MIDDLE SCHOOL

Middle School
Weekly Publication for Middle School Parents ISSUE # 18
WEEK OF DECEMBER 14 TO 18, 2009

From the Middle School Office

Dear Parents:

For the past five days the Middle School celebrated Spirit Week and it was exciting to see the students who dressed
up and showed their Bearcat spirit. Thanks to the MS Student Council for organizing the theme days and the MS
Party.

The MS Concert was also held this week. Listening to the musical pieces offered by the band, choirs and string
groups gave the audience an opportunity to sit back and relax during a season of wonder and light. The students did
an outstanding job under the direction of their teachers Ms. Gander, Ms. Hausman, Mr. Howrey, and Mr. Ibero. A big
thanks to the Music Department for a wonderful evening of music.

On Tuesday, December 16 students and teachers will be involved in Sports Day. Each student has been assigned to
a house – Aklan, Baguio, Cebu, or Davao – and will have opportunities to participate in events throughout the day.
Please make sure that your child brings a hat, sunscreen and water on the day. All parents are invited to attend and
cheer on their child.

Next week is a short week for our students. Please take note of the following schedule:
• December 14 – Regular Schedule
• December 15 – Sports Day
• December 16
♦ Late Start for Students
♦ Early Release – Dismissal at 12:00 noon. Please make the necessary transportation arrangements so
that your child is picked up promptly at dismissal time.

As the semester draws to a close and grades are finalized please be informed that Powerschool will be closed
starting 5 January 2010 and will reopen on 15 January 2010. During this time teachers will be writing narrative
reports on each student.

During this festive time of year we'd like to wish all the families of the ISM community a warm and happy holiday
season. We hope you all have an opportunity to relax, reflect on and celebrate the achievements and
accomplishments of this past year. The students have earned a well deserved break. When we return in January,
we look forward to seeing their smiling faces and listening to their stories. Enjoy the holidays and best wishes for a
prosperous 2010!

Sincerely,

Danielle Fredericks Clarissa Sayson

Middle School Principal Middle School Assistant Principal

Upcoming Events PowerSchool Grade Update

January 05 Classes Resume

Jan. 05 - PowerSchool closes
09 Service Learning Activity: GK 777
Jan. 15 - PowerSchool opens
15 MS Courtyard Activity (3:00 P.M.)
Jan. 18 - First Semester
20 New Student Luncheon
21 MS New Parent Coffee (7:45 A.M., LT) Reports Distribution
25 to 29 MS Readers’ Week
M I D D LE S C H O O L F R I D A Y B U LLETIN PAGE 2

From the Guidance Department

The Price of Privilege: How Parental Pressure and
Material Advantage Are Creating
a Generation of Disconnected and Unhappy Kids

From Scientific American

Wandering among suburban estates, sports clubs and prep schools are overlooked children of a
perplexed generation. Their lives overflow with abundance and praise, yet ironically, the mask of
apparent health and success may hide a gloomy world of emptiness, anxiety and anger. Strangely,
argues Madeline Levine, a clinical psychologist practicing in Marin County, California, the nation’s
latest group of at-risk kids comes from affluent, well-educated families. Despite advantages, these
children experience disproportionately high rates of clinical depression, substance abuse, anxiety,
eating disorders and self-destructive (even self-mutilating) behaviors, according to various studies.
Based on criteria from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Levine says these
children "are exhibiting epidemic rates of emotional problems beginning in junior high school and
accelerating throughout adolescence." One may brush off these youngsters as overindulged prod-
ucts of wealthy, narcissistic parents. But Levine says many of these kids are really ill. They suffer
from a weak sense of self, often struggling to fill inner emptiness with objects and praise. Too often
they know something is wrong and grope desperately for help yet fail to escape a downward spiral.
Could it be, Levine wonders, that privilege, high expectations, competitive pressure and parental
over-involvement yield toxic rather than protective effects? Levine explores such issues as social
isolation, the fine line between parental under-involvement and overindulgence, and the perverse
role of money and material goods in creating false promises of fulfillment. Yearning for outward
approval, adolescents are particularly vulnerable to the delusion that wealth causes happiness. In
many cases, a rude awakening occurs only after many years of anxiety and depression. Levine’s
writing is surprisingly reflective and interesting. A constructive therapist, she offers practical guide-
lines and parenting strategies for those struggling with troubled teens. The advice is useful to any
parent of any income level and includes ways to foster healthy autonomy, impulse control and
sense of self. Levine emphasizes the importance of discipline, monitoring and limit setting as ways
to encourage kids to construct healthy "inner" homes. More important, parents must "stand on their
own two feet" before expecting their children to stand on theirs—noting that many parents scold
their children for social behaviors that they themselves cannot manage, such as substance abuse
and lack of self-discipline or self-assertion. Parents must strive to get their own inner homes in or-
der before they can expect kids to straighten out theirs.
Richard Lipkin
 M I D D LE S C H O O L F R I D A Y B U LLETIN PAGE 3

(Continued from page 2)

Sound interesting?
The Price of Privilege… is the book we will be reading for the next
Parent Book Group starting on Thursday, January 21, 2010 from 8
to 10am. This is a ten week course and regular attendance is ap-
preciated. Group facilitators are from the PreK-12 Guidance De-
partment. These groups are open to ALL ISM parents, PreK-12!
Spaces are limited so sign up soon. If you or someone you know
is interested, please contact Myrna Perez in the ES Guidance Office
(840-8455) to reserve your space or for more information.

From the Clinic

H1N1 Vaccination

At the present moment, vaccines have arrived in the Philippines and are being distributed by
the government. These vaccines are not yet available commercially and are designated for
specific groups only. It is unlikely that the ISM community will be able to access these vac-
cines for some time and we would therefore advise you, if you wish your family to receive the
vaccination, to investigate the possibility of getting it in your own country if you are going home
for the Christmas holidays.

You may also wish to consider reviewing your family’s vaccination records during the holiday, particularly if you
are returning home. Please access the following website for information on recommended vaccinations;
http://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/recs/schedules/default.htm , although this may vary slightly depending on your
country of origin.

Merry Christmas and a Happy, Healthy New Year from the clinic staff

Debbie Duckworth – Clinic Admiistrator

Mary Ann Calma-Bagos – Clinic Consultant
Keg Salazar Jr – Senior Nurse
Jowell Custodio – Junior Nurse
Evagne Atienza – Staff Nurse

Thank you for your kind Christmas gifts

CONTACT INFORMATION CHANGES?

We’re on the web! Please inform the Middle School Office if you recently changed your contact information
www.ismanila.org (i.e. Home Address, Home/Office Telephone Numbers, Mobile Numbers and Email Ad-
dresses). You may contact us through 840-8550 or 840-8553
 M I D D LE S C H O O L F R I D A Y B U LLETIN PAGE 4

From the Fine and Performing Arts Office

After School Activities

Please be advised that the MS AFAC Dance and Music classes will end on December 11, 2009.
Students who wish to continue with their activity for the Second Semester MUST register again. Reg-
istration period is from December 2 until December 16. You will find the registration form on the next
page.

Schedule of Season 3 activities is now available. Activities that will be taking place during the third
season are: Basketball, Badminton, MS Mixed Touch, Recreational Gymnastics, Aquatics
(learn to swim), Tennis and Circus Skills. If you are interested in any of the activities, please go and register
at the ES AFAC office based in the ES main office.

Thanks .

Dave Allen
Middle School Activities Coordinator
(632) 840 8485
allend@ismanila.org
M I D D LE S C H O O L F R I D A Y B U LLETIN PAGE 5

After School Activities Form

 M I D D LE S C H O O L F R I D A Y B U LLETIN PAGE 6

From the Athletics and Activities Office

Saturday, December 12th: There will be no practices on Wednesday, December 16th.

Student dismissal is at noon. Regular practice schedule will

• Cheerleading Camp (9:00 A.M. - 4:00 P.M.) - Covered
recommence from Tuesday, January 5, 2010.
Court for MS/HS students who have signed up with

Coach Grabow

• MS Boys Basketball MS Gym (see game times on On behalf of the ATAC staff I wish everyone a safe and en-

Game schedule- ATAC website) joyable Christmas vacation. See you in 2010!

• MS Girls Green Basketball vs. Brent at HS Gym

• Varsity Boys Basketball HS gym (see game times on

Game schedule- ATAC website)

Congratulations to all members of our Gymnastics team and

the Sailfish swimmers for their efforts last weekend at the

Bea Lucero Cup and the ISM Swimathon. Results have

been included via Coach Ramon and Coach Andy.

From the Environmental Council

Please donate your glossy magazines to PCF!

WHY?
Glossy Magazines cannot be pulped and recycled like regular clean paper here in Manila
so if you don’t ensure that they’re made into something else… they just end up in a land
fill.

WHAT does PCF do with them?

Parents of the school children are employed to make beads out of them which, in turn, get made into jewellery
and bags.

HOW does this help families?

The money from the products generates income for them so that they can afford to buy food and clothes for
their children.

WHERE?
Collection boxes can be found in ES, MS and HS offices

Thank you for your support!

"Dream the world you want and deserve to live in. Write it down. Communicate your vision passion-
ately, as if your life depended upon it!" (Randy Hayes, Founder of Rainforest Action Network)
www.ism-online.org/gogreen/
M I D D LE S C H O O L F R I D A Y B U LLETIN PAGE 7

ISM CLIMBING COMPETITION RESULTS

 M I D D LE S C H O O L F R I D A Y B U LLETIN PAGE 8

ISM Gymnastics Team

Congratulations to ISM Gymnastics Team for Participating the Bea Lucero Cup 2009 held last
December 6, 2009 (Sunday) at Rizal Memorial Sports Complex, Vito Cruz, Manila.
 M I D D LE S C H O O L F R I D A Y B U LLETIN PAGE 9

ISM Swimathon Results

At the recent ISM Swimathon, Sailfish, Varsity and parents and teachers swam at total of 262,825 meters or
10,513 laps of the School pool on Saturday 7th . Standouts included:

Tsukasa Maekawa
M I D D LE S C H O O L F R I D A Y B U LLETIN PAGE 10

From Admissions Office

Update your contact information!
Please get in touch with the Admissions Office or Middle
School Office if there has been any change in your home
address and other contact information.
We want to keep you updated with what is happening in
school. The form below is also available in the school
website.