Volume 4 Newsletter of International School Suva
Principal’s Report
22nd June 2018 Inside this issue: Principals Report
Greetings parents, staff, students, and friends of ISS,
Primary
We have finished Semester One of the 2018 school year and I am pleased with the progress we have made. Significant improvements have come on line since last year and more are in the works now. Compared to a year ago, we now have a new Primary Arts building, an enlarged play area with new playground equipment, a new grass athletic field, a parking lot resulting in less congestion around the front entrance of the school, and an improved bus drop off system. We also have new staff who are leading many improved curriculum and student programs, our most conspicuous examples being Kris Stice in the Middle School and Rebecca Clentworth in the Primary. Our school Board (Council) has brought on a number of new members over the past year, currently including three ISS alumni, and is motivated and poised to take the school forward.
Reception
Speaking of alumni, one form of school assessment we often neglect is our long-term results. For that we should look at what our alumni are doing. I want to highlight one alumnus who recently visited the school, Sudeshna Dhar (Class of 2012). She graduated from a very selective medical/pharmacology program at McMasters University near Toronto and is now doing important research in immunisations to prevent peanut allergies. She thinks it is likely that a successful immunisation will be developed and usable in the near future. I hold Sudeshna up as an example of our quality alums, one of many we could highlight. Even more significantly, Sudeshna was one of our scholarship students. When I spoke with her, she said, “If it weren’t for the ISS scholarship, I would not be where I am today!” I hope we can begin a practice of highlighting many of our alumni. For now, I hope all ISS families have a wonderful break and use the time to recharge the energy needed for the rest of the year. See you all July 18! Steve Cathers, Head of School (Principal)
Year 4B Year 2 Active Learning Tuesday Activities Year 6 Year 7 Year 8 YR 11 IB School Nurse Counselor Success Story Fun Day Library Music Concert Production National Swimming Short Story
Competition Upcoming Events Term Dates
Primary Semester One Primary schools are busy places and this year is no different. As a staff we have been focusing on our math and single subject curriculums, improving the quality of our units of inquiry, rolling out Seesaw to share learning with our community, playground behaviour expectations, introducing the parent reading program, improving our activity program and improving our parent school partnership by holding more open events with parents and offering parent workshops. This semester we ran the ‘learn to swim program’, had fun sport Friday’s, year 3 – year 5 have attended camp, had our swim carnival, enjoyed harmony week, began our Kids4kids and environment action groups. The teachers have done an amazing job and are continuing to look to improve what they do in the classrooms and what we offer the students. It has been wonderful to receive feedback from the community about the work we are doing. Some of the parent highlights and comments from semester one have been, ECH2 sharing of their plays, Year 2 market day, year level shared morning teas after assembly, parent information sessions, Seesaw, year level assemblies, parent reading program and the swim carnival. We are looking forward to seeing what semester two brings.
Talanoa Article For the past 6 weeks we have been exploring ‘Where we are in Place and Time’ in Reception. We have been very busy ‘finding out,’ ‘sorting out’ and ‘making conclusion’ on how we can compare our personal histories with others to understand who we are. We have used diagrams to help us compare ourselves with a friend. We were comparing: where we are from, musical instruments, our flags, and toys from the past. This helped us identify how our personal histories are different and similar. After interviewing each other we used the Venn diagram we created and did an oral presentation on our results. We also worked with our teachers to create our rubric checklist for our summative
Year 4B Talanoa Article The Year 4s have been busy inquiring into, ‘Body systems are interrelated and work together for good health’, as part of our ‘Who We Are Unit’. Together with demonstrating and communicating this understanding, they invited their families to a healthy breakfast on Friday 15th of June where they ran their own mini restaurants. In their groups, they chose cuisine from a country, explored recipes, wrote menus and created advertisements for their restaurants. In groups, the students worked hard on their summative assessment creating a layered art piece to show the interrelatedness of body systems. Part of this learning was completed in the art room with Mrs Stice. The unit provoked a lot of questions which also involved our nurses, Paula and Diane. The nurses responded to questions regarding the female and male anatomies and this settled a lot of questions the students were quietly curious about. This has been a very engaging unit.
‘What we know’ of the Body Systems at the start of the unit
Researching body books
Quiz session in groups. Mr Skelly taught us about
Year 2 – How We Organise Ourselves Central Idea: Advertising has the power to influence people’s choices and opinions. Through rotations the students in Year 2 have been tuning in and finding out about different ways to advertise, why people advertise and how advertising affects people’s choices and opinions. This was enhanced by an excursion to RB Patel and Vinod Patel. The students have been open-minded and respectful as they have shared their own opinions about different adverts and listened to those of their peers. They have been scientists exploring different brands of paper towel and put their claims to the test.
They then prepared for their Summative Assessment, which involved the students working in groups to choose and make a product. After that they made a print advert and TV commercial to advertise their product. ICT has been our intensive specialist for this Unit of Inquiry and helped the students to use Microsoft Publisher for their print adverts and the green screen for their TV commercials. Finally, they sold their products to the rest of the Primary School at a Year 2 market morning. This summative assessment incorporated all the transdiciplinary learning we have been doing for this Unit of Inquiry and was a highly successful unit.
Active Learning in Middle School What is active learning and what does it look like in the classroom? If students are participating in active learning, they are playing a more engaged role in the learning process and are not overly reliant on the teacher (Bransford, Brown, & Cocking, 2003; Petress, 2008). So what does this look like? Here are two ways students engage in active learning in our Middle School. China Trip Some students from Year 7 and Year 8 have had the opportunity to travel on a school trip to China as part of their Chinese Studies learning. This opportunity enables the students to experience firsthand an insight into this country’s 5,000 year-old past, its culture and language. The students have been accompanied by several staff members, Mr. Kristofer Stice, Ms. Dan Shao and Mrs. Wendy Harris and by all accounts the students seem to having a really great time. See below to read some of their accounts. “What an amazing day in Shanghai! Left our apartments before 9am and back in after 11pm. Beautiful day, perfect weather! What an absolutely phenomenal city....and a great bunch of students I must say! Tomorrow we wake up early and race to make our domestic flight to our second city, Shenyang. We are all looking forward to the Dragon Boat Festival....perfect timing!” “Lots of travel again today but we made it to Shenyang. Neat city. A few degrees cooler. We will settle for three nights and out hotel rooms are very very fancy! Tonight we will go to a provincial favourite of hot pot buffet...I am sure there will be some great pics! For now we are resting up and no doubt the kids are making great use of the wifi!” What an amazing night! It will make for a very interesting food list! Many firsts for many people...the abridged version includes: meal worms, frogs, brains, and blood along with about two dozen organ and/or mystery meats and several other unidentified tasty objects! Our students are absolute legends! So open-minded and courageous (and lots of fun!!!)...” “Today we headed out to the science and technology museum and made friends with some kids along the way who were happy for us to practise Chinese while they practised English. The museum had some great interactive exhibits and some students took the opportunity to also see a movie in the dome theatre. The rain didn't dampen anyone's enthusiasm and we enjoyed another buffet dinner with some interesting dishes including banana pizza and starfish, which had mixed reviews from our crew. A bit of shopping time after dinner, a chance encounter with the talking bird and time to rehearse for tomorrow's dragon boat festival performance before bed... Another great day out and about in China with this great bunch of kids!” Camps Stepping outside the classroom and into the wider world for a school camp can be a daunting experience for many students but camps can provide great experiences for both our students and teachers. Whilst there are some cons to attending school camp (such as homesickness and the fear of the unknown) there are by far many pros to attending camps, too. Some of these include the development of ; social skills: great opportunities exist to develop a wide range of social skills that strengthen established relationships and develop new ones. independence: camp provides an opportunity for students to take care of themselves by appreciating the importance of interaction and connections to the physical world. leadership and decision-making skills: students are often expected to take on leadership roles and work together as a team to encourage positive decision making. physical fitness: students are exposed to a variety of experiences which are active and facilitate learning in a variety of forms, providing a greater awareness of skills and capabilities that may be new for many. personal challenges: students are exposed to a range of activities that they may not have tried before, and as a result become more adventurous in spirit. It is hoped that all our Middle School students enjoyed their camp experiences this semester. References: Bransford, J., Brown, A., & Cocking, R. (Eds.). (2003). How people learn: Brain, mind, experience, and school. Washington, DC: National Academy Press. Petress, K. (2008). What is meant by active learning? Education, 128(4), 566–569. Shelly Forbes Acting Head of Middle School
TUESDAY TASA began this year in the first semester with two blocks of at least five to six weeks of activities. The aim of TASA is to provide secondary students with an opportunity to interact with each other, to build on their social skills, selfconfidence, and self-esteem as well as to provide a de-stressor from their academic life. TASA is organised after school on Tuesdays from 2.30 to 4.00pm and covers activities or clubs from a spectrum of sports, culture, artistic, relaxation, creative and competitive or fitness. For Semester 1 the activities were chess club, Do-It-Yourself (creativity), volleyball, Model United Nations (MUN), yoga, touch rugby/Aus. Tag, basketball, table tennis, fight fit, Zen gardening, Fijian culture, athletics and the school production. At the completion of the activities students were required to answer a survey which also highlighted their preferences for TASA for semester 2. As a result in semester 2, TASA will begin in week 2 on Tuesday the 24th of July and will run until Tuesday 11th of September, week 9. The activities will range from athletics, Do-ItYourself – Box wars, creative writing, cooking, singing, yoga, tech4tainment, hockey, golf, prototype to product, environment – mangroves, soccer, Fijian culture and self-defense. Tanya R. Vatubua TASA Coordinator Secondary.
Year 6 Article We have made it through six months of learning and growing in Year 6 in Middle School. It has been an amazing introduction into learning new topics and having FUN while doing it.
However, it has been FUN…Chaeeun describes learning in year 6 as ‘Chocolate’ – sweet and sour! Divija describes learning as being enthralling, enthusiastic, entertaining and challenging. She adds that “teachers have dared us to think beyond the surface, questioning the simple things and supporting our views with evidence.”
Year 6 has been an adventure with getting to know new teachers, being in a new environment and even making new friends and meeting new peers. It has been a challenging growth with demands on time management, organisation and working independently. The year so far has been filled with experiments in Science, campaigns and excursions in Social Science, valuing peers and friends in English and lots of mental math. In addition, there was camp in a village called Namuamua along the Navua River, where we shared a time of bonding and getting to know each other better. More over, according to Nadia, “the experience challenged us to do things we have never done before.”
Year 7 Camp to Takalana Bay Eco Lodge A slightly wet start to the 13th of June didn’t scare anyone away and we had an energetic bus depart for the magical bay of Takalana. A short trip saw a turn around in weather as we arrived to bright cloudless skies and not a breath of wind. With kittens jumping around joyfully and the sea hitting the rocks, we had finally arrived at our beautiful destination. After a quick check of the rock pools, everyone dived into setting up camp and preparing a delicious lunch. This was quickly followed by a hike up to the waterfall (jumping rocks) and an afternoon actively leaping repeatedly off a variety of rocks into a deep pool of fresh water. This pace seemed to continue throughout the 3 days with our group of students, going from swimming and running as the sun came up, to orienteering, to exploring Moon Reef after watching Spinner dolphins. Though the boat ride may have been a little bumpy, the enjoyment of the wind and water all around us made it add to the experience. The greatest part of camp is often the campfire and this was no exception at Takalana in the sense of the fire’s size. It could be seen for miles once it was lit. Sadly, a few drops of rain ended the campfire too early. On the positive side, this meant more time for night fishing, scary storytelling and singing! Unfortunately, the last day approached too soon and we had to leave the beautiful Takalana. Time had flown by and everyone was enjoying the last few hours of sun. A somewhat quiet bus ride brought us back to school on Friday.
The World Blood Donor Day
Every year, on the 14th of Ju ne, The World Blood Donor D ay is co mmemorated by various nations across the globe. This year, the Fiji National Blood Services hosted the event in Labasa as an incentive to raise awareness about the importance of blood donations in small village s a nd co mmunities and to recognise the contribu tions of blood donors toward the health of our fellow Fi jians. Publ ic recognition of blood donors and blood donation organisers is a strong motivator for future donations. As the International Secondary School representative, my journey began as I, Neha Umaria was picked up by the Ministry of Health transport from my school, after which we we nt to Bhawani Day al Secondary School to pic k up the Central-Eastern divisi on Oratory contest winner, Mr Peceli Tabuwaiwai and his teacher Mr Linga m as we were to fly over to Labasa together. We had a great bonding time while fly ing over. W e w ere acco mmodated at the Frien dly North Inn, where I met my room -mate shortly upon arrival, Ms Navneeta Nair, the President of Medical Laboratory Science Students Association. We really enjoyed each other's company and were glad to have formed a special bond in the short span of time. The WBDD program was scheduled for 3 days and con sisted of various activ ities. Friday evening went in p reparations for the even t. We had to board the bus earl y Saturday m orning, 16th June as the WBDD progra m was to officially start at 10am at Nabouwal u market lead by marching of the Nabala Seco ndary School band. People flocked in nu mbers to show their su pport and to be a part o f the progra m as we marched t oward the main stage in N abouwalu di strict. The chief gue st of this funct ion was th e H onourable Assistant Minister for Health, Mr Alexander O'Conner followed by distinguished gue sts, the Deputy Vice Chancellor of USP, Mr Richard Coles and his wife. The blood driv e organisers w ere presen ted with Certificat es and gi ven a vote of thank s for their initiatives. The next part of t he program was the oratory presenta tion by the 3 orators f rom each divi sion. The oratories w ere informative, impressive and inspiring. The final part of the program was the cake cutting by the guests followed by delicious lovo for lunch. Post lunch, everyone returned back to hotel as we had to prepare for the awards night which was held in the hotel. The awards night was once again graced by t he above chief guests, blood drive winners, oratory contest pa rticipants, blood serv ices team and other invited guests. The evening kicked off by a b rief audit presentation by Mr Joseva Bolaqace, Manager for the National Blood Services Fiji as he show ed the progress Fij i has made in blood donati ons over the la st 18 y ears. The highlight of the evening was the awards that were presented to the blood drive organisers (one of the m was International School Suva) and the announcement of the winner of the National Oratory Contest for WBDD 2018, wh ich wa s none other tha n Mr Peceli Ta buwaiwai. It was su ch a pleasure to rece ive an award fro m the chi ef guest, Mr Richard Coles being the secon d highest nu mber blood donors recruite d in t he Secondary School (International School Suva). After the form alities, it was time to enjoy the buffet that was served before us and the night that was awaiting us. Sunday was the final day of my stay as I had to leave for Suva. There was a tour bus arranged which took us around Labasa and I got to see some to urist spot s and the beautiful peaceful gree nery of na ture th at Labasa has t o offer. Finally, it was now ti me to bid farewell to my friends and hea d back to Suva. This experienc e has been reall y close to m y heart and I will cherish the memories I made. This ind eed wa s an enriching exp erience not only for me as student and but al so fo r ISS to be ack nowledged for the good works carried out for humanity.
Year 8 Social Science This term in Social Science, the Year 8’s focused on ancient civilizations as our unit of inquiry. Our statement of inquiry was; Ancient civilizations provide significant and important contributions that continue to shape our world today. The first part of our assessment was writing a topic proposal, which focused particularly on the contribution from our civilization. The aim of writing a topic proposal was to develop a clear research direction. The second part of the assessment was writing a thesis statement. The third part of the assessment was writing a source analysis in which we analyzed two primary sources and one secondary source. The aim of writing a source analysis was to also gain a better understanding of sources which are credible for academic projects. This finally led to creating our mini museum exhibits. Our mini museum exhibits contained information from our thesis statements, and condensed and modified information from our topic proposals and source analyses. Our museum exhibits also contained graphics and captions to help support our overall exhibit. The Year 8’s focused on ancient civilizations as our unit for this term as it was an opportunity to learn more about ancient civilizations. This unit was a chance for the Year 8’s to explore and research innovative contributions from different civilizations, use primary sources to shape our understanding and share our knowledge with others.
This is a picture of all the boards set up in the breeze way
This is Hena’s Ancient History Day Exhibit. The focus of her museum exhibit was the ancient civilization of Egypt. Her chosen contribution was papyrus, a material similar to paper which has contributed greatly towards today’s modern world.
This is Josh’s Ancient History Day Exhibit. The focus of his museum exhibit was the ancient civilization of Greece. The ancient greek contribution that he chose to research was the ancient Olympic games, which was the main foundation of the modern Olympic games that is known all around the world.
Yr 11 IB English Debate Reflections Angie Hui The topic we covered in this term was on the evolution of English, and the most interesting aspect I found is how English plays such an essential part in the cultural, political and social life of humans. The invention of English words in the different time periods and the way many English words changed their meaning over time is truly impressive. My understanding of the evolution of English was deepened through our Further Oral Activity, which was a task to carry out a persuasive discussion on Text speak and Gendered pronouns. For my group, we debated about “Text speak is a sad development in the history of the English language.” This is one of the most noticeable changes in language in our generation and the modern society, but I would never realize it without this debate. The class debate helped me to see the power of using rational, reasoned arguments and compelling evidence. I got to know different people’s points of view, and their technique when debating. This activity improves our confidence and cooperation, as well as strengthening the skill of researching and presenting. It was interesting to hear everyone’s personal opinions after the debate when it was an opened discussion, and it was very engaging and eye-opening. In conclusion, I think the interactive oral was a great experience that made us think about the evolution of English language in depth and more reflectively. It made us consider how our society and culture could change in the English language, but also how language influences our social and cultural life continually.
Ozayr Akbar My experience with the Yr 11 IB English debate was enlightening and informative. I went into this debate unsupportive of my topic; affirmative that gender pronouns in the English language should be abolished and replaced with gender neutral pronouns. I felt like this would make texts impersonal and gave too much attention to an idea that was not absolutely necessary. However, once I started to research the topic, I realised that the implementation of such an idea could be beneficial to the progress of language and communication, by means of increasing gender equality, creating an ease of speech, as well as including and addressing the LGBTQ and non-binary communities in speeches. We suggested using words that were already in play like ‘Ze’ to replace he/she, ‘Zir’ to replace him/her, and the use of a singular ‘they’ in everyday and formal language. The gender equality that would be brought about by this was something I personally was drawn towards, and it also correlates to gender studies which were covered in our classes. My point of view was that the word “he” could not be used to address the general population as this gave a very non inclusive and patriarchal undertone to most texts. I agreed with the opposition’s definition of the topic, that the word ‘abolished’ means to immediately remove the use of gender pronouns and implement neutral ones, and I felt this was an unrealistic goal to have in mind. Furthermore, because I had included the point that people should be allowed to use neutral pronouns because of freedom of speech then gender pronouns must be allowed for the same reason. My suggestion would be to include gender neutral pronouns in the English language while keeping gender pronouns as well in order to accommodate more people.
Blood Donation
WHY DONATE?
Blood cannot be manufactured and there are no alternatives. Therefore, the only way to acquire blood is through donation. The donated blood is divided into many components based on the needs of patients.
WHO CAN DONATE? Anyone 16 years and over (with parental permission if under 18) If you weigh more than 50kg If you are in good health.
BENEFITS OF DONATING BLOOD 1.You can save up to 3 lives – each pint donated can be used for a variety of conditions and diseases; ie. Blood loss in trauma, cancer treatments, etc
2.Free mini medical check-up – before you donate, your blood pressure, pulse and iron levels will be tested. This can sometimes shed light on issues you didn’t know about.
3.Reduces risk of heart disease – excessive iron build up can result in oxidative damage that can lead to increased ageing, heart attacks and strokes etc. 4.Burns calories – each donation burns 660 calories – that’s 2 ½ hours on a treadmill . 5.Formation of new blood cells – donating triggers the formation of new blood cells which will help to maintain good health 6.Weight Reduction – you lose about 500g with each donation! 7.Reduces your risk of developing cancer – studies have shown that increased amounts of iron can attribute to developing cancer 8.Reducing the problems related to haemochromatosis (excessive iron in the blood) 9.Psychological upliftment – you feel good psychologically knowing you are helping someone who could have died without your contribution.
Counselor’s Corner
There have been wonderful things going on with the ISS School Counseling Program. First I want to thank all of those who participated in the school wide ‘Needs Assessment’ that was sent out to parents, faculty, and students. Your feedback was greatly appreciated and has led to some great program development within the school counseling program. Group counseling topics have been established based upon the feedback given and are set to start at the beginning of next term. We are also focusing on an anti-bullying campaign to emphasize kindness and empathy within the ISS community. There are many other exciting things to come. I’ve been able to communicate directly with some terrific parents. Keep the phone calls, emails, and text messages coming. I’m glad to help in any way possible. Empathy Empathy is a key component in combating bullying. People are less likely to bully if they can empathize due to being able to take the perspective of others and understanding how they feel. Here are three strategies to aid in teaching young people empathy: 1.Modeling Adults can be role models who, by example, show young people the power of empathy in relationships. 2.Teach Point of View Use examples from your life to illustrate disagreeing with someone simply because they had a different point of view. 3.Teach and Model Active Listening Halt: Stop whatever else you are doing, end your internal dialogue on other thoughts, and free your mind to give the speaker your attention. Engage: Focus on the speaker. We suggest a physical component, such as turning your head slightly so that your right ear is toward the speaker as a reminder to be engaged solely in listening. Anticipate: By looking forward to what the speaker has to say, you are acknowledging that you will likely learn something new and interesting, which will enhance your motivation to listen. Replay: Think about what the speaker is saying. Analyze and paraphrase it in your mind or in discussion with the speaker and other individuals. Replaying and dialoguing the information you have heard will aid in understanding what the speaker is attempting to convey. Learn more about ways to help your child develop empathy at the following websites: https://www.edutopia.org/article/4-proven-strategies-teaching-empathy-donna-wilson-marcusconyers https://www.parentingscience.com/teaching-empathy-tips.html http://www.scholastic.com/parents/resources/article/parent-child/age-age-advice-teachingempathy
Success Story! I was forwarded a message from one of the team to say - look at this, one of our former students is the first Fijian to graduate from Yale! Former teachers and alumni may remember Setareki Waniqolo who attended ISS for his primary years of schooling. He has graduated with a Master of Fine Arts, specializing in Theatre Arts. Setareki was kind enough to write to us and formally invite us to his graduation, and in doing so, he wrote the following inspiring letter:
You can view his graduation at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DmEkIOQaJo or read his inspiring story at http://www.fijitimes.com/son-all-because-oflove/. Setareki’s ground breaking achievement is an inspiration to us all!
ISS FUN DAY UPDATE 1 22.06.18
How students can help with Fun Day
What is Fun Day? It is the largest event organized by the ISS PTFA (Parent, Teachers & Friends Association). It is also the most fun annual event in our community. This year it is being held on August 4th from 10am— 3pm. Some of the fun things to look forward to on Fun Day: International food stalls
Mufti—each Friday up until August 3rd, the students can dress up in mufti and as payment they will need to bring in an item from the mufti schedule. The winning class in primary and secondary win a party! Themed Baskets—each grade level is doing a themed basket. All parents will be asked to donate a small item for the basket.
Theme Baskets (Silent Auction)
Dynamic live entertainment (with the children performing too!) Haunted House Kids bouncy activities
castle,
games
Fun Day Activity—each class will be hosting an activity for Fun Day. Some stalls in the past included Dunk the Teacher, and Haunted House, Crazy Hair and Nails.
Book stall White Elephant (second hand) stall Fun activities for teenagers: Dunk the Teacher, Jail Break, etc.
Please look out for emails from your parent liaisons/child’s year level teachers for more details.
Fun Day volunteers are needed. Please see inside for more details.
Fun Day volunteers are needed. Some parents and teachers have already volunteered to be coordinators/helpers for our stalls and activities but we still need more help. If you can offer at least a half hour of your time, please contact any of the coordinators below. They would love to have you! ptfa@iss.school.fj International Food Stalls Joan Foster: jfoster@iss.school.fj or Shelly Forbes: mforbes@iss.school.fj Entertainment Tim Ulacake: tulacake@iss.school.fj
Fun Day volunteers are INTERNATIONAL FOOD STALLS needed.
THANK YOU TO PARENTS WHO HAVE VOLUNTEERED TO COORDINATE THE VARIOUS FOOD STALLS.
Please see inside for more details.
The International Food Stalls are one of the highlights of our Fun Day. If you are able to assist in coordinating any of the following international food stalls, please contact us. South African American Australian / New Zealand Chinese Indian
Korean Pacific Islands ISS Café South East Asia
Other international food stalls are welcome. Please contact us.
Entertainment We would like to invite members of our school community to be a part of our Fun Day entertainment. Any students or members of the school community who would like an opportunity to showcase their talents or their culture through song or dance (or other) please contact us via the PTFA email address: ptfa@iss.school.fj
Calling all bakers! Wanted, talented Student, Staff & and Parent Cake Bakers! We are looking for you to bake us a scrumptious cake for FUN DAY on August 4th. Offer your time & expertise! Reimbursement of the cost is available with submission of your receipt (or a signed note of estimated cost). Cake boxes will be sent home at the beginning of Term 3.
Our Fun Day would not be the same without CAKES! Please contact via the PTFA email address: ptfa@iss.school.fj
Calling all bakers!
Mufti Days Our Fun Day Mufti Competition has already started and continues each Friday until August 3rd. Students are asked to bring in unwanted used or new items from home in order to participate in Mufti. Each item will count as a point for their class so they are encouraged to bring in as many items as they can! The class that has the most points in Primary and Secondary wins a party! Fun Day Mufti is not compulsory. Students are invited to wear mufti and bring Fun Day contributions to school on the following Fridays:
June 22
July 20
July 27
August 3
Students can bring in the following items:
Books
Magazines
Toys
Clothes
Themed basket items
Some important things to remember:
Please dress appropriately and wear sensible shoes.
Mark each donation with your name and class.
Drop off your donation at the Primary or Secondary office.
Themed Baskets Theme Baskets have successfully been a part of our Fun Day for several years now. As in the past, each grade level is requested to prepare a basket based on a theme and to bring items to fill the basket. Please check with your parent liaison/child’s teacher to be sure that there are enough items for your grade level basket. We need your help to create these wonderful baskets. each one will be on display on Fun Day and entered into the silent auction during the event. As always, we appreciate all your continued support. Vinaka!
Library With the holiday coming upon us, we excitedly present the newest addition to our online database subscription EBSCOHost database. It is now up and running for all teachers and secondary students. To access it, take the following steps: 1.
Go to the ISS website: www.iss.school.fj.
2.
Click on the Services>Library tab.
3. Click on the Online Databases>Tools for Research tab. 4.
Click on the EBSCOHost logo at the bottom left of the page.
5.
Type in your Patron ID, which is your username with ISS.
6.
Type in the password. Contact Ms Salu or Mr Masonis for the password.
7. Click login. You now have access. Please note that EBSCOHost is accessible both on and off campus from any internet connection. We encourage you to make use of this resource as much as possible. Enjoy ! ( Source: Mr Michael Masonis)
Scholastic Book Club Update Thank you for your support in purchasing books through Book Club. Orders are yet to arrive but when they do, I will post a message through SEESAW and parents are welcome to come and pick up your child’s order. Pacific Libraries Summit In Week 7, Librarians from around the Pacific visited ISS Library as part of the Pacific Libraries Summit library tour programme held at the Pearl Resort. The summit was officially opened by the Permanent Secretary for Education, Heritage, Arts, Library services and National archives Alison Burchell and culminated the first ever Pacific Libraries Vision and call to action to inspire Pacific collaboration in advancing the development of library services. The summit was attended by ISS staff members, Ms Rosi Uluiviti—Curriculum Coordinator and Ms Salu, Librarian.
LIBRARY HOLIDAY OPENING HOURS
MONDAY— FRIDAY 8.00 AM - 3.00 PM CLOSED ON WEEKENDS AND PUBLIC HOLIDAYS MS SALU & THE LIBRARY TEAM EMAIL: LIBRARY@ISS.SCHOOL.FJ
As a result of this summit, there will be a session held in the library on Wednesday 27th of July from 5.00pm—7.00pm in collaboration with Fiji Library Association to discuss the Pacific statement of intent. All are welcome to attend!
LIBRARY WEBPAGE: HTTPS:// ISSFIJILIBRARY.WEEBLY.COM/ ONLINE-DATABASES.HTML
High School Music Concert The ISS High school Music Concert was held in the ISS Multi Purpose Hall on 12th June between 6pm to 8 pm, with performances from the Year 7 to Year 12 music students. The main purpose for these concerts is to provide our ISS students with the experience to develop their performing skills in front of an audience. They also offer an opportunity for students to showcase their talents and the results of their hard work. Our music students sacrifice their own spare time to practice, in order to present their best to an audience. Our students were amazing, and did a wonderful job at presenting their skills. During the two hour concert, the students performed a variety of music genres with different instruments including guitar, piano, singing/vocal and a band as well. The audience thoroughly enjoyed this concert. Carol Yao Music Teacher
Last Tuesday all High school music students took part in the annual music concert. This concert gives the ACT students the chance to do their public performances; it also gives the other students the experience to perform in front of a crowd. The concert showcased a variety of different musical talents. There were band performances as well as solo singers and instrumentalists. There were also a variety of genres from classical to pop. The music concert was a fantastic way for the music students to get to play together but also to find out what instruments other students played. I personally was surprised to see that some of the younger students were creating their own original pieces. The concert was a great opportunity to get used to performing in front of crowds. Public performances are not one of my strong points so performing in front of the crowd was a great experience. Overall, the music concert was an amazing show displaying all the different musical talents at ISS.
- Mereseini Bua Leano- (Year 11)
The Jungle Book - Mowgli’s Story - 2018 Production
Fiji National Swimming Championships 2018
International School Suva
SHORT STORY WRITING COMPETITION By the Mental Wellness CAS group of 2018
If you’re in Middle School or High School and you love writing stories then send us a short story that brings awareness to mental health and you could win some cash! Details towards the end.
The themes for the competition are: Stress, Anger, Anxiety, Happiness and Identity. Write a story based on one of these prompts: 1) On your way to town, you see a sign that says: “I still remember the days I prayed for the
things I have now”. This makes you feel grateful for…
Using no more than 2000 words, narrate this according to one of the themes above or any other theme relating to mental health. 2) You are from Mars but you are called a Venite because your planet is a territorial
possession of Venus. In two weeks, however, the government of Venus will accept your request to become an independent planet at which point you will officially become known as Martians for the very first time.
Using no more than 2000 words, narrate this according to one of the themes above or any other theme relating to mental health. 3) Your best friend whom you’ve known your entire life is leaving for a foreign country
because his/her parents have been assigned there on a diplomatic mission. How would you cope with this?
Using no more than 2000 words, narrate this according to one of the themes above or any other theme relating to mental health. 4) After going through an extremely stressful experience, you’re compelled to seek out
help. Who do you turn to and why?
Using no more than 2000 words, narrate this according to one of the themes above or any other theme relating to mental health. 5) Think of a place that you associate most with the word “happiness”, and write a story
explaining why. Using no more than 2000 words, narrate this according to one of the themes above or any other theme relating to mental health. 6) Until recently, you had a severe phobia. Write your “younger self” a letter, narrating the
experience of how you overcame this fear.
Using no more than 2000 words, narrate this according to one of the themes above or any other theme relating to mental health.
PRIZES: 1st Prize: $100 2nd Prize: $70 3rd Prize: $50 DUE: 6pm, 27th July, 2018. (T3, Wk 2, Friday) Submissions to be sent to: storiesofmentalwellness@gmail.com COMPETITION DETAILS: The short story writing competition is open to all ISS students from Middle School and High School. The competition is meant to foster mental positivity and to raise awareness on mental health. Students who are eligible (where eligible students are students from middle school or high school) to take part are welcome to write a short story of their choice based on one of the 6 prompts that are provided. Each prompt relates to a certain theme which is also given however, students are encouraged to be creative and to relate their stories to any theme of their choice so long as it relates to mental health and is written as a short story rather than an essay. All entries will be judged by the Mental Wellness CAS group and two teachers. NOTE: This competition is meant to encourage mental wellness. We would love to read stories that come from the heart but if you feel like some elements of this fiction might intertwine too strongly with your experiences then we encourage you to take caution and to be aware of your limits. If you feel triggered by any of the topics or issues that arise from these prompts then please seek advice from the school counsellor.
Upcoming Events Term 2 & 3 Week 10 Term 2 to Week 5 Term 3 T2 Week 10 Monday 18th June Year 12 Camp Friday 22nd June Whole School Assembly End of Semester 1
T3 Week 1 Monday 16th July Teachers Start Tuesday 17th July Y11 and Y12 ACT Students Start Wednesday 18th July All Students Start YR11 Camp Friday 20th July Primary Assembly T3 Week 2 Wednesday 25th July Primary Parent Teachers Interview Thursday 26th July Secondary Parent Teachers Interview Friday 27th July Primary Assembly T3 Week 3 Monday 30th July Primary Semester 2 activities begin Tuesday 31st July ICAS English Friday 3rd August Primary Assembly Saturday 4th August PTFA—FUN DAY T3 Week 4 Friday 3rd August Primary Assembly T3 Week 5 Monday 13th August Primary Book Week Celebration Tuesday 14th August ICAS Mathematics Friday 17th August Whole School Assembly
INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL SUVA World Class Citizens ~ Lifelong Learners
TERM DATES 2018 Term 1 (10 weeks) New teachers start All teachers start Students start Term ends Good Friday
Tuesday16th January 2018 Thursday 18th January 2018 Tuesday 23rd January 2018 Thursday 29th March 2018 Friday 30th March 2018
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
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 3 (10 weeks)
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