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ISSUE 48 VOLUME 7 JANUARY 2017

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About ISK The International School of Kenya (ISK) is a private, non-profit PreK-Grade 12 school created in 1976 through a joint partnership between the governments of the United States and Canada. Nestled on 40 acres of a former coffee plantation, ISK serves the educational needs of both expatriate and Kenyan students who seek a challenging international curriculum which leads to the rigorous International Baccalaureate Diploma program.

ISK’s internationally focused curriculum has helped Kenya become a magnet for foreign business investment and a desired posting for those working for the continuing development of East Africa. Expatriate families consider Kenya a quality career opportunity, in part due to the quality education they find at ISK. Likewise, Kenyan families who want an international, culturally diverse education for their children see ISK as the school of choice.

ISK has over 915 students from more than 60 countries. Graduates earn an ISK North American accredited diploma and approximately 70 percent of ISK graduates earn the IB Diploma, enabling them to study at some of the most respected and competitive colleges and universities in the world. ISK students form a supportive, spirited and diverse community, which enables new students to adapt easily to campus life. Interacting in such a welcoming crosscultural milieu, ISK students celebrate the unique and wonderful differences and similarities of people from around the world.

The value of respect for each other and for Kenya is evident at ISK, as is a commitment to giving back to the community. Our scholarship program for Kenyan students, together with a broad and dedicated service-learning program which serves our local and national community, have shaped our school values since 1967 and continue today.

In keeping with ISK’s strategic mission and vision, we are dedicated to empowering each student to create solutions for tomorrow’s challenges. Therefore, we have embarked on a multimillion dollar facility and program expansion project to provide students and faculty with the programs, tools and facilities necessary for success. Once completed, ISK will be able to accommodate 1,200 students with expanded programs and facilities.

EDITORIAL TEAM Lynn Wells Pamela Pappas Janet Muasya DESIGN & PRODUCTION Mario Zamfir - SchoolBrand.com Copyright © 2016 The Link Copyright © 2016 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 Link, 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.

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7 Message from the Board of Directors On January 24th, the Board of Directors held the first meeting of 2017. We were pleased to hear from two Middle School students who attended the Round Square International Conference held in India.

17 MS Winners of the Quarterly Create-A-Tee Contest This year’s t-shirt design project brought many outstanding and diverse entries to the contest, highlighting one of the many ways the arts bring to life and promote design thinking creatively!

24 ISK Athletics Department Season 2 is well underway. You can follow the schedule (and results) of when our teams are playing here at ISK Season 2 Master Schedule. We’d love you to come out and show your support.

31 Service Learning Read on to find find out about the many projects our students were involved in.

44 PTO / International Day Message from the co-chairs

4 8 14 2036 Director Letter

ES Report

MS Report

HS Report

Miss Nelson

Are you interested in serving on the ISK Board of Directors?

We are approaching the time when ISK will elect new School Board members.

The Elementary School has welcomed 23 new students to our community.

It’s been a positive start to the second semester in the middle school, with very enthusiastic student learners.

This semester kicked off with an Operation Smile dance on Friday evening, an opportunity for students to enjoy a fun, safe evening together – approximately one hundred students attended.

Miss Nelson is Missing is a play about a teacher, Miss Nelson, who can’t control her crazy classroom because she’s just too nice.

Read more on page 4

Read more on page 8

Read more on page 14

See photos on page 36

Read more on page 20

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Director’s Letter ISK Board of Directors Now Accepting Nominations We are approaching the time when ISK will elect new School Board members.

This occurs at the Board’s Annual General Meeting on April 26th. Each year there are two parent-elected board members whose terms will expire. These elected positions are two-year term positions. Nominations are now being accepted. Click on this link to download a Board of Director nomination form. The closing date for accepting nominations is Friday, March

10, 2017.

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Let me or Board Chair, Vicky Cole (iskbodvc@gmail.com) know what questions you might have about governance and serving on the ISK Board of Directors.

Generative Workshop and Retreat The ISK Board of Governors, Board of Directors and Administrative Team participated in a Generative Thinking Session on January 21. With 25 participates working in five mixed groups; each group took a ‘deep-dive’ into the topic of Shifting Clientele.

Groups generated ideas and thoughts as they explored over-arching questions like ‘is the current ISK clientele sustainable in terms of its make-up, distribution, total number’; ‘does diversity matter for achieving ISK’s mission’; or ‘what do ISK parents want for their children’s education’. The information and viewpoints collected will be used in future strategic planning sessions. Our goal is that ISK remain a school of choice in Kenya and be a leader in international education as it continues to grow.

No One Misses Miss Nelson is Missing

Congratulations to our teachers and staff as they performed to the delight of sold out audiences this past weekend.

The play, Miss Nelson Is Missing, directed by Tim & Gwen Willson, was a big hit with all ages. Proceeds from this event were given to the ISK High School service project, HeARTS, which enriches under-privileged Kenyan children with lessons in music, visual arts and drama.

FOTA Art Show Opening – February 3 The annual Friends of the Arts Art Show with more than 80 local artists has its grand opening tonight, February 3, from 6-9pm for adults. The FOTA Art Show will continue to be open through February 6. All proceeds go to support local art projects. Come join FOTA and their volunteers at this worthy event.

Good Luck ISK in ISSEA Competitions ISK is competing right now in three International Schools of Southern and Eastern Africa events. The competitions are the ISSEA Basketball Competition with our Varsity Girls and Boys Teams in Tanzania, ISSEA Rugby in Zambia, and

our swimming team is right here at ISK with ISSEA Swimming. Good luck to all the participating teams and safe travels.

Go Lions!

Community Awareness Our Advancement Office and the Security Office have teamed up to start an awareness campaign for the ISK campus (and beyond). It is important that we all continue to be aware of our surroundings and belongings. For a message from our Head of Security on the role we all play in keeping our community safe please see page 36.

ISK to Celebrate International Day The ISK International Day Celebration takes place on the afternoon of Friday, February 17th. With support from the PTO, International Day celebrates the diversity of our community’s cultures through the Taste of Nations along with a variety of music and dance. Join us as our community celebrates both our diversity and the commonalities we share.

Revised 2017-18 School Start Date – August 16, 2017 The ISK Board of Directors approved a Revised 2017-18 ISK School Calendar with a new school starting date of August 16, 2017. The school consulted our various missions and security contacts regarding the date of the Kenyan elections coupled with our original planned start date for the 201718 school year.

We also received confirmation from Kenyan government officials that the Kenyan election date will not be changed from August 8, 2017. With this revised start date, families will be able to plan their return back to Nairobi after the August 8 election and we can still meet our school policy attendance requirements.

Warm Regards, David G. Henry Director

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GREETINGS FROM THE

BOARD OF DIRECTORS Greetings to all in this New Year. On January 24th, the Board of Directors held the first meeting of 2017. We were pleased to hear from two Middle School students who attended the Round Square International Conference held in India. The theme of the conference was Every Drop Counts and featured keynote speakers who explained the water problems in India and some of the solutions. The students summarized their service contribution, helping to paint a school, and adventure experiences, such as watching traditional dances and a puppet show. They also offered a few suggestions that will help students adjust to their first trip away from home.

ASB Representative Shadwal reported that the ASB continues to work on improving communication not only with the Board but also with the school community, potentially through a house or buddy system.

As part of ISK’s Inclusion journey, Sue Small and Jodi Lake provided a progress report on the school’s efforts to support highly capable learners (HCLs) at ISK. The support would focus on providing HCLs with sufficient challenge when and where needed and allow for more individualized learning. They summarized the considerable research and thinking that has gone into the development of a framework and approach for working with HCL students.

Finally, David Henry provided an update on teacher recruitment for the 2017-2018. He reported almost all posts have been filled.

The school’s successful recruitment efforts are due to the high level of interest in the school as reflected in the significant number of applications.

The next Board of Directors meeting will be at 4:00 p.m. on February 21st. All members of the ISK community are welcome to these meetings.

Mimi Steward Board Secretary

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ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

Patricia Salleh Matta Elementary School Principal

REPORT

A warm welcome back and a very Happy New Year to you all. It was great to see so many smiling and happy faces on that beautiful sunny Tuesday morning.

To date we have welcomed 23 new students to our community. Once class numbers stabilize, teachers will be sending out revised class lists to all parents.

The issue of safety and security continues to be a high priority at our school. We ask that all families support us by informing the school of any changes to your basic information regarding phone numbers, emergency contact numbers, if the parents/guardians may be traveling, etc.

If you need to take your child off campus before regular dismissal time PLEASE NOTE you are requested to get an early dismissal slip from the Elementary School Office. Our security team will not permit a student to leave campus without this slip.

There is for all our students’ protection and safety.

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Good communication is and will remain a priority for us. We encourage open and ongoing dialogue between school and home to ensure that we are working as partners in the education of our students.

To keep you updated, the Elementary Express (ES Express) is the elementary wing of the school-wide newsletter The Link, which is accessible every last Friday of the month, to all families electronically.

It contains news of past and future events, important dates, current issues, etc. Of course you will be receiving ongoing communication from your child’s teacher and news from the wider school community (including the elementary school) will come to you in the monthly Link.

Please also ensure that you give us your updated email contact, as this is another way we frequently communicate with our parents. Each teacher also has a Moodle webpage that we ask all families to access.

In the event of an emergency and we have to close school, this would be our primary means of communicating ongoing student learning guidelines. Please see the article below on Moodle with instructions on how to access.

There is always tea/coffee available in the ESO so please stop by for a chat, to say hello or to share your commendations or recommendations.

Please do not hesitate to contact the ESO or myself should you require any further information/clarification that will enable you to become fully informed about your child’s program this year.

Patricia Salleh Matta Elementary School Principal

Guidance Classes

The guidance theme for the month of February are Personal Safety, which is one of our most important units. Personal safety is a lifelong skill, giving children information relevant to them, teaching and practicing skills to handle the information, and building their selfesteem, so they feel confident implementing these skills. Our personal safety lessons will begin in February.

Our lessons will consist of the following: • Counsellors will help the students define “private body parts”. These are the parts of the body covered by their bathing suits.

• Counsellors will teach the students the three touching rules.

• It is never all right for someone to touch your private body parts except to keep you clean and healthy.

• Good touch and bad touch • If someone breaks the touching rule, say “No!” and run away and tell a trusted adult. If that adult doesn’t help you, keep telling until you get

the help you need and deserve.

We thank you for your support in teaching your child about personal safety. Because we will only have a few lessons to discuss this important topic with our children, we are asking

a child’s human rights and is an obstacle to every aspect of a child’s development. The International School of Kenya, its staff and volunteers, have a responsibility to ensure the safety of the students and protect them from abuse. ISK’s procedures for protecting and ensuring the safety of children shall be documented clearly and followed consistently.

In response to suspected abuse, the school shall take all reasonable, responsible and legal steps to protect the child and act as his/her advocate.

Additionally, ISK shall have a proactive communication plan for training staff and volunteers and making the ISK community aware of various aspects of abuse. Adoption November 2012’

for your help with the following homework.

• Let your child hear the safety rules from you as well as from the counsellors.

• Please ask your child to practice saying “No!” with you.

• Help your child to identify trusted adults in his/her life.

The International School of Kenya has a child protection policy, which states; ‘Child abuse is a violation of

Nut Allergies

Please note that we have a number of students who have severe/ life threatening nut allergies in elementary school. As this number has increased this year, we kindly request that parents send their children with nut-free lunches/snacks.

Please have a look at the guidelines below the school has put in place for serious allergies.

Feel free to contact the School Nurse on 0733639-344 or Patricia Salleh-Matta at 0733-639340 with any further queries.

These lessons are aligned with the policy and are included in student learning each year.

Here are some book titles that you may wish to read with your child (some of these books can be found in the ISK library).

• The Trouble With Secrets by Karen Johnson

Walvoord Girard • Mia’s Secret by Peter Ledwon and Marilyn Mets The following are some websites, which offer resources and have more information about personal safety: • • • •

www.cfchildren.org www.actforkids.org www.safekids.com www.unicef.org/crc

Once again we thank you for your continued support of the elementary guidance program.

If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to contact your child’s grade level counselor.

Heather Grades PK-2nd hcronk@isk.ac.ke Ben Grades 3-5 bfishman@isk.ac.ke

• The Right Touch by Sandy Kleven • It’s My Body by Lory Freeman • Protect Your Child From Sexual Abuse: A Parent’s Guide by Jane Hart-Rossi • My Body Is Private by Linda

Dates to Remember in

FEBRUARY

06-09 Feb

Mon–Thu

Grade 5 IC trip

10–13 Feb

Fri–Mon

ISK Holiday

17 Feb

Fri

International Day

2:00 p.m. – 4:30 p.m.

22 Feb

Wed

Grade 4 IC Trip Parent Night

5:00 p.m. – 6:30 p.m.

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Moodle Reminder

Moodle is the platform that parents can access to get updated information on student learning. New families will be given the password by their homeroom teachers.

Please read below for directions on how to access our Moodle pages. You will only be able to view as a guest.

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To view Homeroom Pages Go to the ISK Moodle page at http://moodle.isk.ac.ke/ moodle/

To view Specials Pages Go to the ISK Moodle page at http://moodle.isk.ac.ke/ moodle/

1. Scroll down and select ES. 2. Select your child’s grade level.

3. Select the homeroom teacher’s name or the common grade level page 4. Click on ‘Log in as a guest’ 5. Enter the password and click on SUBMIT.

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

Scroll down and select ES. Choose the specialist subject (Specialist Teachers, the ES Office & Counselling, Student Support Services (SSS) and PRIDE/PEER Select the specific subject area/teacher Click on ‘Log in as a guest’.

Enter the password and click on SUBMIT.

It is really important that all our ES families are able to access and use this website.

If you need help, you are most welcome to contact our technology coordinator Betsy Lafontant at blafontant@isk. ac.ke.

Parenting

the Love & Logic Way

presented by

ISK Counsellors

The ISK school counsellors are proud to offer a six (6) session parenting workshop, entitled “Parenting the Love and Logic Way” by Charles Fay Ph.D. and Jim Fay beginning on Monday, February 20th from 8:30 -10:00 SESSION 1

What is Love and Logic All About?

This six session parenting program, developed by the Love and Logic Institute, was designated to help parents find

SESSION 2

SESSION 3

specific answers and actions for some of those difficult moments in child rearing.

These simple techniques are effective with all ages of children.

The parenting sessions will SESSION 4

provide practical tools and techniques that help parents achieve respectful, healthy relationships with their children and help them prepare their kids for the real world.

SESSION 5

SESSION 6

Monday, Feb. 20th 8:30-10:00 a.m.

Monday, Feb. 27th 8:30-10:00 a.m.

Monday, Mar. 6th 8:30-10:00 a.m.

Monday, Mar. 20th 8:30-10:00 a.m.

Monday, Mar. 27th 8:30-10:00 a.m.

Monday, Apr. 3rd 8:30-10:00 a.m.

Putting an End to Arguing, Back Talk and Begging

Teaching Responsibility without Losing their Love

Setting Limits Without Waging War

Avoiding PowerStruggles

Guiding Kids to Own and Solve Their Problems

Teaching Kids to Complete Chores

ES MPR

Commons MPR 1

Commons MPR 1

HS MPR 1

ES Kiswahili Classroom (above ES main office)

ES Kiswahili Classroom

If you would like to read the book, “Parenting with Love and Logic by Foster Cline and Jim Fay before hand then there are 3 options for obtaining the book: • • •

Kindle e-Books version from the ISK Library Download your own copy of the book on Kindle e-Books Check out a copy from ES Counseling office

Parents are encouraged to read the book while attending weekly classes. For more information on Love and Logic for parents, please click on the link: http://www. loveandlogic.com/t-what-is-for-parents.aspx **** Please note that we will need a minimum of 10 parents to conduct the Love and Logic parenting program

by Friday, February 17th.

RSVP

to Ben Fishman at bfishman@isk.ac.ke

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This year, all our students in elementary school will continue to participate in different service learning projects. Through these projects, our students develop a deeper sense of community and the value of giving back to the community as they learn from it.

While all the grade levels participate in the service learning program, I would like to highlight the grade one project. The goal this year is for the students to understand that small contributions can make a big difference in other people’s lives. By doing chores at home, they will raise money to help fund fees for the partner school, Children’s Garden Home, so that they can learn together. They will learn to take responsibility in their home communities and that human beings are interdependent. They will engage in activities like washing dishes, cooking, helping in food preparation, cleaning their houses, pets etc. Money raised will be used to fund the park fee entrance for students from Children’s Garden Home so that they can all engage in learning together.

I look forward to sharing with you more of what happens in the elementary school with regard to service learning this semester.

Thank you very much for your support.

Kind regards, Francis Atemo ES Activities Coordinator

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ISK Spirit Week

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MIDDLE SCHOOL

Craig Baker Middle School Principal

It’s been a positive start to the second semester in the middle school, with very enthusiastic student learners. Should you have any questions about your child’s academic program, please do not hesitate in contacting their teachers.

MS MUN This past week 21 of our middle school students participated in the East Africa, Model United Nations at the Nairobi UN Headquarters. Our students represented the countries of Bangladesh, Georgia, Guayana, Micronesia, and Uganda. They discussed, debated, and voted on resolutions in the areas of ecology, health, human rights and technology. This was a

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REPORT great learning opportunity for these students. Thanks to Devin Jones for facilitating this event as our MS MUN advisor.

SMART GOALS As a part of our electronic portfolios this semester, students in sixth and seventh grades have been crafting SMART Goals.

Students have chosen an academic, habits of learning, or personal goal and track over the course of the second semester. You might be wondering what a SMART Goal is? It’s Specific, Measureable, Actionable, Relevant, and Timebound - SMART. Advisors have been supporting students in crafting these goals. If you have a sixth of seventh grader, have a chat

with them about what they are pursuing. I’m sure they would appreciate this, and it might lead to an interesting conversation. Eighth grade students are working diligently on their Capstone projects, so we did not add SMART Goals to all of the many tasks and expectations we have for these students this semester.

PARENT TEAS We had an incredible turn-out at our November 29th parent tea, with more than 50 parents attending. Our middle school math team shared how students best learn math along with our ‘growth mindset’ initiative. The feedback I’ve received from parents has been very

positive. Our next parent tea is scheduled for Thursday, February 9th, at 8:30 a.m. in the High School MPRs. This program will focus on how we’re supporting students with the appropriate use of technology and social media and what parents can do at home to support their children in these area.

MIDDLE SCHOOL SOCIALS Our holiday social in December, although a bit rainy, was a huge hit, with most of our students attending. The next social is scheduled for Friday, March 3rd, from 3:30 to 7:00 p.m. This is our annual swim party. More information about this social will be sent to you the end of February.

From Our Round Square Students

On the January 7th, 12 Middle School students headed off to Rajasthan, India to attend a Round Square Conference, hosted by Mayo College and Mayo College Girls School in Ajmer. The theme of the conference was ‘Every Drop Counts’.

Mayo College is said to be one of the most prestigious boarding schools in India and it has quite a spectacular campus, complete with a Polo field, shooting range, and a wonderful outdoor theatre.

We spent a fun filled week, learning about water conservation, Indian culture and ourselves. There were several keynote speakers who recounted the dangers of not conserving water, and the issues facing India around water pollution. After the speakers, we met in small groups called barazas to discuss what we had learned during the lectures. For the adventure trip, we spent the night in a Rajasthani Palace, which was a great experience; we felt like royalty! We learned about the palaces and

watched cultural dances. There was also a service trip, where we visited different schools and spent the morning painting murals, planting trees and playing with children.

There was a really fun carnival where we got to purchase gifts for our friends and family, as well as ourselves. There were also horses, camels, and even an elephant we could ride. Finally, we had the multicultural evening, where every school performed something relating to its culture.

Our group performed to ‘Live and Die in Africa’ by Sauti Sol. After a long, long journey back, we were happy to home with our families but felt very lucky to have had such an amazing experience.

MS Round Square Students

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Original art by Chifundo Thangata

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WINNERS OF THE QUARTERLY CREATE-A-TEE CONTEST IN MS ART

Original art by Amanda Lee

This year’s t-shirt design project brought many outstanding and diverse entries to the contest, highlighting one of the many ways the arts bring to life and promote design thinking creatively!

Winners of the Create-a-Tee t-shirt design contest were: • Amanda Lee • Chifundo Thangata • Felix Miller Their original artworks were recognized by their peers who voted on best design in Art Explore classes.

All designs from current and past students can be seen at the iskdesign.createatee.co.uk website ISK receives a 10% discount for orders placed online through their website. Congratulations to all students who participated and to the winners who have encouraged other students to make their own wearable art!

Original art by Felix Miller

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ARTISTS FROM KUONA TRUST WORK WITH ISK MS STUDENTS TO LEARN

NEW VISUAL PRODUCTION PROCESSES FROM THE WRONG NUMBER EXHIBITION

ISK MS Art Explore and Art students worked with artists Lemek Topoika and Paul Njihia on display in the Wrong Number exhibition and sculptor Meshack Oiro at Kuona Trust for a full-day field trip on December 12.

Students rotated through three artist-led workshops working with concepts and materials from the exhibition to create mixed media collages, foundobject casts, and caricatures of friends and ‘foes’.

Thirty students joined artists and ISK faculty for this fun and rewarding, educational excursion, igniting our passion for more cultural field trips in the local community!

Teresa Tipton MS Art

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NORTH, CENTRAL & SOUTH AMERICA FAIR On December 1st, there was a fair about North, Central and South America contribution to the world, organized by the Spanish students from ES, MS and HS and the Art Department on an interdisciplinary project based learning activity.

The students painted murals about their subject and had very interesting and nice presentations. They had even dressed up in hats and ponchos to greet the guests. There was amazing food, music and fun games to play. Even though the fair was mostly in Spanish, the students

gladly translated for the English speaker.

Halfway through the fair, elementary students dressed according to the theme came to perform a lovely and adorable song.

They even made some teachers and students sing along. The fair was a fun, educational and interesting activity to share with the ISK community.

The students were very satisfied with their hard work and the number of people who appreciated the effort they had put into their murals and presentations.

Fatou Thiam grade 10

El 1 de diciembre, hubo una feria sobre la contribución de Norteamérica, Centroamérica y Sudamérica al mundo, con la participación de las clases de español de ES, MS y HS y el departamento de arte en una actividad interdisciplinaria de aprendizaje basada en proyectos.

Los alumnos pintaron murales sobre su tema elegido y tuvieron presentaciones muy interesantes sobre su investigación. Había alumnos con sombreros y ponchos para saludar a los invitados. Había comida deliciosa, buena música y divertidos juegos para jugar. Aunque la feria fue en su mayoría en español,

los estudiantes tradujeron para los hablantes de inglés.

A la mitad de la feria, los alumnos de primaria vestidos con ropas tradicionales vinieron a cantar una canción encantadora y adorable.

Ellos hicieron que algunos profesores y estudiantes cantaran. La feria fue una actividad agradable, educativa e interesante para compartir con la comunidad de ISK. Los alumnos también quedaron muy satisfechos con su trabajo y el número de personas que apreciaron el esfuerzo que habían puesto en sus murales y presentaciones.

Articulo escrito por Fatou Thiam, grado 10

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HIGH SCHOOL

Rob Blanchard High School Principal

REPORT

Welcome back. I hope that your family enjoyed a lovely holiday and that your high school student is feeling comfortably settled back at school. A special welcome to the new families who joined us in January – the faculty team has been helping our new students to get their feet on the ground here at ISK, for example having a pizza lunch and mini tech boot camp.

This semester kicked off with an Operation Smile dance on Friday evening, an opportunity for students to enjoy a fun, safe evening together – approximately one hundred students attended. This week the FCD team was here on campus in support of health and wellness education, working with students around the issue of alcohol, tobacco, and drugs (they held a parent session too). In terms of what’s ahead, there are many events planned and I would encourage you to check out the Link and parent view calendar for opportunities to join in.

For example, we had our HS Parent Tea on Tuesday morning at 8:30 a.m. and ISK is hosting the ISSEA swimming event, with schools joining us from seven our

countries in Africa.

Senior parents can expect to hear from me soon with information about this special semester for our seniors, including information about graduation events in May. Grade 10 parents can also expect to hear from us with information about our upcoming work experience program this semester at ISK. All parents should know that the course selection process for 2017-18 is about to begin, with meetings and conversations with students starting next week.

This is a reminder for parents who may wish to use taxis for student drop off or pick up from campus that the school needs

a message from a parent/guardian in order to release students to a taxi. This applies for all times of the day and year, be it a school day, weekend, or holiday. Also, if you ever wish to have your child go home on the bus with a friend, please send this request to the office in advance – preapproval and a bus pass are required.

In short, simply let us know in advance of any special travel arrangements for your child so our team can help ensure student safety around this matter.

Kind regards, Robert Blanchard, Ed.D. High School Principal

DATES FOR DIARIES: Feb 6th Feb 10 & 13

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IB/University planning night for Grade 9 and 10 families ISK Holiday (no school on these days)

Semester One Honor Roll: In the first assembly of semester two we celebrated students who earned a place on the Honor Roll, which is based upon academic achievement and demonstrated habits of learning in semester one studies. Congratulations to our honor roll students for semester one, as follows: GRADE 9 HIGH HONORS Virmani, Vanshika Voloshin, Varia Vandermeulen, Marie Savosnick, Tori Seok, Jeongmin Saklani, Samyukta Raichura, Roshni Ouma, Faith Hawi Papamichail, Sofia Onguru, Awuor McNevin, Madeline Kiruga, Amani Langlois, Emily Irish, Hanna Elizabeth Hereward, Courtenay Hallengren, Victoria El Sadani, Serag Clurman, Samuel Chaudhary, Devang Bunkers, Isabella Agarwal, Roshni Aregai, Binyam GRADE 9 HONORS Abbashar, Mustafa Askew, Melissa Awori, Marcel Baheta, Harina Botzung, Joseph Bowen-Karlyn, Isaiah Etti, Lauren Foy-Mendoza, Maria Frigyik, Luca Kalu, Barbara

Langlois, Paul Mutai, Vanessa Nyangaga, Sylvia Parsons Muniz, Camila Shah, Janki Shah, Riya Shire, Salma Smith, Amy Soe, Lawunn Thakker, Alissa Vijay, Aditi Vijay, Avanti Kabalisa, Darcy Piper, Selah GRADE 10 HIGH HONORS Bailey, Daisy Art Cao, Tianyue Chatterjee, Aadrita Colville, Maria De Cleene, Lara Ketema, Hanna Lalani, Iman Manek, Rushan Messing, Julie Mei Ndirangu, Vanessa Ng’ang’a, Alvin Nyachae, Maya Wamuyu Padamshi, Kareena Phelps-Nyakairu, Jaasi Prasad, Mahek Samuel, Hiyabel Srivatsa, Shreya Strauss, Ashley ten Bosch, Nicky

Widdowson, Fernanda Koopmans, Lei GRADE 10 HONORS Werner, Serena Trevett Gantivar, Nui Ubamadu, Justin Thorup, Santiago Shrader, Hanna Ndirangu, Wanjiku Mafara, Derrick Karlsson, Moses Hughes, Phoebe Gregor, Emma Dave, Khushi Chadha, Sahiba Benatar, Stella Kalu, Caleb GRADE 11 HIGH HONORS Clurman, Elizabeth Gadhia, Karisma Guarnieri, Tristan Jovcheva, Jana Miller, Hector Mustafa, Raza Patel, Sarina Print, Emily Proctor, Maisie Son, Jimin Stenning, Anna Vogtlander, Charlotte

GRADE 11 HONORS Wangure, Kafungo Werner, Tana Thakker, Serish Trenchard, Thomas Sarroukh, Ziade Satzke, Ana Nylund, Lisa Odhiambo, Tracy Ndlovu, Chitsidzo Nefdt, Tara McCormick, Ntsang Madhani, Naheeda Maina, Douglas Khanna, Ishani Lokule, Winnie Irish, Cassandra Ishimwe, Natasha Grinberg, Liav Deen, Sanya Blanchard, Ella Soltani, Nisa GRADE 12 HIGH HONORS Valme, Iida Trevett Gantivar, Zumeiya Tiwari, Anjali Stenning, Natasha Savosnick, Ann-Maj Ronneberg, Victoria Rostal, Slate Nefdt, Shevanti Jokivuori, Jessica Janse van Rensburg,

Elzette Huizinga, Annemarijn Hoekx, Malika Gudhka, Bijen Geiszl, Nora Julia Gelsinger, Meredith Frigyik, Ella Dodhia, Saloni Cole, Clare Byanyima, Juliana Bhayani, Rheea Abiy, Heran GRADE 12 HONORS You, Seungjoo Tschetter, Lidia Botzung, Baptiste Cox, Jason Dhungana, Anisha Folayan, Babatunde Frey, Marshall Hereward, William Holmstrom, Irma Jha, Shadwal Jones, Anja Malunga, Angelicus Njoroge, Stella Sehgal, Ansh Shah, Navya Shah, Soham Thorup, Natalia Tolley, Benjamin Gulam, Adil

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Jodi Lake Director of Teaching and Learning

FROM THE TEACHING & LEARNING CENTER…

Happy New Year to all. Sometimes it seems like the holiday was ages ago as we never let the grass grow under our feet in the TLC… Regardless of what we are working on our number one ‘driver’ is ISK’s

mission, vision and educational aims. This semester we are really focused on the ISK Educational Aims and we are working on them through various lenses.

Feel free to drop into the TLC for a cup of coffee/tea and ask us about what we are doing!

Jodi Lake Kathleen Chromicz Sue Small

DESIGN THINKING Our IT integration teachers are working with subject area teachers to embed design thinking in new and innovative ways.

PERSONALIZED LEARNING continues to be a focus as we stretch our programs to ensure we reach all of our learners. 32 teachers will be working with our guest consultant to plan ways to reach our most capable learners.

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PARENTS AND MATH 14 parents are working together on the Stanford University course, “How to Learn Mathematics: For Teachers and Parents.” We discuss ways we can help our students develop a growth mindset - particularly in math!

Will Moore Athletics Director

ISK ATHLETICS DEPARTMENT

ISSEA IS HERE Happy New Year from the Athletics department!!

Our athletes are certainly enjoying the new year and are super busy training (although, more than one coach has mentioned that 3 weeks on holiday has certainly had an effect on levels of fitness!)

Season 2 is well underway. You can follow the schedule (and results) of when our teams are playing here at ISK Season 2 Master Schedule. We’d love you to come out and show your support.

ES SATURDAY SPORT NEWS Our ES sports programme is underway. We offer football, basketball, swimming and tennis to our ES students, 9am 10.30am. For more details check out ES Sign Up form and the ES Saturday Sports Calendar.

ISSEA NEWS ISK is Proud to be hosting the 2017, ISSEA Swimming Championships. We have been looking forward to this for a long time & I very much hope all the hard work by, students, athletics department and, of course, our amazing ISK Swim Team, pays off.

Please come to join us at the pool to support our team and show our other ISSEA guest swimmers what a great atmosphere and community spirit we have at ISK.

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ISSEA RUGBY

Raza Muhammad Ahmad Eroume Arel Nathan Tazana Mikkel Dylan Benjamin Aidan Mikael Waiyaki Njoroge Wiktor Dante Omer M. Raymond Craig Mohamed Zayn

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Mustafa A Bitang Kamadjeu Kuepo Kamanga-Dyrbak Liriano Mitchell-Terga Regeru Gil Ombima Todd Deen

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Our rugby players head to Lusaka for a their skills clinic, followed by a Rugby 7s tournament.

Grade 11 Grade 10 Grade 9 Grade 9 Grade 9 Grade 9 Grade 9 Grade 9 Grade 8 Grade 8 Grade 7

Lauren Elizabeth Tyra Kazuri Wangeci Maya Malone Julie Mei Daisy Art Courtney Kang Ni Eleanor Joyce

Smyth Gichigi Hansson Hofknecht Messing Bailey Chen Gelsinger

Grade 10 Grade 10 Grade 10 Grade 10 Grade 10 Grade 9 Grade 7

For all the action and updates find us on Facebook ‘ISSEA Swimming 2017’!

ISK ISSEA SWIM TEAM

Yashna Rushan Barbara Marie Peter Green-McDonagh Nathaniel Aidan Adam Charlotte Ezell Kareena Shreya Camila Eleanor Emma Serag Nui Rayan Kabir Singh

Khatry Manek Kalu Vandermeulen Vogtlander Luke Taylor McCoy Macharia Vogtlander Wambua Padamshi Srivatsa Parsons Donohue Rigassio ElSadani Trevett-Gantivar Khan Bedi

Grade 7 Grade 10 Grade 9 Grade 9 Grade 12 Grade 9 Grade 12 Grade 9 Grade 9 Grade 11 Grade 8 Grade 10 Grade 10 Grade 9 Grade 7 Grade 11 Grade 9 Grade 10 Grade 8 Grade 9

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ISSEA BASKETBALL

This year our ISSEA basketballers head off to hot and humid Dar es Salaam.

They have a tough tournament ahead of them and we wish them all the best!

You can follow all the action through this live streaming site: https://gaming.youtube.com/ channel/UCQbwLzMmHTMsbfcGDcAowxw/live Or on this Facebook page link

Marshall Austin Macune Benson Stanley Maalu Jason Muthiani Jordan David Slate Anthen Lucian Anthony Max Jacob Brunette Berny Justin Oziri Steward

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Frey Gilruth Langyintuo Musee Orth-Moore Rostal Theron Weltz Kabalisa Ubamadu

Grade 12 Grade 12 Grade 12 Grade 12 Grade 12 Grade 12 Grade 12 Grade 12 Grade 11 Grade 10

Meredith Anne Iida Hilda Marie Ella Maisha Elizabeth Mary Rose Caroline Alexandra Ramilo Cassandra Maria Winnie Kennedy Losuk Ntsang Martha Seretti Maria Maria Messana

Gelsinger Valme Blanchard Clurman Henry Irish Lokule McCormick Nannes Colville

Grade 12 Grade 12 Grade 11 Grade 11 Grade 11 Grade 11 Grade 11 Grade 11 Grade 11 Grade 10

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ISK FUTURE STARS SUMMER CAMP 2017 This is the 10 th year of Future Stars Summer Camps at ISK, and they just keep getting better and better. Every camp offers excellent instruction led by our knowledgeable ISK coaches, teachers and enthusiastic camp counselors.

Future Stars camps are designed to build confidence and improve fundamentals through creative games and cooperative challenges. Our camps are a fantastic place to play, learn, enjoy and have fun.

Each camp offers a variety of activities designed to keep campers engaged and active, balancing competition with inclusive activities that build sportsmanship, develop friendships and make lasting memories.

CAMP DESCRIPTIONS

ONLINE REGISTRATION Follow the steps below to register online for any of our ISK Future Stars Summer Camps.

Once you have registered online, please the make payment to ISK Cashier’s Office to ensure your place is booked.

REGISTER online:

DATES Week 1 = June 12 – 16, 2017 Week 2 = June 19 – 23, 2017 COST Each session of Future Stars camp is one week long.

REGISTRATION FEES:

8500 Ksh / per week Monday to Friday

CONTACT If you have any questions regarding ISK Future Stars Summer Camp, please contact Mr. Edward Otieno email eotieno@isk.ac.ke

KIDS DRAMA CLUB Children can make friends, have fun and develop new skills in performance, acting and public speaking. At the end of their time, students will showcase their acting skills to family and friends.

games, art, creativity, action and enjoyment. Campers will engage with projects, cooperative challenges and fun group games. Campers will also have time to relax, talk, listen to music and make new friends. Every camper will learn something new and enjoy activities at Future Stars Playgroup and Art.

PLAYGROUP AND ART ISK’s crew of fantastic elementary PE teachers and high school counselors lead a fun-filled week of

DANCE Express yourself through dance. Travel through activities filled with emotion. Be aware of your space. Learn through

Sessions run from 9:00am – 1:00pm.

A minimum of ten students are required for an activity to run.

feelings and motivations behind movement. Step into character and open a whole new and exciting world.

GYMNASTICS AND CIRCUS Come develop and promote strength, flexibility, agility, coordination and body control through the use of functional movement. Learn to juggle, walk on stilts and perform circus activities. Participants will be divided into skill level groups.

FOOTBALL, BASKETBALL AND TENNIS Campers will go through a daily routine of warm ups, skill stations, mini-games and contests. Every camper will learn new fundamentals in a supportive, caring environment that focuses not only on sports but also developing relationships, good sportsmanship, and having fun.

Everyone comes out a winner at Future Stars Sports Camps.

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Sounds of excited barks, and wagging tails, as I got down from the bus. Smiling faces with tongues hanging out, all the sharp though harmless teeth showing. Dogs twirling around your legs obviously pleased to meet you. A few hisses from a couple of moody cats with their eyes shooting laser beams of suspicion at you. Last of all the excited squeal of; “Peanut Butter!” as a friendly face bounds up.

The Kenya Society for the Protection and Care of Animals was founded in 1910, when a number of women set up the East African Society for the Protection of Cruelty to Animals in Mombasa. This spread to Nairobi and in 1983 the headquarters were built where kennels and a small cattery was built and work could expand. At KSPCA today there are 110 dogs, 84 cats 10 donkey, 6 goats. This organization is dedicated to the saving, caring and rehabilitation of domestic animals.

KSPCA is busy, noisy and happy. A group of 25 students from ISK visit this area every Wednesday. We have an enjoyable couple of hours playing with the adorable creatures. One’s only desire over here is to grab the first cute animal you find a run away with it before someone else takes it. There is one kennel I always visit, full of puppies that can’t wait to bite your fingers off, though their little teeth are incapable of inflicting pain on a two year old.

My favorite puppy lives in this cage. She is has a pure white, fluffy coat, that bundles up all her energy. She is terrified of anyone bigger than her, but once she trusts you she will calmly sit in your lap. But if anyone gets between the both of you sharp teeth come out. I named her Loose Beans Jr, after my neighbors dog ‘Loose Beans,’ who happens to be the same breed as her and has a very similar personality.

KSPCA is a wonderful place to be in or even visit. We really enjoy the place and embrace this golden opportunity to give back to ‘mother’ nature. The stay is cut short by this instruction from our leaders; ‘Time to wash your hands.’ The reality dawns to us that the time is over. We would wish to stay longer but time is not under our control. Adopt a little creature at KSPCA .

Revathi Mandava Grade 7

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Day one of the trip included going to an artist workshop to paint some of the walls outside. Students were taught techniques and it was a good practice for the real thing. They could make all their mistakes and practice all the dodgy experiments before they painted on the walls of a school. Some students decided to paint a mural of a giant head and I think it turned out to be the best painting of all for that day.

The next day was the first proper day at the school and the kids were instructed to paint educational things onto the barren walls. Some of the more talented artists had chosen to paint a flower with all the parts labeled. They made the

mistake of painting the flower first instead of the background. This came back to bite them later on as they had to be very careful when painting around the flower.

The third day they decided to paint something a little more interesting and when they were scrolling through the booklet of educational things that they were allowed to paint, they stumbled across the human reproductive system. They thought to themselves “that’ll be fun” and it was. They really put artistic spin on it and, although I say it myself, it looked excellent. After this, the next few days consisted of some of the other students painting walls one colour.

During this trip students also spent time playing with the children of the school. They were very excitable and at times a little aggressive, but it was ok, they were lovable. As a little treat for the end of the trip everyone went to Kitengela glass and admired the glass blowing and artwork before getting whisked away to have a nice Italian lunch.

This trip is a good one. Granted it doesn’t force you to spend nights in tents and you have the luxury of your own home but it improves skills, encourages openness and helps to build an understanding of the world around us.

Hector Miller Grade 11

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Miss Nelson is Missing

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Miss Nelson can’t control her crazy classroom because she’s just too nice. But when she disappears, her replacement is the hard-as-nails, detentionloving, recess-canceling, homework-overloading substitute teacher Viola Swamp!

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Since the beginning of the school year many steps have been taken to address the loss of personal property.

This is a complicated task. In many cases there is little or sometimes inaccurate information which makes finding lost or stolen items difficult.

We are pleased to report, however that fewer items are being reported stolen than the previous school year. As a result of a concerted effort by everyone on campus, the recovery rate, especially for

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big ticket items such as phones and laptops, has greatly improved. Oftentimes items are found and returned to their owner before being formally reported.

This year there is still an open and investigation into two laptops that have not been recovered. Likewise, two smartphones were reported lost and have not been recovered. Of the several iPads that were reported lost, all have been recovered and returned.

We are currently holding a Toshiba laptop, a high-end Texas instruments graphing calculator and three wrist watches that have not been claimed by anyone for over two weeks despite this information being circulated by the school divisions at assemblies and in bulletins.

ISK takes any reported loss or theft of an item seriously and indeed this is not limited to big-ticket items. We also emphasize to students the importance of looking after their belongings at all times. The various items

of clothing, stationery, footwear, lunch boxes and other containers that are found are taken to the central Lost & Found room.

These items are kept in the Lost & Found until the end of the semester when they are then donated to charity.

the services of a knowledgeable Lion King to remind everyone in the ISK community of the importance of personal responsibility and keeping their possessions safe. Take a look at what he has to say!

Process and Procedures Some of the procedures for dealing with lost property are the same campus wide while the reporting and searching procedures are slightly different for the Elementary School versus the Middle School and High School. Please consult your divisional office for details and for the forms to complete in the event you need to report a lost item.

Robert Onyango Head of Security

Awareness Campaign Kicks Off Today!

While we all acknowledge that sometimes valuable items are stolen, in many, if not most, cases they have simply been misplaced. We have contracted

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PTO OPEN 21.02.17 COFFEE

Save the date:

PARENT TEACHERS ORGANIZATION The PTO kicked off this semester with a meeting of the Executive Committee on the 10th of January.

One of the main items of business was finding a way forward in the absence of a Chairperson.

No one has yet stepped forward to fill this position since the resignation of one of the cochairs towards the end of last year. And also, the remaining co-chair was unable to continue as a result of increased responsibilities both at home and at the school.

It was decided by the attendees that the PTO Executive would continue performing it’s functions as far as possible, and especially since most of the

Dear Parents, The PTO is recruiting volunteers and country reps for International Day on February 17, 2017! Please contact Tanya Cox at tanyacox1@ gmail.com for further information.

Click here to sign up for the Taste of Nations

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8.30am - 9.30am.

activities had already been allocated to people.

In the meantime, the search for a Chairperson would continue. To help this process a decision was made to request the School Director to send out an email highlighting this state of affairs, to all ISK parents.

Following this meeting the PTO had a successful Open Coffee on the 24 th of January. There was a good turnout of both parents and school staff and one highlight of the get together was an introductory talk given by the visiting “Freedom from Chemical Dependency” team.

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PTO DUKA Located in the Arts Centre, the PTO Shop offers an extended range of African arts and crafts from local non-profit organisations and artisans - ideal gifts for family and friends.

Come along and see what we have. You might find something you can’t resist!

The PTO Duka is run entirely by parent volunteers.

t s no i a uk y e d uesda es h T te: cid ny T *No n on a at coin n ope ning th O Ope r mo the PT nings. r with ee Mo f f Co

Thank you for donating your time and energy in helping to make this PTO initiative a continuing success. And an extra ‘asante sana’ to all the parents and teachers who are our customers; because of your support we achieved higher sales than last year in the lead up to the festive season.

Our vendors were very happy with their sales payments this month.

THE PTO DUKA IS OPEN, RESTOCKED AND READY FOR BUSINESS!

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HEALTH OFFICE TEAM The Health Office Team welcomes you back from your Holidays!

We trust all are well and that you had your apple a day (in between the festive treats) to keep the doctor away. For those who did not keep very well, developed a new condition, updated vaccinations, changed contacts or have any other health information we would appreciate if you let us know.

Kindly come into the health office, or call on 0733-639-344. You are also welcome to drop us an email at clinic@isk.ac.ke. All the information given will be kept confidential.

As it is the beginning of a new term, I would like to emphasize however, the need for each student to have an updated Health form. This is a school requirement and helps us to not only keep abreast with your child’s health status but in the event of an emergency we are able to act promptly, appropriately and avert any unwarranted complications.

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For most students, the current health forms we have will suffice. If you are aware of anything new, kindly update this information with the form below. http://www.isk.ac.ke/uploaded/Admissions/Admissions_Process/ April_May_2014_health_form_(1)_2015_(1).pdf All the new students will have Health forms given to you with your admission file which can be returned to the Health Office when completed and signed.

Working towards a more informed and healthier community may you have a year of wellness ; physically, mentally and socially.

Nurse Carol Wangombe Head Clinician ISK Health Office

ISK CANTEEN

WELCOME!

Hello and welcome back to the ISK Canteen where we fill your tummies with the most tantalizing food on campus!

We look forward to an amazing new semester with new introductions on the menu as well as the old favorites like the Shawarma and Sushi!

Sign-up for Hot Lunch as well as the card system is still ongoing. The card system is for MS, HS, staff and parents.

The card system uses the ID card which is programmed and

loaded with cash paid at the Cashier’s Office. Pass by the Customer Service Office if you would like to know how much balance you have left over from last semester or for more clarification on how the Hot lunch program or the Cashless Card system works. Click here for the Hot Lunch registration form which also includes the pricing.

Come and enjoy the Early Bird Breakfast joint which is open

KARIBUNI SANA!

right next to Valentine’s Coffee Place every day from 7: 00 a.m - 8:30 a.m. Right across from the coffee shop you will also find our Sandwich Bar which is open daily from 11:00 a .m. and right opposite is the Hot Lunch serving area which also has the Salad bar with a diverse selection that you will definitely enjoy!

We offer a variety of healthy food and snack options at very reasonable prices. You can log

on to the canteen page on the school website for a look at all the menus.

For any suggestions, complaints, compliments or inquiries please contact the customer service office on the below details: Nancy Mwithi Customer Service Representative Email: nmwithi@isk.ac.ke Office line: 0733 639 343

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ISK is proud to be hosting the 2017 African Regional Conference for 15-18 year olds on March 21st to 26th, 2017. The Conference theme is “Aspire to Inspire�. During the conference we will explore how innovations, internationalism and democracy are impacting modern Africa.

Participants will have the opportunity to explore these themes through the Arts, Science and Technology, or Sports.

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BOOK LAUNCH

Les Cahiers D’Afrique de L’est, a Special Issue on Global History, East Africa and The Classical Traditions, was recently published by the French Institute for Research in Africa. The book’s editor, ISK parent Carla Bocchetti has graciously donated a copy of the book to the ISK Library.

The book is in English and as Ms. Bocchetti states in the introduction, “The purpose of this volume is to instigate a new dialogue involving studies of ‘global history’, Africa and the Classics, as so far the Classics have been left out from recent advances in global history.”

Carla Bocchetti is Researcher at the French Institute for Research in Africa at Nairobi (IFRA) and holds a PhD from the University of Warwick. She is the mother of Juliana Corral (4P) and Sofia Corral (Grade 8).

On behalf of the ISK community we thank Ms. Bocchetti for her gift of words and thought.

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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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