Volume 1 24/02/2020
Newsletter of International School Suva
Principal’s Report Dear Parents, Staff, Students, and Friends of ISS, The year has begun and we expect a stellar year. We begun the year with a new Middle School addition that allows us to have new science labs, meeting spaces, and better teacher offices, and, most importantly, classrooms for all our students! The addition is new so you will probably see some continued improvements with furnishings, learning activities that were not possible before, and more hands-on science activities. The photos below show the finished addition from the hardcourt view and one of the new meeting spaces. Below is a basic floor plan for the addition, although we think you would enjoy visiting and seeing the project for yourselves! A new student activity this year is small boat sailing. ISS is now offering sailing instruction in various ways including Tuesday secondary activities, Sailing Club, Friday Middle School Oceans afternoons, and Primary Year 4 & 5 activities. Please watch for announcements about these opportunities if you are interested. Please see the article regarding Sailing Club elsewhere in this Talanoa. We are continuing to make progress toward our MYP authorisation (International Baccalaureate: IB, Middle Years Program: MYP). We hope to complete this process later this year. Immense credit is due to our secondary teachers who have worked very hard to achieve this. This effort is part of our Strategic Plan to continue to improve curriculum and instructional quality and alignment. Because of this we are becoming a “Continuum” IB World School (adding the MYP in addition to the PYP and DP). IB World Schools and ISS share a common philosophy – a commitment to high-quality, challenging, international education with balanced inquiry-based curriculum that covers eight core learning areas – and we believe this is a world-class framework that is important for our students. We believe our students need, and deserve, a broad understanding and ability to be global citizens and successful adults.
Inside this issue:
ECH 2 Article
Protect our Ocean
Lost & Found Procedure
Year 5 Article
Who we are
PSPE
PS Assessments Results
Middle School Article
Sailing Program
Model UN Nadi
We are excited and very committed to implementing the MYP well and making every student’s school experience memorable and life changing! Please watch for further opportunities to learn more about what this means as we move forward. Thank you to all who attended previous MYP information and feedback sessions!
As a reminder, we have a visionary Strategic Plan written and adopted by our board last year that is guiding ISS to new heights of quality, engagement, sustainability, reputation, and student outcomes. The plan is available on the school website and has four main strategic goals addressing these areas: 1) Strong student results at all levels, 2) Increase ISS’s standing as a top globally reputable international school, 3) Develop and expand needed resources for ISS, and 4) Provide improved systems to guide and inspire the school. . The plan is a promise to the school community to continue to make meaningful improvement over the coming years in the areas identified. I believe all families will see and enjoy the positive growth and change each of the coming five years. We will report on our progress to you regarding our achievements toward the strategic goals at our Annual General meeting 15 April at 6pm. Please plan to come join the school in this once-a-year business meeting. One important activity at the AGM is electing Board members to fill open seats. If you are interested in sitting on the ISS Board, a nomination process will be advertised in the coming month, and you may wish to stand for that important school role! Board members should be willing and able to attend meetings most months of the year and to serve on committees as needed. Thanks for being a great school community! Stephen Cathers Principal/Head of International School Suva
Counselors Corner
PSE
Top Yr 12 Students 2019
Advertisement
Upcoming Events
2020 Term Dates
There are 12 of us in the class and we like coming to school to learn our numbers
We are copying our names from our name card‌ Getting Along is very important...This is how we get along in class...
We are sorting pencils and other objects according to their colours and kinds.
ECH 2 Whales class have really settled well in class. They are ready to take on challenges and make learning their responsibility. They are being challenged with significant and relevant activities which help to develop them physically, spiritually, intellectually, socially and emotionally.
Protect Our Ocean! By Year 3 This term, Year 3 students are learning about how to Protect Our Ocean during their Unit of Inquiry lessons. We have learned about how garbage makes its way to the Great Pacific Garbage Patch, how the ocean is affected by weather and climate, how it only takes a few friends to organise a beach cleanup and what our responsibility is to keep our oceans clean. On Thursday the 13th of February, our resident marine biologist Mr. Sam Lovo came into the Year 3 classroom to talk to the students about the innovative ideas people have come up with all over the world to combat the problem of garbage in our waterways. The students thought the idea of Mr Garbage and its garbage collecting water wheel was pretty spectacular. Students also discussed what alternatives there are to plastic to minimise waste in their households and some students have decided to take action on this problem as part of their unit assessment.
Lost and Found Procedure
In order to help the school return lost and found items to students, uniforms, backpacks, and other items should be labelled with student's name. All items presumed to be lost or misplaced will be placed in either the ISS Business Office Reception’s lost and found corner or will be placed in the Primary Office. Please check at these locations in the first instance if your child has lost or misplaced an item.
The Problem with Deforestation and the effects on animals By: Anahira Denzler, Year 5 Do you have a favorite animal that lives in the forest or the rainforest? Did you know that both are suffering from deforestation and poaching? Today I’m going to explain the effects of deforestation on animals in their habitats. Did you know that the rainforest and forests makes up 31% of the land and contains most of the animals and plants species in the world? It is also believed to house 80% of the world's terrestrial varieties of species. Different rainforests around the world even house 50% of the world's animals and plants and if the rainforests were to fall to farming, the lumberjacks and wood factories, what do you think will happen? We have to act and stop the continued deforestation from happening. Luckily others are acting and doing everything they can to help the animals. So now you know the facts, let's talk about what this is doing to the animals. According to the WWF there are only 1,864 Panda’s left in the wild. Although that is a small number there has been an increase of 1000 in their population since the late 1970s. If you read my 3rd article when I stated how many Bengal tigers are left in the wild and I told you that they were the biggest population of tigers with only 2,500. Some other tiger species to consider include: The Siberian tiger with only 500 left in Eastern Russia. What affected the population was poaching and loss of natural habitat. Only 500-600 Sumatran tigers and 200 white tigers are still roaming the world. The rarest of them all is the South Chinese tiger. There are none in the wild and that has been proven by 25 years without seeing them in their natural habitat, but there are 100 in captivity and that still isn’t much. Lastly, the population of red wolves has dwindled to only 40 in the wild and 200 in captivity. Thank you and I hope this will help you to realize some of the things that are happening to the world around you. Where I got my Information: https://greentumble.com/how-does-deforestation-affect-animals/ https://wwf.panda.org/knowledge_hub/endangered_species/giant_panda/panda/ how_many_are_left_in_the_wild_population/ https://rarest.org/nature/tiger-species https://www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/mammals/s/siberian-tiger/ https://people.com/pets/40-red-wolves-left-in-the-wild/ https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/asia/white-tiger-mauled-death-bengal-catszoo-mistake-india-bannerghatta-biological-park-a7961746.html
WHO WE ARE by Year 5N For our very first Unit of Inquiry, the Year 5 students have been learning about the different factors that contribute to a person’s wellbeing. Here are a few reflections from our class: ‘Personal choices are choices you make. The way you act, how you feel, what you think and what you eat are all your personal choices.’ M.B ‘You can make a choice but you have to think if it is the right choice. For example having a donut can make you happy but too much of it can affect you physical well-being in a negative way.’ D.K ‘Our personal choices are connected to our well-being. For example, the friends you have can affect your social well-being.’ E.F ‘Your personal choice is what you choose and what type of person you want to be.’ C.A ‘All the factors, physical, mental, emotional, spiritual and social are important. If you make a bad decision, it will affect the other factors because they are all connected.’ J.Z.
Personal, Social, Physical Education (PSPE) Our PSPE (Personal, Social, Physical Education) program for 2020 started off with a Learn to Swim program which was offered to all students from Year 1 to Year 5 and all students were expected to get involved. It was fun and students really enjoyed the sessions. The main focus of the program was: water safety
improved swimming skills
learn to swim and
maintaining a healthy lifestyle
Now with the swimming program over, students are looking forward and are preparing for the swimming carnival that will be held on week 9 Friday the 20th March.
Our Unit of Inquiry program for Reception and Year 5 looks at our personal wellbeing and what choices we make in order to stay healthy. Our Year 5 students, as part of their Taking Action, are conducting morning exercise twice a week for the whole school for three weeks and we are grateful to some parents who made an effort to join us in this session. Reception students took a walk around the whole school vicinity, up and down the stairs to know that just walking is also part of exercise and what changes they see and feel after a walk. In our PE program, we helped students with their jumping skills and we modify jumping activities and games that will improve their jumping.
Primary International Schools Assessment Results INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL SUVA ISA COMPARISON/ANALYSIS 2010 – 2019 International Schools Assessment (ISA) is taken annually by 18,000 students world wide in Year 3 to Year 9 and used to rank PISA (Program for International Student Assessment) scores. 2019 saw much improved results in our ISA scores. International School Suva is tracking in the average range in most areas through most assessments. Our Year 4 cohort have improved in their ISA Math results significantly since 2018. Our Year 5 cohort have improved their Math since 2018 and are now in average range. This year we will continue to focus on improving our Mathematical Literacy scores through the planning, teaching and assessment of Math. Key: 434 – ISS Mean Score (434) – All Schools Mean Score. The number is red where there is concern.
Year 3 Mean Year 2010 2011 2013 2015 2017 2018 2019
Mathematical Literacy 274 (301) 340 (297) 357 (287) 357 (287) 278 (325) 236 (311) 317 (306)
Reading 275 (267) 289 (247) 333 (259) 330 (257) 305 (332) 313 (209) 317 (304)
Writing Task A 387 (369) 406 (361) 379 (371) 346 (371) 351 (377) 350 (365) 369 (364)
Writing Task B 443 (392) 412 (382) 429 (392) 392 (392) 361 (407) 418(413) 429 (415)
422 (417) 407 (407) 423 (419) 420 (406) 410 (416) 405 (410) 404 (405)
461 (433) 439 (419) 461 (433) 459 (427) 443 (442) 451 (449) 457 (451)
463 (461) 474 (454) 473 (467) 447 (455) 449 (457) 453 (447) 441 (448)
488 (477) 486 (461) 511 (479) 489 (467) 473 (478) 514 (489) 492 (482)
Year 4 Mean 2010 2011 2013 2015 2017 2018 2019
378 (389) 332 (372) 377 (368) 430 (377) 383 (392) 359 (379) 335 (380)
334 (346) 306 (325) 357 (323) 372 (316) 369 (354) 379 (341) 334 (334)
Year 5 Mean 2010 2011 2013 2015 2017 2018 2019
382 (440) 420 (423) 450 (429) 437 (427) 433 (443) 432 (435) 423 (434)
372 (396) 397 (388) 413 (364) 287 (361) 411 (408) 409 (383) 434 (384)
Friday Afternoon Oceans Programme Top Predators - Sharks! Our first three week unit this Term started off with some research into our choice of ocean predator. This lead to a scientific drawing of our sea creature and some mind blowing facts. For example, the likelihood of a Megalodon being real and the sheer size of one of these sea creatures! We had the privilege of viewing the ocean specimen collection at the USP Marine Sciences campus for the second week of our Sharks inquiry. Here we were kindly shown around by the curator Kelly Brown who showed us several specimens of shark, eel, crustaceans and fish life. We were pretty excited to see the variety of specimens, especially the sea snakes!
ISS begins its school sailing program 2020 has seen the introduction of a junior sailing program at ISS. In association with the Royal Suva Yacht club junior sailing division, ISS is now offering students the opportunity to participate in a Learn to Sail program. Students currently have two options, the Introduction to Sailing which takes place over three consecutive Friday Oceans periods. Here we give students a short introduction to safety, knots and ropework, rigging, capsizing and boat handling. The second option is to participate in the official Tackers level 1 Learn to Sail. This is a 20 hour course delivered over a semester as part of Tuesday afternoon activities. This is a more in depth course which results in students independently sailing Optimist dinghies. As always, safety is paramount at ISS and this year students are equipped with official ISS lifejackets.
The Tackers 1 students began by learning about safe boat handling, knots, ropework and rigging the Optimist, after which, they have learnt to capsize and right their dinghies. In the second week, they started sailing within the confined waters of RSYC, getting a feel for steering, sail handling and boat maneuvers. Last week they had the opportunity to take the Optimists to Mosquito island. The dinghies were towed down by Mr Cathers, with the boys practicing steering along the way. After a short delay due to a lost rudder, they arrived at Mosquito Island. Once ashore, the Optimists were quickly rigged and the boys set off to practice boat handling skills.
The students really enjoyed sailing in the stronger winds and took turns putting in place all they had learnt the previous two weeks. Reluctantly they had to pack up and head back to RSYC. We arrived back a little later than anticipated with the students tired but extremely happy. Â
Model United Nations Nadi – changing the world, one delegate at a time By Jade Cave From position papers to resolution writing, preparing for any Model United Nations conference is an exhilarating, eye opening and often daunting task. This is especially true when it came to the recent MUN conference hosted at the Sheraton in Denarau by International School Nadi. A team of 10 ISS students were lucky enough to be invited to research, debate, and at times, scream and shout across council floors. All in the interest of diplomacy of course! The ISS team left for Nadi on Sunday the 16th, a jumble of nerves and excitement, but by the time we returned from the two day conference we were exhausted. Having spent all our energy in any of the three councils, General Assembly, Security Council or the UN Special Commission On The Status of Women, debating everything from preventing youth radicalization, to the situation in Syria, to providing access to birth control and family planning in less economically developed countries. The purpose of this conference was to use critical thinking, research and problem solving skills to solve some of the most pressing concerns facing our world, and solve them we did, with each council passing at least 3 student written resolutions across the two day period. As one of the students lucky enough to have attended the conference, I cannot begin to tell you the extent of how amazing this event was. There was a profound sense of achievement - knowing that we were learning the skills necessary to change the world. The inspiring thing about MUN is the inescapable feeling that we are sitting in a room full of the next generation of leaders, the next prime ministers, advocates, presidents and diplomats. The opportunity to share ideas and learn from these remarkable people is one that none of us are likely to forget. A huge thanks goes out to the Secretary General and Deputy Secretary General of the ISN MUN, two year thirteen students who spearheaded the event as part of their IB CAS project! Their initiative and organization skills provided us with a stimulating two day debate and a wonderful chance to get to know people from all around Fiji. Thanks also to Ms Dunbar and Mr Walker for coordinating everything and making this experience possible. I am so proud of the whole MUN group for all our hard work and dedication. A special congratulations to Tooba Saud, delegate of China on the Security Council, for taking home best overall delegate! In total ISS received 5 awards recognizing our depth of understanding, ability to debate, problem solving skills, diplomacy and hard work. And while this is fantastic, we all appreciate that MUN is not about receiving awards, and we have taken more than just trophies out of this experience. We left the conference with a new understanding of our countries and agendas, several new friends and contacts from all around the country, a very close bond with each other, and, perhaps most importantly, a reinvigorated sense of empowerment. A fundamental understanding that we have the ability to enact real, groundbreaking change, and that our time to do so has already started. We are also looking forward to using everything we learned at the ISS hosted MUN conference next month!
Counselor’s Corner Starting a new school year is exciting, anxiety inducing, and busy, but I think we are all off to a good start. We began the year in Week 2 with Attendance Awareness Week. In partnership with the Pastoral Teams, we took time during that week to set the tone for the rest of the term by imparting upon the students the importance of attending school every day that they can. Some of the teachers and administration and I hosted a New Student Breakfast on 13 February. The event was simply to welcome our new students in Middle and High Schools and allow them to mingle with one another and our Student Ambassadors. This also allowed for the participating staff to take the opportunity to chat with the new students. The feedback was positive from the students and the staff that participated. The week of 10 February was International School Counseling Week. The theme of the week was “Together, We’re Stronger”. The students were encouraged to look after one another and come together as a community because together we are stronger. The Role of the Counselor I want to take the opportunity to educate the ISS community of the role of the School Counselor. The School Counselor is a member of the ISS community and the ISS educating team. My place in the school is no different than the teachers, librarians, or medical officer. We all play our role in educating and supporting your children.
As the School Counselor I support all students at ISS. In the early days of School Counselors, when we were called Guidance Counselors, we only spent time with a small portion of the student body. Today School Counselors seek to impact every student, whether it’s through Social/ Emotional lessons like the new Personal and Social Education (PSE) course, programs like the Student Ambassador program, career/ university preparation and of course via individual counseling and group counseling. As a member of the school community I may not inform parents of every conversation that I have with a student. It would be like a teacher contacting a parent about every conversation that they have with a student. Not every conversation I have with a student is life changing. Also, conversations with the School Counselor are confidential. Confidentiality as a School Counselor is absolutely necessary in building a trusting relationship with students. As a parent, you will be notified when I see your child if the he/she is recommended for consistent short term individual or group counseling sessions or if your child is at risk of harming him/herself, at risk of harming someone else, or if he/she has been harmed. Students have been well informed of the limits to confidentiality and they expect me to uphold them. If you have any questions about my role as the School Counselor please refer to the ISS School Counseling website at www.issschoolcounseling.weebly.com or email me at ccross@iss.school.fj.
Personal and Social Education (PSE) Ms Chante Cross
Personal and Social Education (PSE) courses are underway in Secondary. PSE is one of the students most important courses. In PSE students are learning skills that they will carry with them the rest of their lives. If individuals can’t manage their emotions, work well with others, problem solve, build healthy relationships then they will not succeed in life. The skills learned in PSE will help to make them successful contributing members of society regardless of the career path they choose or the university they attend, although we focus on that as well. Thus far this term, we have covered goal setting, growth mindset, and university/ career preparation. If your student is in High School, he or she has logged into and utilized ISS’ university/ career preparation platform, Cialfo. They have created goals to move them forward in their academic success and career planning. They have learned about the ability of their brains to grow and develop in areas where they choose to put in the work. We have also pointed out their strengths by learning about multiple intelligences. We begin each class period by “circling up”. We sit on the floor in a circle as a means of building community. In the circle my co-teacher and I encourage open communication and trust. This is meant to help build cohesion amongst the students. In the circle we also hold each other accountable for how we treat one another and living up to our essential agreement. We have a little way to go to live up to the goal of building the community we want but we are well on our way. If you have any questions regarding your student’s performance in PSE or what we will be covering don’t hesitate to reach out to the School Counselor or in Middle School, the Pastoral Coordinator.
Let’s Celebrate – Top Year 12 Students (Graduating Class of 2019) The following students graduated with the top scores for ISS last year: IB Diploma Program
Mira Mishra IBDP Score 37 Awarded Dux IBDP 2019
Shin Yee Chee IBDP Score 37 Awarded Merit IBDP 2019
Australian Capital Territory (ACT) Senior Secondary Certificate and ATAR
Olivia Lum ATAR 88 Awarded Dux ACT 2019
We are all very proud of their achievements and wish them every success as they start university in 2020. Megan Navunisaravi Head of High School
Upcoming Events Term 1 Week 5 to Term 2 Week 5 T1 Week 5 Wednesday 19th February Primary Parent Teacher Conferences Thursday 20th February Primary Parent Teacher Conferences Friday 21st February Whole School Leadership Assembly Talanoa T1 Week 6 Friday 28th February Lower Primary Assembly T1 Week 7 Tuesday 3rd March MOD Day 1 ACT Friday 6th March Primary Assembly T1 Week 8 Tuesday 10th March Secondary Swim Carnival Friday 13th March Oceans Day Out Year 9—Uto Ni Yalo Primary Assembly T1 Week 9 Monday 16th March Model UN Tuesday 17th March Model UN Thursday 19th March Secondary Zone Qualifiers Friday 20th March Primary Swim Carnival Year 1—5 ECH 2 Assembly T1 Week 10 Monday 23rd March Poetry Week Mock Exams Chinese IGCSE Friday 27th March Whole School Assembly Talanoa Term Ends
T2 Week 1 Monday 13th April Easter Monday Tuesday 14th April Teachers Start Wednesday 15th April Students Start Thursday 16th April Coke Games Friday 17th April Primary Assembly Swim Awards Cokes Games Saturday 18th April Cokes Games T2 Week 2 Monday 20th April Harmony Week Tuesday 21st April Year 10 Camp T2 Week 3 Monday 27th April Year 11 Ocean/Bio Field Trip Wednesday 29th April Year 5 Camp Friday 1st May Primary Assembly T2 Week 4 Friday 8th May Primary Assembly T2 Week 5 Monday 11th May Production Practice Day Whole School Staff Meeting Wednesday 13th May Half Day Students—Production Evening Thursday 14th May School Production Friday 15th May Talanoa
INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL SUVA World Class Citizens ~ Lifelong Learners
TERM DATES 2020 TERM 1 (10 weeks, 48 student days) New Teachers Start Monday, 13 January 2020 All Teachers Start Thursday, 16 January 2020 Students Start Wednesday, 22 January 2020 Term Ends Friday, 27 March 2020 TERM 2 (10 weeks, 47 student days) Teachers Start Tuesday, 14 April 2020 Students Start Wednesday, 15 April 2020 ISS Vacation Day Monday, 25 May 2020 Term Ends Friday, 19 June 2020 TERM 3 (9 weeks, 42 student days) Teachers Start Monday, 13 July 2020 Students Start Wednesday, 15 July 2020 Constitution day Monday, 7 September 2020 Term Ends Friday, 11 September 2020 TERM 4 (10 weeks, 45 student days) Teachers Start Monday, 28 September 2020 Students Start Tuesday, 29 September 2020 Fiji Day Holiday Monday, 12 October 2020 Prophet Mohammed’s birthday Monday, 2 November 2020 Diwali Holiday Monday, 16 November 2020 Term Ends for Students Thursday, 3 December 2020 Term Ends for Teachers Friday, 4 December 2020 Student Contact Days Term 1 48 days Term 2 47 days Term 3 42 days Term 4 45 days Total 182 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