ISSUE # 20

SY1617

MIDDLE SCHOOL
WEEK OF:

Friday Bulletin

Weekly Publication for Middle School Parents

JANUARY 23 TO 27

Inside this issue:

Dear Parents,
This weeks Parent Bulletin is a bumper issue! Please set aside sufficient time so you can
read it in detail - it contains critical information regarding CWW and accessing the report
cards.
Please check out the dates and messages below, so you are firmly in the communication
loop regarding key MS events:

Fine & Performing Arts

Athletics & Activities

Operations & Security

Athletics & Activities (ATAC)

Finance

Admissions & Advancement

ISM Upcoming Events

THIS WEEK:
Tuesday, January 24th
Parent Coffee
Location: LT and MS Library
Time: 7:45 - 9:00 a.m.
Focus: Adolescent Literacy
Presenter: Meg Parry (MS Librarian)
Wednesday, January 25th
Online Report Card Access
Parents will be able to access their childs semester 1 report via the Parent
Portal as of 8:00 a.m next Wednesday January 25th 2017.
Please note that ISM does not print out the report cards so it is imperative
that parents know that they need to access PowerSchool to read their
childs report cards. (MS and HS.)
Please see the Need to Know section for step-by-step instructions regarding how to access the reports.
Thursday, January 26th
Parent Coffee
Location: LT
Time: 7:45 - 9:15 a.m.
Focus: Science Matters
Presenter: Paul Andersen (international consultant)

COMING UP SOON:
Monday, January 30th
English Honors Applications Due In.
Deadline for students to submit their English Honors applications.
Please give to Ms. Grace Gabay in the MS Office.
This is only for interested students in G6, G7 and G8.

AP Human Geography Applications Due In.

Deadline for students to submit their applications.
Please give to Ms. Grace Gabay in the MS Office by 3:00 p.m.
This is only for interested students in G8 moving into G9.

GUARDIANSHIP AGREEMENTS
When both parents are going to be
away temporarily, It is important for
them to notify the Middle School Office
in advance, stating who will be responsible for the student and who the school
should contact in case of emergency.
Domestic helpers or emergency contacts in Powerschool do not qualify as
guardians. For more information please
contact the Middle school office.

E-MAIL:
[email protected]
PHONE:
840-8550
840-8553
PLEASE CLICK HERE TO
DOWNLOAD THE TEMPORARY
GUARDIANSHIP AGREEMENT FORM
or you may pick up from the MSO.

NEED TO KNOW:
Report Cards:
As an international school, we hire teachers from around
the globe. This diversity means we accept variations in
spelling from American English and British English. Parents
should be aware that both are considered acceptable and,
as a result, you may notice a combination of both spelling
conventions within your childs report card.

We strongly recommend that you download the PDF of

your childs Report Card and keep them safe for future
reference.

CWW:
In two weeks time (February 6th - 10th), our MS faculty
and students will commence the semester 2 component of
our Classroom Without Walls (CWW) program. In this
weeks Parent Bulletin, we want to highlight different aspects of this program so you can facilitate conversations at
home and share in your childs excitement. Parents could
How to Access Your Childs Report Card
dig deeper into their sons/daughter's perceptions about
1. Navigate to the International School Manila website,
CWW (pre and post) and the idea of how our shared huhttp://www.ismanila.org/
2. Select Parent Portal from the Community drop down manity can be a unifying force. The graphic below contains
some interesting quotes that could be a potential stimulus
options.
for a dinner time discussion!

3. Login into the Parent Portal using your Parent PowerSchool account login details. If you have misplaced or
forgotten your PowerSchool username and/or password
please contact the Middle School Office ([email protected])
where one of our team will be happy to supply you with it.

4. Access your childs Report Card by clicking on the corresponding icon by your childs name.

Keeping track of where each grade goes on CWW can be a

daunting task. Mr. Willey ( MS Student-Life Coordinator),
has created a one-page MS CWW Overview that parents
may find useful. It highlights the MS CWW program goals,
the Grade Level Program Leaders responsible for coordinating the CWW experiences, the curriculum foci for each
grade level (for both the semester 1 and semester 2), and
our chosen service learning partners. As a MS we value
student choice and students in G7 and G8 are allowed to
select CWW sites based on their personal interests and passions. Please note that all students at these grade levels to
do not go to all sites. The CWW Overview has active links
for most of our service learning partners, should you wish
to learn more about them.
CWW Permission Slips:
Today students in G5, G6 and G7 should have brought
the CWW letters and permission slips home.
Please read these carefully, complete them and return
them to school by the designated return date.
If you have any questions pertaining to CWW, please
contact the Grade Level Program Leaders (see MS
CWW Overview for their email contacts).
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Missing CWW:
Please note that the CWW program is an integral part
of our curriculum and it is expected that all students
participate in this experience.
In the event that you child will be absent from school
during the CWW week, we respectfully request that all
parents inform the MS Office. Parents should clearly
state the reasons why your child is unable to attend
this event. A member of the MS Leadership Team will
then be in touch to open a dialog.
CWW - Tetanus Injections:
With CWW approaching fast, please take a minute to
check if your childs vaccination record for tetanus is
still up to date. If it is 10 years or more, a booster shot
is needed.
Every injury during the CWW week is reported to the
clinic, and whether a little scratch or a deeper wound,
we check the status of your childs tetanus vaccination.
In the past, a student was scratched and both the student and a teacher spent hours in a local hospital
waiting for their turn, only to learn that the tetanus
vaccine was unavailable in that particular province. We

wish to avoid this situation by making sure all children

are up to date with their tetanus vaccination.
Please note that AFTER an injury (post exposure) more
shots are necessary than BEFORE (pre exposure) to
protect the body against the infection with Clostridium
bacteria.
Should you have further questions, or do not know
your childs vaccination status, please get in touch with
the clinic at [email protected] or via phone 840
8582. ([email protected] - Phone 8408581).

Student-Led Conferences Date Change - Reminder

SLCs will now be held on Monday, March 27th.
MS students will be dismissed from school at 12:00
noon on this date and conferences will be scheduled in
the afternoon between 1:00 - 6:00 p.m.
Please mark this date change on your calendars now so
you can plan ahead accordingly.
Kind regards,
Rachel Harrington, Middle School Principal
Amanda Pekin, Assistant Middle School Principal

Dear Parents,
We are kicking off our spring musical production with a MUSICAL THEATRE BOOT CAMP for students
this Saturday, January 21st, from 8:00 am to 12 noon in Room 1149 (Ms. Grev's classroom, around the
corner from the clinic). If any student has not yet signed up, please send me a quick e-mail
([email protected]) to let me know his/her name and grade level, as well as your name and the e-mail
address you wish to have on the contact list. Regardless of whether your child can attend this Saturday's rehearsal or not, please send the information so that you can have the details needed to get involved next week.
There is also a PARENT INFORMATIONAL MEETING this Saturday, January 21st, in the AMR from 8:15 am
to 9:00 am. This is a chance for you to understand the rehearsal process, Saturday rehearsal schedule,
and show dates. I will also be asking for volunteers to help out with the production in various ways.
Thank you for your support. We are looking forward to putting the amazing, beautiful musical production
of Man of La Mancha together with our brilliant students and you.
Warm Regards,
Ms. Grev & Ms. Rankin
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ISM is very much looking forward to hosting IASAS Basketball

from Feb 2-4 and I am pleased to say we now have enough
beds for the visiting athletes. Thanks to all who have volunteered to house. Information letters about your guests will be
sent out next week with details regards pick up times etc.
Teams arrive Wed Feb 1, tournament play is Feb 2-4 and
teams depart Feb 5th.
Whilst we host Basketball here in Manila, Rugby/Touch will be
at Jakarta, Tennis at Bangkok and Swimming at Kuala Lumpur
for S2 IASAS Championships.
Each host venue will post results and have streaming site links
via www.iasas.asia to keep up with all the IASAS action. See
basketball schedule at link provided. Come along to support
our girls and boys teams!

you require further information about hosting for IASAS

events go tohttp://atac.ism-online.org/iasas/iasashousing/ or contact ATAC office or
email [email protected]

Upcoming events- (full match schedule available at ATAC

Game schedule):
Jan 18/19 & 21 Faith Basketball Tournament Varsity
teams
Jan 21 Varsity Rugby final 2:40pm
Jan 27 Varsity Touch at Brent
Jan 28 MS/JV Rugby finals
Feb 2-4 S2 IASAS Championships
Feb 2/3 Baseball/Softball tryouts begin
Feb 4 ES Girls soccer festival at BSM
2016-17 IASAS Basketball Draw at ISM.xlsx IASAS Basketball Feb 6-10 HS S3 Tryouts week
Draw (1)
Feb 13,14,15 MS S3 tryouts (Track and Badminton)
Feb 18 Track meet at Brent
Congratulations to our HS IASAS Chess exchange team who
Feb 18 Badminton at Brent
last Saturday won the online IASAS Chess exchange. A great
Feb 25/26 Phil Cup Gymnastics meet
result and thanks to HS Chess advisor Mr Robertson for his
Mar 1&3 MS Mixed Touch tryouts begin
hard work guiding the team in their preparation.
Mar 4 Track meet at Brent
Also congratulations to our JV and Varsity girls Touch teams
Mar 10-12 Pre IASAS exchange weekend
who both won the local league touch finals in Division C and
Mar 18 BSM Gymnastics meet
Division A last Saturday. The JV girls defeated our MS girls
Mar 24 ISM twilight track meet
team 3-1 in the final and the Varsity girls won their semifinal
Apr 1-2 Bangkok Splash swim meet for Sailfish
13-1 and then won the final 7-1 to be the standout team for
the local touch season. Thanks to all the coaches involved.
April 5-8 S3 IASAS Championships
Apr 22-23 Sailfish International meet at ISM
Tryouts and practice schedule for S3 sports have been posted May 6 ISM Goodwill Gymnastics Meet
this week to ATAC blog and on notice boards. S3 HS sports are May 12-14 Jakarta MS Mixed Touch tournament
(Golf, Track and Field, Baseball/Fast Pitch Softball, Badminton)
S3 MS sports are (Track and Field, Mixed Touch and BadminTo find out details of all the Bearcats matches mid week and
ton) S3 tryouts for MS will take place after CWW week! Mixed on weekends go to the ATAC game schedule page- link is proTouch will not start until Mar 1st.
vided below and follow the instructions to find out when and
Please note a Baseball and Fast Pitch Softball development
where our Bearcat teams will be playing. The ATAC(Athletics)
program for MS boys and girls will take place during S4 from
Game schedule is housed within the parent portal to ensure
end of April until end of May.
secure access for ISM parents http://atac.ism-online.org/
schedules/
The season practice schedule for MS/HS S2 sports is posted at Please take the time to navigate the ATAC blog http://
link below for -Basketball/Tennis,/Rugby/Touch for MS and
atac.ism-online.org/ as it is our one stop shop for all inforBasketball/Tennis,/Rugby/Touch and Varsity Swimming for HS. mation related to the competitive ISM sports program.
Schedules are also posted on notice boards around school. S2
practice schedule Nov-Feb. S2 training sessions will conclude For our All Year Round teams- Wall Climbing, Chess, Judo,
at the end of next week Jan 27. Thanks to all Bearcats who
TKD, Aikido, Table Tennis -As these programs are year round it
have participated in S2 sports.
is possible for students to join during the year as long as space
is available. See link to information and schedule to attend
Housing requests for IASAS events- We are calling for commu- and meet the coaches. All year round sports teams See schednity support to host student athletes for IASAS Badminton
ule for our All year round teams program here
(April 5-9 need 80 beds- online badminton housing registration ) and for IASAS Golf (April 8 need 60 beds one night only- Please note the practice times for ATAC programs for SY 16-17
online golf housing registration ) Please assist if you can help are as follows: ATAC all year round teams- 3:15-4:30. For our
house for these upcoming IASAS events in April. Online hous- Sailfish swim team program please check the Sailfish blog for
ing form links for these events are available as listed above
information http://sailfish.ism-online.org/
and are at IASAS housing and hosting tabs on ATAC blog or
under the helpful shortcuts on ATAC blog main page. Should

ATAC Gymnastics team practices 3:10-4:50 M/W/F

All HS seasonal teams practice from 3:05- 4:50pm on their respective practice afternoons. MS seasonal teams practice
from 3:15-4:45pm.In order to clear the campus prior to 5pm all
after school programs will conclude by 4:50pm or earlier. The
last bus is 4:55pm this is due to the ever increasing traffic concerns in our area.

to [email protected] and I will endeavour to assist you as

best I can.

Parents and students please take some time to peruse the

ATAC blog it has a wide variety of information and links to our
sports and activities program. If you have any questions regarding the competitive program of sports at ISM after reading
the information on the blog please send an email

GO BEARCATS...

Bearcat Den- drop by our fantastic spirit store. There is a a

range of products and items to purchase including items from
our service partners. Bearcat Den hours of operation- 7am4pm Mon-Fri.

Best Regards,
Mark Pekin
Director of Athletics and Activities

A few reminders from Operations and Security

Access and parking within the campus are important security and safety issues. For the well-being of all members of
the ISM community, those entering the school campus are
requested to take note of the information and procedures
outlined below.
Vehicular Access
During drop-off and pick-up times, vehicles may enter the
campus through Gates 2 and 3. Those entering through
Gate 2 should proceed to the drop off area and, once the
student has alighted or boarded, they should exit via Gate 1.
Those vehicles entering through Gate 3 must turn into the
covered parking area and use the designated drop-off areas.
All vehicles must exit through Gate 1.
Please note that Gate 2 may only be used by those drivers
and passengers who have an ISM ID card and who are in a
vehicle displaying a valid ISM vehicle sticker.

should only be stopping for the brief time it takes for a student to alight. Drivers must not wait for anybody to return
to the vehicle.
ID Cards
ID cards should be worn at all times while on campus. If you
have not been issued an ID card, or you have lost it, you
should obtain one by visiting the security office and completing the appropriate application form.
Vehicle Checks
The practice of inspecting vehicles will continue. During offpeak hours, all vehicles will be checked before they are allowed to enter the campus.
During peak hours (drop off and pick-up times), all vehicles
without valid stickers and randomly selected vehicles with
stickers will be asked to undergo an examination.

Whether an examination is conducted or not, it is important

that the security staff at the gates are able to identify the
Alternatively, vehicles entering through Gate 3 may park in occupants of vehicles entering the campus; therefore IDs
the covered car park. The spaces reserved for parent-driven must be clearly displayed. Vehicles with tinted windows
cars should only be used by those vehicles which are driven must roll down windows to allow a clear view of the interior
by parents themselves. Vehicles in which parents are travel- of the vehicle.
ing, but which are driven by a driver, should not use these
Drivers, Helpers and Bodyguards
spaces. Rather, they should park elsewhere in the covered
car park or make use of the outside spaces next to the pow- Drivers, helpers and bodyguards should not wait on campus
for students throughout the school day. After dropping off
er center.
students they should exit the school grounds and not return
Visitors to ISM must enter through Gate 3. There is an area earlier than 30 minutes before dismissal time. Those who
repeatedly fail to comply with the regulation will have their
for short-stay visitor parking near Gate 1.
access privilege suspended.
The Pedestrian Gate
Only those vehicles carrying parents or other people with
The pedestrian gate is located in the perimeter fence midway between Gate 1 and Gate 2. There is a paved area be- business within the school will be allowed to return to the
campus before the scheduled pick-up time.
tween the road and the perimeter fence, allowing easy access to the gate. The pedestrian gate is solely for the entry
There are designated areas for unaccompanied drivers,
of members of the ISM Community at the beginning of the
yayas, helpers and security escorts to wait for parents and
school day. It will only be open between 7:00 am and 7:45
students. Unless specifically authorized, they may not enter
am (8:00 am to 8:45 am on Wednesdays). Due to parking
any other area. In the interest of security, and to prevent
restrictions, and in the interests of security, it will not be
congestion at the pedestrian entrances to the covered parkopen in the afternoon for pick-ups. During the time it is
open, it will be under the supervision of members of the ISM ing area, parents are requested to emphasize to their employees the importance of cooperating with the security
Guard Force.
staff and remaining in the appropriate areas.
Drivers should stop adjacent to the paved area and students
should alight from the right side of their vehicle. The driver Termination of Employment
In the event of the termination of service of a family emshould then move off, clearing the space for other vehicles
ployee, parents are asked to secure the former employees
dropping off students. Under no circumstances should a
ISM ID card and return it to the Security office. If this is not
student be dropped off from the middle lane. This is dangerous as the student would need to walk in front of anoth- possible, it is important that the Security Office is still iner vehicle. Drivers are reminded that traffic regulations for- formed of the change of circumstances.
bid parking on the roads around ISM. Therefore, vehicles
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Firearms
All members of the ISM community are reminded that it is
strictly forbidden for firearms to be brought onto the campus. This includes concealed weapons carried by bodyguards for close protection. Any person arriving at the
school with a firearm should inform the gate guard, and
arrangements will be made for the weapon to be safely and
securely stored during the visitors stay.

quested 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

Security Staff Directions
another great year at International School Manila.
Our security team is endeavoring to make the school as safe
and secure an environment as possible for all members of
Best wishes,
our community.
MIKE FLYNN
Director
We ask that everybody cooperate with us in this important Operations & Security
task. In particular, all those entering our campus are re-

Rustic Pathways Summer Trips 2017

Dear Students and Parents,
ISM has now worked for three years with Rustic Pathways to offer students, unique exciting, educational, adventurous and service based trips in Thailand, China and Morocco over the ISM summer holiday period. This year we will be offering amazing trips
to China, Thailand and this time Tanzania! The Rustic Pathways experience is now running under the auspices of the rebranded
and expanded Bearcats Summer Academy.
Here are the websites with the details, costs and payments.
Password is - ism
HS/ MS Shanghai Mandarin Immersion:
http://groupsarchive.rusticpathways.com/trips/ismchinese2017/
HS Tanzania Service and Safari:
http://groupsarchive.rusticpathways.com/trips/ismtanzania2017/
HS Thailand Medical Service:
http://groupsarchive.rusticpathways.com/trips/ismmedical2017
MS Thailand Elephants:
http://groupsarchive.rusticpathways.com/trips/ismelephants2017
Questions about the programs should be directed to our representative at RP
Nikita Prabhakar [email protected]
Next week we will offer a number of opportunities for you to
meet and discuss the trip with RP representation Evan Johnson, however the critical meeting will be the evening of
Wednesday, January 18th, in the AMR from 6pm.

HS Parent Coffee 17th January, LT, 10.30 am 17th January

Lunchtimes, outside the Kantina, 11 am to 1 pm 17th to
the 18th January
HS Whole School Assembly, FAT, 11 am to 11.35 am 18th
January
Rustic Pathways Parents Meeting, AMR, 6 pm to 7
pm 18th January

Regards,
William Brown
Assistant Superintendent
Bearcat Summer Academy
International School Manila
University Parkway, Bonifacio Global City, Taguig 1634
T: 840 8448; 840 8400 loc 448
E: [email protected]

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