6 School Holiday

1-23 MAP Testing

OCTOBER

MIDDLE SCHOOLMIDDLE SCHOOLMIDDLE SCHOOL

ISSUE # 4

SY 2014 –2015

WEEK OF: SEPTEMBER 1 to 5

Weekly Publication for Middle School Parents Friday Bulletin

Inside this issue:

Events & Activities:

SEPTEMBER

25-26 CWW

29-30 MAP Testing

ISM Upcoming Events 8

Dear Middle School Parents,

The school year is now in full swing - we had our Back to School Night this week hav-ing the opportunity for parents to experience what your children are experiencing each day in their classrooms. We had a fantastic turnout and we appreciate every-one's commitment to learning about our program and beginning to make connections with your children's teachers. We have parent conferences in October to look for-ward to, and at any time please feel free to contact a teacher or the office to help arrange a meeting time.

We have other opportunities for you to be a part of our school community. We have a consultant Michael Thompson visiting ISM next week and he will be holding parent workshops on the topics of child development. In addition we have the annual visit of our Freedom from Chemical Dependency counselors who will be spending time with grade 8 students throughout the week and holding an assembly for all students in middle school focused on decision making.

A big part of our role as leaders of the Middle School is to help facilitate the develop-ment of teaching practices and ensure student learning is happening at a high lev-el. This week we have been having individual conferences with all teachers to discuss their personal goals for the year focused on student learning. We then spend time in all classrooms to be able to interact with students, find out from them about their learning and to observe and provide feedback. This is one of the most important as-pects of our roles and the most engaging. We look forward to discussions that we have with parents throughout the year and at functions like our Middle School Parent Coffees which you can find the dates of on the calendar.

We hope everyone has a great weekend... Yours in Education, Simon Gillespie, Middle School Principal Amanda Pekin, Middle School Assistant Principal

Saturday Service Learning

Academic Bowl

Fine Arts / Guidance

Operations & Security

Athletics & Activities

8-12 FCD

23 Parent Coffee

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30 S. Quate Parent Coffee

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Beginning on September 13, different service opportunities will be offered on Saturdays. Some events involve a trip to

visit a service partner while others involve hosting a local education program. Along with the joy of giving, students ben-

efit by interacting with children from different backgrounds and getting to know the Philippines beyond Makati and

Taguig. To participate, students simply pick up a permission slip from the MS Office on the Monday before the trip.

Once it’s been signed and returned to the office, a student can sign up on the roster. Some trips fill up quickly so en-

courage them to sign up early. Parent are welcome to attend!

Saturday Service Dates for Semester 1 (Dates are subject to change.)

September 13 Philippine Children’s Fund

October 18 La Mesa Watershed

November 8 Cottolengo Filipino & CRIBS

November 15 Chosen Children Village

November 22 Love to Learn and PAWS

November 29 Papaya Academy

December 6 Tzu Chi Foundation

If you have questions, please send an email to Mr. Cory Willey at willeyc@ismanila.org.

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CALLING COMMUNITY SINGERS: ISM's 5th Annual "Great Works Concert" will feature Leonard Bernstein's

"Chichester Psalms" performed by the HS auditioned music ensembles, and guests,

on Wednesday September 24th. The choir would like to invite all interested and

experienced singers from the ISM Community to participate in this challenging

masterwork with us! Great rehearsal aids are available to help learn and review

the rhythms, pitches, and especially the Hebrew text. The timeline is short, and

the musical reward is great! Please email Melodie Hausman for rehearsal sched-

ules, questions, and music. hausmanm@ismanila.org

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.

Parent IDs

The parent IDs issued in SY 2013/14 (black) will continue to be valid for the new school year. The old parent IDs (burgundy)

issued before this year are no longer valid and must be replaced. Standard parent cards will be issued free of charge. Parents

may, however, elect to apply for a smartcard ID which will be usable with the cashless payment system introduced into the

school for SY 2013-14. There will be a fee of P250.00 for a smartcard.

Applications for parent IDs can be processed through the Security Office.

Student IDs

All students will be issued with new ID cards at the beginning of the new school year. The cards will be compatible with the

cashless payment system. There will be no need for returning students to visit the Security Office as we will be utilizing the

photographs taken for the yearbooks.

School Passes

School passes issued to parent’s employees and representatives need to be replaced for next school year. As of August 29,

2014 the grey bordered passes will be invalid.

The security office is now accepting applications for new school passes, however the cards will not be available for collection

before July 1, 2014. These passes will not be compatible with the cashless payment system.

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 Cashier’s 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 visitor’s business within the school. Visitors will need to surrender a photo-ID upon

entry to campus.

Car Stickers

The car stickers for school year 2014/2015 are available from the security office.

For vehicles already displaying an existing sticker, parents should submit a completed renewal form with a copy of a current

LTO official receipt. For new vehicles, parents are reminded that a copy of the vehicle’s certificate of registration and a cur-

rent 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.

Each ISM family will be issued one vehicle sticker free of charge. Any additional stickers will be issued following payment of

P100 to the cashier’s office.

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. ISM stickers issued in previous years must be removed.

Vehicles not displaying a current car sticker will not be allowed access from August 29, 2014.

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Vehicular Access

During drop-off and pick-up times, vehicles may enter 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.

Alternatively, vehicles entering through Gate 3 may park in the covered car park. The spaces reserved for parent-driven cars

should only be used by those vehicles which are driven by parents themselves. Vehicles in which parents are traveling, but

which are driven by a driver, should not use these spaces. Rather, they should park elsewhere in the covered car park or

make use of the outside spaces next to the power center.

Visitors to ISM must enter through Gate 3. There is an area for short-stay visitor parking near Gate 1.

The Pedestrian Gate

The pedestrian gate is located in the perimeter fence mid-way between Gate 1 and Gate 2. There is a paved area between

the road and the perimeter fence, allowing easy access to the gate. The pedestrian gate is solely for the entry of members of

the ISM Community at the beginning of the school day. It will only be open between 7:00 am and 7:45 am (8:00 am to 8:45

am on Wednesdays). Due to parking restrictions, and in the interests of security, it will not be open in the afternoon for pick-

ups. During the time it is open, it will be under the supervision of members of the ISM Guard Force.

Drivers should stop adjacent to the paved area and students should alight from the right side of their vehicle. The driver

should then move off, clearing the space for other vehicles dropping off students. Under no circumstances should a student

be dropped off from the middle lane. This is dangerous as the student would need to walk in front of another vehicle. Driv-

ers are reminded that traffic regulations forbid parking on the roads around ISM. Therefore, vehicles 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.

Drop Off/Pick Up Passes

Following their introduction in 2012/13, we will be continuing the use of pick up and drop off passes 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.

Vehicle checks

The practice of inspecting vehicles will continue. During off-peak 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 stick-

ers will be asked to undergo an examination.

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Whether an examination is conducted or not, it is important that the security staff at the gates are able to identify the occu-

pants of vehicles entering the campus; therefore IDs must be clearly displayed. Vehicles with tinted windows must roll down

windows to allow a clear view of the interior of the vehicle.

Drivers, Helpers and Bodyguards

Drivers, helpers and bodyguards should not wait on campus for students throughout the school day. After dropping off stu-

dents they should exit the school grounds and not return earlier than 30 minutes before dismissal time. Those who repeat-

edly fail to comply with the regulation will have their access privilege suspended.

Only those vehicles carrying parents or other people with business within the school will be allowed to return to the campus

before the scheduled pick-up time.

There are designated areas for unaccompanied drivers, yayas, helpers and security escorts to wait for parents and students.

Unless specifically authorized, they may not enter any other area. In the interest of security, and to prevent congestion at the

pedestrian entrances to the covered parking area, parents are requested to emphasize to their employees the importance of

cooperating with the security staff and remaining in the appropriate areas.

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

visitor’s stay.

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 great year at International School Manila.

Best wishes,

MIKE FLYNN

Director of Operations

And Security

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Please note as of Tuesday August 26th, the final bus will now depart at 5:05pm, not 4:45pm. This later bus departure time is being

conducted on a 1 month trial basis.

IASAS Volleyball/Cross Country Housing: 170 beds needed!

The housing letter is now available via the ATAC blog housing/hosting information page VBall/XC housing letter

Please help support what will be a fantastic sporting event at ISM in October. We require 170 beds to house the visiting volleyball and

cross country athletes and need ISM community support. Please submit a letter by September 15th if you can assist and support this

event. Families from ES/MS/HS have supported past years to house visiting athletes. It is a great experience, check out the information

and submit a form to the ATAC office.

Upcoming matches:

Friday, August 29: Friday Night Lights #1 vs Faith (HS Varsity/JV Soccer and Volleyball) Be there to show your Bearcat spirit.

Food available, all welcome, ES students must have adult supervision.

4pm Varsity Girls Soccer v Faith followed by Varsity Boys at 5:30 HS Field

4pm JV Girls Soccer vs Faith followed by Aspirants Boys at 5:30 vs Faith JV at MS Field

4pm Varsity Girls and Boys Volleyball vs Faith HS Gym

4pm JV Girls and Boys Volleyball vs Faith MS Gym

Saturday, August 30: Cross country race #1 at Brent MS/HS teams

Rifa ES/MS Soccer Festivals..see links below for venue details and start times.

ES Festivals

MS Festivals

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 to pekinm@ismanila.org and I will endeavor to assist you as best I can.

Bearcat Den- drop by our new spirit store. There is a range of new products and items to purchase including items from our service

partners. Bearcat Den hours of operation-7am-4pm Mon-Fri.

The ATAC game schedule pdf which is updated regularly by Triz Gonzalez (ATAC Athletics Coordinator) gives the most up to date infor-

mation on where/when and who our Bearcat teams will be playing throughout the school year. Access to the game schedule is via the

ISM parent portal not via power school as in the past. Use this link to access the parent portal, log in with your user name/password

and look for the ATAC Game Schedule tab. Remember to refresh the page when the pdf schedule appears so you view the most cur-

rent schedule.

Game schedules do change at short notice so check often to ensure you keep up with the most current games/times and venues.

To access season practice schedule and the all year round team schedule find them on the drop down menus under the schedules

home bar tab.

Go Bearcats!

Regards,

Mark Pekin

Director of Athletics/Activities 7

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Calling All Basketball Players!

We need players for the parent team for this year's ISM

Community Basketball League. Any parent of an ISM stu-

dent is eligible to play.

The league is tentatively scheduled to begin

on September 8. All games will be played at

ISM, Monday through Thursday, at 6:45pm. We will be

competing against the Alumni, Faculty, Security, Canteen,

and other department teams.

If you are interested in playing for the parent team,

please contact Raffy Puno atrppuno@gmail.com.

Please click the link below to register:

http://goo.gl/AuAlc5

Please click the link below to register:

http://goo.gl/ZMeydX

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Please click the link below to register:

http://goo.gl/1T3Hfq