Talanoa 2017 Volume 2

Volume 2 Newsletter of International School Suva

28 March, 2017

Principal’s Report Inside this Issue

Dear Parents and Guardians,

Every year I am caught by surprise at how quickly the year passes by. We are already at the end of the first Term of 2017 and halfway  Principals Report through my term as Interim Principal.

This first term has certainly been eventful and I am heartened by the professionalism and determination of staff and the ISS community  AGM Notice as we work together towards a better and brighter future.

 School Council Election

It is no secret that the major concern of late has been to work towards a well-structured and widely accepted soil- testing regime before Nomination Form the start of next term. I am grateful to the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environmental Programme (SPREP) https://sprep.org/ for their assistance in conducting this comprehensive testing regime for us beginning Wednesday 29 March. Schools are always a better  French Muso Visit place when the different stakeholders are able to forge a working relationship with each other despite our many differences.

On that note one of the most important events of a school community is the Annual General Meeting and the election of School  Reception’s Messy Councillors who are responsible for the Governance of the school. This is an opportunity for members of the International Schools Day Adventures!

Association to provide leadership and direction that could impact on the school for many years to come.

These positions are voluntary positions and some of the skills and experiences that benefit the school include (but is not limited to),  Chinese Studies Administrative, Legal, Educational, Human resources, Marketing and Community engagement. However, it is my personal opinion that in order to continue moving from good to great the most important quality of our school council members is a wholehearted passion for  Primary Swimming the present and on-going welfare of the school and its community.

Carnival Information on the AGM and the nomination forms are attached. Please do consider standing for council or encouraging those who have the needed skillset and are able, to do so.  CAS Children’s ward APPOINTMENTS AND FAREWELLS  Outdoor Education Head of Middle School 2018 Trip to Nakorosule It is with great pleasure that I am able to announce the appointment of Mr Kristofer Stice to the position of Head of Middle School in 2018. Kris is our current Head of Science and was chosen from a large field of 63 applicants worldwide. As well as having an impressive CV teaching and lecturing in Fiji and internationally Kris is and has been involved at a leadership level in a number of  Diplomacy AT ISS community organisations both locally and overseas. Congratulations on this appointment, Kris.  Year 5 Excursion Sound and Lighting Technician The school has appointed Mr Benitera Koroijiuta to a part-time position as sound and light technician. Ben is currently employed by the Oceania Centre for Arts, Culture and Pacific Studies at the University of the South Pacific, and comes to us with a wealth of experience  School Nurse News in the arts. We look forward to having Ben work in these technical areas and also assisting in supporting our students who have an interest in developing their technical sound and lighting skills in drama and productions.  Upcoming Events

Farewells A common feature of international schools is the turnover of international staff and families. On Friday we will farewell a few teachers.

Catherine Lukan has been a teacher substitute for Sara Volkmar who returns from maternity leave next term. We also say farewell to Nora Miehe and Tagimaucia Yavalanavanua, who have both been working in the area of Learning Support in the Middle School this term. Vinaka vakalevu Catherine, Nora and Tagi, and we wish you all the best for the future.

Continued …..

First aid Last weekend 24 teachers took part in a 2 day First Aid training programme run by the Red Cross. This was to refresh and up-skill staff in this area. A further 16 staff will complete training next term to bring the total to 40.

Thank you Nurse Jodie Barons for your work in this area.

Lost and found Please see below a variety of items found in the MPH during the term. If your child has lost something or identified something from the photo that belongs to them, they can collect it on Wednesday lunchtime from Kini in the MPH.

Finally, a personal word to our students. As teachers it is one of our greatest joys to see students grow and succeed in everything they do both academically and in co-curricular pursuits. Although I have not been able to visit every class and every cultural or sporting event I have seen enough of your interactions between peers and towards visitors to say with confidence that I am proud to be your Principal, even if it is only for a short while. Over this term your Head students have shown leadership in putting forward requests that have been successful and have helped to build morale and pride in the school, the latest being the request for support of your peers at the Suva Zone 1 athletics Competition.

In the recent MUN held at ISS I was thrilled to receive accolades from the heads of some schools that were involved. They felt that the success was a testament to the excellent collaborative effort of both staff and students.

I trust that as we take a breather over the next two weeks, we will have time to consider how we can work even closer next term to pursue our goal of continual improvement in all aspects of school life.

Meanwhile, I wish everyone a safe two weeks break and trust you will return refreshed and ready for a full and challenging second term.

Interim Principal Hector Hatch

The International Schools Association Notice Notice is given of the 41st Annual General Meeting of Members of The International Schools Association to be held in the Multi-Purpose Hall at International School Suva, Siga Road, Laucala Beach Estate, Suva, on Thursday, 20th April 2017 at 6.00pm.

There will be 6 positions available on Council and the attached nomination form has details on nomination procedure and closing date of nominations for anyone interested in standing for a position on Council.

Agenda for the AGM will be sent out later.

Indira Sharma Chair of Council International School Suva 17th March 2017

INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL SUVA World Class Citizens ~ Lifelong Learners

SCHOOL COUNCIL ELECTION NOMINATION FORM PARENT REPRESENTATIVE __________________________________________________________________________________ Please complete all the details on this form and return it to: Joan Foster Returning Officer International School Council PO Box 10828 Laucala Beach SUVA schoolcouncil@international.school.fj Note that all details need to be completed for the nomination to be eligible. All persons listed on this form must be eligible to vote in the ISS Association. Other than details required for the purpose of the election, all information will be kept confidential. _______________________________________________________________________________________ Details of Nominee: NAME: ________________________________________________________________________________ ADDRESS: __________________________________________________________________________________ EMAIL: __________________________________________________________________________________ PHONE NUMBERS: HOME________________WORK________________MOBILE________________________ SIGNATURE: _____________________________________ WITNESS: _______________________________ DATE: ____________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________________ Details of the two persons willing to nominate the person should be listed below: 1

NAME _____________________________ CONTACT: ______________________ SIGNATURE __________________________WITNESS ________________ DATE__________________

2

NAME _____________________________ CONTACT _______________________ SIGNATURE __________________________WITNESS ________________ DATE__________________

PLEASE RETURN THIS FORM TO THE RETURNING OFFICER NO LATER THAN THURSDAY 13th APRIL 2017 AT 4PM ACCOMPANIED BY A STATEMENT OF NO MORE THAN 150 WORDS FROM THE NOMINEE.

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

Telephone: (679) 339 3300, Fax: (679) 334 0017, Email: info@international.school.fj www.international.school.fj

Member of AAIBS, Centre for U.C.L.E.S., E.T.S., I.B. Examinations.

French Muso Visit

Last week our year 3 and 4 students were treated to a music workshop with a difference where we were visited by a representative from the Alliance Francaise. Mr Sam Taukave, a Fiji resident musician, taught our students how to speak and sing a French song during two, 1 hour long workshop sessions.

Mr Taukave taught our students a bilingual song during his time with us and shared some fun music games throughout his sessions. We would like to thank the French Embassy and the Alliance Francaise for this collaboration and we look forward to another similar workshop, at about the same time next year.

For the love of music Merci Tim Ulacake (Primary Music Teacher)

Reception’s Messy Day Adventures!

On Thursday, 23rd March, while the rest of Primary was getting wet at the pool, Reception Kula and Ruve stayed at school and got very, very messy. We had 8 separate stations where we worked as a team including ‘pass the water’ (pouring water backwards behind us), making bubbles and sorting fruit and vegetables in our paddling pool.

We practised splattering paint to make patterns, scooping letters out of hair gel to make words, and squishing tomatoes to write numbers. We were also using our feet to paint and practise our batting by bashing hanging water balloons. We loved every minute of it and did an excellent job at following instructions and co-operating. We even managed to clean up a bit afterwards!

Sangeeta Sundar & Dominique Harrison

Chinese Studies Congratulations to the Chinese Studies students, Sara Du and Rochan Singh of Year 9, who achieved very good scores for the HSK (Chinese Proficiency Test) in October of last year.

Sara passed the test of HSK level 2 and Rochan passed the HSK level 1 test.

Dan Shao, Chinese Teacher.

Primary Swimming Carnival After two weeks of swimming lessons for each year level, we completed our swimming program this week with a fun-filled Swimming Carnival. The children selected three events each according to their ability and favourite strokes. They represented their houses in races arranged according to age and ability at 25m, 50m or 100m. Beginners enjoyed two races in the pool and an additional land-based dress-up relay. It was great to see so many students doing their best to win points for their house and pushing themselves to swim as well as they could.

Our Year 5 student leaders did a magnificent job leading cheer squads for each house.

Their leadership skills were on display as they encouraged the younger children to join in and demonstrated good sportsmanship by congratulating others for doing their best and winning points for their house through their participation. Certainly, the noise from all houses cheering on the final swimmers was quite deafening!

Everyone is keen to hear which house got the most points today, but we will have to wait to find out once we have had time to collate the results. In the meantime, I’m sure there will be plenty of speculation!

Wendy Harris

Community and Service (Tuesday Activity Program) Children’s ward visitation Every two weeks on Tuesday afternoons, ISS students pay a visit to the children admitted at the CWM Children’s ward. It is a good opportunity for them to offer reading activities, organize puppet shows, skits and make simple crafts. This is part of the school’s Community and Service program that will help our students give something back to our local community and instill lifelong values and a sense of the importance of thinking of others in our community.

It was a very enjoyable experience to share with the little kids.

Ethan While I was walking around in the children’s ward at CWM I felt sorry for the children who were there. The wards were full of beds holding children of many different ages. The children didn’t have many toys to be entertained with during the day.

Claire Most of children can’t speak English but show a lot of interest in picture books.

Huiting There was this one particular girl who I became quite close to. We played, danced and sang some songs with one another.

Nadia When I see smiles on the faces of the children it reminds me of my happy childhood.

Edward Y I played with a cute child and we took photos, it was a real happy time. Yuhan Ms. Vaciloa, Ms. Bicinivalu & Ms. Neirinck

Outdoor Education Trip to Nakorosule As part of the Rivers and Risk unit, our intrepid Year 12 Outdoor Education students took to the Wainimala river at Nakorosule to learn the art of Kayaking. After mastering the art of escaping an overturned Kayak, the students then learned how to paddle in a meandering “straight-ish” direction. The students were involved in a number of Leadership activities including: facilitating an “initiative” activity for Year 7 students, organizing and running a sports program for the Nakorosule District School and Developing and delivering a river safety and survival program for junior students.

The Year 9 IGCSE Physical Education students were also involved in the camp at Nakorosule as part of the ‘Camp craft’ component of the course. The students learnt how to set up tents, make fires, prepare food and explore nature. With a torrential downpour of rain on Thursday night, their skills were put to the test. A great time was had by all.

Mr. Brett Barons

DIPLOMACY AT ISS

On Monday and Tuesday 21st and 22nd March, the 2017 Suva Model United Nations was held at the International School Suva. This was the 9th MUN organised by Mrs Milika Waqainabete, and once again proved to be a great success.

The 7 schools that took part were ISS, International School Nadi, St Joseph’s Secondary School, Marist Brothers’ High School, Jai Narayan College, Adi Cakobau School and Yat Sen Secondary School.

Mrs Waqainabete and the ISS students involved in the MUN had been preparing for the event throughout Term 1.

The Secretary General – Muhammad Uzair Akhtar and Vice Secretary General Sharnia Sharma organised the 4 committees of the session, and the Chair person and Vice Chairperson for each committees from senior students in ISS and ISN. These were the European Union, which discussed Brexit and Turkey’s application to the EU; the Security Council looked at Israel's compliance with the 2016 Resolution and South Sudan's civil unrest; Interpol focused on crime and drugs in sport, and the General assembly debated xenophobia and the treatment of refugees as well combating the threat of Islamic Sleeper cells.

The participating students from all 7 schools met on the 2 Saturdays prior to the MUN to learn the systems and protocols used at the MUN systems, including the requirement for the use of formal language, the types of caucuses that could occur, and the structure of a resolution paper, with training sessions being conducted by the each of the committee’s chairpersons. Joan, Tima and other ISS support staff assisted with organising rooms and the delicious morning teas and lunches during the training and for the 2 days of the MUN. The MUN commenced with an opening ceremony on Monday morning, with an address from Mr Josua Tuwere, Manager Executive Support to the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and a musical number performed by Year 5. At the closing ceremony on Tuesday afternoon, the chairpersons from each committee gave a brief summary of what had been resolved in their committees, after which the awards were announced.

This year International School Nadi won the award for the Best Overall School, and ISS’s Maia Ramsden won the award for the Best Overall Delegate. The Awards for each committee were donated by Westpac Bank.

The participants and the observers benefit from the experience of MUN in so many ways. Through their role as delegates of assigned countries, and the research and positions they create for their countries, the students learn about current affairs, research, debating, diplomacy and compromise. Many of the ISS Middle and High school classes also had a chance to observe some of the MUN proceedings, and there were quite a few interesting discussions in subsequent classes on the debates they’d observed and the merits or otherwise of particular arguments.

Thanks again to Mrs Waqainabete, Ms Dunbar and the students and staff of ISS for all the time and effort they put into this very successful event and to Westpac Bank for their sponsorship.

Milika Waqainabete & Maria Dunbar

Delving into the Past: Year 5 Excursion to the Fiji National Museum On Wednesday 22nd March, our Year 5 students visited the Fiji National Museum in Suva to find out more about how today’s society incorporates aspects of past civilizations. The children were impressed by the selection of local flora and fauna preserved from the past, the array of traditional clothing and jewelry, and the development of weaponry over time.

They really enjoyed working with a local artisan to make vases and other items out of clay.

Having learned about the progress of medicine throughout civilization, students even made a recommendation to the museum for information and displays on traditional medicines from Fiji. A picnic lunch completed a great day of learning off campus.

Catriona Benzie & Mathieu Gabel

Upcoming Event Term One Week 10 & Term Two - Week 1 - Week 4 T1 Week 10 Thursday, March 30 Suva Zone 1 Athletics Year 11/12 SPS Officiating at Zone Friday, March 31 Term Ends Earth day assembly

T2 Week 1 Tuesday, April 18 AST Mock Exam (Year 11/12 students) IGCSE Chinese Speaking Exam (HS) Teachers start

T2 Week 3 Wednesday, May 3 Year 8 Camp Year 11 Bio / Environment sys Field Trip Thursday, May 4 Year 8 Camp Friday, May 5 Year 8 Camp

Wednesday, April 19 Students Start

T2 Week 4 Friday, May 12 Talanoa issued Middle School Social

Friday, April 21 Coke Games Year 11/12 SPS Officiating at Games

Saturday, May 13 IGCSE 0607 Int Math Exam

Saturday, April 22 Coke Games Year 11/12 SPS Officiating at Games

T2 Week 2 Wednesday, April 26 Y9 IGCSE - PE Y12 OED Rivers Camp Thursday, April 27 Y9 IGCSE - PE Y12 OED Rivers Camp IGCSE 0607 Int Math Exam Secondary Parent Teacher Interview Friday, April 28 Y9 IGCSE - PE Y12 OED Rivers Camp Saturday, April 29 IGCSE 0607 Int Math Exam