Starting the year with wellness in the MS Paterson Campus
Important Campus information Security As part of our constant focus on security procedures please make sure that all adults are wearing their ISS security pass when coming into school and while they remain on campus. If your helper has changed since last academic year, please return the old pass and complete the form for a new pass. Lunch Service “ISS will have a new caterer in 2017/18. Students and staff can look forward to new lunch options from The Gastro Guys providing freshly cooked food direct from the Preston kitchen. Their menu will comprise wholesome meals that are visually appealing yet retaining nutrients and flavour, promising healthier food that tastes great at reasonable prices. You can contact The Gastro Guys at [email protected] Menus will be sent home every two weeks. Students may return the completed menu with cash or check in a sealed envelope to their homeroom teacher. These orders will be sent directly to The Gastro Guys. Ordered lunches for K1 - G8 begins on Monday 14th August. Elementary School Welcome back to the 2017-2018 school year. I hope you have had a wonderful summer holiday. It has been great seeing our students' excitement as they explored their new learning spaces for the year. The students have also been busy this week reconnecting with old friends as well as making new ones, truly modelling the IB learner profile attributes of being caring and open-minded. Over the summer, there have been exciting renovations to our learning spaces in the Elementary School. You will find newly refurbished Kindergarten 2 and Grade 2 classrooms on the first and second floor. We have also renamed several of our learning spaces with Singapore inspired names, such as Changi Hall (previously known as the ES MPR) and Serangoon Hall (previously known as the MS Hall). I would like to take this opportunity to introduce you to our highly experienced and talented new staff in the Elementary School. G1.1 Mrs. Yvonne Hayward G2.1 Ms. Sophie Crawshaw G2.2 Ms. Claire Park English Language Support/ Learning Support: Ms. Miriam Mahapatra Mandarin: Ms. Song Peng K-8 PE: Mr. Daniel Inman K-8 PE: Mr. Harry Orgee K-8 PE: Ms. Shirley Matthews K-12 Head of Learning Support and Wellness - Ms. Patty Winpenny Upcoming Events: Wednesday, 23rd August, 5:30 pm MPR - Elementary School Meet the Teachers Night - A chance to meet your child’s teacher and find out more about classroom routines. More detailed information on this evening will be sent home soon. Middle School News Greetings and welcome to 2017-18. If you are new, we hope your transition has been smooth, if you are returning, we trust you had a great break and are as excited as we are for the upcoming academic year. You will notice some changes around Paterson Campus and in the Middle School (MS). We have moved towards a stronger K-8 learning model. A number of teachers will be across both the Primary Years Programme (PYP) and the MIddle Years Programme (MYP). This is occurring in PE, Chinese and Music. Exciting times indeed. MS also has a new timetable. We now align with the ES school and run a six (6) period day. Giving all our students and teachers the opportunity to interact. Room name changes have happened over the break. The MS Hall is now Serangoon Hall and ES MPR is now Changi Hall. This aligns more with us being a Singaporean International school. Meet the Teachers night is on Tuesday 22nd August. Please come along to MS and meet your child’s homeroom teacher and their subject teachers. The night starts at 6:15pm. I will be sending a letter out Monday morning with all the details. It is great to be back and we are looking forward to another stella year at ISS with you. Best Michael Upcoming Events: Tuesday, 22nd August, 6:15 pm - Middle School School Meet the Teachers Night - A chance to meet your child’s teacher and find out more about their subjects. It was announced by Mrs Chan our CEO at today's meet the Board event prior to the Paterson Art Exhibition that ISS has been able to extend the lease at Paterson Road until 2022. This is great news and gives us the potential to continue grow and develop the learning facilities here at Paterson Road secure in the knowledge that we can be here for 5 more years. A busy week ahed next week with the amazing Into the Wood's Production. more information about which can be found in the Middle School section below. A reminder that next week is the last full week of school and that school ends for the academic year at mid day on Thursday June 8th. Elementary School News Library End of Year Arrangements As part of the school's ongoing commitment to ensure quality learning spaces at Paterson Road the Library will be taking a comprehensive stocktake of all resources. In order to prepare for this, the Paterson library will be closed for the last two weeks of school, May 29 - end of the school year. All student and parent books should be returned to the library. ES Swimming Gala Monday, June 5th from 8:45am until 1:00pm Sports Lifestyles Centre - 3500A Bukit Merah Central, 159837 (see map below) The children will come to school at the regular time and by normal transportation means. They will be bused to the swimming complex on a rotational basis. Schedule 7:30 - 8:00am - Students arrive at school as normal 8:10am - Grade 2-5 depart ISS on buses to pool 8:30am - Grade 2-5 arrive at pool 8:45 - 9:00am - 25m & 50m races begin 10:55am - K1-G1 depart ISS on buses to pool 11:15am - K1-G1 arrive at pool 11:30am - K1-G1 Rotation activities begin Approx 12:00-12:30pm - Swim Gala ends At the end of the Gala, parents are to pick up their children at the Sports Lifestyle Centre at 1:00pm. If you are unable to pick up your child there will be a bus back to school and students will be supervised in the MPR by Mr Pinchbeck until 2:20pm when they can return home by their normal route. NB There is no lunch provided for students returning to school. Note: If you are unable to pick up your child from the pool at 12:30pm please click here to request they travel back to school on the bus. We are looking for parent volunteers to help us with timing of the Grade 2-5 races. If you would like to help out please click here to volunteer. Students will need:
There is no parking available at the venue, however there is a public parking lot located less than 50 metres from the pool. Up coming events Monday 5th June - Swimming Gala Thursday, 8th June- Last day of school for students (12 noon finish) Middle School News
Greetings and welcome to all things Middle School. Whilst the end of the semester is near, there is still so many great things happening. Last Friday night ISS farewelled another cohort of Grade 12 students. These fine young women and men graduated from school and were recognised at a ceremony at the Japanese Association. Good luck G12 in the pathway you have chosen. It’s Free Dress Friday today and our students are once again supporting the Singapore Food Bank with a donation of food or $1 going to help those people more needy than us. Well done to the student council, Ms Kalaw and Mr Ballinger on maintaining this support for the Food Bank throughout the year. So to next week and what a week! The culmination of 6 months work brings Into The Woods to the stage at the Alliance Francais theatre, on Wednesday and Thursday. Mr Lebon, the cast and crew have poured hours into what is going to be a great show. The proceeds of the show go to supporting our ongoing work with Sok Sabay in Cambodia. A boarding house for children and young adults, with difficult or no home life. Some students from Sok Sabay will be joining us for the event and it is a privilege for us to have them here. At the same time as Into The Woods is on, the Grade 5 students will be making a transition in Grade 6. On the Wednesday and Thursday Grade 5 will spend two days familiarising themselves with the layout of Middle School, more independent learning timetables and also the concept of many subjects with many teachers. Next week, believe it or not is the last full week for this academic year. Encourage the students to make the most of this time, by continuing to be productive and cherishing their friends and classmates before the long break. Have a great weekend. Upcoming Events Wednesday, 31st May- Into The Woods production Thursday, 1st June- Into The Woods production Tuesday, 6th June- Grade 8 Farewell Wednesday, 7th June- Service as Action day (G6-8) Thursday, 8th June- Last day of school for students (12 midday finish) As the end of the school year approaches fast there are many big events coming up and I look forward to meeting many parents at them. Next Friday we have the Paterson Art Exhibition which is proceeded by a reception with the School Board in the Library at 5:30 p.m. The amazing MS production of Into the Woods is only 2 weeks away and on June 5th the ES Swimming Gala is always a sporting highlight of the year. As with all International School's the end of year is also a time to say goodbye to those students and staff who, like me and my family this year, are moving on the exciting new adventures. As you will see below we have a few staff moving on to exciting new opportunities. Equally important we have some excellent new staff joining us in August who we are thrilled to welcome into the ISS community. I look forward to a truly memorable final 3 weeks of term. Derek Elementary School News Swimming Gala Monday, June 5th from 8: 45am until 12:30 pm Sports Lifestyles Centre - 3500A Bukit Merah Central, 159837 The children will come to school at the regular time and by normal transportation means. They will be bused to the swimming complex on a rotational basis. Full information about the event can be found here: http://issphysed.weebly.com/swim-gala-2017 At the end of the Gala, parents are to pick up their children at the Sports Lifestyle Centre at 12:30pm. If you are unable to pick up your child there will be a bus back to school and students will be supervised in the MPR until 2:20pm when they can return home by their normal route. If you wish your child to return to school you must inform us prior to Friday 2nd June by filling in the form found here: http://bit.ly/swimbus . NB There is no lunch provided for students returning to school. Students will need:
If you would like to volunteer to help out at Swim Gala please go to http://bit.ly/swimvolunteer Free Dress Friday Free Dress day is next Friday, 26th of May and the theme will be "Food Day", where students can dress as their favourite food. This is in support of our work with Working Towards Zero Hunger and the Singapore Food Bank. Students should bring a nonperishable food item or a monetary donation. Thank you - from SALT (Student Action Leadership Team) New and Leaving Teachers As we get closer to the end of the school year, I wanted to share with you that we have recruited some great staff to join us in August. These are: Sophie Crawshaw: Sophie is British and will be joining us as a Grade 2 teacher. Many of you already know Sophie as she was a part of our ESL team at ISS in 2015. Claire Park: Claire is Korean/American and will be joining us in Grade 2. Claire has been working in Los Angeles, California. Yvonne Haywood: Yvonne is British and will be joining us as a classroom teacher. Yvonne has been working in Brunei Daniel Inman: Daniel is American and will be joining our K-8 PE department. Daniel has been working in Kaohsiung City, Taiwan. Harry Orgee: Harry is British and will be joining our K-8 PE department from United World College here in Singapore. Song Peng: Song is Chinese and will join us as a K-8 Mandarin teacher. She is currently working at Hillside World Academy here in Singapore. Miriam Mahapatra: Miriam will be joining us in our ESL team. Many of you already know Miriam as she is a part of our Learning Support team this year and a regular substitute at ISS. Patty Winnipenny is American and will be joining us from Shanghai American School. She will be the new K-12 Head of Learning Support and Wellness. Unfortunately some of our staff will also be moving on. I am sure you will join with me in wishing all of them all the best and a heartfelt thank you for what they have achieved at ISS: Yvonne Thomson: Yvonne will be returning to Canada to work at Southpointe Academy. Vicky Gammon: Vicky will be moving to Hong Kong and settling the family into their new life. Meghan Luttrell: Meghan will be moving to England to be with her husband and work at International Community School in London. Tammy Musiowsky: Tammy will be staying in Singapore, but will remain part of the ISS community as a substitute teacher. She will working on some other projects in the field of education as well. Caz Regan: Caz will be moving to Italy and working at the International School of Turin Raj Hinkel: Raj will be staying in Singapore and has started her new role as a new mummy with her little bundle of joy. Alison Camire: Alison will be returning to Canada to care for her new baby Isla. She plans to return to the classroom in September 2018. Nathan Horne: Nathan will be moving to Canada to work at Meadowridge School. YanPing Zhao: YanPing will be moving to Hong Kong to work at Discovery College. Estelle Elsaadi: Estelle will be returning to Australia Talented Teachers I will be away from school next week as I am on a CIS Accreditation Visit in China. Upcoming Events Friday, May 26th - ISS Board Reception 5pm Paterson Library Friday, May 26th - Elementary and Middle School Art Exhibition 6pm Elementary School Wednesday-Thursday, May 31st-June1st-Grade 5-Grade 6 Transition Days Monday, June 5th - ES Swimming Gala Middle School News Greetings and welcome to the end of exam week. Having wandered the corridors, dropped into a number of classrooms, and chatted with numerous students, I can say everyone has got through the week very positively and focused. Great work to the teachers who challenge the students, to the parents and guardians who keep the students on track at home, but mostly to the students who apply and organise themselves so they manage exam week so well. The end of semester is fast approaching and there are many events to look toward. Next week as part of Individuals and Society, Mr Ballinger will take Grade 7 to a number of places of worship here in Singapore, as the students explore the world religions. The following week is the Paterson Campus Art Fair. A real highlight of the school calendar. Last Friday night I had the privilege of watching the boys basketball team go down in a ‘blaze of glory’ in their semi final. Coach Jonas had the team primed and ready and each player rose to the occasion. Alas it was not meant to be that night and the boys took the loss with good nature and maturity they have displayed all season. Great stuff. New and Leaving Teachers In the next academic year we welcome some new teachers to the Middle School: Daniel Inman: Daniel is American and will be joining our K-8 PE department. Daniel has been working in Kaohsiung City, Taiwan. Harry Orgee: Harry is British and will be joining our K-8 PE department from United World College here in Singapore. Song Peng: Song is Chinese and will join us as a K-8 Mandarin teacher. She is currently working at Hillside World Academy here in Singapore. Patty Winnipenny is American and will be joining us from Shanghai American School. She will be the new K-12 Head of Learning Support and Wellness. The downside of new teachers means some of our current teachers are moving on: Dana Kalaw: is moving to Switzerland and the International School of Basel Katie Allan: is relocating to Australia. Katie will continue teaching PE in a yet to be determined school in Sydney. Ash Sequoia: is moving to Pinki in Latvia and the International School of Latvia Good luck to all departing staff. You will all be sorely missed and always be a part of the ISS family. Have a good weekend everyone. Upcoming Events Friday, 19th May- Grade 12 Graduation at the Japanese Association Thursday, 25th May- Grade 7 Individuals and Society excursion Friday, 26th May- Paterson Campus Art Exhibition Wednesday-Thursday, May 31st-June1st- Grade 5-Grade 6 Transition Days Wednesday, 31st May- Into The Woods Thursday, 1st June- Into The Woods It was great to see so many parents in our Design Centre on Monday for the PTA meeting. The PTA has arranged some great events this year and my thanks goes out to them for being such a wonderful part of our learning community.
As a parent myself who is prone to checking his phone I was interested in the findings of research in the UK that found that an overuse of mobile phones by parents disrupts family life. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-39666863 It was a good reminder for me to make sure I modelled the ability to moderate my own use of screens if I wanted them to moderate their own screen use. Something to think about as you put the phone away and enjoy a great weekend. Elementary School News Library End of Year Arrangements As part of the school's ongoing commitment to ensure quality learning spaces at Paterson Road the Library will be taking a comprehensive stocktake of all resources. In order to prepare for this, the Paterson library will be closed for the last two weeks of school, May 29 - end of the school year. All student and parent books should be returned to the library by Friday 26th May. Swimming Gala June 5th The ISS ES Swim Gala is organized as a culmination to the swimming program at ISS and allows children to celebrate and demonstrate some of the swimming skills they have learned throughout the course of their 6 week swimming program. All parents are invited to attend. More information to come in next week’s blog. Upcoming Events Tuesday, May 16th - K2 Field Trip to Playeum, Children’s Centre for Creativity Friday, May 26th - Elementary and Middle School Art Exhibition Middle School News Greetings and welcome to another short week in the Middle School. It is truly a enriching society we live in, where one week we are celebrating the rise of industrialisation and the coming of summer (May Day) and the very next week we celebrate Buddha’s birthday (Vesak Day). Wonderful stuff. Last Friday night the Student Council held the Masquerade Disco. It was a raging success with many students dancing the night away, well until 730pm anyway! Well done Ms Kalaw and the student council. Speaking of celebrations, well done to the boys basketball team who play their semi final on Friday afternoon. Win, lose or draw you boys have done Coach Jonas and yourselves proud. Production is in full swing and at the dress rehearsals stage. Mr Lebon, Mrs Taylor, Mr Shelly, Mrs Tan and the entire crew are working hard behind the scenes, for what is going to be spectacular. Exam weeks starts Monday. Students and teachers have been working together toward making this week low on stress, high on productivity and efficiency. The role that parents and guardians play is ensuring the students start Monday, fresh, relaxed, healthy and confident they have prepared as well as possible. Early notice that the ever enriching and always thought provoking Paterson Campus Art exhibition is on the Friday, 25th May. Held in the MS Hall and ES MPR, it is open for all to enjoy, so bring your family and friends along. Have a great weekend. Upcoming Events Monday, 15th May- Friday 19th May Exam week Friday, 19th May- Grade 12 Graduation at the Japanese Association Thursday, 25th May- Grade 7 Individuals and Society excursion Friday, 26th May- Paterson Campus Art Exhibition This coming Wednesday, May 10th, is Vesak Day which celebrates the birth, enlightenment and death of the Buddha. This is a public holiday and the school will be closed.
I would like to wish all members of our community who are celebrating Vesak on Wednesday a very happy day. One of the joys of living in such a culturally diverse country as Singapore is the chance to learn about and engage with the celebrations of other cultures. With it's focus on performing good deeds Vesak Day is a good time to reflect on the school's commitment to creating active global citizens. This commitment is embodied in the school's Global citizenship statement: Global citizenship Statement: Active global citizens securely reflect upon their own cultural identities. Active global citizens navigate cultural contexts using their knowledge of and empathy towards the cultures of others. Active global citizens use their cultural understanding to create authentic and productive partnerships to make a positive difference in the world. Happy Vesak Elementary School News This week, Grades 3, 4 and 5 traveled to camp; G3 to Pasir Ris, G4 to Sembawang, and G5 to Sentosa. The students were able to enjoy new experiences as a class community, continuing to build friendships and making lasting elementary school memories. The camps are an important part of learning at ISS and provide students with a well rounded learning experience. As was shared via ManageBac last week, the ISA have informed us that there has been a delay in producing the ISA test reports for the tests that were sat by Grade 3-5 in February. We now expect the reports to be ready in the week beginning 22nd May. Our apologies for the delay. Thank you to our ES Mandarin teacher, Linda Du, who led a session for our Mandarin community this week on ‘How to encourage a positive attitude for your child to face challenges? How can we foster a growth mind at school and at home?’ Upcoming Events Wednesday, May 10th - Vesak Day (Public Holiday) No school Middle School News Greetings and welcome to the week that was in MS. For a short week we have certainly got through a lot. Even as we go to press, the students and teachers of MS are moving to the beat of the music in the Masquerade Disco. This dance being one of the highlights of the school social calendar. I was fortunate enough to spectate at the boys final basketball game of the ACSIS competition on Thursday. The approach, application and general good sporting decorum is a true testament to our fine young men and the guidance of Coach Jonas. Well done to all and in a nail biting finish they got the win in the final 13 seconds!!! Changes are already underway in preparation for next school year. Last week the Pastoral Period and Sambutan flipped times in the week. For the remainder of the year, Sambutan is on a Friday and and Pastoral is on the Tuesday. For next academic year Middle School and Elementary School will both operate on a six period day. This will include all assemblies/sambutan on the last periods of a Friday. Hence, further allowing for greater interaction and collaboration across the Paterson Campus. A truly exciting year is beginning to unfold for 2017-18. Exams are just around the corner for MS students (15th- 19th May). An exam timetable has been sent to every student. In our last sambutan, I introduced Preparation Organisation Relaxation Timetable (PORT) as a method for students to begin to organise themselves. In pastoral next week, teachers will reinforce the need for mindfulness and relaxation going into an exam period. Parental and guardian input and support is crucial to providing students with a positive and non-threatening experience leading into this time. Feel free to get in contact if you have any questions. Last reminder, next week is again short due to Vesak Day on the Wednesday. Have a great weekend |
Susan Tilney
Paterson Principal Archives
April 2020
Categories |