ISSUE # 2

MIDDLE SCHOOL
WEEK OF: AUGUST 26 to 30

SY 2013 2014

Friday Bulletin
Inside this issue:
Security Office Admissions & Advancement Human Resource Office MS Media Center ATAC Office ISM Upcoming Events

Weekly Publication for Middle School Parents

Dear Parents, We hope everyone is safe after the rains and flooding earlier this week. It was unfortunate that we had to cancel school for the day, and also our MS Back to School Night. We would like to invite parents to our rescheduled night on Tuesday, September 3, 2013, from 5:00 7:30 p.m. beginning in the Fine Arts Theater. Also, on Thursday, August 29, we are hosting a New Parent Coffee. If you are a new parent, please plan on joining us. Have a fabulous weekend! Yours in Education, Simon Gillespie Middle School Principal Clarissa Sayson Middle School Assistant Principal

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Powerschool Update:
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Progress Reports Access

Events & Activities:

House Logo Design Contest now on! Go to Ms. Morgan's blog for more information and get your designs in by August 29. Winner receives fame and glory!
AMIS Boys Honor Choir auditions will start next week, on Thursday August 29! Please see Ms. Hausman in Rm. 1115 as soon as possible to sign up, and get your questions answered. We are going to take a dozen of our best high and low voices to represent ISM at the festival in Jakarta this October! Please also check Ms. Hausman's blog for details.
AUGUST

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National Holiday New Parent Coffee New Student Social Activity

SEPTEMBER

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MS Open House Parent Workshop

Dear Parents,

Operations and Security

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
We will be issuing new parent IDs for the school year 2013/14. To reduce the inconvenience to parents of this replacement program, the old parent ID cards will be valid for school access until the end of the first semester on December 18th, 2013. The standard new parent cards will be issued free of charge. Parents may, however, elect to apply for a smartcard ID which will be usable with the new cashless payment system being introduced into the school for SY 2013 14. There will be a fee of P250.00 for a smartcard which covers in part the registration fee the school is required to pay for each card issued. The security office is now processing applications for the new parent IDs. As we require new photographs for the cards parents are asked to visit the security office for the taking of their picture.

School Passes
School passes issued to parents employees and representatives need to be replaced for next school year. As of August 31, 2013 the orange bordered passes will be invalid. The security office is now accepting applications for new school passes. 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 Cashiers 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 visitors business within the school. Visitors will need to surrender a photo -ID upon entry to campus.

Car Stickers
The car stickers for school year 2013/2014 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 vehicles certificate of registration and a current 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 cashiers 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. Further to this, old ISM stickers issued in previous years should be removed.

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. Further to this, old ISM stickers issued in previous years should be removed. Vehicles not displaying a current car sticker will not be allowed access from August 31, 2013. During peak hours (drop off and pick-up times), all vehicles without valid stickers and randomly 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 the occupants 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 students they should exit the school grounds and not return more than 30 minutes before dismissal time. Those who repeatedly 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 visitors 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, MICHAEL FLYNN Director of Operations

Dear Parents, Please be reminded that keeping your contact information updated is vital to facilitating communication with the school. If you would like to view/change any of the details on your current record, simply follow the steps below:

Welcome to the Middle/High School Canteen!

Debit System Information A debit payment system for food services is now available to all MS/HS students. This debit system provides customers with a cashless payment system in the MS/HS Canteen once the customer's ID has been loaded with funds. Cash payments will continue to be permitted for those who still prefer to use cash. ISM targets to go cashless at the Canteen in the future. Note: Customers must have an International School Manila ID that contains a smart chip to be used for loading and swiping. There are three (3) options to load the card: At the kiosks located either next to the ATM or near the canteen Online through the website and by using a credit card or PayPal School Cashier's Office

If you have more than one child, the funds go into a family account. You will then need to log on to http://campusonline.ismanila.org to allocate the funds to your individual children.

Should you have any questions about any of the above information please feel free to email campusonline@ismanila.org 5

Dear Students in grades 8 and 9 and their families: We have 3 New York Times Bestselling authors visiting ISM on September 12th! Through a special arrangement with National Bookstore, on September 12th, 2013, our 8th and 9th graders will have the opportunity to listen to, and engage with: Margaret Stohl- featured book- Icons #1 of the seriesAlison Noel- featured book- Mystic #3 of the seriesMelissa De La Cruz- featured book- Frozen #1 of the seriesThese writers of Young Adult fiction will discuss their motivation and inspiration for writing, as well as answer questions during an assembly on 12 September from 7:45 am until 8:45 am. The targeted audience age group for these dystopian fiction novels is from upper Middle School through High School age. Some of the books deal with more mature ideas and concepts. National Bookstore has copies of all of these, and there are limited copies available in the MS and HS Media Centers for pre-reading. National Bookstore will also be selling pre-signed copies of their latest publications during the day of the assembly, plus copies of some of the authors other titles at a 20% discounted rate! If your student would like to purchase one of the newest releases, the costs for the newest releases are:

Title Icons- paperback Mystic- paperback Frozen- paperback

20% discounted rate from National Bookstore Php 319.20 Php 372.00 Php 396.00

It is very exciting to have these authors visit our school; I am sure they will be an inspiration to many promising authors here in the Middle School and High School! Kind regards, Meg Parry and Alicia Duell MSMC and HSMC Teacher/Librarians

Tryouts for seasonal teams have now concluded and our program will get into full swing next week after an interrupted week due to the heavy rains. Practices for High School and Middle School volleyball, cross country and soccer teams, along with our ES Rifa Festival soccer teams will be all systems go from next Tuesday, August 27th. The practice schedule is available on this blog: http://atac.ism-online.org/schedules/hs/ and is also posted on notice boards around the school. Our annual HS Friday Night Lights twilight opening season soccer and volleyball matches will be on August 30th v.s. Faith Academy. This will be a great chance to come out and show your support for our ISM varsity teams. Soccer matches will start at 4:00 p.m. at the HS and MS fields and the volleyball will be in the HS and MS gyms. For new families, take some time to peruse the ATAC blog as this will help orientate you with the wide variety of co-curricular programs ISM offers. A great way to stay in touch with the ISM ATAC program is to subscribe via RSS feed to the ATAC blog and also to follow via twitter (see twitter feed on the blog home page). Each Monday, I will post the weeks happenings and highlight important events for students and parents information on the ATAC blog and in the regular Friday parent bulletins. For Sailfish swimming information, check the Sailfish blog for all details. The swimming pool reopened on August 19th after a major renovation over the summer. PE classes returned to the water and sailfish swim team tryouts started yesterday, August 22nd. For our all-year round teams (Chess, Table Tennis, Martial Arts, Wall Climbing and Gymnastics): Please consult the schedule on the blog or flyers on the notice boards at school. Have a great year at the Home of the Bearcats! Regards, Mark Pekin Director of Athletics/Activities

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