MIDDLE SCHOOL

Friday Bulletin
Weekly Publication for Middle School Parents
ISSUE # 03
TO

From the Middle School Office

Dear Parents: Please note that PowerSchool will open to parents on Wednesday, August 31. If you do not have a password to access your account and check on your childs progress, please contact the MS Guidance office at 840-8555. Additionally, it is vital that the MS office has the most current contact information for each family in the event of an emergency or school closure. Please update your contact information by accessing PowerSchool. On Monday, August 29 and Tuesday, August 30 school will be closed due to national holidays. Classes resume on Wednesday, August 31. Enjoy the 4-day weekend! As part of our wellness program and ongoing commitment to health education, consultants from Freedom from Chemical Dependency (FCD) Educational Services will visit ISM from September 5 9. FCD is a non-profit organization that provides substance abuse prevention education for schools and colleges in the United States and around the world. Since 1976, they have taught over a million students of all ages. Their mission is to:

WEEK OF AUGUST 29 SEPTEMBER 02, 2011

Inside this issue:

From the Operations & Security Office From the Clinic Service & Environmental Learning News From the Athletics & Activities Office Girl Scout News Workshop for Parents English Language Course for Parents Filipino Course for Parents 2 3 4 5 6 7 8

UPCOMING EVENTS
AUGUST
29 30

Holiday (National Heroes Day) Holiday (Eid-Ul-Fitr)

SEPTEMBER
01 to 02 02 03 05 to 09 06 10 12 to Oct. 06 15 16 17 22 23 28 to 30 29 to 30

Provide

educational communities with the guidance and training necessary to implement comprehensive, effective approaches to substance abuse prevention students, parents, teachers, and school administrators on the physiological and psychological effects of alcohol and other drugs awareness of drug addiction, progressive, chronic and often fatal disease including alcoholism, as a

Student Council Voting New Student Social Activity (3:00 P.M., TBA) Service Learning Trip FCD Visit (Freedom from Chemical Dependency) FCD Parent Meeting (10:00 A.M., LT) Service Learning Trip MAP Testing Student Council Leadership Training (3:00 P.M., P045) No Classes (Faculty In-Service) Service Learning Trip Parent Coffee (7:45 A.M., LT) Courtyard Event (3:00 P.M., MS Courtyard) Grade 8 Team Building Grade 5 to 7 Team Building

Educate

Promote Teach

students and adults how to recognize the early warning signs of substance abuse and to intervene appropriately young people to make healthy, responsible choices regarding alcohol and other drug use and support the non-use of alcohol and other illegal or illicit drugs during the growing years.

Empower

Encourage

A parent meeting on Tuesday, September 6 starting at 10:00 11:15 A.M. in the Little Theater has been scheduled and all parents are invited to attend. For the duration of their stay, FCD presenters will meet with students, counselors, wellness teachers and administrators. Based on feedback from last year, we are confident that this program will be a valuable educational experience for our school community. We hope you will join us on Tuesday, September 6. Regards, Simon Gillespie Middle School Principal Clarissa Sayson Middle School Assistant Principal

October
01 04

Service Learning Trip PTA Travel Expo (7:30 A.M., LT)

POWERSCHOOL GRADE UPDATE August 31 Grade Update

September 02 Progress Reports Distribution September 09 Grade Update

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From the Operations & Security Office

Car Stickers The car stickers for the school year 2011/2012 are available from the security office. For vehicles already displaying an existing sticker, parents should submit a completed renewal form with a copy of the 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 Php100.00 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. Vehicles not displaying this years car sticker will not be allowed access from August 31. ID Cards Parent IDs Parent IDs issued in previous school year will continue to be valid for the new school year 2011/2012. Parents who require replacement school IDs due to loss or damage can acquire these from the Security Office upon payment of Php100.00 to the Cashier. School Passes School passes issued to parents employees and representatives need to be replaced for this school year. As of August 31, 2011 the light green bordered passes issued for the school year 2010/2011 will be invalid. 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.

Thank you for your cooperation. We are looking forward to another successful year at International School Manila. Best regards, Mike Flynn Director of Operations and Security

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From the Clinic

Hand washing This month we have welcomed everyone back with a focus on hand washing. Regular hand washing is the single most important means of preventing the spread of infection. We are reminding children to wash their hands with soap and water for 20 seconds before and after eating, after using the toilet, after sneezing, coughing and wiping noses and after playing outside. Please remind your children to do this at home as well to help them learn this healthy habit for life. Head lice We are on the look out to keep head lice out of the school. We are asking families to check your childrens hair over the long weekend for lice and nits. Head lice are tiny wingless insects that feed by sucking blood from the scalp. The females lay 5-6 eggs a day and use a sticky adhesive to glue the eggs to the hair shaft close to the scalp. The eggs are called nits. The signs and symptoms are
Unrelenting scalp itch Persistent head-scratching Scratch marks or a rash on the neck, crown of the head or behind the ears

There are a number of shampoo treatments available at pharmacies and you need a very fine-toothed lice comb to remove the lice from the hair. As eggs hatch every few days, you must repeat the combing and checking every 2-3 days for up to 10 days. Use conditioner in the hair to make the combing easier. Immunization Program This year we will be offering vaccination for HepA,Hep B, Typhoid and Flu within the clinic. This program is provided through GlaxoSmithKline. The first vaccines on offer are Hepatitis A and B on Wednesday September 28th. Hepatitis A (Adult) Hepatitis A (Junior) Hepatitis B (Adult) Hepatitis B (Junior) Hepatitis A and B combined vaccine (Adult) Hepatitis A and B combined vaccine (Junior) PHP 2,358.00 PHP 1,230.00 PHP 666.00 PHP 390.00 PHP 2,204.00 PHP 1,102.00

(Prices are per individual vaccine in a course of either 2 or 3 vaccinations) If you would like more information or you wish to sign up to receive any of the above vaccines, please call in at the clinic to pick up a registration form (next to the elementary canteen). Everyone with a valid ISM ID is welcome to participate in this program. Payment for these vaccines must be made to the Cashier by Friday September 17th. Clinic direct number: Email: 840 8580 clinic@ismanila.org

Coming soon First Aid workshop for Parents First Aid Workshop for yayas and drivers Asthma information morning Have a healthy and happy long weekend, Monique Reed & The Clinic Team ISM Clinic Coordinator reedmo@ismanila.org

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Service & Environmental Learning News

First Saturday Service of the Year is coming up on September 3. The Middle Schoolers have the opportunity to rehabilitate, reforest, preserve and protect La Mesa Watershed. The activity will run from 8:30 A.M. to 2:00 P.M. on September 3. Sign up and collect permission sheets in the Middle School Guidance Office. If you have any questions, ask Mr. Pasamba or Ms. Lim.

From the Athletics & Activities Office

Last Friday was a great opening night of the season for our Bearcats Volleyball and Soccer teams with some exciting matches against Faith Academy. A big thanks to our Bearcat Den helpers who ran the BBQ and sold drinks at the HS field. This group was led by Marilen and Bernadette from the Den and a few of our soccer moms who also helped on the night. Thank you for your time and effort to support the kids and the visiting spectators. Please note due to unforeseen circumstances our Judo Coach is unavailable to start coaching until Wed Aug 31st. Coach Mon our previous Judo instructor has taken up employment in Singapore and we are now interviewing for his replacement. We apologize for this inconvenience to the start of our Judo program. The ES/MS RIFA Soccer Schedules are now posted on the blog and on ES/MS notice boards outside the offices. The festival venues have changed as of Monday Aug 22nd so please check these carefully. All our MS/ES C teams will play their festivals at CSA this year and the ES - E1, E2 and G teams will play at ISM. The ATAC Blog (http://atac.ism-online.org/) is the one stop shop for information related to the sports/ activities programplease take some time to peruse the blog for information related to the Athletics/ Activities program at ISM. Until Power school opens general details of the weekly match schedule will be posted on the ATAC blog and in the Friday divisional bulletins
HS Varsity/JV Volleyball vs. Brent Varsity Girls Soccer vs. Miriam College

Friday, August 26th

Cross Country at Brent Varsity girls Soccer vs. Faith at ISM JV Girls Soccer vs. LaSalle Lipa at ISM MS Midgets B Soccer vs. DBTI at ISM

Saturday, September 3

Varsity Boys Soccer vs. Southridge at Southridge

Sunday, September 4th

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. Thanks to all our great volunteers who have gotten the den off to a smooth start this year. If you are interested in joining our group of volunteers in the Bearcat Den, please contact our BCD volunteers coordinator Radhika radhikasavantmohit@yahoo.com 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. Mark Pekin Director of Athletics/Activities International School Manila

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From the Office of Advancement

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Workshop for Parents

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English Language Course for Parents

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Filipino Courses for Parents