Ta l a n o a
Volume 3 July 2021
Newsletter of International School Suva
Principal’s Report Greetings, Parents, Staff, Students, and Friends of ISS,
Inside this issue:
Greetings ISS parents and friends. We have reached an important milestone in our quest to maintain high learning levels during this Covid time. We have shown that we can achieve high student learning results while the campus is closed through our online programs. We have verified that through our highly sophisticated, internationally normed, testing program using MAP exams. Furthermore, we have now shown that we can quickly and efficiently re-engage our online programs to deal with a second wave of infection. None of this is easy for any of us, but, thankfully, it is achieving our goal of protecting our students and their education.
Primary Update
I think everyone has probably followed the progress and numbers of the most recent wave of Covid cases, and I hope everyone has also followed with interest the numbers of vaccines being administered. Both the opinion of medical science and the dramatic evidence from other countries has shown that Covid collapses rather quickly once a certain level of vaccination happens. Based on the progress of Fiji’s vaccination program, I think we have hope of a rapid decline in case numbers some time in this term. Notice the pattern in the UK, the US, and Israel:
New Teacher Profile
ECH Online Primary School World Ocean Day
Year 6 Drama Critical Conversation
Year 8 Drama
Young Women in Leadership
In both these cases, there were extremely high Covid case numbers, and in both cases the numbers dropped dramatically after a significant percentage of the population was vaccinated. I also notice that in both these cases, the first wave of cases was small and manageable compared to the aggressive second (or third) wave caused by variants. That sounds familiar to me! Anyway, my point is this: as a community of critical thinking, educated, forward looking people, the ISS Community, let’s do all we can to help Fiji contain Covid by promoting the best strategies we have, ones based on science and clear-headed leadership! Let’s defeat this threat to our children’s safety and future! Well, I will step off my soapbox now, and wish you all a wonderful, new term anticipating continued success for our students and for our country Best Wishes, Stephen Cathers Head of International School Suva
Alumni Stories
Online Coding
Term Dates
Primary Review Term 2, 2021 By Ms Becki Clentworth
Wow! This term has certainly flown by. I must say that I am impressed with how quickly the students adjusted to learning online. Their work submissions have been of a high standard and I can see that they have risen to the challenge of online learning. This year after reviewing our program we were able to make adjustments to better meet individual needs. This ensured more support for students and included our care team working on well-being.
There have been some outstanding developments and highlights throughout the term, including: Students from ECH1 - Year 5 self managing their schedule and learning for the day Students continually developing their independence and ability to work with little supervision and manage their learning Students ability to develop rapid IT skills to record and submit their learning Students resilience and ability to quickly adjust to the situation and take it in their stride Families supporting their child’s learning journey and truly developing a home school partnership Ocean’s week While we don’t know how long the campus closure will last and I know we are all hoping to be on campus soon. I would like to thank the whole community for coming together to ensure this is a successful time.
ECH Online Learning in Term 2
New Teacher Profiles Fiona Singh Primary Teacher—Learning Support Bula vinaka, I am Fiona Singh, the newest addition to the Learning Support Team at ISS. I am currently working alongside the Year 1 teachers, supporting students with their learning journeys. From New Zealand, I am here accompanying my husband on a defence posting. We have two daughters who are also attending ISS. Previously I was a full time primary school teacher for 16 years and love my job. It has been a delight working with the students online this term and I can’t wait to meet them all in person once this challenging time has passed.
Sarai Manning Secondary Teacher— Drama and Language & Literature Bula! My name is Sarai Manning and I arrived in Suva and joined the faculty of ISS as a Secondary Drama and Language & Literature teacher at the beginning of Term 2. I am American by passport, but I grew up as a third culture kid in parts of Europe and Africa to missionary parents. I spent most of my childhood living on the edge of the Sahara Desert before finishing my schooling on the east coast of the USA. My love for serving TCKs led me to teach in the United States, China, and finally Fiji! My deepest passion is theatre and the dramatic arts. I have been involved in theatre since I was very young and have performed, directed, and written for both amateur and professional productions around the world. Some of my other hobbies and interests include photography, writing, film, running, hiking, spending time with animals, and horse riding. Thank you for welcoming me to Fiji and I look forward to getting to know more people as the year goes on!
Welcome to Performing - Year 6 Drama Hosts Lip Sync Battle By. S. Manning In Year 6 Drama, Ms. Manning has been leading young performers through some foundational concepts of performance. Students in the class went through multiple sessions of in-depth study and practice centered around Pantomime. Studying pantomime is valuable to all performers as it is the art of storytelling without voice or spoken words. Year 6 actors and actresses delved deep into skills and techniques such as gesture, posture, facial expressions and tableau to communicate with an audience. The culmination of this performing arts practice and analysis was a Lip Sync Battle. Students chose songs and recorded music video performances lip syncing in creative ways while in distance learning. The lip sync battle was a showcase of everything the young performers had studied in the unit, combining choreography, costuming, and even setting into their unique and imaginative music video performances. Ms. Manning is extremely proud of all the work engaged students did throughout the term.
Leo lip syncs NF’s famous rap song “When I Grow Up”
Check out some screenshots of
Faith performing George Harrison’s “Got My Mind Set On You” Ezra lip syncs to Rick Astley’s “Never Gonna Give You Up”
these students’ lip sync battle performances!
Antonio lip syncs and recreates the music video of “High Hopes” by Panic at the Disco
Jayden lip syncs and leads as Hugh Jackman in The Greatest Showman
Janah lip syncs and performs to “Prince Ali” from Broadway’s Aladdin
Jordhan with“I Can’t Help Falling In Love With You” by Elvis Presley
Kartik lip syncs for the Genie announcing “Prince Ali” in Disney’s Aladdin
William lip syncs and serenades his dog Lucy to “What Makes You Beautiful” by One Direction
livia dances and lip syncs to Dua Lipa’s “Don’t Start Now”
Mana performing One Direction “What Makes You Beautiful” Mala lip syncs and jams to Meghan Trainor's “Me Too”
Indigo with Womack & Womack’s classic “Teardrops”
Lucie lip syncs as the mad and evil Scar in the song “Be Prepared” from The Lion King
CRITICAL CONVERSATIONS with your child (Reception – Year 12) Reflection on Term 2 / Planning for Term 3
Maintaining support of the Plan for Term 3
- Before you talk to your child, ask yourself, "What is my best hope moving forward?" Whatever your answer, remember that (a) nothing can change what has already happened and (b) negative comments are NOT motivational for anyone
- Checking in with your child about school is not intrusive. Younger students will require multiple daily check ins, as their age increases their independence grows however even in upper Primary at least once a day & in Secondary, once a week is helpful
- Talk to your child - what went well during the term and what they hope to keep into next term - Then, ask what their best hope is for online learning next term, helping them paint a clear picture: "What will you be doing? When (specific times)? Where? What will I notice? What do you need? How can I help?"
- Your child will also soon realise that if they are doing what is needed, the conversation goes quickly. This also provides an opportunity for you to listen to their needs for support - However, please structure your chat around the plan you made together, information from SeeSaw or Google Classroom - Remember, the School Counsellors are here to help, so do reach out.
Year 8 Drama Designs in Miniature By. S. Manning Distance Learning has forced the Drama department at ISS to reanalyse and adjust many of its plans and practices during the past ten weeks. However, as all great artists will say, sometimes it is in the limiting of ideas, that one’s imagination can reach its pinnacle. Year 8 Drama, under the guidance and leadership of Mr. Gibson and Ms. Manning, began Term 2 by discovering the world of set design in theatre. Understanding set design is a key aspect of any and all performing arts. A thorough and purpose-driven stage design can be one of the most powerful influences on an audience and help transform not only the stage itself, but also the players' performances inside the world. For this unit, students’ goals were to show their understanding of why optimal communication of setting, mood, and story in performance often depends on the physical presentation and design of a set. Students were set-designers. Their audience was a theatre company who was looking to adapt a popular film into an award winning professional play or musical. Students selected a film of their choice and went through the entire process of set design: beginning with research about their chosen film and the basics of set design, noting important scenes/sets, sketching 3D plans for their stage, weighing the importance of color theory, se t pi e ce s, and a ud ie n ce pe r sp ect i ve , be fo re f i nal ly cr e at i n g a sca l e miniature of their set. Students then created a presentation showcasing their research, planning, and final mock-up. Students were judged on Criterion B: Developing Skills, Criterion C: Thinking Creatively, and Criterion D: Responding.
Set Design by Aiden, sketches for Spongebob Square Pants
Set Design by Aliya, scene for Stranger Things
Set Design by Charli, sketches for Legally Blonde
Set Design by Anabelle, construction of set for Oceans 11
Set Design by Eden, construction for Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
Set Design by Shreeja, scene for Student of the Year
Young Women in Leadership at PIFS By Rosinda Sokai
On the 7th of April, Tooba Saud and I (representing the Head students) were invited to attend a talanoa session at PIFS on Young Women in Leadership. The session started with a small afternoon tea in the Fale of the PIFS, there we were greeted by staff members who encouraged us to socialize with one another. It was lovely to see a room full of young women in leadership positions, and talking with the others encouraged an easy flow of conversation. I was more than delighted to see Simran, a Head Girl from Mahatma Ghandi Memorial School. The two of us had been previously acquainted at the EU Arts Contest, which also encouraged Female Empowerment. Our two groups flitted around the room and spoke with the other girls in small talk, a few times Tooba and I talked with some primary girls and, again, I was charmed to see younger girls taking up Leadership Roles. Afterwards, we made our way into the PIFS Conference Room. Inside were two rows of chairs arranged in a large circle and at the forefront of the circle was a singular chair where Dame Meg Taylor was to sit. Throughout the session she commanded the room, and she spoke with such eloquence you had to listen. She told us of her childhood, and how different she was as a child as compared to now. Now she has a record of being the First General Secretary of PIFS, a graduate of Harvard University and a silver and bronze medalist from The Olympics. We spent the rest of the afternoon having back and forth discussions about our shared experiences as women in places of leadership; I noticed we were all eager to talk, but before we knew it, our time was up and we had to wrap up with a group photo. We were also given a water bottle and t-shirt as a sweet souvenir.
Where Are They Now? Alumni Stories Patricia Naisara—Class of 2006 I attended ISS from 1995 until I graduated in 2006. My mother, being a teacher, brought me to the school. It was a double edged sword. I was lucky to be there, but it also meant she tracked my every move. I am forever grateful for that tracking. I graduated after completing the PYP, MYP, ACT certification and with my IB diploma, completing my final year with the school as Head Student (by this time, gender roles were being phased out). Throughout my time at ISS, I competed in both the sports arena and the arts stages in school productions and Tadra Kahani. I represented the school in Netball, Basketball, Hockey, Outrigger Paddling and Athletics and represented the country in Swimming. I obtained an iTaukei Affairs Board (formerly the Fijian Affairs Board) Scholarship to the University of the South Pacific where I completed my Bachelors of Arts and Law with majors in Political Science and Management and Public Administration. Throughout the duration of my degree I was part of a group of swimmers who ran ‘Learn-To-Swim’ programs with local schools and worked with MaiTV and MaiLife magazine. I also joined the VOU Dance Company (established and run by another alumni of ISS, Sachiko Miller) and toured the world before finishing my university years. As part of the requirements to practice law in Fiji, I completed my Professional Diploma in Legal Practice at USP and was admitted to the High Court of Fiji as a Barrister and Solicitor. This resulted in an employment opportunity with Fiji’s largest private law firm, Munro Leys, practicing in the areas of commercial law, mainly, property, corporate governance, tourism hotel and villa developments, estate and succession law. After almost 7 years in private practice I joined the corporate world of banking and am currently the Senior Manager Legal with the Westpac Banking Corporation here in Fiji. One of the greatest lessons ISS taught me was around time management. This is a lesson I have taken on throughout my life. Whilst I am a lawyer by profession, my time is split between being a mother of three young boys, a Team Leader for the Leadership Fiji 2020 group which grants me a representative seat on their Board, the former Board Chair for the FemLINK Pacific Community Media Network and more recently the Chair of the ISS Board. I have come full circle in my time to return to the school as a non-association member with the hopes to give back to the school that gave me so much. I am proud of what the school has become and always advocate for the values it teaches. This is a school truly committed to nurturing global citizens and lifelong learners. I am back and even after all of this time, I am still learning. Vinaka ISS!