parent bulletin issue 8 sy1314

7/27/2019 Parent Bulletin Issue 8 SY1314

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11 Progress Reports Access

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11 G5/6 Party

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11 G5/6 Parents Meet & Greet

1-18 MAP Tesng

Service Learning 6

MIDDLE SCHOOLMIDDLE SCHOOLMIDDLE SCHOOL

ISSUE # 8

SY 2013 2014

WEEK OF:

OCTOBER 7 to 11

Weekly Publication for Middle School Parents

Friday BulletinInside this issue:

Events & Acvies:

MAP Tests

Admissions & Advancement

Academic Bowl

ISM Upcoming Events

Parent Teacher Conferences 2

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Guidance & Counseling

ESL

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OCTOBER

Powerschool Update:

Dear Parents:

MAP Tesng connues this week. In the event that your child misses a tesng

session, we will hold make-up sessions on Wednesdays starng at 7:30 A.M. If

your child requires a make-up session, the MS Oce will nofy you and we ask

that you make the necessary arrangements to bring your child to school early on

Wednesday.

On Friday, October 11 the rst party of the year is happening for grades 5 and 6

from 5:00 P.M. to 7:00 P.M. While the students are enjoying their party, parents

are invited to the Middle School Meet and Greet, which will be happening at the

same me. The following week on October 18 we will also have the rst party

for grades 7 and 8 as well as a Parent Meet and Greet. These events are perfect

opportunies to meet other parents and to connect names with faces. Please

plan to aend.

Parent Teacher Conferences (PTCs) in the Middle School are scheduled for Mon-

day, October 21 and Tuesday, October 22from 1:00 P.M. to 6:00 P.M. We will

use an online reservaon system for making appointments, and the system will

open to parents at 8:00 A.M. on October 7. A step-by

-step guide on how to

make appointments for Parent Teacher Conferences was emailed to all parents

and is included in this weeks bullen for reference. In order to reserve an ap-

pointment, you will need your PowerSchool username and password. If you

have misplaced or forgoen your PowerSchool login details, please call the Mid-

dle School Oce at 840 8555/8550 or email Grace Gabay

([email protected]).

Have a fabulous weekend!

Yours in Educaon,

Simon Gillespie

Clarissa Sayson

Middle School Principal Middle School Assistant Principal

NO CLASSES

Faculty In-Service

NATIONAL HOLIDAY

Eid-Ul-Adha

From the MUSIC Department: Girls interested in auditioning for the

AMIS Honor Choir in February are encouraged to attend optional

information & practice session for auditions on Monday October 7,

from 12:45 P.M. to 1:00 P.M. Details for auditions are also posted on

Ms. Hausman's blog.

Athlecs & Acvies
mailto:[email protected]:[email protected]


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September 13, 2013

Dear Parents,

From September 23to October 18, ISM will conduct tests called Measures of Academic ProgressTM (MAP).

What are MAP tests?

MAP tests are an external assessment from the United States, used to assist in determining students instrucon al level.

Currently, there are 370 internaonal schools in 123 countries, including 56% member schools of EARCOS (East Asia Regional

Council of Schools), who conduct MAP tesng.

Who does MAP tesng at ISM?

Students in Grades 3 to 10 take MAP tests. Students receiving Learning Supportand ESL support will be given the opportuni-

ty, where appropriate, to parcipate in the MAP tesng. Parents will be contacted individually regarding any modicaons

taking place.

What do MAP tests assess and how oen do they occur?

These tests will measure academic growth across the school year in the areas of Reading, Language and Mathemacs, andare administered twice a year at ISM. They will be taken again in Semester 2 of the 2013 -14 school year.

How do MAP tests work?

Your child will take the tests on a computer. MAP tests are unique in that they are adapve. The test becomes more dicult

the more quesons the student answers correctly. When a student incorrectly answers a queson, the following test ques-

on is adjusted accordingly and is at an easier level. In this way, your child will take a test specically 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 dierent type of score than a typical test that pro-

vides a percentage correct. Parents will receive a report that shows their RIT score, the normave RIT scores for the grade

level at ISM, and the normave 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 informaon that MAP provides?

Teachers use the data from MAP tesng to inform learning and teaching. It assists in determining which skills require enhanc-

ing, 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 tesng?

Factors such as sleep and how a child is feeling can aect 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 tesng.

Lastly

It is important to remember that MAP results provide one piece of assessment data in the process of acquiring informaonand making judgments about student progress toward intended learning. At ISM, we believe sound assessment involves cre-

ang a multude of ways to measure and communicate student learning over me a photo album versus a single snapshot.

For more informaon on MAP tesng, please consult the NWEA (North West Evaluaon Associaon) website at www.nwea.org. In

addion, parents can access the MAP Parent Toolkit athp://www.nwea.org/support/arcle/930/parent-toolkit.

Sincerely,

Simon Gillespie Clarissa Sayson

Middle School Principal Middle School Assistant Principal
http://www.nwea.org/http://www.nwea.org/support/article/930/parent-toolkithttp://www.nwea.org/support/article/930/parent-toolkithttp://www.nwea.org/support/article/930/parent-toolkithttp://www.nwea.org/support/article/930/parent-toolkithttp://www.nwea.org/


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Seven Ways Students Can Get Involved in Service Learning

All of us have experienced the ethical conict that arises when a homeless child knocks on our car window

at an intersecon. Adolescence is a me when many students start to grapple with their response to pov-

erty, climate change, and other issues facing our world. The problems seem so big, that somemes stu-

dents feel helpless to aect change. Thats one way to look at it. The other way is to do something about

it! As the Dalai Lama said, If you think you are too small to make a dierence, try sleeping with a mosqui-

to.

The Middle School Service Learning Program oers students a diversity of opportunies to give to others

and help safeguard our environment. Here are seven ways that your child can get involved in service and

environmental projects:

1. Saturday Service

Beginning on October 19, eight dierent service oppor-

tunies will be oered on Saturdays. Some events in-

volve a trip to visit a service partner, such as La Mesa

Watershed and Chosen Childrens Village (CCV) near

Tagaytay. Other events involve hosng a local educa-

on program, such as Love 2 Learn, on the ISM cam-

pus. Along with the joy of giving, students benet by

interacng with children from dierent backgrounds

and geng to know the Philippines beyond Maka andTaguig. See the inset Saturday Service Calendar and

discuss which trips interest them most. To parcipate,

students simply pick up a Permission Slip from the MS

Oce on the Monday before the trip. Once its been

signed and returned to the oce, a student can sign up

on the roster. Some trips ll up quickly so encourage

them to sign up early. And yes, parents are welcome

to aend!

2. Classroom Without Walls

For two days in late September and a week in February, students take part in our Classroom Without Walls

(CWW) program. Acvies range from teambuilding acvies to hands-on service projects. Some trips are

run from campus on a daily basis, while others involve an overnight trip. All of them oer rich opportunies

for experienal learning, bonding with classmates, and helping others. In some cases, students run fundrais-

ers and supply drives to support CWW service partners running up to their trips. For details about specic

CWW plans, contact your childs Grade Level Coordinator.

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SEMESTER 1

SATURDAY SERVICE DATES10/19 Philippine Childrens Fund

11/9 Habitat for Humanity

11/16 CRIBS / Papaya Academy

11/23 Chosen Childrens Village

11/30 La Mesa Watershed

12/7 Love 2 Learn

12/14 Tzu Chi Foundation

CLASSROOM WITHOUT WALLS9/26-27 (G5 teambuilding @ ISM)

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3. ECO Council

ECO stands for Environmental and Community Outreach. This club is open to all MS students and meets

regularly to plan and promote Saturday Service projects, special events ,such as, No Impact Week, and assistwith community building acvies around our campus. There are also smaller service clubs associated with

service partners, such as CCV. Students can see Mr. Willey or Mr. Cook to get involved.

4. M.Y.O. Service Trip

Students can make their own service trip. All they need is a teacher chaperone and a plan. Some Advisories

create service projects together. Sports teams can get involved through events such as the Homeless World

Cup. Of course, there are also a lot of opportunies for students to get involved in service acvies through

a parents employer, religious group, and out-of-school clubs.

5. Start a Family Tradion

Many ISM families have forged their own es with service partners. Some students even celebrate their

birthdays by vising their favorite service partner site. Its easy to arrange family visits. If youd like assis-

tance organizing a family visit, contact me at the email address provided below.

6. Random Acts of Kindness

Service is more than one-o events. There are lots of ways students can help others, and our planet,

through their daily acons. Encourage students to pracce Random Acts of Kindness such as wring a

leer to a grandparent, conserving resources at home, inving a new student to a sleepover, or reaching

out to students who need a friend. Studies have shown that such acvies oen benet the giver even

more than the receiver.

7. Walk the Walk

This is perhaps the greatest challenge of working with adolescents, whether you are a parent or an educa-

tor. Its also one of the most important. Share your own struggles with issues such as poverty, the environ-

ment, and inequality. Model empathy and compassion. Get involved in service projects that suit your own

interests and concerns. Research shows that a respected adult role model is one of the most powerful in-

struconal tools.

Internaonal School Manila holds Service as one of its core values. Those of you who have been here for a

while, know how integral service learning is to our commitment to educang the whole child. There are lotsof ways for students (and parents) to get involved. Encourage your child topick acvies they are inter-

ested in and try new things. If you have any quesons, dont hesitate to email me at

[email protected].

All the best,

Cory Willey

Student Advisory Coordinator7


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UPDATE YOUR CONTACT DETAILS THROUGH

THE ISM PARENT PORTAL

Dear 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 in-

formaon on school events, useful links, as well as child-specic academic blogs and student poro-

lios. Should you need to make any changes to your contact informaon, visit the Parent Portal and

follow the steps below:


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Parent Group

Discussions

The ES and MS counselors will facili-

tate parent group discussions starng

on October 8th and connue

throughout the semester. A key focus

of the group will be to highlight and

discuss parent and child related is-

sues. If you are interested please con-

tact Ms. Perez in the ES Guidance

Oce. We look forward to seeing you

there!


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The next RIFA soccer fesval will be tomorrow Saturday Oct 5th. All up to date informaon about our ES/MS soccer

teams and the RIFA fesvals etc can always be found here:

For ES: hp://atac.ism-

online.org/atac/1st-

season/es-

soccer-

rifa-

league-

fesvals/For MS: hp://atac.ism-online.org/atac/1st-season/ms-soccer-rifa-league-fesvals/

In the event of a cancellaon or if you are unsure whether a fesval will be held, please refer to the links above or:

hp://atac.ism-online.org/manila-weather-forecast/atac-event-cancelaon-extreme-weather/

As soon as a cancellaon is noed, ISM security is informed and posts are made to the pages referred to on the ATAC

blog.

Parents please note: Permission slips are issued to all players via the coaches at training prior to each fesval with all

fesval details for our ES and MS teams. Please take careful note of the mes and venues as these can change at short

noce. ATAC blog will have the most up to date informaon.

The 2nd season pracce schedule which runs from October 23 to February 7 will be posted on noce boards around

school next week and is also now available on the ATAC blog. 2nd season sports are Basketball, Tennis, Varsity swim

team, Rugby and Touch.

hp://atac.ism-online.org/schedules/hs/

The ISM XCountry teams raced at Faith last Saturday, September 28 for the 4th race of the local season. The nal race

of the season is on Saturday, October 12th at Brent. Race results will be posted here when received

hp://atac.ism-online.org/atac/1st-season/cross-country-race-results/

IASAS Venues this year are Volleyball/XC at Jakarta and Soccer is at Taipei. Match schedules can be found here:

hp://atac.ism-online.org/iasas/iasas-1st-season-schedules/

Visit www.iasas.asia for all streaming and results links during 1st season IASAS events.

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 fol-

low via twier (see twier feed on the blog home page).

Each Monday, I will post the weeks happenings and highlight important events for students and parents informaon

on the ATAC blog and in the regular Friday parent bullens.

GAME SCHEDULE PDF (access to game schedule informaon): Informaon about all mid-week/weekend xtures 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 Bear-

cats teams are playing. Click on schedules 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 password 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 looking for more people to help out. If you are interested in join-

ing a fantasc group please contact any of our den members 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.

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

Have a great year at the Home of the Bearcats!

Regards,

Mark Pekin

Director of Athlecs/Acvies

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Do you know lots of interesting facts and general knowledge? Are

you fast on the buzzers? Do you like Are you Smarter than a 5thGrader?

THEN COME TO

Middle School Academic Bowl

TRYOUTS/Practices!!!

WHERE: Room P046 (Mrs. Birchenalls classroom)

WHEN: Every Thursday 3:00 P.M. - 4:00 P.M.

October 10th will be the last practice session forall and the team for the November competition

will be selected after this practice.


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parent bulletin issue 8 sy1314

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