2022 Talanoa Volume 5

International School Suva

Newsletter of International School Suva

PRINCIPAL'S REPORT

GreetingsParents,Students,andStaff,

WehavereachedtheendofTerm3safelyandareinthemidstofmanyculminating activities.Year5Exhibitionjustfinishedwithimpressivestudentprojectstobringtheir PYPyearstoanend.Secondarystudentsaretakingexamsandbeingassessedinvarious otherwaysTheSecondaryshowcasealsojustfinishedandwasquiteademonstrationof ourstudent’stalentandlearning OurOceansprogramcontinuestobeactiveandto bringlearningapplicationstolife IfyourchildhasnotbeenoutontheschoolOcean Scienceboatatleastonce,theyaretherareexception Threeweeksago,many,ifnot most,ofyouparticipatedinFamilyFunDayandenjoyedafulldaywithyourschool community.Ithasbeenbusylately!WearepreparingnowforagoodTerm4withmany studentsuccesses

SpeakingofFamilyFunDay,IwishtoespeciallythankourPTAforalltheirworktomake thatdaysuccessful,aspecialchallengeafterthreeyearswithoutthatevent.Manyparents workedhardtomakethatdaygood,butIwillsingleoutFranWilson,PTAPresident,and EmmaFerguson,theactualFamilyFunDayCoordinator.IjokedlaterthatIthoughtthey werenewschoolstaffbecauseitseemedtheywerehereeverydaysincethelastterm break!Asyouknow,earningsfromFamilyFunDaywillhelpprovideexcitingnewschool resourcesandwillprovidesomecommunityserviceactivities.

Duringthistermbreak,muchprogressshouldbemadetowarddevelopingourimproved accessroad.Whenfinishednextyear,theaccessroadwillalloweasierandsaferaccessto theschool,butthenewentrancewillbefromNokonokoRoadratherthanRatuDovi Road

Everyonewillneedtoreorientwhenwemakethatchangenextyear.Inthemeantime,the entireroadbytheAdminGateandbusinessofficewillbeclosedduringthetermbreak. WhenwereturntoschoolOctober4,somechangeswillbeobvious!Youwillalsoseegreat progresstowardthenewPrimaryplayareaPleasetakealookwhenschoolresumes!

ThelasttermoftheschoolyearisalwaysbusyandfullofimportantdeadlinesWewillall trytohelpwiththoseandtofinishtheyearinfineform!Wehopeyouenjoythisterm breakandcanhavesomewonderfulfamilytimesduringthattime.Wealsohopethatyour childrenwillberefreshedandeagertotakeonthenewtermschallenges.Wewillbeeager toseethemthen!

BestWishes!

SteveCathers HeadofSchool

Primary Additional Programmes by Ms Becki Clentworth

ISS Primary is committed to running a well rounded extracurricular programme and offers a wide variety of school time, lunchtime and after school activities for students from Reception to Year 5. Teachers and outsourced providers run activities that promote fun, social settings and learning opportunities for our students to meet others and try new experiences.

At ISS we believe that a strong activities programme, as part of the IB curriculum, helps prepare students to both enjoy and be successful in life. Through participating in the extra curricular programme students learn lifelong skills that will help them succeed in having a balanced lifestyle. Leadership, organisation, interpersonal skills, teamwork and a strong work ethic are some of the skills that our students learn through participation.

Our Semester Two activities programmes are underway with students enjoying offerings in:

• Lunchtime Clubs: Action clubs including our Kids for Kids and Mata Ni Ua groups.

• Options: Friday afternoons offering students a variety of sports, ocean and STEM activities.

• After School Activities: Monday to Friday after school offering a variety of sports, arts, crafts, dance and tech classes to choose from.

Primary Student Led Conferences and PYP Exhibition

On Thursday 8th September Primary held their annual Student led conferences and PYP Exhibition. This is a celebration of the learning journey that students have been on throughout the year and a chance for parents to see their child’s work and learning experiences that children participate in on a daily basis.

In the final year of the Primary Years Programme (Year 5) all students participate in the PYP Exhibition. This represents a significant event in the life of a PYP school community. The Exhibition project requires that each student demonstrate engagement with the five essential elements of the programme: knowledge, concepts, skills, attitudes and action. The inquiry, which encompasses a variety of subject domains, is conducted in the spirit of personal and shared responsibility culminating into the presentations created by each student. It is an opportunity for students to exhibit the attributes of the IB Learner Profile that they have been developing throughout their engagement with the PYP. We look at Exhibition as a celebration of the students’ learning before moving from the PYP into the Middle Years Programme. Parents and students from all year levels were able to see Exhibition when they were on campus for the Student led Conferences.

Early Years Excursion on board the ISS Explorer.

Early Childhood classes had a hands on experience which was fun, exciting and engaging. They got to put on life jackets, drive the new boat, the ISS Explorer and go out to see the other boats docked in the Suva Harbour.

Update from Year 1

Year 1 have been inquiring into our Transdisciplinary Theme of “How The World Works”. This unit focuses on buildings and how they are influenced by the environment, culture and materials.

Fijian studies was the integrated subject in this unit. With the help of Ms Sala, Mr Petero and Mr Dennis, the Year 1 students embarked on a project in building a traditional Fijian bure (house). These pictures show the process the students went through, starting with the foundation, then the walls and later the roof. It was a wonderful learning experience as the students got to understand the materials used and their cultural significance.

PUSHFIT for SHARK TANK

Shark Tank, wow what an experience! During this past trading unit I have learnt a lot about the business world and how supply and demand works.

This whole project started when the teachers told us to think about our passion to make a product related to the SDG’s that would help people in the world. Grace and I were put in a group together because we are both passionate about swimming! Our first task was to brainstorm and think of ideas to create a helpful product to do with our passion using a tool called scamper. At this stage we also learnt about the 5p’s of marketing: Product, Place, People, Promotion and Price.

After lots of thoughts and suggestions, we came up with the idea of sticky goggles! It’s the invention of the swim cap and goggles put together so kids no longer have to worry about their goggles coming off in their race! We also interviewed other swimmers and swim coaches to gather feedback and most of them said our product idea was excellent.

Now it was time to get creative and make our product! Grace brought in the cap and I brought the goggles and together we engineered our final product! We named our company Push Fit to reflect our sports theme with our product.

This year we also learnt how to do persuasive writing and this was the perfect time to use these skills to make a detailed pitch to present to the judges! After presenting our detailed pitch, along with 6 other teams, the 4 judges announced that the winner for Shark Tank 2022 was the company Push Fit and their product sticky goggles!

Harmony Week

At ISS we value an international education and are committed to developing internationally minded students. We achieve this by actively promoting the Learner Profile attributes throughout our school and community and by celebrating our diversity. This term saw the return of Harmony Week as a build up to our Family Fun Day. Harmony Week celebrates the culture of all of our community and looks to strengthen the attributes we strive to develop in our students.

At ISS, we strive for students to:

• Develop a knowledge, understanding and appreciation of different cultures

• Increase self awareness of who they are

• Develop empathy for others in the world around them

• Foster the ability to collaborate with peers from different backgrounds

• Create a deep knowledge and understanding of global Issues.

• Have the ability to see themselves as ‘Global Citizens

• Have the desire to know about and understand the lives, beliefs and thoughts of others, which will help them understand the basis for their own thoughts and beliefs

• Be able to put themselves in other people's shoes; and be prepared to act to change what is wrong

• Value their own lives and live them thoughtfully, reflectively and with integrity.

From the Secondary Leadership Team

by Mrs Sharna Tobin Deputy Head of Secondary

This term has definitely showcased the wonderful ISS spirit and enthusiasm for providing a plethora of opportunities for our students to be a part of; Harmony Week and Fun Day; camps; assemblies; exams; Coke Games; local and international sports tournaments; our Secondary Showcase, science fair; field trips; the Neverland production; student led conferences; interdisciplinary units…

As I sit here writing this, reflecting on the term we have just experienced, I take great comfort in this quote by Polish/American entrepreneur, Helena Rubinstein, "Hard work keeps the wrinkles out of the mind and spirit,” and cross my fingers and toes that she also meant out of the face as well!

Coming out of two years of uncertainty and isolation, we have new teams, new leaders, new facilities and a different way of looking and thinking about events. We have also had to learn and rebuild many of the necessary skills to be able to put these events on and fulfil our obligations in each of our classes our organisational skills, our social and collaborative skills, our creative thinking skills… to name a few. We would like to sincerely thank all of the teachers, parents, and students who have put their hand up to volunteer to get involved in these activities from cooking crepes, organising buses and designing outfits to sharing ideas, coaxing friends into exam rooms and showing sportsmanship on the court. All of these things help build community and help lighten the load for our friends, classmates and colleagues. All of these add to our experiences at ISS, and help make memories for us to take with us in our next steps.

These next steps take us into a well earned break, and a chance to think ahead to the final 25m dash of the 2022 school year. Finishing strong. Being proud of what we have learnt and achieved. Being able to reflect on our failures with a positive growth mindset. There are many skills that we will continue to develop in our final term, but I’d like us to focus on a few realistic, achievable, but also challenging, goals:

1.Attending school each and every day, on time.

2.Take responsibility for your own learning, your own choices and your own actions. Use your class time well actively participating in class discussions, completing work and asking questions.

Set short term goals and meet them.

3.Communicating with your teachers, with your classmates, with your parents and friends.

4.Be a team player. Don’t leave everything to someone else get in and have a go. Be open minded in your choice of experiences, in your perspectives and you’ll see yourself grow.

Our community had to exhibit these characteristics during Term 3, or we would not have experienced the wonderful things that we have. With more of us continuing to focus on these few areas, I am positive that as a secondary school community, we will finish 2022 strong, without wrinkles on our mind, spirit and face!

Once again, thank you for your support this term, and we look forward to welcoming you all back for Term 4.

Conley, Megan. “45 Quotes That Celebrate Teamwork, Hard Work, and Collaboration.” HubSpot Blog, HubSpot, 28 Mar. 2022, https://blog.hubspot.com/marketing/teamwork quotes.

NA WEKAQU NOQU IYAU

My relationships are my heritage and wealth Festival of the Pacific Arts & Culture

50th Anniversary Multimedia Exhibition - by Anjali Mohan

Thousands of colours, hundreds of people, 50 years of celebration, 22 island countries and colours and one festival. This is the Festival of Pacific Arts and Culture, the biggest festival in celebration of Indigenous peoples in the Pacific. This fantastic festival celebrated its 50th anniversary with a multimedia exhibition displaying the past celebrations, here in Suva on Friday 15th July. I was a part of a few students from the Individuals and Societies class that were invited to attend this exhibition.

Being a part of this small group of ISS students, the thrill to be invited and even available to attend this event was exciting, especially whilst waiting in the lobby of the Grand Pacific Hotel. The excitement and wonder bubbled in the light chatter that filled the room, as we discussed what we could expect from the exhibition.

All of our chatter came to a halt as we were escorted to the exhibition room, and was replaced with murmurs of wonder as we held witness to the beauty of Pacific Island Culture that was displayed in front of us. Mr Taitusi Arhelger, who was one of the people responsible for the exhibition, talked us through its purpose and origin and here is what we learned:

• The first South Pacific Festival of Arts was co hosted by the Fiji Arts Council and the South Pacific Commission in Suva, Fiji. More than 1000 people from 20 PICs participated in the 10 day event, which took place from May 6 to May 20, 1972. The first celebration featured traditional dance, the building of a Pacific hamlet with authentic dwellings, and navigation.

• The festival's original design sought to address issues including the relationship between culture and national identity, language loss due to culture, and the effects of modernization and globalization on Pacific youth.

• The festival would support the preservation and growth of different regional art forms while also giving Pacific Islanders a chance to interact, exchange, and commemorate their shared cultural heritage.

After his debriefing, we all dispersed to appreciate the exhibition up close with our newfound understanding. The exhibition took us on a nostalgic journey through the past festivals as the black and white photos of our ancestors slowly bled into colourful displays of who we have become. The sheer appreciation and adoration for the cultures of the Pacific that escaped in every single breath of the room filled the air with a sixth sense, a sort of unspoken understanding that this, indeed was our shared heritage.

After we had ample time to visit the past, we returned to the exhibitioners to view a song composed at the height of the 2020 Covid 19 pandemic, with a message of keeping our uniqueness even through change and development, understanding that even as one Pacific people, we are unique and special, that our history, culture and traditions are what we should continue to be proud of. Silence fell upon our small group and the soul of the song was all we could hear. I remember how it made a sense of responsibility and yearning course within me, a feeling that it was my duty to those before me to honour and share my culture and history. All these built up emotions and changed mindsets were documented on the exhibition's tree of hope. The tree of hope had leaves on which we could write our thoughts and pin up, and let's just say we all had a lot on our minds. We found that many of us shared the same sentiments of responsibility to our cultures and their appreciation and almost instantly ideas started flowing.

We discussed the need for our school as a collective to do something more to celebrate our cultures, we thought of dance performances, art exhibitions, and musical demonstrations, just something that will get our students to not only celebrate but be a part of knowing our Pacific identities and share that with others.

As we spoke and sparks of creativity started floating around, we realised that we had the resources to do it all. As a student body with the support of staff and the passion to spread this feeling of recognizing and celebrating our cultures, we need everyone to be willing to try.

Let us be proud of our diversity and uniqueness and bring back the knowledge, pride and culture to ISS.

2022 Science Fair Exhibition

Year 6 to Year 9 Science Students finished this term with the Science Fair Exhibition. Science Fair involves students using the Scientific Method to answer the research question that they have developed.

This year for the first time we introduced the Ocean Themed Science Fair for the Year 9 Students.

There were some great research questions being answered and awesome displays which had many visitors. This was also a good way to showcase the new science labs as the actual exhibition was done at the Science Labs.

Year 8 Chinese Language Class

Year 8 students were provided the opportunity to plan and show their leadership during Advisory classes. They created various activities to practice and develop attributes which make up the IB Learner Profile, in order to help both themselves and others to become responsible world class citizens in local, national and global communities.

Ocean Programme - Reef Explorers

By Mr Rich Walrath

Secondary Ocean programme has continued in Term 3. Reef Explorers, one of the groups currently working together, is developing a plan to survey and monitor a portion of the reef outside Suva, over the next few years.

As a preface to that survey, we did a short experiment on August 24th, 2022 where we went out and captured a large number of photographs from snorkelling over the reef, and then using some software, we stitched them together as a virtual 3D image. The images on this page were generated: the DEM is the depth model of the section of reef we're looking at; the Orthomosaic is a flattened representation of the shape of the reef area, and the "dense cloud" is the merged image data, prior to any processing.

In Term 4, we will go out, doing a similar survey with some procedural changes, due to the issues noted during the first dive and the processing. In doing this, the students are developing the process and procedures, and learning why some things don't work well first time out. They are also developing real world useable data and skills that will be shared to the community. We are looking forward to sharing this process with you.

(Photo: DEM)

(Photo: Orthomosaic)

(Photo: “dense cloud”)

Year 10 (MYP5) Personal Project

By Ms Shelly Forbes

Recently, the Year 10 students had an opportunity to present their personal projects to their parents, the school community and the wider community at the Secondary Showcase.

Have you ever imagined you could choose to create your own cookbook as part of your learning? The MYP 5 (Year 10) Personal Project makes such ideas possible…The Personal Project is an opportunity for students to complete a project on what they want to do. It could be seen as the exclamation mark that goes at the end of their MYP experience, an opportunity for them to indulge a passion and demonstrate the skills that they have developed through approaches to learning.

The Personal Project is a capstone project for the MYP. Students can choose a topic that is meaningful to them, and then undertake a long term project aimed at building specific skills, called “Approaches to Learning”. These include:

• Thinking skills; critical thinking

• Communication skills

• Social skills

• Self management skills; organisation

• Research skills; information literacy; media literacy

This year we have had students explore a wide range of interests from crafting a cookbook, writing a novel, creating animation, knitting complex outfits, composing music, learning a new language, and designing online courses.

By engaging in research, working with others, creating and following through with a plan, managing their time, and reflecting on their experiences, students can become independent learners. These are some of the most important skills they will learn in their whole school career the skills that help them to be successful in any situation or workplace. These skills set students up to work more independently and manage themselves more successfully in the IB Diploma Programme in Years 11 and 12. Congratulations to our Year 10 students on completing their projects.

Suva Zone 1 and Nasinu Zone Netball Finals

By Mr Brendan Tobin

During September, ISS hosted 11 schools, and 27 teams for the Suva Zone 1 and Nasinu Netball Zone Finals as teams attempted to qualify for the National Championships. The first round of games were played on the 10th September, and the finals held on the 17th September.

After a long, Covid induced, break from competitive sports it was wonderful to see and hear numerous spectators on campus cheering all athletes last weekend. After some last minute changes, ISS were able to register teams in the U14, U15 and U17 Girls teams, as well as an Open Boys team into the Nasinu Zone competitions. The younger ISS teams, though inexperienced, are energetic and passionate and thoroughly enjoyed their games and will gain further confidence from playing. The Open Boys team won all of their pool games, whilst the U17 girls also fared well winning the majority of their games. Both teams will compete in the semi finals on the 17th September (results not known at time of print).

2022 Coca Cola Games

By Mr Brendan Tobin

After a 2 year absence, the Coke Games returned to the HFC Stadium in August with a bang. Nine ISS athletes joined almost 3000 other athletes from more than 200 Secondary schools in what is widely accepted as the largest track & field event in the Southern Hemisphere. All athletes represented ISS with pride, setting personal best times and jumping and throwing admirably. As our first competitor, Yashan set the standard for other ISS athletes to follow with an outstanding race in the 1500m final where he stormed home to finish 5th. Emelia and Francis followed suit by winning their heats in the 100m and qualified amongst the fastest runners for their respective finals. Sala rounded out the action on a successful Day 1 in the final of the Intermediate Girls Discus.

Day 2 saw Leona unfortunately miss out on a medal in the Intermediate Girls High Jump. She was only one successful jump away from 4th and we are confident that she will be back stronger next year. Francis again continued to impress by winning his heat for the 200m. Yashan and Keir raced strongly in their 800m heats with Keir qualifying for the final and Yashan narrowly missing out. Day 2 finished with the finals for the 100m and Emelia and Francis did not disappoint. After missing the start, Emelia came back gallantly to finish 5th whilst Francis raced to glory, collecting the gold medal in the Sub Junior Boys 100m final.

Day 3 action saw the Sub Junior Boys 4 x 100m relay team race. After a late replacement due to injury, the boys raced well and with more time could have made some of the transitions a little smoother. Keir executed a well thought out strategy in the 800m final overtaking many runners in the final lap to finish 6th and Francis collected another medal, this time bronze in the Sub Junior Boys 200m final

New Secondary Staff Profiles

Term 3 saw four new Secondary Sfaff members who we’d like to get to know a little more:

Mr Satbir Singh Mathematics Teacher

I have been in the teaching field for over 12 years (Fiji and New Zealand) teaching Mathematics, Science and Physics. For the past two years I worked as a student success specialist at Fiji National University.

Born and raised in Ba, Fiji, I completed my Bachelors of Science and Postgrad Diploma from The University of South Pacific. Apart from teaching I enjoy spending time in sports, gardening, fishing and travelling. I have been actively part of secondary school soccer and have Oceania C licence for youth soccer coaching.

I am very excited joining the ISS team and look forward to teaching and the adventure that awaits.

Ms Rabia Ahmed Individuals and Societies Teacher

I am really excited to join the dynamic ISS team! I have more than a decade of experience teaching at a wide range of Secondary Schools in Fiji, across all year groups mainly teaching Economics and Accounting and have been actively involved in Careers, Counselling and Business studies.

I also have past experience as a Part time Assistant Lecturer at University of Fiji teaching Foundation Studies and first year degree students.

I have special interest in educating young individuals not just in the field of Individuals and Societies but any subject area within my calibre as I believe in continuously upgrading my skills and knowledge in all areas of studies as and when required by our young and enthusiastic minds.

Ms Amanda Musuka Learning Support Teacher/Coordinator

Originally from the United States, I first came to Fiji in 2019. My husband and I recently moved to Suva from Lau to welcome our firstborn, Junior, and prepare for my new role at ISS. I am so excited to be a part of the warm, inclusive, and impressive ISS community and empower students with special needs to exceed their academic, professional, and personal potential.

My brother, an individual with ASD, largely influenced my passion for special education and lifelong involvement, both personally and professionally, with organisations and institutions advocating for individuals with disabilities. More recently, I served as a middle school special education teacher, primarily working with students with cognitive disabilities and behavioural needs. Outside of the classroom, I coach adaptive fitness and yoga to individuals with disabilities.

Mrs Karuna Prasad Careers Counsellor

I have been engaged in the teaching fraternity for more than a decade and half in Suva schools. I am a professional Commerce teacher with a lot of passion for developing a need for career awareness in students.

As the Careers counsellor at ISS, I will be responsible for paving a career pathway to all students, helping students to realise their potential and guiding them in their pursuit of tertiary studies available locally and abroad. I look forward to this exciting role and working with the energetic and futuristic minded students of ISS.

INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL SUVA

World Class Citizens ~ Life Long Learners

TERMDATES2022 (v.2)

TERM1(10weeks,46studentdays)

NewTeachersStart Thursday,13January2022

AllTeachersStart Tuesday,18January2022

StudentsStart Friday,28January2022

TermEnds Friday,1April2022

TERM2(10weeks,48studentdays)

GoodFridayHoliday Friday,15April2022

EasterMonday Monday,18April2022

TeachersStart Tuesday,19April2022

StudentsStart Wednesday,20April2022

TermEnds Friday,24June2022

TERM3(9weeks,42studentdays)

TeachersStart Monday,18July2022

StudentsStart Wednesday,20July2022

ConstitutionDay Wednesday,7September2022

TermEnds Friday,16September2022

TERM4(10weeks,44studentdays)

TeachersStart Monday,3October2022

StudentsStart Tuesday,4October2022

Muhammad’sBirthday Friday,7October2022

FijiDay Monday,10October2022

ISSHoliday Monday,24October Diwali Tuesday,25October2022

TermEndsforStudents Thursday,8December2022

TermEndsforTeachers Friday,9December2022

StudentContactDays

Term1 46days

Term2 48days

Term3 42days

Term4 44days

Total 180days

Revised3February2022

INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL SUVA

World Class Citizens ~ Life Long Learners

TERM DATES 2023

TERM 1 (9 weeks, 44 student days)

New Teachers Start Monday, 16 January 2023

All Teachers Start Wednesday, 18 January 2023

Students Start Tuesday, 24 January 2023

Term Ends Friday, 24 March 2023

TERM 2 (10 weeks, 48 student days)

Good Friday Holiday Friday, 7 April 2023

Easter Monday Monday, 10 April 2023

Teachers Start Tuesday, 11 April 2023

Students Start Wednesday, 12 April 2023 Term Ends Friday, 16 June 2023

TERM 3 (10 weeks, 46 student days)

Teachers Start Monday, 10 July 2023

Students Start Wednesday, 12 July 2023

Constitution Day Thursday, 7 September 2023

ISS Holiday Friday, 8 September 2023

Term Ends Friday, 15 September 2023

TERM 4 (10 weeks, 43 student days)

Muhammad’s Birthday Monday, 2 October 2023

Teachers Start Tuesday, 3 October 2023

Students Start Wednesday, 4 October 2023

ISS Holiday (Fiji Day) Monday, 9 October 2023

Fiji Day Tuesday, 10 October 2023

Diwali Friday, 13 November 2023

Term Ends for Students Thursday, 7 December 2023

Term Ends for Teachers Friday, 8 December 2023

Student Contact Days

Term 1 44 days

Term 2 48 days

Term 3 46 days

Term 4 43 days

Total 181 days

International School Suva, Lot 59, Siga Road, Laucala Beach, P.O. Box 10828, Suva, Fiji

Telephone: (679) 339 3300; Fax: (679) 334 0017; Email: info@iss.school.fj URL: www.iss.school.fj