Volume 5 17/08/2020
Newsletter of International School Suva
Principal’s Report Head of Schools Report
Inside this issue:
ECH Article
Greetings, ISS parents and students, It is hard to believe we are nearly finished with Term 3. ISS is managing very well during this difficult Covid pandemic time, but that is because of great cooperation and help from students, parents and staff. Nothing is quite as easy, and sanitation and health are top priorities these days.
Space day in Yr 2
As always, student learning is always our central focus. As a reminder, our Strategic Plan calls for us to keep improving our teaching and learning efforts. Interestingly, the Covid crisis has caused us to learn many new skills that will give long-time benefits. I think everyone has done more with technology than before. We all know Google Classroom and Google Meets at new levels, and Zoom is now more than a catchy verb. We see that now that we are back in face-to-face sessions, the lessons learned while online are not lost!
From Challenge to Success
Of course, some other very important non-technology lessons have also been learned. I think we have all learned to tolerate inconvenience, to be patient, to think of others, and to wash hands often! The coming months will, no doubt, reveal whether this disease will recede or whether we will need to take more stringent measures yet. Some things have started to return to normal such as classes resuming. More than 30 students from abroad are back in Fiji in quarantine, hoping to join their classmates in the next two weeks. I hope we will see other forms of needed relief from Covid soon, but we must not let down our guard until we are sure everyone is safe. Some of our new health practices are probably here to stay. I hope we have learned that regular hand washing and disinfecting stops diseases. I think we will see that limiting our close contacts and being careful how we touch things might prevent sickness. I hope we also do not forget how to care about others in a crisis and to be flexible and gracious when things are difficult.
Year 4 article
MAP Letter Grade
Library
MYP Corner
School Counselor
Year 10 Personal Project
On our campus, we are getting closer to opening our new building and having the first dedicated auditorium. Behind the construction walls, our construction team is working daily to make some fantastic new spaces for learning. The building is focused on showcasing creativity and innovation. The auditorium will offer a new performance and presentation stage for our students. We expect to have new space for the arts and for design. We will also have some new science lab facilities that are long overdue. We are hoping to celebrate with a grand opening sometime early next year. I hope we will be allowed to make that a big event! In the meantime, we are benefitting daily from the Middle School expansion project which added needed classroom and meeting space.
Love Kitchen CAS Group
We just had a pilot of our new standardized exam, the MAP Test. In October we will have an official MAP exam and provide assessment feedback to parents from that. We think you will appreciate the kind of information you will get and that it will help you and teachers track with how each student is learning. When that time comes, you will be informed and we encourage students to a) get good sleep and breakfast before test time, b) relax and focus on the test questions with a clear mind, and c) take the test seriously. Good testing results accurately show us how to adapt our teaching so every child can learn more. Over time, they will also show students the progress they have made and what they can focus on in their studies.
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Finally, I want to thank all of you who went above and beyond to help our staff during the shut-down when some of them had reduced income. It was heartwarming to see parents coming to the school with food items to distribute to those in need. The recipients were grateful and genuinely touched. Thanks to our wonderful parent community for thinking of others while experiencing hardship yourselves. Best wishes, Steve Cathers
IB Diploma Busy Barter Bees Term Dates
Early Childhood 1 – Vonu’s. “Children are not things to be molded, but are people to be unfolded.”- Jess Lair
“I really love being human. But some days I really wish I could be a fairy.”- Greta age 4.
“Play is the answer to how anything new comes about.” Jean Piaget.
“Children have real understanding only that which they invent themselves.” Jean Piaget
A life-changing read – 7 Habits of Happy Kids by 4R This term, for our class read-aloud, we just finished reading the book “The 7 habits of Happy Kids” by Sean Covey. When we started reading it during our morning circle, we felt like it was very childish at first because it was fanciful with talking animals hopping around and having fun in fantasy places, but soon we realised it is actually educational in a fun way. As the name of the book suggests, it teaches kids how they can have a good time just by developing seven simple habits. We learnt a lot about being resilient and finding the fun in our work. The book also helps us become aware of our well-being. We enjoyed this a great deal. Hope you will too if you find a chance to read! Niamh Armstrong (Class 4R) The 7 habits can really improve our personality and lifestyle. I see this as productive learning as it teaches us values like listening with the heart and not just with the ears. I particularly liked Habit 7 “Sharpen the saw” as it tells how our wellbeing can help us double our awesomeness. Unlike a fantasy fiction, we could easily connect with the characters as their problems are very similar to ours. As a ten year old, you might think it is a bit childish, looking at the book cover. Well, never judge a book by its cover! It actually appeals to all kinds of audiences. Overall, I would recommend it to everyone 100%. Samairah Sarah Koya (Class 4R) Teaching good habits in a fun way for children is what I liked most about the book. It was persuasive and it motivated me to want to follow these habits. I myself, started practicing the first habit, “Be Proactive”, quite a lot this week. When I couldn’t find something to do, I took charge of myself and kept myself active. If you are keen to know more about the 7 habits, walk past our classroom to see the cool posters we have made! Sukanya Rahm (Class 4R)
From Challenge to Success As we started the year no one saw the challenge of creating a distance learning program looming. As Primary grappled with how we could create and deliver an online education the school slipped into campus closing. Throughout Term 2 we refined and developed a structure we felt delivered our program in a way that was flexible and achievable for families during a challenging time. Term 3 has seen us return to campus with the additional challenge of finding a way to deliver the quality face-to-face program we have and continuing with supporting our students who are still learning online. This has seen our teachers collaborate and adjust the program to support all students learning and well-being. Walking into classes now you will often see students on the computer zooming with their classmates to collaborate and connect, students working independently on their work through flexible scheduling, teachers working in small groups which include students who are overseas and more choice and voice within the program. While closing the campus and the added pressure of developing new programs has added strain this year it has also given us the opportunity to try new ideas and structures which have proved extremely successful with how we deliver our program.
INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL SUVA World Class Citizens ~ Lifelong Learners Dear Families, As a school we have made the decision to implement the MAP® Growth™ test from NWEA® . This will replace the PAT enrolment test, PAT annual tests and the ISA testing previously administered in the school. Why Change: MAP Growth tests are unique, and adapt to your child’s responses to measure your child’s skill level. If your child answers a question correctly, the next question is more challenging. If they answer incorrectly, the next one is easier. These results will provide a more complete picture of what your child knows and is ready to learn—whether it is on, above, or below their year level. Since MAP Growth tests provide immediate and accurate information about your child’s learning, it’s easy for teachers to identify students with similar scores that are generally ready for instruction in similar skills and topics, and then plan instruction accordingly. ISA results take around 3 months to be provided to the school. Meaning we can use the MAP data in classroom instruction and directly address any areas of need as well as curriculum review and tracking of school and student progress replacing the need for the ISA and PAT assessments. Close to 1000 international schools in more than 145 countries use MAP as their assessment provider to meet the most rigorous global standards and achieve and maintain accreditation. The assessment results and analysis tools help set academic goals and compare our students’ results to other students around the world. Administration: We will administer the MAP assessment as a placement test when a student enrolls at ISS to gather important placement data. MAP will be administered each school year to students in Year 3 – Year 10 in January and October. This year we will administer a practice session in August so the students and teacher administrators feel confident and familiar with the test process when it comes to the first test in October. This will also give the school an accurate picture of where your child is academically and plan appropriately to set their learning goals and address any gaps they have. Reports: MAP Growth reports provide typical growth data for students who are in the same year, subject and have the same starting performance level. Following each testing period, parents will receive a Family Report showing a summary of how your child is performing academically. You will receive your first report after the October testing session for this year. The school will receive school based reports based on achievement data for all students sitting the MAP assessment. We are truly excited to move to an assessment that focuses on your child’s individual growth and achievement. For more information about MAP Growth, visit NWEA.org/familytoolkit. Sincerely, Renee Dansey Whole School Assessment Coordinator
How it works MAP Growth is a computer-adaptive test. If your child answers a question correctly, the next question is more challenging. If they answer incorrectly, the next one is easier. This type of assessment challenges top performers without overwhelming students whose skills are below grade level.
What is a RIT score? When students finish their MAP Growth test, they receive a number called a RIT score for each area they are tested in (reading, language usage or math). This score represents a student’s achievement level at any given moment and helps measure their academic growth over time. The RIT scale is a stable scale, like feet and inches, that accurately measures student performance, regardless of age, grades, or grade level. Like marking height on a growth chart and being able to see how tall your child is at various points in time, you can also see how much they have grown between tests.
How long is the MAP Growth test? Most students take less than an hour to complete a MAP Growth test. However, MAP Growth is not timed, and students may take as much time as they need to complete it. What types of questions are on the MAP Growth tests? The MAP Growth tests include multiple choice, drag and drop, and other types of questions. How can I help my child prepare for MAP Growth tests? Your child’s teacher will help with any pre-test instructions to explain the test to the students. Just like any school day, make sure your child is well-rested and fed with a well-rounded diet. Encourage them to do their best.
Library News - Term 3, 2020 Story time with Ms Frances
The ISS Library is a physical and digital learning space that is safe, open and accessible to all. Goals of the Library -
Cultivate a welcoming and supportive environment Support inquiry based learning and literacy development Provide students with access to a wide range of appropriate resources and media Work creatively and efficiently with faculty and students to achieve common goals
Library books Please return overdue library books as soon as possible so that everyone in our community can share the resources we have.
Please contact library staff for World Book online login details. Students and teachers may sign-in to BrainPop and Sora using your school credentials. Alternatively, teachers and students can log in from Google Apps.
MYP Corner Dear Parents/Guardians, Whilst we can be very pleased with our efforts to deliver an online MYP curriculum in Term 2, it is great to see students back on campus engaging in their learning. As a school we look to foster collaboration in our teaching and learning in the MYP. The IB state that IB programmes create and nurture a highly collaborative community in which students are genuinely engaged in learning and teachers work with parents to help students thrive. A collaborative school culture will also allow ISS teachers, students and parents to share ideas, create a supportive network and positive school network. Passing on a sense of community and collaboration is important for the success of any school. In terms of the impact on students, it can act as a microcosm of the greater world. The MYP allows for students to see and appreciate their learning within a wider global context and to make connections between their learning and local, national and global communities. All units within the MYP will be framed using one of the IB Global Contexts.
To aid in the development of a collaborative learning community, the amended school timetable allows for more team teaching and learning. This approach will allow teachers to spread responsibility, encourage creativity, deepen friendships and build community. Teachers will complement each other by sharing insights, proposing new approaches and challenge assumptions. Teachers will also learn new insights, values and approaches by working collaboratively together. This modelling of collaboration will help students become lifelong inquirers. The amended timetable also allows for greater flexibility and planning time for teachers to develop detailed, inquiry based units of study. In essence, collaborative teaching - be it unit planning, feedback or other, external means of support - allows teachers to feel appreciated and guided in their role. With such support comes confidence, which teachers are likely to pass on to their students.
School Counselor Hi…... I’m Jill Schultz, the new Counsellor & PSE Teacher for Middle and High School. My primary responsibility as school counsellor is to promote the academic, social-emotional development and well -being of the students. It’s my delight to be part of the wonderful team here at International School Suva and I look forward to making a positive contribution to the ISS family. Originally from Newcastle Australia, my family and I have lived in Fiji since 2005, with my prior focus being on rehabilitation, teaching, counselling and mentoring within Fiji’s Correctional Centres. In the last weeks it has been my privilege to engage the students in their PSE classes and I look forward to helping them in their emotional and social development. All students in the Middle and High Schools have the opportunity to meet with me as needed in a confidential and safe space. Jill
Year 10 Personal Project – Part 2 By Shafneen Rahman With contributions from Kashish Daswaney Following on from last edition of Talanoa, we continue to look at the diverse and inspirational Personal Projects that our Year 10 class are undertaking: Hena Personal Projects are an excellent opportunity to fine tune hobbies and talents into potential career options. Hena Dass is working on her long time hobby of photography and in applying several learning points and segments to her goal, she is able to get a fully comprehensive understanding of the work put into edited photos. She plans to modify variables within her photographs to achieve desired effects through editing software and create an ePortfolio to display her images. As she is working closely with several students from the year 10 class, quarantine and travel bans have set her schedule back during the photo shoot. Knowing which editing software to use for the best possible shots and how to fully operate some of them has also been a major learning experience for her. She has expressed her full gratitude to be able to explore her creative and artistic abilities and create amazing images with the help of extremely talented models. Kashish In most cultures, food brings people together; vegan food not only does that, but is also a healthier and more environmentally friendly option. Kashish Daswaney’s vegan cookbook has recipes from different cuisines and cultures and consists of 30 dishes made with local ingredients and a website to spread awareness and promote a vegan lifestyle. The process includes creating a recipe, making the item, plating the dish and finally, photographing it. Some of the challenges through the process was learning how to photograph food and edit the pictures. She says that the best part of the personal project is being able to explore different cuisines and express herself through the culinary arts whilst spreading happiness through food and watching her friends and family react to the food. Promoting veganism and its benefits proved to be rewarding as she convinced many people to consider a healthy change in diet. From future billboard musicians to determined activists, the Year 10 students have expressed their unrelenting passion and determination of working towards their final product and goal whilst dealing with the learning challenges that come with distance learning. A big thank you to Ms Shelly from the Year 10 class and I for guiding us through our personal project journey and supporting us unconditionally with countless resources, presentations and catch-up sessions. The Year 10 Personal Project Exhibition will be held late Term 3, so be sure to stay alert for updates and attend to see countless other amazing projects.
Love Kitchen CAS Group Love Kitchen is a Creativity, Activity, Service (CAS) Group that was set up to respond to the current COVID-19 pandemic crisis where job loss and cut in working hours resulted in children not going to school because parents could not provide school lunches. Through our research, Love Kitchen found that there are children in neighbouring schools that attend school with very little or no lunch. We have decided to provide lunch for a hundred children every Tuesday and Thursday for the rest of the school year for two local schools. Working with the Principals, ISS identified as many as 100 primary school children attending two local primary schools as needing to be part of this program. The lack of food has impacted the education of these young children who are as young as six years old. Love Kitchen started on Thursday 23rd July and we were able to deliver a hundred packs between the two schools. For many of these children, this is the only proper meal they get in a day and so we have decided to make it as nutritious and delicious as possible. A food pack contains three different sandwiches, a sweet and a fruit. The filling in the sandwiches vary from day to day. All the vegetables that are being used in this project are Fijian grown. This also gives us a chance to promote local grown goods and support the local vendors during such a time. To help fundraise for this cause, members of the Love Kitchen donated funds. Teachers, parents and students also supported the group by providing ingredients, monetary donations and even the donation of baked goods. Furthermore, the members of this group reached out to the Heads of Schools requesting for a gold coin mufti day to be held. This themed mufti which in turn helped in raising masses of funds and awareness of the cause. The theme of this mufti was black and or white. Black stands for power and strength whilst white stands for unity. Through strength, power and unity the ISS community is able to provide these young minds healthy and nutritious foods. Love Kitchen has come up with ways to make meals for these children interesting. We as a group have decided to host themed lunches every Thursday. The first set of themed lunches will be sent out on the 13th of August which will be Indian themed to celebrate the Independence of India and Potato Day Love Kitchen has also come up with a way to reduce the waste through recycling and using paper instead of plastic to wrap the lunches in. This is done by wrapping the sandwiches and other food items in paper and putting them into paper bags. For foods that cannot be wrapped in paper, Love Kitchen will resort to the use of compostable paper boxes. This helps us promote the use of recyclable materials which is key in today's day and age as there is a lot of awareness on going green, and Love Kitchen is also able to stay within ISS’s policies of reducing the amount of waste. The paper bags are a key element to the packaging process of this cause. To make this interesting for the children that receive it, the Love Kitchen has approached year levels in primary to help design and decorate the bags and write short messages for these children. This allows us to say that ISS is truly united to drive this cause and make it successful. We stand tall together in reaching out and making a difference in the lives of our children in our neighbourhood primary schools. Love Kitchen Team
International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme Evaluation At the beginning of Term 2, our High School teachers started a ‘self-study’ process to prepare for the upcoming Diploma Programme Evaluation in 2021. There are a new set of standards and practices for the IB Diploma Programme so it has been really interesting for the team. Evaluation takes place once every five years in each IB school to ensure that the standards and practices of International Baccalaureate are being maintained. The school’s self-study process will be supported by a visit of a team of IBDP programme evaluators. Programme evaluation is a reflective process that involves the entire school community. Student and parent input is extremely important so surveys will be sent out later in the year to seek feedback. This process is really important as it gives us valuable insights and really helps our cycle of improvement. Our High School teachers are making full use of the self-study process to work collaboratively as a learning community to develop our capacity to work intentionally and strategically to develop our implementation of the Diploma Programme. The process will also allow us to identify the aspects that need further development, align with the new standards and practices and identify areas that need to be incorporated into an action plan for the coming years. Any evaluation process is all about continuous school improvement. We strive to develop teacher and leader practice to ensure that we provide high quality education; this then means we are able to have a greater impact on student learning outcomes at ISS. Mock Examinations for IB candidates 2020 Our International Baccalaureate DP candidates of 2020 will start their mock examination on Friday, August 21st. Many students have started to question ‘Do the mock examinations really matter?’ The answer is that this is good practice for the finals.
1. The setting will be the same as finals: the room is the same, schedule is similar, timing the same, exam
stationery as close as possible and external invigilators are the same. The same rules and conditions for exams will apply. In this respect, mock exams are incredibly important in demystifying the routine of sitting the exams, exam pressure and timings for answers.
2. While students have little control over what happens in the examination room, they can attempt to control the circumstances around exams by trying to establish a routine with regards to eating, sleeping, exercise and how they would study for their exams. Specifically, they can reflect on the simple, every-day things that they could do to make the exam process easier; such as: should I drink coffee before an exam? Should I study in the morning if I have an afternoon exam or try to relax? When I come home from a full day of exams, should I take a few hours to relax or study immediately?
Mock exams are also a measure of where a student is at in terms of preparation and it helps students to identify any gaps. Should students make use of the time between mocks and the final exams to bridge their gaps identified from the mock exams, they may see a lot of improvement in their final results. Thus, mock exams are not always a fruitful indicator of the actual mark students will be getting in December. Note often the mocks are thought of as being the only thing considered for Predicted Grades. In fact, the Predicted Grades are provided after considering a students’ overall performance - internal assessments, semester examination results over 4 semesters and the mocks, and their ongoing performance in class tests. When justifying predicted grades for students, the grade descriptor is used rather than the actual marks. When looking forward to mock exams, how should students best prepare? Make a plan Students can best prepare for Mock Exams by scheduling some intense revision sessions where they try to review the key information in their subjects. Making a specific and detailed plan including exactly what to revise, for how long, at what time and on what days will make it seem far less daunting. Knowing exactly what they need to study will enable students to estimate how much time they should spend on different topics. Adopt healthy eating patterns Good food habits always result in better health, thus more energy. Drink plenty of water to keep the body properly hydrated. Consuming nuts, yoghurt and seeds can help in retaining better concentration and memory. Maintain a proper sleep routine A good sleep of 8 hours is recommended by health experts. Some students may prefer to study late at night, some may prefer early in the morning, so check which time of the day suits best, but schedule and maintain a proper sleep routine. Plan the day of exam Planning a day ahead will make everything easier on the actual exam day. Make sure to have a good night’s sleep before the exam day. On the day of the examination, get up early in the morning, drink a good amount of water and eat light nutritious food to avoid drowsiness, sort out and carry all the required stationery items, start off a little early to avoid last-minute races. Leave plenty of time to get to school - it is better to wait at school than be trapped in traffic as this cause of late arrival is not regarded as a reasonable excuse for further consideration. Make sure the exam rules are understood and followed Every student must read the Notice to Candidates that is posted in the exam room as the rules are not negotiable and any breach will be dealt with as per the IBO regulations and school disciplinary procedures. Keep calm, eat well, sleep lots and stay focused. Cynthia Chen IB Diploma Coordinator
BUSY BARTER BEES SEMESTER 2, 2020 CAS GROUP
Bula ISS Community, We are a community & service group made up of senior students!
Last year a community & service group was formed with the aim of building a library in Nasesara village, Moturiki. After our first wave of fundraising we managed to purchase the materials for the main structure of the library. This time around we are hoping to use a barter system to collect materials to finish it off. We want to offer services as well as fresh produce grown at home We are available at your service Tuesdays 2-4pm or other weekdays after 4pm or weekends negotiable.
These are the items we need, to finish off our project: - 4 sets of toilet seats - 1 x 4L floor stain - 2 x 5L semi-gloss wall paint - 1 x wall fan - 2 x fluorescent lights 4’ - 2 x double power points - 2 x computer chairs - 4 x lighting fixtures
Cash Donations to this cause are welcome. This library will aid students who did not have access to online learning abilities and will encourage the development of literacy skills for years to come.
Contact us at BBB@iss.school.fj
Working Bee Working bees at your service! Together our colony will work together to make sure your homes, boats and offices are spick and span! Our project is to help fund the construction of a library in Nasesara and we ‘re depending on you to help us make that dream a reality. We’ll do anything cleaning from yard work to mopping!
Swimming Lessons We are Swimmers with coaching experience that are able to offer swimming lessons to beginners at ages 5-8. The Location is at USP swimming pool for 45 minutes for 5 days in 1 week. By the time you finish, your parents can relax easier while you enjoy the water more. You won't be disappointed!
Fresh Produce Bartering to tempt your palette with these tasty and nutritional flavours of Fiji. - 3 bundles of fish - 3 sacks of cassava - 3 bundles of dalo - fresh vegetables from our own home backyard gardens
Entertainment We are here to offer our musical talents for your entertainment in whatever special event if you plan for your family and friends and or business .. Our band consists of gifted young bees who have experience performing in events in and outside of the school in the past
Buzz buzz! Busy Barter Bees.
Contact us at BBB@iss.school.fj
INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL SUVA World Class Citizens ~ Lifelong Learners
TERM DATES 2020 TERM 1 (10 weeks, 48 student days) New Teachers Start Monday, 13 January 2020 All Teachers Start Thursday, 16 January 2020 Students Start Wednesday, 22 January 2020 Term Ends Friday, 27 March 2020 TERM 2 (10 weeks, 47 student days) Teachers Start Tuesday, 14 April 2020 Students Start Wednesday, 15 April 2020 ISS Vacation Day Monday, 25 May 2020 Term Ends Friday, 19 June 2020 TERM 3 (9 weeks, 42 student days) Teachers Start Monday, 13 July 2020 Students Start Wednesday, 15 July 2020 Constitution day Monday, 7 September 2020 Term Ends Friday, 11 September 2020 TERM 4 (10 weeks, 45 student days) Teachers Start Monday, 28 September 2020 Students Start Tuesday, 29 September 2020 Fiji Day Holiday Monday, 12 October 2020 Prophet Mohammed’s birthday Monday, 2 November 2020 Diwali Holiday Monday, 16 November 2020 Term Ends for Students Thursday, 3 December 2020 Term Ends for Teachers Friday, 4 December 2020 Student Contact Days Term 1 48 days Term 2 47 days Term 3 42 days Term 4 45 days Total 182 days International School Suva, Lot 59, Siga Road, Laucala Beach, P.O. Box 10828, Suva, Fiji Telephone: (679) 339 3300; Fax: (679) 334 0017; Email: info@iss.school.fj URL: www.iss.school.fj