Talanoa Volume 8

Ta l a n o a

Volume 8 2nd December, 2016

Newsletter of International School Suva

Principal’s Report Dear Parents and Guardians, The end of the year was as busy as always with graduations and celebration evenings. This final issue of Talanoa for 2016 is packed full of photographs and it was wonderful to be celebrating with you and the students at these events.

A highlight of our term was the WASC mid‐cycle visit. As many of you know, and taken from their website: ‘the Accrediting Commission for Schools, Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC) is a world‐renowned accrediting association, a regional accrediting association in the United States, and works closely with the Office of Overseas Schools under the US Department of State. WASC provides assistance to schools located in California, Hawaii, Guam, the Commonwealth of the Northern Marianas, American Samoa, the Federated States of Micronesia, the Republic of the Marshall Islands, Fiji, Asia, and other parts of the world. WASC extends its services to over 4,600 public, independent, church‐ related, charter, online, supplementary education programs/centers, and proprietary pre‐K‐12 and adult schools; and works with 18 associations in joint accreditation processes, and collaborates with other organizations such as the California Department of Education, the Hawaii Department of Education, the Association of Christian Schools International, the Council of International Schools, and the International Baccalaureate.’

Inside this Issue  Principal’s Report  Message from ISS Interim Principal  Chair of Council’s Report

WASC is our only whole‐school accrediting body and in the words of WASC: an accredited school is focused on a mission and goals for students; it is student‐oriented and examines its students’ performance continuously; it accepts objective evaluation from a team of outside peer professionals trained by WASC; it maintains a qualified faculty within an  Primary effectively organized school; it collaboratively assesses the quality of its educational programs on a regular basis; and it plans for the future. Accreditation is a voluntary dual‐purpose process that schools (1) must be worthy of the trust placed in them to provide high‐quality learning and (2) clearly demonstrate continual self‐improvement.

Having received a copy of our internal self‐study in advance, two WASC inspectors visited ISS in mid‐November for three days. During this visit they met with students, staff,  parents (through the PTFA and some parents of children receiving Learning Support) and the School Council. Both members of the team were part of our last accreditation visit in 2014 and they were here to establish if we are focused on learning and demonstrating continual self improvements as is expected by a WASC‐accredited school. After their visit  they provided the school with a report which included a number of commendations and recommendations. I copy them below for your information.

Update

ICAS Awards Chinese Excursions

Commendations: * Building curricular cohesion in PS and MS by changing the role of the PYP Coordinator to a K‐8 Coordinator, and making staffing changes so there are distinct MS teams. * Happy thriving students who feel welcome, comfortable and well‐‐supported in their learning, including students with EAL and LS needs * Developing of Scope and Sequence Documents in core academic areas, and beginning to develop mastery charts to further articulate grade level expectations * Progress made to improve IT provisions and support throughout the school, including enhanced infrastructure, hardware, and the ongoing work of ICT department facilitating the use of technology to support and enhance learning across the school. * Increasing PD opportunities for faculty aligned to School‐‐wide Action plan/goals, both on and off campus * Adapting the daily schedule to ensure all teachers teams have common planning times at least twice per week * Completing the new buildings/facilities, and plans in place for continued facility development * Revision and alignment of the Salary Scale, including the increase in minimum wage for non‐‐teaching support staff. * Commitment of the Council and Senior Leadership Team to the school mission in the realization of facility development goals, and ongoing strategic school improvement plans.

Recommendations: * Develop school‐‐wide assessment policy and practices, with continued focus on developing authentic common assessments, moderation, and using assessment data to inform instruction. * Using external and internal Math assessment data, conduct an investigation into student performance levels, curricular rigor, and instructional consistency across the school. * Select a school‐‐wide platform for documenting the written curriculum that anyone can access anytime, from anywhere. * Continue to enhance the school’s technology program, including a 1 to 2 year plan, which clearly addresses the direction the school intends to go in relation to being a 1:1 laptop, or a BYOD school, and providing ongoing IT training for faculty to effectively support the IT goals of the school.

It is with some personal sadness that I write to you for a final time and I thank everyone who has supported me during my time at International School Suva. It has been an exciting journey and extremely gratifying. That said, it is with great pleasure that I now hand over to Hector Hatch, your Interim Principal for the first six months of 2017. Having worked with him for the last three weeks I have seen his passion for education and desire to lead ISS forward.

 School Farewell  French Class Excursion  School Nurse’s Report  Orange the World  Year 8 Update  Year 12 Ball  PTFA Update  Secondary Head Students 2017  Farewell Assembly

Vinaka vakalevu and sota tale,

Kind regards,

Anna Marsden Principal

 Christmas Decorations at CWM Children’s Wards

Message from the ISS Interim Principal Dear Parents & Guardians, As a Fiji citizen who has spent most of his teaching career in New Zealand, taught at ISS in 1994 and most recently as Principal of International School Nadi I am passionate in my belief that Fiji and the global community is best served by preparing well rounded, knowledgeable and culturally responsive global citizens.

Having been part of this school community for the last 3 weeks I am impressed with the enthusiasm and commitment of staff, students, members of the parent body and the school council to the on-going pursuit of ISS’s reputation as a leading International school. This sentiment is one that was recently echoed by the WASC evaluators. Their praise of the school is testament to the vision and courage of the Principal Dr Anna Marsden, the amazing team of educators at ISS and the support of the School council and parent body. It is also an endorsement of the trajectory it is following as a 21st century school of excellence.

My role as an Interim Principal will be to support this vision and to facilitate as smooth a transition as possible from our existing Principal Anna Marsden to the incoming Principal Steve Cathers in July.

I am aware, however, that the success of the transition is not a sole enterprise.

As is often the case it will be determined by the professionalism of our staff and the ongoing support of our parent body as we pursue our common goals.

I look forward therefore to meeting and working with you all at the beginning of 2017.

Hector Hatch Interim Principal

From the Chair of Council 2016 has gone by so fast. As we say bye to another school year we reflect on how well we have done. This has been a very successful year for the school at all levels. We have achieved great results both academically and in the sporting events we have taken part in as a school. Each year we grow and improve and it is great to see how far we have come as a school. We acknowledge all the hard work of the Heads of School, teachers and administrative staff who do such a fantastic job and we thank you for your dedication and commitment to ISS. We would also like to say “thank you� to Karen Whittaker, Head of Primary, who leaves us to join her partner overseas. She has done a wonderful job heading Primary for the last 4 years and we will miss her. Karen, we wish you well and hope to see you at the school when you visit Fiji.

Dr Anna Marsden also leaves us at the end of this year. Dr Marsden has played an instrumental role in taking ISS to the next stage, one we all can be truly proud of. Under her leadership, we now have over 610 students and continue to see more enrolment requests, new admin building, middle school facilities and we look forward to the new Primary building which opens next term. She has also worked tirelessly with the Facilities Committee on the plans for the new car park, swimming pool and playing area which should be ready late next year. She is leaving the school in a very strong position and we would like to acknowledge her contribution to the school. Dr Marsden, we wish you and your family all the very best and hope to see you back in Fiji one day.

To all students leaving ISS at the end of this week, we wish you well and please do come and visit your school whenever you are in Fiji.

We wish you all happy holidays and hope to see many of you back at ISS in 2017.

Regards Indira Sharma On behalf of School Council

Primary Update What a busy and funfilled last four weeks we have had in primary. My last four weeks sadly but another 4 weeks of cherished memo‐ ries I can take with me when I leave. The highlight would have to be our Primary Concert where the children from ECH1 right through to Year 5 showcased their talents in a singing and dancing spectacular, most effectively organized by our talented primary staff! Well done everyone. The IT department has uploaded the concert onto You Tube as there will be no DVDs available this time. Here is the link ‐ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kbstpn9tLAQ&list=PLcNM2jeC5VMgz245yAb82xqNafuubyHJi Thank you IT!

Our meet the teacher was another successful event where children were all placed into their new classes for next year and where possible met their new teacher. What is exciting about the new teachers and new classes next year is the new class‐ rooms that most primary children will get to experience. I have personally walked around the site and looked into the new classrooms and was left speechless by their spaciousness and lovely, bright coloured furniture. The children also had their walkthrough just last week and by the looks on their faces, they too were very impressed.

The new building also highlights a very large room under the first floor which will be a wonderful space for soft play during the hot days. It is hoped that this space will accommodate board games and indoor activities that are fun for all ages. Exciting times ahead! I will be back to check on it all next year when I return for my holiday. I look forward to seeing some of you at this time. I take this opportunity to wish the interim head of primary, Mrs. Wendy Harris all the very best in her new role.

To conclude my last primary update, an excerpt from the 2016 School Magazine – (Y)Our Story. Sadly, but with many fond memories, I depart ISS and Fiji's shores within a week or two for a new adventure in France. Someone asked me just today what I will miss the most. There is no other answer than that of missing all of those little faces each and every day I walk into the school gates. It is time for me to also say thank you to all those who supported, encouraged and showed me kindness during my time here. Being the head of primary has had its challenges, but at no point have I been without the clear feeling that most of our community here is passionately committed to the special purpose and spirit of the school.

To all of the primary staff that have been and will continue to be a large part of my life, thank you. Thank you so much for all the hard work and energy you put into your roles. When visitors walk through our school, they see children learning, working, smiling and laughing. It is vital that we do not lose the wonderful moments and memories that happen each and every day. Those memories are because of you and your dedication. I have appreciated all of those extra things; those extra hours you work to ensure learning and to help our students to be successful.

Moce sota-tale and au revoir!

Until we meet again Karen Whittaker

YEAR 5 PYP GRADUATION LUNCH

17 ICAS Medals for ISS International School Suva is tremendously proud to announce that 17 students have been awarded the University of New South Wales medals for their outstanding achievement in the ICAS exams. These students have achieved top score in each subject in each year level.

International Competitions and Assessments for Schools (ICAS) falls under the Educational Assessment Australia (EAA) which specialises in school Assessments that are conducted annually in Australia and over 20 countries globally.

There are a number of levels for recognition of achievements in these exams, the highest award is a University of New South Wales (UNSW) medal. Whilst the total number of entries in 2016 are still to be confirmed, in 2015 a similar number of over 980,000 entries with 614 students from Australia, New Zealand and the Pacific region received medals. These medals are being awarded across all subjects. The subjects assessed at ICAS are Digital Technologies, English, Mathematics, Science, Spelling and Writing. The following students from ISS were presented with their 2016 UNSW medals: Congratulations to our 17 medal winners and their teachers.

Sijin Park, Year 2

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Science

Kael Damlamian, Year 3

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Digital Technology

Noah Howlett, Year 3

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Science & Digital Technology

John Murcott, Year 3

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English, Science, Digital Technology

Nicole Singh, Year 4

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Digital Technology

Nelle Leenders, Year 5

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English, Mathematics

Sieun Park, Year 5

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Science & Digital Technology

Theodore Strobel, Year 6

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Digital Technologies

Connor McLean, Year 7

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Mathematics

Hae Jun Kwon, Year 9

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Mathematics

Hana Orimoto-Etheridge, Year 9

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Mathematics

Devlin Grewal, Year 11

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Mathematics

Sijin Park

Kael Damlamian

Sieun Park

(L - R) John Murcott, Noah Howlett, Nicole Singh, Nelle Leenders, Connor McLean, Theodore Strobel, Hana Orimoto-Etheridge, Hae Jun Kwon, Devlin Grewal.

Middle School visits Chinese Embassy, Suva - Fiji

ISS Middle School Chinese students, some ESL students and all of year 6 participated in a very exciting trip to the Chinese Embassy in Fiji. Zhang Yong, the Chinese Ambassador and other staff attended the event.

The ambassador spoke to the students in detail about China’s relationship with Fiji and greeted everyone with respect. One of the embassy staff then showed us all about the Chinese Spring Festival culture.

To show our respect and enthusiasm for the Chinese language, the students performed the Chinese songs and dances they have been rehearsing in class.

The highlight for this excursion was the experience of learning to make traditional Chinese dumplings- “Jiao Zi”. Every student was delighted by the quantity and variety of Chinese dishes prepared for them. There was fried rice, dumplings, chicken, sweet and sour fish, tofu and many more scrumptious foods. Many students had a hard time restraining themselves from eating everything as there was so much that they liked.

It is an exploration for the students to see the thread of learning Chinese culture. “I think learning a new language and culture; especially Chinese will help me because China is the most populated country and developing really fast. So learning their culture will help me in future.” by Sara Du (Year 8) on FBC news.

Students & Staf f bid farewell to ISS Principal & Head of Primary The entire school faculty got together on Monday 28th November to throw a surprise farewell for the Principal, Dr. Anna Marsden and the Head of Primary, Ms. Karen Whittaker. It was an emotional moment for them both as they stood in awe and watched as the students cheered and spoke passionately about them in their speeches. The students then had a chance to individually say goodbye and partake of the huge farewell cake.

Speech from Chuanyuan Liu for Principal, Dr. Anna Marsden Dr. Anna Marsden is our school Principal, but to me she is also my 2015 CAS supervisor. After completing the Teaching Disabled Children Swimming Program, my friends and I sat down together and came up with the idea; to provide art opportunity to the less privileged children. After proposing our draft program to Ms. Reimann, we were told to meet Dr. Marsden, who had taken immense interest in our program.

To be honest, we were a bit terrified to meet with Dr. Marsden. Before entering the board room, we had two worst case scenarios in our minds, either Dr. Marsden rejects our program, or Dr. Marsden enjoys our proposal so much so that she joins our program. In the board room, Dr. Marsden told us how our school had always planned to organize a joint program with special schools, and she expressed her interest in helping us coordinate our program.

Primary Poem for Ms. Whittaker

by Maia Stice The head of Primary in our school Is loved by all, for she's just so cool A great teacher is she She sings better than me Oh Ms. Whittaker of primary school

Oh, No. My worst fear became a reality, Dr. Marsden, the strict principal has She resides in Pacific Harbour become my CAS supervisor. My biased predisposition on Dr. Marsden was Next to us, she works so much harder immediately overturned during our first meeting.

An artist is she It was a windy day, but the frosty breeze could not freeze Dr. Marsden’s Has got creativity passion to provide for the students of Hilton Special School. After For you, our hearts grow much larger introducing ourselves, Dr. Marsden joined the students and sang with them.

Dr. Marsden spoke to the students as if she was their teacher, and patiently Thank you Ms. Whittaker tried to communicate with a hearing impaired child through hand gestures. In the crowd of children, at that moment, our principal, Dr. Marsden looked no more than a kind lady who wanted to make friends with the children.

On our way back to school, Dr. Marsden and I sat in the same taxi. I recall asking Dr. Marsden how we could help Hilton School Children. Dr. Marsden proposed that we donate spare recorders, and raise funds through sausage sizzles, and that was what we did. When the recorders arrived, the Hilton School students were happy to receive them.

During the public school break, Dr. Marsden invited the Hilton Special School teachers to teach us sign language. All thanks to Dr. Marsden’s coordination with Mr. Tim. The music team was able to teach the Hilton students how to play recorders, and they even performed in a talent show.

Through 2015 Hilton School Project, Dr. Marsden showed she is a caring, empathetic, and determined teacher.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank Dr. Marsden for everything she has done not just for our school but for our community as a whole. She will be missed, and we wish her all the best.

Le coin du français Year 7 Students visit the Alliance Française de Suva On Friday 18th November, French students were warmly welcomed by the Alliance Francaise’s team. The programme of the visit included:  A history of the international non-profit organization present in Suva since 1989  Discovery of the French resources available for AF members to borrow (DVD’s, CD’s and books)  Irami Buli art exhibition Students then enjoyed morning tea provided by the AF team.

Merci beaucoup pour cettevisite!

Irami Buli Born in Fiji and Mentored by an Academic Professor and a re-knowned painter, poet, and writer of the first and second wave of talented artists known to be the REDWAVE collective. A Contemporary Painter and writer by profession with decades of experience in the Arts locally and internationally and has successfully celebrated his wealth of achievements in Art Exhibitions in Fiji and the Pacific region.

Visit: http://www.af-fiji.org/culture/exhibition/irami-buli-solo-exhibition-nai-lakolako/ http://www.waisiliva.com/irami-buli.html

Did you know?

The Alliance Française network is present in 134 countries, around forty general delegations, more than 800 French Alliances with more than 500,000 students, all courses combined.

The Alliance Française has 3 missions: Offering French courses, in France and in the world, to all audiences Increasing awareness of French culture and francophone cultures Promoting cultural diversity by highlighting all cultures For more information visit: http://www.fondation-alliancefr.org

Year 5 students joinYear 6 French class!

At the transition days, Year 5 students attended French class with the Year 6 students on Thursday 17th November. A great occasion for all students to compete against each other in a Cultural Quiz based on gastronomy, general information about French speaking countries and Arts. A Neirinck

The School Nurse - Cyber Addiction The school holidays are imminent, which means lots of free time for kids to spend on a smartphone, tablet, or computer.

How do you know if they’re spending too much time in front of a device? Are you or people in your family stuck on social media? The internet can be addicting…but you have the power...now is the time to BREAK FREE! According to the American Psychiatric Association, Internet addiction can include three or more of the following:

 The user needs to spend ever-increasing amounts of time online to feel the same sense of satisfaction.  If they can’t go online, the user experiences unpleasant withdrawal symptoms such as anxiety, moodiness and compulsive fantasising about the Internet. Using the Internet relieves these symptoms.  The user turns to the Internet to cope with negative feelings such as guilt, anxiety or depression.  The user spends a significant amount of time engaging in other activities related to the Internet (such as researching internet vendors, internet books).  The user neglects other areas of life (such as relationships, work, and school and leisure pursuits) in favour of spending time on the Internet. The user is prepared to lose relationships, jobs or other important things in favour of the Internet.

Tips to break free     



Limiting the amount of time spent online. If an individual is used to spending five hours per night on the Internet, try limiting use in the first week to three hours per night and working steadily down (set a timer!)

Reach out to friends and attend more social events. Think of ways to serve friends and neighbors. As a parent, plan family outings and activities.

Go to the library and pick out an interesting book or buy some new music. Work on developing your skills and interests in other areas.

If forcing your child (or yourself) to stop using the internet causes serious distress, you can take them (or yourself) to a licensed therapist. This could be an indicator of other emotional problems which the Internet use has covered up.

Plan a coping strategy to deal with internet and time-wasting temptations. Go outside, walk around the block, turn off the computer, disconnect the internet connection, phone a friend. Make sure someone close to you is there to support you.

With patience, love, and attention your family can disengage from media and connect to each other and the world to live a more fulfilled life.

Sources: http://www.safetyweb.com/internetaddiction#Helping, http://www.helpguide.org/articles/addiction/ smartphone-and-internet-addiction.htm

“Orange the World” Every year, WHO celebrates and has activities to mark “Orange the World: 16 days of activism”. This is a global call to end all forms of violence against women and girls. It is an international advocacy event that runs each year from 25th November, which is also the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, to the 10th of December which is International Human Rights Day. Each year, it is carried out through various activities worldwide.

This year International School Suva joined to support an end to Gender based violence by wearing Orange on the 25th November. In a speech at the Primary assembly, the Principal, Dr. Anna Marsden raised awareness as she advocated for the Elimination of Violence against Women and girls.

Sustainable Practices

Year 8 Update As part of the IDU on Sustainable Practices, Year 8 students had the opportunity to design and build vertical gardens for the school. Based on their research regarding the benefits of green spaces, students came up with a variety of designs using recycled materials found around the school. Students identified areas of the school that could be transformed from bare concrete to beautiful green vertical gardens.

2016 - SENIOR BALL

The annual Year 12 Senior Ball was held at the Holiday Inn from 6 to 11pm Saturday, November 26th. It was a great night with tasty food and beautiful setting to the theme of "James Bond 007". "Inside Out Band" was invited to perform for 2 hours during the night with great music.

17 High school staff and 107 students turned up for the night and it was definitely a memorable night for all.

PTFA News Find us on the ISS Website: http://www.international.school.fj/index.php/about-us/ptfa/ptfa-welcomes-you

As the ISS Parents, Teachers and Friends Association we recognize and value the uniqueness of each member.

Our vision is that by words and action we will promote a spirit of friendship, co-operation and a welcoming atmosphere where quality relationships are strengthened and maintained within our community.

All ISS parents and teachers are automatically given PTFA membership HOWEVER, joining the PTFA Committee itself is a great way to become more familiar with ISS, its philosophy, and to make new friends. In this way you can assist overall and make a positive impact at ISS for your child’s education. The various backgrounds and cultures that make up our school make these meetings enriching and fun!

In 2016, your PTFA committee organized and brought to you the following events. These events provided a place for us to celebrate and interact. We will be keeping you all updated with the planned Events for 2017 in the early issues of Talanoa in 2017. We wish you all a safe and wonderful Christmas and a prosperous new year.

FUN DAY -6th August, 2016

PRIMARY HALLOWEEN - 27th October, 2016

QUIZ & CURRY NIGHT - 21st October, 2016

GARAGE SALE - 12th November, 2016

ISS Year Level Parent Representatives Roles & Responsibilities (Updated March 11, 2016)

The ISS Parent Teacher Friends Association (PTFA) is implementing Year Level Parent Representatives (YLPReps) at all year levels this school year. This position is used in many schools abroad and is regarded to successfully facilitate communication between the year level/pastoral teacher and parents.

The PTFA constitution* accommodates for this proposal under its Objectives and Aims: 3.1 To provide a forum for communication between parent, teachers and other members of the school community.

3.2 To facilitate discussion on a broad range of educational and social issues of mutual interest to all members of the school community.

3.6 To provide a meeting ground to promote social activities among members of the school community.

Identifying Parent Reps Ideally at the beginning of the school year at the Parent Information Nights, teachers will ask for volunteers for the position. The PTFA encourages 2 Parent Reps per year level to help distribute responsibilities.

Role The objective of the Year Level Parent Rep is to facilitate communication and build a sense of community, at the year level, between parents and the teacher, school administration and PTFA. The role is to support the teacher in his/her communication with parents as a group, and it is to facilitate communication from parents as a group to the teacher, and school management on a needs only basis.

Responsibilities The duties below are examples for Primary and Secondary and during the year may change on a needs basis agreeable to both the Parent Representative and teacher: Acting as a point of contact for parents and students new to the class, facilitate their transition to ISS and Fiji.

Sending out reminders via email, phone or notes that go home with the students, about upcoming events, meetings, excursions and volunteers. Ensuring the Class Contact list details are up to date. Organising annual family breakfasts at the beginning of the school year and the end of year annual class parties. Referral of parents to the appropriate person when whole class issues arise. Please stay in contact with your teacher or year coordinator throughout the year for any updates or help he/she may need from you or the parents.

Most teachers won’t ask for help, so you have to ask them.

Primary only: Calling or emailing parents to line up volunteers to help in the classroom. (Assist with reading program or chaperones for swimming/excursion/camp.) Assist in organising the year level activity for the annual Fun Day (assist in choosing the activity, rostering parents, coordinating the themed basket etc.)

Other Tasks and Tips

Check-in with your teacher periodically to see what s/he needs to have communicated to parents. An “Introduction Template” is available for use to send a letter of introduction to year level parents. Recommunicate calendar items, at the bottom of communications, to provide gentle reminders for school events and holidays. The PTFA representatives can provide these to YLPReps.

Don’t do this job alone or you will burn out. Recruit other parents to help get the work done. The trick to being a YLPRep is to DELEGATE and COORDINATE! Most parents WANT to help in their child’s class – even working parents. Just ASK! Make it easy for parents to pitch in by breaking up big jobs into small tasks and using online signup sheets so parents can choose where/when/how to help.

Most of all please have fun with it! This is a great chance to be a major presence in your child's classroom and to meet lots of other wonderful ISS parents!

Parent Contact Information is Confidential

YLPReps will be communicating with parents in person, on the phone, and via email. One VERY important note for all Reps is that the parent contact information is Confidential and must be handled as such.

Please send all mass emails to yourself with CC to teacher and Blind Carbon Copy "BCC" to all parents. Reps receive the parent email list from the Year Level Coordinators (Secondary) and Teachers (Primary).

Email Tips

Always BCC the parent list – Do NOT put Parent Emails in the To: line Always copy (in the CC line) your teacher and year coordinator on e-mail communications to keep them in the loop. Put the most important information first. Keep emails short. Make subject lines as descriptive as possible. State the purpose of the email and any action required in the first paragraph.

If action required, please make sure deadlines are stated and the appropriate contact to complete the necessary activity. Use headers to help the reader who skims – generally assume that readers will not read all the text. Avoid emailing too frequently. Try to keep it timely. Wait and read before sending. If you forget something critical, please resend the whole email with ALL the information intact so the reader can delete the first one and only keep one email.

For further information please contact: Lorraine Rimmer, YL Parent Rep Coordinator: Lorrainerimmer@hotmail.com or Lisa Nili, PTFA President on ljnili0502@gmail.com *Full text of the ISS PTFA Constitution is available on the ISS website, under About Us, PTFA, Committee

THE ISS BOOKCLUB Coordinator: Amerik a Grewal The ISS Book club will be reading two club favorites over the break: 6 December 5:30 PM Holiday Inn patio The Secrets of Happy Families" written by Bruce Feiler. You might also enjoy the toolkit online at http://brucefeiler.com/pdfs/HappyFamilies-Toolkit.pdf 10 January 5:30 PM Holiday Inn Patio The Five Love Languages of Children by Gary Chapman. We'll resume our regular meetings in February and set our 2017 booklist at our first regular meeting: 7 February 5:30 PM Holiday Inn Patio Third Culture Kids by David C. Pollock RSVPs are appreciated at amerikag@gmail.com Vinaka, Amerika • FJ 679.920.0885 • skype amerika.grewal • US 646.450.5898

ISS Secondary Head Students 2017

(L -

R) Anaseini Hurstel, Zamela Gina, Munee Song, Pio Manoa (Absent) Muhammed Uzaih, Jeremaia Tuinamuana

The Head Students for 2017 were announced at the Secondary Celebration Evening.

We congratulate the following leaders and wish them well for 2017. * Muhammad Uzair Akhtar * Pio Emosi Manoa * Jeremaia Tuinamuana * Zamela Gina * Anaseini Hurstel * Munee Song

Farewell Assembly Thursday 1st December, 2016

As always the ISS Farewell Assembly is an emotional time for those that leave our community. As we farewell staff and students, we also wish them well in their journey and acknowledge the contributions they have given to ISS. In today’s assembly we bid farewell to the School Principal - Dr. Anna Marsden, the Head of Primary - Ms. Karen Whitaker, the longest serving teacher at ISS- Ms. Carol Apted, Primary Teacher - Ms. Chelsea Bulmer, Secondary Maths Teacher - Ms. Sheryl Lowther and the 33 students from across the school. Vinaka vakalevu and ni sa moce for now.

Christmas Gifts and Decorations for the Children’s Wards at CWM Hospital.

At the end of each Academic year, a group of ISS staff and their families dedicate half a day on the first Saturday in December to decorate and give out Christmas gifts to the children admitted at the CWM hospital.

This year we were fortunate to have the President of Fiji, the honorable Joji Konrote join the group and hand out gifts and bring a smile to the sick children. He spoke to every patient and acknowledged ISS as he gave them each a gift bag. This initiative is led by Lorna Evening-Rafoi of the Primary Office and has now reached its 11th year.

We wish to thank everyone who came to help, the Nursing staff at the childrens wards and the following sponsors for their contributions: ISS PTFA, Goodman Fielder, Tappoos, Jedis, Newnet, Ram Sami and Shop & Save. Wishing you all a Merry Christmas and a Prosperous New Year.