Ta l a n o a Newsletter of International School Suva
Volume 5 12 August, 2016
Principal’s Report Dear Parents and Guardians, Welcome back to the third term of 2016 and the fifth issue of Talanoa. Congratulations to all Fijians today, I have lost count of the number of times I have been told that we have witnessed history being made. The atmosphere in the MPH was electric as we all gathered together to watch the match. Please have a look at our video on the Fiji Village Facebook page, https://www.facebook.com/fijivillage/. TosoVitiToso! This term started with much excitement as we prepared for Fun Day. The focus of Fun Day this year was to support service and charitable projects in schools which were affected by Cyclone Winston. It was a tremendous success and, as always, a lot of fun. On behalf of the entire school community I thank the PTFA team for organizing such a great day, and on behalf of the PTFA I thank Salote Narayan who worked long hours behind the scenes to make it the day it was. Whilst we all experienced the great weather and appreciated the many and diverse foods, activities and games on offer, we know that this is not achieved without an enormous amount of hard work. Please pass any comments you may have about how we can make the day even better to Salote Narayan, snarayan@international.school.fj, as the PTFA will now move into a period of reflection to focus on how to make it even better for next year. Earlier this term we said goodbye to Inga Riedel-Narayan who has taken up a position at the German Swiss International School in Hong Kong and Selaima Veisamasama who took retirement. They are joined by David Bennet who, with his family, is relocating out of Fiji. We wish them all the very best and thank them for the years of service they have given to the school. In their places we welcomed Nicola Van Schanke, Wilashni Chand and Catherine Lukan.Nicola Van Schanke is a qualified primary school teacher with a Bachelor of Education, Diploma in Education (Remedial Therapy) and teaching English as a Foreign Language. She also has experience teaching within an IB PYP school. She will replace Inga Riedel-Narayan in the primary Learning Support department. Wilashni Chand has taken a part-time position until the end of the year as a Biology Teacher to replace Selaima Veisamasama. She has a Bachelor of Science and Graduate Certificate in Education from the University of the South Pacific. Catherine Lukan will commence work at ISS on 22nd August and she will teach in the English department while Neelam Raj is on maternity leave. She has over four years teaching experience and a Bachelor of Education majoring in English. I also welcome Yogesh Maharaj on to the staff of International School Suva. He commenced work on 11 th July as a Mathematics Teacher for Years 9-12. He has experience teaching the IBDP Mathematics and Physics at International School Nadi. He has a Bachelor of Science and a Graduate Certificate in Education from the University of the South Pacific. Next week, ISS will be holding its Open Day for 2017 enrolments on Thursday 18th August. Should you know of friends or family who wish to enroll, please ask them to contact the school immediately as space in all year levels are filling fast. For anyone wishing to make an appointment with the heads of schools on our Open Day, please contact Salote Narayan on snarayan@international.school.fjor call us on 3393300. Kind regards, Anna Marsden Principal
Inside this Issue Principal`s Report Library Primary Update Lucas’s Trip to France Kaji Rugby Friendship Bench Singing Lessons Book Club Adubi`s Reflection Model UN Color Your Life ISS Band at Suva Marathon PTFA Funday Upcoming Events
School Online Database Subscription To help our children achieve their very best academically, and in addition to the resources already available in the library, we subscribe to the following databases:
Your can access the following products through world book online: World Book Student, World Book Differentiated Package, Enciclopedia Estudiantil Hallazgos, World Book Mobile, World Book Timelines, World Book Kids, World Book Advanced, World Book Discover.
LIBRARY Term 3 is always an exciting term for us as we look forward to another term of wonderful learning experience. To our new parents and students joining us this term, welcome! Please do visit our library webpage to access our subscription databases highlighted in this Talanoa issue. You are most welcome to visit the library with your children from 2.30 pm - 3.55 pm on weekdays to borrow library books, read to or with your child ,or assist them with their home work. Would you like to volunteer a few hours in the library? We’d love to have you. If you would like to volunteer to help in the library to teach a craft, origami, Lego craft, adopt a shelve or just to read a story to our students for 30 minutes at lunch time, please contact the librarian. The library has a comprehensive collection of Fiction and Non fiction genre. We put out on display new titles every week and you can view our new book title list in the library webpage. Ms Salu & the library team Email: library@international.school.fj Library Website: http://issfijilibrary.weebly.com/ Library CAS Service Club in Action
Highly engaging, modern & fresh animated contents with 100's of short movies explaining concepts from across the curriculum.
Kids InfoBits meets the research needs of students in Kindergarten through Grade 5.
On Tuesday, we visited Bright Little Ones Kindergarten in Kalabu. We do this every Tuesday as part of our community outreach program for CAS. Our students did a marvelous job in reading and organizing activities for the kindergarteners.
Pr imar y Updat e The past four w eeks have flow n by and so m uch has happened alr eady. Classes have alm ost com pleted their fir st UOI for the ter m , par ent teacher inter view s have been held, excur sions and visits by Rako Pacefika have been par t of the Year 3 and Year 5 lear ning exper iences, the ear ly lear ner s have celebr ated their 100th day at school and Ear ly Childhood Week and our after school activities ar e w ell under w ay. And that's just a taste of it! You w ill hear m or e about all of these w onder ful events and activities in the next edition of our Pr im ar y Pr ess no doubt in Week 6. Congr atulations to all of our year levels for their enter taining and insightful per for m ances on pr im ar y assem bly so far this ter m . It takes m uch pr epar ation and tim e, not to m ention childr en's' confidence building and gr eat attitudes to m ake these things happen. Vinaka vakalevu to you all. We have thor oughly enjoyed w atching you! We have had an over w helm ing r esponse to our after school and lunch tim e activities this tim e ar ound. So m uch so, w e have had to cr eate another Kodu Club on Thur sday after noons (thank you M r. Navin and M r. Ger r y) and m any other activities have sim ply no m or e r oom . That's just fantastic! For those w ho haven't yet signed up, ther e's still tim e. These activities have spaces available: cur iosit y is t he M editation and Yoga, Hom ew or k Club, Gir ls Chill Out, Cr ocheting, Gam es to build wick in t he social skills and Com puter Club. These candl eof activities pr ovide the chance to spend l ear ning som e m or e tim e w ith your fr iends having som e fun and lear ning at the sam e tim e! Sim ply br ing back a signed activity per m ission slip and you can Cur iosity w as our fir st focus star t! attitude for ter m 3. This ter m our teacher s star t w or k on our Congr atulations to all of our PYP Evaluation Self Study w hich w e cur iosity aw ar d r ecipients w ho have discussed in pr evious updates and dem onstr ated their desir e to the Pr im ar y Pr ess last ter m . We have w ant to lear n m or e about the also had our par ent r epr esentatives w or ld, its people and their em ail out the infor m ation r egar ding the cultur es. PYP Self Study in hope that w e have As par t of our PYP cur r iculum and som e of you join us in this jour ney. If not, that's okay, w e w ill be pr ogr am of inquir y, w e encour age involving all of you in a sur vey w hich w ill be em ailed out to all pr im ar y students to becom e cur ious about par ents tow ar ds the end of this ter m . We look for w ar d to you all the natur e of lear ning, the w or ld, par ticipating. its people and cultur es. Being inquir er s, students develop their natur al cur iosity as they acquir e the skills necessar y to conduct inquir y and r esear ch and show independence in lear ning. Because they actively enjoy lear ning, this love of lear ning w ill be sustained thr oughout their lives.
A m eeting w ith our par ent r epr esentatives again in Week 2 w as a gr eat catch up to discuss happenings ar ound the school, including the new building, gr ow ing enr olm ents and the beautification pr oject. Thanks to our suppor tive PTFA, w e now have m oney to pur chase paint to begin our m ur al paintings. Also in its planning stages is the bottle cap m ur al. Thanks to you all, w e have collected enough (over 6000) to star t this ar t pr oject.
Cur iosity is a pow er ful thing! W hen inquir ies ar e based on the students' ow n questions that have ar isen as a r esult of them being posed as r eal-w or ld pr oblem s, it is their cur iosities that dr ive the thinking and pr oblem solving that em er ges.
Thanks to the PTFA, w e w ill be pur chasing 30 new laptops. Ever y year level fr om Reception w ill be able to shar e 6 laptops and plan for m or e IT lear ning exper iences in their daily pr ogr am s. Ear ly childhood, you w ill be next! Kar en and the Pr im ar y Team
Mon séjouren France Lucas Redding - Year 8 Recently I went on a trip around Europe and one of the places I went to was France. My family and I took the Eurostar from London to Paris but the train's brakes had a problem and the train stopped 15 minutes out of Paris. After waiting for about 8 hours we got on to another train to reach Paris. The next day we went for a cruise down the river la Seine with my dad’s friend. While on the boat we saw some of Paris’ most famous landmarks including the: Musée d'Orsay, The Notre Dame de Paris cathedrale, the Pont Neuf and of course the Tour Eiffel. On my third day in France I went to le Louvre and climbed the Eiffel tower, I was unable to climb to the very top because of the very long queues but the view was amazing from the second floor anyway. On the last full day of my French trip we went to the Sacré-Cœur Basilica of Montmartre and the Pompidou centre where we saw what modern art really is. On the last day our plane to Italy was cancelled due to strikes so we had to fly to Nice then take another plane to Rome. Throughout my trip I managed to use my French vocabulary to greet people and ask for food. Croissants et chocolat chaud pour le petit-déjeuner
Lucas Redding – Year 8
Bâteau-mouche sur la Seine à la découverte du Pont-Neuf
Dégustation du traditionnel sandwich jambon-beurre parisien
Congratulations to Kalama McKellar and Rimata Gina (U10), Patrick Harris and Daniel Fa (U12) and Petero Tuisiga (U13) who have been selected as members of the Suva team to take part in the Galaxy National Kaji Rugby Competition beginning on 8th August 2016. Although the adverse weather has cancelled the 2016 Suva Tournament, ISS is proud to acknowledge the hard work, commitment and the perseverance put in by these boys.
REWA GALAXY NATIONAL KAJI RUGBY SELECTS 5 FROM ISS.
ISS Merchandise
Available now at the ISS Uniform Shop.
Mugs - $6 ISS Lanyards - $5 USB 8gb - $12
FRIENDSHIP BENCH - Primary School
Primary Takes Action with a Friendship Bench In Term 1, the year 1/2 multi-age class learnt about relationships and how people get along together. During this unit of inquiry the children found many students were feeling lonely at play times and decided that they would like to place a ‘Friendship Bench’ in the primary playground. After much discussion into how this would work, the children wrote to Ms Whittaker about their ideas. Mr Rody caught hold of the idea and repurposed a wonderful bench from an old garden seat and wood from a tree that was cut down to make way for the new primary classrooms. This bench now sits proudly in the primary area after the students unveiled it at the first Primary Assembly of this term. The children shared the bench and how to use it with the assembly audience and other students. They choreographed a lesson, posters and role play with minimal teacher input for their unveiling. Please come up to primary and take a look at the bench. I am very proud of the children’s accomplishments and in particular their demonstration of empathy, persistence and creativity as they worked collaboratively to take action and see it through. What is a ‘Friendship Bench’? A Friendship Bench is a seat that children who are either new, without a friend for the day, would like to make new friends, or are feeling lonely can take a seat on. The other students are responsible for enquiring if the child needs someone to play with or would just like someone to talk to. The aim is to create a friendly and caring environment in the playground. Ms Amanda MacKellar and 1/2m
Vocal Singing Lessons Now available in ISS
Monday – Thursday 12:35 – 1:05PM $25 per 30 minute lesson
Learn how to sing correctly and take care of your voice Breathing techniques Expand your range Sing in tune Improve your vocal skill and tone Develop your singing style Sing a range of musical genre and build your repertoire
Singing Lessons with the Middle School Music Teacher - Ms. Rebekah Nabouta BMus (Jazz) Professional Vocalist Over 20 years’ experience in the music industry. To book a spot, please contact: Salote Narayan on 3393300 ext. 134 or snarayan@international.school.fj
THE ISS BOOKCLUB Coordinator: Amerik a Grewal Are your eyes glazing over at the millionth reading of "The Cat in the Hat"? Do you wonder if anyone else has the same questions you do about parenting kids in Suva? You should join our book club. It's a great chance to talk about issues that affect our third culture kids and us as international parents. First Timer? Please come even if you haven’t read the book. Monday, August 15, 2016 5:00 PM Holiday Inn Patio Last Child in the Woods: Saving Our Children From Nature Deficit Disorder by Richard Louv Last child in the Woods is the first book to bring together cutting-edge research showing that direct exposure to nature is essential for healthy childhood development-physical, emotional, and spiritual. What's more, nature is a potent therapy for depression, obesity, and Add. Environment-based education dramatically improves standardized test scores and grade point averages and develops skills in problem solving, critical thinking, and decision making. Even creativity is stimulated by childhood experiences in nature. Monday, September 12 5:00 PM Holiday Inn Patio Dad is Fat by Jim Gaffigan In Dad is Fat, stand-up comedian Jim Gaffigan, expresses all the joys and horrors of life with five young children. Dad is Fat is sharply observed, explosively funny, and a cry for help from a man who has realized he and his wife are outnumbered in their own home. Monday, October 17 5:00 PM Holiday Inn Patio The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up: The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing by Marie Kondo Just in time to clean out the closets for the ISS Garage Sale, we're going to learn about a Japanese cleaning consultant, Marie Kondo, who takes tidying to a whole new level, She promises that if you properly simplify and organize your home once, you’ll never have to do it again. Most methods advocate a room-by-room or little-by-little approach, which doom you to pick away at your piles of stuff forever. The KonMari Method, with its revolutionary category-by-category system, leads to lasting results. Monday, November 14 5:00 PM Holiday Inn Patio Becoming Brilliant: What Science Tells us About Raising Successful Children by Roberta Michnick Golinkoff PhD and Kathy Hirsh-Pasek PhD Becoming Brilliant offers solutions that parents can implement right now. Backed by the latest scientific evidence and illustrated with examples of what's being done right in schools today, this book introduces the "6Cs" collaboration, communication, content, critical thinking, creative innovation, and confidence along with ways parents can nurture their children s development in each area.
RSVPs to amerikag@gmail.com appreciated but not required. Vinaka.
Competing at the Melanesian Games Ever since I was a kid, athletics has been such a big part of my life. Growing up from competition in P.E, to representing the school in both primary and secondary athletics, then being able to represent Fiji has been such a blessing. My experience as a representative of Fiji at the Melanesian Games was so amazing, as reaching this level of representation in sports is something I've always wanted to do. Representing Suva in the Chow-Games, moving onto representing ISS in the Coca-Cola consecutively since I reached high school, and now, representing the country I've spent all my life in, has been challenging, but developed both my athletic skill and sportsmanship. I got the opportunity to work with different coaches, compete with people from different countries, and train with athletes who have helped me push myself, has been truly amazing. I wouldn't have been able to do this without my coach, Fesaitu Mario, who has pushed me to do better, despite my lazy nature, for the past 7 years of my life. Both him, and those I'm lucky to train with, have taught me to accept the results no matter what, as long as you have beaten what you thought was your best. Naa Adubi Lamle Plange
Model United Nations Experience at the University of California Sonia Sharma - Year 12
From June 19-25 of this year, I attended the Model United Nations Summer Institute at the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA). Having been involved in the MUN program at ISS for the past three years, I decided to gain more experience by entering this week long course. Additionally, I believed that this would also assist me in pursuing a future career in international relations. Prior to arriving at UCLA, I was feeling quite nervous as I had never attended a college run program before, and was unsure of what to expect. Furthermore, I was worried about how I would perform in my council (European Union), particularly because I had been assigned one of the more controversial and involved countries – Greece. Knowing that I would most likely be very involved in debate during committee sessions, I prepared myself as best I could, following the ISS Model UN guidelines. As it turned out, the guidelines provided by our school’s MUN is in accordance with those of UCLA. Of course, I was very pleased with this, as it meant that I had done my research and prepared my speaking points following the appropriate criteria. The program itself was fully coordinated by UCLA students, who proved to be incredibly helpful. We were given access to the resources available at the college campus, and were also given lectures on public speaking skills, rules of procedure, and specific topics themselves. In saying this, these lectures were similar to those that were held by this year’s ISS MUN coordinators. This made me very proud of all the hard work put in by the MUN coordinators of our school, as this trip had proved that the calibre of our MUN program is quite similar to that of UCLA. At the end of the week long program, I was pleased to receive the award for ‘Outstanding Delegate’ in the European Union. This sort of affirmation of the progress I’d made over not only the past week, but my entire Model United Nations journey, really meant a lot to me. Sonia Sharma (Year 12)
“COLOUR YOUR LIFE” Students of the CYL CAS group or Color your life CAS group have been busy these past two terms at the St Christopher’s Home orphanage. Group leader Munee Song is very proud of what her group has accomplished and they are planning to do more paintings like these around Suva. The group’s aim is to brighten up places for those who are living in not so bright circumstances. This is their way of sharing and caring for the society and the world. The CYL CAS group is made up of the following students from Year 11: Yingxue Zhu, Nicole Karountzos , Chanwoo Lee, Tiange Qin, Inho Park, Yehwan Kim , Munee song, Selenia Tukutukulevu
ISS Students perform at Suva Marathon On Saturday the 23rd of July 2016, a group of ISS Music students from High school performed in the gardens of the Museum in celebration of the Suva Marathon runners, showing their support of their achievements. Their teacher, Carol Yao commented on how wonderful it was to see the confidence and enthusiasm of her students as they shared their skills with the community. “I really look forward to other community based events for our students to share their talents as they have proven to be a very committed and engaging group of entertainers. Their band leader Mia Kami has been an inspiration to the group, encouraging their love of music.� (Band members: Eddie Kassami, Alejandro Clemente, Jerry Tuinamuana and Richard Wekina)
The ISS
From your PTFA
Dear Parents, Teachers, and Friends of ISS, International School Suva Fun Day was held on Saturday, 6th August. The day was thoroughly enjoyed by the young and old alike. ISS families and staff all contributed to making our Fun Day 2016 a very successful one with our focus being on raising funds for community projects in schools and communities affected by TC Winston. Thank you! Fun Day this year hosted a total of 29 stalls including 9 different International food stalls. Teachers and students also added new games & activities, and some of the regular stalls did better this year. Professor Zrako was very pleased to run his Magic Show again this year with two exciting shows delighting the Kids with all his new tricks. The on stage entertainment offered a wide range of performances by students and teachers, the Police band, the Taekwondo classes and the contemporary performances by students and friends of ISS. We were also fortunate to have the members of the Paralympic Team in an exclusive demonstration of their event to the Paralympic Games in Rio . The total funds raised will be announced as soon as the accounts are finalised. Once again it was a huge effort by all and a big thank you to everyone. Please note that our next Open House Meeting will be held on Thursday 25th August from 6pm. See you there. Sharon Smith Johns PTFA President
The PTFA
From your PTFA
thanks Our Wonderful Fun Day Sponsors: GOLD - Dominion Insurance GOLD - Bank of the South Pacific
Our Retail Sponsors
The Fun
From your PTFA
Day
pictures
Upcoming Events (Term 3) T3: WEEK 6 Tuesday, 16 August ICAS Mathematics Wednesday, 17 August WORLD HUMANITARIAN DAY
Thursday, 18 August ISS OPEN DAY Friday, 19 August Primary Press Primary Assembly Year 3 Year level update IB / IGCSE Yr12 & Yr10 Social - Middle School
T3: WEEK 7 Monday, 22 August Start of High School Exams, Mock Examinations Y10/12 Thursday, 25 August PTFA Open House Meeting Friday, 26 August Primary Assembly Reception T3: WEEK 8 Monday, 29 August End of Mock Examinations, High School Tuesday, 30 August Year 7 poetry slam Friday, 2 September Talanoa