Volume 4 - Issue 8 April 2012
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Smiles, tears and goodbyes as our Grade 12s finish their last regular school day before study leave and exams.
Message from the Director AISM Winds Down the Year We are winding down the school year, but our calendar is full of exciting events still to come. Before I highlight some of these forthcoming activities, I’d first like to inform our school community that AISM has had a very successful school-wide evaluation by our U.S. accrediting agency, and now we are ready for an IB evaluation next week in the Primary School Program. Coming up in the academic program: Primary School Talent Show 5th Grade PYP Exhibition Primary School Week of Arts Secondary School Math Olympiad Primary and Secondary art exhibitions Secondary School production of Grease 12th Grade graduation
Coming up in the sports program: Soccer camp Swim gala Track and field International basketball tournaments Sports Awards Evening
For our parents, we have scheduled engaging workshops to discuss how best to manage transitions to new places and cope with the holiday break. Board elections are also scheduled next month. Finally, we all know that few events surpass the spectacular Mayfair organized annually by the PTA. This is our biggest fundraiser of the year offering a variety of family entertainment, as well as art and craft stalls, delicious food and exciting raffle prizes. Mayfair will be held at AISM on Saturday, 12 May. This time of year is a busy one, so mark your calendars early! Andy Page-Smith (AISJ) and Dwight Mott (AISL) , evaluators for our US accrediting agency.
Mary Jo Heatherington, PhD School Director
Next Board Meeting : Tuesday, 2 May 2012 @ 18:00 in the AISM Auditorium SY 2012-2013 Budget and Tuition Fees Board Elections: 29 May @18:00
primary AISM Primary Swim Team makes a BIG splash!!
CONGRATULATION S TO ALL OF YOU!
to be called Lourenço Marques; the city used to be small with mainly swamp around it; the city experienced a boom in the late 1800s and early 1900s as the South Africans helped build a railroad and a port to connect the 2 countries; Ilha de Moçambique used to be the capital city of Mozambique (Portuguese East Africa); Lourenço Marques became the capital in 1896 during the boom time; and much more. It was a great opportunity to have Cita teach the class about Maputo! Thank you so much, Cita!
Attitudes of the PYP
During March our AISM primary swimmers were hard at work in the swimming pool, training up to four times a week in preparation for two swim galas. This was the first time that many of our swimmers had participated in an event of this sort. All their hard work and commitment paid off with big wins at both galas. Well done Mini Buffalos! We are so proud of you. Many thanks go, as well, to the parents for their understanding and support with those early-morning training sessions. K-Emily and 1-Myra – Reading Buddies The students from Kindergarten Emily and Grade 1 Myra meet regularly to read together. Each reader benefits from listening to and being listened to. It is a great way for young readers to learn from each other.
Empathy Imagining you are in someone else’s situation in order to understand their reasoning and emotions.
A Poem by Campbell Ferguson – 4W The Story The story is the beginning The story is like a rainbow Like mountains, It has a good heart. It has no name, You have to trust it. It follows the wind. There is no start line. Darkness is nowhere.
Grade 2 Grade 2 has started a new unit on Where We Are in Place and Time. In this unit, they are inquiring into Maputo’s past, present, and future. To begin this unit, Grade 2 took advantage of Cita Vissers’ visit to Maputo for the month of March. Cita was able to come and speak to Grade 2 about the history of Maputo and to show them some photos of Maputo in the past, alongside some of her own wonderful photos of the present. The children learned many things, “See how Maputo has changed!” Gavriel and Carlotta such as: Maputo used
It has love like the strength of blue horses. It is strong. Sometimes it rides Like the winds, Sometimes it is blind, Sometimes it is hot and dusty Or has dark mountains all around. No beginning, no ending. Happiness like a rainbow. It danced – that is a good sign. Sometimes it tells boy, Sometimes it tells girl. It can feel the blue morning. It is riding away into the night, Dying slowly.
primary DANCE CREW! We all enjoyed a wonderful evening of music and dance. We certainly do have some talented performers in the primary school.
ELCK Our creative writing has been related to our Unit of Inquiry, How the World Works. Besides being authors, the children organized the necessary props and role-played the story several times. They expressed their creativity and demonstrated their organiza-
tion, listening and co-operative skills throughout the process. ELC K rocks!
Student Led Conferences We have completed another successful year of student-led conferences. Thank you to all participants and leaders! A BIG thank you to all the students, parents and teachers involved in the MSA evaluation process. You did us proud.
Karen Crooke
counselor When being too busy makes your child feel overwhelmed, here are some tips to help relieve his or her stress: Look at your child’s weekly schedule (write it down). Figure out how to rearrange activities (or drop some) to make time. Help your child by talking to him/her. Remember sleeping is of utmost importance.
primary
appreciation On Thursday March 29th, the PTA hosted an afternoon jazz cocktail party to honor all of our wonderful staff members and thank them for the effort they put in for our children during the year. Your dedication is very much appreciated. Thanks also go to parents and PTA members who arranged the event and contributed snacks or drinks.
middle Grade 10 Students Present their Personal Projects
The MYP Personal Project Celebration Evening took place on Wednesday, March 28. Twenty-nine MYP 5 (Grade 10) students presented their independent projects to members of the AISM community and received their AISM MYP Certificates for their engagement in personal inquiry and for demonstrating the skills, attitudes and knowledge to be lifelong learners. Congratulations to all of our MYP graduates on fulfilling the requirements of our IB programme and best wishes as you continue your education in the DP years!
parent
association
AISM’s annual Mayfair is a day of entertainment, fun and activities for the whole family, including carnival games, live entertainment, food, a beer tent, raffle prizes and a handcraft market. Please contact the following people if you would like to: ADVERTISE OR SPONSOR AT THE EVENT Dalila at dalilapta@gmail.com HIRE A STALL Inge at inge_nierop@yahoo.co.uk DONATE RAFFLE PRIZES Sandy at ptavicechair@aism-moz.com For additional information email aismpta@aism-moz.com. DATE: TIME: PLACE: ENTRANCE:
Saturday May 12th 11h00 - 17h00 AISM School Grounds Adults and Children 50Mtn
secondary REFLECTIONS 77% of the Secondary School’s parent community attended the student-led conferences this week. Thank you very much for your support for this program. Not only was it a day for students and faculty to receive constructive feedback, but it was a unique opportunity to have time with your children dedicated to reflecting on their academic achievements and challenges. In another room and time, Grade 7 students presented their marketing and persuasive writing projects to guest speakers. I was impressed with the passion that students showed in their letters of appeal , their TV advertisements and posters. Students reflected on the process as being meaningful because it is “real life”. Similarly, the Grade 8 Drama students took a very close look at themselves and performed surprisingly sensitive monologues reflecting their own journeys in life so far. Looking ahead to the last few weeks of school, the calendar is packed with opportunities for parents and students to celebrate and reflect on the year. Reserve the week starting 8 May for parent round-table discussions. During these evenings we will look ahead to next year, reflect upon and discuss growing issues in your children’s teenage lives. May 17-18 is show time, with our high school drama production taking place at the Teatro Avenida. Grease is the culminating show-piece for all the Grade 9 and Grade 10 electives (Dance, Drama, Music, Stagecraft and Design Technology). On 21 May we have a Service Learning awards and celebration evening, followed by the Secondary School’s Art exhibition on the 24th presenting all the students’ work this year. Last but certainly not least, this is a time of reflection for our Seniors. As they face exams, goodbyes and a brand new chapter in their lives, we wish them well on this last stretch of their school journey. I asked an 11th grader what he thought about reflections: “ Nah, a waste of time- I don’t ever reflect ... I suppose I think about what it all means though”
Project Congratulations to Juliana Vaz, Azmyra Merchant, Maire Kayega and Alessio Ayunijam for winning round one in the Eracism Project debate against St. Thomas More School in Lafayette, Louisiana. These four Grade 10 students have been participating in the Eracism Project, which is a global student debate that joins diverse cultures and includes authentic debate for global competence and internationalmindedness. Schools that were selected for the Eracism Project 2012 were asked to enter a 4-person debate team, with the remaining students in the class being researchers around the topic of Government regulation requiring immigrants to adopt the beliefs, habits, and language of the dominant culture does more harm than good.
secondary How The Zebra Got it’s Stripes
RYAN
Our Grade 11 Drama students performed the tale How The Zebra Got Its Stripes for primary school students last month. Our 11th graders learned how to tell a story through performance and narration and afterwards answered questions from the audience (clearly Ryan Seed is struggling with one of his answers!).
* DANCE CREW * DANCE CREW *
On March 23rd, students from the Dance Crew afterschool activity group, as well as groups and individuals from the rest of the student body, showcased their talents in a festival of song, dance, capoeira and music. Groups from the French School’s music and dance classes were also invited to participate and the result was an evening of outstanding entertainment. Congratulations to all those who participated and a special thanks to Adrian Frey for organizing and sponsoring this event.
secondary GRADE 12: Now is the time to decide where you will be next year. If you are going abroad to University, do you know when you need to arrive? Does your school have an International Student’s Orientation? When and how do you choose your classes? Where will you live? Who will you live with? Do you know if 1st Year students are required to have a meal plan? What about medical insurance? If you do not know the answers to these questions, please come see me as soon as possible.
GRADE 11 When you return from “Summer Holiday” you will have many deadlines quickly approaching. To make 12 th Grade less stressful, start narrowing down your university and course options now. Start with, “What region of the world would I like to be in? What universities are located there? What degree programs after offered? When are the application deadlines for those programs? Do you need to take an English proficiency exam if you are not a native English speaker?” Once you have begun to answer these questions, start by collecting all the necessary information necessary to fill in the university applications. Things you’ll need: a CV (resume), transcripts from all schools attended from 9-12, letters of recommendation, any certificates achieved, among others. Before the school year is out, think of approaching a teacher about writing a letter of recommendation. This is especially important if one of those teachers is leaving at the end of this school year. If you can, plan a trip to visit the universities you are interested in. During the school holiday, try and have an open conversation with your parents about financing your college education. Deadlines: UK:
October 15, 2012 for Medicine, Dentistry, Veterinary medicine, and Oxford/Cambridge applications. January 15, 2013 for all other UK applications via UCAS US: mid-October to mid-January for most schools. Some schools have rolling admissions and/or later deadlines. The Netherlands: mid-April South African and Australia: apply by May-July to begin school in January 2014. Some helpful and interactive websites: UK: http://www.ucas.tv USA: www.collegeboard.com The Netherlands: www.studielink.nl ; www.nuffic.nl/ Australia: www.australian-universities.com South Africa: www.hesa.org.za
JAZZ AND TAP ENSEMBLE VISITS AISM On Thursday 19 April, AISM welcomed several members of a visiting jazz and tap ensemble from Los Angeles, USA that is currently on a US State Department-sponsored tour of 4 southern African cities, including Maputo. One of the ensemble’s 4 tap dancers, Maya Guice, gave our lucky MYP dance students a master class in tap dance. Later Kenji Igus performed an outstanding solo tap routine with a self-narrated personal story, for an auditorium packed with students and staff from both the Primary and Secondary schools. Thanks to Nicky and Tobias Bradford for facilitating this visit and thanks to Maya and Kenji for their performances.
secondary GRADE 12 Good Luck and ENJOY the exams (you will do better as you’ll be more relaxed). Look forward to graduation in June. REMINDER: Give in your final college/university choices to Ms Chelsea so she can supply me with a list to upload to the IB website. This ensures the results are sent directly to those colleges/universities. Legalisation of the diploma results: Please check with the list given to each of you of countries that require legalisation of the diploma results. The deadline for requesting legalisation is in June. IB results: You need to keep your personal code and PIN number somewhere safe so you can access your results on July 6 th.
GRADE 11 Extended Essay: The peer review went well and the progress is amazing. More peer reviews take place in June. Keep researching and remember it’s good to talk about and share your ideas. End-of-year exams: Review sheets are available to you for all subjects for the end-of-year exams. Remember these are on the whole year’s work. Have you started to revise yet? Have you made a revision calendar? CAS: Mr Craig has explained the procedures for the CAS documentation. If you have any further questions just ask.
GRADE 10 Thank you for completing your Diploma choices sheets.
student
ARTS COMMITTEE ARTISTS OF THE MONTH Josh Da Silva & Jahira Martins The impressive portfolios of our two Gr 12 IB Diploma Art students are currently being exhibited in the Library mezzanine area. Everyone is welcome to come up and view the exhibition, which opened on March 29 and will remain in place until the end of April.
mabukwini Volunteers Needed in the Primary Library The Primary School library is looking for dedicated volunteers to check materials in and out, reshelve, print overdue notices, cover and repair books, conduct inventory, keep the library tidy, and many other tasks. Helpful skills would be alphabetization, ordering decimals and basic computer knowledge. We are looking for people who are willing to commit to at least 6 hours per week, especially mornings. If you enjoy being around children and books you will love spending time here! Contact me for more information Janice McMahon janice.mcmahon@aism-moz.com
Time to clean out your bookshelf! This is a good time of year to go through bookshelves and pass on books you’ve read and the kids have outgrown. We are collecting books of any kind in any language, magazines, and DVD’s for the Used Book Sale at Mayfair. Please bring your donations to the Mabukwini (secondary) library any time during regular library hours by Friday, May 14th or just bring them with you when you come to Mayfair and drop them off at our booth. Contact Andree Keenoy, Janice McMahon, or Nely Matsinhe if you have any questions. See you at Mayfair! Andrée Keenoy, Secondary Librarian
Bo Book ok of th the e Mo Month: nth:
The Twin Gerbrand Bakker
ABOUT DADS… Penetrating, beautifully sparse, and eerie in its stillness, Gerbrand Bakker’s The Twin tells the story of Helmer van Wonderen, an aging farmer whose life has been characterized by passivity, inaction, and a profound sense of isolation. Having begrudgingly taken over the family dairy farm after the accidental death of his twin brother Henk [, ..], Helmer has been “doing things by halves”, living the life that was intended for his brother, a monotonous existence at the beck and call of his tyrannical father. [by Laryssa Kyzer for Three Percent]
Winner of the International IMPAC Dublin Literary Award and it’s in our library!
service Livro Aberto Trip to Mafalala - Poorva Arora, Gr 11 This Service Learning Day, our group of students and teachers on project Livro Aberto worked at a primary school in Mafalala, with 6-year-old Mozambican children. Livro Aberto is dedicated to the education of children of all ages and backgrounds. We worked in a classroom of children by dividing them into groups and assigning each group a colour. Each of us took charge of one group. Firstly, the children reviewed the calendar, the alphabet and some rhymes in Portuguese. Then we read them a story in Portuguese. Finally, we prepared the main activity which was divided into two groups. With help, the first group created mini-books of the story they had read; this included choosing, coloring and gluing the animals and then assembling the pages into a cover along with their names. The second group created book covers by painting cotton balls to form the shape of a bear. For many of us this was challenging, as we don’t speak Portuguese. It wasn’t easy to take care of so many children. Today’s project was a great eye-opener to the lifestyle and education of most local children: the classrooms had poor furniture, unpainted walls and lacked essential materials and equipment. We hope to help create a more stimulating and lively classroom for the children during our next Service Learning Day.
gallery
What do you call a proton with big hair?
How to steal the spotlight in 2 easy steps: 1. Stand in front of the stage and photographer while a solo is being performed. 2. Eat a fistful of popcorn while being crowned Princess
A froton?
sports St Martins School Hockey Development Festival March 22nd to 24 March. This is the fifteenth Hockey Development Festival and AISM was very fortunate to have been able to participate again. This is our 2nd year in attendance and the students thoroughly enjoyed the clinic under instruction from some great Coaches, including Bert Frahm, a Provincial Coach, Player and Selector. All the students had fun, and was great to see the tremendous interest they showed. There are no winners or losers, but if there is to be a winner, LET IT BE HOCKEY !! A big THANK YOU to our driver Justino, who drove us safely to and from Johannesburg, and of course to our hockey coaches, Peter Wandera and Sandy Chapman for all the hard work and effort they put in with the students during the weekend. Thank you!!
Sandy Chapman
Sports events for the remainder of the year April 23rd-May 4th Soccer Camp at AISM April 24th Secondary House Events- Badminton and track and Field May 4-6th Varsity and Junior Varsity Boys Soccer Tournament at AISJ, South Africa May 11-13th Varsity Girls Soccer Tournament at AISJ, South Africa May 25th Interschool Upper Primary and Secondary Track and Field at Parque dos Continuadores May 29th Secondary House Competition – Track and Field May 30 Sports Awards Evening
INTER INTER--HOUSE EVENTS House
Total Points
Place
Dambo
370
1st
Ndzilo
310
2nd
Missava
300
3rd
secondary GLOBAL ISSUES SERVICE SUMMIT by Sophia Kingsbury Every year the Global Issues Service Summit gives us an opportunity to walk into a room with over 100 complete strangers and know that we are all connected by our passion to make change. I have gone to see this event for the past 4 years since the creation of the GISS Africa, and seeing more people coming to meet and share their experiences with service learning is truly incredible; people travelling miles just to hear more ways in which they can bring on the changes they want to see in the world. The key note speakers are always interesting and highly informative, encouraging us to see that we can make a difference through working with the cause we feel most passionate about. I keep coming back every year to inspire myself to find more ways of positively affecting the causes I feel most strongly about, although I find the most inspiration in seeing how many people care about their individual causes, and in seeing that I’m not alone in wanting to make change .
health A New Defibrillator for AISM The school has purchased an AED Machine (Automated External Defibrillator ). Staff member Wayne Thompson attended a First Aid Instructors’ course in Johannesburg last year in order to be able to teach our staff proper use of this equipment. A training machine was also purchased and all staff have now received the necessary training and practice they need to use this equipment safely. The defibrillator is kept in the Guard House at the school entrance so that it is accessible at all times. Parents requiring further information or training in how to use the machine please contact the Nurse’s Office. Sue Lindsay-Rea School Nurse
Mon
23 Apr
Official Study Leave Gr 12 (until May1)
Mon
23 Apr
Soccer Camp (23/4-1/5)
Mon
23 Apr
Parent Info Night on BYOD Grades 8-10 18h30 AISM Auditorium
Tues
24 Apr
Secondary House Events
Wed
25 Apr
Primary School Talent Show 18h00-19h30 AISM Audiorium
Fri
27 Apr
Community Time 07h30-08h00
27 Apr
Primary Coffee Morning 08h00-09h00 Staff Lounge / Tania: On The Move (transition strategies)
Mon
30 Apr
Primary School Parent Workshop 18h00, Primary Library Tania: On The Move (transition strategies)
Tues
1 May
WORKERS’ DAY - NO SCHOOL
Wed
2 May
PYP Evaluation Visit (2-4 May)
Wed
2 May
IB Diploma Exams (2-22 May)
Wed
2 May
Fri
4 May
Board Meeting 18h00, Auditorium Varsity Boys’ Soccer Tournament AISJ, South Africa (details to follow)
Sat
5 May
SAT testing 07h30-13h30
Tues
8 May
Parent Information Evening Grades 8-9 18h00, 3rd Floor Library
Thurs
10 May
PYP Exhibition, Auditorium
Thurs
10 May
Fri
11 May
Sat
12 May
PTA MAYFAIR, 11h00, AISM Grounds
Mon
14 May
Primary Arts Week (14-18 May)
Wed
17-18 May
Secondary Production of GREASE Teatro Avenida, 19h00
29 May
AGM and Board Elections
monthly
Fri
Tues
Parent Information Evening Grades 10-11 18h00, 3rd Floor Library Varsity Girls’ Soccer Tournament AISJ, South Africa (details to follow)
Telephone: +258 21 49 1994 Fax: +258 21 49 0596 Email: aisminfo@aism-moz.com www.aism-moz.com