Talanoa - Volume 1 (2014) by International School Suva

Newsletter of International School Suva

The last day for our IB students

Counselors Ta l a n Corner oa

Volume 1

Do you remember your last day at school? It is such a significant event and yet the IB examinations which begin today are th e focus and for most of our Year 12 students leaving school does not seem quite real yet. It

14 February, 2014

25 May 2012

Electronic copy available at http://www.international.school.fj/docs/talanoa.pdf Electronic copy available at http://www.international.school.fj/docs/talanoa.pdf

Volume 8

Inside This Issue: * Principal’s Report * Counselors Corner * CAS * Library

* Notice * 2013 Examination Successes * Year 601 reflections * Primary Perspective

* Chair of Council Report * In the High School * PYP Attitude * PTFA Report

Principal’s Report It gives me great pleasure to welcome you all, new and old, to a new year at ISS. I have enjoyed meeting many of you at the welcome assembly and other functions this term. In addition to the ninety-four new students that have started we also welcome six new staff this term. Dona Baledravu has joined the PE department as a teaching assistant. He is an accomplished soccer and hockey player and brings over twenty years experience as a player and coach in these sports. Ashniel Bijay is an experienced physics and mathematics teacher of seven years standing who has a BSc (Physics and Mathematics), PGCE and has recently completed a Postgraduate Diploma in Physics. Before coming to ISS he was teaching at Laucala Bay Secondary School. Ravinesh Chand graduated from the University of the South Pacific with a BSc (Mathematics and Physics) and Graduate Certificate in Education in 2013. Whilst he has experience as a tutor in both mathematics and physics, ISS is his first teaching position. James McMorrow has completed his BEd (Primary) from the Australian Catholic University and has come to ISS to work in the primary learning support department. He has three and a half years experience working with young children, age 5-12, in a variety of educational settings. Amandine Neirinck has a MEd in French teaching from the University of New Caledonia and a BA in Human and Social Sciences from Toulouse-le-Mirail University, France. Before ISS she taught at the Alliance Française in Suva and worked as a tutor in New Caledonia. Sarah Raikabo has joined ISS as a reception teacher. She has a Bachelor‟s degree in Education (Primary) from the University of the Sunshine Coast and has extensive experience wor king with young children in schools and in the community, both in Australia and further afield. January also sees the school receive the results of the external year 10 and 12 examinations which our students took in October and November last year. We are delighted with their results and congratulate both the students and their teachers for their success. We are proud to announce that seventy percent of our Year 12 students achieved scores in the top thirty percent of all students obtaining the same high school graduation certificate in the Australian Capital Territory. Fifteen of our year 12 graduates also studied the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme and thirteen students achieved the diploma with two receiving certificates. Students from thi s graduating class have now been offered places to study in Fiji at the University of the South Pacific, in Australia at Macquarie University, Monash University, the University of Sydney, the University of New South Wales and the Sydney University of Technology, in New Zealand at the University of Auckland and in the United Kingdom at Nottingham Trent University. Many others are waiting to hear from universities around the world. The achievement of our year 12 students was mirrored with that of our year 10 students in their recent Cambridge International General Certificate in Secondary Education, IGCSE, examinations with 74% achieving five or more certificates with grades A*-C. This, our first year of compulsory year 10 IGCSE examinations for all students, compares very favourably with available data from international schools worldwide. The school year has started at full speed with information evenings, welcome cocktails and family nights. Amidst this we also had time to bury our 2014 time capsule during the „first pour‟ ceremony conducted at the school on Friday 7 th February. This ceremony saw the pouring of the first concrete pads in our new building and signifies that the excavation phase of the building is coming to an end. From now we should start seeing the building going up rather than us digging down. Last year saw the students, parents and staff of ISS express their thoughts about the school through our opinion surveys. The information from these surveys has been very useful as we work through the self study process we use for our WASC accreditation. We will continue to use this data as we formulate our whole-school action plan and are planning to include them as part of our annual reflection. Please follow this link to access a summary of the responses we received. We value your feedback and please feel free to contact me or any of the Heads of School with any suggestions for improvement, comments or concerns at any time. Finally the dates for our termly blood drives have been set with the first being Thursday 27 th February. You are all invited to give blood on this date. Anna Marsden Principal amarsden@international.school.fj

The International Schools Association Notice Notice is given of the 38th Annual General Meeting of Members of The International Schools Association to be held in the Multi-purpose hall at International School Suva, Siga Road, Laucala Beach Estate, Suva, on Thursday, 20th March 2014 at 6.00pm. Jacquelyn Terry Chair of Council International School Suva 14th February 2012

Chair of Council Report Welcome back to all current students and staff and a very warm welcome to those new students, staff and their families who have just joined us. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x;s pleasing to see total student numbers have increased to 540, which is a reflection of the ongoing stability of the Fijian economy. I met with representatives of Moodys, the world wide credit rating agency yesterday, who were in Fiji gathering information on which to base their yearly rating report on the Fijian economy. They confirmed that the Fijian economy rating has remained stable, supported by positive economic indicators over the past four years. If our student numbers continue to increase, we may begin experiencing growth constraints in classroom space. This could mean in the future we may consider implementing student waiting lists to ensure class sizes remain manageable. Continued growth in student numbers also allows the school to consider further building plans, such as a new middle school and possibly a boarding facility. Thankfully, fine weather during the Christmas break meant we could complete the preliminary ground work on the new building. A small ceremony last Friday saw the first pour of concrete for the foundations. Unfortunately this coincided with a downpour of rain, which weâ&#x20AC;&#x;ve decided to take as a positive sign. Weather permitting, we should complete the building just after year end. On behalf of the school Council, I wish all students success this year in their school and extracurricular endeavours. Jacquelyn Terry Chair of Council International School Suva

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Bula Everyone, welcome to another year of hard work, challenges and accomplishments… The time is now opportune for us to sit down with our children to discuss once again the importance of goal setting in their personal and academic lives. Goal setting allows an individual to take control of their life‟s direction, providing a benchmark for determining whether one is actually succeeding. Acknowledging your child‟s progress along the way will do wonders at increasing their sense of accomplishment and strengthen their self-determination. "Without goals, and plans to reach them, you are like a ship that has set sail with no destination." Fitzhugh Dodson “If you set goals and go after them with all the determination you can muster, your gifts will take you places that will amaze you.” Les Brown The ISS Careers Expo 2014 is scheduled for Thursday 13 March from 4pm to 6pm. The aim of the Expo is to provide students with the necessary information which will enable them to make informed decisions about potential career paths. Career planning is a continuous process of thinking about one‟s interests, values, skills and preferences, while exploring life, career opportunities and learning options which are available. This process can assist an individual to ensure that a chosen career path would fit personal circumstances, and to continuously fine-tune career and learning plans to help manage future goals. A Careers Expo stirs up students‟ curiosity and encourages them to engage in their own research as they seek opportunities for reaching career goals. So do come long and join us at the Careers Expo.

Internet Safety Education for Young People What every student needs to know...

May we all have a happy and successful academic year. Fenella David School Counsellor fdavid@international.school.fj

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Our New Scholarship Students—2014

L-R

Aninda Saha, Debanjan Dhar, Vindula Fernando, Ickbum Kim

Ickbum Kim—Year 11

Vindula Fernando – Year 11

Debanjan Dhar – Year 11 Aninda Saha– Year 11

First year in ISS.

2013 – Jai Narayan College

2013 – Gospel High School.

2013 – Yat Sen Secondary School

“Coming to ISS means that I can sit the IB Exams which is the door way to further studies abroad. I love the diverse Courses offered at ISS and have found that there is a great multi-racial environment.”

“ISS Provides great opportunities for further studies abroad. I am enjoying the freedom of expression between the teachers and students. I love the multi-racial environment and have settled in perfectly”

“I would like to attend University abroad and am thankful for this opportunity to study IB. I love the International Diversity and have felt welcomed from day 1.

First year in ISS. 2013 – Yat Sen Secondary School “IB for me is the stepping stone to tertiary studies abroad, I love the ISS curriculum , the critical thinking courses especially has helped me to think outside the box. This will be a challenging year and I am already enjoying it.”

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In the High School… A huge welcome goes to all our new students and parents. The roll in the High School has increased by 18%, with the largest increase being in Year 11. This rivals last year where the most enrolments were in Year 9. It has also been great to have four students join the school on scholarship to do the IB Diploma program. They are Aninda Saha, Debanjan Dhar, Ickbum Kim and Vindula Fernando, all of whom have come from local Fiji schools. I asked them and a couple of the new students to reflect on their short time that they have been with the school. Aninda and Debanjan wrote “As new students to this school it was at first an intimidating experience, with the new faces, and deviously daunting task ahead with the IB program. But fitting into school was as easy as pie with the multi-diverse cultural aspects which made us feel right at home. We really look forward to being part of the ever growing school family.” Vindula writes “ International School feels like a home, a haven where I can fully express myself and be confident in whatever I do to excel in studies and extra-curricular activities. Its range of opportunities and options has given me the freedom to follow my heart and enjoy every second that I spend in school.” Ikbum notes “I was really interested in IB courses that ISS provides because it seems very helpful for my future careers. I am currently here in ISS and am really enjoying the classes, especially the language classes. Friends are so nice and friendly. I am happy here.” Other students who have joined in Year 11 this year write “A word to describe ISS compared to a local school is „different‟. The classes are smaller and the learning more concentrated. I think I‟m adapting well to a new learning style and have made friends with many of my classmates.” Shayan Saberi “ISS is a really nice school, everyone is very friendly, everyone is welcoming. I‟m having a great time here.” Anmol Mohanty Mr Murphy also asked some of his new Year 9 students what they thought of the first few weeks of school. Shien Yuan wrote “My four weeks in ISS, I feel new and strange, it‟s different from my previous school but I like the education and environment here. I‟ve met new friends and teachers, they are lovely and friendly. I like this school.” Robert Masonis noted “I like this school because it is a new culture and it is really fun. I love the friends here and the classes.” “My first four weeks in school had been an amazing experience for me. I have already my two best friends and the teachers are wonderful, not forgetting the delicious food. I know that this year in ISS will be unforgettable for me” was the comment that Selenia Tukutukulevu made. Liam Carthew said “My first four weeks at ISS have been a great experience. The teachers have been welcoming and so have most of the students. I like the classes ISS offers as well.” Chanwoo Lee found it hard at first. “First day at ISS was boring and I didn‟t understand any words because that time I don‟t have any friends and new environments. It was quite difficult to communicate to other people. But now I have my friends and they help me when I‟m in trouble. I‟m having a hard time, but I know it will get better. I‟m having fun at ISS. “ Aaron Harris said “My experience at ISS has been good, the education is better than my old school and I have made friends.” It is really encouraging to see the positive responses from the students about their first weeks at ISS. Not all the new students were on hand when others were asked to reflect on their start to 2014, but hopefully those not mentioned here have also felt welcomed and are enjoying their learning experience at ISS. On another note I would like to congratulate the Year 12 class of 2013 and their teachers on the ACT and IB results. This year all students achieved an ATAR score, an improvement on 2012 and 2011 where 95% and 92% of students gained an ATAR score. The top score of 99.7 was achieved by our Dux, Bo Chen. He also scored the highest in the IB Diploma with a score of 40 (out of a possible 45). It is notable that 70% of our students ATAR scores were in the top 30% of all scores achieved throughout Australia and the regions doing the ACT. Our mean score was 75 but the number of scores above 80 increased from previous years. Thirteen of the Year 12 students also attained the IB Diploma, whilst two gained Certificates. Again the top score was an improvement on the previous year and most of the scores for each subject either met the world average or were very close. This is an achievement given the small cohort. The average score for a subject was 5, but our students also gained 7s (the top grade) in a number of subject. Congratulations also go to the Year 10 class of 2013 for their performance in the IGCSE examinations. This is the first year of compulsory attendance at examinations and the results were very reasonable with 9 / 11 subjects taught in 2014 achieving passes at or near world average. There is consistency from previous years in the number of students achieving A*s, however, compared to 2012, there is a slight increase in the % numbers of A-C grades. 75% of students achieved a C or higher in their subjects. This is a remarkable achievement given that students are not refused access to the examination. I wish all of our students all the very best for their studies this year and would like to congratulate our 2013 graduates on their start of the next stage of their life, whether it be university, a gap year, work or just life!

Megan Navunisaravi, Head of High School 5

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CAS The year 11 and 12 students have started their CAS / DOE this year with a Learn to Swim program teaching swimming to children with disabilities. Some Year 11 students were asked what the program has meant to them: Teaching blind kids to swim is really challenging. I‟ve been given three partially blind kids to prepare for competition. They‟re such lovely, humorous kids who love music and playing around. I feel a strong sense of happiness and proudness. I really enjoy teaching them. Makira. The Learn-to-Swim program for me has been both very challenging and interesting. Jone is deaf and because I don‟t know how to sign, communication has been very tough. However, his supervising teacher has said the Jone can somewhat understand what I am trying to teach because I am very visual when I communicate with him. Next week I hope I will be able to do some basic signs to improve his learning experience. Gareth Teaching the kids to swim was quite intimidating at first because it was a new experience. But it was great because we could see the progress they were making and their confidence in the water is growing. My child was quite scared about putting her face in the water but she was more comfortable by the end! Anonymous Teaching blind kids how to swim was very challenging to me as well as being a new student in year 11. I think its fun here at ISS and also the learning here is very interesting. Weijang Zhang Our first session working in the Learn-to-Swim program was both fun and difficult. I worked with a by named Jone and he was mute. Jone also cant understand English which was difficult but a good learning experience. Because my Fijian is not very good I needed to sign to Jone and it took a little time for him to become comfortable with me. Once he was comfortable it became a very pleasant experience. By the end of the session, Jone was able to transform from a little boy who was terrified of the water to someone who thoroughly enjoys swimming. The best part about the day was at the very end Jone ran to the gate and signed what I was told was „thank you‟ ! Ernest The first two weeks of teaching blind and deaf children has been a really nice experience for me. I teach a 14 year old girl who is partially blind with cataracts. She is very cheerful and has a positive outlook on life which really made me realize how lucky I am to have full sight. At first, I was nervous as I wasn‟t sure how my child would react to water but my little girl actually made me open up to her. She loves learning new things and we both laugh together when we learn something, like the other day when I showed her how to sit on the noodle and just float. She found this fascinating! I am really enjoying it so far because not only am I helping her, but I‟ve also made a new friend. Georgia N. Learn-to-Swim program has been quite challenging. Over the past two weeks I have taught two different kids, both being very different because of their different abilities and communication skills. I think this program will make me a better person because it is a humbling process. Tanya

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Year 601 reflections Our first four weeks in secondary school             

Lockers provide a safer place for books and stationery items. Sam and Gaba Fun, exciting, cool and scary…..Ella It‟s fun going to different classes; we keep moving around and need to keep track of time. PE is a lot more challenging and we have more subjects . Sam Walking up the stairs is tiring. Lin Interesting to see different teachers and new faces. Jade There‟s lots of homework. Bella Overwhelming when we started….fantastic when you get used to it. Sean More opportunities for learning in a variety of subject areas. Julliette It‟s bigger and better. Connor Cool science experiments. Gaba Lots of stuff to carry home. Leki Really, really different from primary….more opportunities. Rani

Max

In three words………AWESOME! MONUMENTAL! SPECTACULAR!

OUR VIRTUE – RESPECT “When I respect others, others respect me, and I like that.” What a fabulous month we have had with our attitude, cooperation. If our Tavola Tree and its growing leaves in the undercover area is any indication of our acts of cooperation, the students at ISS are some of the most cooperative people in the entire world! Teachers have also been doing some great things with the students in their classes, reinforcing the importance of being cooperative. Thank you to all those parents and carers at home who have been discussing the attitude cooperation (and past attitudes and attributes) to reinforce what your children are learning at school. Here is some information to help you talk things over on “Respect” for the next few weeks at home.

What is respect? Respect is an attitude of caring about people and treating them with dignity. Respect is valuing us and others. We show respect by speaking and acting with courtesy. When we are respectful we treat others as we want to be treated. We honour the rules of the family, school and our country. You can practise RESPECT by: 1. Speaking courteously to everyone. 2. Taking special care of your and others’ belongings. 3. Listening to the wisdom of elders. 4. Honouring the rules of your family, school and country. 5. Expecting respect for your body and your rights. 6. Treating others with dignity. Why practise RESPECT? Without respect for rules, we would have confusion. People would treat each other rudely and violate each others’ privacy and other rights. Respect helps people to feel valued. Elders deserve special respect because they have lived longer and learned many of life’s lessons. Self-respect is making sure no one hurts you or abuses you, even an elder. When you respect yourself, others respect you to.

"Treat others as you want them to treat you.” Karen Whittaker (Head of Primary)

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Explore our online databases. Available in the library webpage 2

Welcome back! 2

OPAC

It‟s great to see our students back and enjoying visiting and using the library again. After school home work help is now available on Mondays from 2.30 pm— 3.30 pm for our primary students. We also hope that you will take the time to browse our new webpage. While you are there, don‟t forget to check out our online databases. Now, here‟s 3 reasons why you should use the library databases: Please enquire at the front desk. Thank you to all students, staff and parents who suggested books for the library last year. We have many 2. Library databases only pub- wonderful new books now lish information from a source available in the library for where the facts are checked by check out. Do visit us soon! experts while website content is not usually checked by anyone 1.Information in databases are published works by experts in the field, while websites can be written by anyone.

3. Library databases are updated frequently while websites may not indicate when a page was last updated, nor if it is the most current information available on a topic.

Check out our top 6 series ...

The library staff are available for individual tutorial on how to use these wonderful resources.

We have subscribed to these and will receive issues later this month ...

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Primary Perspective

We would love for you to share this information with your children at home.

Time flies when you‟re having fun! It‟s now end Week 4, almost time to turn the corner for the second half of term one. This term so far has been action-packed with school activities started, swimming for Years 2 and 3 and our Year 5 family evening. Thank you to all of our parents who supported our Primary Information Evening. It was a fantastic turn out with many of our classrooms filled with parents keen to know all about their children‟s learning for 2014.

Many thanks to all of our parent volunteers who have given of their time each morning to help in the swimming pool with swimming classes. We appreciate your efforts. This week Reception and Year 1 begin their lessons for 2 weeks, followed by our Year 4 and 5 students. A huge welcome to Mr Dona who is our new sports teaching assistant. He is also at the pool each day ensuring our students‟ swimming skills improve.

Teachers too have started their professional learning within the past month, delving into the strategies of differentiated instruction. Now that we have completed our PAT assessments and almost finished entering all of the data, teachers will soon spend time analyzing results and in particular how students answered certain questions within reading, mathematics and spelling. It is not only in the raw score that we can assess how children are going; it is also in the way children have answered certain questions or spelt different words. Analysis of the actual answers provides us with an excellent tool for future planning.

The Tavola Tree of Inquiry is once again growing some wonderful attitude leaves as students have been „caught‟ being cooperative over the past 4 weeks. This next week, students have voted to focus on the attitude of respect. “Every human being, of whatever origin, of whatever station, deserves respect. We must each respect others even as we respect ourselves.” U Thant (UN Secretary General 1961-1971) Let‟s all work together to build upon our children‟s knowledge of respect, of themselves and of others. Within this edition of Talanoa is the information sheet for Respect.

Next week, on Friday is our whole school Youth assembly. We look forward to seeing parents joining us as our school leaders receive their badges. All Year 5 students will be presented with their leadership badges at this assembly. Along with Mr Dona, we also welcome Miss Lucy, Miss Jana and Ms Roshni who are all helping us out as teacher assistants in various classrooms throughout the school. Additionally, by now you would have met our new classroom teachers: Miss Sarah Raikabo and Mr James McMorrow. All of our new staff have fitted in well to the ISS family and are enjoying their time here immensely.

A busy but exciting and fun-filled start to our school year! We will see you in another fortnight in our first edition of the Primary Press for 2014. Primary Press will be emailed to all parents in Weeks 6 and 10 of each term this year, with Talanoa featuring every other fortnight. Happy Valentine‟s Day! Until next time, Karen Whittaker (Head of Primary)

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ISS Blood Drive Students who wish to donate blood will need to be 16 years and over and MUST have a signed consent form. Forms are with Sera in the Secondary Office.

Be a HERO, Save 3 lives!! 1 pint can save 3 lives!!

Donate today and join a cause that saves millions of

Date: 27th February, 2014 From 9am - 4pm

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Events Gallery 1. Welcome Assemblyâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;24th January, 2014

For more photos visit gallery page : http://www.international.school.fj/3.0.0/index.php/about-us/gallery

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Events Gallery 2. Secondary Fun Sports - Friday 24th January, 2014

For more photos visit gallery page : http://www.international.school.fj/3.0.0/index.php/about-us/gallery

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Upcoming Events : Term 1

Week 05 Monday 17 February

S / PAT Spelling Vocab Assessment Week – Primary (Yr 2 – 5)

ISS BAGS, Polo Shirts & Umbrellas now available

from the Uniform shop. Bags - $ 1.50 Umbrellas - $15.00 ISS Polo Shirts - $ 35.00

Wednesday 19 February

ISS interhouse athletics Friday 21 February

PTFA AGM (8am) YOUTH ASSEMBLY ECH Family Picnic

Week 06 Tuesday 25 February

Primary Interviews Year 2 Family Breakfast

Thursday 27 February

Blood Drive

Talanoa Advertising Rates per 1/4 page: ISS Members (Parents, Teachers & Students): $20 Non-ISS Members: $40

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