M I D D L E S C H O O L

F R I D A Y
BULLETIN
WEEKLY PUBLICATION FOR PARENTS
Issue # 17  Week of January 22 — 26  SY1718

Dear Parents,
 Make it a conversation (Not a monolog or lecture!)
The next few weeks are a busy time in Middle School as we will
 Pay attention to the narrative comments. (It is the com-
be hosting two Parent Coffees, disseminating the semester 1
ments that provide deeper insights and key points of feed-
report cards and preparing for our week-long February CWW
back/celebration.)
event. The Friday Parent Bulletin will contain all the essential
information that parents need to know about these events so  Celebrate areas of strength. (We all appreciate praise and
please take the time to read it carefully so you are in the com- recognition for our hard work, effort and perseverance.)
munication loop!
 Identify a few goals that could help address areas of growth
With the report cards being shared with parents on Wednesday, for the second semester. (No more than 3 goals!)
we thought you might welcome some information about our re-
port cards as well as some guidance about how to discuss your
child’s report card so the conversation is positive and useful. In
our experience as educators and school leaders, we have seen
parents make some wonderful parenting decisions that have
helped show interest and support for their child’s learning. We
have also seen some questionable parenting decisions that are  Focus on the grades. (This narrows conversations and dimin-
counterproductive and detrimental to a child’s learning and self ishes the importance of the narrative comments.)
-esteem. Check out the Report Card Dos and Don’ts below for  Ask “How can you improve your grades? (Ask instead, how
some simple practical tips before you read and share your can you deepen your understanding or master a given skill -
child’s report card. focus on the learning!)

What’s

Insi d e ?
 Preview your child’s report card first. (This allows you to
carefully consider what comments or questions you would
like to share with your child.)
 Wait to have the conversation with your child if you are
feeling emotional. (Emotionally charged conversations are
not productive for you or your child.)
 Talk to your child and ask them if they would like to read
their report card on their own and then have a discussion or MS Track and Field 4
would they like to read it together. (MS students appreci-
ate being given both voice and choice and may welcome the Alumni News 4
time to process what their report says before they have a
chat with you.) Athletics & Activities 5
 Set aside enough time to have a meaningful conversation.
(We suggest that a 15 - 20 minute conversation is an ideal Admissions & Advancement 7
time allocation. Short, focused conversations prevent your
child from shutting down or zoning out.) ISM Upcoming Events 6
 Reward your child with gifts and/or money. (We want to Friday, January 26th:
foster a passion and interest in learning, not a desire for  Run to the Sunset: (Please see the section below)
external rewards.)  Time: 4:30 - 8:00 p.m.
 Hold your child to unrealistic expectations. (Thoughtfully  Venue: HS Track and Field
consider where they are in their learning journey and how  Focus: Fundraising event for our Service Learning
far they have come. Try not to set expectations that will Partners
only lead to failure.)  Please look out for the flyer that will be shared
next week.
 Blow things out of proportion! (Remember this is a report
card not a life or death situation - maintain perspective and
COMING UP NEXT WEEK (JANUARY 29 - FEBRUARY 2ND)
focus on how you can support your child as they move for-
ward.)  While there are no key dates this week, we will be working
hard to make sure all students have submitted their CWW
 Compare siblings with each other. (All students are unique permission slips and making the final preparations for the
and comparing siblings with each other can build resent- various CWW experiences.
ment and damage relationships within the family.)
 Post your child’s report card on social media. (Report cards NEED TO KNOW:
contain your child’s name, school, grade level and the
teachers’ names. Posting them presents a security hazard.) Report Cards:
 The semester one report cards will be available for parents
In addition to this list of quick tips, you may also want to read on January 24th. Parents can access the pdf copy of their
this interesting article about grades. It’s short and won’t take child’s report card through the online parent portal and
too long to read! Alternatively, If you are new to ISM or to MS, Power School. Here is a link to a step-by-step guide (with
why not take the time to read the following presentation slides screenshots) that clearly explain how to access your child's
from a parent coffee we hosted this time last year. report card. Please note that in the interest of being envi-
MS Parent Coffee - Making the most of your child's report ronmentally conscious, we will not be sending out hard cop-
card. While it may not have the face-to- face interaction of a ies of the report card to parents. If you experience any
parent coffee, it does provide some valuable insights into ISM’s difficulty accessing your child’s report card, please feel free
report cards that we are sure you will find helpful. to contact the Middle School Office and we will be happy to
help you.
IMPORTANT DATES:  Any questions about your child’s narrative comment,
achievement grades or learning habits grades should be di-
THIS WEEK: (JANUARY 22 - 26) rected to the subject area teacher via email.

Tuesday, January 23rd: MS Parent Coffees:

 MS New Parent Coffee:  New Parent Coffee
 Presenters: MS Leadership Team and Counselors  Are you new to ISM? If so, then please make some
 Time: 7:30 - 9:00 a.m. time in your schedule to attend the MS New Parent
Coffee on Tuesday, January 23rd. In this parent
 Venue: Little Theater (LT)
session we will introduce key members of the MS
 Focus: Information session for new parents. team and take the time to walk you through some
 Please note, if you joined ISM after August 2017, critical elements of our Middle School program,
you are more than welcome to attend this session. adolescence, transitioning successfully, and how to
support your child. This is also a wonderful oppor-
Wednesday, January 24th tunity for new parents to meet and make connec-
 MS/HS Report Cards - Online Access! tions with others.
 The MS report cards are uploaded to PowerSchool
and will be open for parent access on Wednesday,  Tom Nehmy Parent Coffee
January 24th at 8:00 a.m.  Our visiting consultant will be presenting to parents
 Please note that ISM does not print out report cards on Thursday in the Little Theater. This is a com-
so it is imperative that parents understand how to bined Middle School / High School coffee and re-
access PowerSchool so they can read their child’s volves around the 7 Secrets to a Healthy Mind. Tom
report cards. (Detailed step-by-step instructions are Nehmy is the founder and Director of the Healthy
included in the ‘Need to Know” section below.) Minds program - a cutting-edge approach to preven-
 Please make sure your PowerSchool access code is tive psychology: building resilience, wellbeing and
up and running and all fees have been paid so you performance. Tom will be working with the Lead-
don’t experience any difficulty accessing your ership, Counseling, Wellness and Student-Life
child’s report card. All outstanding fees can be teams on Thursday and Friday and will also offer a
settled at the Cashier’s Office. keynote address to our G7 and G8 students about
wellbeing. We hope that you can join us!
Thursday, January 25th:
 MS/HS Parent Coffee: Run To The Sunset:
 Presenter: Tom Nehmy  On Friday evening, from 4:30 - 8:00 p.m. students across
(International Consultant) the ES, MS and HS are joining forces to raise funds for ISM’s
 Time: 8:00 - 9:30 a.m. service partners. The ‘Run to the Sunset’ event invites stu-
 Venue: Little Theater (LT) dents to create teams of between 4 - 8 individuals and
 Focus: Wellbeing - 7 Secrets to a Healthy Mind 2
 pulsory. Students have the opportunity to expand their comfort
create a plan of action that will allow them to successfully zones, build resilience, foster greater independence and under-
complete the challenge of running to the sunset. Student stand the concept of service. Students and teachers have a lot
teams will commence running at 4:30 p.m. and need to of fun and it is the highlight of the year for most students. We
keep their team’s batton in motion until the sun sets and appreciate that for some parents, allowing your child to be
the event ends at 8:00 p.m. Each student participant pays away from home can cause some anxiety. For the February CWW
an entry fee of PHP 150, via their student ID events it is the G5 and G8 students who spend time away from
card. Students need to present the receipt from the Cashier home. Grade 5 are away for two nights and the G8 students are
at the start of the event. Student teams can identify a away for 4 nights. Please note that all external sites are thor-
theme and dress up for this event or they can choose to run oughly vetted by the ISM security team and have been subject
in appropriate exercise gear. While students in the MS do to a robust risk assessment which includes multiple ocular vis-
not need an adult to be present, we want to make sure all its. If you are concerned about your child attending CWW,
parents are in the loop regarding the details of this event. please contact your child’s grade level counselor so you can
learn more. Parents who do not allow their son/daughter to
 This week students have been completing sign-up forms and attend will be invited to talk with the leadership team so we
they need to return them to the MS Office no later than can better understand your concerns and hopefully find some
Tuesday of next week. The MS Office will then email a per- common ground that will allow your child to participate.
mission slip to the parents of children who have signed
up. Parents need to sign this form on Wednesday afternoon The MS CWW Overview provides a summary of the different
and your child needs to return it to the MS Office on Thurs- CWW events that are on offer at each grade level and allows all
day. Please note that parents are more than welcome to parents to see the wide range of options that we offer our MS
come and support their child or if interested, they can cre- students. Below you can find a brief summary that shares some
ate their own teams and join in the event! (Same price for additional details.
adults!)
 Grade 5:
 There will be food vendors and refreshments available if The G5 students kick off their CWW experience with an off-
your child wishes to purchase something to eat and drink. If campus trip to Camayan Beach Resort (Subic Bay). Here stu-
your child is participating in this event, please remember to dents will explore wildlife in need, participate in scientific sam-
send some extra money with them! Alternatively, students pling activities and experience a dolphin encounter. Students
can bring a snack from home to enjoy before/during the return to ISM on Wednesday after having spent Monday and
event. (Water stations are available and there is no cost for Tuesday night away from home. On Thursday and Friday stu-
water.) dents are on-campus working with our service partners from
Papaya Academy.
 Please be aware that we are striving to make this a ‘plastic
free’ event. If you are sending in a drink for your child, For many Grade 5 students this may be the first time they have
please make sure it is in a reusable container and make sure been away from home and this experience is a learning journey
all food/snack containers are eco-friendly! for parents as well as students! If you have any questions about
this trip, please feel free to talk to your child’s G5 teacher, the
G5 Program Leader (Carmen Dolman) or the G5 Counselor (Diana
van der Merwe). Please note that we respectfully request that
G5 parents do not book a room in the same resort as this im-
pedes your child’s ability to fully participate in the activities
and it sends a message that you do not think they will be
safe. Amanda and I are happy to chat with any parents who
have high anxiety levels about this upcoming trip and we can
share strategies that have proven highly successful in the past in
alleviating parental anxiety and, ever so gently, nudge you out
of your own comfort zones.

 Grade 6:
Students in G6 will gain deeper insights into our host country of
the Philippines and they will also examine sustainable communi-
ties. Students will conduct day trips to some of the following
sites - La Mesa Watershed, Corregidor, Tzu Chi Recycling Center
and the International Rice Research Institute. Students will step
outside of the “Fort Bonifacio Bubble” in order to develop deep-
Classroom Without Walls (CWW): er understandings of life in the Philippines.
The February CWW events are scheduled for the week of Febru-
ary 5th - 9th. Student excitement about this event is mounting
 Grade 7:
and teachers are carefully finalizing logistical details. While we
Leadership development and community outreach is the over-
are sure your child has shared their excitement with you, and
arching focus of the G7 CWW experience. Students will have
you have read, signed and returned the various permission slips,
the opportunity to select two sites from our established service
we wanted to provide additional information regarding these
partners - rED, GK Build, Kids International, papaya Academy,
events.
Cottolengo, and Love 2 Learn. One site selection is based on
First and foremost, it is important to note that the CWW experi- the ISM campus and the other site is off campus. Please note
ence is a pivotal part of our MS program and attendance is com- that the G7 students return to school each day and do not
sleep over during this CWW experience.
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 Grade 8:  In the past it happened more than once that a teacher spent
The G8 students CWW experience focuses on the concept of be- hours in a local hospital with a student, waiting for their
ing a change agent. Students can choose from a range of local turn and then being told that tetanus vaccine was not avail-
sites (Makabata Foundation, Performance with Passion and able in the province.
SPECs Home for Boys) or provincial sites (Stairway Foundation,
Subic Adventure, Pawikan Center Turtle Sanctuary, GK Enchant-  Please also consider that AFTER an injury (post exposure)
ed Farm and Chosen Children’s Village). Site selection will de- more shots are necessary than BEFORE (pre exposure) to
termine whether the students return to school at the end of protect the body against the infection with Clostridium bac-
each day or stay overnight for 4 nights.
teria.
CWW and a Message from the ISM Clinic:
Should you have further questions, or do not know your
 With CWW approaching fast please take a minute to check if child’s vaccination status please get in touch with the
your child’s vaccination record for tetanus is still up to clinic at [email protected], phone 840 8582.
date. If it is 10 years or more, a booster shot is needed.
 Every injury during CWW is reported to the clinic and for Kind regards,
any wound from an object that may have been in contact Rachel and Amanda
with soil or dirt we check the tetanus status. It is good prac-
tice to ensure that the injured person is protected against
Clostridium infection, causing tetanus (with a mortality of
about 50%).

MS TRACK & FIELD ALUMNI NEWS

Open to all Middle School Students!!

MS TRACK SIGN UP HERE

PLEASE COMPLETE BEFORE THE TRYOUTS

CALENDAR DATES:
Tryout Dates (attendance both days is a MUST to be selected
for the team)
 Mon 12 Feb - 3:15-4:45pm - HS Track
 Tues 13 Feb - 3:15-4:45pm - HS Track
 PLEASE NOTE if there is a valid reason that you
are unable to attend a session please email me
Colm Connolly ‘82 is a corporate litigator
beforehand [email protected] and prosecutor in Delaware and has been
Practice Days (attendance both days is a MUST to be selected nominated for the United States Federal Ju-
for the team)
diciary. He was a US Attorney from 2001—
 Sprints, Distance, Jumps - Mon & Thurs - 3:15-
4:45pm - HS Track 2009 where he established the Delaware
 Throws - Mon & Fri - 3:15-4:45pm - HS Track Anti-Terrorism Council
 PLEASE NOTE TRACK TRYOUTS & PRACTICE
DAYS DO NOT CLASH WITH MIXED TOUCH
This is his second nomination for the Feder-
TRACK MEET DATES:
 Sat 24 Feb 6am - 4pm @ Brent al Bench, we wish him the best of luck!
 Sat 10 Mar 6am - 4pm @ Brent
 Fri 6 Apr Twilight 4-8pm @ ISM
Please contact Maica Cruz of the Alumni Office
Thanks,
Coach Relf & Coach Quinn at alumni@ismanilaorg to share your Alumni
Bearcat News!
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ATHLETICS & ACTIVITIES

First up….IASAS Tennis housing update- We are very close  Feb 9-11 Wall climbing team- Hong Kong Climb-
with completing our housing just 2 or 3 more host families ing competition
needed. Please help house a pair of visiting IASAS tennis  Feb 12 MS S3 tryouts begin(Badminton/
players… see link below to register online. Tennis athletes Track&Field/Mixed Touch)
arrive Wed Jan 31st.
Information on our ES/MS Activities program is available on
Housing forms for hosting IASAS tennis players Jan 31-Feb 4 is the ES and MS Activities blogs. Links to these blogs are on the
available here. If you are participating in our tennis program helpful shortcuts menu on the home page of the ATAC blog
S2 or were housed at a S1 IASAS event in Bangkok or Singa- or accessible via the ISM website.
pore please help out by housing a pair of tennis players.
Bearcat community support is encouraged and needed to For our Sailfish swim team program please check information
support these events. about tryouts at Sailfish blog

Season 3 will begin Feb 4 through until mid April. Tryouts For gymnastics team information please check Gymnastics
and practice schedules are now posted on ATAC blog sched- blog Look for Coach Jas or Coach Ramon at the MS gym
ules page and on divisional notice boards at school. S3 sports when attending training sessions.
for MS- Track&Field, Badminton and Mixed Touch. HS S3
sports are Baseball, Softball, Track&Field, Badminton and Please note the practice times for ATAC programs for SY 17-
Golf. 18 are as follows:
 All year round team team training sessions are – 3:15-
The S2 practice schedule concludes next week and team will 4:30. See schedule for our All year round
have their final events this coming weekend and next week- teams program here…
end and their training sessions will conclude week of Jan 22-  See Sailfish blog for swim squad start and finish times
26 for most teams. Thanks to all for your S2 participation. after the tryouts period has concluded and squads have
been finalised.
For our year round teams practice schedules are posted on  Gymnastics team training is 3:10-4:50pm every M,W,F
notice boards around the school and on the schedules page
of the ATAC (Athletics) blog and provided in the ink below. All HS seasonal teams practice from 3:05- 4:50pm.
MS seasonal teams practice 3:15-4:40pm.
All season sports sched 17-18.xls – 17-18 In order to clear the campus prior to 5pm all after school
programs will conclude by 4:50pm or earlier. The last bus
Please take the time to navigate the ATAC blog as it is our is 4:55pm this is due to the ever increasing traffic concerns
one stop shop for all information related to the competitive in our area.
ISM sports program.
Parents and students please take some time to peruse the
Upcoming Events: *matches at ISM unless specified as *away ATAC blog it has a wide variety of information and links to
venue. Check ATAC game schedule at the parent portal for our sports and activities program. If you have any questions
all the midweek and weekend matches upcoming. Please regarding the competitive program of sports at ISM after
check on a regular basis as venues and time do change at reading the information on the blog please send an email
short notice. Players will always be informed by their coach- to [email protected] and I will assist you as best I can.
es if times/venues change.
 Jan 20 MS Boys Gold basketball away at Brent Bearcat Den- drop by our fantastic spirit store. There is a a
 Jan 20 Rugby at ISM(Varsity finals)/Touch finals range of new products and items to purchase including items
at Brent/ISM HS Swim meet from our service partners.
 Jan 24,25 and 27 HS Hardeman Cup Basketball at
Faith/ISM
 Jan 27 Rugby finals at Faith (u/13, u/15 and Best Regards,
u/17 divisions) Mark Pekin
 Feb 1-3 IASAS S2 Championships- Tennis at ISM/ Director of Athletics & Activities
Basketball at ISB/Rugby and Touch at TAS/
Swimming at JIS www.iasas.asia for live stream
action and results
 Feb 5 HS S3 tryouts begin(Badminton/
Track&Field/Golf/Softball/Baseball)
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ADMISSIONS & ADVANCEMENT

Leaving ISM?

Students Leaving During the School Year:

Parents are obliged to officially inform the Admissions Office through a Withdrawal Notification Form
at least (15) days prior to your child’s last day of school.

Students Leaving at the End of the School Year:

Parents are obliged to officially inform the Admissions Office through a Withdrawal Notification Form
on or before the second Friday of May.

The Withdrawal Notification Form and complete Withdrawal Procedure can be down-
loaded from HERE and submitted to the Admissions Office.

Instructions for Demographic Update

We encourage all families to check their demographic information and make necessary
updates. CLICK HERE for the step-by-step instructions on how to do this.
Please contact your School Office for PowerSchool log-in information.

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ISM UPCOMING EVENTS

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Calling all ISM families for the first PCA event of 2018! Join
us for the ISM PCA Family Build event with rED on Saturday,
27 January 2018 from 7:30 am - 12:00 noon.

rED or Renovate to Educate aims to restore classrooms, li-

braries and playgrounds of public schools all over the Philip-
pines. For our upcoming event, we will visit a local high
school in Taguig (just over 4 km from ISM) to help with re-
storing chairs, tables, and painting a community mural.

Slots are limited. Please sign up through this link: https://

goo.gl/forms/LO89LrebxcCYhR9o2

Please note that this is a parent-child event. Meet us at the

ES playground or at the build site.

Directions to the site:

Rene Cayetano Memorial Science and Technology High
School
https://goo.gl/maps/fvmM13UEK942

Hope you can join us!

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Call for Art: Gavel & Block + ISM Art Auction for the Benefit of
the VSH Scholarship

Gavel & Block and ISM would like to invite you to take part in
"benefit" -- an auction in support of the Vicky SyCip Herrera Filipi-
no Scholarship. The Filipino Scholarship Program seeks to fund
local national students of exceptional ability but whose parents
lack the financial capacity to fund an education at IS Manila. Since
1967, ISM's Filipino Scholarship Program has changed the lives of
over 150 students -- and often the lives of their families as well.
Your participation in this auction will contribute to the fund that
that will provide for the continuing tuition and support for an ad-
ditional, truly deserving Filipino Scholar.

We welcome consignment or donations of art pieces, jewelry,

antique & modern furniture, as well as other valuable items.
Please email images and details of your items
to [email protected] before February 28, 2018.
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