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ISSUE 66 VOLUME 25 DECEMBER 2018

Holiday cheer abounds this time of year as a multitude of traditions are celebrated around the world.

Whether you celebrate Hanukkah, Christmas, Kwanzaa, Bodhi Day, the Winter Solstice or another important event in your life, we wish you a wonderful time with family and friends.

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About ISK The International School of Kenya (ISK) is a private, non-profit PreKGrade 12 school created in 1976 through a joint partnership between the governments of the United States and Canada. Nestled on 40 acres of a former coffee plantation, ISK serves the educational needs of both expatriate and Kenyan students who seek a challenging international curriculum which leads to the rigorous International Baccalaureate Diploma program.

ISK’s internationally focused curriculum has helped Kenya become a magnet for foreign business investment and a desired posting for those working for the continuing development of East Africa.

Expatriate families consider Kenya a quality career opportunity, in part due to the quality education they find at ISK. Likewise, Kenyan families who want an international, culturally diverse education for their children see ISK as the school of choice.

ISK has over 980 students from more than 65 countries. Graduates earn an ISK North American accredited diploma and approximately 70 percent of ISK graduates earn the IB Diploma, enabling them to study at some of the most respected and competitive colleges and universities in the world. ISK students form a supportive, spirited and diverse community, which enables new students to adapt easily to campus life. Interacting in such a welcoming cross-cultural milieu, ISK students celebrate the unique and wonderful differences and similarities of people from around the world.

The value of respect for each other and for Kenya is evident at ISK, as is a commitment to giving back to the community. Our scholarship program for Kenyan students, together with a broad and dedicated service-learning program which serves our local and national community, have shaped our school values since 1967 and continue today.

In keeping with ISK’s strategic mission and vision, we are dedicated to empowering each student to create solutions for tomorrow’s challenges. Therefore, we have embarked on a multi-million dollar facility and program expansion project to provide students and faculty with the programs, tools and facilities necessary for success. Once completed, ISK will be able to accommodate 1,200 students with expanded programs and facilities.

EDITORIAL TEAM Lynn Wells Pamela Pappas Martin Mulwa DESIGN & PRODUCTION Mario Zamfir - SchoolBrand.com Copyright © 2018 The Link Copyright © 2018 ISK. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or distributed in any form or by any means, or stored in a database or retrieval system, without the prior written permission of the publisher. Trademarks: The Link, ISK and their associated logos are trademarks of the International School of Kenya. All other names, logos, and trademarks of other companies shown in this publication are the property of their respective owners.

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Teaching & Learning Center

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Service Learning

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Sports Awards Winners

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PTO News

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ISK News

4 6 10 22 34 Director Letter

ES Report

MS Report

HS Report

Advancement News

With a holiday season break upon us, many ISK families are traveling to visit family or will have family visiting them here in Kenya.

This semester has been filled with so many positive moments.

On Tuesday, December 11th we celebrated Jamhuri Day in the Middle School.

Thank you to high school families for your engagement and support this semester.

We’re excited to announce that the Advancement Office is in the process of reorganization and expansion.

Read more on page 6

Read more on page 10

Read more on page 22

Read more on page 34

Read more on page 4

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David G. Henry Director

PEACE FOR THE NEW YEAR AND YOUR FAMILY With a holiday season break upon us, many ISK families are traveling to visit family or will have family visiting them here in Kenya. Our ISK community has supportive, familial relationships as well.

It has been an amazing first semester and there is not a day that goes by where I do not see the ISK community demonstrate close, supportive interactions. All are working together for the best of the community and the school.

The one key piece of evidence in all this is the way our diverse school community comes together for the best interest of ISK, particularly our students. For this we should all be grateful; grateful we have a community that cares about each and every one of its members, whether they are students, teachers, parents or staff.

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Director’s Letter With this in mind, I would like to wish you and your family all the best for the upcoming holiday season and peace for the New Year. May all your wishes for your family come true in the New Year.

relations, communications and marketing.

DIRECTOR OF COMMUNITY RELATIONS AND ADVANCEMENT APPOINTED Part of our strategic plan this year is to begin to review and redesign ISK’s organizational chart to reflect ISK’s Guiding Statements and our learning pathways for what we believe is an optimal number of 1200 students for our campus.

Pamela Pappas will become head of the Advancement Office as the new Director of Community Relations & Advancement and will serve on the school’s Admin Team. This new position and the responsibilities are, again, part of the planned reorganization of the Advancement Office.

The Advancement Office has been restructured for the 2019-20 school year to align with our strategic move to focus more on community relations while supporting a more streamlined fundraising approach.

The Advancement Office will still promote its well-established annual fundraising campaign (the Inspiration Initiative) along with admissions, alumni, community

Please join me in congratulating one of our staff members on her promotion effective July 2019.

Pamela has proven her professional and personal dedication to furthering the mission and vision of ISK and I congratulate her on this well-deserved promotion.

Peace for the New Year, David G. Henry Director

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ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

Dear ES Community, What an amazing first semester we have had here at ISK! I would like to personally thank the ISK Community for welcoming our family with open arms. This semester has been filled with so many positive moments. Our children feel part of a caring environment where they can be themselves. I wish you all a wonderful break, and look forward to partnering in the upcoming semester. The best to you all in 2019!!!

We say goodbye to some families that are headed to new places, and truly wish you all the best with your new adventures. We hope that your memories of ISK are filled with joy. We will celebrate our students moving on in our assembly on Tuesday, so please come and join us.

The semester has gone so quickly, and we would like to take some time to recap a few highlights from the semester.

• Building relationships and a caring community - Our ES team worked consistently on this, as we know that our students must feel safe in order to learn optimally. We will continue to stress this in January as we welcome new families and continue to deep our connections with students.

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• Math - Our ES team spent the majority of our professional learning time on building horizontal and vertical alignment with our math practices. We have created a math curriculum team that is supporting each grade level as they build units, assessments and lessons. We also have held multiple parent teas to support our math work. As we think about second semester, we will be including more of these teas to help you understand our conceptual math program.

• Library events - We welcomed Ms. Conroy this year, and she has done a wonderful job of not only promoting reading, but creating a fun, exciting environment to motivate our readers. She also helped bring in Steve Swinburne, who had a big impact on our students. I see students actively reading while I walk around in classrooms. We have a fantastic culture of reading.

• Pride Helpers - Our students have truly worked hard on leading our school initiatives, assemblies and school wide events. They are completing a quiet down area for recess to support students that may want to just disconnect with something like drawing or reading.

• PTO Support/Homeroom Parents - We are so fortunate to have parents that help us continue to improve and offer a fun experience to our students.

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While we certainly know that all parents are heavily involved, let me take this opportunity to say thank you to our PTO and Homeroom Parents for their continued leadership and time.

• CCA - A huge thank you to Laura Schutter and her team of teachers for offering amazing learning activities in our after school program. As a parent, I am amazed at what ISK offers our students.

IN LOOKING TO SECOND SEMESTER, WE HAVE A LOT TO LOOK FORWARD TO INCLUDING: • IC trips for grades 3-5 • Visiting Author Mara Menzies will be coming in February and will include Book Character Day • International Day on January 25 • Makerfaire in April ARTS WEEK: A huge thank you to our music and art team for putting together an outstanding week of learning. I was so impressed to see parents engaged!!

I saw laughter, smiling, and pure joy on the faces of our community.

We would love to hear any feedback that you may have on how you felt it went. Please find a few pictures for your enjoyment.

ES PE UNIFORM UPDATE: In looking at a future update to our P.E. uniform, we are wanting to slowly phase in a few tweaks that we feel respond to feedback that we received from students. These are not mandatory, rather suggestions that if adopted, will be written into our handbook for the 2019-2020 school year.

• Girls are encouraged to wear navy or black leggings (with or without shorts). Please avoid sending students with other colored leggings. We recommend lightweight material. Some girls have been complaining about the shorts not being ideal for sport, so we want to help them feel more comfortable.

• Boys can wear the school shorts or bring plain navy/ black shorts. Again, some boys want to have lighter weight material to better support running or active sport.

Families that want to continue to wear the normal PE uniform are welcome to do that. Any further uniform communication will come in time to prepare for the 2019-2020 school year. However, we know some of you will be traveling and may want to start with this right away in January.

Kind regards, Matthew Woodward Elementary School Principal

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MIDDLE SCHOOL

JAMHURI DAY

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On Tuesday, December 11th we celebrated Jamhuri Day in the Middle School. Students and staff dressed in Kenyan colors and dress to celebrate the day. Mr. Phillip Mutia and Ms. Angelina Ndungu treated us to a yummy Kenyan lunch in the Canteen. On the MS Field, Mr. Francis Gitau helped us celebrate with playing Kenyan

Following lunch, we had an assembly fully dedicated to learning about and celebrating the day. Mr. Mark Anding led staff and students in singing the national anthem. Then Mr. Eddie Otieno and Mr. Barissa Dhidha led our Kenyan Studies and Drumming students to share with us the importance of this holiday. We

music playing, we enjoyed popcorn and mandazis, and our World Explorer elective students shared their projects about different places in Kenya and why you should visit!

were entertained with beautiful drumming, skits and information sharing about the history of colonization, the Mau Mau uprising and the eventual Independence with Jomo Kenyatta as the first president.

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Art Show

A big congratulations to Ms. Eleanor Miller, Mr. Antony Ngaruiya, and our Middle School Artists for a beautiful art show!

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ISK One of our electives in the Middle School in the first semester is called ISK Iron Kids. The Iron Man competition is the toughest race in the world and is comprised of swimming, cycling and running components. Our Iron Kid athletes have been training throughout the semester, including researching training programs, Skyping with a nutritionist, and supporting each other as they trained for our ISK Iron Kid event. On December 14th the Iron kids held a triathlon, comprising a 400m swim, a 10k bike, and a 3.5k run.

Congratulations Iron Kid athletes!

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Grade 7

Boats All hail the Solutionaries!

The grade 7 students have been busy this first semester learning about Environmental Issues and how to affect a positive change by creating solutions to tomorrow’s challenges. This list can be overwhelming: global warming, flooding in Nairobi, air pollution, water scarcity, and deforestation just to name a few. Fortunately, Jane Goodall has taught us to, “think locally and act

locally” and her words proved practical when trying to answer the class research question: What can ISK 7th graders do to offset the negative effects of Global Warming?

Students have collected over 2000 plastic bottles while spreading awareness through their families and the community.

To further promote recycling, the students are using the design cycle

to create boats out of their bottles that will be raced in a fun regatta on Wednesday, December 19th at 12:45, so come and enjoy the spectacle.

Phase two begins next semester where students will team with Plastiki Rafiki (ISK’s Plastic Design Company). We are going to harvest all of the bottle caps from our boats, chip them down & 3D print slingshots. These will be sold in conjunction

Teddy Kinyanjui, the founder of Seedballl Kenya and ISK alumni.

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with 1/4Kilo bags of Seedballs with the ISK logo on them. Families will be encouraged to buy these at the PTO shop and through the 7th grade salesperson as great gifts and fun activities for safari trips.

The proceeds will then be used for propagation of the program and looking at deforestation issues in Ngare Ndare forest, the location of the 7th grade IC trip.

FROM THE 8TH GRADE TEAM:

CAPSTONE PROJECT The Capstone project is an important component of 8th Grade, where ISK students take part in a project that ties to the curriculum and AIMS of the school. Additionally, the Capstone project is directly linked to the school mission and vision of empowering students to create solutions for tomorrow’s challenges. Last year, there were significant changes in the way Capstone was completed in an effort to improve ties to curriculum while increasing positive and meaningful experiences for learners. This year, we have continued to modify the format of Capstone with the intention of enhancing the learning journey for all students. The changes taking place this year are a direct result of reflecting on our practice and Capstone experience. This began immediately after the completion of Capstone last academic year. As teachers, we have worked intentionally to implement changes that will help Capstone evolve with a focus on meaningful learning experiences.

At the start of Capstone this semester, students tied their selected global issue from Humanities classes to an individual or inspired idea that is making a difference in our world. When creating a proposal for their idea, learners worked under the guiding questions of “Is it meaningful, doable, realistic and sustainable?” Through this lens, a grade-wide selection process took place and three ideas have become the chosen focus this year. Within these three selected ideas, all students will be actively involved in a variety of processes. Initially, this will be foundational information, research and understanding. This will progress to identifying designs and ideas that have/have not worked in other cases, then identifying key features and components for their topic and more.

The Capstone goal is that all students are part of a larger idea of analyzing, designing, reflecting and learning. Our hope is not to individually solve a global issue, but to make a difference on a smaller scale through meaningful learning. We are aware that within this new format which embraces student choice, there could be bumps in the road, but by assessing learning along the way, our intention is that each student benefits from a meaningful experience.

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for me, because there were lots of players better than me and they pushed me to be a better player.” The team practiced each week in addition to having almost weekly games throughout the season. Solomon said that working together as a team was always fun and that the JrNBA season was “a great experience and taught me a lot about basketball and myself.”

The FAM KE Warriors are the 2018 JrNBA Champions! Five ISK middle school students played on the JrNBA FAM KE Warriors team and are coached by Chester Oluoch and Ben Piper.

The Warriors defeated the Elite Pacers 34-30 in front of a packed crowd at Nyayo National Stadium on September 29th. Simon, Braelyn, Kezi, Silas and Solomon worked together with their teammates from across Nairobi to go undefeated this season and

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bring home the championship.

Kezi said that the season and winning the championship was “one of the best experiences of my life! It taught me so much.”

Silas shared that getting to play with kids from across the city was a highlight for him. He adds, “I made new friends and learned new skills. We had to learn how to work together and eventually, we did. It was cool.” Simon said that, “it was a good experience

FAM KE faced tough competition from the other 30 teams in the league and the season was not without its challenges. Solomon recalled that, “we had to face some really great teams before winning the championship. It was a very competitive and hard challenge but we lived up to it in the end.” Kezi agreed and added that it could be challenging to work with people “older and a lot bigger” but that playing with the Warriors this season and in the JrNBA league “boosted my confidence a whole lot - to shoot

more and to not be afraid to get blocked.”

The FAM KE Warriors was started five years ago by two former ISK parents, Troy White and Kevin Ashley, and brings young players each week to ISK from all over Nairobi to practice and play basketball and as a result, builds leadership and community.

Braelyn summed up the season and spirit of FAM KE by adding, “I learned the love and passion that people have for basketball.

No matter how wealthy they are or what environment they live in, no matter how tall they are, they play with their hearts for the game. I remember there was a 7 year old who played against us. He was up to my hip but he played like a monster.

He didn’t care that he was that short. We just wanted to play. I learned that basketball isn’t only about winning. It’s about doing something that you love doing.”

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HIGH SCHOOL

Thank you to high school families for your engagement and support this semester. Hopefully all 350 of our high school students are feeling empowered as learners and enjoying a really positive school year thus far full of appropriate risk-taking and challenge.

Overall, our students and faculty have earned a well-deserved rest.

THE LAST DAY OF SCHOOL THIS SEMESTER IS THURSDAY DECEMBER 20TH, with all high school students expected at school this day, following a special schedule. Classes end at 11:45 a.m., with students then collecting their belongings and buses departing campus at noon this day. As High School students will be released at 11:45 a.m. this day, please arrange collection between 11:45 a.m-12:00 p.m. if you use private transportation or note that buses will be departing campus at about 12 noon.

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SOME REMINDERS/TIPS: • Report cards can only be generated within Chrome or Firefox, not Safari •

Turn off “pop-up blocking”for isk.powerschool.com Instructions to turn off pop-up blocking can be found for Chrome at https://support.google.com/ chrome/answer/95472?co=GENIE. Platform%3DDesktop&hl=en and for Firefox at https://support. mozilla.org/en-US/kb/pop-blockersettings-exceptions-troubleshooting

THE HS OFFICE PREPARES PAPER REPORTS ONLY FOR STUDENTS LEAVING ISK AT THE END OF THE SEMESTER: these hard copy reports and transcripts for students leaving ISK at this time will be available on Thursday 20th December at 11:30 a.m. If you are not a departing family but would like to a hard copy record of the semester one grades, you can either print a copy yourself or email Ruth Onyango (rutho@ isk.ac.ke) who will prepare a paper report in January.

HS OFFICE HOURS OVER HOLIDAY PERIOD: The last day the high school office will be open this semester is Friday December 21st; thereafter no high school office staff support will be available during the holiday period until the office re-opens on Monday January 7th, 2019.

FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL IN SEMESTER TWO is Monday January 14th. We wish all our students a relaxing and well-deserved three-week break from school and academic studies.

STUDENTS/FAMILIES WITHDRAWING FROM ISK IN DECEMBER: If you are planning to leave ISK at the end of this semester, please inform the high school office well in advance. We of course want to help make the transition to a new school as easy as possible and the process of preparing final documentation takes time.

To students and families departing ISK, we wish you a smooth and safe onward journey - please keep in touch and let us know if there’s anything you need from the school when you arrive at your destination.

Thank you to all our students and families for a great first semester.

Robert Blanchard, Ed.D. High School Principal Jarrod Dale High School Assistant Principal

SEMESTER ONE GRADES:

All students and parents can access final Semester One Academic and Habit of Learning (HOL) grades in PowerSchool on Thursday 20th December from 8:00 a.m. As teachers are marking final assessments during final assessments week, you will not be able to access grades in PowerSchool at this time. Please note that narrative comments were available by early December to allow students to act on feedback before the end of the academic year. To access grades, simply log into into the PowerSchool Parent Portal, go to the left side Navigation panel, and click on the Report Card Icon.

Ensure that the correct school year and reporting term are selected as below & click on Submit.

Log into the PowerSchool Parent Portal, go to the left side Navigation panel, and click on the Report Card Icon.

Select the correct School Year (2018-19) and Reporting Term (Semester 1) as below and click on Submit.

2018-2019

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La Gaceta del Leónis now

the Multicultural Newspaper The Spanish Newspaper Club “La Gaceta del León” has renamed its publication to “Multilingual Newspaper” in order to provide students a platform where they can express their ideas and opinions on different topics written in the languages spoken and taught at ISK - Spanish, German, English, French, Swedish, and Italian.

Kiswahili is coming soon!

Here is the new edition of the electronic newspaper “Multicultural Newspaper” for your reading enjoyment. This issue is written, edited and published by the Spanish Newspaper Club students at ISK. Through it we learn, not only to write in Spanish, but now in other languages. You too, can comment by posting on the Blog.

Thank you, Club “La Gaceta del León” click here to see the video

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click here to visit website

La Gaceta del León es ahora

el Periódico Multicultural El Club “La Gaceta del León” ha cambiado el nombre de su publicación a “Periódico Multilingüe” para proporcionar a los estudiantes una plataforma donde puedan expresar sus ideas y opiniones sobre diferentes temas escritos en los idiomas hablados y enseñados en ISK - español, alemán , Inglés, francés, sueco e italiano.

Aquí está la nueva edición del periódico electrónico “Periódico Multilingüe “ para su disfrute de la lectura. Este número está escrito, editado y publicado por los estudiantes del Club en ISK. A través de él aprendemos, no solo a escribir en español, sino ahora en otros idiomas. Usted también, puede comentar mediante la publicación en el Blog.

Gracias, Club “La Gaceta del León”

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Jodi Lake Director of Teaching and Learning

FROM THE TLC

Mary, Kathleen, Jodi, Vincent, Heidi, & Vincent

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Here is a look back at what we have been doing this first semester.

Sensory Integration Training for TAs

Co-Teaching Partners

Hand Out team measuring for the next prosthetic hand recipient.

Co-teaching with Dr. Marilyn Friend

Re-Envisioning ISK literacy program

The MS Innovation Studio takes off!

Reaffirming and Rethinking our assessment practices with Tom Schimmer.

Math Specialists in Training

Our youngest learners begin their ISK learning journey.

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“The thoughtful inclusion of students with special learning needs is one very practical and explicit way of enhancing a school’s organizational intelligence. By challenging ourselves to do more than what we are already comfortable doing, we engage in a rigorous exercise of collaborative inquiry that supports our collective intellectual growth and social and emotional development.”

- Powell and Kusuma-Powell, Raising Your School’s Organizational Intelligence 2013.

A NEW ISK ELEMENTARY SCHOOL PROGRAM ISK’s Mission Statement inspires and nurtures passion, creativity and ambition in pursuit of a better world.

This commitment is also reflected in the services and programs we offer in order to meet the needs of diverse learners. In collaboration with teachers, the Learning Support department identifies student needs, then designs and implements research-based interventions and strategies to support these students.

Currently we have a team of highly qualified special educators, teachers who differentiate instruction, and counselors. At ISK, we provide support for a managed number of students with a wide-range of learning needs. In order to further support our inclusive philosophy we are creating a Life Centered Education program.

INTENSIVE LEARNING SUPPORT IN THE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL (NEW) T he Life-Centered Education (LCE) program is designed to serve students pre-K through grade 3 who have a diagnosed intellectual or developmental disability and require individualized academic and social skill instruction. The program is not appropriate for students with intense emotional or behavioral needs or severe health impairments.

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Students accepted in our program receive customized instruction and support from highly trained special educators and assistant teachers.

Additionally, students are integrated into our elementary school elective classes and optional after-school activities.

Life-Centered Education (LCE) focuses on customizing our curriculum for students with intensive special education needs. Individual goals are outlined on Individualized Education Plans (IEP), which are developed after evaluation by an external Educational Psychologist. Goals outlined on the IEP are addressed daily in Life-Centered Education classes.

The thoughtful inclusion of students with special learning needs is one very practical and explicit way of enhancing a school’s organizational intelligence.

By challenging ourselves to do more than what we are already comfortable doing, we engage in a rigorous exercise of collaborative inquiry that supports our collective intellectual growth and social and emotional development. Powell and Kusuma-Powell, Raising Your School’s Organizational Intelligence 2013.

In the LCE classroom, students learn

how to improve their reading fluency and comprehension through an interactive and multisensory approach to reading and spelling.

In mathematics, students improve numeracy and computation through several different math strategies and real life applications. Students also receive additional support from the elementary school counselors. Under the supervision of the LCE teacher, grade level teachers and counselors, student schedules are developed to support their abilities and individual needs in the least restrictive environments.

This includes both mainstream grade level classes as well as small group instruction in the LCE classroom. At this time, additional support services in Elementary School such as occupational therapy and speech and language therapy are accessed outside of school and arranged by parents.

For more information, please contact our SSS

Coordinator, Ms Heidi Laws at hlaws@isk.ac.ke.

Please note that there is an additional fee for admission into the LCE program.

Pierina Redler Service Learning Director

SERVICE LEARNING

THE ROTARY-UN DAY:

WHAT IS HAND OUT? The Hand Out Project at the International School of Kenya (ISK) is a studentled club that uses 3D printing technologies to create mechanical prosthetic hands for individuals who need them in underprivileged communities.

WHAT IS INTERACT? The Interact club of ISK is sponsored by the Rotary club of Muthaiga, and our aim is to undertake activities that serve the community, enhance leadership and social skills, and expand international understanding.

THE ROTARY-UN DAY The Rotary - UN Day celebrated the rewarding relationship between two international non-

There is more in you than you think.

- Kurt Hahn

A COLLABORATIVE ACTIVITY WITH THE INTERACT AND HAND OUT CLUBS OF ISK

profit organizations: Rotary International and the United Nations. This event was held for the first time outside the UN headquarters in New York and was held at the UN headquarters in Nairobi, Kenya on the 10th of November 2018. Rotary International is a nonprofit international organization that aims to “provide humanitarian service and to advance goodwill and peace around the world”, which they achieve by bringing professional leaders and organizations together.

Rotary follows the motto ‘Service before Self’ and make huge efforts to try and live up to this motto. The Rotary clubs work hard to take actions on what they believe are the world’s most persistent issues, such as promoting peace and providing clean water, hygiene and sanitation.

The theme for the day was ‘Youth and Innovation’, and the Interact and Hand Out clubs of ISK were invited to attend the Innovation Networking Fair at the Rotary-UN day. The Innovation Networking Fair, organised in collaboration with UNICEF, included some 20 young leaders under the age of 30 who showcased innovative projects and enterprises that offer impactful solutions to problems communities face daily. It was not only an opportunity

for our clubs to display our work but to also have an idea of what other bigger organizations and clubs do to showcase their work and to give us some inspiration.

There were over a 1000 delegates in attendance, and we were lucky enough to meet some high ranking dignitaries such as the Rotary International President Mr Barry Rassin, and the UN Director General for Nairobi Ms Hanna Tetteh.

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“We have been given the inspiration to push forward to make today better than yesterday and to try and make a brighter and more peaceful world. “

finalists on the panel.

Towards the end of the day, we returned to our presentation booth, where we continued to showcase our work and meet various delegates and Rotarians, garnering contacts and advice from people interested in the work that we do. In the end, the day taught us some valuable lessons.

WHAT DID WE DO? Apart from showcasing the work that is done by the Interact and Hand Out clubs of ISK, we also enjoyed looking at other local and international projects. The opening ceremony was spectacular, and there were hundreds of people in the main UN Plenary Hall. The

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opening ceremony was particularly rewarding because we were given the opportunity to hear about the projects of the six finalists of the Young Innovators Award. We then attended workshops that were hosted by interesting speakers and that included the Young Innovators

MY PERSONAL EXPERIENCE: Going to such an important event was a huge eye-opener for me. When I was sitting in one of the workshops listening to one of the finalists talking about her project of ensuring that women are given basic medical care for childbirth in Uganda,

you could see that the speaker had a great passion for what she was talking about, and you could see that she cared with all her heart about the people she was helping.

You could feel how it was so important to her that she got her message out to people so that they could understand why it is so important to help, to give up a little bit of your time for the greater good. The way she gave her speech really touched not only my heart, but I’m sure a lot of the other hearts in the room. She gave us something to believe in. Hope.

It made me realize if everyone does their part, then it is possible that we could reach eternal harmony, even

though it may seem impossible.

It showed me that if you put a lot of effort into something that you deeply care about, you can make a significant difference not only for yourself and the people surrounding you, but also for the world. The whole event inspired me to put even more effort into the Interact and Hand Out clubs as it has given me confidence that we can be even better.

We have been given the inspiration to push forward to make today better than yesterday and to try and make a brighter and more peaceful world.

Zahra

Meet

Plastiki Rafiki!

Last year the Construction by Design Club built a plastic recycling workspace using open source plans for a plastic shredder, plastic compressor and plastic injection molding machine. This year the club’s focus is on making products using the machines.

Meet Plastiki Rafiki!

A range of bespoke products designed by ISK students created out of recycled plastic collected within the wider Kenyan community.

We create unique products using a range of plastic molding techniques. Our “collections” are based on different locations where the plastic rubbish was collected. When you buy a Plastiki Rafiki product you know that you have helped clean up a specific area of Kenya. Clean up Kenya, protect your environment, say no to littering and single use plastics, and support Plastiki Rafiki!

This year during IC trips, Middle School students at ISK worked hard collecting plastic from the Mara, Old Pageta and Ngara Ngara forest.

They brought it back to the design lab, and ever since we have been working hard to turn that trash into treasure!

Our various products are made of different kinds to plastic. After collection, the plastic must be sorted into seven categories and colors. Then we shred it using a custom built machine we built last year. After that the shredded plastic is compressed in a compressor, another machine we built. The plastic is either pressed into sheets to be cut out later using a CNC router, or pressed into molds for specific products.

Plastiki Rafiki products are available for sale in the PTO shop now!

Profits go towards expansion and the building of new plastic recycling machines, so every Plastiki product you buy is a step towards sustainability. Eventually, we want to have a limited workshop set up off site in a place like Masai Mara, the Kenya Coast, or Mt.Kenya; places where cleaning the environment can make a real difference and where recycled plastic product sales can be profitable and empowering for local people.

Camila

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HIGH SCHOOL TEAMS

MVP AWARD

COACHES Choice Award

MIP Award

Varsity Girls Basketball

Nadia

Simone

Pheoby

JV Girls Basketball

Ariana

Teagan

Moe

ISSEA Girls Volleyball

Serena

Rachel

Quinn

ISSEA Boys Volleyball

Xander

Charlie

Christian

Boys: Jai Girls: Lhana

Boys: Max Girls: Keisha

Boys - Isaiah Girls: Zahra

Moses

Lei

Teo

Avi

Charbel

Love

Blue Tennis

Jodi & Casper (doubles)

Radha

Tej & Trisha (doubles)

Gold Tennis

Rucha

Paulina

La Wunn

MVP AWARD

COACHES Choice Award

MIP Award

MS A Boys Football

Jack

Diego

Basile

MS B Boys Football

Mattias

Mathis

Sam

MS Dev Boys Football

Tidiane

Ayush

Yandel

MS A Girls Basketball

Ann

Vera

Medina

MS B Girls Basketball

Yana

Faith

Zoe

Ameya

Caitlin

Louise

U14B: Keifer U14G: Laia

U14B: Owen U14G: Tea

U14B: Ben Gabrielle

ISSEA & S1 Track & Field HS Varsity Boys Football JV Boys Football

MIDDLE SCHOOL TEAMS

MS Dev Girls Basketball Track & Field MS

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Will Moore Athletics Director

Congratulations

Season 1 Sports Award Winners The Link

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Lynn Wells Director of Advancement

FROM THE ADVANCEMENT OFFICE CHANGES ARE COMING! We’re excited to announce that the Advancement Office is in the process of reorganization and expansion. These changes and promotions for key personnel will take effect in July 2019 and are designed to expand the role that the Advancement Office plays in the life of ISK and the local community.

Director of Community Relations & Advancement: Pamela Pappas will be promoted to run the Advancement Office with an increased emphasis on community relations. As David noted in his article, Pamela has demonstrated her professional and personal dedication to ISK for several years and is well suited to guide the school’s advancement efforts.

Admissions Manager: Fareen Lalani-Butt will be promoted to Admissions Manager to oversee this key role of the Advancement Office. Fareen has guided the admissions office for seven years and her commitment and professionalism has guaranteed that the “face of ISK” consistently meets the needs of our new families.

Admissions Admin Assistant: Hillary Soita will join ISK in January 2019 to help meet the growing demands of the admissions office. With new student applications increasing dramatically each year and total enrollment nearing 1,000 students, this new position will ensure that the admissions process remains efficient and welcoming.

It has been my honor to lead the Advancement Office over the past six years but retirement calls and in July my wife, Jane and I will be heading off to our next chapter. There are other exciting changes coming to the Advancement Office over the next six months so watch this space!

Lynn Wells Director of Advancement

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‘TIS THE SEASON

Click here to see the full gallery.

Holiday cheer abounds this time of year as a multitude of traditions are celebrated around the world.

Whether you celebrate Hanukkah, Christmas, Kwanzaa, Bodhi Day, the Winter Solstice or another important event in your life, we wish you a wonderful time with family and friends.

December is always a busy month in the ISK Community and this year has been no exception. Band and Choir concerts, sporting events, ISK musicals, the Nutcracker presented by Dance Centre Kenya, movies, socials, bowling and shopping for presents on Jamhuri Day. The music of ISK’s MS & HS bands and MS & HS choirs filled the air throughout Village Market on Jamhuri Day. It’s possible that there has never been a larger crowd in Village Market as students, parents, faculty, staff and shoppers were eager to stop and listen to the sounds of the season.

The Link

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Click here to see the full gallery.

DID SOMEONE SAY

BOWLING? The ISK Bowling Day was a tremendous success as students of all ages, together with their parents, faculty and staff, took to the lanes at Village Market. There was a lot of fun packed into the three hours that ISK reserved the Village Bowl.

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JAMHURI DAY SUPPORTING THE

ISK SCHOLARSHIP FUND

The day was also about supporting the ISK Scholarship Fund by shopping at Joo & Co and many of you did just that. Joo & Co gave ISK shoppers not only a glass of champagne and canapes but also a 10% discount on all jewellry. Plus, they donated 10% of the sales, Ksh 35,000 to the Inspiration Initiative, earmarked for the Scholarship Fund. It was indeed a festive ISK Community Day at Village Market. Perhaps again next year?

Click here to see the full gallery.

The Link

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On behalf of the Advancement Office, we

wish you and yours a happy holiday season!

See you in 2019!

Pamela Pappas Communications Manager

Pamela Pappas

Communications Manager

Click here to see the full gallery.

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ISK ANNUAL HOLIDAY BAZAAR The ISK Annual Holiday Bazaar hosted by the Elementary School and PTO ES Reps, was held on Friday November 30th. As always, it was a great kick off to the holiday season with over 70 local craft vendors participating, and saw a wonderful turnout of students, parents and faculty alike. The ES Reps would like to thank you all for supporting our local community, and would also like to give a big thank you to Alphonse, Douglas and the Operations staff for the set-up of tents and tables, and all the amazing ES parent volunteers who wrapped well over 1,000 presents!

The Link

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PTO EVENTS CALENDAR January

Time

Event

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8:30 a.m. – 9:30 a.m.

First Day of Semester 2

15

8:30 a.m. – 10:30 a.m.

PTO Executive Committee Meeting

22

8:00 a.m. – 9:30 a.m.

PTO General Meeting

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12:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.

HS Grade 9/10 PTO Coffee Morning Organized by the PTO High School Reps

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2:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.

International Day: Parade of Nations and Taste of Nations PTO Subcommittee organizes Taste of Nations

TBA

9:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m.

PTO Movie Night / Genre: TBA

TBA

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PTO New Family Welcome Bus Tour

The Link

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REPORT FROM MS PTO REPS

MOVIE NIGHT Approximately 40 Middle School parents and family members gathered on December 7th during the MS Social to watch and discuss the critically acclaimed film 8th Grade. We enjoyed tacos, shawarmas, popcorn and drinks before settling in for an equal parts hilarious, heartfelt, horrifying and cringey journey alongside fictional American 8th grader Kayla as she attempts to develop confidence in her last year of Middle School.

The film provided many points for discussion afterwards about the role of parents in kids’ lives led

by Meg McNulty and Lilly BekelePiper.

8TH GRADE gave us all a renewed appreciation for the bravery

required to navigate the complex social interactions during the journey from child to young adult. Thanks to Alphonse, Albert, Sammy, Francis, Philemon, Vincent and Anacleto for helping make this event a success!

Save the Date! Our next event is a Welcome Back Coffee on Tuesday, January 15th at Valentine’s Cafe where we welcome new families and reconnect with returning ones.

Finally - thanks to everyone who filled in the recent MS survey. We are reviewing the results which will be extremely helpful in our planning for 2019. If you would like to contact us, please email pto-msreps@isk.ac.ke or reach out via the grade level WhatsApp groups.

Enjoy the holidays with your Middle Schooler(s)!

Abby, Lilly & Meg

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PTO DUKA

KEEP CALM AND SHOP

PTO DUKA WISHES EVERYONE

HAPPY HOLIDAYS! The Link

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GREETINGS FROM THE HEALTH OFFICE

We missed out on the previous Link but we trust you all are doing well. As we head for the Winter Holidays, the Health Office Team would like to thank you for your continued support this entire season.

Please note the below tips as you travel in areas with cold weather: Good health habits to prevent Flu The rains are here with us again and with the rains, Flu may occur.

Here are some tips on Flu prevention….

• Avoid close contact with people with the Flu/Flu like symptoms.

• Stay home when you are sick.

• Cover your mouth and nose with a tissue when coughing and sneezing.

• Clean your hands often.

• Drink plenty of fluids, eat nutritious foods, get plenty of sleep and be physically active Happy Holidays and safe travels to you and yours!!

With many thanks, Judy Mbithe, on behalf of ISK Health Office Team.

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TUKIMBIE PAMOJA HS CLUB FUNDRAISER Tukimbie Pamoja (Run Together) HS Club is organizing a fundraiser 2K/5K Run in support of the Faraja Cancer Support Trust, at the ISK Upper Field on Saturday January 19th, 2019.

Entry fee is only 1500KSh and includes a t-shirt, runner’s number, water bottle and medal. Please contact student leaders Nui and Caleb.

The Link

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Wishing everyone a happy holiday season!

See you in 2019!

The Link

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Accredited fully by the Middle States Association of Schools in the United States and the Council of International Schools in Europe.

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