parent bulletin issue 13 sy1314

8/14/2019 Parent Bulletin Issue 13 SY1314

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29 MS Party

21 Parent Coee

20-22 ISTA Fesval

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Fine Arts Oce 4

MIDDLE SCHOOLMIDDLE SCHOOLMIDDLE SCHOOL

ISSUE # 13

SY 2013 2014

WEEK OF: Weekly Publication for Middle School ParentsFriday Bulletin

Inside this issue:

Events & Acvies:

Admissions & Advancement

Parent Teacher Associaon 2

3Human Resource Department

9

Athlecs & Acvies

10

NOVEMBER

Operaons & Security

Saturday Service Dates:

NOVEMBER 18 to 22

ISM Upcoming Events 12

Dear Parents:

Thank you to all the families who have contributed in some way to the

schools eorts to support vicms of Typhoon Yolanda. Be it through the

purchase of a specially designed t-shirt or pin or through monetary donaon,

all is appreciated.

This week we were extremely fortunate to have Dr. Virginia Rojas on cam-pus. Dr. Rojas engaged our teachers in thoughul dialogues about eecve

language instrucon and supporng English language learners. She com-

mended the school in a number of areas related to English language instruc-

on and also made recommendaons. Over the course of the coming

months, we will review those recommendaons and work toward strength-

ening our language instrucon.

MAP (Measure of Academic Progress) test results were sent home this week

with your child through Advisory. Please keep in mind that the test results

are a snapshot in me of your childs progress. If you have any quesons

about the results or want a fuller picture of your childs progress and level of

achievement, please contact your childs English or Math teacher for infor-

maon.

Tomorrow, November 16 is the PTA Family Fun Day Carnival. This event is

one of the most ancipated of the year and will take place from 1:00 6:00

P.M. It sounds like it will be a grand me with acvies and games available

for all ages. We hope to see you at the Carnival! Next week, the PTA will

also hold the New Book Sale in the FAT lobby from November 18 22. On

Thursday, November 21 we are hosng a Middle School Parent Coee in the

Lile Theater beginning at 7:45 A.M. We will provide updates on the school-

wide goal of assessment, the Bring Your Own Device iniave and the Advi-

sory program. Please join us if you are available.

Have a resul weekend!

Yours in Educaon,

Simon Gillespie Clarissa Sayson

Middle School Principal Middle School Assistant Principal

11/23 Chosen Childrens VillageKids International

11/30 La Mesa WatershedCRIBS

12/7 Love 2 Learn

Rotary Ready Club12/14 Tzu Chi Foundation

Habitat for Humanity


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Campus Card Update: Seng up Individual Accounts v.s. Family Account

As you may know, for all those using the Campus Card, money that is loaded onto theindividual cards are stored inially in your family account. We have been able to work

with the developer of the program to allow students to have individual accounts, this

will allow students to manage their own accounts and not be connected to another

sibling. Please do keep in mind that this will require individual logins and individual

loading of cards. Should you prefer this sort of set up for your family kindly let us

know on or before December 15, 2013 so this can be set up in the system and be

ready by January 6, 2014. To request, please send an email to cam-

[email protected].

With an individual account, parents with campus cards will be aached to the young-

est child's account. Once this is set up, any remaining fund balance will be retained in

the youngest child's account, therefore you will need to top up the other children's

accounts so they can connue using the campus card. Please also keep in mind that

all purchase history prior to the change will be listed under your youngest child in

campus card reports.

A nocaon will be sent to your email once the individual accounts have been set

up with the new log-in details.

The Campus Card Kiosk is now accepting dona-

tions for the Disaster Relief Fund. Students and

staff holding campus cards with cash can now do-

nate with a touch of just a couple of buttons. Every

little bit helps and we hope that each and every one

of us can do away with that extra doughnut or cof-

fee during the day and donate to the fund instead.


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ISM to host AMIS Asian MS Honor Or-

chestra-host families needed!ISM will be hosng he Associaon for Music in Internaonal Schools (AMIS) Asian Middle

School Honor Orchestra Fesval between January 22nd and 26th, 2014. The fesval involves

workshops for students that have been selected by audion from all across Asia and culmi-

nates in a wonderful concert that the whole ISM community can enjoy for free. One of the

most important aspects of organizing the event is providing home-stays for the 71 vising

Middle School musicians. Hosng is an excellent opportunity for ISM students: the mostposive aspect of this process is most certainly the forging of internaonal friendships. The-

se friendship networks oen last well beyond middle school into high school and even col-

lege where internaonal students oen connect in various social and musical organizaons.

In addion to the social benets, hosng also has a very praccal purpose: it keeps the

costs of running the event at a manageable level for families. Many ISM students have al-

ready beneted (or will do so in the future) from home-stays in other countries for events

such as ISTA, AMIS and IASAS trips. Therefore, hosng an AMIS Orchestra student is a

chance to repay past and future kindnesses as well as make new internaonal friends! Audi-

on results for the fesval have just been announced this week and ISM has proven them-

selves worthy hosts in terms of talent with 9 of the 80 coveted orchestra seats being oered

to our students. However, you don't need to have a musician in your family to oer ISM

hospitality; any MS family is welcome to host. If you feel hosng is something your family

would enjoy, please open the aached leer and registraon form, which provide more

specic details of what hosng will involve. Fill out the form and return it to the ISM Fine

Arts Oce by Monday, November 25th. If you need any addional informaon, don't hesi-

tate to email or call me at the ne Arts Oce.

Marsha Hillman

Fine and Performing Arts Director


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The 2nd season pracce schedule which runs from Octo-

ber 23 to February 7 is now posted on noce boards

around school, and is also now available on the ATACblog: hp://atac.ism-online.org/schedules/hs/

We will have a great aernoon/evening of HS sport on

show with Friday night Lights #2 November 15th. All the

acon starts from 4:15 p.m. Varsity/JV Rugby and Touch

v.s. Faith/Brent, Varsity/JV Basketball v.s. Faith. Come out

and support the Bearcats. Donaon boxes to support

Typhoon Yolanda vicms will be at each venue, please

drop some coins or a note into a box to help the thou-

sands of people in need, every lile bit helps. The HS stu-

dent ambassadors and the Bearcat Council will be arrang-

ing some fun games and there will also be food/drink

booths. ES students are welcome but they must be under

adult supervision.

Matches that were cancelled last Saturday will be re-

scheduled at the earliest opportunity. The ISM Fall swim

meet will now be held Nov 30th, Coach Holly will send

out details via the Sailsh blog.

ISM will host the Pre-IASAS Basketball exchange on Nov

22-24. We need host families for 12 players from ISB/JIS/

ISKL. Please assist us with this important preparaon for

our basketball teams. Go to this link hp://atac.ism-

online.org/iasas/iasas-housing/basketball-exchange-

housing-leer/ print and complete the sign up and re-

turn to ATAC oce by the deadline. Many thanks!

ISM proudly hosts IASAS swimming Feb 5-9, 2014 and

host families are required to house the vising IASAS

swimmers. The housing leer is available via the ATACblog and via the Sailsh blog. Please assist us to make this

a wonderful event for our community by housing a pair

of swimmers for IASAS. (hp://atac.ism-online.org/

iasas/iasas-housing/iasas-swim-meet-housing-leer/)

Please print, complete and return the slip to the ATAC

oce.

New families please take some me to peruse the ATAC

blog as this will help orientate you with the wide variety

of co-curricular programs ISM oers.

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 twier (see twier feed on the blog home

page).

Each Monday, I will post the weeks happenings and high-

light important events for students and parents infor-

maon on the ATAC blog and in the regular Friday parent

bullens.

GAME SCHEDULE PDF (access to game schedule infor-

maon): Informaon about all mid-week/weekend x-

tures for ISM teams can be found via the ATAC blog.

Please note the game schedule does change oen due to

involvement with many local schools so please check the

page regularly to nd out the latest informaon of where

and when the Bearcats teams are playing. Click on sched-

ules tab or the Bearcat logo to be directed to the power

school secure site: hp://powerschool.ismanila.org/public/

You will need your power school user name and pass-

word to access the game schedule pdf.

The 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 look-

ing for more people to help out. If you are interested in

joining a fantasc group please contact any of our denmembers during den opening hours or please contact

Carolyn Ching for details at: [email protected].

We are always looking for new volunteers and encourage

parents from ES/MS to join our group.

BEARCAT DEN: hp://atac.ism-online.org/bearcat -den/

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For all those interested in trying out for Second Semester Sailsh,

please contact Coach Holly Chapman [email protected]. We

have very limited space if there is not room in a squad for you we

will put you on a mailing list and contact you if a spot becomes avail-

able.


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Parent IDs

We are now issuing new parent IDs for the school year 2013/14. To reduce the inconvenience to parents of

this replacement program, the old parent ID cards will be valid for school access unl the end of the rst se-

mester on December 18th

, 2013. The standard new parent cards will be issued free of charge. Parents may,

however, elect to apply for a smartcard ID which will be usable with the new cashless payment system being

introduced into the school for SY 2013-14. There will be a fee of P250.00 for a smartcard which covers in

part the registraon fee the school is required to pay for each card issued.

The security oce is now processing applicaons for the new parent IDs. As we require new photographs for

the cards, parents are asked to visit the security oce for the taking of their picture.

Drivers, Helpers and Bodyguards

Drivers, helpers and bodyguards should not wait on campus for students throughout the school day. Aer

dropping o students they should exit the school grounds and not return more than 30 minutes before dis-

missal me. Those who repeatedly fail to comply with the regulaon will have their access privilege sus-

pended.

Only those vehicles carrying parents or other people with business within the school will be allowed to re-

turn to the campus before the scheduled pick-up me.

There are designated areas for unaccompanied drivers, yayas, helpers and security escorts to wait for par-

ents and students. Unless specically authorized, they may not enter any other area. In the interest of secu-

rity, and to prevent congeson at the pedestrian entrances to the covered parking area, parents are request-

ed to emphasize to their employees the importance of cooperang with the security sta and remaining inthe appropriate areas.

Terminaon of Employment

In the event of the terminaon of service of a family employee, parents are asked to secure the former em-

ployees ISM ID card and return it to the Security oce. If this is not possible, it is important that the Securi-

ty Oce is sll informed of the change of circumstances.

Firearms

All members of the ISM community are reminded that it is strictly forbidden for rearms to be brought ontothe campus. This includes concealed weapons carried by bodyguards for close protecon. Any person arriv-

ing at the school with a rearm should inform the gate guard and arrangements will be made for the weap-

on to be safely and securely stored during the visitors stay.

Thank you.

Michael Flynn

Director of Operaons & Security


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UPDATE YOUR CONTACT DETAILS THROUGH

THE ISM PARENT PORTALDear Parents,

We are pleased to inform you that your childs PowerSchool account may be accessed through the ISM Parent Portal.

Aside from being a gateway to PowerSchool, the Parent Portal also provides informaon on school events, useful links,

as well as child-specic academic blogs and student porolios. Should you need to make any changes to your contact

informaon, visit the Parent Portal and follow the steps below:


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Leaving ISM?

For those students that will be withdrawing from Internaonal School Manila this school year (SY 13

-14), the following procedure applies:

Parents are obliged to ocially inform the Admissions Oce in wring through a Withdrawal No-

caon Form at least een (15) days prior to your childs last day of school.

For those leaving at theend of the school year,you MUST submit a Withdrawal No-

caon Form on or before May 09, 2014.

Failure to do so will lead to a deducon of US$1,000 from the Facilies Upgrade Deposit (FUD) in

compensaon for having held a space for the child and thus prevenng the School from oeringthat space to another child prior to the summer holiday break.

The Withdrawal Nocaon Form can be obtained from the Admissions Oce or downloaded from

the ISM website here.

We hope that your child has had an enriching stay at ISM and wish you and your family the very

best in the future.
http://www.ismanila.org/page.cfm?p=853&pback=372http://www.ismanila.org/page.cfm?p=853&pback=372http://www.ismanila.org/page.cfm?p=853&pback=372http://www.ismanila.org/page.cfm?p=853&pback=372


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parent bulletin issue 13 sy1314

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