SMITIS Newsletter: Volume 2, Edition 10 1

SMITIS Newsletter

14 June, 2013

Star Mountains Institute of Technology International SchoolOur purpose is to develop internationally-minded and life-long learners who help to create a better and more peaceful world through intercultural understanding and respect, and strive to be: inquirers; knowledgeable; thinkers; communicators; principled; open-minded; caring; risk-takers; balanced; and reflective.

What a busy time we have enjoyed over the last fortnight!

I had the opportunity to attend the open exhibition for the PNGSDP Annual Reporting Meeting in Port Moresby on 3 June.

PNGSDP is celebrating 10 years of supporting Western Province and PNG through a myriad of programs and projects. It was a pleasure to promote SMITIS to the hundreds of visitors who attended this exhibition.

Our inaugural Talent Quest was held on Wednesday, 5 June, and it was a magic event with a display of (nervous) talent from our students in Kindergarten through to Year 7. I applaud all students for being risk-takers and ensuring that this occasion was a very special and memorable event. Wrong Direction brought the crowd to a frenzy before the Strolling Bones concluded the evening. We now look forward to the P&W’s ‘Tabubil’s Got Talent’ event in Term 3.

On Thursday and Friday, 6-7 June, Mr Shane Murphy from Mercedes College in Adelaide was the IB Workshop Leader for our in-school workshop on Making the PYP Happen. Teachers and Teaching Assistants valued each session and appreciated Mr Murphy’s experience and expertise. Importantly, Mr Murphy was impressed with how much we have achieved since commencing in January.

Interschool sport commenced on June 10 with soccer and t-ball matches against Tabubil Primary School. The emphasis for the games was on fair play, teamwork and skills. As usual, there were loads of talent on display.

Our next step with interschool sport is to increase the number of teams, so that we can try and involve all interested and keen students. If you missed the first interschool matches, make sure you don’t miss future occasions. You will enjoy how sport should be played, and the talent we have in Tabubil.

I appreciate your support.

Dr Ken Darvall (Principal)

SMITIS Newsletters

The first two pages are sent home with the eldest child each fortnight. Bulletins and class notes will be sent home as required.If you would like to receive the full edition of each newsletter or bulletins by email, please advise Grace.

The full colour edition can be found online at: http://issuu.com/smit_international_school/docs/smitis_newsletter_14june_2013_

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Knowledgeable is one of our core values at SMITIS and one of the attributes of the IB Learner Profile.

Being knowledgeable means that students explore concepts, ideas and issues that have local global significance. In doing so, they acquire acquire in-depth knowledge and develop understanding across a broad and balanced range of disciplines.

Parents, students and teachers are essential catalysts for students to become knowledgeable.

Parents must ensure students are ready for learning each day and students must have adequate rest, eat healthy meals and complete all learning tasks. Teachers must provide the learning environment in which each student can experience success.

Weekly awards are presented to students who demonstrate Learner Profile attributes. ! Other attributes include: inquirer; caring; thinker; communicator; balanced; inquirer; principled; open- minded; and risk-taker.

FarewellWe bid farewell Mr Hayen, Ms Kipa, Ms Read and Mrs Aldan at the end of this term.

We express our appreciation for their contributions to SMITIS and TIS.

Importantly, we wish each future success, happiness and good health.

PostcardsHave you seen the P&W postcards yet? They look sensational. These postcards are on sale at K3 each or K15 for the set of 7, and are available from the Main Office. Get your copies while stocks last.

Trivia Night-PostponedThe P&W Trivia Night that was planned for tomorrow night, Saturday, June 15, at the HASH Club has been postponed to a later date.

Fabulous prizes have been donated by Tabubil business houses and organisations to ensure that it is a night not to be missed, when it is held in Term 3 or 4.

NuikickThe focus for Term 3 Saturday sport will be AFL (Nuikick). The program will run for 6 weeks and this will be followed by a competition over 3-4 weeks. Nuikick is an activity for boys and girls from the age of 5 upwards. Notes will go home during the first week of Term 3.

Key Dates

Next fortnight or so....

15/6 Saturday sport (Boys: 9-10.00am; Girls 10-11.00am)

17/6 First Semester 3-way interviews commence

18/6 First Semester 3-way interviews continue

19/6 First Semester 3-way interviews continue

Y3&Y6 class excursions.

20/6 First Semester 3-way interviews conclude

21/6 Last day of Term 2

School finishes at 12.00noon.

15/7 Term 3 commences

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Say hello with a photo! Missing families and friends? What better way to say hello than showing the beauty of Tabubil and the culture of Western Province!

A project of the SMITIS Parents & Wantoks Association

You may purchase the postcards at the SMITIS Office for K3 each or K15 for a set of 7.

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15th JUNE 2013, 7 P.M. HASH CLUB

Witness Tabubil’s Einsteins go head to head in this year’s Battle of the Brains!

Tickets are K20 and can be bought individually or as a table of 8.

* Drinks can be purchased using Hash tickets. * Hash Club tickets can be bought at the venue on the night. * Please bring nibbles to share with your table.

Tickets are available at the SMITIS Office (649 – 9233)

Proudly brought to you by SMITIS Parents and Wantoks Association

Great prizes await lucky guests!

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IB

The International Baccalaureate

The International Baccalaureate (IB) is an exciting set of educational programs offered in

more than two thousand school schools in over 120 countries around the world.

The programs focus on student-centred inquiry-based learning and global concerns. They challenge students to think in sophisticated ways

about the connections between ideas in different areas of study. They put learning into an international context.

IB @ SMITISIn 2011, Tabubil International School (TIS) hosted a Preliminary Visit by IB as an Interested PYP School. At the time, TIS decided not to pursue

Candidacy status.

As TIS transformed into SMITIS from 1/1/13, an application for PYP Candidacy status has been approved by IB.

At the same time, SMITIS has gained status as an Interested MYP School from 1/1/13 as Year 7 commences their first year of secondary education.

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PYP

The PYP is designed for students aged 3 to 12. It focuses on the development of the whole child as an inquirer, both in the classroom and in the world outside. It is a framework guided by six transdisciplinary themes of global significance, explored using knowledge and skills derived from six subjects areas, as well as transdisciplinary skills, with a powerful emphasis on inquiry.The PYP is flexible enough to accommodate the demands of most national or local curriculums and provides the best preparation for students to engage in the IB Middle Years Programme.

The IB Primary Years Programme:

1 addresses students’ academic, social and emotional well-being2 encourages students to develop independence and to take responsibility for their own learning3 supports students’ efforts to gain understanding of the world and to function comfortably within it4 helps students establish personal values as a foundation upon which international-mindedness will develop and flourish.

The six subject areas identified within the IB Primary Years Programme

1 language2 mathematics3 science4 social studies5 arts6 personal, social and physical education

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MYP

The MYP is designed for students aged 11 to 16. It provides a framework of learning which encourages students to become creative, critical and reflective thinkers. The MYP emphasizes intellectual challenge, encouraging students to make connections between their studies in traditional subjects and to the real world. It fosters the development of skills for communication, intercultural understanding and global engagement, qualities that are essential for life in the 21st century.

The MYP is flexible enough to accommodate the demands of most national or local curriculums. It builds upon the knowledge, skills and attitudes developed in the IB Primary Years Programme (PYP) and prepares students to meet the academic challenges of the IB Diploma Programme and the IB Career-related Certificate (IBCC).

The IB Middle Years Programme

• addresses students’ intellectual, social, emotional and physical well-being;

• enables students to understand and manage the complexities of our world, and provides them with the skills and attitudes they need in order to take responsible action for the future;

• ensures breadth and depth of knowledge and understanding through the study of eight subject areas;

• requires the study of at least two languages to support students in understanding their own culture and that of others;

• provides the opportunity for students to undertake an independent project into an area of interest.

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The IB Learner Profile is the

attributes and descriptors that

define the type of student that IB

hopes to develop through its

programs (for example, PYP and MYP).

At SMITIS, we strive to be....

CaringRisk-Takers Communicators

Reflective

Inquirers

BalancedPrincipled

Knowledgeable

Open-Minded

Thinkers

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PYP: The Five Essential Elements

1. Knowledge

Students in any PYP school study the same transdisciplinary themes. They are:

Who we are Where we are in place and time

How we express ourselves How the world works

How we organise ourselves Sharing the planet

Students inquire into, and learn about, these globally significant issues in the context of units of inquiry, each of which addresses a central idea relevant to a particular transdisciplinary theme. Lines of inquiry are identified in order to explore the scope of the central idea for each unit

Traditional subjects that are studied include:

Language (English and Arabic at AZC) Mathematics

Science Social Studies (HSIE)

Personal, Social and Physical Education (PDHPE) Arts

2. Concepts

Students try to gain an understanding of the central idea of a unit through concept driven inquiry. The PYP concepts are:

Form – What is it like? Function – How does it work?

Causation – Why is it like it is? Perspective – What are the points of view?

Connection – How is it it connected to other things?

Responsibility – What is our responsibility?

Reflection – How do we know? Change – How is it changing?

3. Skills

Transdisciplinary skills involved in the PYP include:

Thinking skills Social skills

Communication skills Self-management skills

Research skills

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4. Attitudes

We would like our students to feel, value and demonstrate:

Appreciation Commitment Confidence

Cooperation Creativity Curiosity

Empathy Enthusiasm Independence

Integrity Respect Tolerance

5. Action

After engaging with a unit of inquiry, we hope that students will do something with the knowledge that they have gained.

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Star Mountains Institute of Technology

International School Newman Road, TABUBIL. 332

Western Province, Papua New Guinea

P: (+675) 6499 233

F: (+675) 6499 324

E: smitis@smit.ac.pg

www.smit.ac.pg