Talanoa volume 4

Ta l a n o a Newsletter of International School Suva

Volume 4 10 June, 2016

Principal’s Report Dear Parents and Guardians, Welcome to the final Talanoa magazine of semester 1. As always it has been a very busy term and students and staff alike are looking forward to a well-earned break.

Inside this Issue  Principal`s Report  Council`s Report

It is with great pleasure I welcome Jodie Barons to the team. Nurse Jodie has been employed as ISS’s inaugural school nurse and we are delighted to have her on board. She will be available at school to attend to students and staff as needed, but will also be a key person in developing our health and wellbeing-related programmes at school. This work has already started and more information will be forthcoming as we finalise projects. You can find out more about Nurse Jodie in her ‘Notes from the Nurse’ in this issue of Talanoa.

 DELF & HSK

As we are all aware one of the strengths of ISS is the diversity of nationality of our students and staff. I am delighted to point our Chinese-speaking parents to the recently uploaded Chinese-language version of our school prospectuses. It can be downloaded at this link. I would like to thank Kearney Zheng for sending us a first draft and Carol Yao and her husband for their final editing of this translation. We would love to add other languages to our website, please do contact me if you are able to help.

 Year 7 Update

Another recent initiative, this time led by Salote Narayan, our Events and Marketing Coordinator, is the launch of our official school Facebook account, https://www.facebook.com/International-School-Suva-998528923549674/?ref=bookmarks. Please visit our Facebook page to see recent updates and what is going on at ISS. Better still please Like or Follow us.

 Year 8 Update

Inside this issue of Talanoa you will find articles about our students competing in the upcoming Melanesian Games, our success at the Fiji Schools Swimming Championships and the most recent ABRSM examinations. Please read these articles and others to find out what some of our students are doing outside the classroom. They make us all proud.

 Melanesian Games

A big thank you to Mia Kami, Director, and Mosese Tikosaya, Assistant Director, and their team for the outstanding production of Caught up in the Dozen which we had the pleasure to watch last week. Only yesterday I was stopped in the corridor by one of our students who asked me when the sequel was coming.

Finally, please save three dates! There will be an evening Meet the Council on July 27th when you will have a chance to meet, mingle and get to know the School Council. This will be closely followed by our annual Fun Day on Saturday 6th August. Before both of these we will have the International Children’s Day Assembly, hosted by Year 2 and Year 7, on Friday 17th June at 1.50 pm in the MPH. I look forward to seeing you at these events.

Kind regards, Anna Marsden Principal

 Year 6 Update  Counsellors Corner

 Nurses Note  Kaji Rugby

 European Race

 AST / ATAR  Outdoor Education  Swimming Championships  ABRSM Music Awards  ISS Production  Fun Day Update  Art Room  Upcoming Events

From the School Council As you can see stage 1 of the primary redevelopment is proceeding well and we are on schedule to open 14 new classrooms at the start of the 2017 school year.

As soon as this building is finished the area of the Green Cottage and the current builders’ site will need to be urgently redeveloped. The concept that is currently being discussed includes a 54-space car park at the basement level, an undercover gym and pool (solar heated, 25 metre, 6 lane) on the first floor and open playing area on the top floor. It is envisaged that the open playing area will be at the same level as the current Primary School hard court.

In accordance with our Mission and Vision we want International School Suva to be the ‘premier provider of primary and secondary education in the South Pacific’. As we continue to compare ourselves against other international schools both regionally and globally we realise that our sporting facilities need urgent upgrade.

Currently the school spends $20,000 a year on transport costs to and from the Aquatic Centre at Laucala Bay. Whilst the financial cost to the school can be calculated in dollar terms, the cost on student and staff time is also substantial.

On July the 27th the Council will be holding a ‘Meet the Council’ function. A project costing is currently being undertaken and these findings will be presented for discussion at this function. In the meantime, please see the concept drawings in this issue of Talanoa.

The Head of School search is ongoing and it is at the point of checking references prior to an offer being made.

DELF & HSK The Secondary Language Dept.

DELF and HSK in the Language Department The month of May and June are our language examination months as students studying either French or Chinese sit language proficiency examinations during this time. For those who are not familiar with the DELF and HSK exams, they are proficiency language exams that are supported by the French Government for DELF and the Chinese Government for HSK. These examinations test language skills ie, speaking, listening reading and writing and can be taken

at any level: DELF A1 to C2 and for HSK: levels 1 to 6. These exams run in conjunction with the six levels of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages.

This week, our students in the year 10 and year 12 French classes sat their DELF examination ranging from Level A2 to B2. Last Wednesday we also had a certificate award ceremony for our students who sat the DELF examinations in 2015. Our year 9 students received their A1

Diploma Certificates and a few year 11 students received their A2 certificates. With regards to DELF at ISS, students who have been learning French from year 7 or 8 generally obtain their levels B1 or B2 by the end of year 12.

For HSK Chinese, our year 11 & 12 students sat their levels 3 or 4 examination in May and this has been the practice for the past few years.

Why DELF and HSK at ISS? -

Many students who have chosen to do the B1 or B2 levels in DELF have a wider option for university choices. The majority of French speaking universities require a B2 to C1 level for non-French nationals.

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The DELF and HSK examination can also come in handy for a future profession. With the increasing number of French and Chinese companies around the world, and the huge number of companies interacting daily with the French and Chinese world it is only obvious that having these certifications validates one's level of French or Chinese. One of our past students was shortlisted for a job interview as his future employers amongst other things, highlighted his knowledge of French. He later became part of a team in his company that would service clients in New Caledonia. A few universities around Europe have integrated the DELF Pro in their programme along the same lines as making it easier for graduates to easily integrate in French speaking companies.

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A wide range of Scholarships are available for students who have sat the HSK examination allowing them to further their tertiary studies in China. Should you require further information please contact Mrs Cynthia Chen: cchen@international.school.fj.

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And the most obvious, for students who are interested in becoming language teachers in the future, these examinations should serve as the first stepping stone towards following this career path.

LIBRARY Creativity in the Library

Library Service Club

Calling for parent volunteers!

With the inclusion of the library maker space program, our library has been abuzz with creative students.

Through this program, we facilitate information for constructing knowledge through the manipulation and creation of material objects using LEGOS.

Through the Secondary CAS program, we have been visiting the Bright Little Ones Kindergarten to read and run literacy related activities for the children. We will continue to do that next term. It is a wonderful opportunity for our students to read to children who have very limited access to books, let alone a library.

Reading aloud to your child is probably the most important activity you can engage in to support your child’s learning. I invite parents who would like to volunteer to read a story to our primary students in the library to contact the librarian. We would love to hear from you.

Stations include an art and craft corner, laptops & xo, and legos.

Early this term, we invited them to visit our school library as highlighted in an earlier Talanoa edition.

To learn more, please visit our library blog: http://issfijilibrary.weebly.com/blog

NEW BOOKS IN YOUR LIBRARY

This term, we have had the opportunity to listen to our principal read the book “I am invited to a party” by Mo Willems to the Reception class and the ECH 2 class had super fun reading “Eating the alphabet” by Lois Ehlert.

Holiday Opening Hours Monday - Friday

9.00 am - 2.00 pm Closed on week ends and public holidays For more information contact Ms Salu: library@international.school.fj

On Tuesday 7th June, all of our Year 6’s went on an Arts Field Trip to the Fiji National Museum.

The focus was to observe different structures on our scenic bus ride. The students brought along their cameras and had a great time photographing the variety of buildings that we have in Suva.

We are now using our best shots and creating multi-media artworks.

YEAR 6 - ARTS FIELD TRIP Three of our students reflect on their field trip: 

The excursion was fun; I saw lots of buildings I had never noticed before. Taking the photos was also fun as I was never was really interested in taking photos before.



There were so many rooms, an animal room, an art room, a gift shop, a haunted room, a Fiji room and a medal room.

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The museum had a very distinctive design. it had an old kind of feel to it and was designed like olden day England and the colours were a pinkish brown shade on the buildings. The best part of the excursion was the smell of the café.

by Mason Shelton, Elodie Khan and Patrick Harris

SCHOOL COUNSELLOR

r e n r o c ’s r Counsello Bula everyone… as Term Two comes to an end, it is certainly a favourable time to reflect on what has taken place over the course of the year and then to start working towards an even better third term. All our work, planning, decision-making and stressing, will ultimately lead towards a brighter 2017. For some, Term Three will definitely be a stress filled one. There will be students preparing for external examinations and trying to manage the different assessment tasks.

While the school holiday is a call for a well deserved break, think again, especially for students in the High School. The excitement of just holidays can easily upset a student’s learning momentum and most especially for the Years 10 and 12, who are preparing for external examinations. Ensure that as a student, you understand that keeping some focus on school work will help you in the long run.

Below, are a few tips that may help: MANAGING YOUR TIME  In the time leading up to exams, study and revision should be a priority. Other commitments should be minimized (but not completely lost).  Develop a study timetable – the amount of time devoted to revision for each course will vary depending on the course, the importance of the exam, and your ability in that course.  Find out your exam timetable as soon as it is available and plan your study program accordingly. Make sure you know everything about the exam as possible (format, length, mark allocation, location, allowable materials etc) and determine how long questions should take to answer.  Your time studying should be exactly that; not on face book or YouTube; not on your phone; not playing games; not cleaning your room.  You still require adequate rest. If you do not get sufficient sleep you will not function at your best.

BEING GOOD TO YOURSELF  A solid preparation equals reduced anxiety (stress) and increased confidence. Prepare well for exams. It is never too early in a year to start revising. Leaving it all to the last couple of days or weeks is not a solid preparation.  Maintain a balance in your life. You still need some time to socialize, relax, exercise and maintain your other interests. But, considerable effort does need to be devoted to doing the best you can in your exams.  Eat well and sleep well. Stay away from foods that are not nutritious. Drink plenty of water.  Minimize /eliminate (preferable) alcohol and drug intake. This includes drinks like coffee and energy drinks.  Learn and practise ways of relaxing – meditation, breathing exercises, muscle relaxation etc.  Stay away from people that irritate or annoy you.  May we all have a safe and well deserved break and return refreshed for the new school term.

Fenella School Counsellor fdavid@international.school.fj

Advise for the next time you’re STRESSED: Take a step back, inhale and laugh.

Remember who you are and why you’re here…

You’re never given anything in this world that you can’t handle, Be strong, be flexible, love yourself and love others.

Always remember, just keep moving forward.

Careers Talk Another careers talk in a planned series of lunch hour sessions with professionals from various work organizations’ was held on Wednesday 8 June 2016. The purpose of these sessions are to create an awareness amongst our senior students on different career options that are available.

We were very fortunate to have two representatives from Erasito Consultants Limited share with the students, the field of Engineering.

Mr. Paul Briones (Mechanical Engineering) and Ms. Amor Acapulco (Civil Engineering) held a very informative and thought provoking session with the students. Although time was limited, they managed to cover the following areas:

   

Routes to becoming a Professional Engineer - see diagram below Briefly, the different types of Engineering Courses/Degrees Example of an engineering problem and implementing a project Questions and Answers

There were 13 students present at the session and more students are encouraged to make full use of these kinds opportunities. The more information gained on career options, the better prepared students will be to make sound decisions during their career planning.

We are indeed grateful to the professionals who come along during their lunch hour to chat with the students about career fields and steps students may have to take during their career planning to reach their career goals.

Thank you Mr. Paul Briones and Ms. Amor Acapulco.

Career planning is an ongoing process that can help you manage your learning and development.

Career planning is the continuous process of: •

thinking about your interests, values, skills and preferences;

•

exploring the life, work and learning options available to you;

•

ensuring that your work fits with your personal circumstances; and

•

Continuously fine-tuning your work and learning plans to help you manage the changes in your life and the world of work.

Ref: http://www.careercentre.dtwd.wa.gov.au/

Year 7 Update The inter-disciplinary unit (IDU) theme in Term Two is focused on identities and relationships. The key concepts embodied in this unit are change, interaction, environment, consequences and model, culture, identity and migration.

Students had an opportunity to work in the Science laboratory to design and perform an experiment to investigate the relationship between the weight applied to a spring and its period of oscillation. Quality elements of the design experiment were displayed from planning, through to investigation, data collection and processing, including the translation of data into graphical forms as well as the evaluation of procedure and conclusion.

Currently in Social Science, students are studying different aspects of their own culture and how they interact with other cultures. They had a chance to bring an artefact in to display and showcase to the class. As part of their learning, students were given an artefact from another culture to identify and recognise the significance and the meaning of its form and function, to investigate why it is the way it is (causation) and how it has changed the way things are done in society. This exercise will enable students to value and appreciate all aspects of other people’s cultures, as well as their own, and the impact of migration on their identity and cultural heritage.

Students have also had a chance to unleash their creativity and imagination through poetry in English. As part of their front-loading, the students produced a work of art based on how they viewed the world around them and then wrote their own expressions of this art piece in verse form. The students’ work has been exhibited on the walls in the classroom to express appreciation for the talent within the class.

In collaboration with Year 2 teachers and students, the Year 7 students are in full gear this week preparing their items for the International Children’s Day assembly which will take place next week on the last day of school. The class is divided into 4 groups where they are engaged in different roles, namely decorators, skit presenters, video presenters and comperes. It is encouraging to see their enthusiasm in discussions and preparations to celebrate children. This whole school assembly will be held on Friday, June 17 in the multi-purpose hall from 1.50pm.

BULA, I would like to introduce myself as your School Nurse. I am a Registered Nurse and have moved from Australia to Fiji with my husband and two children to pursue my dream of nursing overseas. This is the first time that ISS has had the services of an experienced Nursing practitioner in the role of School Nurse. I have had extensive experience in both the School and Ward settings. My role is to work within the school environment to help your child stay healthy throughout their schooling in order to aid learning and provide a foundation for healthy living.

As a part of this role, your child will be monitored in order to identify possible or potential problems. This will enable planning, using a ‘whole school approach’ model of care. This model of care involves working with the student, parents/carers and teachers in order to provide the best possible health and learning outcomes for your child. It is essential for the well-being and health of your child that his/her medical records are up to date. The more information that I have in regards to your child’s health needs, the better the service your child will receive. All student records and care given will be kept in the strictest confidence.

It has never been more important to ensure that we all know how to live more healthy lives. Health education that commences at an early age and continues throughout childhood and into adulthood will then ensure that the next generation is well informed. Thus, enabling their children, your grandchildren, to also stay healthy and have a better quality of life.

Please do not hesitate to contact me via email nurse@international.school.fj if you have any queries, worries or concerns. I look forward to working with you.

Jodie Barons Registered Nurse International School Suva

Physical Education Dept.

Suva i j a K y b g Ru

ISS RUGGERS Although the enthusiastic boys from ISS did not have the numbers to make up individual ISS teams per grade, they were just as happy to take part and join Latter Day Saints and John Wesley primary schools Under 9 - Under 12. Having participated in two matches so far, the ISS boys have taken their skills and knowledge from their Wednesday afterschool rugby training activities and showcased their strength and passion for the sport.

The Suva Kaji Rugby Competition ranges from Under 9 to Under 12 and is played on Saturdays at the Marcellin grounds in Vatuwaqa. We will bring you updates and results as the season progresses.

Coach - Mr. Jitoko

Year 8 - Student Perspectives GROWING TOMATO PLANTS Three weeks ago we planted some tomato plants in buckets coloured red and blue and hung them upside down. While people were working on the IDU and others had other things to do, people such as Nik, Jung Young and I helped get the soil required for the project. A couple of days later, Mr. Legaz bought all of the plants and showed us the plans made by Janifa, Sara and others. The design for the position of the buckets, went in a v formation, like this: . . .

←The top bucket (red) .

← The middle buckets (blue) . ← The bottom buckets (red)

The designs on the buckets however, had traditional masi used for the top and bottom buckets and the middle used a plant called a rangoli to give it some cultural flavour. As of now, the blue buckets have parsley and tomato, and the red buckets have a tomato plant and a plant of their choice.

Even when we worked for hours on end through the scorching sun, and spent more hours hanging the plants and drawing the designs on our buckets, the look and feel of the plants couldn’t have been better, if it wasn’t for Year 8 and Mr. Legaz, Ms. Tanya, Ms. Eastgate and anyone else who helped in our tranquil design.

Sean O’Driscoll

Year 8 - Student Perspectives Upside Down Tomatos In week 6 the Year 8 students came up with the idea to plant tomato plants, upside down. The idea was given to them by their pastoral teacher, Mr.Legaz. When the year level agreed to this idea, they started to brainstorm ideas for two different kinds of patterns. The first type of pattern was how the buckets were going to be hung from the third floor. After many rounds of voting, they finally decided on a zig zag looking pattern. There are three rows of buckets. They have put red buckets on the top row that have a certain design. In the middle they have hung blue buckets with another kind of design. For the last and bottom row they have more red buckets but with a different design from the top buckets. The design of the top row buckets is a palm tree inside a diamond shape. The second row, the blue buckets, have a rangoli design.

Which is an indian type of art that looks like a flower. On the bottom row with the second set of red buckets, the design is what looks like an hourglass with a triangle outline.

The type of plants that all of the buckets have are tomato plants. A group of people planted the tomato plants upside down in the bucket and while they were doing this the rest of the people were inside drawing their designs on the bucket. When they were finished with their designs they would take them down to the people who were planting the tomato plants. When each bucket had a plant inside of it, it was taken up stairs to where they hung the buckets in the zigzag design. Along with the tomato plants the Year 8’s decided to have another kind of plant growing upwards from the soil in the bucket. In the middle row the blue buckets have parsley inside of them. The kind of plant growing from the top and bottom red buckets is still yet to be decided.

Michael Watson

I nt e rnatio nal Schoo l Suva pa rt i cip at es in th e:

Amazing European Union Race 2016

What is Europe Day?

Europe day is celebrated on the 9th of May, celebrating peace and unity in Europe and all over the world. To celebrate EU day, EU foundation organises activities, concerts, parties and games for people of all ages to take part in.

When we found out we were chosen to represent International School Suva for the EU Amazing Race, we had mixed feelings about it. Some of us were excited for being chosen while others were “depressed” because of the physical activity required. Nevertheless, we all couldn't wait for the day to come. The venue for the event was the University of the South Pacific.

As we arrived at the venue, we felt intimidated by others considering the age and height difference, but when the race started, we forgot all our worries and troubles behind and went on with the race. To say we were prepared for it, was a definite understatement. We got all the questions based on Fiji right but we struggled with the questions on Europe, the geography-based questions to be exact.

This experience was good because not only did we learn things about Europe but we got closer to our classmates since we all are in different groups. When we found out about our final scores, we were four points off coming in first place. Of course we were a bit disappointed but we were proud of how we all worked together as a group and that’s what matters.

Breea, Shannon, Nonney, Tristan and Lucas – Year 8

ISS - Head of High School

The AST & ATAR The AST and ATAR We are already half way through the year, and the Year 12 students are now heading into the final stage of assessment items and examinations.

Whilst it is well known that students completing the IB Diploma will have a raft of external examinations based on the two years of work, Internal Assessment items have to be sent away for moderation, and externally marked tasks such as the Extended Essay, TOK essay and Language A tasks that will be sent for examination; the ACT students also are gearing up for an extremely important major external examination, namely the AST. Students sit the AST (ACT Scaling Test) in the first Tuesday and Wednesday of September; this year, September 6th and 7th. This is a test provided by ACER (Australian Council for Educational Research); the same agency that prepares the ISA tests used by the school to assess student literacy and numeracy in years 3-10. The AST incorporates skills useful at university such as critical thinking, literacy and numeracy, and as all students sit a common test, is used as a means of comparison across schools in the ACT program. The AST has three components, a multiple choice test, a short response test (which asks students to interpret a stimulus, explain and justify their point of view), and a writing task where students are expected to present an argumentative essay based on stimulus material.

The AST is very challenging (but interesting) and whilst it is designed to be accessible to all, it does take practice for students to be at all successful, hence the mocks that have been held at the start of each term since early on in Year 11. Student preparation also occurs in the scheduled contact time with the ACT Coordinator each week. This year additional feedback has been sought by sending one of the mock writing tasks completed by our students to Canberra for moderation, and students will be given their feedback next week. Although similar tasks for the AST are provided in day to day teaching, it is extremely helpful if a student is well versed in current events and can clearly articulate their point of view, particularly for the writing task. Parents can help in this aspect by regularly discussing current events with their children.

Students must make what is deemed to be a serious attempt in all three components of the AST. Failure to do so will mean that the student does not get an ATAR as the score for AST can be cancelled. An important source of information is on the BSSS website and many parents and students will find the link at the end of this article useful: The information gained from student AST results is used to scale course scores and help to produce the ATAR (Australian Tertiary Admission Rank). This is a percen-

tile ranking ranging from 30 up to 99.95 and is a means of comparison of the individual student relative to the rest of those students who would normally finish Year 12 in the program in that year. It is used for admission to universities around the world and many will publish cut-off ATAR scores for programs with restricted entry. An ATAR of 85.00 essentially means that the student is in the top 15% of the student population who matriculated with an ATAR in Year 12 of that year.

ACT students will sit their final mock exam at the start of next term on the teacher only day. Students should view this as a good opportunity to really try their very best and an indicator as to possible performance in the final AST later in the third term.

AST results do not appear on a certificate, but students will receive a certificates indicating their ATAR from BSSS. Usually certificates are received by the school around the end of November and students will be able to collect their result from school.

Megan Navunisaravi Head of High School Ref: http://www.bsss.act.edu.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0007/313873/ Student_Information_Bulletin_2016_WEB.pdf

Melanesian Games

ISS duo to represent Fiji The Melanesian Games was last held in 2009 and has recently been revived by Athletics Fiji in their efforts to bolster growth of the sport and gain significant grounds in becoming one of the most prominent sports in the country. The games will consist mostly of track & field events and are scheduled for the 7th 9th July at the ANZ Stadium in Suva.

Adubi Plange of Year 12 and Pio Manoa of Year 11 have been invited to join and represent Fiji in the following events: 

Adubi Plange - 100m & 200m, Under 18. Adubi is excited as this is her first time to represent Fiji. She is also training hard and would like to beat her personal best. She is currently not aware of what the competition holds but should strength & speed be on her side, then a medal is her utmost goal.



Pio Manoa - 800m, Under 18 - Pio is also excited and is glad that the 2 years of training has paid off. This is also his first time to represent the country and he has hopes that this will just be the beginning.

Whilst ISS is proud to announce this, we are also delighted to note that Maia Ramsden Year 9 and Stella Keenan Year 10 have been approached to take part.

Stella Keenan - Discus Under 18 is currently a reserve and says that she felt honored to even be considered. Maia Ramsden will also be taking part; however, she will do so on an invitational basis. They have all acknowledged that their acceptance into these games are due largely to the efforts of their coach, Mr. Fesaitu Mario of the Pacific Sports Academy.

From L-R : Stella Keenan, Adubi Plange & Pio Manoa. Insert: Maia Ramsden

ISS - Physical Education

Year 12 Outdoor Education Beqa Island Snorkelling and Expedition th

th

11 – 14 May The students spent two days on Beqa camping, hiking and snorkelling. We stayed in an unfinished resort shell next door to Waisomo village.

On returning to Pacific Harbour the students canoed up the river mangrove forest for 3 hours. After setting up camp, the students were then taken on a night mystery tour of Pacific Harbour. On arrival back at camp the students were in bed by 9pm and did not awake till 9am the next day. Exhausted, the students devoured the breakfast feast. An amazing journey and experience was had by all.

Mr Barons

Schools Swimming

Championships The National Schools Swimming Championships were held at the Damodar City Aquatic Centre on Friday 27 and Saturday 28 May. Apart from determining the best competitive swimming schools in the country, the Championships also served as a test event for the Oceania Swimming Championships, to be held 19 - 25 June.

The National Championships were run under FINA Rules and included the use of electronic timing complete with an electronic score board. The novelty of the day for the swimmers was to see their name up on the board, their final finish time and their placing in the heat; all within seconds of the race finishing.

The meet was well organized despite a delay on the first day with the electronics and our thanks go out to the organizers who worked many long hours to ensure the renovations on the pool were completed in time for Friday morning and the facility was clean and ready for the thirtyfive schools who participated.

International School Suva entered two teams; 52 swimmers in the Primary Schools Division and 42 swimmers in the Secondary Schools Division.

In the Primary Schools Division the boys’ team came 5th with 9 Gold medals 5 Silver medals and 8 Bronze. The girls’ team won 2 Gold medals, 2 Silver medals and 6 Bronze.

In the Secondary Division the boys’ won 3rd place with 9 Golds, 11 Silvers, and 8 Bronzes. The girls’ team won 2nd place with 12 Golds, 12 silvers and 15 Bronzes.

Altogether both teams Primary and Secondary did extremely well.

The Primary swimmers did some amazing swims. Training sessions

on some days were a challenge as we had to battle for limited pool space in the afternoons. Correcting technique and developing stamina was the order of each session.

Swimming everything in a 25m pool also meant they were a little concerned when they had to swim in the 50m pool on the day. The primary school swimmers were extremely well disciplined and put into practice all the skills they had been practising over the last three weeks. The relays were a joy to watch and despite some being disqualified for technique infraction, the determination and team spirit had all our supporters cheering.

The 9-10 Year old boys broke the meet record in both their relays; the 4x50m medley relay and the 4x50m freestyle relay.

The secondary team pulled out all stops to get a truly outstanding result. The secondary Interhouse Competition was held only two weeks before the event with the team list going in to the organizers that Friday. The seniors in particular had their exam week up to Thursday before competition. So the results achieved are truly outstanding.

It must be said that not all the ISS swimmers are club swimmers.

Every year we manage to find new potential athletes in our PE Learnto- Swim program.

I would like to thank all the parents who supported their children through this competition. The Primary PE staff, The Secondary PE staff and Eddie and Lai our security guards who kept all the swimmers supplied with hot chocolate and “magic” juice throughout the two days of competition. Setting up the tents and ensuring everyone had a place to stretch out and rest was done under the supervision of Mr Dona. Miss Emele had the unenviable task of sitting in the marshalling area to ensure all our swimmers got to their races on time.

In the officiating team ISS had three sports studies students and two teachers officiating. Their presence at the ends of the pool made it all friendlier for our school swimmers.

And finally a huge thank you to Maggie Burton’s family for organizing the swimming caps. For the first time ISS has had a swim cap to wear for the competition. The cap made it easier to identify our swimmers in the pool and in the words of young Rowdy Adams, it definitely made him feel like he was swimming faster. We wish Maggie all the best in her swimming as she heads back to Australia next term and the same to any of our swim teams who may be leaving us this term.

Jennifer Liew

The 9-10 Years old Boys ISS relay team showcasing the new ISS Swim caps.

From left to right: Tom Landrey, Tabbai Soko, Papanui Liew-Masters, Nicholas Heuss.

Swimming Awards

The ABRSM was founded in 1889 in London, England to become the independent examination board for The Royal College of Music, The Royal Academy of Music, both in London, The Royal Northern College of Music and lastly, The Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama.

Since those early days, the ABRSM has grown to become the world’s largest music examination board with over 600,000 examinations being held each year throughout the world and with representation in 90 countries. They are a truly international body and that suits very much our own School where pupils come from many different countries. A certificate from ABRSM is a certificate with worldwide acceptance to high standards.

At the start of ABRSM, the examiners were teachers from the Royal Schools of Music, but that has of course been expanded but without a loss of quality. Their examiners are all well trained professionals of a high calibre and many fly out to various countries around the world for the practical examinations.

We wish to congratulate four students who sat the ABRSM exams in April and have attained the following results: 1.

2.

3.

4. .

Anqi Wang, Year 6 - ABRSM Certificate of Distinction in Grade 2 Music Theory.

Hana Fujii-Bennet, Year 9 - ABRSM Certificate of Merit in Grade 6 Music Theory Shin Yee Chee, Year 9 - ABRSM Certificate of Merit in Grade 2 Music Theory Alejandro Clemente, Year12 - ABRSM Certificate of Distinction in Grade 5 Music Theory

L-R Anqi Wang, Hana Fujii-Bennet, Shin Yee Chee, Alejandro Clemente

International School Suva is now a center for the ABRSM exams and offers testing for theory and practical aspects. If you are interested, please contact Ms. Carol Yao on cyao@international.school.fj for more details.

ISS PRODUCTION 2016 ‘Caught up in the Dozen’ Alex Karountzos - Head of The Arts The 2016 Production was a challenge which students of ISS embraced with success. Deciding to take on technical elements was a bold and totally unique approach for our students, who were so used to the focus of singing and dancing in school productions. Our Director, Mia Kami decided to use the stimulus of the film Cheaper By The Dozen to enter in a team with Michael Masonis and Alex Karountzos, to write a new, completely original storyline, incorporating some stock characters and introducing some fresh faces to add to the comedy.

Collaboration was an essential aspect of pooling together ideas and approaches.

With a dynamic group of student leaders and teacher mentors of costume and makeup, sound and audio visual, set design and backstage management, it was clear that success was inevitable.

The cast, representing all levels of ISS students, took on board their characters with enthusiasm. Hard work and rehearsals with some improvisation made the characters unique and the story come to life. What started as a group comprising very different personalities, started to replicate a family in action.

We congratulate the whole cast and crew of Caught Up in The Dozen for their determination to achieve success and create good memories for students at ISS.

Dear Parents, Guardians, Teachers and Students, ISS Fun Day will be held this year on Saturday 6th August!!! As you know, Fun Day is our biggest social event of the year and we humbly ask parents and students again for their support so that we can create Suva's Best Fun-Filled Day Out for 2016 with the emphasis on fun!

For Primary and Middle School students it commences with the Fun Day Poster Design Competition so we encourage our young artists to participate. All submissions need to be made before the Friday 15th July deadline. Something creative to do during the holidays perhaps? See poster on the next page for all the details.

As in the past we all work as a team so all coordinators will be fully supported by the Parent Teacher and Friends Association (PTFA). The category that we need the most volunteers for is the International food stalls.

As always we will be holding Mufti days again to collect items for our white elephant stall and the book stall. Our scheduled mufti days are: Term 2 - Friday 10th June, Friday 17th June.

Term 3 - Friday 15th July, Friday 22nd July and Friday 29th July.

The Fun Day Mufti Competition will also start on Friday10 June. To participate we ask that you bring the following unwanted, used or new items (in usable condition) from home: Books / magazines Clothes / footwear Toys / bric-a-brac Each item will count as a point for your class so bring as many items as you can! The class that has the most points in Primary and Secondary wins.

Please contact the PTFA Social Coordinator Judy Compain via email at ptfa@international.school.fj if you wish to volunteer or if you have a question. We look forward to hearing from our parents and to seeing all the students’ wonderful Fun Day posters.

Thank you and your PTFA wishes you a relaxing holiday break!

DATES TO REMEMBER MUFTI SCHEDULE Friday 17 June, Friday 15 July, Friday 22 July, Friday 29 July Some important things to remember: * Mark each donation with your name and class. * Drop off your donation at Primary or Secondary office.

6 1 0 2 Y A FU N D n o i t i t e p ter Com Pos t

Open to stud ents from Primar y to M iddle School.

Sur prise Prize s for the W inn ers!!

Requirements:  1 poster per student only.  Must be in A4 size, portrait format and in full  Illustrati color. ons should reflect activities from prev ious Fun Days.  The only words that may be used are: Fun Day 10am – 3pm, Saturd ay 6th August 20 16 & International Scho ol Suva

Deadline: POSTERS must have artist’s Name + Class on the back and be submitted to the Primary or Secondary Office by Friday, 15th July.

Prizes for 2 winners: One from Primary school and one from Middle school, but only one will be the Final Winner. This competition is organised by your PTFA. Questions? Contact Salote Narayan at snarayan@international.school.fj

Whats happening this week in the……..

SECONDARY ART ROOM

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Year 11 ACT English Students practising for their performance of the Crucible.

Year 9 English Students creating murals as responses to the novels they’ve been studying this semester.

Year 10 Art Students preparing their IGCSE Art coursework.

Upcoming Events (Term 2 - 3) T2: WEEK 10 Monday, June 13 Year 10 Camp Mon-Wed

T3: WEEK 1 Wednesday, July 13 All students begin

Friday, June 17 T3: WEEK 2 PRIMARY PRESS Thursday, July 21 Reports sent home 3:30pm Secondary parent Whole School Assembly interviews International Children's Day Friday, July 22 5:00pm Year level update School nurses visit MS Term Ends Year level update T3: WEEK 4 Tuesday, August 2 ICAS English Saturday, August 6 ISS FUN DAY T3: WEEK5 Friday, August 12 1:00pm Whole School Assembly - International Day of Charity