The Pride_October 2021

INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL OF KENYA

OFFICIAL SCHOOL MAGAZINE

VISION

EMPOWERING students to create solutions for tomorrow’s challenges.

Editorial Team Pamela Pappas Rita Thakura

Design & Layout Voomantics Kenya

Copyright © 2021 ISK. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or distributed in any form or by any means, or stored in a database or retrieval system, without the prior written permission of the publisher. Trademarks: The Pride, ISK and their associated logos are trademarks of the International School of Kenya. All other names, logos, and trademarks of other companies shown in this publication are the property of their respective owners.

4 Director’s Note 6 Board News 8 Elementary School Report 14 Middle School Report 20 High School Report 30 TLC Report 34 Athletics 38 Counselors’ Connection 40 Advancement Office 46 PTO

The Pride

Director's Note Michael Callan Director

I

t wasn’t long ago that I walked on ISK’s campus for the first time. I was in the good company of three other candidates who were flown here from around the world to meet the community and in three short days, get a sense for what makes ISK tick. We met with panels of students, parents and colleagues from sunrise to sunset.

We shared our experiences, our beliefs and values so that in the end, we could determine the best fit. While I was certainly hopeful that I was putting my best foot forward, I was trying to absorb and understand ISK’s ‘special sauce’.

Speaking to my wife on the plane ride back to Rome, I tried to give my succinct impression of ISK. I remember saying that I observed a great sense of pride that was absent of arrogance.

And that brought an immediate smile to my face and a fervent hope that the school would determine that I was a good fit for them too.

The more time I spend with members of the ISK community, the more convinced I am of the accuracy of my succinct initial impression.

We do have great pride in this school but are not so arrogant as to believe we are perfect.

No, we have pride in the things we do together because there is an incredibly strong sense of belonging here. Reading through my Entry Plan feedback survey results, this becomes clear. I started my analysis with the student feedback and when asked what ISK does exceptionally well, a theme quickly emerged:

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ISK is a community that, no matter the circumstance, is inclusive of every enrolled student despite the gender, race, disability, etc, and that is why I feel happy and safe in this community.”

ISK is very engaging and inclusive.”

Building a sense of belonging - I always feel secure within the walls of ISK. ISK sets up an environment where a friend who shares an extremely different background, culture, ideology, and nationality to me still succeeds equally.”

OCTOBER 2021

When a person feels they belong, barriers to learning and growing fall. Each day I witness this belonging as friends wait for friends to arrive on the bus, athletes cheer one another on on the track or on the court and band students literally make beautiful music together. I experience it in the dance parties in our Life Centered Education class and in the cohesive and contagious passion of the Carbon Neutral Alliance student group. This sense of belonging goes beyond our students and is alive and well in our faculty and staff.

I see them supporting one another in their professional growth goals, meeting in teams daily to design experiences in which kids will thrive and when celebrating one another’s birthdays with a delicious cake and raucous laughter. I experience it in the PTO events at the Shamba, at administrator’s houses and at other off campus venues as we try to rekindle that sense of belonging that has suffered from

not being permitted on campus during the school day. (We are putting plans in place to gradually welcome parents back on campus in safe, legal and meaningful ways over the school year and I will share more of this in future Mane articles).

At ISK, that sense of belonging is our special sauce. It connects us, unites us and gives us a sense of collective pride that is absent of arrogance. The students are correct. It is something we do exceptionally well.

Sincerely and proudly,

Michael Callan, Director

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Board News Mimi Steward Board Secretary

Greetings from the Board of Directors.

O

n October 26th, the Board held its second meeting of this year. The meeting started with remarks from the ISK community. The President of the Associated Student Body (ASB) and the 10th Grade Representative provided updates on community building efforts, such as the mini Spirit Week, which is being held in collaboration with the Elementary and Middle Schools.

They also shared details on the ASB initiative to reduce period stigma by making sanitary products accessible in key locations. The ASB is working with the Health Office on this initiative to ensure long-term sustainability.

The PTO Chair shared their efforts to continue building community through various social events and encouraged Board members to attend the November 12 event at Shakespeare Coffee. The Faculty Council updated the Board on the results of a faculty survey identifying key requests and its meeting with the Compensation Committee.

The Finance Committee reported the annual audit had been completed and confirmed no further follow-up was needed. The report was submitted to the Board for approval. The Committee also reported it had reviewed the

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budget projections and student enrollment, which currently stands at 1057 students, and shared the final budget for Board approval, which passed unanimously.

Please join us at our next Board meeting on Tuesday, November 23rd at 4:00 p.m.

Mimi Steward Board Secretary

OCTOBER 2021

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Elementary School Report

Ryan Hopkins-Wilcox

Matthew Woodward

Elementary School Assistant Principal

Elementary School Principal

Dear ISK Families,

P

lease enjoy the last set of student-created/initiated articles and celebrations as we continue to focus on student agency and empowerment. We have a wonderful mix of learning stories, celebrations of ISK staff, Character Day, and community-focused articles.

Check out these awesome videos from Pre-K! Storymaking

Let's Play Outside Learning Through Play

Reading Buddies, Letters, Library & Loose Parts

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Exploring and Discovering Texture

OCTOBER 2021

It is time to appreciate the cooks!!

The cooks in ISK work to make your lunch from the beginning of the day till you eat your lunch… The kitchen where they work in is a small room, so it’s hard to work together because there are lots of people working at a time, plus they have to cook a lot of food for the whole ES every day. That’s why you should be grateful for the food they make, and you eat.

These are a few photos of the kitchen staff:

One of the things they do in the kitchen is play music while they cook. They also have to collaborate because they all have to agree on who is doing what and what they are cooking. Even though they have to work like this, they still manage to make your lunch when you need it, and they have fun making it together. Another thing that they like to do is cook French fries because they are quick and easy to make. We personally like them, how about you? Even though they already do an amazing job, there are still a few things that they need to work on, like maybe having a day where they cook foods from all around the world, like one day it’s Chinese, the next day would be Indian, etc.

Hope you enjoyed it!

By the Grade 5 cooking group: Mrs Irish 5B, May- 5B, Valeria (Ria)- 5B, Rafaelle- 5C, Eva- 5C, Pomeline- 5A

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Our Wonderful ES Office Staff We all appreciate what Ms. Lillian, Ms. Emmy, and Mr. Ramadan do for us in the Elementary School office. They are so busy all the time!

We went over there to talk to them about what their days are like every day.

Ms. Lillian said she wanted to work in the ES Office because she wanted to serve the entire elementary community, and that includes students, teachers, administration, and her fellow workers. She’s been working at the ES office for 16 years. Wow! Can you believe that?

Her favorite thing about being in the ES office is that she loves interacting with students and giving her support to anyone that needs her help, walking to class and back to her office, delivering messages, and answering calls. It’s just the nature of her work, and she enjoys it very much. What she does not like is sitting at her office for a long time. On any normal day, she is always busy answering phone calls, responding to parents’ emails and the other administration, and also passing information verbally. Also, she first became an ES officer here at ISK!

Friendship Here at ISK, friendship is very important to me.

At recess, I go to play with my friends, and I see many other people with friends too. Every day, I am excited to come and learn in school, but I am also very excited to see my friends. Friends work together, help each other, comfort each other, and most of all, they spend time with each other. At recess, friends play four square and football; they chat, and play different games. I was curious about how people made friends at ISK when they were new last year, so I spoke to Vera. She said, “Last year, more than half of the school year was online, and new students (like me) could not make friends so well because they were online. Students that were already at ISK couldn’t meet their friends; that was hard!”

I am new to ISK this year, and I was very scared on the first day to make new friends, but at the end of the day, I made a friend, and now I have many friends!

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Ms. Emmy started working at ISK about four years ago. She says that ISK has changed; when she first came, the new Middle School building and the Lions’ Den weren’t there.

She said she wanted to work in the ES office because she used to work in a primary school with small kids, and she found that she liked working with young kids because they are so much fun. If she wasn’t working in the ES office, she would work with the Human Resource office because she loves people.

Her favorite thing about work is that she gets to interact with kids, and having that is the best thing about her days. She loves it when she makes playdate slips and delivers them to class because the kids are always happy when they get them, and in her words, “It is like I am giving them presents!”

Mr. Ramadan is in charge of making sure everything is clean and tidy at the ES office.

He started working at ISK in 2012. His favorite thing about working here is meeting new kids, and he knows hundreds of us. He thinks that they are all so awesome!

Anastasia and Camryn, 4A

ke stars. li e r a s d n ie r f “Good s see them, y a lw a ’t n o d u Yo ey’re always h t w o n k u o y t bu there.”

-Christy Evans Natasha, 5A

OCTOBER 2021

h g i H h t i w g Workin 8 y a D n o s r e School I had to work For my day 8 project, dent. I was pretty with a High School stu ndered- “What if nervous because I wo or maybe I did I made many mistakes I just had to try to something wrong?” so h schooler came, stay calm. When the hig estions such as she asked me some qu d I do this for my “how did I feel; why di pired me to do day 8 project; what ins that it was pretty it?” All I have to say is oler to work with, fun to have a high scho tips on what to do and she also gave me s great! to improve, which wa Marian, 5D

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Pride Helpers Pride Helpers is a group of student leaders who help Elementary School be the best possible place to learn and have fun!

There are 5 committees that you can sign up for: Environment, Assembly, Recess, Communication, and Fundraising. This year, we had a new record of students joining Pride Helpers- there were close to 60 students!

When I saw all those students at the first meeting, I was so surprised, because last year we were about 20. With all these students, we are sure to do a great job, but it might be a little hard to work together. Can you imagine what it is like to have that many students working together?

At the beginning of the year, there were a lot of students running for officers, and we had a whole meeting on all the speeches to be done, and we had to vote. It was quite hard to wait for the answers to come out… But they finally did! First semester officers are Marcos as President, Seya as Vice President, Nolan as treasurer, supporting anyone who, and Anaiya as secretary.

Vera, 5B

Character Day

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OCTOBER 2021

Parade

Your partners in learning,

Matt Woodward Elementary School Principal

Ryan Hopkins-Wilcox Elementary School Assistant Principal

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Middle School Report

Alexa Schmid, EdD Middle School Principal

Drew Gregor

Middle School Assistant Principal

Exhibitions of Learning

L

ong gone are the days of textbooks and worksheets and quiet classrooms where teachers lecture and students take notes silently in their seats. At ISK, we believe in the power of student ownership in their learning journey, promoting agency, choice, inquiry, and amplifying student voice. This means teachers are developing engaging learning opportunities with authentic audiences and empowering students with learning that matters. Congratulations to our students and teachers for sharing this powerful learning!

Drama Performances and Museum Exhibit Check out some of the amazing identity/journey museum exhibits in Grade 7 Drama, as well as the fun images from our Grade 6 Drama students performing Shakespeare!

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OCTOBER 2021

Humanities: Minecraft & Inquiry Our 8th grade humanities learners have explored rights and responsibilities using a student-created project called The Dream Team Challenge, using Minecraft EDU, where groups must support each other through a series of challenges.

And our 6th grade humanities students recently engaged in a fun, weeklong open choice research inquiry, culminating in a learning exhibition at the end of the week.

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OCTOBER 2021

6th Grade Drumming Exploratory Our 6th grade exploratory classes have wrapped up their first rotation. Enjoy this great video of our students in the Drumming Class with Mr. Barissa Dhidha!

Art Mosaic Project Our art students, under the guidance of Ms. Miller, have been collaborating with Marianne, a talented Kenyan mosaic artist, to create a stunning mural celebrating diversity. We are so thrilled with the product after an exciting process of learning a fascinating art medium!

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Music Performances We were thrilled to enjoy lovely live music performances! Check out these great photos of our student musicians performing!

Halloween House Event We love building school spirit and having fun! On October 28th, our Middle School students participated in a Halloween Costume Contest for the House Event. We had so much fun celebrating the creativity of our MS Lions! The event was planned and run by student house captains, and the competition was judged based on the cheers of the crowd. Our winners in each category were: Student Name(s)

House(s)

Funniest (individual category) WINNERS 1st

Gio (Garfield)

Tembo

2nd

Zahra (Witch with a beard)

Kifaru

3rd

Ben (opposite of the Grinch)

Twiga

Scariest (individual category) WINNERS

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1st

Penelope

Nyati

2nd

Ehsan

Chui

3rd

Miles (Scream)

Tembo

OCTOBER 2021

Most Innovative / Original (individual category) WINNERS 1st

Nadia (Monkey business)

Tembo

2nd

Tessa (Cereal Killer)

Kifaru

3rd

Kahara (Chocolate)

Twiga

Character Day (individual OR group category) WINNERS 1st

Mudit (Joker)

Chui

2nd

Teagan + Mia (Lilo and Stitch)

Teagan: Nyati, Mia: Chui

3rd

Alizeh (Loki)

Nyati

Best Group Costume (group category) WINNERS 1st

M&Ms (Peper, Bella, Soline, Jara, Irem)

Peper: Twiga, Bella: Nyati, Soline: Nyati, Jara: Chui, Irem: Twiga

2nd

Subway Surfers (Max and Nicholas)

Max: Twiga, Nicholas: Nyati

3rd

50% Vegan (Fiona, Adeline, + Aske)

Fiona: Twiga, Adeline: Nyati, Aske: Kifaru

In Partnership,

Alexa Schmid, EdD Middle School Principal

Drew Gregor

Middle School Assistant Principal

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High School Report

Robert Blanchard, EdD High School Principal

Jarrod Dale High School Assistant Principal

I

continue to be immensely proud of ISK High School students, who continue to build community and voice ideas for sustainable change. In addition to working hard to reach personal dreams and academic goals, ISK students care about others and commit to making the world a better place. In this month’s Pride, we see the world through the eyes of students making things grow, celebrating neurodiversity and inclusion, and seeking to empower girls while addressing gender inequality. The lens zooms in and out, with Photography Club students showing their creativity and sharing a wide view of the world. Enjoy the great writing, insights, and creative pictures.

Robert Blanchard, EdD High School Principal

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Jarrod Dale

High School Assistant Principal

OCTOBER 2021

PROJECT IMAGINE

Background Project Imagine was founded in 2015 by ISK students. Our goal is to end ‘Period Poverty’ by providing sanitary towels to local girls in need and help educate them about menstrual health. Period poverty is a critical concern in Kenya and alludes to the inability to work or attend school due to a lack of funding for sanitary products.

According to the Government of Kenya, 65% of girls in Kenya cannot regularly access sanitary pads, and as a result, they do not attend approximately 20% of school days every year. Furthermore, 2 out of 3 pad users in rural areas receive the pads from sexual partners, exposing these girls to additional health risks. Project Imagine is a registered community-based organization in three counties where we have worked with over 1,400 girls over the last six years.

This year, Project Imagine was inducted as an official ISK club and includes 40 members - all passionate and dedicated to keeping girls in school and giving them the chance they deserve to succeed.

Our aim is to develop peer-to-peer relationships and empower local girls by providing them with important knowledge and instilling confidence within each of them! Project Imagine continues to surpass milestones in creating a world free from period negativity!

Due to COVID, we have been unable to complete our usual in-person distribution of sanitary products - but we recognize that modern problems require innovative solutions. Nonetheless, through our partnership Zana Africa, a leading menstrual health organization in Kenya, we have completed four COVID-safe pad distributions since March 2020. We also collaborated with Laja Trust to provide food hampers and menstrual supplies to 1,141 families in informal settlements and delivered over 10,200 pads in collaboration with Team Pankaj. This represents Project Imagine’s continual dedication to women’s empowerment despite the adversities of the Coronavirus pandemic.

PI Members at September Retreat

Period Pals In-person visitations to the schools with which we collaborated in previous years were temporarily suspended last year due to Covid. As a result, in order to sustain our connections with the girls and boys, we initiated a pen-pal program with students from Salama Primary School! We regularly exchange letters with the students about topics such as period positivity, relationships, peer pressure, strong leadership, and more! We plan to continue this initiative in the coming months and hopefully develop deeper connections with one another.

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Sanitary Pad Distributions Project Imagine works with three schools in Kenya using a peer-to-peer model of education and mentoring. Under usual circumstances, we would travel to two schools in Murang’a county a few times a year (Mt. Olive Primary School and Swani Primary School). During these visits, we would spend time talking with the girls about health, hygiene, and personal safety. We would also distribute pads, ensuring that each girl from these schools would receive enough sanitary towels for the entire school term. The Project Imagine crew enjoys these school visits because our interactions with the girls - and boys are always enjoyable!

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OCTOBER 2021

Project Imagine has also conducted food distributions for all 110 families in Salama Primary School and 146 families in Mt Olive and Swani Primary Schools. We also initiated engagement with a parentbased group in the Gachie community called the ‘Salama Mamas’ who produced 800 masks for members of the Salama families. We will be continuing the food distributions during the holidays again this year. Project Imagine has given away over 230,000 pads in the last six years - we hope to get to 250,000 by the end of 2021!

To learn more about Project Imagine - check out our website: https://www.projectimagine.net/ or visit our social media pages.

By Samrawit, Grade 11 and Project Imagine Team

When world leaders signed up to the Global Goals they promised to ensure that no one is left behind. To achieve that promise, and all of the Global Goals, empowering women and girls and achieving Gender Equality — the promise of Global Goal 5 — is vital

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A Successful Month of October by Embrace the Amazing Who We Are We are a student-led club that dedicates itself to bringing awareness to and celebrating neurodiversity. We’ve been striving towards achieving this goal for over six years, and this year we are doing lots of great things!

Our Mission To spread awareness and understanding of neurodiversity and create a strong community built on compassion and empathy towards those who are neurodiverse.

October Success oo We had our Dyslexia, Dyscalculia, and Dyspraxia poster campaign- We put posters around school to educate people on these different conditions. oo We sold butterfly pins made of recycled plastic- We had a very successful fundraiser in which we sold butterfly pins to the students and teachers at ISK. All of the funds were donated to the Dyslexia Organization of Kenya! oo We raised awareness for the global “#GoRedForDyslexia” campaign- All of our members wore red, and we raised awareness on social media. oo We worked with the ISK library- The library featured books about neurodiverse conditions and books written by neurodiverse authors to promote education on these topics.

Our Plan for Next Month oo We will be educating ourselves about Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, also known as ADHD. oo Although ADHD awareness month was in October, we’re celebrating it in November. oo We will have guest speakers come in to talk about their experiences with ADHD. oo We will also conduct a social-media video campaign to raise awareness about the condition..

Stay tuned!

Follow us on Instagram! @embrace_amazing

Mandisa, Grade 10 & Eleanor, Grade 12 - Co-Leaders

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OCTOBER 2021

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Hello ISK Community, Do you sometimes wish you could better document your events and activities with professional-looking photos or videos? Well, the ISK Photography club is here to help you; we are an active service group that aims to promote creativity through the art of photography. We offer our incredible skills to the ISK community by capturing special and important events held by clubs and administrators here in the High school. Our outstanding team takes on multiple events such as the ISK Spirit Week, Half Day Fun Day, and countless other fun and motivating experiences here at ISK.

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OCTOBER 2021

Currently, as a club of 27 diverse members, we are working collaboratively with each other to generate effective systems and platforms that assist us in our photography around the school. Our main goals are to support the ISK community by helping chronicle their activities, ensure the growth in technical photography skills of our team, and, most importantly, grow the love for photography.

Our members are organized into subgroups that help streamline the club’s roles and needs. These are: a communications team and an events planning team and have so far captured passionate smiles, fascinating friendships, and an inclusive community through the art of photography. Our club as a whole loves participating in a self-run weekly creative challenge (such as movement, wildlife, and sports) which pushes us to try new photography techniques and learn new skills which, in the long run, help our club grow to

produce amazing photographers. We have also received support from the administration and teachers at ISK with their endorsement as a service club to help take photos and videos of school events. Thanks to the ISK co-curricular and experiential learning office, we were able to purchase a DSLR camera that has helped us produce amazing quality photos. But lack of equipment continues to be a hurdle. As a large club with even larger ambitions, we would only benefit from the growth of our camera equipment arsenal. To that effect, we are holding a fundraiser in a few weeks that will be advertised through ISK platforms in hope of receiving old, used, or no longer needed photography equipment. If you are no longer using your older cameras and are willing to donate them to the ISK Photography club, we would be more than happy to put it to good use. Please let us know by contacting jgacheke@isk.ac.ke.

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The benefits of joining the photography club include providing an opportunity to improve one’s photographic skills and knowledge, a venue to challenge those skills, and a forum to share what you have learned with others who have a passion for photography. The club is particularly important as it allows one to engrave an important memory forever. Photography lets us see something we may never have noticed otherwise. We can’t wait to see what this incredible club will become in the future and are excited to meet new classmates, friends, and photographers who will help us on this journey.

Nicolas, Grade 11 & Taymour, Grade 11 - Club Co-Leaders

The club is particularly important as it allows one to engrave an important memory forever.

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OCTOBER 2021

Here in the Greenhouse, we try to grow unique and exotic produce that is hard to come by here in Kenya, increasing biodiversity and helping to offer the ISK community a more diverse selection of produce. Our vegetables are organic and pesticide-free and are grown right here on the ISK campus. Just some of the many vegetables that may be coming to sale are lettuce, rainbow chard, scallopini squash, snap peas, and many more! To have the option to purchase some of our produce in the future, click the link here.

Noah, Grade 11 - Greenhouse Co-Leader

s://drive.google.com/drive/u/0/folders/1J7yD8fB0VOL37vbaNAfEC8bNGHqj8W7Y

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TLC Report Greg James Director of Teaching and Learning

Co-Creating Learning at ISK

O

ne of the core values at ISK is community. When units, projects, and learning experiences are created at ISK, it is part curriculum and professional development and part community and culture building. This month, I wanted to give you a look behind the curtain, so you can better understand the co-created system we use to build or enhance learning at our school.

Voices at the Table and Structure The first step is to decide on the work that needs to be accomplished. Once a grade-level team or department has decided on the scope of the work, we can create structures and protocols and invite the most important people for the conversation. Typically this will include the teaching team, director of teaching and learning, diversity and equity consultant, learning support specialist, principal/assistant principal, and technology integrationist. From there, the team decides together if the work can be accomplished during a half or full-day.

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OCTOBER 2021

From Co-Creation to Application Once all planning members understand the objective(s) of the work, the director of teaching and learning facilitates the following process: Stage One - What do we want to learn? During the first stage, the team asks and answers the following questions:

1. Where have you been as a learning community, and where are you going next?

2. How does this learning fit into year-long learning goals?

3. What connections between units are being made?

4. What’s worth learning?

5. What do we want to learn?

6. Why does this learning matter?

7. Is this learning culturally relevant and inclusive?

8. What themes are emerging?

9. Which of these themes will provide a foundation for rich conceptual inquiries?

10. What provocations will help uncover student interests, prior knowledge? How will you bring your students’ perspectives and voice into the learning?

Stage Two - What will students understand, become, be able to do, and know? In stage one, the goal was to uncover deep and consequential learning.

Once that is done, the team shifts and answers the question of what their students will understand, become, and be able to do with the learning.

Here are the guiding questions that move the unit forward:

1. What are the desired results from the learning?

2. How will we check for understanding along the way?

3. What are we observing, what evidence will we collect?

4. How will students show what they know?

5. How will students act as co-assessors to drive their own learning?

6. What concepts will drive the learning? What are we inquiring into?

7. What questions will provoke a quest for understanding?

8. Who will we become as a result of this learning?

9. What dispositions will we need to embrace to develop these qualities?

10. What skills will we need to rehearse to develop deep understanding?

11. What learning standards and knowledge will provide the foundation for deep learning?

12. Integrated Opportunities: How can the concepts transcend the disciplines and support deep understandings? What opportunities are there for application, transferable knowledge, and integration of the Aims (knowledge skills and dispositions)?

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Stage Three - How will we get there? Now that the team knows how to integrate learning standards, knowledge skills, and dispositions into the unit or project, the next step is to understand how our students will show their learning and how the learning will transform their thinking. Below are the questions that guide the work in stage three:

1. Learning Experiences: What experiences will support students in the construction of knowledge, skills, and dispositions? How will students dig deeper into the learning?

2. Look Fors: How will we check for understanding along the way? What are we observing, what evidence will we collect? How will students show what they know? How will students act as coassessors to drive their own learning?

3. How will your journey into meaning shift directions, what bends in the road will you navigate? What are the significant stages or milestones in the development of understanding?

4. What experiences will honor the diversities of our students? What will students experience as they create meaning and construct understanding? What experiences will build the skills and dispositions (Aims) that support deep understanding? How will those experiences be challenging, interesting, rich, engaging, meaningful, and appropriate?

How will you respond to the learning? How will students be co-designers for learning?

How will all students access the learning?

5. Sharing our Learning: What will students do to show understanding? What knowledge skills and dispositions can be showcased in an end of unit “exhibition”? What evidence will be collected? How will students answer the driving questions? What connections will they make to concepts? What will we do with what we have learned? - this might be a question you unpack with your students as you pass another bend or milestone in the unit.

Stage Four - What did we learn? Reflection and feedback is the key to all learning at ISK. The fourth stage of the unit planning process requires the team to reflect on the learning during the unit and after the unit has been completed.

During this stage, the following questions are asked of the team:

Greg James

Director of Teaching and Learning

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1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

To what extent did we achieve our goals?

What would we cut, keep, create?

Was this worth learning?

What did this learning matter?

What resources do we want to record/keep?

How was our community involved?

What experts supported the learning?

OCTOBER 2021

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Athletics Report Will Moore Athletics Director

S

eason 1 is now over! It has been an incredible journey of learning for our 650 studentathletes taking part in the program, and the final week many of our teams enjoyed intramural tournaments and matches as a way to close the season. We miss interscholastic competition, and it is obviously a huge part of enjoying sports, and yet this aspect should not be a top priority for any team within an education-based athletics program.

Athletes, teams and coaches have all succeeded in building skills, commitment, teamwork and enjoyment throughout the season, all of which are clear when watching training sessions and seeing how hard athletes and coaches are working.

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Parents, thank you all so much for your huge support. This comes in many forms, of course the early drop-off for morning practices can take some getting used to, but it’s the emotional and motivational support you give when your tired children come home and need encouragement to persevere and succeed with their busy ISK schedules!

Here’s looking forward to a busy second Season in Athletics, starting on Monday, November 15!

News

Congratulations to our ISK Track & Field/Cross Country Teams!

Last week, we saw our Cross Country teams compete in Karura forest and the Track & Field teams compete at Kasarani Stadium. This is particularly challenging when we have no one to compare against, with the events being virtual!

However, our Lions fully committed to the experiences and produced some amazing results.

It was almost a clean sweep for our teams!

Girls Cross Country - ISSEA Champions Boys Cross Country - ISSEA Champions (for the

3rd year in a row!)

Girls Track & Field - Third Place Boys Track & Field - ISSEA Champions

Here are the Cross Country RESULTS and the overall team Track & Field Results

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Well done Team:

Girls: Grade 9 - Alexis, Ameya, Lina, Laia | Grade 10 - Tea, Rainey, Amelia, Adrienne | Grade 11 - Miya, Isabella, | Grade 12 - Kapa, Stella, Arissa, Luci.

Boys: Grade 9 - Chas, Charles, Ryan, Porter, Sondre, Seb | Grade 11 - Jamie, Udit, Manoa, Adit, Thomas, Keiffer, Yohan, Eliade, Mandipa, Mehe, Eamon, Joshua, Reuben, Oscar, Soloman, Teun | Grade 12 - Noam, Jacob, Qai, Gavra, Tamu.

Coaches: Coach Maxson, Coach Reschke, Coach Malsam, Coach James, Coach Joseph, Coach Carol

ISSEA Dates for your Calendar:

& ISSEA STEM Competition (virtual)

November 19-20

ISSEA Swimming Championships (virtual)

December 3

ISSEA Schedule 21-22

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Congratulations and thanks to our HS Lions’ Pride for supporting the ISSEA teams. They organised a wonderful pep rally during HS assembly which included a great photo montage.

Will Moore Athletics Director

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Counselors' Connection Benefits of Gratitude

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ooking for ways to be more mentally strong? You need GRATITUDE. Research is finding that people who consistently practice gratitude will not only be happier, but healthier too, and gratitude can transform your life. Here are some scientifically proven ways that gratitude can help you:

Gratitude Improves: Mental Health: If you struggle with mental health, practicing gratitude is proven to increase happiness, decrease toxic thoughts, and helps people connect to something larger than themselves. Regular practice has been found to increase self-esteem and keep suicidal thoughts away.

Your Sleep: Practicing gratitude can increase the amount of sleep you receive, improve the quality of your sleep, and prevent you from tossing and turning at night.

Physical Health: A 2012 study published in Personality and Individual Differences showed that people who practice gratitude have fewer aches and pains, decrease their blood pressure, exercise more, and potentially live longer because they take better care of their health.

Your Brain Development: Practicing gratitude can increase activity in the prefrontal cortex and improve learning and decision making.

Social Life: People who express gratitude to others can improve friendships and relationships with significant others. People may regard you as more trustworthy and feel more connected to you, which can increase your opportunities to start new relationships.

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ractice t we can p a th s y a w many nded and ts, there are the most recomme fi e n journal. e b e e of gratitude n a O g . in is Knowing th s p a e b e e is by k you are on a daily ce gratitud ing things gratitude ti rd c o ra c cts of p re t to a s way ve th veral aspe ro e p s t n a o th t c s beneficial a die eone. itive imp several stu tion to som -term, pos ia g c n re There are lo p a p a e f v ro reate r will ha rite a lette not only c w l il to w thankful fo it is , a e te ay also pprecia nother id rson you a else. You m e your life. A e p n a o ing e to m r o e s a lett titude. Tak fe of li g ra n e g ti e th ri c w ti in c y t B bu ss to pra shown in your life mindfulne ss and has o e d tr r s o happiness e , s a te a re y, medit can dec want to pra r thoughts u o ess. y h it w be and happin h lt a e h the time to ’s e ects on on positive eff

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Resources Click item to view 7 scientifically proven benefits of gratitude Giving thanks can make you happier How gratitude changes you and your brain 28 Benefits of gratitude and most significant research findings Exhausted all the time? Surprising science suggests the answer might be more gratitude

The ISK Counseling Team

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Advancement Office Pamela Pappas Director of Community Relations & Advancement

Success from our Alumni Mixers

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n October, we hosted alumni mixers in Boston, Los Angeles, and Tampa. Thanks to the support of DeeDee Werner and Heidi Laws, the events were well-attended and ran smoothly.

We were delighted with the excellent alumni turnout!

After these successes, we are now looking to engage even more with our global alumni community. Keep an eye on our alumni social media pages for details on upcoming mixers!

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m The alumni fro s! le e g n A s Lo d mni were both alu both Boston an re in e i h n T m t. u n al ve h e it ice to meet up w ake it to the cently. It was n “It was great to re ter” storm to m as ry r’e ve o d e “N at a u d nts were rad rave well. Both eve d ones who g as an Boston even b r o e th ag o s h ar ac ye e i all ith d many l reconnect w use the alumn al ca e to b who graduate r m e e g th n r lo them and up lasting them and fo ation between connect with nts but ended rm ve e fo n in -i ct p ta ro n d r co u d Milo!” ~ of -ho ee, chevda, an f exchanging ff o meant to be 2 co ts a, lo te w e sa I lik r. longe s from Kenya wanted to stay and small gift ag sw K IS e th they all loved Dr. Werner

“What a won derful time for alumni to reminisce ab get togethe out their tim r to e at ISK, enjo and network y Kenyan tre as a commu ats, nity! The Tam wonderful e pa mixer wa vent and ou sa r younger a older alumn lumni got to i and talk ab meet out how tim and share st es have cha ories! The o nged lder alumni getting a gli really appre mpse into h c iated ow ISK has c the years th hanged ove rough the le r ns of young nice to conn er alumni. It ect with our w as fo rmer studen experiences. ts and share The mixer w as held righ with a beau t by the wate tiful sunset o r n the horizo conversatio n , and the gre ns made it a at ll worth it!” ~ Ms. Laws

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Spread the Love this Holiday season!

No matter what your culture or nationality is, the holiday season is a time to spread cheer and celebrate with our loved ones.

We are delighted to announce that we will have the annual Spread the Love Benefit Concert, which will be livestreamed to the ISK Community on December 15.

If you’re interested in participating, please fill this form by November 19th. We look forward to your participation!

The concert is brought to you by the ISK Service Groups Ambassador’s Club, Mwangaza Stories, Artsco, HeArts and Shangilia, with support by Jill Hire, Kennedy Wando and the Advancement Office. It seeks to affirm our sense of community, and proceeds from the event will be donated to local communities ISK partners with.

Don’t miss this fantastic holiday concert!

Details of how to access this concert will follow soon. Check out the poster for more details.

SECOND ANNUAL

ECOND ANNUAL

An “ISK’s Got Talent” style event • Anyone in the ISK community can participate!

- parents, students, teachers, staff, etc...

• We are looking for: - singing, dancing, comedy, poetry, storytelling, lipsync, etc...

BENEFIT CONCERT

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BENEFIT CONCERT SECOND ANNUAL

BENEFIT CONCERT

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An “ISK’s Got Talent” style event • Anyone in the ISK community participate!

If you're interested can in taking part, please parents, students, fill this form by November 19th. teachers, etc... on Performances will staff, be recorded • We are looking for: is on November 24th and broadcast December 15th. dancing, comedy, - singing, poetry, storytelling, Proceeds from the event will be donated lipsync, etc... to local communities ISK partners with.

The concert is brought to you by HeArts, Ambassador’s Club, Shangilia, ArtsCo, & Mwangaza Stories Supported by the Advancement Office,

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If you're interested in taking part, please fill this form by November 19th.

Performances will be recorded on November 24th and broadcast is Ifon you're interested in taking part, please An “ISK’s Got Talent” style December 15th. fill this form by November 19th. event Performances will be recorded on • Anyone in the ISK November 24th and broadcast is on community Proceeds fromcan theparticipate! event will be donated 15th. parents, students, ISK partnersDecember to- local communities with. teachers, staff, etc...

• We are looking for: Proceeds from the event will be donated The concert is brought to you by - singing, dancing, comedy, to local communities ISK partners with.

HeArts, Ambassador’s poetry, storytelling, Club, Shangilia, ArtsCo, & Mwangaza Stories lipsync, etc...

The concert is brought to you by Supported by the Advancement Office, Jill Hire & Kennedy Wando.

HeArts, Ambassador’s Club, Shangilia, ArtsCo, & Mwangaza Stories -

Supported by the Advancement Office,

Jill Check Hire & Kennedy Wando.from last year’s concert by clicking on this video Jill Hire out highlights link.& Kennedy Wando.

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For more information, please contact communications@isk.ac.ke

Check out highlights from last year’s concert by clicking on this video link. Check out highlights from last year’s concert by clicking on this video link.

For more information, please contact communications@isk.ac.ke

For more information, please contact communications@isk.ac.ke

OCTOBER 2021

ISK Parade of Nations

At ISK, we come from all over the world - what better way to remind us of our diversity than a display of our national flags? We are honored to serve our diverse community of 66 nationalities, and hope that the flags instill a sense of pride in our students as they walk through the Commons. Check out the video below for a glimpse of the new look of the Commons!

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Scholarship Program at ISK The 2022-2023 ISK High School Scholarship application process is now open! It offers opportunities for low to middle income Kenyan students to participate in an academically rich and culturally diverse learning environment. Scholarship applications are being accepted for students entering Grade 9 or Grade 10 in August 2022. Up to two outstanding Kenyan students will be selected to pursue their High School education at ISK.

The scholarship covers 100% of all tuition, and full waiver of admission, bus and capital levy fees.

Applications are open only to Kenyan citizens with proven financial need, and in order to qualify, applicants must be 14 years of age by July 2022.

Applicants must have completed Standard 8, Year 9 or Form 1 and are eligible to enter Grades 9 and 10 (only at ISK) and have high academic achievement and sound leadership skills.

Applicants must also have the ability to live in Nairobi with family or legal guardians.

Students meeting the aforementioned criteria must submit their applications by January 22, 2022.

Recipients of the full scholarship will be announced in April/ May 2022. Please help us spread the word about this wonderful opportunity!

Email scholarships@isk.ac.ke for more information.

Stay well,

Pamela Pappas

Director of Community Relations & Advancement

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PTO Terri Furness PTO New Parent Rep & HS Lead Rep

New (and Returning) Parent Welcome at ISK

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he main goal of the PTO is to build and nurture a strong parent and teacher community. The New Parent Welcome hopes to integrate new families into this community. We try to ease the transition into the school (and Kenya, if new to the country).

This has become an essential role of the PTO at ISK, especially during the pandemic. We found, especially this last year, that returning parents also have a need to connect.

Parents (all humans actually) have this basic need, and transitioning to a new country and a new school makes this very important – not to feel isolated. Until we are able to be oncampus, parents have lost those opportunities to meet.

How do we ensure parents connect? We host Parent Welcome Coffees, Parent Welcome Sundowners, and even a fun Parent Bus Tour!

Every August and September (and again in January/February), we really try to get the year started with these lively and fun events. This is a really positive, casual, and fun solution, and we continue to enjoy positive feedback.

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Teachers/faculty and returning parents are also warmly welcomed to attend these – which makes the event so much easier for new parents to engage with the community and ask questions. These events are outdoors and COVID compliant. We do introduce our community here, as well as our modes of communication – for example, the ISK Community Facebook page, the parent WhatsApp groups that exist for every grade, and in ES, for every class, as well as other relevant information.

Come along! Besides, it’s a lot of fun and well attended .

We always welcome volunteers, questions, and suggestions– please do get in touch with us if you have any! This is how our book clubs started- they were a suggestion from a parent, and we now have 3 running already since September 2021!

Warm welcome,

Terri Furness

Contact us: terrifurness@gmail.com or pto@isk.ac.ke

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Accredited fully by the Middle States Association of Schools in the United States and the Council of International Schools in Europe.

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