Dolphin Dispatch INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL OF PANAMA
March 24, 2017
ISSUE 27
IN THIS ISSUE:
Elementary News & Events
PTA Announcements
FAMILY FUN FAIR
Middle School News & Events
Cafeteria Menu, Nutrition tips and Calendar
AASCA SWIM
High School News & Events
Visiting Author Neal Shusterman
Visual and Performing Arts
ISP’s WEEKLY NEWSLETTER
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FAMILY FUN FAIR MAP PTA FAMILY FUN FAIR VIDEO
ISP’s WEEKLY NEWSLETTER
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FAMILY FUN FAIR 2017
ISP TO PARTICIPATE IN EARTH HOUR We all know about Earth Day, but Earth HOUR is a symbolic gesture commemorated around the world when famous buildings and personal homes shut off all electricity for one hour from 8:30-9:30pm (local time). ISP will be participating in it this year and will be going dark after the Family Fun Fair for 1 hour.
More info is here: https://www.earthhour.org/ ISP’s WEEKLY NEWSLETTER
Although we are all aware that 1 hour of no lights won’t save the planet, it symbolizes exactly what kind of step we should be taking to reduce the use of coal, natural gas, and nuclear power to provide us with energy. It is not the light itself that is bad, but where the energy comes from to produce the light. However, once the lights are off, one notices how brilliant the night sky is. We encourage families to join ISP, Ciudad del Saber, The Eiffel Tower, The Empire State Building, and over 400 other famous landmarks in going dark for an hour on Saturday, March 25th and engaging in fun activities without plugging in.
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Athletics: #GOISPDOLPHINS! Peter Smyth, Athletic Director—psmyth@isp.edu.pa
ISP hosted the first ever AASCA swim meet in 2015 and were happy to host again this year. This years 2017 meet was the largest by far. The opening ceremony in the PAC on Thursday evening set the tone for what was to be a fantastic 2 days of competition. The next 2 days saw some very closely fought races and relays with ISP swimmers making it to the podium on lots of occasions. It was clear to see that the swim club athletes had made steady improvements since last AASCA with many of our swimmers recording 'personal bests' in their home pool. Although swimmers race on their own (or in a relay team) it is also a team event. Points are awarded all the way down to 18th place. The top 3 swimmers from each school score points. So even if you don't make the podium your position is important as it contributes to the final points tally for your school. Relay events score double points and also offer some of the most exciting events to watch - just check out some of the links below to see what we mean. This year ISP had outstanding results. In the girls competition ISP came second to ANS but in the boys competition it was reversed with ISP edging out ANS by just 12 points to win it.
AASCA swim by the numbers:
Boys First place overall in Boys competition.
Girls Second place overall in Girls competition.
ISP Second place overall in AASCA swim 2017
9 Schools from 5 countries 150 swimmers 54 different events
The DAC would like to thank all the students, faculty, staff and parents for supporting the Blue Out for AASCA. With Congratulations to Coach Ivan, Coach Joyce, their team and the DAC in making your support funds were raised to award AASCA swim 2017 so memorable for all those that came, and organizing such four 1/4 grants (based on a $800 round an efficient and well organized meet (despite power outages). trip ticket) to deserving ISP athletes to attend future AASCA competitions next CLICK HERE TO SEE MORE PICTURES year. We have an amazing, generous community! Thank you once again for your AASCA Swim 2017 SlideShow AASCA Swim 2017 Video support. The DAC hopes to raise more funds https://youtu.be/BSXkBUSogo0 https://youtu.be/i7yGNosfZH0 with your help for our student athletes in the near future. WATCH THE LIVESTREAM RECORDINGS : Day 1: https://www.youtube.com/ watch?v=M3JKsu_Zg_8 Day 2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wzrbSwmn In the overall competition ISP achieved a fantastic 2nd place.
CHECK OUT OUR AFTER SCHOOL ACTIVITES PICTURES !
STEM - SPORTS - ARTS ISP’s WEEKLY NEWSLETTER
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VISITING AUTHOR NEAL SHUSTERMAN By: Erica Fuson and Brian Shapiro
THANK YOU NEAL SHUSTERMAN!
The MS/HS Library, the MS English Department, and HS English Department were deeply honored this week to welcome the world famous author Neal Shusterman to the International School of Panama. Mr. Shusterman has written dozens of books, including the million-selling Unwind series, 2015 National Book Award winner Challenger Deep, and Scythe, which was published last November, and spent five months on the New York Times best sellers list. Over the course of Mr. Shusterman's time with our community, we had the great pleasure of observing our students get really revved up and excited about books and writing. Many of our students read his books to prepare for the visit, and many others bought, borrowed, or checked out his books during his visit. Our students engaged in vital conversations with each other and with Mr. Shusterman in large groups, small groups, a writing workshop, and a community event. During Q&A sessions, our students peppered Mr. Shusterman with thoughtful questions about his characters and plot twists, but more importantly, they engaged in a conversation with him about life, and what it means to live ours compassionately, ethically, creatively, and joyously. Having expert storytellers at ISP fosters so many of the parts of students that we are all committed to seeing grow and flourish. Authors research their stories diligently, they tackle challenging issues in a variety of ways, they help us see a situation through various lenses, they show us creative ways to solve problems, they ignite our passion with words, they persevere, and they speak truth to power. Our students responded to his work with exceptional art, poetry, original music, and song. Mr. Shusterman described our students as "amazing," and reported that he could see that there is no place like ISP. Click on the links below to watch the amazing student performances! https://www.youtube.com/edit?o=U&video_id=3tjY5Ca4p-4 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g34W63Qbk4c
CLICK HERE TO SEE ALL THE PICTURES FROM NEAL SHUSTERMAN’S VISIT TO ISP ISP’s WEEKLY NEWSLETTER
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REGISTER HERE: http:// tinyurl.com/SportsMatch
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Elementary School Becky Jobes, PhD—Elementary Principal—bjobes@isp.edu.pa
March 29 and 30
Our second round of parent teacher conferences will be on Wednesday and Thursday, March 29 and 30. There is no school for students on these days. However, the conferences will be studentled so we ask families to bring your child with you to the conferences. More information will go out when the date is closer.
Save the Date – ES MAP Testing MARCH 27 MAP testing at the Elementary School will take place this semester starting Monday, March 27th and going until Friday, April 7th. All Kindergarten,1st and 2nd grade students will take four 30 minute tests (Math 1, Math 2, Reading 1, Reading 2) and all 3rd through 5th grade students will take three, one hour tests (Reading, Math and Language Usage). Here are some tips to ensure your son/daughter does their best on exam days. Be sure:
your child eats a well-balanced breakfast on the days of the tests.
your child gets plenty of sleep the night before.
to encourage your child to do his/her best and to explain why the MAP is important (to determine what students have learned in school, to measure progress, and to help improve instruction).
to encourage your child to listen carefully to all test-taking directions given by the teacher and to ask questions about any directions that are unclear.
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Elementary School Becky Jobes, PhD—Elementary Principal—bjobes@isp.edu.pa
As counselors, we are strongly committed to helping build a strong and caring community and providing support to all of our members. We try to expose our students to learning opportunities that will assist them in developing effective problem solving and social skills which they can use in all areas of life. We believe that a child’s academic success is influenced by many important factors. Therefore, we try to address as many of these elements as soon as we observe any concerns or have received information of any challenges a family or child may be going through. We would like to remind all of our community that we are here to help guide you in situations such as: Moving from one country or school to another, birth of new siblings, death of a family or friend, divorce, separations, illness, etc. These are all part of life and we are not always ready, or have the skills, to address them when they happen. In these moments we would like for you to know that you can count on us to provide the appropriate attention to you and your family’s needs. It may be through counseling, referring to a specialist, seeking external resources or any other venue needed.
We are fortunate to have such a diverse and proactive community dedicated to making ISP a welcoming and caring place for all. Please let us know when we can help. ES Counselors
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Elementary School Becky Jobes, PhD—Elementary Principal—bjobes@isp.edu.pa
ISP’s WEEKLY NEWSLETTER
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Middle School Vickie Swann Middle School Principal vswann@isp.edu.pa
Parent-Teacher Conferences This Certificate Entitles You To March 29 - Parents will receive pre-scheduled invitations from teachers for a 15-20 minute meeting in Middle School Classrooms. The MS Office emailed invitations on Wednesday, March 22, 2017. If you did not receive an invite and would like to schedule a time with teachers, you may call the MS Office to check for availability. March 29 – Parents are invited to join all teachers in the Middle School Gym for an open forum to have up to a 5 minute meeting with teachers of choice. No appointments are necessary. Teachers will be available from 1:00 – 3:30 each day
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Middle School Vickie Swann Middle School Principal vswann@isp.edu.pa
GRADE 6 STEM Grade 6 STEM students finished the quarter by presenting a lesson about "Reduce", "Re-purpose", "Recycle", or "Compost" to an audience of 2nd graders, 3rd graders, and ISP Dolphins. During this short course, students investigated the human, global impact of trash. From the perspective of an engineer, problems were identified and solutions were designed by students. Each presentation included an activity which encouraged the audience to take part in a solution.
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Middle School Vickie Swann Middle School Principal vswann@isp.edu.pa
ISP’s WEEKLY NEWSLETTER
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High School Eric Monson High School Principal emonson@isp.edu.pa
GRADE 9 SPLASHING ABOUT IN SABOGA This year the grade 9 trip combined ocean, beaches, and two views of Panama as 84 of the grade 9s went to Isla Saboga in the Pearl Islands. Read more here CLICK HERE TO SEE MORE PICTURES
STUDENT SUBMISSION:
HACIA DEMOCRACY XXII By Laura C, Grade 9 HACIA Democracy XXIII was a unique experience and opportunity. HACIA Democracy is a debate conference organized by Harvard University undergraduates talking about issues affecting America. Each year the conference is located in a different Latin American country; this year it was Panama. HACIA encourages and challenges teens and young adults to find creative and innovative ways to solve those problems, by implementing projects and competitions such as the Engineering Competition asking for a project that helps a specific community, an Art contest that addressed the issue of poor education in Latin American countries and an essay contest discussing a specific issue in a specific place of Latin America. They encourage the youth to do this so we can work to a brighter and better future. Read more here. ISP’s WEEKLY NEWSLETTER
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Student who participated in HACIA XXII were featured in an article that appeared in La Prensa. Congratulations!
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High School Eric Monson High School Principal emonson@isp.edu.pa
COUNSELOR’S CORNER Presentation: The GPA Game Time: 8:15 a.m. to 9:00 a.m. Venue: HS Gym Audience: Grade 11 students only and any interested parents Students and parents often believe that a student's GPA and external test scores on the SAT or ACT determine admissions decisions. During this enlightening session, our presenters will debunk this and other common myths in a fun and interactive way. Along the way, students and parents will learn about the many different factors and criteria that colleges and universities consider in their holistic review of applications.
CIS College Fair Time: 9:00 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. Venue: HS Gym Audience: Grade 10 and 11 students, any interested parents
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Visual & Performing Arts Adam Herzig, Visual and Performing Arts Director—aherzig@isp.edu.pa
THE ARTISTS BEHIND MADAGASCAR
#comingsoon April 4-6: Madagascar, Jr.The elementary musical will delight audiences of all ages and include an Elementary Art presentation in the PAC Lobby.
In addition to the music, acting, and technical elements, there is a core group of artists that will make Madagascar, Jr. an incredible experience. Our scene shop class is made up of students in Grades 9-12 who help design, build and install sets and props for the musical. They are led by Mr. Doug Bennett, who says he got his inspiration for May 6: ArtsFest- With a the design from the animated, comedic nature of “World” theme, ArtsFest will feature collaborative the production. Read more here.
art, music, film, theater, and dance performances and workshops May 17-19: High School production June 9: Elementary Music Concerts, Music Around the World. All events take place in the P&G Performing Arts Center
ISP’s WEEKLY NEWSLETTER
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ISP’s WEEKLY NEWSLETTER
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PARENT TEACHER ASSOCIATION ISP WELCOME TO PANAMA INTERCULTURAL PROGRAM
WHO WE ARE: We are a group of ISP parents who offer orientation and information to families regarding relocation, the local language, improve your Spanish, as well as understanding and navigating Panamanian Culture. WHEN DO WE MEET ? Every Thursdays 8am– 10am in Performing Arts Center Lobby. Join us for some fun, sharing with other as we experience life in Panama together. We are looking for Parent and Teacher volunteers for our program. If you are interested please contact. Graciela Bareiro +50762694472 nexosinitiative@gmail.com
WANT TO KNOW WHAT”S COOKING AT THE ISP CAFETERIA CLICK THE LINK BELOW TO SEE MENU’S & NUTRITIONAL INFORMATION: http://www.isp.edu.pa/Cafeteria FOR QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS PLEASE CONTACT:
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