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Dear friends,

This month has been amazingly busy, primarily because of the IB Diploma exams, but for many other exciting reasons too, so let us get straight into all the news.

Inês Novais, one of our year 12 students was in the top six finalists for the International Speech Contest in London this past week. We are very proud of her; it is the first time a Portuguese speaker has made it to the finals. Great inspiration for us all.

Best Regards,

Steve Bruce-Lomba

Firstly, Ana Duran’s Year 7 and 8 students wrote some rap in class:

Desde este “rinconcito” felicito a TODOS mis alumnos de español B por los RAPS tan estupendos que han creado.

Ana Durán

OIS Newsletter

May 2015

MI RAP

(TOM GONINDARD)

No quiero ser político,

mi misión es artístico.

Pero delante de tanto sufrimiento

no me puedo quedar pacífico.

Yo

Combatir el racismo, el fascismo, el sexismo.

Combatir la discriminación, la segregación, la clasificación.

Combatir para un mundo utópico

en el que todo el mundo será pacífico.

Yo

El sol es amarillo, roja es la tierra,

azul es el cielo, negra es la luna.

Dios es el pintor de este universo.

Debemos ser el de nuestro destino.

Yo

Quiero un mundo coloreado,

no quiero un mundo negro y blanco.

Quiero un mundo fraterno,

no quiero un mundo xenófobo, fanático.

Yo

El BULLYING

(RAFAEL KAPOSE)

En mi colegio los chicos lloran

porque los demás los incomodan.

Los padres (pobrecitos) no pueden hacer nada

Porque sus chicos llegan tristes y callados a casa.

Somos todos personas, somos todos iguales.

Vamos a terminar con el bullying,

vamos a terminar con el bullying.

Somos todos iguales , luego

vamos a terminar con el bullying.

Llego al colegio, miro a los chicos.

Les veo mirando a los adultos con miedo.

Pero, ¿cuál es el punto del bullying? Yo no lo entiendo

¿Acabar con el bullying? Yo lo intento

No lo consigo, luego pido ayuda a mis amigos.

Mis amigos me ayudan.

Nosotros vamos hasta donde están los niños.

Les preguntamos: ¿qué pasa? Y los demás, carentes

responden “nada”.

Si ellos están carentes y tienen manchas en la cara.

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DP News

Yr13

The Diploma exams are coming to an end and everyday there are students celebrating the start of a well-deserved holiday! I am sure it is celebration time for families as well

after these long last months of so much studying. Thank you for all your support.

It has been a wonderful, exciting, at times stressful journey and I am proud to see how much students have grown in the last two years and how ready they are to continue their

education in different countries, many away from home. I wish them all the best!

Coming dates:

May 22 (last day of exams): Trying on the gowns and Big Splash in the pool at 1:00pm

May 26: last day to return all school textbooks

May 28, 29: Graduation Rehearsal at 1:30

May 30: Graduation at 5:00 pm, students in school at 3:30

July 6: Exam results published

July 6-10: Enquiry upon results and university applications (Ms Rodrigues in school

8am to 4pm)

August 13, 14, 17, 18, 19: University Clearing Ms Rodrigues in school from 8am to 4pm)

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Yr12

As part of our Theory of Knowledge class, yr12s had the opportunity to spend a day immersed in the work of the Brazilian photographer Sebastião Salgado, his documentary

“The salt of the Earth” followed by the exhibition “Genesis”. Students explored the social function of the arts and how these might be an instrument of social transformation,

students also engaged in vivid discussions about what is Art.

Yr12s are now revising for their end of year exams starting Monday, May 25, please ensure students arrive well on time for a clam start. I wish them the best in these important

exams.

Carla Mandacaru

DP Coordinator

MYP News

IB MYP eAssessments

It’s the summer term, which means the sun is out and the temperature is rising. Think back to what this meant for you when you were a student and for students all around the

globe today… Exam time! Sitting at a desk with a pen, pencil, ruler and paper. This model for exams has been like this probably since exams began. Changes in education happen,

but the exam has been a constant in student’s lives. This year things have started to change. Year 10 students from OIS have been part of a pilot exam scheme for the IB MYP.

Exams, known as eAssessments, on screen at a computer, with all of the potential a computer can bring. The students Login to the programme and their personal details come

up on screen, they press the start button and the next generation of exams have begun. The first five minutes reading time made the rooms feel like a usual exam room, apart

from the fact that all students were sat in front of a computer screen with a keyboard as opposed to paper and pen. Then when the clock on the screen gets to zero for the

reading time and starts again for the exam, the room changes… A sudden burst of noise as the students begin. The keyboards singing their song as the students begin to answer

the questions. A fully multimedia experience of interactive questions, videos to watch and analyse, online tools and questions that put the student in to a variety of situations.

No longer any need to remember a quote from a book or a source that the teacher shared, but time and chance to analyse a speech made in the United Nations or a short video

about the lack of water availability for so many people, come up with solutions to the problem there and then, thinking about the information that they have and to be creative.

Gone is the silent exam room, gone is all the paper and at the end of the 2 hours, gone is the exam as it is automatically uploaded to a secure site of the IB, awaiting the markers.

In May 2016, this will not be a pilot, it will be one of the major qualifying elements for MYP certification, along with the Personal Project and ePortfolios. Have I seen the future? I

think so, but more importantly, Year 10 students have been a part of the future and have been a part of how these exams will develop further.

Andrew Parlby

MYP Coordinator

Dear Parents and Guardians

Planning is well underway for this year’s Summer Concert and Arraial and we would like you invite you to attend our annual summer evening of fun, food and entertainment on Friday 12th June.

Further details will be released shortly but we want you to "Save the Date" in your busy schedules so as not to miss out on our end of year function.

Best regards,

The Parents Club Committee

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Workshop for teachers

Friday 8th May at 15.40, the students were finished for the week and starting their way home for the weekend. The teachers however were getting ready to start a weekend of

training with Patricia Villegas. The focus being on Interdisciplinary Units of work, bringing the teachers of different subjects together in order to create units that take the

students to deeper levels of understanding than by using only one subject discipline. The teachers were also joined by teachers from other schools from both Portugal and Spain,

another great opportunity to share and help each other in our desire to further the education of the students at OIS and through the IB World. Saturday was a full day of

teamwork, discussion and collaboration, while Sunday pulled everything together before finishing off by lunchtime. Hopefully many of the ideas that were discussed will soon be

seen in the classrooms and grounds of OIS, if not, I am sure that they will give a start to other units and assessments, which will challenge and stretch the thinking and creativity

of our students. Many thanks to Patricia Villegas for coming to the school and sharing her experience and expertise with us.

Andy Parlby

MYP Coordinator

Model United Nations

On the 29th of April, twenty students from OIS participated in the Junior Model United Nations (JMUN) held at CAISL. This conference is a simulation of the United Nations where

students not only from OIS but also from CAISL, St. Julians and St. Dominics debate current global issues from the perspective of their assigned country. It is a great experience

which teaches us about current world issues and enhances our public speaking skills. Joining JMUN is highly recommended as it is a memorable experience and a lot of fun too!

The OIS students had a great time at JMUN and are looking forward to going again next year. The Year 9 students are excited about joining MUN and participating in the many

possible conferences including IMUN, OPOMUN, and PAMUN.

Linda Patient

Humanities Teacher

Group Picture of OIS participants Children Rights committee in full debate

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Bronze Assessed Expedition – May 9th-10th 2015

The International Award is an extremely worthy Award because it encourages the participants to commit to a variety of activities over a sustained period of time, all of which

help to develop character. The expedition highlights the importance of the collective, where no individual is more important than the group. It places the participant in

situations that maybe difficult and extremely challenging, in which he/she may be out of their comfort zone but they will learn a lot about themselves and gain experiences that

will help them in this journey through life. And this is the real importance of the International Award. Yes, it will look good on the CV, and yes, Universities and Companies view

the Award as an excellent benchmark in judging the merits of any candidate. But the real merit of the Award are the experiences of life one will gain from doing it.

This year’s Bronze participants will all have memorable experiences of their expeditions this year

and they should be proud of their achievements so far. Their assessment on the weekend 9th/10th May

in the Sintra Hills ran relatively smoothly and the participants coped well with a number of challenges

they may have faced, such as decisions on which route to take, what do when a group member is

injured, preparing for an early morning departure, etc. The photographs hopefully capture the beauty of

the environment they are walking in. Environmental awareness and an individual’s responsibility in that

society is a message we try to get across to the students in school but its theory and not practice and it

is experiences such as this expedition that will hopefully get the message across. One is going to be

more motivated to be a responsible citizen environmentally if one appreciates the wilderness and

nature’s beauty. Without activities like

this, we as teachers are preaching on

deaf ears.

Hopefully the Bronze participants will be aiming to continue the journey in the quest for the Gold

Medal. We can compare it to climbing a mountain. The Bronze participants have achieved a lot so far. Three

months commitment in each of the activities and an expedition of 25 kilometers over two days and one night.

But they are only in the foothills of the mountain. The Silver participants, they’ve dedicated themselves to six

months in each activity and they have completed a more challenging expedition over three days and two

nights. But they’ve only just reached base camp.

Are any of the participants capable and dedicated enough now to climb the steepest part of the

mountain and get to the top because that is the challenge of the Gold Medal? Twelve months of commitment

in each of the activities, with focused goals in each, an extremely challenging expedition in wild countryside

over four days and three nights, and a Residential Service Project over five days and four nights. It requires real commitment and dedication. They need to set challenging goals

and test themselves to the limit. The mountain climber doesn’t give up half way up the mountain just because it’s getting a bit tough, they persevere and continue to the top. I

look forward to lots of Gold Medals being presented at a future International Award Medal Ceremony. Best wishes and good luck to you all.

Neale Davies

Prémio Infante D. Henrique Coordinator

7- a -Side Football tournament

Congratulations to the OIS Sport Department and the Parents Club for hosting such a successful morning.

OIS successfully hosted a 7- a -Side Football tournament for Boys and Girls Division 4/5 on Sunday the 10th May 2015. It was a lovely sunny morning of football and team spirit enjoyed by all the competitors.

It was also nice to see so many parents and family members coming out and supporting their respective teams. The Parents Club of OIS set up a lovely hospitality tent serving sandwiches, cookies, fruit and drinks to the participants. Parents were able to quench their thirst and hunger with delicious treats from Origem.

The final result of the tournament was:

1st ESCOLA RAIZ 2nd IPS 3rd OIS 4th TORRE 5th SAO FRANSISCO DE ASSIS

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Marta Pérez Ximénez de Embún MYP Physical and Health Education leader Athletics Director

News from the Parent’s Club

Dear Fathers, Mothers, Sons, Daughters, Family members and Friends of OIS

DATE: 13th June 2015

EVENT : Multi Sports day

VENUE: St Julian's

TIME : 11am - 6 pm

TEAM OIS MEETING POINT: 10:15 at the Tuck shop to strategise and work out our

game plan!

TEAM CAPTAIN REQUIRED: anyone that feels there strong leadership skills need a bit of

flexing is welcome to put their names forward to the Parents Club.

OIS has been invited by the British Community Council to come and flex our muscles

and share our sportsmanship and physical talents in a Multi Sports day event!

The Parents Club has stepped up to the challenge and we have accepted and entered

TEAM OIS!!!

So dust of your Hockey sticks , Football boots and Rugby togs and bring on your

Lacrosse talent , Basketball dunking skills and Volleyball tricks and if you are brave

enough your Scottish country dancing skirts !!!!

We need a minimum of 10 players older than 16 including one female per game.

Games are only 20 minutes each ... So no worries that you won't have the stamina!

For those looking for less physical activity there will be Dominoes and Boules if you are

feeling particularly adventurous! For those who are quick and nimble on their feet

there will also be Badminton.

For the rest of us unsporty folk we still require your presence to be part of the cheering

squad to encourage our talented OIS team players on to victory. There will be a BBQ

and liquid refreshments to keep us busy and quench our thirsts, so there's something

for everyone on what promises to be a fun day out.

So please be BRAVE, STEP FORWARD and SIGN UP with either your spouses, children

over 16 and family and friends and come and have some fun and a laugh or two at St

Julian's on this Saturday.

Please respond to the Parents Club via email stating your particular sporting skills so

that we can put our teams together and maybe even arrange a practice or get together

before hand if possible.

Just to let you know that this is all for a good cause as well as a 100% of the proceeds

will be going to local Portuguese Charities!

Looking really forward to your enthusiastic responses as soon as possible!!!

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As you will be aware will be holding the Arraial on Friday 12th June commencing at 5pm with a special service in the chapel. Musical entertainment will commence from 5.30 pm

onwards and will include the Summer Concert featuring our wonderfully musically gifted students. A pay bar will also open from 5.30 pm where soft drink, wine and beer can be

purchased at very reasonable prices.

This year we have decided to use a professional catering company who will provide a set menu at the very competitive price of Euro 10 per person (adult and students), and

tables will be set up to enable us to sit down with family and friends and enjoy the evening. In order for us to be able to commit to numbers we will be preselling tickets for the

event. A mailout will sent home with students towards the end of the week to reserve and prepay for your tickets. Ticket will then be returned to each family by Monday 8th

June.

We will be holding a lucky draw so if anyone has any connections that we could tap into to request donations for prizes we would greatly appreciate hearing from you. We are

requesting that each family please donate one bottle of wine to be included as part of the lucky prize draw and these can be dropped off at the front entrance with Tatiana.

We hope that we will see as many families as possible at our last family social function of the school year, for what we know will be a fun evening.

Parent Club Outings

During the course of the past few months some of you have joined the PC on various excursions to the Alentejo ably led and

organized by Ineke Overdijk.

Ineke has been very gracious with her time and hospitality introducing not only the expats but also the local Parents to some of

the regions special destinations, products and produce. We have also been lucky enough to visit her family farm where we have

picked oranges and come home laden with farm fresh organic produce.

Invitation – A great day out As the school year is drawing to a close we would like to invite you to what promises to be another wonderful day out with Ineke on a visit to very pretty town of Azeitão and the surrounding areas. We plan to visit the Jose Maria Fonseca Winery and then head to a wonderful local Queijaria where we will be entertained by the owner, Filipa, on the process of how to make the cheese with the opportunity to actually get “hands on” and make some cheese. We will enjoy a lovely homemade lunch at the Queijaria, and if time permits we take a scenic drive of the headlands before returning to school in time for afternoon pick up.

We need a minimum number of people for the cheese tour and lunch so we have to commit and pay in advance. Please

reply ASAP to the Parents Club email address if you would like to join us and we will advise payment details. There is the

possibility that we could hire a mini bus so that we can all travel in one vehicle and this would add approx. 10 Euro to the

below cost. Please confirm if you would prefer to drive or take a minibus when you send your email.

Date: Wednesday 24th June Depart School at 8.30 am Winery tour 10.00 am Queijaria tour 11.30 am Lunch 12.30 pm Scenic tour 2.00 pm Return to School at approx. 3.30 pm Cost: 30.50 Euros

Kind regards The Parents Club

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Campo Aventura Obidos

Claudia Cunha who is a spokesperson for Alpine Summer Camp GmbH Switzerland and Campo Aventura Portugal would like to make our community aware of the outdoor

activity camps they offer to students of all ages.

Please check out if these might be of interest to you.

E. cunha.c@alpinesummercamp.com

T. +351 262 000 505 // M. +417 955 087 57

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April 2013