Middle School

MIDDLE SCHOOL

Middle School

Weekly Publication for Middle School Parents

ISSUE # 18 WEEK OF DECEMBER 14 TO 18, 2009

From the Middle School Office Dear Parents: For the past five days the Middle School celebrated Spirit Week and it was exciting to see the students who dressed up and showed their Bearcat spirit. Thanks to the MS Student Council for organizing the theme days and the MS Party. The MS Concert was also held this week. Listening to the musical pieces offered by the band, choirs and string groups gave the audience an opportunity to sit back and relax during a season of wonder and light. The students did an outstanding job under the direction of their teachers Ms. Gander, Ms. Hausman, Mr. Howrey, and Mr. Ibero. A big thanks to the Music Department for a wonderful evening of music. On Tuesday, December 16 students and teachers will be involved in Sports Day. Each student has been assigned to a house – Aklan, Baguio, Cebu, or Davao – and will have opportunities to participate in events throughout the day. Please make sure that your child brings a hat, sunscreen and water on the day. All parents are invited to attend and cheer on their child. Next week is a short week for our students. Please take note of the following schedule: • December 14 – Regular Schedule

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December 15 – Sports Day December 16 ♦ Late Start for Students ♦ Early Release – Dismissal at 12:00 noon. Please make the necessary transportation arrangements so that your child is picked up promptly at dismissal time.

As the semester draws to a close and grades are finalized please be informed that Powerschool will be closed starting 5 January 2010 and will reopen on 15 January 2010. During this time teachers will be writing narrative reports on each student. During this festive time of year we'd like to wish all the families of the ISM community a warm and happy holiday season. We hope you all have an opportunity to relax, reflect on and celebrate the achievements and accomplishments of this past year. The students have earned a well deserved break. When we return in January, we look forward to seeing their smiling faces and listening to their stories. Enjoy the holidays and best wishes for a prosperous 2010! Sincerely, Danielle Fredericks Middle School Principal

Clarissa Sayson Middle School Assistant Principal

Upcoming Events January

05 09 15 20 21 25 to 29

Classes Resume Service Learning Activity: GK 777 MS Courtyard Activity (3:00 P.M.) New Student Luncheon MS New Parent Coffee (7:45 A.M., LT) MS Readers’ Week

PowerSchool Grade Update Jan. 05 - PowerSchool closes Jan. 15 - PowerSchool opens Jan. 18 - First Semester Reports Distribution

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From the Guidance Department

The Price of Privilege: How Parental Pressure and Material Advantage Are Creating a Generation of Disconnected and Unhappy Kids From Scientific American Wandering among suburban estates, sports clubs and prep schools are overlooked children of a perplexed generation. Their lives overflow with abundance and praise, yet ironically, the mask of apparent health and success may hide a gloomy world of emptiness, anxiety and anger. Strangely, argues Madeline Levine, a clinical psychologist practicing in Marin County, California, the nation’s latest group of at-risk kids comes from affluent, well-educated families. Despite advantages, these children experience disproportionately high rates of clinical depression, substance abuse, anxiety, eating disorders and self-destructive (even self-mutilating) behaviors, according to various studies. Based on criteria from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Levine says these children "are exhibiting epidemic rates of emotional problems beginning in junior high school and accelerating throughout adolescence." One may brush off these youngsters as overindulged products of wealthy, narcissistic parents. But Levine says many of these kids are really ill. They suffer from a weak sense of self, often struggling to fill inner emptiness with objects and praise. Too often they know something is wrong and grope desperately for help yet fail to escape a downward spiral. Could it be, Levine wonders, that privilege, high expectations, competitive pressure and parental over-involvement yield toxic rather than protective effects? Levine explores such issues as social isolation, the fine line between parental under-involvement and overindulgence, and the perverse role of money and material goods in creating false promises of fulfillment. Yearning for outward approval, adolescents are particularly vulnerable to the delusion that wealth causes happiness. In many cases, a rude awakening occurs only after many years of anxiety and depression. Levine’s writing is surprisingly reflective and interesting. A constructive therapist, she offers practical guidelines and parenting strategies for those struggling with troubled teens. The advice is useful to any parent of any income level and includes ways to foster healthy autonomy, impulse control and sense of self. Levine emphasizes the importance of discipline, monitoring and limit setting as ways to encourage kids to construct healthy "inner" homes. More important, parents must "stand on their own two feet" before expecting their children to stand on theirs—noting that many parents scold their children for social behaviors that they themselves cannot manage, such as substance abuse and lack of self-discipline or self-assertion. Parents must strive to get their own inner homes in order before they can expect kids to straighten out theirs. Richard Lipkin

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(Continued from page 2)

Sound interesting? The Price of Privilege… is the book we will be reading for the next Parent Book Group starting on Thursday, January 21, 2010 from 8 to 10am. This is a ten week course and regular attendance is appreciated. Group facilitators are from the PreK-12 Guidance Department. These groups are open to ALL ISM parents, PreK-12! Spaces are limited so sign up soon. If you or someone you know is interested, please contact Myrna Perez in the ES Guidance Office (840-8455) to reserve your space or for more information.

From the Clinic H1N1 Vaccination At the present moment, vaccines have arrived in the Philippines and are being distributed by the government. These vaccines are not yet available commercially and are designated for specific groups only. It is unlikely that the ISM community will be able to access these vaccines for some time and we would therefore advise you, if you wish your family to receive the vaccination, to investigate the possibility of getting it in your own country if you are going home for the Christmas holidays. You may also wish to consider reviewing your family’s vaccination records during the holiday, particularly if you are returning home. Please access the following website for information on recommended vaccinations; http://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/recs/schedules/default.htm , although this may vary slightly depending on your country of origin.

Merry Christmas and a Happy, Healthy New Year from the clinic staff Debbie Duckworth – Clinic Admiistrator Mary Ann Calma-Bagos – Clinic Consultant Keg Salazar Jr – Senior Nurse Jowell Custodio – Junior Nurse Evagne Atienza – Staff Nurse Thank you for your kind Christmas gifts

We’re on the web! www.ismanila.org

CONTACT INFORMATION CHANGES? Please inform the Middle School Office if you recently changed your contact information (i.e. Home Address, Home/Office Telephone Numbers, Mobile Numbers and Email Addresses). You may contact us through 840-8550 or 840-8553

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From the Fine and Performing Arts Office

After School Activities Please be advised that the MS AFAC Dance and Music classes will end on December 11, 2009. Students who wish to continue with their activity for the Second Semester MUST register again. Registration period is from December 2 until December 16. You will find the registration form on the next page. Schedule of Season 3 activities is now available. Activities that will be taking place during the third season are: Basketball, Badminton, MS Mixed Touch, Recreational Gymnastics, Aquatics (learn to swim), Tennis and Circus Skills. If you are interested in any of the activities, please go and register at the ES AFAC office based in the ES main office. Thanks . Dave Allen Middle School Activities Coordinator (632) 840 8485 [email protected]

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After School Activities Form

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From the Athletics and Activities Office Saturday, December 12th:

There will be no practices on Wednesday, December 16th.

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Student dismissal is at noon. Regular practice schedule will

Cheerleading Camp (9:00 A.M. - 4:00 P.M.) - Covered Court for MS/HS students who have signed up with

recommence from Tuesday, January 5, 2010.

Coach Grabow

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MS Boys Basketball MS Gym (see game times on

On behalf of the ATAC staff I wish everyone a safe and en-

Game schedule- ATAC website)

joyable Christmas vacation. See you in 2010!

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MS Girls Green Basketball vs. Brent at HS Gym

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Varsity Boys Basketball HS gym (see game times on Game schedule- ATAC website)

Congratulations to all members of our Gymnastics team and the Sailfish swimmers for their efforts last weekend at the Bea Lucero Cup and the ISM Swimathon. Results have been included via Coach Ramon and Coach Andy.

From the Environmental Council Please donate your glossy magazines to PCF! WHY? Glossy Magazines cannot be pulped and recycled like regular clean paper here in Manila so if you don’t ensure that they’re made into something else… they just end up in a land fill. WHAT does PCF do with them? Parents of the school children are employed to make beads out of them which, in turn, get made into jewellery and bags. HOW does this help families? The money from the products generates income for them so that they can afford to buy food and clothes for their children. WHERE? Collection boxes can be found in ES, MS and HS offices Thank you for your support! "Dream the world you want and deserve to live in. Write it down. Communicate your vision passionately, as if your life depended upon it!" (Randy Hayes, Founder of Rainforest Action Network) www.ism-online.org/gogreen/

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ISM CLIMBING COMPETITION RESULTS

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ISM Gymnastics Team Congratulations to ISM Gymnastics Team for Participating the Bea Lucero Cup 2009 held last December 6, 2009 (Sunday) at Rizal Memorial Sports Complex, Vito Cruz, Manila.

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ISM Swimathon Results At the recent ISM Swimathon, Sailfish, Varsity and parents and teachers swam at total of 262,825 meters or 10,513 laps of the School pool on Saturday 7th . Standouts included:

Tsukasa Maekawa

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From Admissions Office

Update your contact information! Please get in touch with the Admissions Office or Middle School Office if there has been any change in your home address and other contact information. We want to keep you updated with what is happening in school. The form below is also available in the school website.