es parent bulletin vol#16 2014 may 9

9 May 2014 Volume 16

ES PARENT BULLETIN International School Manila

IMPORTANT DATES TO REMEMBER

MAY

7, 14, 21, 28

Wednesday Morning Student Late Start, 8:30AM

9, 23 Parent Bulletin

8, 9 Grade 4 Ambassador Program

12 - 16 Grade 4 MS Tour and Talk

17 K-12, Dance Recital, 3:00 - 5:00 PM (FAT)

23 ES 4th Quarter Assembly, 8:00 - 9:00 AM (FAT)

26, 27 AFAC Recital 3:30 - 4:30 PM (AMR

JUNE

5 Gr4 Moving on Ceremony, 8:00 - 10:00 AM (FAT) ES Early Release, 12NN

4 Wednesday Morning Student Late Start, 8:30AM

From the ES AdministrationFrom the ES Administration Dear Parents,

Being Safe in the Elementary School at ISM On Thursday we held a parent coffee morning where we focused on the safety of our Elementary School children. We began by talking about what we as a school had done over the preceding weeks in terms of reviewing student safety. Some points highlighted were: A review of all of our bathroom protocols ‐ during class, at specialist classes and in ac vi es a er school A review of our a endance protocols in terms of our a er‐school ac vi es procedures How we address ‘being safe’ within our curriculum Our hiring procedures of all who work at ISM We then talked about the language parents can use when talking to their children about being safe, especially in regard to their body. We acknowledged that, at this point in me, the school does not address the subject of bodily awareness and safe and unsafe touching explicitly within the Elementary curriculum, but we will be incorpora ng this into our framework for the start of the new school year in August, 2014.We noted how important it was to empower children to talk about such ma ers to trusted adults but without being alarmist. The final part of the session was devoted to small group discussions, where parents, facilitated by our Counselors, were

able to express their concerns and outline how they addressed such ma ers in their families. The most important element of the morning was that we have begun a conversa on with our community about what being safe at ISM looks like. Our Guidance Department will be providing resources, specifically tailored to ES parents next week. Mean me, the Leadership Team will be placing the issue of student safety and well‐being front and center as one of our school‐wide goals for the next academic year. Parent Teacher / Three Way Conferences Thank you for taking the me to come onto campus and discuss your child’s learning with their teacher. This was the first me we have had a second round of conferences and as such, we have taken feedback from the PTA, our teaching faculty

and our students, which we will input into developing next years process. We are looking at the ming of events and

9 May 2014 Elementary School Parent Bulletin

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From the Clinic TeamFrom the Clinic Team TIME TO SIGN UP FOR THE 2014 INFLUENZA VACCINATIONS Vaccina on Day ‐ Wednesday, May 21 Last day to sign up/pay ‐ Thursday, May 15 Price Php ‐ 500.00 Vaccine: Vaxigrip (Sanofi‐Pasteur)

Influenza, commonly known as ‘flu’ or ‘trangkaso’ is caused by the influenza virus, and is easily transmi ed through our hands or the air we breathe.

To be protected against influenza you should get the flu shot annually because the circula ng strains of the influenza virus change each year, hence the composi on of the vaccine is updated annually. For tropical countries the flu is present year–round with peaks during the months of July un l September.

Everyone with a valid ISM ID, teachers and their children may par cipate in this vaccina on session. Please complete the vaccina‐on payment form (available at the Cashier office and the Clinic) and make your payment to the Cashier. Payment must be made

not later than Thursday, May 15. The vaccines will then be ordered and no further registra ons can be accepted.

Fill in and sign one Influenza Vaccina on Consent Form per person (available for download from the ISM website or at the clinic) and present both documents on the vaccina on date.

If you have any ques ons please contact Jowell Custodio or Dorothee Binsfeld at the clinic:

Clinic numbers: 840 8581 (Dorothee)/82 (Jowell) Clinic email: [email protected]

Please note: • Influenza virus shots do not protect against common cold, some mes also referred to as “flu”. • The minimum age for the vaccina on in school is 3 years. Infants 6 month and older may be vaccinated by their pediatrician. • Children (8 years or younger) with no prior flu shot will need a second shot a er 28 days. • Pregnant women should get their shot from the second trimester onwards. • The “Southern hemisphere vaccine”, which we apply, covers all relevant strains of the Northern hemisphere as well. • Please refrain in case of egg protein allergy. • Vaccines will be solely administered at the clinic and cannot be handed out. All unused vaccines will be forfeited.

ensuring that we have the best alignment of when we are giving feedback to our students and parents in order to have a posi ve impact on our classrooms. A er School Ac vi es If your child is at school but is not a ending a er school ac vi es, please do inform the ES office, such that we can maintain accurate a endance records. Your support is greatly appreciated.

Adam Campbell Michael Rourke Elementary Principal Elementary Assistant Principal


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International School Manila ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

AFTER SCHOOL ACTIVITIES (ES-AFAC)

May 17– Dance Recital, 3:00 - 5:00 PM (FAT) May 26 - AFAC Recital, All Strings, 3:30 - 4:30 PM (AMR)

May 27 - AFAC Recital, ES Choir and Wind Instrument, 3:30 - 4:30 PM (AMR) May 30 - Last Day of AFAC


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Returning for school year 2014-2015? Dear Parents,

Please take a moment to review the re‐enrollment procedure for your child to a end classes on August 7, 2014.

STEP 1 ‐ Please complete this step immediately.

You are required to log‐in to POWERSCHOOL beginning March 17th to complete STEP 1 of the process.

A er May 22nd you will not have access to POWERSCHOOL and this may result in a delay for your child to a end classes on the first day of school for school year 2014‐2015.

Please check www.ismanila.org > Admissions > Re‐enrollment & Withdrawal page for the detailed step‐by‐step guide and required forms for students entering Grade 1, 6 and 9. To access the Parent Portal and PowerSchool, please down‐load the PDF instruc ons there.

The forms should be completed and submi ed to the appropriate offices at any me prior to the start of school in the Fall. We encourage you do start this process NOW to avoid long lines.

For informa on regarding your POWERSCHOOL access informa on please contact the school in which your child is

currently enrolled. For informa on regarding our Health Clinic Clearance procedures, please contact the Clinic at [email protected]. For informa on regarding billing or tui on and fees, please contact our Treasury department

at [email protected] (for billing) and [email protected] or [email protected] (for tui on and fees). May we request that if you are NOT RETURNING that you send the Admissions Office your official WITHDRAWAL NOTI‐FICATION FORM immediately as this will help us to clear student account(s) in a mely manner. We request one form per child. Please note: Parents who fail to no fy the school by Friday, 9th May that their children are leaving ISM will forfeit US$1,000 from each Facili es Upgrade Deposit. We appreciate your assistance with this procedure as we have many anxious families awai ng word regarding spaces for their children for school year 2014‐2015.

Stephanie Hagedorn Director, Admissions & Advancement


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From the Admissions & Advancement OfficeFrom the Admissions & Advancement Office

How to Access the Online Re‐Enrollment

1. Log in through the Parent Portal. h p://203.177.92.107/ParentPortal/

2. Enter your Username and Password. Click Login. Please contact the school office if you have forgo en your username/ pass‐word.


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(Con nued from page 4)

From the Admissions & Advancement OfficeFrom the Admissions & Advancement Office

3. Click the Powerschool link

4. Click the Re‐enrollment Clearance menu


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5. Click the Create Re‐enrollment Clearance Form link

6. Update Demographic informa on. Click Submit when done.


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7. Update Clinic informa on. Click Submit when done.

8. Download the appropriate forms and submit to the respec ve offices immediately.


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9. Click Sign Out when done. You will receive confirma on emails and a final Clearance Form once all steps are complete.

From the CMCFrom the CMC

CMC End-of-Year Schedule For Students and Parents

May 13 ‐ 19 Last classes for Browse and Borrow

May 20 Borrowing limit = 2 items for everyone

May 21 Absolute last borrowing date for everyone

May 22 All items due back from all patrons – students, parents Shelves are closed and audi ng begins

May 26 CMC closes its doors for general use Overdue no ces sent out to parents, students

May 28

Final overdue no ces sent to parents

May 29 Charges for non‐returned items sent to accoun ng

Step 1 of on‐line Re‐enrollment must be completed by May 22.

A er May 22 you will not have access to PowerSchool and this may result in a delay for your child to a end class on the first day of school for SY 2014‐15.


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Re-enrollment: SY1415 Returning Students: Medical Update

Dear Parents,

As you may know, for a number of years we have had required medical check‐ups for students at different stages in their school lives: G1; G5; G9. In recogni on of the increasing concern about heart health, especially in conjunc on with physical exercise in a tropical climate, we shall be introducing a mandatory Electro‐Cardiogram (ECG) test for older students. Sudden Cardiac Death in Adolescents, especially during spor ng ac vity, is a recognized syndrome and well over 100 children a year die of this in the USA. Medical advice is that it makes sense to test only students who are 12 years old and beyond. In light of this, we shall now have two thresholds for medical examina ons instead of the present three. These will be in Grade 1 and Grade 6. At Grade 1, there will be a physical examina on performed by a duly accredited doctor as is the case at present. At Grade 6, there will be a similar physical examina on but with the added compo‐nent of an ECG. All new students between G1 and G5 will have a physical examina on; all new students from G6 onward will have a physical examina on and the ECG. In order to "grandfather out" our present cohort of students, please note:

Incoming G6 students will have an ECG, but will not need a physical examina on, since this was done when they entered G5

Incoming G9 students will have the full medical examina on and an ECG.

Incoming G7 and G8 will have the full medical examina on and an ECG when they enter G9.

We shall con nue to encourage very strongly all athletes par cipa ng in Varsity sports to take an ECG. Over the course of the next years, this will mean that all ISM students from G6 onwards will have had a basic heart check‐up. The ECG is not defini ve, and there is a more sophis cated check that the doctor will recommend if any‐thing in the ECG causes concern. The test itself is very reasonably priced and is readily available at St Luke’s and Ma‐ka Medical Center as well as other hospitals. Please take a moment to review our re‐enrollment me‐line and procedures for all students returning for school year 2014‐2015: RE‐ENROLLMENT URL: h p://goo.gl/rCwCAo I do understand that adding this requirement of an ECG may be seen as an addi onal chore for parents and students at the me of re‐enrollment, but if such a test saves even one life then it will be well worth the extra effort.

Sincerely,

David Toze

Superintendent


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IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT FROM THE TEXTBOOK CENTER

Refund for LOST, PAID and Returned Textbook/s

EFFECTIVE IMMEDIATELY, PAYMENTS MADE FOR LOST TEXTBOOKS WILL ONLY BE REFUNDED, IF THE BOOK IS RETURNED WITHIN THE CURRENT SCHOOL YEAR OR THE FOLLOWING SCHOOL YEAR, AT THE LATEST. For questions, please email [email protected] or call 840-8517. Thank you.

From the Business Office: Treasury DepartmentFrom the Business Office: Treasury Department IMPORTANT NOTES ‐ FROM TREASURY OFFICE: School Year End Reminders In an cipa on of the year‐end clearance for SY2013‐2014, please note that only students with fully paid SY2013‐2014 fees will have their clearance forms signed by the cashier and will then have access to school documents such as report cards and tran‐scripts.

Likewise, for next school year’s incoming Pre‐School 4 to Grade 4 old students, sec on cards will be released by the Accoun ng Office on June 5, 2014 only if current school year (2013‐2014) fees are fully se led.

Parents and guardians are advised to se le the remaining fees at this me and check any addi onal charges that may come in May for immediate se lement in order to avoid long line of students who will clear their accounts towards the end of School Year in June.

Please be informed that peso checks will no longer be accepted a er the second Friday of May (May 16) while US$ checks will no longer be accepted a er the second Friday of April (April 11). This is to allow enough me for the check(s) to get cleared by the bank in me for the student clearance in June for SY2013‐ 2014. US dollar coins are not accepted by the cashier, however, the same can be converted to its peso equivalent to se le the remaining fees.

FROM CITIBANK

In accordance with the recent advisory made by Ci bank N.A. Philippines, please be informed that star ng January 01,2014 , CITI‐BANK US Dollar Account checks drawn from Ci bank N.A. Philippine Branch will no longer be cleared through Ci bank N.A. Agana Guam.

In effect, CITIBANK checks deposited to a local bank or bank abroad will be treated as collec on checks with clearing period of not less than 45 days. The said checks will no longer be acceptable for outright credit to both foreign currency deposit unit (FCDU) and PESO account un l the receipt of credit advice from Ci bank NA Philippines.

A collec on fee will also be imposed by depository banks (please see charges from BPI and HSBC below).

Furthermore, the student's account paid by the Ci bank check will not be considered as se led / paid for un l such me the check is advised to have been cleared by Ci bank. Addi onal surcharge maybe computed at the me that the check has not yet cleared and already falls a er the due date.

In this regard, we would like to advise our parents to deposit CITIBANK checks directly to the ISM CITIBANK account. Please DO NOT DEPOSIT CITIBANK Checks to other ISM local banks such as HSBC and BPI to prevent above‐men oned problems. Also re‐member to use your new set of dollar checks as advised by Ci bank to you. As per Ci bank, they have previously issued no fica‐on le ers to their account holders regarding this change.


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From the ATAC OfficeFrom the ATAC Office

4th season prac ces con nue this week for HS Boys and Girls Volleyball, HS Boys and Girls Soccer and HS Girls Basket‐ball. If you are interested in trying out for one of these teams next school year, come along and join in. Grade 8′s you are very welcome and encouraged to join these prac ces if you are planning on trying out for teams next school year. Please come along and meet the coaches. If you have ques ons talk to the following coaches for informa on… Boys and Girls Volleyball‐Coach Atkinson and Coach Child, Boys Soccer‐ Coach Ayling, MacInnes, Girls Soccer Coach Dodd and Girls Basketball Coach Juteau.

This coming Saturday May 10 is the annual Goodwill Gymnas cs meet, with 250 gymnasts entered this year it is going to be a great event. Meet starts at 8am and runs un l 5pm. Come along and support our ISM Gymnas cs team in ac‐on.

May 10 is also set for our TaeKwondo team to compete at the annual Interna onal Schools tournament. This year it will be held at Everest Academy close to ISM. Good luck to all our team members.

May 17 ISM will host our annual Judo tournament at the MS gym, this will be our final event of the year and is always a day full of ac on and Judo compe tors from all over the Philippines come together to test their skills.

Have a great year at the Home of the Bearcats!

Mark Pekin Athletic Director


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es parent bulletin vol#16 2014 may 9

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