MIDDLE SCHOOL

Friday Bulletin
Weekly Publication for Middle School Parents
ISSUE # 03
WEEK OF AUGUST 27 TO 31, 2012

From the Operations & Security Office

Car Stickers The car stickers for the school year 2012/2013 are available from the security office. Each ISM family will be issued one vehicle sticker free of charge. Any additional stickers will be issued following payment of Php100.00 to the cashiers office. For vehicles already displaying an existing sticker, parents should submit a completed renewal form with a copy of the current LTO official receipt. For new vehicles, parents are reminded that a copy of the vehicles certificate of registration and a current official receipt need to be submitted with the application. Applications for vehicles registered with companies or other institutions should be supported by a letter of assignment. In order to facilitate the easy recognition of authorized cars at the gates, the stickers should be affixed to the top right corner of the windshield. Further to this, old ISM stickers issued in previous years should be removed. Vehicles not displaying this years car sticker will not be allowed access from August 31, 2012. ID Cards Parent IDs Parent IDs issued in previous school year will continue to be valid for the new school year 2012/2013. Parents who require replacement school IDs due to loss or damage can acquire these from the Security Office upon payment of Php100.00 to the Cashier. School Passes School passes issued to parents employees and representatives need to be replaced for this school year. As of August 31, 2012 the dark blue bordered passes issued for the school year 2011/2012 will be invalid. Each family will be given two free school passes. Additional school passes may be obtained after paying a processing fee of Php100.00 each to the Cashiers Office. Visitors Passes All visitors must secure a pass from the guardhouse at Gate 3. Before entry will be allowed, a telephone check will be made with the relevant office to confirm the visitors business within the school. Visitors will need to surrender a photo-ID upon entry to campus. Drop Off/Pick Up Passes For the school year 2012/13 we are introducing a new pick up and drop off pass that can be issued at Gate 3. This is for non-regular drivers who are entering school to drop off or collect visitors or members of our community but who do not intend to park within the campus. Our regular checks to confirm the identity of drivers and their purpose for entering the campus will continue to be made, but we will not retain a photo-ID in return for the issued pass. The use of these new passes will avoid delays at the Gate 1 exit and reduce traffic congestion at busy times. Security staff directions Our security team is endeavoring to make the school as safe and secure an environment as possible for all members of our community. We ask that everybody cooperate with us in this important task. In particular, all those entering our campus are requested to comply with any directions given to them by members of our guard force. If you are confused or unclear as to the purpose of such instructions, please seek clarification from the security office. Please note that it is the parents responsibility to advise their staff accordingly. Thank you for your cooperation. We are looking forward to another successful year at International School Manila. Best wishes, Michael Flynn Director of Operations and Security

Inside this issue:

From the Guidance Office From the Fine & Performing Arts Office From the PTA Office Parenting with the Brain in Mind Adult Language Courses in ISM ISM Cub Scouts ILLAM Baseball and Softball From the Athletic & Activities Office 2 3 4 5 6 8 9

UPCOMING EVENTS
AUGUST
27 31 School Holiday (National Heroes Day) New Student Social Activity

SEPTEMBER
01 04 08 10 to 14 15 18 20 21 24 to Oct. 17 27 to 28 Service Learning Trip (Habitat for Humanity) PTA Bearcat Welcome (7:30 A.M., Lofthouse) Service Learning Trip (La Mesa Watershed) FCD Visit Service Learning Trip (PCF) MS/HS Parent Coffee (8:00 A.M., LT) Courtyard Event (3:00 P.M.) School Holiday (Faculty In Service) MAP Test Gr. 5 to 8 Teambuilding/Classroom Without Walls

POWERSCHOOL GRADE UPDATE

September 07 Progress Report Distribution (via courier) September 20 Grade Update

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From the Guidance Office

The Secret of Childrens Self Esteem by Dr. Josephine M. Kim now available in the Library.

***
All Parents are invited to attend the CULTURE SHOCK: Easing the Transition Workshop on AUGUST 28, 9:00-11:00 A.M. (Revised date due to holiday) in the Little Theatre. In this session participants will explore the concept of culture in order to bring greater understanding to the common experience of culture shock. Strategies will be considered to help ease the transition not just for our children, but the entire family.

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From the Fine and Performing Arts Office

Last Thursday morning, the Middle School Parents had the privilege of hearing the 7-8 Strings perform Dance of the Tumblers at the MS Parent Coffee. Way to go Strings for playing so well so early in the school year! If you would like to see a video of the performance, click on the link below. http://odendaalg.ism-online.org/2012/08/23/dance-of-the-tumblers-august-23-2012/

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Parenting with the Brain in Mind

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Adult Language Courses at ISM

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ILLAM Baseball and Softball

Registration for the upcoming baseball/softball season will take place on August 25 and September 1, from 9:00 A.M. to 4:00 P.M. at the Colegio San Agustin (CSA) Baseball-Softball field (located inside Dasmarinas Village). We will also have a special on-campus registration for ISM families at the ISM Bearcat Welcome on September 4, 7:30-9:00 A.M. at the ISM Lofthouse. For 36 years, the International Little League Association of Manila (ILLAM) has shared the love of baseball with the ISM community through its T-ball, Coach Pitch, Softball and Baseball programs. A volunteer association, ILLAM is affiliated with Little League Philippines and Little League International Inc., an American organization based in Williamsport, Pennsylvania which handles and supports Little League baseball and softball programs globally and hosts the Little League World Series annually every August. The ILLAM baseball season runs from September through February. Practices are typically once a week after school, and games are usually scheduled on Saturdays. The registration fee of P6,000 covers uniforms, field rentals and umpire fees as well as yearbooks and trophies/medals for each player. For inquiries, please contact Noela Lagajino at 0912-3155345 or email us at [email protected].

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From the Athletics & Activities Office

The 1st season practice schedule which runs from August 14 to October 12 is now posted on notice boards around school and is also now available on the ATAC blog (http://atac.ism-online.org/schedules/hs/). Elementary School soccer tryouts for 1st season teams which compete in the RIFA festivals have concluded, teams have been selected and the first festival was played last weekend. We had over 1,000 people at ISM for the Midgets E and C festival last Saturday morning and afternoon. More information about our ES soccer teams, the RIFA festivals etc. can be found here http://atac.ism-online.org/atac/1st-season/es-soccerrifa-league-festivals/ and flyers have been posted on ES notice board and on the notice board located under the tent at the ES field. Middle school soccer tryouts for 1st season teams which compete in the RIFA festivals have concluded and teams have been selected, see information link below for MS soccer teams information. More information about our MS boys and girls soccer teams can be found here http://atac.ism-online.org/atac/1stseason/ms-soccer-rifa-league-festivals/ The next RIFA League 7 a side festivals will be held on the dates/venues below: Saturday, September 15 and September 22 Midgets C teams (C1, C2, C3 and C4 Coach Eric/Chris/Kleng and Jays teams) at ISM kick-off at 8 noon. Midgets E teams (E1 and E2 Coach Popoy and Coach Francis) at CSA kick off at 8am Midgets G teams (G1 and G2 Coach Mike and Coach Isas teams) at British School Manila kick-off at 8am. MS girls festival at ISM 1pm Finals will be played at Ateneo on October 13 for teams that qualify. Permission slips will be issued to all players via the coaches at training prior to each festival. Please consult the ES and MS links above to get the latest information. The All year round program for Sailfish, Tae Kwon Do, Judo, Aikido, Table Tennis, Chess, Gymnastics and Wall Climbing started last week from Monday, Aug. 13. For detailed information about our Sailfish Swim Team program, please visit the Sailfish blog and get in contact with Coach Andy. Students can join our all year round teams at any time, just go and talk with the coaches at the venues after school if you are interested. Our annual HS Friday twilight opening season volleyball matches will be on today, August 24 vs. Brent. This will be a great chance to come out and show your support for our ISM varsity teams. Volleyball matches will be in the HS and MS gyms with Varsity volleyball starting at 4:15 P.M. in the HS gym and JV teams playing in the MS gym also from 4:15 P.M. 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 http://powerschool.ismanila.org/public/ You will need your PowerSchool username and password to access the game schedule. BEARCAT DEN: http://atac.ism-online.org/bearcat-den/ Our Bearcat Den is up and running and 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 Melanie Ball, our volunteer coordinator, at [email protected]. We have a new range of dri fit t-shirts now available along with new Bearcat bags. Regular Opening Hours for the Bearcat Den: Wednesday and Friday, from 11:30 A.M. 1:00 P.M. & 2:30 P.M. 4:00 P.M. Tuesday & Thursday afternoons, from 2:30 - 4:00 P.M. Have a great year at the Home of the Bearcats! Regards, Mark Pekin Director of Athletics/Activities