, and is particularly hooked on the TV show “Under the Dome”


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Elementary School News

Elementary Assemblies These are the dates for our Elementary assemblies this school year. Please mark your calendars and feel free to join

us. Elementary students MC, perform and take part in our celebration parade. This year the Super Singers, an activity

from Learning Plus, will be performing as well.

September 25th, I AM ISC

November 10th, Young Reader Day

December 4th, Sinterklaas

December 18th, Holidays

January, 29th, 100th Day of School

March 9th, Animal Awareness Week

April 26th, Music Assembly June 14th, Wish Well

Friendly reminders from our handbook:

Parents are requested to keep visits to our campus during

school hours to a minimum and to respect our request to leave

campus after the first school bell rings at 7:50 AM.

Girls may wear small matching earrings. Glamour nails (fake

nails) are not allowed. Pale nail polish is acceptable, no dark

or bright colors. Lipstick and makeup are not allowed.

Long sleeved sweaters can be brought to school, but only to be

worn inside classrooms. Sweaters should be of one solid color

in the school uniform colors (red, white, navy blue). Sweaters

should not have any graphics or texts written on them.

Parents who find they must pick up their children prior to dis-

missal are expected to notify the school in advance and the

child must be released through the school office. Parents are

requested to pick up their child in the main office.

Toys are allowed in classrooms only if the teacher tells the children to bring them for a specific instructional purpose. As

a rule, students are not allowed to bring toys from home to school. Technology, such as iPods and other Gaming/Music

devices, bikes, roller blades, steps, skateboards are not allowed in school. Teachers will confiscate such items if brought

to school and they will be returned only to the parents. Technology needed by students, specifically iPads, will be pro-

vided to students in class for use. Elementary students should not have possession of cell phones at school. In the event a

student needs to make a call or a parent needs to contact their child, it should be done through the main office.

Sincerely,

Ms. Alex


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K4 & K5 Suzuki Violin Parents and Students

Please mark on your calendar the following dates: K4 Parents: August 27th: Parent meeting 7:00 pm– Band Room November 12th: Parent meeting 7:00 pm - Band Room K5 Parents September 3rd: Parent meeting 7:00 pm - Band Room K4 and K5 Parents: January 19th: Parent meeting 7:00 pm - Band Room Week of March: Suzuki Violin Week- Morning Meetings with parents and children

May 24th: Parent Meetings 7:00 pm - Band Room

Standing Desks

This year ISC has placed 1 stand-up desk at each of the school levels (2nd grade, MS math, HS Math). The use of stand-

up desks in school has gained popularity through the years as they have been accredited with increasing attention, pro-

ductivity, positive on-task behaviors of students and physical fitness. Having the desks in classrooms this year will allow

ISC to evaluate if additional stand-up

desks should be acquired for our student

body. We look forward to the teachers’

and students’ feedback regarding these

desks.

Sincerely,

Jihan Rigaud-Elhage, Psy.D.

School Psychologist

Right: Middle School students in

action using the standing desk


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Traffic Control

Dear Parents,

Traffic in the mornings and afternoons has been moving along relatively well to start the year. To improve on our effi-

ciency and ensure safety of students and families, please follow these general guidelines at all times.

If you are driving through to drop off and will not be parking, please move as far forward as empty space allows; it

is nice to drop your child at the gate, but cars begin to back up onto the road quickly.

Please do not park in the drive-thru spaces at the right and leave your car unattended. This area is specifically meant

for drop-off and pick-up only. Parking in these areas clogs the flow of traffic coming off of Koninginnelaan.

Please refrain from parking on Koninginnelaan or dropping off your child directly from the road; both are major

safety concerns.

The security guards do their best to direct traffic to keep the flow going smoothly. Please be respectful at all times;

they are working not only to direct traffic, but also to keep your children safe from accidents.

During pick-up, help us out! Have a conversation with your child to help us get them to the gate and your car faster.

We call students by name over the intercom system (elementary/middle school side) when we see your car coming;

if they don’t head to the gate immediately, it will undoubtedly have an impact on the line of cars backing up. We are

working on it, but could use your support to reinforce the system.

Be patient. We have all been in a hurry to get somewhere, particularly in the mornings, but please be patient with

the process and we will do our best to keep cars moving to get you on your way.

Sincerely,

Douglas Vaughan

Director


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Session Diploma results % Certificate results %

May 1998 (1st) 6 out of 11 55 8 out of 10 80

May 1999 (2nd) 5 out of 6 83 30 out of 32 93

May 2000 (3rd) 3 out of 9 33 14 out of 15 93

May 2001 (4th) 10 out of 12 83 30 out of 36 83









May2010 (13th) 17 out of 18 94 50 out of 55 90



May 2013 (16th) 13 + 1 out of 14 100% 50 out of 53 94

May 2014 (17th) 15 out of 15 100% 101 out of 107 94

May 2015 (18th) *13 out of 15 87% 59 out of 64 92%

IB Results at ISC 1998-2015

The International School of Curaçao (ISC) is a preK-12,

accredited, private, nonprofit, coeducational day school

recognized by the local government of Curaçao that pro-

vides instruction in English. ISC was founded in 1968

and offers a rigorous academic program in order to pre-

pare students who plan to pursue higher learning at col-

leges and universities around the world.

International School of Curaçao

P.O. Box 3090, Curaçao

Dutch Caribbean

Tel: +(5999) 737-3633

Fax: +(5999) 737-3142

Website: www.isc.cw

Questions?

Email: [email protected]

We’re on Facebook!

Click here

Credits:

Editor and layout design: D. Vaughan

Contributors: S. Murali, M.Figueroa, M. Sosa, B. Santaella, J. Rigaud-Elhage, A. Galicia, D. Cwik, A. Querales, PTA, C. Ramirez Lion-arons, D. Vaughan.

* On August 25th, IB notified ISC that one more student was awarded their full IB Diploma!

Last week the statistic was 12/15. Congratulations to the class of 2015.
https://www.facebook.com/pages/International-School-of-Curacao/165841180104772

august 26, 2015 i am isc volume 1, issue 3 · break (school closed) map testing dates 6 good...

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