Ta l a n o a Newsletter of International School Suva
Volume 5 07 August, 2015
Principal’s Report Dear Parents and Guardians, What with the opening of our new building and Fun Day we have had a tremendous first four weeks and the rest of term looks just as busy. Thank you to everyone who came to school on July 22nd to celebrate with us as we opened our new building. It is a great testament to everyone involved and only fitting that Mark Halabe, former Chair of Council, was our Chief Guest for the event. On behalf of our entire community I thank Ram Bali and Vinesh Chand for their leadership, building and financial, without them we would not have had a building to open. Please do feel free to come in and have a look around. You will find Joan, Salote or me on the second floor and we would be happy to give you a tour.
Inside this Issue
Postgraduate Diploma in Secondary Teaching in 2014 from the University of Auckland after having taught for two years.
PTFA - Fun Day Article
Finally a few notices. International Youth Day is celebrated on 12th August and we will be commemorating this day with our whole-school assembly on Friday 14th August from 1.45 pm. The second Coffee with the Principal will be held at 9.45 am on Tuesday 11th August in the conference room, second floor of the new building. A Consultation with the School Council will be held on Wednesday 26th August from 6 pm in the Amphitheatre. You are invited to all of these events. Please do come along.
Counselors Corner ISS Soccer High School News Year 11 Camp Overview Primary Update \
This term we have welcomed three new members of faculty: Brittany Buffington, Kate Passin and Matthew Dadley. Brittany Buffington was employed in response to increasing student numbers as a teacher in our new Year 1/2 multiage class. She started at the beginning of term. Brittany graduated with a Bachelor of Science majoring in Elementary Education from Salisbury University in 2012. For the past eight years, she has held teaching positions in primary and middle schools in New Zealand and the USA. Kate Passin started on 27th July 2015 in a part-time capacity as the primary school counsellor. Kate graduated in 1988 with a Bachelor of Science majoring in Psychology with a minor in Education from the James Madison University, USA. In addition she has a Master of Education in School Counselling from the University of Georgia awarded in 2004. Prior to relocating to Fiji with her family, Ms Passin was the counsellor at Bethesda Elementary and Westchester/Winnona Park Elementary Schools. Initially Kate will be working at ISS one day a week. Matthew Dadley commenced work on the 5th August in the English as a Second Language/ Learning Support department. Matthew graduated in 2004 with a Bachelor of Arts (Hons) from the University of Otago. He then obtained a Graduate Diploma in Arts (English Literature) in 2012 from Victoria University in Wellington. In 2012 Matthew enrolled in the first iteration of Teach First New Zealand and he obtained his
Primary Athletics Carnival ISS Netball Upcoming Events
Dear Parents and Guardians, As this Talanoa is sent out we are on the eve of Fun Day 2015, with a very positive feeling all around the school that this might just be the best Fun Day ever! Our imminent success is a reflection of the massive support from our families and the ISS community in all of the areas that make Fun Day so special: preparing and cooking for our international food stalls; contributing to the theme baskets that make up the fantastic prizes for our raffle; supporting our teachers and students to run their year level stalls; and providing books, clothes, toys and other items throughout the weeks of our Fun Day Mufti Competition. The response to the Mufti Competition was outstanding - our book and white elephant stalls are now fully stocked with pre-loved items ready to find new homes with happy shoppers! And we are delighted to announce our winners - class 5S came storming home in the last week of the competition to be Primary champions, while class 1001 were consistent throughout, taking out the Secondary competition. Both of these classes will shortly be celebrating with a Super Fun Breakfast Party. The winners of our Fun Day poster competition, Leamalie Jenson, Eseta-Claire Navunisaravi and Khushi Patel, will tomorrow be able to proudly see their designs on the Fun Day programs and around the school. The program, from the police brass band opening Fun Day at 10.00am until the ISS Teachers' Band closes the day at 3.00pm, is full of highlights. The stage will be host to ISS student bands and dance acts will perform throughout the entire day, we have a Zumba session open to all at 11.00am and magic shows at 11.30am and 1.30pm, the raffle will be drawn at 2.15pm and our international food and activity stalls will be running from go to whoa. The PTFA thanks you for all of your support; looking forward to enjoying tomorrow with you, Myke Leahy
Bula everyone... term 3 seems to be the busiest of all the terms, where some have to make serious decisions about subject choices for Years 9 and 11, programs for tertiary studies, there is final preparation for external examinations, preparation for Year 10 and 11 work experience, as well as facilitating transition processes at various levels. Bearing all of these in mind; research, honest discussions, and clear thought and planning need to take place so that our students are better able to make wise decisions that could ultimately affect their future career paths. When students are making choices for subject combinations: Do ensure that your choice of subjects is in line with a particular career option in mind. Therefore, we are asking that students go onto the career cruising website: http://public.careercruising.com/en/ that provides assessment tests that match up interests with career options. There are many features to the program (Explore My Interests, Learn about Careers, Explore Education Options, Choose My Courses, Build My Resume) and students could use this to build up their career profiles. Please email the counsellor directly for the username and password. Both student and parents should discuss the results of career options suggested and remember these are only guidelines. Career planning is an ongoing process that can help manage student learning and development. It is advisable to start talking to students about their interests, values, skills and preferences for future career options, as this will get them thinking about future career goals and opportunities. The Year 10 and Year 11 ACT students have the Work Experience Program towards the end of term 4 that enables students to:
Witness first-hand what happens in a typical day on the job, getting a realistic idea of the positive and negative components of a job which helps them make a more informed choice when it comes to career planning. Meet people in their different work placements’ and be able to ask them questions, such as what they like best about their job, how they ended up in their line of work, and what qualifications are required. Learn about related careers in the same field, which could give you more ideas about what kind of
have done the IELTs test. Identify whether a personal statement is needed (usual for application to US and UK uni’s) the content/ direction of this should be discussed with parents/guardians or other mentors after viewing relevant websites. Decide whether to pay for services from a University Admissions Centre that enables applications to be sent directly to a variety of nominated universities automatically. These must be completed online and examples are: Austraila (UAC), USA (Common Application), UK (UCAS). Identify opportunities for scholarships. A good scholarship website is: www.fastweb.com Prepare/update curriculum vitae.
Any student or parent should feel free to visit the counselor or approach any member of staff should they wish to discuss issues relating to any of the above. We wish all students the very best as they prepare themselves for examinations, subject choices, work experience and university options. Fenella School Counsellor
SOCCER Champions of Suva The Under 12 team took out the Suva Primary Schools’ Soccer Tournament last Saturday beating Swami Shraddhanand Memorial School (SSM) 1-0 in the final. The goal came from Tristan Whitefield in the 2nd half of the match. The side played attractive soccer throughout the tournament and scored more goals than any other team. The key ingredients for their success were discipline, teamwork and determination. It was also an occasion for them to interact with local children and to showcase the ISS spirit. Support and encouragement from parents made it even more special.
career they may want to go into. At present, each Year 12 student is considering their future career path and applying for suitable tertiary institutions/universities that would best match their needs. By now, most students have a fair idea of what career path they plan to take. It is advisable for each student to have at least two possible career choices. Once the student has chosen possible career choices, then the following steps are taken:
Identify at least three proposed destinations for study and potential universities where courses of interest are offered. Research relevant websites and identify entry requirements and application closing dates for the course(s). Research costs (tuition, accommodation etc.) Identify whether they need to complete additional qualifications such as SATs or TOEFL. Many Australian and New Zealand universities require students from non-English speaking backgrounds to
The end of the tournament doesn’t mark the end for the team; some of our players have been selected in the Suva Under-14 team that will play at the InterDistrict Tournament. We will continue to have regular training sessions and matches with other teams. It will also inspire more children in school to join
High School News Term 3 always seems a very big term in the High School. There are major in-school 'mock' examinations and internal assessment work, final year students are applying for university courses and sitting finals for the AST tests, the year 10 students are making decisions about work experience placements and progression into the next program, and overlaid with this, there are major sporting events happening. This involves a great deal of decision-making and prioritizing of certain activities that students find stressful, and of which I am sure, are the subject of extremely stressful and intense conversations at home right now. The 'mock examinations' start on Friday Week 6 for both the Year 10 and the Year 12 IB Diploma students. Parents should have already received the timetable via email (don’t hesitate to ask for another to be sent if you need it). These examinations are meant to provide an experience as close as possible to finals so students are encouraged to read the requirements and conditions for sitting external exams given to them by the IGCSE or IB Diploma coordinator. The same rules will be set during this in-school exam session. Similarly, papers are as close as possible to those normally expected in the external exams and are marked and graded accordingly. Students are expected to come to school for the examinations they are sitting and then return home once they have been completed, allowing additional preparation time. Their performance will be reported through a special report where teachers will write short comments indicating areas needing focus in the weeks leading up to the real examinations. Close to the external examinations 'Predicted Grades' are provided by teachers to the external examining body. The mock examinations are part of this process, but the prediction is informed from a more complete picture. Teachers evaluate potential performance in the finals using observed performance over the two year period and completion of internal assessment tasks as well as the mock marks. This is no easy task and is taken very seriously by teachers. Predicted grades can be used for early university applications by the Year 12 students. Movement into Year 11 is looming for the Year 10 students. Many thanks go to those parents who came to our meeting last Thursday and took the time to complete our questionnaire afterwards. Parents indicated that they wanted information about subject choices and one of the outcomes is the development of a preliminary survey of student interest in subjects that may be offered next year. This will be given out on Monday and it is hoped that it will make our decisions about subject combinations and timetabling easier. Students have also been asked whether they would be interested in a couple of new subjects next year. It is, however, an initial expression of interest, and students and parents should be aware that the final decisions will not be made until Term 4 once the Mocks are completed and assessed.
Many of the Year 12 students are now well into the university application process and some are seeking teacher assistance for advice about courses and career plans. Parental advice of course plays a pivotal role in this process along with the need for students to get as much information as possible. Students and parents are encouraged to search relevant sites and go to campuses when on holiday in the country students plan to study in. Students interested in attending local universities are encouraged to attend the open days as well as visits from overseas universities held in local hotels. These are advertised in the newspaper and we try to also advertise events in the pastoral times. The Career Lunch program initiated by the PTFA is also a wonderful avenue for students to gain information. All High School students are encouraged to attend and be student hosts for visiting speakers. Thanks go to Dr Elise Huffer who was the most recent visiting expert giving her time to this project. Our next lunch is on Monday 10th August with Mr Nick Hobgood. The achievements in sports, particularly netball, are detailed in another article in this issue of Talanoa. Certainly after spending many hours on the sidelines each Saturday, it has been a real pleasure to see the progress and skill development demonstrated by all the students. Whilst the Open Boys’ team head off to Lautoka next week to participate in the National competition, we are all extraordinarily proud of all the students who played in the U-15 and U-17 teams. Everyone is now looking forward to the competitions that are coming up in basketball and badminton. CAS/ DOE projects are winding up for the Year 12 students, but are being carried on by the Year 11 group and these will be reported on in the next Talanoa. Some groups have such commitment to completing their projects that they have allocated their free time on Tuesday afternoons as well as the regular Thursday afternoon sessions to complete any outstanding projects. We have exciting guest speakers coming into school in Week 6; Imasango, a guest poet from New Caledonia and Mr Nicolas Beriot, a climate change expert. On another note, we also welcome a new member of staff to the High School team, Mr Matt Dadley who will teach Year 9 and 10 Learning Support and provide ESL assistance. He has a strong background in English and is a welcome addition to the team. It is also nice to welcome back Ms Amandine Neirinck from maternity leave and I would like to thank Ms Sara Volkmar who has done a fantastic job in covering Ms Neirinck's classes while she was away.
I hope everyone has a great Fun Day experience. Special thanks go to all the parents and families who are helping out and congratulations to the Year 1001 students who ensured that they were able to win one of the breakfast prizes for their significant level of donations Alongside subject selection goes careers advice. Students have completed the career cruising sourced during mufti days. website and many have been surprised at how close some of the options have been to their future aspirations. At the end of the year, the year 10 and year 11 ACT students will go out on Megan Navunisaravi work attachments. This is an important step in helping them to decide what they want to do Head of High School (or not do) post school. Student reflections from last year overwhelmingly suggested that this mnavunisaravi@international.school.fj helped in affirming decisions about university or subject choices.
Year 11 camp, 2015 During the last week of term 2 I was fortunate to have the opportunity to join the year 11 students and their teachers as they ventured forth on their annual camp. After a 2 hour bus ride to Nabouva Village, north of Korovou, we started with a Sevusevu ceremony before the bus dropped an assortment of students, teachers, guards and guides, as well as a mountain of backpacks, eskis and equipment at the village of Nayavu. The weather was perfect as we set out, a welcome relief from the rain of the past few days, and after leaving the village we began walking inland, though lush, tropical country side, up and down many unwelcome hills. As the hike progressed the group slowly spread out, with the sprinters out front, and those that enjoyed a more moderate pace coming up the rear. We arrived in dribs and drabs at our campsite, where most of us flopped down and rested, before finding a nice shady spot to eat lunch. The campsite was in a valley on a flat piece of ground that had obviously been used by cows quite recently, so finding a spot free of cow poo for the tents was crucial. Nearby was a beautiful little creek, with the whole area surrounded by hills covered in banana trees on one side and rainforest everywhere else. After setting up our tents we sat and rested, or played cards, or mucked around in the chilly but refreshing creek water. That first night the students had to cater for themselves, so it was interesting to see the range of cuisines that had been organised. Celeste’s arrangements were probably the best, with a high tech camping stove on which she cooked delicious smelling pasta with a meat and tomato sauce. The rest of us made do with anything that could be cooked over an open fire, which included copious amounts of marshmallows, consumed sitting around a campfire under a magnificent sky full of stars. After breakfast on day 2 we all set out on a 2 hour hike, through thick mud over a steep rise, then walking through a river to a stunning series of rock pools and waterfalls, right in the middle of the rainforest. We stayed there for 2 hours, eating our lunch, and just enjoying the coolness of the water and the beauty of the surroundings. Some of us climbed 150 metres up the waterfalls, which was a little hairy at times, but great fun. That night we ate a truly delicious lovo, with chicken, palusami (made by Esita, with the world famous Rotuman coconuts) and cassava, which our guides had prepared for us. Again this was finished up with marshmallows and chatting around the campfire under the canopy of stars. We were a tired, straggly, smelly bunch when we finally made it back to the village on the 3 rd day after hiking in the heat, all looking forward to hot showers, good home cooking and mattresses. As always there were lots of memorable moments on camp, which for me include having great chats with some of the students, especially Tessa next to the rock pool, Aurora while hiking, Talii by the campfire, and Arjun by the lovo. Other interesting events were being forced to climb the water fall by Mr JC and his inner child, trying to understand Mr Mario’s sense of humour, watching the guides cook banana soup ( everything but bananas – instant noodles, biscuits, tins of tuna, garlic chopped with a machete….)and listening to the guides’ singing, Honourable mentions should go out to Bea, for celebrating her 17th birthday on camp, Alex for doing the whole hike with a broken arm, and of course Pana and the guides from his village for looking after us so well. Maria Dunbar
PRIMARY ATHLETICS CARNIVAL 2015 ANZ STADIUM Thursday, September 3rd 9.00am - 1.45pm Dear Parents and Caregivers, On Thursday, September 3rd, Year Reception - Year 5 students will take part in our House athletics carnival. Each student in year 1 - 5 will participate in all events which will consist of 100m sprint, shot put, discus, high jump, long jump and triple jump. Reception students will compete in 50m sprint, sack race, egg and spoon race and coconut throw. From the results of this carnival, a team of athletes will be chosen to work towards the primary inter-school zone competitions during the Term 3/4 holiday period. Parent Helpers Welcome As this is a new format this year with many events taking place we are hoping to get as many parents involved as possible; especially those who helped out at the swimming carnival as you all did an amazing job. We would very much appreciate your help on the day. Parent volunteers please note that we will allocate a task to you as place judges, event supervisors or marshalls as needed on the day of the carnival. If you would like to help out with these tasks, please call me on 8660522 or email jhedditch@international.school.fj. Timing and Transport The ISS competition will start at 9am and each child will participate in all of the events according to their age group and house colours. Students are expected to come to school as usual and will be transported by bus to the stadium. They will leave school at 8.15 am and will return by 2pm. Reception students will return to ISS at 12-12.30pm. All students, wearing their house T-shirts will need to bring their morning tea, lunch and a drink with them. Hats and sunscreen are also needed. What to Bring Each ISS student participating will need to bring the following items:
Morning tea One or two bottles of water Lunch Appropriate running gear (flat soled shoes, shorts, house colour t-shirt) School PE uniform shorts and house T-shirts Sunscreen lotion A hat
We are looking forward to a great day. We hope to see you there, either as spectators or helping with duties. Should you have any queries or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact me. Kind regards, Joe Hedditch PSPE Teacher
2015 ISS NETS season began with a huge interest from students and we were able to The success of our ISS NETS this year is credited to players’ commitment and register U15 and U17 Girls’ teams and two Open Boys’ Teams in the Suva Zone 1 enthusiasm towards training and discipline. As the teacher in charge it has truly been Secondary Netball Competitions. exciting working with these young players and seeing the interest grow in the school. The students were very enthusiastic and eager for game time and such enthusiasm carried On behalf of the ISS Nets and Management Team, I would like to rally support from the our school teams through the season right to the finals of the Zone Competitions. ISS Community at the Fiji Secondary Schools National Championships next week, as we wish the team the very best in Lautoka. Our U15 grade comprising of players between the ages of 11-14, the youngest team in the grade, made it to the quarter final stages just missing out by a point to Ballantine Thank you for making us proud! Memorial School. The team was captained by Tamena Evers and featured some young yet aspiring players like Laura, Eseta, Joy and Lahaiba from Year 6. Tanya Vatubua In the U17 grade, the players aged between 14-16 years played their hearts out in the semi Teacher-in-charge finals and then the playoffs for 3rd and 4th positions in the Zone, just losing out to Nasinu Secondary School by one goal. The team was captained by one of the school’s talented players, Melini Navunisaravi. Melini has been outstanding in her role as captain both on and off the courts and this commitment got her selected into the Suva U19 team that will be participating in the upcoming Fiji National Netball Championships at the end of this month in Suva. Our Open Boys’ teams were again the teams to watch at the competitions as their skills in both basketball and netball redefined their flair for their game. The teams were captained by Inigo Lavina and Emily Drakeford. The ISS NETS Open Boys Team A went on to defend their Open Boys Zone Title against Basden Secondary School and qualified for the Fiji Secondary Schools’ National Netball Championships in Lautoka on the 14th and 15th of this month. The ISS NETS team to the National competition will be looked after by Mr. Fesaitu Mario, Mr. Jonathan Uluiviti and Tanya Vatubua. The players consist of Inigo Lavina (Captain), Ernest Gibson (V/Captain), Saimoni Navunisaravi, Mohammed Uzair Aktar, Timoci Ravouvou, Jose Santos, Waisea Jikoiono, Zane Elias, Emily Drakeford, Kaash Patel, Eroni Ravore, Minsoo Kim, Puana Puana and Shou Izumi. For the parents and teachers who had been following the teams from Day 1 of competitions, many were encouraged to see the growth and development of the players’ skills and their knowledge of the game.
Upcoming Events (Week 5 - Week 8) Week 5 Monday, August 10 Year 1 Day Camp Tuesday, August 11 ICAS Maths ICAS Maths Wednesday, August 12 Year 3 Camp Year 8 Camp return Friday 5:00pm ISS PTFA Social Hour Thursday, August 13 Year 3 Camp Governance Friday, August 14 Year 3 Camp Whole School International Youth Day Assembly - Year 4 Inernational Youth Day Assembly International Youth Day Assembly Y11 Week 6 Thursday, August 20 Music Recital - Gulnara and others (6pm - 9pm) Friday, August 21 Primary Assembly (8.15 - 9.00) Primary Press Middle School Social Y10 12 Mock Exams begin YC Update
Week 7 Monday, August 24 8:00am PTFA Bookclub Wednesday, August 26 Year 9 Camp 2:40pm ISS PTFA Monthly Meeting Thursday, August 27 Year 9 Camp ISS Blood Drive Friday, August 28 Primary Assembly - ECH2 (8.15 - 9.00) Year 9 Camp Week 8 Tuesday, September 1 Year 7 Poetry Slam Wednesday, September 2 AST PAT Test Y9-10 Thursday, September 3 AST Council Finance Friday, September 4 Early Childhood Father's Day Breakfast (7.30 - 8.30) Primary Assembly - Year 3 (8.15 - 9.00) PAT Test Y9-10 Talanoa Saturday, September 5 Family Sports Day