MIDDLE SCHOOL

Middle School
Weekly Publication for Middle School Parents ISSUE # 01
WEEK OF AUG. 09 TO 13, 2010

From the Middle School Office

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 our 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 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 on
campus. 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 the
student handbook portion of the planner. Important information regarding grades, homework, discipline and other
policies is contained in the handbook. It is expected that all students be familiar with and adhere 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 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 School
Office at 840-8550. We look forward to working with you and your child throughout the year.

Sincerely,

Danielle Fredericks Clarissa Sayson

Upcoming Events PowerSchool Grade Update

August 16 Grade 5 Assembly (2:20 P.M., LT)

17 Grade 6 Assembly (2:20 P.M., LT) August 20 - Grade Update
17 MS Open House (5:00 P.M., FAT)
Sept. 03 - Progress Report Distribution
18 New Student Luncheon (11:00 A.M., AMR)
(via courier)
18 Grade 7 Assembly (2:20 P.M., LT)
19 New Parent Coffee (7:45 A.M., Rm. 1057) Sept. 17 - Grade Update
19 Grade 8 Assembly (2:20 P.M., LT)
20 Courtyard Event (3:00 P.M., Courtyard)
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Middle School Cross Country Try Outs

Don’t miss out on the Middle School Cross Country Try Outs on Thursday, August 12th and Friday, August 13th
August 3:00 -4:00 P.M. We will meet on the High School field. Please come and try it out even if you have
not tried XC before.

Mrs. Relf/Mr. Heggie

Middle School Activities Program

Welcome to the Middle School Activities Program
for School Year 2010 - 2011

Welcome to an exciting year for Middle School Extra Curricular activities. We at ISM think it is very important
to provide students with the opportunities to extend their educational experience. We will be offering a
comprehensive after school program, lunch time activities, home room / house activities and our annual
Sports Day. ATAC will be running their Middle School Sports Teams in line with the High School Seasonal
Sports and IASAS program. This program begins August 26th and will run for the school year.

For other information regarding the activities please download the MS ACTIVITY BOOKLET and ACTIVITY
SCHEDULE. To register you may get the REGISTRATION FORM from the AFAC Office, MS Office or school web-
site. Please fill-out the registration form and submit to the AFAC Office (room 1031). This year, you may also
fill out the registration form ONLINE.

The list of confirmed activities will be posted on the MS activities board outside the P.E. office.

Thank you,

David Allen
Middle School Activities Coordinator

Update your contact information!

Please get in touch with the Admissions Office (840-8488) or Middle School Office
(840-8550) if there has been any change in your home address and other contact in-
formation over the summer.

We want to keep you updated with what is happening in school.

IF YOU HAVEN’T LOGGED ON TO POWERSCHOOL…

We’re on the web! please call the Guidance Office at 840-8555 or
www.ismanila.org email msguidance@ismanila.org to obtain your username and password.
 M I D D LE S C H O O L F R I D A Y B U LLETIN PAGE 3

Message from the Clinic

We would like to offer a hearty welcome/welcome back to school from the Clinic Staff. We hope you
had a fun summer holiday and are ready for the excitement and challenges to come during the school
year 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 this
year there has been a significant rise in cases in some areas of the Philippines. The best way to avoid this potentially
serious illness is to avoid getting bitten. Use insect repellent or keep covered up, close doors and mosquito screens at
home and consider using a mosquito net over the bed. Check your homes for areas of standing water such as vases, plant
holders, blocked gutters and drainage grids for example. Remove these and the mosquitoes have nowhere to
breed. There is no vaccine to protect you against this illness and for some people it causes relatively minor problems but
for others it can be a very serious illness. As we said before- prevention is better than cure! If you would like any further
information 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 always
sensible 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 available
for most Philippine nationals with active disease. Anyone in close contact with the family should be checked to ensure
that your family is protected.

Dehydration and heat stroke are year round issues as we are all losing fluids throughout the day and may not realize
just 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 is
dry, drink water regularly. The best rule is to make sure you always have a fresh bottle of water with you wherever you
go 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 own
doctor. 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’s
worth 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 the
children at ISM healthy and able to make the very best of all the learning opportunities available to them. Finally, we
wish the children and their families a very happy, healthy and successful year at ISM.

Clinic
Tel: 840 8580
Email: Clinic@ismanila.org or DuckworthD@ismanila.org
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From the Security and Operations

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 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 vehicles
entering through Gate 3 must turn into the covered parking area and use the designated drop-off areas. All vehicles
must exit through Gate 1.

Alternatively, vehicles entering through Gate 3 may park in the covered car park. The spaces reserved for parent driven
cars 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 covered
car 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

Location
The 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 will
only 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 Procedure
Drivers should stop adjacent to the paved area and students should alight from the right side of their vehicle. The driver
should 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 be
stopping 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 the
current 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 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 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 right
corner 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 LE S C H O O L F R I D A Y B U LLETIN PAGE 5

(continued from page 4)

ID Cards

Parent IDs
Parent 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 Passes
School 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 fee
of Php100.00 each to the Cashier’s 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 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 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 be waiting 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 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 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 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 our
campus are requested to comply with any directions given to them by members of our guard force. In the event that
anyone is unclear as to the purpose of such instructions they can seek clarifications 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 successful year at International School Manila.

Best regards,

Mike Flynn
Director of Operations and Security
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SAILFISH SWIM CLUB

Sailfish Swim Club is starting on September 13, Monday if you want to join, come along to tryouts.
At tryouts we will ask you to swim Freestyle and Backstroke, then Breaststroke. You do not need to be a
champion swimmer to join; we cater for all abilities. We want to see how well you swim not how fast you
swim. Once we have seen you swim, you will be put in a squad that suits your ability.
♦ Elementary School can come up to three times a week. It’s ok if you come once or twice, we encour-
age to be good at lots of different sports.
♦ Middle School can come either three times a week for those still learning, or five times a week for
those who have been swimming a long time and are ready to train for performance.
♦ High School can come either three times a week for those new to the sport or five times a week for
those who are keen and ready to train hard

Want to know more about the club, go to our web site.

www.sailfish.ism-online.org/
Any Questions? e-mail Coach Andy
astfalcka@ismanila.org

Kind Regards
Andy Astfalck
Head Coach
Sailfish Swim Club
M I D D LE S C H O O L F R I D A Y B U LLETIN PAGE 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 perimeter
floodlighting. Other minor projects were: an expansion of the bearcat den shop and a PA system for ES
gym 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 you
have 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 the
ATAC website and divisional websites which list all weekday/weekend sports fixtures against local schools
will be up and running as of Monday August 9th.

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 students
when it is our turn to host events. This year we require housing for the following events:
Jazz Exchange - Sept. 17-19
ISTA MS Drama Festival - Nov. 19-21
Tennis Exchange - Nov. 19-21
IASAS 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 Joan
Badiango at the ATAC office for information.

Bearcat Den: the Bearcat Den located next to the cafeteria will be open for business the 2nd week of
school. The den functions to sell ISM Bearcats related merchandise to the ISM community and proceeds
are used to support student activities/events/projects during the school year. The den is staffed by a
wonderful 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 at
our 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 coordinate
den activities and events during the school year.

Mark Pekin
Athletics/Activities Director
International School Manila
pekinm@ismanila.org
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Try-Out Schedule