Weekly Publication for Middle School Parents Dear Parents: Welcome to school year 2010 – 2011! After a busy orientation period and hours of preparing the classrooms, we are delighted to have the children back in school. On Wednesday it was a delight to meet so many families during the New Parent and Student Orientation. If you are new to the ISM community, please know that ou r doors are always open and we will do our best to ease the transition for you and your child. On Thursday, August 19 we have a New Parent Coffee planned, starting at 7:45 A.M., and we hope you will plan to join us. The first day of school went smoothly and we thank ev eryone for contributing to a successful start. The enthusiasm on the students’ faces as they greeted one another in the halls, made new friends, and attended classes renewed life on campus. We are thrilled to have all of our students from Grade 5 to Gr ade 8 livening up the halls and rooms of ISM. Together with the teachers, we are looking forward to an exciting year ahead. As the school year commences, please t ake note of the following points: • Since after school clubs and activities have not yet started, students are expected to be off campus by 3:00 P.M. Please make the necessary transportation arrangements so that your child is picked up promptly at dismissal time. • Student planners have been distributed during Homebase. Please spend some time w ith your child reviewing the student handbook portion of the planner. Important information regarding grades, homew ork, discipline and other policies is contained in the handbook. It is expected that all students be familiar with and ad here to established policies and procedures. At the back of the planner is an acknowledgement letter that we ask all parents to sign and return to school. • It is vital that the office has the most current contact information for each family in the event of an emergency or school closure. Please call the offic e to update your landline a nd/or cell phone number. Should you have any questions or concerns regarding your child’s education here at ISM, please contact the Middle School Office at 840-8550. We look forward to working with you and your child throughout the year. Sincerely, Danielle Fredericks Clarissa Sayson From the Middle School Office ISSUE # 01 WEEKOF AUG. 09 TO 13, 2010 Middle School MIDDLE SCHOOL August 20 - Grade Update Sept. 03 - Progress Report Distribution (via courier) Sept. 17 - Grade Update PowerSchool Grade Update Upcoming Events August 16 Grade 5 Assembly (2:20 P.M., LT) 17 Grade 6 Assembly (2:20 P.M., LT) 17 MS Open House (5:00 P.M., FAT) 18 New Student Luncheon (11:00 A.M., AMR) 18 Grade 7 Assembly (2:20 P.M., LT)19 New Parent Coffee (7:45 A.M., Rm. 1057) 19 Grade 8 Assembly (2:20 P.M., LT) 20 Courtyard Event (3:00 P.M., Courtyard)
Welcome to school year 2010 – 2011! After a busy orientation period and hours of preparing the classrooms, we aredelighted to have the children back in school.
On Wednesday it was a delight to meet so many families during the New Parent and Student Orientation. If you are newto the ISM community, please know that our doors are always open and we will do our best to ease the transition for youand your child. On Thursday, August 19 we have a New Parent Coffee planned, starting at 7:45 A.M., and we hope youwill plan to join us.
The first day of school went smoothly and we thank everyone for contributing to a successful start. The enthusiasm on
the students’ faces as they greeted one another in the halls, made new friends, and attended classes renewed life oncampus. We are thrilled to have all of our students from Grade 5 to Grade 8 livening up the halls and rooms of ISM.Together with the teachers, we are looking forward to an exciting year ahead.
As the school year commences, please take note of the following points:
• Since after school clubs and activities have not yet started, students are expected to be off campus by 3:00 P.M.Please make the necessary transportation arrangements so that your child is picked up promptly at dismissal time.
• Student planners have been distributed during Homebase. Please spend some time with your child reviewing thestudent handbook portion of the planner. Important information regarding grades, homework, discipline and otherpolicies is contained in the handbook. It is expected that all students be familiar with and adhere to establishedpolicies and procedures. At the back of the planner is an acknowledgement letter that we ask all parents to signand return to school.
• It is vital that the office has the most current contact information for each family in the event of an emergency orschool closure. Please call the office to update your landline and/or cell phone number.
Should you have any questions or concerns regarding your child’s education here at ISM, please contact the Middle SchoolOffice at 840-8550. We look forward to working with you and your child throughout the year.
M I D D L E S C H O O L F R I D AY B U L L E T I N P AG E 3
Message from the ClinicWe would like to offer a hearty welcome/welcome back to school from the Clinic Staff. We hope youhad a fun summer holiday and are ready for the excitement and challenges to come during the schoolyear 2010/11.
This is the first of many messages you will see from us in the newsletter as we use this publication to get important mes-sages out to parents. Today, we need to bring your attention to a few relevant, local medical issues in the understand-ing that prevention is better than cure. We thought a little sensible advice would be helpful.
Dengue is a disease spread by mosquitoes. During the rainy season, there is increased risk of dengue in all areas and thisyear there has been a significant rise in cases in some areas of the Philippines. The best way to avoid this potentiallyserious illness is to avoid getting bitten. Use insect repellent or keep covered up, close doors and mosquito screens athome and consider using a mosquito net over the bed. Check your homes for areas of standing water such as vases, plantholders, blocked gutters and drainage grids for example. Remove these and the mosquitoes have nowhere tobreed. There is no vaccine to protect you against this illness and for some people it causes relatively minor problems butfor others it can be a very serious illness. As we said before- prevention is better than cure! If you would like any furtherinformation please contact the clinic and we will be happy to advise you.
Malaria is generally not a significant problem in urban areas but there has been increased concern recently about a num-ber of cases reported in the Philippine provinces. Our advice is to seek information on the risk of malaria if you are trav-elling out of town. This is best done at least a month before your trip so that you can take anti malaria medication if necessary. The Philippines certainly has less of a problem with this illness than many tropical countries but it is alwayssensible to check as this is a continually developing disease and can pop up in otherwise safe areas from time to time.
Tuberculosis is a common disease in the Philippines and up to 60% of Philippine nationals will test positive for TB expo-sure. We recommend that you ask your helpers, yayas, drivers etc. to be tested for TB before you employ them and if they show any signs of TB such as a persistent cough, fever, weight loss etc. (we can provide you with a complete list of symptoms if you wish). A chest xray seems to be the preferred method of testing as treatment is only readily availablefor most Philippine nationals with active disease. Anyone in close contact with the family should be checked to ensurethat your family is protected.
Dehydration and heat stroke are year round issues as we are all losing fluids throughout the day and may not realizejust how easy it is to become dehydrated. Always, always make time and provision to drink adequate amounts of good,old fashioned water. The simplest and the best way to avoid the effects of dehydration. Don’t wait until your mouth isdry, drink water regularly. The best rule is to make sure you always have a fresh bottle of water with you wherever yougo and to make sure the children have access to water at all times.
If you would like any further information on any of the above, please do not hesitate to contact the clinic or your owndoctor. A few of useful websites are: http://www.wpro.who.int/health_topics http://wwwnc.cdc.gov/travel/destinations/philippines.aspx http://www.doh.gov.ph/
On a separate issue, it may be good to take this opportunity to advise you of the medication policy in Middle School. If your child needs to take medication during the school day, please advise the clinic. Your child may carry one day’sworth of medication with them to take as prescribed but no more than that. If you wish the medication to be given in
the clinic, please bring the medication and copy of prescription to the clinic and sign an authorization form for us to ad-minister the medication. All medication should be clearly labeled with the child’s name and dosage details.
Sorry to get down to business so early in the year but we aim to work together with you and your families to keep thechildren at ISM healthy and able to make the very best of all the learning opportunities available to them. Finally, wewish the children and their families a very happy, healthy and successful year at ISM.
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From the Security and OperationsAccess and parking within the campus are important security and safety issues. For the well-being of all members of theISM community, those entering the school campus are requested to follow the procedures outlined below.
Vehicular Access
During drop-off and pick-up times, vehicles may enter through Gates 2 and 3. Those entering through Gate 2 should pro-ceed to the drop off area and, once the student has alighted or boarded, they should exit via Gate 1. Those vehiclesentering through Gate 3 must turn into the covered parking area and use the designated drop-off areas. All vehiclesmust exit through Gate 1.
Alternatively, vehicles entering through Gate 3 may park in the covered car park. The spaces reserved for parent drivencars should only be used by those vehicles which are driven by parents themselves. Vehicles in which parents are travel-ing, but which are driven by a driver, should not use these spaces. Rather, they should park elsewhere in the coveredcar park or make use of the outside spaces next to the power center.
Please note that Gate 2 may only be used by vehicles displaying a valid ISM vehicle sticker.
Family/company drivers should not remain within school once they have delivered a student. They should exit the school
and return no sooner than 30 minutes before the scheduled pick up time.Visitors to ISM may only enter through Gate 3. There is an area for short stay visitors’ parking near Gate 1.
The Pedestrian Gate
LocationThe pedestrian gate is located in the perimeter fence mid-way between Gate 1 and Gate 2. There is a paved area be-tween 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 willonly be open between 7:00 and 7:45 (8:00 to 8:45 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.
Drop-off ProcedureDrivers should stop adjacent to the paved area and students should alight from the right side of their vehicle. The drivershould then move off, clearing the space for other vehicles dropping off students. Under no circumstances should a stu-dent be dropped off from the middle lane. This is dangerous as the student would need to walk across the front of an-other vehicle.
Drivers are reminded that traffic regulations forbid parking on the roads around ISM. Therefore, vehicles should only bestopping for the brief time it takes for a student to alight. Drivers must not wait for anybody to return to the vehicle.
Car Stickers
The car stickers for the school year 2010/2011 are available from the security office.
For vehicles already displaying an existing sticker, parents should submit a completed renewal form with a copy of thecurrent LTO official receipt. For new vehicles, parents are reminded that a copy of the vehicle’s certificate of registra-tion and a current official receipt need to be submitted with the application. Applications for vehicles registered withcompanies 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 pay-ment of Php100.00 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 rightcorner of the windshield. Further to this, old ISM stickers issued in previous years should be removed.
Vehicles not displaying this year’s car sticker will not be allowed access from August 30.
M I D D L E S C H O O L F R I D AY B U L L E T I N P AG E 5
(continued from page 4)
ID Cards
Parent IDsParent IDs issued in previous school year will continue to be valid for the new school year 2010/2011.
Parents who require replacement school IDs due to loss or damage can acquire these from the Security Office upon pay-ment of Php100.00 to the Cashier.
School PassesSchool passes issued to parents’ employees and representatives need to be replaced for this school year. As of August 30, 2010 the maroon bordered passes issued for the school year 2009/2010 will be invalid.
Each family will be given two free school passes. Additional school passes may be obtained after paying a processing feeof Php100.00 each to the Cashier’s Office.
Visitors’ PassesAll visitors must secure a pass from the guardhouse at Gate 3. Before entry will be allowed, a telephone check will bemade with the relevant office to confirm the visitor’s business within the school.
Vehicle checks
The practice of inspecting vehicles will continue. During off-peak hours all vehicles will be checked before they are al-lowed to enter the campus. During peak hours (drop off and pick-up times), all vehicles without valid stickers and ran-domly selected vehicles with stickers will be asked to undergo an examination.
Whether an examination is conducted or not, it is important that the security staff at the gates are able to identify theoccupants of vehicles entering the campus; therefore IDs must be clearly displayed. Vehicles with tinted windows mustroll down windows to allow a clear view of the interior of the vehicle.
Drivers, Helpers and Bodyguards
Drivers, helpers and bodyguards should not be waiting on campus for students throughout the school day. After droppingoff students they should exit the school grounds and not return more than 30 minutes before dismissal time. Those whorepeatedly 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 be-fore the scheduled pick up time.
There are designated areas for unaccompanied drivers, yayas, helpers and security escorts to wait for parents and stu-dents. Unless specifically authorized, they may not enter any other area. In the interest of security, and to prevent con-gestion at the pedestrian entrances to the covered parking area, parents are requested to emphasize to their employeesthe 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 afirearm should inform the gate guard and arrangements will be made for the weapon to be safely and securely storedduring 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 ourcampus are requested to comply with any directions given to them by members of our guard force. In the event thatanyone is unclear as to the purpose of such instructions they can seek clarifications from the security office. Please notethat it is the parents’ responsibility to advise their staff accordingly.
Thank you for your cooperation. We are looking forward to another successful year at International School Manila.
M I D D L E S C H O O L F R I D AY B U L L E T I N P AG E 7
From the Athletics & Activities Office
Dear ISM Parents and Students,
Welcome to school year 10-11 and I hope that everyone had a restful summer vacation.This summer a number of projects were completed to upgrade our wonderful sports fa-cilities. The biggest was the installation of the new MS artificial field and grandstand with extra perimeterfloodlighting. Other minor projects were: an expansion of the bearcat den shop and a PA system for ESgym and electrical winches for the basketball goals in the ES gym.
Our sports year will begin this Friday with tryouts for HS teams and then next week MS tryouts will begin.Please see the schedules in this bulletin for details. New students should go to the venues listed or if youhave questions please come to the ATAC office (near MS gym) to ask for assistance. The first season prac-tice schedule will be posted during tryouts week and the weekly game schedule which is posted on theATAC website and divisional websites which list all weekday/weekend sports fixtures against local schoolswill be up and running as of Monday August 9 th .
IASAS Events/dates for 10-11 can also be found on the ATAC website and ISM is looking forward to host-ing the IASAS Basketball and Badminton tournaments this year in January and April.Please remember that students involved in the ATAC program are expected to house visiting studentswhen it is our turn to host events. This year we require housing for the following events:Jazz Exchange - Sept. 17-19ISTA MS Drama Festival - Nov. 19-21Tennis Exchange - Nov. 19-21IASAS Basketball - Jan. 26-30
IASAS Badminton - April 17-21
If you would like to get in early and register to house for any of the above events please contact JoanBadiango at the ATAC office for information.
Bearcat Den: the Bearcat Den located next to the cafeteria will be open for business the 2 nd week of school. The den functions to sell ISM Bearcats related merchandise to the ISM community and proceedsare used to support student activities/events/projects during the school year. The den is staffed by awonderful group of volunteer parents and this group is always looking for new parents to join them. Work-ing in the den is a great way to meet ISM parents and to have a meaningful role in supporting students atour school. If you are interested in joining the Bearcat den staff of volunteers or finding out more, please
contact the ATAC office or one of the den staff during den open hours.
The Bearcat Den executive committee meets monthly after the HS parent coffee to plan and coordinateden activities and events during the school year.
Mark PekinAthletics/Activities DirectorInternational School [email protected]
