MIDDLE SCHOOL

Friday Bulletin
Weekly Publication for Middle School Parents
ISSUE # 13
WEEK OF NOVEMBER 14 TO 18, 2011

From the Middle School Office

Dear Parents:

Inside this issue:

From the Guidance Office Filipiniana - Pista sa ISM From the Philippine Cultural Club From the Fine & Performing Arts Office PTA New Book Fair Legends of Jazz 2011 From the Athletics & Activities Office From the PTA ISM Swimathon Calendar for School Year 2012-2013 2 3 4 5 6 7 10 11 12

The PTA New Book Fair will be held in the FAT lobby this coming. Please come in to browse the books when you have some time and encourage your child to visit as well. They could be inspired to

discover some great stories and read some new books!

Starting at 5:00 P.M. on Tuesday evening, the Beginners Recital will showcase the musical skills of our students in grades 5 and 6. Please plan to join us in the Little Theater and support our music program.

UPCOMING EVENTS
NOVEMBER
21 to 25 22 25

PTA New Book Fair (FAT Gallery) Gr. 5 & 6 Beginners Recital (5:00 P.M., LT) Filipiniana MS Art Exhibit (FAT Lobby) MS Art Exhibit Opening (FAT Lobby) School Holiday (Bonifacio Day)

On Friday, November 25 the school will be celebrating Filipiniana with a barrio fiesta lunch, games, activities and performances. Shirts are being sold by the Philippine Cultural Club for pesos 500.00 during lunch time, and students can wear them to school on Friday. We look forward to enjoying the afternoon that the Philippine Cultural Club has organized.

29 to Dec. 09 29 30 DECEMBER 02 03 05 to 09 08

Gr. 58 End of Semester Party Service Learning Trip Spirit Week PTA Charity Bazaar (7:30 A.M. to 12:30 P.M., Lofthouse) MS Concert (5:30 P.M., FAT) Sports Day Gr. 7-12 Beginners Recital (5:30 P.M., LT) Student Early Release (12:00 noon) School Holiday

08 09

Regards,

13 15

Simon Gillespie Middle School Principal

Clarissa Sayson Middle School Assistant Principal

16 to Jan. 08 JANUARY 09

Classes Resume

POWERSCHOOL GRADE UPDATE November 25 December 09 January 09 Grade Update Grade Update PowerSchool closes

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From the Guidance Office - 2012 Summer Programs

Representatives from some of the worlds most prestigious boarding schools will be at ISM on Monday, November 21 to exhibit and talk specifically about their 2012 SUMMER PROGRAMS that will be offered. Both students and parents are encouraged to attend the expo which will be held in the Lofthouse (above the Elementary School wing) from 11:00 A.M. to 12:15 P.M. Hope to see you there !

Filipiniana - Pista sa ISM

Dear Middle School Parents, Our annual FilipinianaPista sa ISM is around the corner. It is time to celebrate Philippine Culture. It is set on Friday, November 25, 2011. The Philippine Cultural Club (PCC), the student organization in charge of the festivities is busy preparing for the affair. We have sent the information letter through your children. Below is the schedule for your guidance: DATE
November 17, 22, 24 November 21-25 November 25

TIME
12:40 - 1:00 P.M. 9:00 A.M. - 3:30 P.M. 11:50 A.M. 12:15 P.M. 1:00 P.M. 2:00 P.M.

ACTIVITY
T-shirt & chit sale Tiangge Parade Barrio Fiesta Activity period MS assembly

VENUE
in front of canteen in front of canteen around the campus MS courtyard TBA FAT

To make this event a success, we need your support on: Sponsorship please send your donations to the cashiers office (Please make your checks payable to International School Manila); purchase of PCC T-shirts; purchase of tiangge items Manpower assists in the selling of chits or food items during barrio fiesta. We will have 16 booths. (Please contact your PTA parent liaisons if you will be able to assists us.)

We look forward to working with you to make Filipiniana memorable for our students. Thank you for your support. Sincerely, Dassah Castro

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From the Fine and Performing Arts

F R I D A Y B U LLETIN Start shopping for the holiday seasonal ISM-PTAs

PAGE 5 Author Visit for Adults As part of the New Book Fair, we have a special guest Samantha Sotto, author of Before Ever After. We invite you to meet the author to discuss her new novel. Date: Thursday 24th November Time: 7:45am Venue: Lofthouse B, upper level in elementary school 10% Discount off all books All discounts will automatically be deducted upon payment at the register. Raffle Tickets For purchases between PHP950-PHP1000 (dont worry, if you are a few pesos short!), a raffle ticket will be given for a draw at the end of the book fair. Prize: Movie tickets to Power Plant in Rockwell. Good Cause Did you know that 10% of the value of sales from the book fair will go towards book purchases for the various Service Learning Projects the school supports. For purchases of PHP500 one school starter pack (pencils, pens, notebooks) will be donated in your childs name and distributed to Service Learning Projects. Recommended book lists Our ES, MS and HS librarians have put together recommended book lists. Please check on the school website under the PTA/New Book Fair for complete lists for each level. Special Orders If the book that you are looking for is not available at the Book Fair, you may order it from a National Book Store representative at the FAT Lobby. Make your list now and put your order in on Monday 21st or Tuesday 22nd! NBS will only accept lists or special orders until Tuesday 22nd November, 2011. Last day of pick up of books ordered will be on 24th November, 2011. Bring along some friends If you have friends that are interested in our events, bring them with you. For security reasons, please note, guests must be accompanied by ISM ID holders and come in an ISM stickered car. Dont forget On Wednesday the Book Fair will be open from 7:00 am. Reminder Please do your bit and bring your own carry bag for your purchases, we are trying to preserve our planet! Dont miss this much-anticipated event, and find early stocking stuffers at the New Book Fair! We look forward to seeing you there! New Book Fair Committee Co-Chairs Kelly Hauber Winnie Lo-Kuefner Sarah Stalley SimranUttam Maggie Vanwijnen

21st 24thNovember, 2011 FAT Lobby (Fine Arts Theater) Daily 7:00am 4:00pm We officially open the Book Fair on Monday, 21st November in the Fine Arts Theater 7:30 8:00am with: Cooking Demonstration and Breakfast for Adults The ISM community is invited to join us for breakfast as we open this event with a cooking demonstration from our special guest Aileen Anastacio, author of Home Caf 100 Recipes for Irresistible Coffee and Delectable Desserts and launching her new book Home-Made for the Holidays, Over 60 Treats to Enjoy at Home or Give as Gifts. There will be coffee/tea (sponsored by Allegro) along with cakes and goodies baked using Aileen Anastacios recipes. Her books will be available at the New Book Fair. She will be happy to autograph copies of her book. Daily Quiz for Students There will be a Question of the Day competition for all Elementary, Middle and High School students. Students will have a chance to win National Book Store gift vouchers. Questions will be posted inside the ES, MS and HS libraries daily as well as on notice boards for the duration of the book fair. Students have until the end of the school day to post their answers in the box provided in the library. The winning entry will be drawn and posted on the library notice board.

NEW BOOK FAIR 2011: Read a Book Travel the World

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Update your contact information!

Update your contact information!
Please get in touch with the Admissions Office (840-8488) or Middle School Office (840-8550/840-8553) if there has been any change in your home address, email address, and contact numbers. We want to keep you updated with what is happening in school.

Were on the web! www.ismanila.org

IF YOU HAVENT LOGGED ON TO POWERSCHOOL

please call the Guidance Office at 840-8555 or email [email protected] to obtain your username and password.

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From the Athletics & Activities Office

IASAS MODEL UNITED NATIONS: As you read this parent bulletin, we are in the midst of hosting the MUN conference. The quality of student involvement, engagement and vigorous debate in the various committees is extremely impressive from all the delegates. We are hosting MUN delegates this week from the IASAS schools and also the following international schools: AES New Delhi, AIS Dhaka, Yokohama International School, American School in Japan, Bangkok Patana School, United World College Singapore, Brent International School. These type of events cannot occur without the support of our ISM parent community who are housing the delegates during the conference. We would like to extend a big thanks to all families that have agreed to open their homes and house a visiting delegate for the conference. It is very much appreciated. The General Assembly session will be on from 8:00 A.M. tomorrow and is open for the ISM community to come in and watch what happens. The GA will be held at the new 3rd floor Lofthouse. 2nd Season opening event: Last Friday, November 11th, was the start of our 2nd season matches for HS teams and we had support school wide from students and parents to cheer on the teams as they began the season. Thanks very much to the Bearcat Den ladies who ran the BBQ/Drinks stall at the HS field and a huge thanks to Shannon Grabow and Amanda Pekin who promoted the event and helped with all the activities to keep the younger kids and parents entertained. Well done also to all our teams who kicked off the season with some excellent results and very close matches. Results: Rugby: 4:00 P.M. ISM JV and Varsity Rugby defeated Faith Academy Boys Basketball: JV won and Varsity lost in a nail biter game by one point Girls Basketball: JV girls and Varsity won vs. Brent Touch: JV and Varsity girls won vs. Faith Academy MS and HS Academic Bowl: Our MS/HS Academic Bowl teams led by Mr. and Mrs. Birchenall both won last week on (Tuesday, November 8th, for High School and Thursday, November 10th, for Middle School) in the fall Academic Bowl Competition. The MS team won by 59 points and the HS Team won by 50 points. Congratulations to all participants! This Saturday is the first swim meet this year that ISM hosts. We look forward to a busy and great morning of racing at the pool. Go Sailfish swimmers! Consult the Sailfish Blog for meet details. The ATAC Blog (http://atac.ism-online.org/) is the one stop shop for information related to the sports/activities program. Please take some time to peruse the blog for information. 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 Regular Opening Hours for the Bearcat Den: Monday, 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. If you are interested in joining our group of volunteers in the Bearcat Den, please contact our BCD volunteers coordinator, Radhika at [email protected] or pop in to the Den near the HS Cafeteria and talk with one of our volunteers. They will be very happy to make you welcome. Regards, Mark Pekin Director of Athletics/Activities

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From the PTA

***
Dear Parents, The holidays are quickly approaching, and Im sure we are all looking forward to enjoying some well-deserved vacation time. However, the PTA has its biggest event of the school year coming up as well International Family Fun Day (IFFD), which will take place on January 21, 2012. This is an event that continues to be a highlight of the ISM experience. There are many reasons for attending and participating in IFFD from children enjoying the games and fun with their friends to parents experiencing a new adventure in culinary diplomacy at the International Food Tasting Booths. In past years, countries from all over the world have been represented in the International Food Fair. It only takes a small group of volunteers to put together a booth, and sharing our diverse, multi-national cuisine is a truly rewarding experience. Please contact me if you want to get involved. Any help at all would be greatly appreciated! Thus far I have at least one volunteer for the following countries: Japan, Taiwan, Pakistan, Thailand, Latin America, Australia/New Zealand, and Europe Here are the countries that have not yet been represented: Philippines, India, Korea, America/Canada, China, and Indonesia. If you are interested or know anyone who is, my contact information is: Melanie Ball (Food Booths Chair) E-Mail: [email protected] Mobile: 09154636387 Landline: 816-0059

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Calendar for SY 2012-2013