International School Manila

ES PARENT BULLETIN
20 May 2016

Volume 18

IMPORTANT DATES TO REMEMBER

MAY
25

Student Late Start 8:30AM

27

4th Quarter Assembly, 8:00-9:00 AM, FAT

31

AFAC Recitals, 3:00-5:00 PM, AMR

JUNE
01, 08

03

Student Late Start 8:30AM

Preschool Music Informances, 7:45-10:30
AM, Rm. 1164
Last Day of After School Activities (AFAC)

08

Report Cards in PowerSchool

Gr.4 Moving On Ceremony, 8:00 AM, FAT

09

Early Student Release, 12:00 PM

LAST DAY OF SCHOOL

From the ES Administration

2016/17 Class Placements
Over the past six weeks and continuing over the next three, we have
and will continue, to spend a large amount of time preparing our class
lists for 2016/17.

How does this process work and what are the criteria
you use?
Initially, all grade level teachers are involved in discussions, including
those from the Learning Support and English as a Second Language
(ESL) department, as the new class lists are compiled. Following this,
the Guidance Counselors and the Elementary Leadership team look for
balance in the groupings in terms of: gender, nationality, friendship
groups, social dynamics, academics, learning styles, and
independence.
In some education systems students remain with the same cohort or
class for a sustained period of time in order to promote continuity. At
ISM, we believe that in order to support our students in becoming selfdirected, adaptable and able to apply their skills (both academic and
social) in new situations, a change of both teacher and class
composition is more appropriate. This said, rather than dividing a
single class six or seven different ways, we aim to begin with a smaller
number, such as splitting a class into three new ones, in order to
support friendship groupings and transition into a new grade
level. Again, this will depend upon the cohort of students and the
criteria listed above.

Students need to feel happy and a sense of belonging at school in order for
learning to take place. As such, social groupings are a critical aspect of the
process. We know that learning is a social activity and that an interactive
and supportive environment is crucial, if we are to stay true to this learning
principle. Ultimately, we will always place students in a class where we
feel their learning will be maximized and they will experience success.
Please note that while we are very aware that parents want to ensure the
best possible placement for their child considering all the above criteria, we
are unable to accept specific parent requests for placements as this would
compromise the internal process we adhere to. However, we always
acknowledge that your advocacy for your child in certain areas is required,
and if there is information that is likely to support the class placement
process, this should be shared with your class teacher, counselors or the
Elementary leadership team.
Section cards for returning students, informing you of your childs class
teacher for the 2016/17 school year will be available at the cashiers office
from June 9th onwards, dependent upon your completion of the reenrolment process.

Adam Campbell
Elementary Principal

Michael Rourke

Elementary Assistant Principal

CMC
ANNOUNCEMENT
All division libraries (ES, MS, HS) will
be renovated and upgraded during the
June/July break. To facilitate this, we
will be closing the CMC on May 27th
at 4pm.
CMC materials will be due back from
parents and students on May 20th.
Items not returned by this date will be
marked as lost and the value (plus
delivery costs) will be charged to the
relevant ISM accounts.

Elementary School Parent Bulletin

20 May 2016

Elementary School Parent Bulletin

20 May 2016

From the Treasury Office

IMPORTANT - PLEASE READ: YEAR END CLEARANCE REMINDERS - CASHIERS OFFICE:
NOTE 1 : Student charges will be FINAL on June 07,2016 . Kindly view the ISM Web Online and settle
the remaining outstanding balance(s) in time for year end clearance SY2015-2016.
NOTE 2 : In anticipation of the year-end clearance for SY2015-2016, please note that only students with
fully paid SY2015-2016 fees will have their clearance forms signed by the cashier and will then have access
to school documents such as report cards and transcripts.
Likewise, for next school years incoming Pre-School 4 to Grade 4 old students, section cards will be
released by the Accounting Office on June 9, 2016 and thereafter only if current school year (2015-2016)
fees are fully settled.
NOTE 3 :Please be informed that for the purpose of clearing the accounts of students for SY15-16,
Only CASH payment will be accepted by ISM cashiers both for dollar and peso payments after the cut off
dates below:
Peso checks will no longer be accepted starting on May 23, 2016 (Monday) while US$ checks will no
longer be accepted starting on April 25, 2016 (Monday). This is to allow enough time for the check to get
cleared by the bank in time for the student clearance in June. Please also note that US dollar coins are
not accepted by the cashier, however, the same can be converted to its peso equivalent to settle the
remaining fees.

Elementary School Parent Bulletin

20 May 2016

balance. In case the account does not have enough

balance, ES students will be allowed up to P500
credit only, parents must load cards immediately.

Campus Card Corner

CAMPUSCARDINTHEFor more information about the campus card system,

please click here:
ESCANTEENUPDATE
http://www.ismanila.org/page.cfm?p=948
Whats New?
The Elementary School Canteen joins the
implementation of the full debit system beginning
SY16-17.

Reminder: ES Students are not permitted to purchase

food items in the MS/HS Canteen during their lunch
break.

How does it work?

The students campus cards (ID with a smart chip)
will remain in the homeroom. If there are special
classes (Art, Music and P.E.) before the lunch
break, the campus cards should be worn before
the student proceeds to the special class as they
will not return to their homeroom.
During lunch, students can purchase food at the
ES Canteen using their campus cards. Sodexo and
The Yogi Chef (international vegetarian cuisine)
will provide a well-balanced and kid-friendly
menu in the ES Canteen.
Upon leaving the canteen, ES students will leave
their campus cards in the designated box assigned
to their homeroom and the campus cards will be
distributed back to the homeroom so they will be
available the following day.
If a student misplaces/losses the campus card,
the concessionaire can access the students name
without the card so the student will have access
to food that day. If the card is lost, it must be
replaced immediately through the Security Office.

Needtotopup?ISMgoescashless
inSY1617!
Starting SY2016-2017 ISM will implement a full debit
system in the MS/HS Canteen. The debit system
provides customers with a cashless payment system
once the customer's ID has been loaded with funds.
Parents and Students are encouraged to start
using the debit system if they aren't already doing
so.
Click here for details.

LostCampusCard

Whether you are on a family or individual account,

you can still set a spend limit per day at the
Cafeteria, Copy & Print, and Bearcat Den
Heres how:

How to use the campus card?

Parents must load the family or individual account
(online, at the kiosk or at the Cashiers Office) to ensure
that the student can use the card to purchase food in
the ES Canteen.

Log in to your account

Go to E-Account
Set Spend Limit
Click Save when done.

With the debit system, parents are able to:

Set spend limit per day and/or per student.
Restrict card usage on (a) particular day/s.
View card activity to view what student purchased
on a particular date and time.
Set low balance notification to make sure the
family or individual account has enough fund

For more information, visit:

http://campusonline.ismanila.org
For questions/concerns, email:
campuscard@ismanila.org

Elementary School Parent Bulletin

20 May 2016

A Message from the Operations

and Security Department

ANNOUNCEMENT!
LOST AND FOUND
VIEWING

I. IDs for the New School Year

Parent IDs
The previously issued black and white parent IDs will
continue to be valid for the new school year. Standard
parent cards are issued free of charge. Parents may,
however, elect to apply for a smartcard ID which will be
usable with the cashless payment system introduced into
the school for SY 2013-14. There will be a fee of P250.00
for a smartcard.

EVERY SCHOOL DAY

May 23rd to June 9th, 2016
From 7:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
Fine Arts Theater
Changing Room 1123

Applications for parent IDs can be processed through the

Security Office.
Student IDs
All students will be issued with new ID cards at the
beginning of the new school year. The cards will be
compatible with the cashless payment system. There will
be no need for returning students to visit the Security Office
as we will be utilizing the photographs taken for the
yearbooks.

Items uncollected after this time will

be disposed of in support of our
Service Learning Program.

School Passes
School passes issued to parents employees and
representatives need to be replaced for next school
year. As of August 31, 2016 (Wednesday) the brown
bordered passes will be invalid.
The security office is now accepting applications for new
school passes, however the cards will not be available for
collection before July 1, 2016. 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.
2. Car Stickers for the New School Year
The car stickers for school year 2016/2017 will be available
from the security office beginning July 1, 2016.
To obtain a new vehicle sticker please submit a completed
vehicle sticker form. 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.
I would like to thank all members of the ISM community
for their cooperation across this school year in helping us
maintain ISM as a safe and secure environment for our
children.

Mike Flynn

Director of Operations and Security

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From the ATAC Office

May 24 Sailfish end of year pool party and awards evening

A big thanks to our Bearcat gymnasts, coaches and parent

volunteers led by Ms Kendrick and Ms Roberts who contributed
so much to a great ISM Goodwill gymnastics meet held Saturday
May 7th. There were over 230 gymnasts entered and the meet
went off very well. Congratulations to all our gymnasts who
prepared and competed to the best of their abilities during the
lead up to the event and on the day of competition. Full results
are posted to the ATAC blog gymnastics page.

May 30-June 3 End of year awards presentations for ATAC all

year teams(Chess/Table Tennis/Wall Climbing/Aikido/TKD/
Judo)

Congratulations to our MS Mixed Touch team who played at their

end of season tournament at Jakarta last weekend. The mixed
team won Gold, the girls team placed 4th and boys team placed
5th. Well done Bearcats players and coaches.

Aug 8,9,10 Tryouts/Registration for ES Rifa League Soccer

Gr1-4

June 1 Bearcats for street soccer MS/HS fundraiser for charity

June 3 Last day of AFAC and ATAC training

Aug 4,5,8,9 S1 HS Tryouts (Volleyball/Soccer/Cross Country)
Aug 8,9,10 S1 MS Tryouts (Volleyball/Soccer/Cross Country)

Aug 8, 10, 12- Tryouts/Registration for ATAC All Year teams

(Sailfish swim squads, Gymnastics, Wall Climbing, Table
Tennis, Chess, Akido, Judo, TaeKwonDo

Thank you and well done to all that took part in the Sailfish
Aquathon at the ISM pool and MS field last Saturday
morning. Next week the Sailfish season comes to and end with
the annual pool party and Sailfish awards on Tues May 24th. To
all sailfish swimmers, parents and our coaching team led by
Coach Holly and Hazel well done on an excellent year. Sailfish
tryouts will begin the first full week of the school year in
August, stay in touch via the Sailfish blog for announcements for
new student tryouts and returning sailfish member tryouts. If
you will not be participating in Sailfish next SY please contact
Coach Hazel to inform her so that squad numbers can be sorted
and spaces allocated for new members.

For our Sailfish swim team program please check the Sailfish
blog for information. http://sailfish.ism-online.org/
Please note the practice times for ATAC programs for SY 15-16
are as follows: ATAC all year round teams- 3:15-4:30. See
schedule for our All year round teams program at ATAC blog
schedules page.
All HS seasonal teams practice from 3:05- 4:50pm each day. MS
seasonal teams practice 3:15-4:45pm. In order to clear the
campus prior to 5pm all after school programs will conclude
by4:50pm or earlier. The last bus is 4:55pm this is due to the
ever increasing traffic concerns in our area.

End of year awards/certificate distribution for our all year round

ATAC teams will take place this year at the final training session
of the year the week beginning June 1st. Snacks/drinks will be
provided at the last session and coaches will present
participation and individual awards to conclude the year for
Table Tennis, Chess, Wall Climbing, Aikido, Tae Kwon Do and
Judo teams.

Parents and students please take some time to peruse the ATAC
blog it has a wide variety of information and links to our sports
and activities program. If you have any questions regarding the
competitive program of sports at ISM after reading the
information on the blog please send an email
to pekinm@ismanila.org and I will endeavor to assist you as best
I can.

ISM summer camps information/flyer is posted to the ATAC blog.

Summer camps are offered the first 3 weeks of the summer
vacation. Please note due to the large amount of facility
construction planned for this summer camps will only be offered
in the mornings and all sessions will end by 12 noon or before.
http://atac.ism-online.org/atac/atac-summer-sports-camps/

The ATAC game schedule pdf which is updated regularly by Triz

Gonzalez (ATAC Athletics Coordinator) gives the most up to date
information on where/when and who our Bearcat teams will be
playing throughout the school year. Access to the game schedule
is now via the ISM parent portal not via power school as in the
past. A navigation guide is available here. ATAC Game Schedule
Users Guide.

S4 runs from April 11 to June 3 and the practice schedule is

posted on notice boards and on ATAC blog schedules page . S4
practices are open to all Gr 8-11 student athletes. Current Gr 8's
who will be freshmen next SY are encouraged to come out as it
is a great opportunity to meet the coaches and other HS athletes
while getting in some pre season practice in readiness for next
SY ATAC.

Access the parent portal via this link, log in with your user
name/password and then look for the ATAC Game Schedule tab
under the left side quick links. Don't forget to refresh the pdf
page each time it opens so you access the most current
schedule. Please note this schedule does change often and at
short notice due to involvement with many local schools and
organizations.

Season 4 ATAC HS seasonal sports sessions offered areGirls- Soccer/Volleyball/Basketball/Touch

Check it regularly for the most up to date information. For

security purposes....access to the ATAC game schedule pdf
must be linked via the secure parent portal and details should
not be shared with non ISM community members.

Boys- Soccer/Volleyball/Basketball/Faculty/Student
Basketball
Please note due to the very hot weather ISM reserves the right
to cancel activities on short notice if the use of our outdoor
facilities is deemed too hot on any given day. Every effort will
be made where possible to schedule S4 practices on the shaded
MS field or in a covered facility.

Bearcat Den- drop by our fantastic spirit store for year end sale
items. Get some Bearcat gifts for friends and family Bearcat
Den hours of operation- 7am-4pm Mon-Fri.
Regards,

Mark Pekin, ATAC Director

Upcoming events:

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Elementary School Parent Bulletin

20 May 2016

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BeyondtheBookClub
Beyond the Book Club is a summer enrichment
program. We oer a holis c and mul sensory approach
tothestandardbookclubformat.
Each session will begin with a readaloud of a story
chosen from a carefully curated library of awardwinning
childrens literature. Following the readaloud, students
willbeprovidedwithengagingthema cac vi esthatare
centeredonthebookfortheday.
This book club seeks to foster a love for reading, as
well as support the development of emerging literacy
skills.Sessionswillalsoincludeartsandcra s,coopera ve
games, sensory play, and science inves ga ons. It also
aims to provide a venue for the child to build friendships
whileengagedinenrichingac vi esandlearningthrough
meaningfulplay.

46yearsold
PHP5,500(materialsinclusive)
June1317,MondaytoFriday
8:3010:30am;KindergartenHallway
Deadlineofconfirma onisonJune7,Tuesday
Thingstobring:waterbo le,
snacks,hat

For more informaon, you may

contact us at 0917.7928192.

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