ISSUE # 5

MIDDLE SCHOOL
WEEK OF:
SEPTEMBER 16 to 20

SY 2013 2014

Friday Bulletin
Inside this issue:
MAP Tests Service Learning Guidance & Counseling Admissions & Advancement Athletics & Activities Music & Drama Academic Bowl ISM Upcoming Events

Weekly Publication for Middle School Parents

Dear Parents, From September 16 - 20 we welcome two consultants from Freedom from Chemical Dependency (FCD) Educational Services. FCD is a non-profit organization that provides substance abuse prevention education for schools and colleges in the United States and around the world. For the duration of their stay, FCD presenters will meet with students, counselors, wellness teachers and administrators. We are also pleased that the FCD consultants are previous visitors to ISM so they are familiar with the school and community. Since 1976, they have taught over a million students of all ages. Their mission is to:

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Provide educational communities with the guidance and training necessary to implement comprehensive, effective approaches to substance abuse prevention Educate students, parents, teachers, and school administrators on the physiological and psychological effects of alcohol and other drugs Promote awareness of drug addiction, including alcoholism, as a progressive, chronic and often fatal disease Teach students and adults how to recognize the early warning signs of substance abuse and to intervene appropriately Empower young people to make healthy, responsible choices regarding alcohol and other drug use Encourage and support the non-use of alcohol and other illegal or illicit drugs during the growing years.

Powerschool Update:
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Progress Reports Access

A parent meeting on Thursday, September 19 starting at 7:45 A.M. in the Little Theater has been scheduled and all parents are invited to attend. Looking aheadMeasures of Academic Progress (MAP) Testing begins on September 23; please see the letter included in the bulletin. September Classroom Without Wall (CWW) activities will take place on September 26 and 27. Grade 5 students will remain on campus and parent volunteers are needed to assist with the Amazing Race on Thursday, September 26 from 7:30 10:30. If you would like to volunteer and support students at a race checkpoint, please contact your childs grade 5 Advisor. Have a fabulous weekend! Yours in Education, Simon Gillespie Middle School Principal

Events & Activities:

SEPTEMBER

16-20 19 20 23-25 26-27

FCD Parent Coffee Courtyard Event MAP Testing CWW

Clarissa Sayson Middle School Assistant Principal

CALLING FOR GRADE 5 PARENT VOLUNTEERS!

We are looking for volunteers to help us during the Grade 5 Classroom Without Walls (CWW) activities. Be part of the Amazing Race! If you would like to help, please email your childs Grade 5 Advisor. Help us make it a wonderful experience for your children!

September 13, 2013

Dear Parents, From September 23 to 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 instruction al 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. 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 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

Clarissa Sayson Middle School Assistant Principal

Seven Ways Students Can Get Involved in Service Learning

All of us have experienced the ethical conflict that arises when a homeless child knocks on our car window at an intersection. Adolescence is a time when many students start to grapple with their response to poverty, climate change, and other issues facing our world. The problems seem so big, that sometimes students feel helpless to affect 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 difference, try sleeping with a mosquito. The Middle School Service Learning Program offers students a diversity of opportunities 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 12, eight different service opportunities will be offered on Saturdays. Some events involve a trip to visit a service partner, such as La Mesa Watershed and Chosen Childrens Village (CCV) near Tagaytay. Other events involve hosting a local education program, such as Love 2 Learn, on the ISM campus. Along with the joy of giving, students benefit by interacting with children from different backgrounds and getting to know the Philippines beyond Makati and Taguig. See the inset Saturday Service Calendar and discuss which trips interest them most. To participate, students simply pick up a Permission Slip from the MS Office on the Monday before the trip. Once its been signed and returned to the office, a student can sign up on the roster. Some trips fill up quickly so encourage them to sign up early. And yes, parents are welcome to attend!

SEMESTER 1 SATURDAY SERVICE DATES

10/19 Love 2 Learn 11/9 Habitat for Humanity 11/16 CRIBS / Papaya Academy 11/23 Chosen Childrens Village 11/30 La Mesa Watershed 12/7 Philippine Childrens Fund 12/14 Tzu Chi Foundation

CLASSROOM WITHOUT WALLS

9/26-27 (G5 teambuilding @ ISM) 2/10-14

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. Activities range from teambuilding activities to hands-on service projects. Some trips are run from campus on a daily basis, while others involve an overnight trip. All of them offer rich opportunities for experiential learning, bonding with classmates, and helping others. In some cases, students run fundraisers and supply drives to support CWW service partners running up to their trips. For details about specific CWW plans, contact your childs Grade Level Coordinator.
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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 assist with community building activities 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 opportunities for students to get involved in service activities through a parents employer, religious group, and out-of-school clubs. 5. Start a Family Tradition Many ISM families have forged their own ties with service partners. Some students even celebrate their birthdays by visiting their favorite service partner site. Its easy to arrange family visits. If youd like assistance organizing a family visit, contact me at the email address provided below. 6. Random Acts of Kindness Service is more than one-off events. There are lots of ways students can help others, and our planet, through their daily actions. Encourage students to practice Random Acts of Kindness such as writing a letter to a grandparent, conserving resources at home, inviting a new student to a sleepover, or reaching out to students who need a friend. Studies have shown that such activities often benefit 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 educator. Its also one of the most important. Share your own struggles with issues such as poverty, the environment, 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 instructional tools. International 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 educating the whole child. There are lots of ways for students (and parents) to get involved. Encourage your child to pick activities they are inter-

ested in and try new things. If you have any questions, dont hesitate to email me at willeyc@ismanila.org. All the best, Cory Willey Student Advisory Coordinator
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IT Parent Workshop
Come to this hands-on workshop in our MS computer lab (Room 1039) immediately following the parent coffee from 9:00 am 10:00 am on Thursday, September 19. These workshops are put on by our IT integrators and are designed to help parents better support their child at home. This session will focus on: Review updated Parent Portal and teacher blogs. Introduction to Google and how the applications are being utilized by students. See you there! Marc St. Laurent Middle School Counselor

Parent Group Discussions

The ES and MS counselors will facilitate parent group discussions starting on Sept. 24th and continue throughout the semester. A key focus of the group will be to highlight and discuss parent and child related issues. If you are interested please contact Ms. Perez in the ES Guidance Office. We look forward to seeing you there!

Dear Parents, Please be reminded that keeping your contact information updated is vital to facilitating communication with the school. If you would like to view/change any of the details on your current record, simply follow the steps below:

The first RIFA Soccer Festival for all ES teams, MS C teams (9 aside) and MS girls teams (7 aside) will be held tomorrow, Saturday, September 14th. All up to date information about our ES/MS soccer teams and the RIFA festivals etc. can always be found here: http://atac.ism-online.org/atac/1st-season/es-soccer-rifa-league-festivals/ and here for MS http://atac.ism-online.org/atac/1st-season/ms-soccer-rifa-league-festivals/ Parents please note that all permission slips are issued to all players via the coaches at training prior to each festival with all festival details for our ES and MS teams. The 1st season practice schedule which runs from August 19th to October 11th is posted on notice boards around school, and is also available on the ATAC blog (http://atac.ism-online.org/ schedules/hs/) . The ISM XCountry teams raced at home last Friday for the second race of the season at our twilight meet. It was a great event and many thanks to the Bearcat Council students who helped with the finish line and marshaling duties to ensure smooth, well organized races were held. Race results can be found here: http://atac.ism-online.org/atac/1st-season/ cross-country-race-results/ Our Varsity Volleyball teams and XC team travels overseas this weekend to Kuala Lumpur for the Twin Towers volleyball exchange and the XC runners are at Taipei for the TAS Tigers XC exchange. Best of luck to our traveling teams in this important preparation for IASAS on October 9th. IASAS Venues this year are Volleyball/XC at Jakarta and Soccer is at Taipei. The Pre IASAS Soccer Exchange Schedule for this weekend is included please come out to support our boys and girls varsity teams.

New families please take some time to peruse the ATAC blog as this will help orientate you with the wide variety of co-curricular programs ISM offers. 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 twitter (see twitter feed on the blog home page). Each Monday, I will post the weeks happenings and highlight important events for students and parents information on the ATAC blog and in the regular Friday parent bulletins. GAME SCHEDULE PDF (access to game schedule information): Information about all mid -week/ weekend fixtures for ISM teams can be found via the ATAC blog. Please note the game schedule does change often due to involvement with many local schools so please check the page regularly to find out the latest information of where and when the Bearcats teams are playing. Click on schedules tab or the Bearcat logo to be directed to the power school secure site: http://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 joining a fantastic group please contact any of our den members during den opening hours or please contact Carolyn Ching for details at: carolynqching@yahoo.com. We are always looking for new volunteers and encourage parents from ES/MS to join our group. BEARCAT DEN information: http://atac.ism-online.org/bearcat-den/ Have a great year at the Home of the Bearcats! Regards, Mark Pekin Director of Athletics/Activities

Do you know lots of interesting facts and general knowledge? Are you fast on the buzzers? Do you like Are you Smarter than a 5th Grader? THEN COME TO

Middle School Academic Bowl TRYOUTS/Practices!!!

WHERE: Room P046 (Mrs. Birchenalls classroom) WHEN: Every Thursday 3 pm - 4.pm starting Thursday 12th September.

The successful students will represent ISM at the next Academic Bowl competition which is to be held here at ISM on Wednesday 6th November. . All Middle School students are very welcome to come to the tryout/practice sessions.
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IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT!!! All girls interested in auditioning for the AMIS Honor Choir in February are encouraged to attend an optional information & practice session for auditions, the first half of lunch time this Monday, Sept. 16, or Monday, Oct. 7. Details for auditions are also posted on Ms. Hausman's blog.
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Opportunity for 7th & 8th Graders Interested in Theater Experience!!!

ISTA (International Schools Theatre Association) PRESENTS....

Chinese superheroes and landscapes from classical to modern

Guangzhou Middle School Festival:

When: November 22 - November 24 2013 (not including travel days) Where: Guangzhou, People's Republic of China (Check out the website for more details: http://www.ista.co.uk/whats-on/festival/guangzhou-middle-school-festival/Group Auditions will be held on Monday, September 23rd, and Wednesday, September 25th, from 3:00 to 4:30 p.m. in Room 1149. Plan to attend ONE SESSION, where you will play improv games and do acting exercises with individual components. Sign up with Ms. Grev and Ms. Rankin, and pick up an audition form! Thank You, Ms. Carrie M. Grev Theater & Music Educator

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