2018 Talanoa Volume 2

Page 1

Volume 2 Newsletter of International School Suva

Principal’s Report Greetings, Parents and Friends of ISS,

26th March 2018 Inside this issue:  Principals report

As Term 1 closes, we are pleased with the positive progress and school climate we see. I am optimistic about what we will achieve in the coming year to continue our positive growth and improvement. I hope we  ISS Model Un X never lose our commitment to continuous improvement at ISS.  Yr 11 & 12 CAS & DOE As part of that effort, I am launching the Digital Suggestion Box I have  Mangroves Madness promised in the past. Effective immediately, you have access to the ISS Digital Suggestion Box to share any great ideas or constructive feedback.  Outdoor Education 1 To do this, just go to this link and complete the form: https://goo.gl/forms/oYBSCLllkFvyBmTY2.  Pacific Flying Labs To be clear, we value feedback from our parents at ISS. Please know that your feedback will be kept as confidential as possible, particularly if your suggestion is sensitive in nature and disclosure could harm any child or anyone’s reputation. So that one of our leadership team can respond to you, as appropriate, you must share your valid email address. You will then receive a response within 10 school days, sooner if the issue is urgent. We also urge you to include a mobile number for more immediate follow-up.

 Student Designer Show  Year 6 Chinese  Nurse  Model United Nations  Year 5 Article

Unfortunately, your feedback will not be received if it is anonymous. Most innovative ideas or issues of  Year 1 Article concern are complex and require careful follow-up, so if we cannot contact you, we regret that we will not be able to consider your suggestion. We take your feedback seriously, and to follow up effectively, we may  Primary Swimming need to request further information about your idea or concern. Please take time, if requested, to help us Carnival understand your feedback so we can benefit from your input. In other news, some changes in our facilities will take place soon. The structure at the end of the main  Reception’s Water Day breezeway supporting the climbing wall will be removed to open up the area. This will allow more space,  Year 2 Article sunlight, and ventilation in the central part of our campus. We feel this will be a very positive improvement although we may not be able to fully enjoy the change until the rest of the current construction is  Water Fun Day completed.  Upcoming Events

Regarding that construction, although it is not readily seen, much is happening to build a foundation and retaining walls behind the climbing wall area. This is a necessary project and will probably result is some  Term Dates needed added space in the future. In the photo below, you can see the scale of the concrete structures being added now. The coming two weeks will be a good opportunity for all of us to have family time and to become refreshed for the next term. Enjoy the break and chance to do some non-school things with your children! Principal Stephen Cathers


ISS Model UN X ISS hosted seven schools from the wider Suva area to two days of Model UN conferencing. Students were divided into four committees - General Assembly, Economic and Social Council, Human Rights Council and Security Council. Each committee was tasked with resolving two global crises agendas. The Human Rights Council for example was tasked with resolving 'The right to privacy in the digital age' and 'Evaluating the status of so called climate change refugees.' Nozima Burkhanova and Jeshua Hope were the Secretary General and Deputy Secretary General respectively. Prior to the conference, students were trained in the new procedure that our students had experienced at CISSMUN in Shanghai. Students were engaged in lobbying and learnt the jargon and procedure for drafting resolutions. These resolutions became the basis for their debates. ISS, after a lapse of five years also had a press team covering the proceedings, ably led by Veena Erasmus (Y12). Soft copies of the newsletter will be sent electronically to the participating schools. Bank of South Pacific (BSP) generously sponsored this year's conference with the provision of stationery materials and prizes ranging from gift bags, drink flasks to large storage devices. ISS is particularly grateful to BSP for its support. Below is an excerpt from the General Assembly's debate that included the emergency scenario written by members of the Press team - Jennifer Zhang, Francesca Borja and Rosinda Soakai. On the 20th of March, General Assembly met for the last time to conclude the debate on SALW, the inclusion of child soldiers in contemporary conflict, and the emergency crisis. The Delegate of Columbia put forward an amendment for the implementation of a voluntary program for the recruitment of young soldiers from the age of 15, as this would aid in National Defence. The council was assured that these children would be acknowledged and provided guidance in the training process. However, the Delegates of the United States and Afghanistan demanded the consideration of the negative impacts of this program, highlighting the risk of violating the rights of these children. The Delegate from Syria stated that “there are too many cases of rebel forces abducting innocent children from schools.” This led to the suggestion that more emphasis was needed on security in schools. The Delegate from France supported this statement by urging for more secure transportation methods. Despite the urging from the Delegates from Syria and France, there were some concerns regarding the funding of such measures of protection. Another amendment that sparked a lot of debate was presented by the Delegate of Nigeria who said “Encouraging developing member nations in the midst of war to implement a task force in order to prevent the recruitment of children.” This was supported by many members including the Delegate of India who mentioned that, ―Recruiting children for war will disrupt their way of life and could face serious psychological damage considering the harshness of military training.‖ The emergency crisis presented to the delegates is as follows: ―A shipping vessel originating from Brazil, last docked at Sierra Leone and heading towards Italy, was forced to dock at Venezuela due to an unforeseen storm. Upon search of the vessel it was found that the ship contained a shipment of illegal SALW and underage Libyan service women. The ship‘s captain, who was identified to be of Australian citizenship, was found to be affiliated with the Finnish government when a paper trail of funding was uncovered.‖ The Delegate of Libya chose not to comment, the Delegate from Venezuela stated that their government had seized the illegal goods and deported the captain and crew involved. The Delegate from Italy also expressed their wish in providing asylum for the women for rehabilitation. When asked by the delegate of the United States about the possibility of corruption within the government and the action they will take, the Delegate of Finland refused to answer and was placed under fire. Due to further questioning, it was revealed that Finland was behind the illegal shipping, with Brazil and Sierra Leone as their supporters. The learning experience gained by these students in public speaking, negotiation, diplomacy, conflict resolution is immense. ISS thanks all participating schools and wishes their students every success this year. Milika Waqainabete HOD Humanities / Technology


SPREADING THE LOVE AND JOY OF WATER: Reflections on our ‘Learn to Swim’ program YEAR 11 & 12 CAS & DOE Every Thursday afternoon, the Year 11 and 12 students of International School Suva have the opportunity to teach children with disabilities to swim at the Aquatic Center. Initially, it seemed like a daunting task, but after a few sessions, I have to say that it has been the highlight of every school week! Before starting, the Year 11 students have an introductory session where they learn a few techniques to understand how to familiarize themselves with their swimming buddy. The wonderful thing about this program is that no two students‘ experiences are the same; there are kids who can be extremely hyperactive and would jump into the pool with every chance they get, and there are those who wouldn't dare touch the water. Regardless to say, I personally believe that this swimming program has been such a rewarding program. Not only are we learning a useful life skill, but the joy we see on these children's faces is utterly priceless. Jennifer Zhang (Year 12) The water at the Aquatic center is cool and refreshing in comparison to the heat of the day. The ISS students wait eagerly for their swimming pals, and once present, dive right into their lessons. The ISS students are trainers on a mission, their mission objective: to work with a child who may not be able to swim on their own. It's an incredible and fun opportunity for the ISS students to help another person who may not get to experience the feel of swimming otherwise. It's a heartwarming sight to see people so down to earth, patient and caring towards others who are dependent on them. This is an important journey for us, as we realize the potential of people, their ways of understanding and showing affection or thanks. The feeling of goodness that comes to us every Thursday is overwhelming. By the end of the two years, a special bond is created between the students, a bond of reliance, trust, and understanding. It is this trust that allows many people to grow holistically. Although the service part of this program contributes to a certain aspect of the ACT and IB programs, we don't go every week to gain better marks, but because we enjoy what we do, and the points rewarded are simply an additional bonus. I personally am grateful to the school for giving me the opportunity to experience this every week, to make these incredible friendships and bonds with amazing new people, which is my reward from this program. Ozayr Akbar, (Year 11) This semester we were introduced to the service activities of teaching little kids with disabilities how to swim. It‘s been a term since we had been doing this activity and we have all had a great time with the kids. Even though they all have special conditions, they all have special talents in the water. They were all able to learn, relax and be happy in the water. Today is one of the last sessions of this term with the kids. Thinking back, we‘ve learnt a lot from the kids and from this service. From this service, I think that everyone has learnt to be more patient and socialize with kids. Although, this is a service activity, I think that we have learnt a lot from the kids as well. The amount of happiness they gave us will never be forgotten. We are all looking forward to the beginning of next term, to see if we will meet more kids or do creative activities. Yuhan, Olivia, Shinyee and Haejune (Year 11 students) In general, I have thoroughly enjoyed the ‗learn to swim‘ program. It has been a new experience where I could practice values and build character. It also helped that I love spending time around kids. Like anything, there has been a fair share of challenges. One thing I would advise future participants is to go in with no expectations or predictions of what the experience will be like. During our workshops in the weeks leading up to the program‘s start, I‘d foolishly built the assumption that the kids we‘d be working with had never swum before or that I would find someone who was shy and not confident in the water. Instead, by some miracle both the kids I‘ve been looking after are the most energetic, outgoing children I‘ve had the pleasure to meet. As the learn to swim program draws to a close, I hope my experience next year will be just as fruitful as the one I‘ve just had. Seven weeks sounds like a lot at first but the last month and a bit have just flown by. I definitely look forward to the next round, as well as the next segment of the CAS program. Lilieta Soakai


Mangrove Madness A group of our High School students volunteered on Saturday morning at the ‗Learn from the Scientists‘ event at My Suva Park. The event run by NatureFiji - MareqetiViti was aimed at raising awareness of Fiji‘s biodiversity. Our students helped out, and at the same time, learnt more about the different animals that can be found in mangroves such as fiddler crabs, molluscs (oysters & winkles), sponges, herons, barnacles and mudskippers. Check out the NatureFiji- MareqetiViti website to find out more about the work that they do (https://naturefiji.org/) or follow them on their Facebook page: (https://www.facebook.com/ NatureFijiMareqetiViti/)


Outdoor Education Term 1 The unit of work this semester for Outdoor Education is ‗Oceans and Fundamentals of Outdoor Education‘. The intrepid explorers of Year 11 / 12 Outdoor Education successfully completed an extended four day excursion of the Coral Coast which contributed toward their overall assessment for the course. They explored the Sigatoka sand dunes, snorkeled at night in Maui Bay, travelled by boat to Bega Lagoon Outer Reef, explored the sandbar past Royal Davui (on the way to Frigates passage), snorkeled at Yanuca and visited the shark dive site whilst being escorted by a pod of leaping dolphins. On the return trip the students also visited the Bilo Gun Battery and observed the king low tide which left the Suva harbor reef fully exposed. This was an excellent chance to be part of a marine environment and experience sustainable outdoor recreational activities, a key goal for the unit.


Our Experience at Pacific Flying Labs To not take an opportunity is to take a risk. To clarify, you run the risk of a million other future possibilities sliding down the drain. And when we graduate in four years‘ time, had we not taken this opportunity, who knows if we would be motivated to change the world or to use our resources in creative ways? The story begins last year, in fact, when our Year 8 IDU on Inventions and Innovations brought one of us, Arieta Rubuti, to meet Dr. Nick Rollings, a professor in the field of geospatial science at USP. This led to an invitation to a workshop run by WeRobotics(Pacific Flying Labs) on the topic of drones and their humanitarian applications. Arieta gladly accepted, also choosing to invite one of her classmates, Josiah Stice, to the workshop. In the last few weeks, we (Arieta and Josiah) have attended the workshop and enjoyed every bit of it. On Friday of Week 7, we boarded a bus with students from Nakasi High School and travelled down the coral coast to Maui Bay, where the sky was blue and water was crystal clear. Perfect for research. Once there, we met with the professors of Pacific Flying Labs and they introduced to us the two underwater ROVs, the Trident and the PowerRay. Collecting data with the video game-esque drones was only the beginning of our wondrous time with the organization. The following day we tried our hand at analysing the footage, before learning to fly aerial drones on the field of Southern Campus. Once again, we were met with a blue sky and a collage of friendly faces. On Monday, we returned to USP, this time focusing on collecting data of a nearby settlement by the name of Muanivatu. This time, we were joined by the boys of Marist High and Rishikul. Together we watched as the two drones, the Phantom and the Mavic, buzzed overhead. Returning to the labs, a map had been produced of the drone footage using a high tech software. We split into two groups, highlighting potentially dangerous areas and health hazards in the settlement. After this, we delivered presentations, including possible solutions to these problems faced. The final day was Friday of week 8. Instead of school students, we looked out upon the faces of experts in the fields of robotics and cartography, all fascinating individuals keen to share their thoughts on the application of drones in the Pacific. We, too, shared our findings with the experts, and were selected to be the Youth Coordinators of Pacific Flying Labs, positions which we eagerly accepted. Though we knew we would cross paths with these gentlemen and gentlewomen again, a certain sadness overcame us as we left the campus. As our transport wheeled away, we knew this was an experience not to be forgotten. Josiah Stice and Arieta Rubuti Year 9 Students and PFL Youth Coordinators


Fashion Council of Fiji: Student Designer Show On Saturday 17th March four Year 11 students; Indianah Smith Johns, Nicola Barons, Oliver Sinclair and You Su Ra took part in the inaugural Student Designer Fashion show that was an initiative of the Fashion Council of Fiji. We were proud to host the event at ISS and even prouder of the students‘ achievements. Of the 3 major awards on the evening we managed to win two. Nicola Barons won the ‗Creative Design‘ award and Oliver Sinclair won the ‗Trendsetter‘ award. All four students, currently studying Fashion and Textiles in Year 11, were instrumental in not only designing their creations but also making them. The students worked hard to put their garments together for the runway and as a result, Nicola and Oliver will have the opportunity to showcase their designs at the Bottega Gold Fiji Fashion Festival on the 1 st and 2nd of June. A huge congratulations goes to allparticipants and winners.


Year 6 Chinese On the 26th February, teachers from the Confucius Institute (University of the South Pacific) visited the year 6 students. The students watched videos of the Chinese Spring Festival, learned about the origin of the zodiac, and made plasticine pandas. This was followed with a visit to the Ming Du restaurant where the students celebrated the Chinese Spring festival by learning to make dumplings. These activities helped the students further their understanding of Chinese culture and inspired their enthusiasm and interest in learning Chinese.


Hi from the Health Department This newsletter is going to touch on…..

―When do I keep my sick child at home?‖ Students must stay at home or will be sent home if: The student does not feel well enough to take part in normal school activities i.e. they are overly tired, fussy, will not stop crying, etc.) The student needs more care than teachers and staff can give, and still care for other students. The student presents as sick with symptoms as listed below. Please remember that the best way to prevent the spread of illness is through good hand washing and covering your mouth/nose when coughing and sneezing. Symptoms

Must the student stay at home?

Cold or Mild respiratory Symptoms – stuffy nose with drainage, sneezing, mild cough

NO – unless symptoms are severe (i.e. Fever, student is not acing normal and/ or has trouble breathing; or is unable to take part in normal school activities.

Coughing

YES – If severe, uncontrolled coughing or wheezing, rapid or difficulty breathing and medical attention is necessary.

Diarrhea

YES – Student must remain at home until the diarrhea has resolved and that a health care provider has confirmed it is not contagious.

Fever

YES – for a temperature above 37.5’C / 100.4’F or higher with other symptoms of illness (i.e. Rash, sore throat, vomiting, diarrhea, difficulty breathing, etc.), has behavioural changes and cannot take part in normal school activities. Students must stay at home until the fever / symptoms resolve without the use of medication.

Flu-like Temp of 37.5’C/ 100.5’F or higher with a cough, sore throat, tiredness, body aches, vomiting or diarrhea

YES – Student must stay at home for at least 24 hours, without the use of medicine that stops fever and other ‘flu-like’ symptoms.

Rash

YES – If rash is with a fever; open weeping wound or lesion; and/or is not healing. Should be evaluated by a health care provider to verify student is not contagious.

Vomiting

YES – If student has vomited twice in the past 24 hours or has had other symptoms in addition to the vomiting (i.e. Fever, diarrhea, abdominal pain, etc.). Student must stay home until resolved without the use of medication or a health care provider verifies student is not contagious.


Illneses

Must the student stay at home?

Chicken Pox

YES – until the blisters have dried and crusted (+/- 6 days)

Conjunctivitis (Pink eye)

YES – If bacterial, may return to school 24 hours after starting eye drops or ointment. If allergic conjunctivitis may still go to school.

Croup Hand, Foot & Mouth disease (Coxsackle Virus) Head Lice or Scabies Hepatitis A Herpes Simplex (cold sores) Impetigo (Staphyloccocal skin infection) Ringworm Strep Throat Vaccine preventable illness (e.g. Measles, Mumps, German Measles, etc.)

NO – but must be cleared by a doctor YES – for the first 24hours YES – until after the first treatment YES – Until one week after the start of the illness NO – Unless the student has an open sore that cannot be covered or is drooling YES – for 24 hours after starting antibiotics YES – from the end of the school day until starting treatment. Keep covered for 2 days. YES – for 24 hours after starting antibiotics YES – until a doctor says the student is no longer contagious


Model United Nations The Beginning By Veena Erasmus At 9:40am on Monday 19th, 2018 the opening ceremony for the 10th annual ISS MUN conference began. Initiating the ceremony was the Deputy Secretary General, Jeshua Hope, and one of ISS’s own students, Leilani Patterson, with the honour of garlanding the Australian High Commissioner. The ceremony included musical performances by ISS students Madina Burkhanova (Piano), Vasiti Rakai (Voice) and KanutoTugaga (Guitar and Voice). The Deputy Secretary General addressed the key changes that were to be made to the MUN conference in 2018. He began by explaining that the changes that were to be implemented were as a result of the ISS trip to Shanghai, which took place earlier this year where students were given the opportunity to visit a much larger conference. The first major change that was executed this year was the resolution writing, which instead of being during the conference days, took place at a training session on March 17th . Following the Deputy was the Secretary General, Nozima Burkhanova. She welcomed everyone warmly and outlined that there were over 120 delegates from 8 participating schools.The Secretary General said towards the end of her address: “Right about now, you might be expecting me to quote an influential person. I am not going to do that.” The Secretary General requested the audience to “gain inspiration from people like you,” and thus concluded her address with the statement: “Instead of looking to the past for inspiration, look to the present and the future.” The Australian High Commissioner John Feakes gave his own address to the delegates and spectators. The High Commissioner began by speaking about what his job as High Commissioner entails, including movement of postings every 3 years and management of budgets. He stressed that in order for students to be successful diplomats, they would need to have strengths in the area of teamwork and building relationships and the ability to maintain them. The High Commissioner also stressed to the audience that the only way for the students to achieve their goals was “If you want to shape the world, [you need] to get involved.” The High Commissioner’s speech ended with a Q&A session with the crowd, in which he was open to answering questions from delegates and spectators alike. Many questions were posed to the High Commissioner, however his answers to the questions affirmed what the High Commissioner was putting forth in his speech before hand. He once again stressed the importance of teamwork in the workplace and the maintenance of the “dynamic and complex” relationships. The High Commissioner closed by stating that as a student one needs to “keep your options open, study hard and take the opportunities, and things will take care of themselves. The ceremony was concluded by the Secretary General thanking the delegates, spectators and the honored guests for attending. The delegates, spectators and honoured guests were invited for refreshments prior to their separation into their respective councils. Fiji Takes a Stand Against Rising Global Temperatures By Minseo Jung On Monday, the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) met within the halls of International School Suva to discuss measures to mitigate the effects of rising global temperature. The delegate of Fiji proposed the first resolution, which included multiple measures to protect the environment, including increasing penalties for illegal fishing and deforestation, and strengthening education on climate change. While majority of the delegates supported the resolution, the US was opposed to it. The delegate of the US stated that “the resolution is not practical and an environmental limit will adversely affect the economy”. Multiple amendments were made to supplement the resolution. The delegate of Bangladesh added an amendment that a contribution of environmental funds should be made by all nations but with different contributions for each. Bolivia posed an amendment where laws should be put in place regarding processing a fishing license to conserve the biodiversity of a marine environment. However, the US stood against it, making the claim that “fishing is crucial for several countries”. Despite such resistance, both amendments were passed with support from the majority. In the afternoon session, the delegate of Bolivia has submitted the second resolution, which emphasized an increasing need for awareness of environmental protection through mass media and replacing fossil fuel into renewable energy such as solar power. The opposition to the resolution was mainly due to a restriction of fossil fuel consumption. Several countries were against the resolution including the Philippines and China. “Fossil fuel is necessary for the global economy” the delegate of the Philippines stated. China concurred, saying, “The resolution is not realistic and applicable, restricting some nations”. In favor of the resolution was the delegate of New Zealand. Rebutting the protests made by the Philippines and China the delegate replied that “renewable energy is cheaper in long run”. Most of the delegates agreed with New Zealand and the resolution proposed by Bolivia was passed. The discussion made on the first day encouraged all the involved countries to fight against to environmental pollution and to combat the global warming.


HRC Passes a Resolution to Avoid the Breach of Private Security on the Internet. By: Carlos Manaog and Sean O’Driscoll On the 19th of March, The Human Rights Council members debated on whether countries should allow the breach of internet privacy for the monitoring of illegal activities. Two resolutions were proposed, one resolution advocated was to allow the monitoring of private internet use while the latter discouraged the breach of privacy. The first resolution, which advocated for the breach of private information, was proposed by the delegate of Russia, who called for the ban of VPNs and proxies to prevent future acts of terrorism. Both the United States and China supported the resolution, with China proposing the idea that a more secure internet would help protect the development of local industries. The delegate from United States further supported the resolution by providing an example: “the use of cookies, which are used to monitor consumer interests and how they are optional for users to discontinue.” Many delegates were against the resolution. The delegate of Turkey, who strongly opposed the resolution stated “the resolution would violate human rights”. Multiple amendments were then proposed by other delegates which stimulated a lot of debate on the definition of personal information and what was considered to be a ‘breach of privacy’. One example was the amendment proposed by the delegate of Colombia who proposed that the resolution should be a fine, but that “income should be removed from information gathering, as it is too personal”. Russia quickly replied, saying that “income could be used as motivation for terrorism, and should indeed be allowed”. All in all, after the break, the resolution proposed by Russia was denied due to a majority of delegates voting against due to no amendments being passed. A new resolution was proposed by the delegate of Turkey, which asked for no breach of private security on the internet. The resolution received more support from other members and stimulated a lot of interesting debate on alternative methods of ensuring security in the internet. Another amendment which stimulated a lot of debate was proposed by the delegate of Fiji who called for the addition of an extra sub sub clause about ‘extra suspicious activity’, which was passed by the other council members. In the end, due to this new resolution involving freedom of speech and battling terrorism without breaching privacy, the resolution by Turkey was passed after gaining mass support from majority of the Nations. Myanmar: Is History Repeating Itself? Will There Be a Division of Myanmar? By Jade Matthews On March 20th, the Security Council discussed the subject of improving the situation of the Rohingya Muslim (a minority group living in Buddhist majority Myanmar) refugees in Bangladesh by sending them to Myanmar. The Security Council discussed how to improve the living standards of the Rohingya refugees. The delegate from the United States emphasised the importance of the living standards of the Rohingya refugees. Discrimination against, and the safety and the equality of the Rohingya Muslims was an important factor for the majority of delegates. In the final discussion of the matter of placement of the Rohingya refugees, the Council came to an agreement that the Rohingya refugees should have a choice whether they should stay in their host nations or whether they should return to Myanmar within a span of 8 years. Also, if the Rohingya refugees choose to stay in their host nation they must receive permission from their host nation. Thereafter in the next session, the second resolution was put forth by the delegate of Turkey as they believed that dividing the state of Myanmar would solve the solution of the Rohingya refugees, as well as insure the high standards of their safety. The delegate of the United States reminisced that the decision to divide Israel caused insecurity and was unsure whether or not the division of Myanmar would have the same effect. Whilst trying to resolve the problem of the discrimination and division between the Myanmar states, it was brought to the Council’s attention that the United Kingdom held some responsibility for the protection of the Rohingya refugees. There was continuous talk on the safety and overall quality of life for the Rohingya Muslims. The final voting for the resolution as a whole was vetoed by Russia as they felt it would lead to genocide should they split Myanmar. The emergency crisis occurred in an instant and crisis read: “Peace talks between Japan and South Africa in the Thai Embassy in Israel were interrupted by militants from Germany working for a rogue nationalist agency within the South African Secret Service who are now holding Japanese and South African officials hostage, along with the Thai foreign minister. Israeli weapons were used to threaten all those captive.” The emergency crisis was created to stimulate the countries that had not participated as much during the last two days. South Africa, Japan, Israel and Thailand were included for the emergency crisis. A moderated caucus was called and all countries were included in the discussion. The United Kingdom raised the point that Israel was selling weapons to Germany. However, the United States seemed to take over the discussion in the moderated


Personal well-being is dependent on a complex balance of interconnected factors By students of 5G Introduction Personal well-being is your overall health. There are 4 elements to personal well-being that are balanced in our daily lives. These are Spiritual, Social, Mental and Physical health. Spiritual Spiritual well-being is your beliefs and values that help you in your daily lives. Spiritual well-being affects your mental and emotional health for example, when you lie to someone close you feel guilty and get emotional about what you did. It can also be when you feel peer pressure to act out of your beliefs, values or religion, this can affect your social well-being. In conclusion our spiritual health is connected to our social and mental well-being.

Social Social Well-being is interacting with people every day. You can stay socially healthy by establishing relationships such as making new friends. You can develop this by being friendly and polite, treat them how you would want to be treated and help manage conflict. Relationships can be affected negatively by many factors such as fighting, traveling/moving away, death or disagreements. These negative factors can have an effect on your mental wellbeing. There are many factors, good and bad, that affect your personal wellbeing.

Mental Mental well-being is when your emotions and thoughts are negative or positive. Also mental well-being is the way you think and feel about your surroundings. Mental well-being is connected to physical well-being because if you are down or depressed you don‘t really feel like exercising. Also it is connected to spiritual well-being because they are both things happening inside your head. Research shows that most of mental disorders are due to natural disasters and wars. Also half of mental disorders start before the age of 14. In conclusion, we think that mental well-being is a crucial part of your personal well-being.


Personal well-being is dependent on a complex balance of interconnected factors— Continued... Physical Physical Health is your body‘s well-being and your fitness level. When you do sports such as soccer, tennis, basketball and handball you sweat. When you sweat you release a natural chemical called endorphins, which can make your body pain free and it can also manage obesity. This has an effect on your mental and emotional health, because being pain free allows your mind to concentrate more and be happy. Being physically fit can put you in a good mindset and encourage your body to do sports. In conclusion our physical health is connected to our mental health, because of the reasons stated above.

Conclusion In conclusion, there are 4 factors of personal well-being; all of them balanced together can help you to be totally healthy. Glossary Endorphins - Endorphins are a natural chemical released when you sweat. Obesity/ Obese - Being grossly overweight. Bibliography Available on request


Procedural Writing in Year 1 Year 1D students have been learning about procedural writing. We learnt that a procedure tells us how to do or make something through a series of steps. We learnt that when following a procedure like a recipe it includes nouns, verbs and adjectives. We also learnt how math is Involved throughout recipes with ordinal numbers and measurement. So we decided to make PANCAKES!!!!


Primary Swimming Carnival After completing our term 1 swim program our Year 1 – Year 5 students attended our annual Swimming Carnival. This carnival gives the school the opportunity to pick the students who will represent the school at the National Swimming Competition, showcase student individual progress over the swim lessons and for students to participate in fun games to earn house points and cheer for their friends and house. The children selected events according to their ability and favourite strokes. They represented their houses in races arranged according to age and ability at 25m, 50m or 100m and in fun water tabloid games. 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 took this opportunity to inspire their houses with cheers and good sportsmanship. It was a hot and successful day for all the students. Thank you to all the parent and student volunteers who supported us on this fun filled day.


Reception’s Water Day While the rest of Primary were busy racing around the Damodar pool for Swimming Carnival, reception stayed at school and got equally wet. We worked together in groups for six different activities. After that we had free water play and got the teachers wet! We tidied up the playground, got ourselves changed and played even more during morning tea time. We shared a book and reflected on the morning activities before having a big shared lunch. In the afternoon we relaxed by watching Moana. Our current Unit of Inquiry is on the Environment so we observed how much Moana used the natural environment in different ways (and she got pretty wet too!)

“We had to hit the water balloons off the tree and they would pop and spill out water” “We did the limbo, instead of a stick it was made out of water. “If we touched the water we got wet!” “We had to find shapes and words in the water in the paddling pool and we blew bubbles in the water” “We had a bat and we had to get the water balloon in the net and miss the obstacles. It was hard because there was soap on the ground!” “We passed the water over our heads into someone’s bucket and sometimes we missed it and we got wet!” “We washed the playground with sponges and soap”


YEAR 2 The year twos have been enjoying a variety of learning experiences, in school and out of school, during the term. These experiences are encouraging the development of important life skills such as social skills and self-management skills; and enthusiasm in learning.

Working in teams to break the code: A tuning in activity for the unit of inquiry into signs and symbols.

Supporting our learning: Parents came to our class to share their knowledge of traditions and customs. A huge help in answering one of the key questions! Vinaka vakalevu!


Water Fun Day in ECH1 and 2 On Thursday 15th March, ECH classes enjoyed a morning of water play at school. Activities included water slides, exploring slime and coloured water trays, imaginative play with toy sea creatures, hose play, lots of pouring and collecting water and plenty of sharing and working together along the way. These activities which allow children to use their senses, explore different textures and try new things are vital to child development in the Early Years as they learn to take risks with new things, enjoy different sensations, share and interact with each other in new situations and have a rip roaring great time! Here are some photos from the day.


Upcoming Events Term 1 & 2 Week 10 Term 1 & Week1 to 4 Term 2 T1 Week 10 Monday, March 26th Year 10 Camp, Sigatoka Talanoa Release Wednesday, March 28th Primary—Kids for Kids Bake Sale Thursday, March 29th Whole School Assembly 9am End of Term 2.30pm Friday 30th March Good Friday

T2 Week 1 Monday, April 16th AST Exams Y11/12 ACT Students Tuesday, April 17th All Students Start Friday, April 20th Primary Assembly T2 Week 2 Monday, April 23rd French Student Food Stall Secondary Parent Teacher Meeting Primary Swimming Carnival Wednesday, April 25th Year 9 Camp (Wed– Fri) Friday, April 27th Primary Assembly T2 Week 3 Tuesday, May 1st Year 5 Camp (Tues– Thurs) Friday, May 4th Primary Assembly T2 Week 4 Monday, May 7th French Student Food Stall Friday, May 11th Primary Assembly


INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL SUVA World Class Citizens ~ Lifelong Learners

TERM DATES 2018 Term 1 (10 weeks) Tuesday16th January 2018 Thursday 18th January 2018 Tuesday 23rd January 2018 Thursday 29th March 2018 Friday 30th March 2018

New teachers start All teachers start Students start Term ends Good Friday

Term 2 (10 weeks) Teachers and Y11 and Y12 ACT students start All Students start. Term ends National Sports day

Monday 16th April 2018 Tuesday 17th April 2018 Friday 22nd June 2018 Friday 29 June 2018

Term 3 (10 weeks) Teachers start Teachers, Y11 and Y12 ACT students start All Students start Constitution Day – Public Holiday Term ends

Monday 16th July 2018 Tuesday 17th July 2018 Wednesday 18th July 2018 Friday 7 September 2018 Friday 21st September 2018

Term 4 (9 weeks) Teachers start Students start Fiji Day – Public Holiday Diwali Prophet Muhammad’s birthday Term ends for students Term ends for teachers

Monday 8th October 2018 Tuesday 9th October 2018 Wednesday 10thOctober 2018 Wed 7 November 2018 Monday 19 November 2018 Thursday 6th December 2018 Friday 7th December 2018


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