International School Manila

ES PARENT BULLETIN
Volume 10 December 05, 2008

IMPORTANT DATES TO REMEMBER

DEC
Registration for AFAC for 2nd semester activities
2-17 Forms are available in the AFAC Office.
10,17 Wednesday Morning Late Start @ 8:30am
ES Holiday Concert @ Fine Arts Theater
8:30AM for ECLC, Grade 2, Grade 4
10:30AM for Grade 1, Grade 3, Grade 5
12 Last Day of After School Activities for 1st
Semester
Grade 3 “Power Hour” @ 1:00pm, Little Theater
this together and discuss the teachers’ comments. Please
celebrate the progress your child has made this year as
Early Release @ 12:00PM, Report Cards Go well as encourage them in the areas that may need
17 Home, Start of Winter Holiday improvement. If you have any questions regarding the
JAN report please make a time to discuss these with the
teacher/s.
7 Students Return to School
7,14,21,28 Wednesday Morning Late Start @ 8:30am We have been having some problems on the playground
with children bringing in toys from home, specifically
Bakugan which have led to some arguments over trading
etc. We would encourage students to leave these items
From the ES Administration at home and to play with them with friends outside of
school time. We appreciate your support.
Dear Elementary School Parents,
We had an enjoyable AFAC concert on Tuesday for
Today you are expecting a grade level newsletter as it is students in choir, strings and band. It was wonderful to
the first Friday of the month! However, on the calendar see all of the students hard work on display in a great
that was made at the end of last year and in the past we performance of their talents. Congratulations to our
have not had grade level newsletters in December partly students and our AFAC instructors and coaches. Second
because of report writing and the short month. I did not semester AFAC registration is ongoing now, and we
communicate this properly with the team, and therefore have added in a program for ECLC children to take part
we are having an ES parent bulletin this week… in on Tuesdays and Thursdays.
As I mentioned last week report cards will be distributed Have a good weekend, and I look forward to seeing you
on December 17, the last day of the semester. The next week at our music concerts on Friday!
report provides a narrative on how the teachers have
observed and assessed your child’s progress in terms of Yours in Education,
their social, academic, creative and physical
achievements. When you receive the report, your child
will probably be excited and interested in reading the Simon Gillespie
report with you. Set aside some time when you can do Elementary School Principal
Elementary School Parent Bulletin December 05, 2008

From the Grade 3 Department From the ES PE Department

Grade 3 Moms
and Dads Consider buying “ACTIVE” presents
this holiday season.
You are encouraged to join us Though most stores still stock an overabundance of
video games, TV action figures and other toys that
all on December 12th at encourage kids to sit around the house, there are
alternatives to consider when you’re doing your
12:45 -2:00pm in the Little holiday shopping for your children.
Theater as we flip the switch Elementary children love to play with Koosh balls
for our 1st Annual POWER in PE class; ask your child if they would like their
own Koosh ball. How about a basketball hoop or
HOUR. table tennis table as a family present? Many stores
carry basketball hoop and pole sets that allow
height adjustments so younger students can enjoy
We have been working hard success in making baskets. Also consider gifts like
bicycles, bicycle helmets, Frisbees, hula hoops, jump
on our electricity projects and ropes, S-Boards, in-line skates and all kinds of balls,
want to show off these bats, and rackets. These items all promote healthy,
active lifestyles for your children.
“shocking” creations. You can also benefit from indoor games such as
juggling balls or scarves which focus on hand/eye
All the Grade 3 students will coordination, concentration, visual tracking, and
manual dexterity. Even just a bag of balloons to
be displaying their electrifying blow up and play balloon volleyball will help your
works and would blow a fuse child with visual tracking and coordination.

if you could come and help us Recommended activity guidelines for elementary
aged children is a minimum of one hour per day.
to amplify the energy in the
air! Merry Fitness and Happy New You!

Grade 3 Teachers Amanda Pekin

ES Physical Education Department
[email protected]

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Elementary School Parent Bulletin December 05, 2008

Dear ES Parents,

Are you ready for the morning news-

talk show Good Morning Manila!? ☺
It’s coming to you LIVE from the Fine
Arts Theater Friday, December 12.

The dress code for performers is a

yellow, white, black or green ISM
school uniform polo shirt with khaki or
black bottoms. (No P.E. uniforms
please.) Grade 4 and 5 Narrators
should bring their “professional”
costumes to school on Wednesday,
December 10.

Have a great week!

Anna Pellum
ES Music Program Leader

From the AFAC Office From the ES ESL Department

Important Information on We’d like all ESL students to bring a bilingual
After School Activities Registration
dictionary to school for use in class. These can
for 2nd Semester, SY 2008-09
be electronic, print, picture, large or pocket-
All after school activities for the First Semester, SY 2008-09 sized.
will end on the week of December 8-12.
A bilingual dictionary is a wonderful resource
If your child wishes to either continue with the same activity for your child to use and will help improve
or take a different activity for the Second Semester he/she
MUST register again. English vocabulary needed for academic
success.
Registration of activities for Second Semester is on
December 2 until December 17. Forms are now available at The dictionaries can be kept in the classroom or
the AFAC Office.
taken home each day.
We will also be adding some activities for ECLC students for
2nd semester. More information will follow on this. Thank you for your
support!
If you have questions, don’t hesitate to call
AFAC Office at 840 8485.

Pippa Beetson
Bill Blankenship ESL Program Leader
Athletics and Activities Director [email protected]
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Elementary School Parent Bulletin December 05, 2008

From the ATAC Office

~Sailfish~
Good luck to ISM’s varsity boys and girls’ basketball
teams who will be playing in the UBS Taipei Basketball SAILFISH ISM SWIM MEET—2008
Invitational this weekend at Taipei American School. Results are available on the Sailfish Swim club
website (http://www.ismanila.org/portal/alias__/lang__en/
This weekend our rugby teams will be involved in an tabID__1207/DesktopDefault.aspx)
intense weekend of rugby workshops and matches with
visiting rugby specialist Mr. Tony Dickinson from Jakarta. SWIMATHON 2008-SAILFISH
Tony will be flying in Friday and will spend all day
Saturday and Sunday morning with our rugby coaches SWIM CLUB
and players providing them with a series of workshops to Saturday, December 6th
help improve their understanding and skills in
preparation for the IASAS tournament in February. Tony MEAL REGISTRATION SWIM SWIM
is an expert in his field and has been a long time IASAS GRADES
TIME TIME START FINISH
Rugby coach at JIS. I am sure our players and faculty
will give him a warm ISM welcome and our teams will Grades 1-4 3:30pm 2:45pm 3:00pm 3:30pm
benefit from the knowledge he will pass on this weekend. Grades 5-7 4:30pm 3:15pm 3:30pm 4:30pm
Adult ISM
Thanks to Coach Andy and Coach Hazel who attended Community
5:30pm 4:15pm 4:30pm 5:30pm
the Santa Claus Swim meet at Singapore last weekend
Grades 8-12 4:30pm 5:15pm 5:30pm 7:30pm
with our ISM Sailfish swimmers. From all reports it was a
great meet with a high percentage of our swimmers All Sailfish swimmers have been e-mailed an
beating their personal best times. Information Sheet and Pledge Form, did you get
We also have the Swimathon on Saturday afternoon, see yours?
Sailfish website for details. If not, either download the forms from the Sailfish
website or collect one from Coach Andy.
Our MS Girls and Boys Basketball teams will be playing
ISSA matches this Saturday in the MS Gym.
Please bring a plate of food to share after your swim.
MS Girls Green v Brent 8am
MS Boys Grade 8 v Faith 11am
MS Boys Grade 6 v CSA 12:30pm SWIMATHON 2008-ISM ADULT
MS Boys Grade 7 v SISC 2:00pm
MS Boys Grade 6 v Faith 3:30pm COMMUNITY
Saturday, December 6th, 4:30PM-5:30PM
Our Akido club will be hosting a tournament in the ISM
Martial Arts Area (above covered court) this Saturday. Open invitation to ISM Adult Community (Parents,
Teachers, Staff) to participate in the Swimathon to be held
This Sunday is the Bea Lucero Cup Gymnastics on Saturday 6th 4:30-5:30pm.
Competition and we wish our ISM Gymnastic team the Take part in a fundraising event for school charities and for
very best for a busy day of floor, vault, beam and bars the Sailfish Swimming Club. Further information and a
routines at the 10th annual event to be held at Rizal pledge/sponsorship form are available on the Sailfish Swim
Memorial Sports Complex. Go Bearcat Gymnasts. Club website or contact Head Coach Andy
([email protected])

Mark Pekin
Athletics and Activities Director
Andy Astfalck
[email protected] Head Coach, Sailfish

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Elementary School Parent Bulletin December 05, 2008

From the Admissions Office

STEP 4: The refund of the Special Project Deposit (SPD)
will be available approximately 10-working days after the
signed Withdrawal Notification Form, by the parent, is given
into the Admission Office. However, in any event, it cannot
be released before the child’s last day of attendance at ISM
and the completed Withdrawal Clearance Slip is signed by
the Cashier. The refund check can be picked up from the
Accounting Office Cashier only upon return of the original
signed SPD certificate. Note that the refund of the deposit
shall only be made to the person or authorized company
representative whose name appears as the certificate
holder on the certificate.
Some students may be withdrawing from ISM soon due to
their family moving on to other opportunities. In order to Please allow the withdrawal process to go smoothly by
make the withdrawal process go as smoothly as possible, we starting the process early. Thank you for your help and
would like to remind you of the following: understanding.

STEP 1: Please come by the Admission Office or download Again, we hope that your child has had a successful and
from the website, a Withdrawal Notification Form. This enriching stay at International School Manila and we wish
form can be filled out and dropped off; faxed back to the you and your family the very best in the future. If you have
Admission Office at 840-8489; or scanned and e-mailed to any suggestions or comments about Admission, School Life,
[email protected]. and/or Withdrawal, please do not hesitate to contact me.

STEP 2: Parents or students will also need to pick up the Best wishes and Happy Holidays to you and your family from
following forms from the Admission Office or from the all of us in the Admission Office.
website:

The Withdrawal Clearance Slip should be taken to the

indicated teachers and offices for signatures.
Gary Jerome
• High School Student Withdrawal Clearance Slip Admissions Director
(Grades 9-12) [email protected]
• Middle School Student Withdrawal Clearance
Slip (Grades 6-8)
• NOTE: For elementary students, the
elementary office will handle the withdrawal
clearance form for them.

To receive the child’s YEARBOOK, if withdrawing

before the end of the school year, complete and return
the correct form to the child’s school office for follow-
up.
• Elementary School Yearbook: ALAALA
• Middle School Yearbook: SALINLAHI
• High School Yearbook: KAYAWAN
One-Page School Calendar for
Next School Year
Note that school transcripts and records will be available
from the particular school office approximately 5-working (SY 2009-2010)
days after the child’s last day of attendance at ISM. Please
coordinate directly with the particular school office if you is now available in the ISM
require other arrangements. Website. Please visit
www.ismanila.org and click on
STEP 3: When completed, the Withdrawal Clearance Slip News & Calendar to download
must be taken to the Accounting Office Cashier. Only after
the Accounting Office Cashier has received and signed the the file or you may type this url in
completed Withdrawal Clearance Slip will the child’s your web browser:
transcripts or school records be released from the http://www.ismanila.org/_Rainbow/images/
Elementary, Middle or High School Office. default/Calendar_SY09_10_FINAL.pdf

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Elementary School Parent Bulletin December 05, 2008

From the Environmental Council

The INVISIBLE Project is a recycling and livelihood effort ♦ Produce high quality, re-useable, multi purpose bags to
started by one of our parents, artist/environmentalist Ann creating income for the INVISIBLE Cooperative – a
Wizer. group of women who need income possibilities
The project uses only waste - plastic bags and factory
waste. Ann and the women are currently exhibiting a big
piece made from their initial efforts at Galleria Duemila. What can you do to help?
Further details of this exhibition can be found at
www.galleriaduemila.com. Please donate any surplus plastic bags that
Ann is hoping that the group will grow and become a
creative, self-managed cooperative making interesting things
you have at home so that they can be used for this
project.
from waste, while creating new income possibilities for
themselves. INVISIBLE intentionally focuses on older
There is a collection basket in the ES office.
women – mothers and grandmothers, because they have
many dependents and cannot leave the home to work, and
For more info, please see:
they know the quickly disappearing traditional hand skills
http://www.ism-online.org/gogreen/
like weaving, basketry and crochet - valuable intangible
Many thanks for your continuing support.
culture.
Let’s Go Green.
INVISIBLE has several overlapping goals:

♦ Reduce plastic trash and unseen factory waste

♦ Raise awareness and involve schools and communities

in plastic bag collection to use as raw materials

Done with the school tour? Not quite, if you haven't been to the Bearcat Den! The Den is a school store that
sells items to raise money for the enhancement of the Student Activities and Athletics program at ISM. It is
operated by parent volunteers and is located in the High School/Middle School Cafeteria.

Come visit to see our new merchandise!

• Tarp Bags made from our very own ISM recycled "Events Tarpaulin Banners"
• To order tarp bags please contact Jan Harris at 0919-346-6046,
• Customized 1-gig USBs with the “Bearcat” logo, GO BEARCATS!!!
• Jogging pants made from quality fabric,
• Sleeveless Polo Shirts, and Spandex shorts. BEARCAT DEN BUSINESS HOURS

Of course, there are the all-time favorites: Monday 11:15AM-1:15 PM

• ISM white, grey and black hoodies (very practical this monsoon!) 2:30PM-4:00PM
• Bearcat sports bags
• "Doodle-friendly" teddy bears (cute and cuddly! ) Wednesday 11:00AM-1:00PM
2:30PM-4:00PM
• Dri-fit athletic shirts (need we explain why?)
• Polo shirts in hunter green and black (way cool!) Friday 11:15AM-1:15PM
• Customized ISM Crocs (beat that!) 2:30PM-4:00PM
• and many other mementos and give-aways

We're also selling healthier snacks and munchies this year, and working on making pre-paid phone cards
and emergency school supplies such as pens, pencils, notebooks and papers available year round. So DO pop
by on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays.

By the way if you are interested in being a part of the Bearcat Den, we are looking for volunteers to work at
the Den to fill two key positions: Inventory and Secretary. For information, please contact Jan Harris at
0919-346-6046.