Volume 5 Newsletter of International School Suva
Principal’s Report Dear Parents, Staff, Students, and Friends of ISS, We received good news recently that the US Embassy has once more awarded a grant to International School Suva as they have done for a number of years. The award this year is $68,000USD. We appreciate this support and certainly could not provide the programs and services we do without that assistance. Thank you! In another thank you to the US Embassy, this past year they also gave ISS a grant to upgrade our campus security through a perimeter CCTV system. That installation has just been completed and is operating making the ISS campus more secure than ever. The system provides HD monitoring of all exterior walls and potential access points to the campus and allows our guards to monitor a larger area of the campus around the clock. Please note both the operating monitors and a sample of the camera installations.
17/08/2018 Inside this issue: CAS Yr 11/12 China Trip Counselor’s Corner ECH Article School Nurse Physical Education
Fun Day was a great success with plenty of food and activities. As promised by PTFA, after a small donation to the SPCA, all proceeds are being donated to the Surf Club school for equipment and outdoor activities. Thank you to all who helped make this a “fun” day for everyone! Many of you have been hearing about the school’s investigation of the International Baccalaureate (IB) Middle Years Program (MYP). Thank you to all who have given input about this to help us. As a summary, we were a MYP school a few years ago and dropped the program for a variety of reasons. Currently we are an IB school for Primary with the PYP and Years 11 and 12 with the DP. The gap between Year 5 and Year 11 is managed by two curriculum systems, a Year 6-8 school-based program which is very aligned with the MYP, and the Year 9-10 IGCSE program. We are looking at how to offer the best program for our students that has consistency, high standards, external review, and preparation for our students’ future life. School staff strongly supports adopting the MYP. The family survey likewise was very supportive as the graph below shows regarding the overall question of whether families support a change to MYP. This survey was sent to all Year 5-Year 9 parents: As always, our focus must be on what is best for students. We hope to decide soon about this change as this adoption, if we do it, will require considerable work and planning. Many have wondered about the construction happening behind the breezeway barrier. We are continuing to develop that space with retaining wall construction and preparation for a future building. The work is proceeding well and the site will allow for needed space some time in the coming years. This is a picture of the site from behind the wall! Parents should be aware that there may be a new requirement that all children who reside in Fiji for 189 days or more must have a TIN Number. There are significant penalties for not doing this. Please check on this possible requirement to make sure you are compliant with government regulations. This note is certainly not legal advice, but we are told there has been a change. Finally, we are entering a time of year with exams and Year 5 exhibition, so I encourage all of us to be particularly supportive of our children and be alert for any signs of stress or anxiety. We have excellent counseling staff to assist with any serious issues, but in general, we should all continue to be positive, encouraging, helpful, and caring to all our students. We believe in supporting the whole child, so a healthy balance of academics, healthy diet, regular activity, adequate sleep, positive social-emotional relationships, and strong family is important. Thanks for being a great school community! Stephen Cathers Children’s Advocate (and Principal/Head of School)
Primary Conference Year 4 Article Fun Day New Caledonia Trip After School Activities Year 11 Camp Poets Perspective Upcoming Events Term Dates