ISH Newsletter September 2017

Issue N° 26 / SEPTEMBER 2017

ISH NEWSLETTER

The latest news and updates from International School of Hellerup

Welcome!

Welcome to the 26th issue of our school newsletter - now under the name “ISH Newsletter”. I hope you like the new name and look! The ISH Newsletter is a monthly publication with news, updates and stories from our school community.

In this issue, we have collected information that we hope will be useful to you at the beginning of the school year as well as reflections and stories from the first weeks of school.

Highlights in this issue include our Head of School’s welcome message to new and returning families on page 2, our librarian Ms. Andrée Keenoy’s story about the recent Usborne Book Fair and the book reading habits among children and young adults on page 6, and the vivid description of the DP retreat in Lyngby by DP Advisors Agnieszka Ceren and Danielle Sanford on page 9.

IN THIS ISSUE: News from the Head of School Key Dates for the 2017/18 School Year PTA News ASCP News Mother Tongue Program at ISH Library Corner

I hope you enjoy this edition!

Primary School News

Warm regards,

Secondary School News

Karolina MacAulay Communications Officer

Report from the DP Retreat

ISH Newsletter / Issue N° 26 / SEPTEMBER 2017

News from the Head of School Mr. Nedzat Asanovski Head of School

Welcome new and returning families! Every year we go from strength to strength. I am pleased to inform you that more than 100 new students joined our community this August. I hope that all returning families have had a wonderful summer and have settled into the new school year, and I hope that all new families have taken the time to get familiar with your new community and feel that you have received a good welcome from ISH. We have increased the number of faculty members at ISH this school year. Being an international school means that many staff members are expats and they move on to seek new adventures elsewhere after working in our school for some years. We said goodbye to ten staff members in June and we wish them the best of luck in their new work places . We have had

the pleasure of welcoming 15 new staff members to join our wonderful team. I would like to thank our students for welcoming the new staff members. Many of them have expressed several times that we have such lovely students here at ISH. I would like to encourage as many parents as possible to volunteer for the library. We purchased many new books before the summer break and we would appreciate some support from parents to help us get the books ready for our students as soon as possible.

We have a wonderful Parent Teacher Association (PTA) in our school. I would like to encourage parents to get involved in this association and help support our school community. The PTA is a very important part of the school since it is with the support of parents that we can make our school even better and it is with the support of parents that we build strong relationships and partnerships with the school and parents.

I feel privileged to be a part of this school family and I truly hope that this feeling is mutual with the parents.

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ISH Newsletter / Issue N° 26 / SEPTEMBER 2017

Key Dates for the 2017/18 School Year August 16, 2017

First Day of School

October 16 - 20, 2017

School Holiday: Autumn Break PYP Holiday Care Program*

October 23, 2017

School Holiday for Students (Professional Day for Staff )

December 21, 2017 January 5, 2018

School Holiday: Christmas Holiday.

Please note: the After School Care Programme is open on Dec 21 and 22 from 8:30 am - 4:30 pm and is free of charge for ASCP students.

January 2 - 5, 2018

January 4 - 5, 2018

PYP Holiday Care Program*

January 8, 2018

Classes resume for PYP (School closed for MYP/DP)

January 9, 2018

Classes resume for MYP/DP

February 12 - 16, 2018

School Holiday: Winter Break PYP Holiday Care Program*

March 26 - April 2, 2018

School Holiday: Easter Break Note: there is no Holiday Care Program for Easter Break

April 27, 2018

School Holiday: Common Prayer Day

May 10 - 11, 2018

School Holiday: Ascension Day

May 21, 2018

School Holiday: Day after Pentecost

June 5, 2018

School Holiday: Constitution Day

June 17, 2018

End of Year Celebration

School Holiday for Students (Professional Day for Staff )

* More information about the ISH Enrichments Program can be found here.

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ISH Newsletter / Issue N° 26 / SEPTEMBER 2017

PTA News Ms. Karolina MacAulay PTA Coordinator

My name is Karolina MacAulay and I’m taking over the reins as PTA Coordinator this school year. I would like to say a big thank you to my predecessors Katrina Salinas and Jamé Johnson for a smooth handover and for preparing me for the year ahead!

Thank you to all who came to the PTA Welcome Meeting on August 29, it was really nice to see so many parents there. For those of you who couldn’t make it – I look forward to meeting you at some of the upcoming PTA meetings and at other PTA events and activities. If you are interested to learn what was discussed at the August meeting, you can find the minutes here.

September PTA Meeting The next PTA Meeting will be held on Thursday, September 28 from 4:00 – 5:00 pm. The agenda for this meeting will be posted on our website one week prior to the meeting. If you would like to add to the agenda, please contact me at pta@ish.dk.

PTA Committee We are hoping to build a strong PTA Committee this year and we need more parents to get involved in order for the PTA to run smoothly.

We are looking for candidates for the following roles: • Chair • Vice Chair • Treasurer • Secretary • Event Coordinator(s) Descriptions for each role are available here. We currently have one candidate for the role as PTA chair and I’m hoping that more parents will express their interest to join the Committee. If you would like to volunteer for a role, please contact me at pta@ish.dk. If there are more than one candidate for a position, we will hold elections at the next PTA meeting on September 28.

ISH Community Facebook Groups There are many different ways that parents can stay in touch with each other and the school on social media.

ISH Facebook Page The official page for the school - managed by the school. www.facebook.com/ishellerup ISH Community Facebook Group This is a private Facebook group managed by ISH parents. It is used as a place to share information about life in Denmark, post photos from community events and as a place to buy and sell goods and share information about accommodation rent/sale etc. www.facebook.com/ groups/261055100681540/ International School of Hellerup – Mom’s Club A private Facebook group, managed by ISH parents, for ISH families that are interested in connecting outside school-hours. Join the group to see invites for parent coffee mornings and other events. www.facebook.com/ groups/221611831591103/ The school is introducing more social media channels this autumn - please stay tuned for updates on this.

Parent Meetups ISH Mom’s Club Coffee Mornings Coffee mornings for parents held at different cafés in Copenhagen - all are welcome. Join the International School of Hellerup – Mom’s Club Facebook group to get event invites.

ISH Men’s Night Out For the past few years we have organized a once a month meeting for all the Men at school, it’s a great way for men to meet up especially if they’re new to the school.

What: Come meet other dads from the school away from school When: First Thursday of every month at 19:30 starting today, September 7.

Where: Taphouse (might change in the future so please text Abbie your email at 71870967 to join the mailing list).

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ISH Newsletter / Issue N° 26 / SEPTEMBER 2017

ASCP News

Mother Tongue Program at ISH

Ms. Chiara Giani

ASCP Coordinator

We have started this school year full of energy and new amazing projects for our students! Every day we offer different activities starting at 3:00 pm. In addition to our Homework Club, there will be a Science Club, Team games, Arts and Crafts, a Baking club, a Performance Club and a Music club. Moreover, we will announce an Explorers Club, which at announced times will organize field trips to learn about the local community. Please encourage your kids to take part in these workshops, they are really fun and a good alternative to free play.

The new digital system for sign out is almost ready to run!

Every parent/caregiver will be able to set up a new code and locate their children at ASCP. From the app, you will get some useful updates and be able to set up playdates.

Our team has grown, welcome on board Mr. Pune Thomas, Mrs. Melissa Coleman, Ms. Veronica Lynton, Mr. Daniel Garrett and Ms. Cristina Mendonca!

Ms. Coleman

Ms. Lynton

Mr. Thomas

Mr. Garrett

Ms. Mendonca

Need to contact ASCP? For daily communications: ascp@ish.dk – 35 55 50 43

Maintenance of mother tongue is encouraged and supported at ISH. We recognize that continuing to develop students’ mother tongue and literacy skills in their home language supports the development of their English language skills.

At ISH, we facilitate mother tongue programs after school by providing classroom space and arranging for teachers to deliver instruction and helping to set up each of the programs.

Lessons will be held by a native Teacher and will focus not only on grammar, but also on different cultural aspects. It will be a fun journey through the history, geography, literature and traditions of the countries that speak the same language. Learning materials will be provided by parents, in accordance with the teacher’s recommendations.

Classes must have a minimum of five students and the cost of the classes will be 1600 kr for term 1 (Sept – Dec 2017) and 1600 kr for term 2 (Jan – June 2018). If you are interested in enrolling your child, please fill in the online form that you can find on the Mother Tongue Page on our website. You will be contacted in case the class reaches the minimum number of students required.

For questions regarding the Mother Tongue Program at ISH, contact our MTP Coordinator, Chiara Giani at cgiani@ish.dk.

ASCP Coordinator: cgiani@ish.dk 5

ISH Newsletter / Issue N° 26 / SEPTEMBER 2017

Library Corner Ms. Andrée Keenoy School Librarian

On the 29th and 30th of August Usborne held a book fair to welcome the children into the new school year. Organizing book fairs in schools boosts up reading habits among children and we do believe that reading is not only a pleasure, but it is also the best way to make life-long learners out of our children. Children see others acquiring books and perceive it as a “cool” thing to do.

The book fair had an excellent stock of books for children of all ages and interests. During the school day, PreK, PYP, and MYP children visited the book fair for a half an hour or so. Some of the younger ones participated in storytelling and had the opportunity to browse the books and write their wish lists. MYP students also

enjoyed the opportunity to spend some time making their own choices. It was a pleasure to see them engrossed by books and not glued to their cell phones. Worldwide book reading habits in teenagers decrease day by day, so keeping up their interest is one of the library´s main challenges. (The library has also bought a big selection of fiction books addressed to them.)

The book fair was held in our library and it was a great success - our school received free Usborne books to the value of 17,220 DKK! A big thank you to all the parents for their support and a special thank you to the parent volunteers that helped throughout the two days.

We received free books to the value of 17,220 DKK

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ISH Newsletter / Issue N° 26 / SEPTEMBER 2017

Primary School News Mr. Stef Fleet

Primary School Principal

Welcome Back! A warm welcome to new and existing families. The PYP Leadership team in 2017/2018 consists of:

Our PYP Single Subject Teacher Team for 2017 • • • • • •

Ms Stine Hybler: Danish Advanced (maternity cover for Ms Speirs until December) Ms Lilly-From Poulsen: Danish Intermediate Ms Mette Roende: Danish Beginners Ms Laura Demaria: PYP PHE (PreK to PYP5) Ms Johanne Druitt: PYP Music (PYP2 - PYP5) Ms Helene McClellan: PYP Music (K - PYP2)

A message from our new PYP Curriculum Coordinator Mr. Stef Fleet Primary School Principal sfleet@ish.dk

Ms. Joanna Okolowicz PYP Curriculum Coordinator and PYP2 teacher jokolowicz@ish.dk We see a strong home-school partnership as fundamental to your child’s success. We hope to achieve this by valuing both home and school as important environments for a child’s learning and growth, providing clear communication, and working together to make positive changes.

We held a number of PYP information sessions in August, including: • • •

Parent Orientation Evening with homeroom teachers (PreK - PYP 5) Introduction to the PYP Curriculum Single Subject Teachers Exhibition

We appreciated the strong support for these sessions.

Key PYP First Term Events • • •

Parent-Teacher Conferences October 9-13 (times are arranged with homeroom teachers 2 weeks beforehand) Sports Day: October 13 December Report Cards published: December 20

Welcome after the summer break! I am Joanna Okolowicz, the new Curriculum Coordinator for the Primary Years Programme. I am pleased to take on the coordinator role cover for the next 2 years, which will be my 13th year in Education.

Three years ago I departed my previous IB school, which celebrated its 50th anniversary, and I joined International School of Hellerup. I have been truly impressed by the open-mindedness and positivity I have seen within a community that just began the PYP adventure. Throughout my educational profession I have held a teaching and leadership role including developing and implementing the inquiry-based PYP curriculum.

I have observed that learning and teaching develops within a partnership of support and trust between students, teachers, management and parents.

Students who are engaged and motivated are happy to come into school. Teachers who are supported and encouraged to be risk-takers and try out new things have the confidence to explore new methods and approaches to teaching. They strive to create positive cultures of lifelong learning and creative thinking where students, teachers and parents alike enjoy their environments for learning.

I look forward to participating in and strengthening such a partnership at ISH over the next two years. Here is to an outstanding year as partners in your child’s education.

Joanna Okolowicz 7

ISH Newsletter / Issue N° 26 / SEPTEMBER 2017

Secondary School News Ms. Monika Pedersen

Secondary School Principal

We are thrilled to be starting a brand new academic year. There is always that bitter sweet feeling when starting school, making new friends, dealing with new challenges, but this will evaporate as we get into our stride and the year rolls.

Team building and getting to know one another, as well as making good connections with people is crucial and being able to work in a group successfully is an invaluable attribute. To nurture these skills, each grade level in MYP 1-5 will be heading off on their MYP Retreat to bond together, as a grade level or class and to have some fun.

The itineraries by the advisors are being devised and the excitement is growing as each grade

level organizes their trips. The students are accompanied by their MYP teachers, so they can get to know each other and build a common understanding outside of the classroom situation. The MYP Retreats will take place from Thursday, September 7 to Friday, September 8.

MYP 1, lead by Ms. Castillo and Ms. Søndergård are heading to Ishøj and the Arken museum.

MYP 2, lead by M. Dicle and Mr. Vazquez are travelling to Næstved.

MYP 3, headed up by Ms. Ingwar and Mr. Mert, are taking a trip to Kalundborg.

MYP 4, along with Ms. Pedersen and Mr. Clement, are heading for Rosklide to the Viking Museum.

And MYP 5 with Ms. Soderstrom and Ms. Moore travel North to Helsingør to Hamlet’s Castle.

We hope to bring you more stories about the retreats in our next edition!

Student Council Student voice and leadership are valued at ISH and one avenue to create opportunity for this is through Student Council. The role of the Council is to communicate with the administration regarding issues about which students feel strongly, to fund raise for the good of others in the local and global community, and to organize student activities to build school spirit.

Our Student Council, assisted by advisor, Katie Fox, will be starting up this coming month. The process starts with student elections. In the first instance, in-class elections for student class representatives will take place. This will be followed by an assembly where students looking to take on positions with more responsibility such as Communications Officer or President, will make presentations and the study body will then take a vote. Once the lucky candidates have been appointed, the meetings and work will begin. The group will also participate in a team building activity on Wednesday, September 27.

We look forward to some great achievements by the Student Council in this coming year!

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ISH Newsletter / Issue N° 26 / SEPTEMBER 2017

Report from the DP Retreat Ms. Agnieszka Ceren DP2 Advisor

Ms. Danielle Sanford DP1 Advisor

The DP classes this year at ISH spent a wonderful three days and two nights at the Lyngby Hostel in Dyrehaven for our annual Retreat.

Starting our day on Wednesday at school, the students attended workshops about the DP Program, college counselling, and were formally introduced to the new DP Principal, Monika Pedersen. Once we arrived at the Hostel, students led each other in team-building activities so the whole DP class could get to know each other better.

We have many new faces in DP and we believe that building a strong community of DP students will help lead them to a successful completion of the program. We ended our first day with a bon-fire as we also like to stress the importance of mindfulness and of decompressing after a long, hard-working day.

On Thursday, the students began with another round of workshops that were geared towards two of their Core Topics of the DP: Extended Essays (EE) and Creativity, Activity, Service (CAS).

The DP2 students focused on citations for their EE as their drafts are due next week. DP1 students focused on finding a research topic as they have not yet started their EE. After an academic morning, the students were treated to a fun and invigorating dance session led by Julienne Doko, our French teacher who is also a professional dancer. Students who are new to Denmark also received an Introduction to Denmark workshop led by Rune Hansen.

Continued on next page 9

ISH Newsletter / Issue N° 26 / SEPTEMBER 2017 We want students to learn about the country in which they are being educated as well as strategies for coping with the long, cold, and dark Danish winters. On Friday, we ended the retreat with a scavenger hunt through Dyrehaven organized by our art teacher Liz Moore. Students got to experience the wonderful nature Denmark has to offer while continuing to bond with their classmates.

We were treated to three excellent days of good weather, fun, bonding, and learning. Our aim with the retreat was to balance mindfulness activities with relevant information about the DP course to help the students succeed not only academically, but socially and emotionally as well. We want to establish an environment that helps students focus on their goals while balancing social, academic, and emotional well-being.

A DP2 student explaining his Extended Essay to a DP1 student.

Students participating in an international mindedness activity

The Lyngby Hostel

Students discussing the Extended Essay

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