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| 11 October 08 (20:37 EAT) |
Dear Parents,Evacuation DrillsWe will continue carrying out our fire evacuation and lockdown drills during the coming weeks. Earthquake procedures are to be finalised in the coming week.NewslettersWe are now using the new mailing list. If you or anyone you know has not received this newsletter please contact me. As always this newsletter is sent by email and posted on the website.IB Diploma ResultsMany parents will already have seen the results of our IB Diploma examinations which have been available at www.ismoshi.org/dip_result.htm for some time. Although our general diploma pass rate was reasonable with 83% of diploma candidates achieving the diploma, many students achieved lower grades than had been predicted and this was largely due to the IBO significantly reducing internal assessment grades in two subjects during their moderation process. Despite an initial report on this from the IBO that we requested in July, the IBO are still unable to explain why such reductions were made and are we are currently pursuing a further enquiry with the IBO.ISM has been extremely successful in achieving high pass rates in recent years and it is unfortunate but not surprising that we cannot continue to better our results every year. In 2007 nearly all our students took the full diploma and 81% of all IB2 students achieved a diploma - this is the highest percentage we have achieved since 2002. Also our results are still higher than the school achieved during many years in the 1980s and 1990s and we look forward to strong results in 2008. US EmbassyRepresentatives from the US Embassy will be on the Arusha Campus on Wednesday. October 3rd, in the afternoon.Canteen ServicesAs you will be aware the canteen is currently closed. We currently have a legal dispute with the outgoing operator and hope to reopen in four weeks.Pool HoursA reminder that the pool is available at the following times:-
Head of Campus Secondary NewsCommunity and ServiceWe’ve had a series of excellent Community Days for our M1-M3 classes, and this coming week we have our final day for the M4 class on Tuesday, 11 September. Ms. Armon has organized each day to help each class take on some service projects and begin the year-long process of giving some of their time to help out various communities, from school to beyond. Students are now expected to organize their own time, after school and on weekends, to perform some service(s) in various areas of the community.Student Council’s Movie NightThe Student Council’s first Movie Night is tonight (Friday, 7 Sep) at 7:30 p.m. The council have done the organization, advertising, booking of equipment, etc. It promises to be a fun evening and a good social event for the students. I’m looking forward to hearing their next big idea!S5 Class TripOn Wednesday, 12 Sep, the S5 class will be joined by the S5 class at the Moshi campus for a trip to Tarangire National Park. Ms. Armon and Ms. Kitterer will take our students and, along with teachers from Moshi, lead them in a trip designed to help them come together as a group, learn some Geography, and have some fun! It promises to be an exciting and enjoyable trip.John Iglar Head of Secondary Primary NewsIt is with sadness that we farewell Aden and Jacob Brody-Ogborn from our school today. The Ogborn family will return to America and we wish them all the best in their transition home. We would like to welcome the Stauffer family who arrived on Wednesday evening from Minnesota. Jacob will join P3/4 Kara and Max will join P1/2 Diana. We also welcomed Elsa Rottejers and her family to our ISM community. Elsa has joined P5/6 Lloyd and has enjoyed her first week in that class along with Mr. Curley who was welcomed back by his class on Monday morning.MusicThe music program is well under way and I would like to congratulate Ms. Andrena Gorman – our new music teacher, for her enthusiasm towards providing our students with some new inspirational pieces of music in choir and in class lessons. As part of the music program, we would like to request that all students have a named recorder of their own. Having a recorder of their own will ensure that they will be able to practice at home. Please highlight music days on your child’s class timetable so that they remember to bring their recorder on music days. We do have some spare recorders that will be cleaned before and after each use, but know that there is nothing better than having your own!Lost PropertyOur students are expected to take responsibility for looking after their own property. The school cannot be held responsible if items are lost, damaged or stolen. Please ensure that property is properly labeled as that way it is much easier for things to be returned quickly and easily. Any items that have been found are handed in and placed in the lost property baskets outside the primary resource room / EC kitchen. Valuable items should not be brought to school.Currently there is an assortment of sweatshirts, jerseys, T-Shirts, hats, drink bottles as well as 6 library bags in the baskets. In addition to encouraging students to check the baskets on a regular basis, lost property will also be displayed alongside the path in primary each Friday. It is our hope that items find their way home. Celebration GuidelinesFollowing is a copy of the celebration guidelines as discussed at each of the parent information meetings in our first week of school. I would like to thank those parents who shared their thoughts with me and who took the time to give feedback to the draft.CELEBRATION GUIDELINES As a staff, we have decided to develop some guidelines to help you organize your child’s birthday celebration in a manner which is appropriate within our school community. We believe that such celebrations are important and we certainly appreciate the fun and enjoyment they bring for children and families. However, on occasion, these celebrations; supposed to be happy times, can lead to sadness and hurt feelings if not dealt with in a sensitive way. This set of guidelines is intended to reinforce our PYP Attitudes and Learner Profile statements, to promote inclusion, caring and respect for all of the children in our school. GUIDELINES: Integrity: When coordinating a celebration, parents and students will demonstrate a considered sense of fairness. Invitations for a whole class group can be distributed at school. More selective guest lists must be distributed outside of school. Don’t forget: Our classroom communities are now all comprised of TWO grade levels. Respect: When coordinating a celebration, parents and students will be respectful of themselves, others and the world around them. ISM- AC class teachers are happy to share a cake with your child and their classmates during the school day. We ask that parents wishing to take this option contact the class teacher to arrange a convenient time and day. The class teacher will not distribute party bags, sodas or conduct party games! Empathy: When coordinating a celebration, parents and student will be sensitive to and mindful of the feelings of others. We ask for parental support in discussing with your child the realities and necessary considerations of people and parties. Developing a guest list and dealing with not being invited are good opportunities for parents to teach and guide their children into deeper understandings of how people react in different situations. We ask that you help your child consider how others night feel and appreciate that it is not necessary to be invited EVERY time! Betty Brown Head of Primary |
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