International
School of London
London
Bulletin 40
London
Friday, 24th June 2016
y
l
u
Monday 27th
Tuesday 28th
Wednesday 29th
Thursday 30th
Friday 1st
8:40-11:15
G6-9 LA visit to La Bodega
Restaurant (Spanish) and
Cafe Rouge (French)
9:00-15:30
EC-G11 Sports Day
9:00-12:45
Grade 2 visit to The Polka
Theatre
8:45-10:00
PTA meeting
8:40-9:30
Primary Final Assembly of
Year
e
n
u
J
9:30-11:00
PYP Celebration of the Arts
Concert
8:45-16:30
G8-11 Boys / Girls Beach
Volleyball
17:30-19:00
G11 Parent Teacher Meeting
G10 DP Transition Days
10:00-11:30
Ice Cream Van for PYP / MYP
16:45-18:45
Grades 8-12 Staff v Students
Footbal
J
10:00-11:00
Middle Years Assembly
11:30-12:00
Final Assembly
Last Day of Term 3 (Classes
end at 12:00)
18:00-21:00
MYP Variety Performance
G10 DP Transition Days
Quick links
School Announcements
Primary News
Middle School News
Diploma College News
Mother Tongue
ISL Art Gallery
Attachments
Leadership Welcome
A brief message from the Director of UK Schools
Forgive me if I unusually write of events outside of school today. Many of you will have woken this
morning stunned by the UK referendum news that the country has narrowly voted to leave the
European Union. As an international school, we welcome people from all over the continent and
being part of the EU not only aligns with our values and beliefs around international mindedness
but also brings many practical advantages for our families and staff. I know many of you have
commented to me how depressing this news is as outward looking internationally minded people
and there has been a somewhat sombre mood in school today. I feel the need as a British citizen to
say sorry for the prevailing mood of much of the nation who fear outsiders and who wish to try to
isolate the country from our European neighbours. We want to send a message today similar to that
of the Mayor of London to all our European families at ISL London, who make a huge contribution to
our school and city, contributing economically and adding to our cultural life - You are very welcome
here and always will be. I look forward to seeing many of you at celebration events in the coming
final week of school.
Andy Atkinson
Director of the International School of London (UK Schools)
New Head of Middle
School
I am delighted to announce
that Eleonore Kromhout
has accepted the position
as Head of Middle School
for
next
academic
year. She has extensive
experience with the IB programmes and has
been leading the MYP international section
of a school in Oegstgeest in the Netherlands.
She has also worked for the IB as a school
visitor and English language examiner. She is
a passionate and driven educator who I know
will bring a wealth of talent and enthusiasm to
ISL London next academic year. I would like
to thank all the students, teachers and parents
who were involved with the interview process
and for helping us recruit our next Head of
Middle School.
Looking Ahead
As we come to the close of the summer term, we look forward to welcoming our
new students at the Diploma College in September. Next week we will host Grade
10 students at the College for the Diploma Programme Orientation. This will help
us set the scene for the two years ahead and get the students off to a smooth
start with their studies.
Next year we hope to establish links with some charities in the local area working
with refugees. This will form the basis of some authentic service learning for
students across the school. I am meeting with a charity next week to establish
ways in which our multi-lingual school community can work with refugees in
meaningful and mutually beneficial ways.
Finally, as I come to the end of my first term at ISL London, I would like to express
my gratitude to the whole community for making me feel so welcome and at
home. As someone who has been in international education for many years, I
can genuinely say that ISL London is the most diverse community that I have
worked in. It stands as an excellent example of all that should be celebrated about
internationalism and, to quote the late Jo Cox, reminds us every day that;
“we are far more united and have far more in common with each other than
things that divide us.”
Andrew Mitchell
Principal of the Lower and Middle School
Diversity
Understanding
Sarah Pearson
Diploma College Principal
Identity
Passion
Important School Announcements
Variety Performance
The Variety Performance is our last performing arts
event of the year. Come along to support our students
from G2 to G9, showcasing some of the best talent we
have here at ISL London.
Expect group and solo performances, as well as a few
surprises. The event will start at 6pm in the main hall
on Monday 27th June.
Many thanks and I look forward to seeing some new
and familiar faces there.
Chris Beecroft
Music Teacher
Ames Room - ISL UK Schools collaboration project
Our brand new Ames Room, a distorted space used to create an optical
illusion, featured in the recent Festival of Learning and is located at ISL
Surrey.
An Ames room is a distorted room used to create an optical illusion
of relative sizes. Named after its creator, American ophthalmologist
Adelbert Ames, Jr., the first Ames room was built in 1946, based on
the late nineteenth century concept of German scientist Hermann von
Helmholtz. Upon viewing people or objects within an Ames room,
there is a loss of normal perspective. As a result of the optical illusion
created by the distorted room, a person standing in one corner appears
to the observer to be significantly larger than a person standing in the
opposite corner while the room appears to be a normal rectangular
shape. This is taken to indicate the significant role past experience has
on our interpretation of our perceived world.
The project has been an inter-site activity between ISL UK schools,
led by Maths teacher, Luigi D’Antonio, who has been supervising and
planning the project since November 2015.
Staff Daniyal Syed, Adriana Gastaldi and Luchy Harrold, alongside
students from G8 (London) and G6-9 (Surrey), have also been involved
in the design and construction of this fascinating room.
Sports Day
The Grade 10 students are busy getting prepared to
lead this exciting day on 28th June. The whole of PYP
& MYP are working very hard in PE to get ready for
this whole school event. Having already completed
the 5K run, the MYP and PYP Swimming Gala, we can
tell you that team spirit is starting to build up!
We look forward to your great Athletic performances!
We wish good luck to all!
Anne-Lys Batteux
Head of PE
Poster design by Francesco, Grade 10
Reminder - There will be a final PTA meeting next
Thursday 30th June in the Cafeteria from 8:45-10:00
End of Term 3 clubs
The school year is coming to an end and the school
holidays will soon be upon us.
These last 2 weeks are full of events and we would
like to inform you that this week starting from Monday
(20th June) was the last week of extracurricular
activities.
Except Chess club: Last session is Wednesday 29th
June.
We’ll start again after summer break week starting
Monday 19th September 2016.
Luis Bello
Co-curricular Coordinator
Diversity
Staff vs Student Football
Last year it was 7-4 to the students!
This year the teachers have
recruited some ex-students and
new teachers to make the match
more interesting.
If you would like to play please contact
Sean Bennett via email.
Thursday 30th June - 4:45pm Kick off
Understanding
Identity
Passion
Primary News
The final week of the school year!
Time certainly flies when you’re having fun…next week is the last of the
school year! Yesterday we enjoyed the Grade 5 End of PYP Celebration,
an important part of their transition to middle school, On Tuesday they
spent the day experiencing classes in the MYP and by all accounts
enjoyed the day and are now feeling more relaxed and excited about
starting middle school in September. Yesterday at morning break we
enjoyed the Grade 3 Bake Sale for MNDA, initiated by Liya, Leonardo
and Noah who are keen bakers. Thank you to everyone who supported
this event and helped to raise £167.90 for our school charity, MNDA.
Next Monday, 27th June, is our annual Celebration of the Arts. “Art
Alive!” will involve all students from EC to Grade 5. The concert will start
at 9:30am, but we ask that all parents please be seated in the hall by
9:20am. Due to space limitations we kindly request only 2 adult guests
per family to ensure there is room for everyone to enjoy the show. The
children are looking forward to sharing their performances with you!
Following the Celebration of the Arts, we will have our annual end
of year International Picnic in Gunnersbury Park, from approximately
11:30am-2:00pm. You should have received a letter earlier this week
with all the details and the type of food you are requested to bring.
Parents are very welcome to join us in the park and enjoy the picnic too!
Friday 1st July will see our final assembly for this school
year. Assembly will start as usual at 8:45am and we
will be recognising some of the 5K run participants.
It is also an opportunity to say farewell to those not
returning to ISL London next academic year. Parents
are very welcome to attend.
Finally, PYP Semester 2 Reports will be available on
e-Portal next Friday, July 1. You will receive a message
to notify you when they have been uploaded, with
instructions on how to access them.
We will be saying goodbye to a couple of students a
few days before the official end of the school year.
We wish Marineth (G5S); Martim (G5S); and Yasmeen
(G5W) and Sama (G3C), and their families, all the very
best for their return to their home countries. Please
keep in touch and we hope to see you next time you
visit London!
Wishing everyone a fantastic last week of school!
Michelle Newman
Head of Primary
Grade 3H
3H’s current ‘How we Express Ourselves Unit’ is all about
inquiring into non-verbal forms of communication.
As it’s an Olympic year (Rio ’16), this week we have
learnt about the Para-Olympic sports that blind people
can play. We had a class goalball tournament, using a
special ball with a bell in. All children were blindfolded
and had to rely on sound. We also made Semaphore
flags to send messages across the playground. Later
in the week we built buzzer circuits to send Morse
codes! Can you guess what this message spells (in the
photos)?
Matt Holton
Grade 3H Homeroom
Teacher
Diversity
Understanding
Identity
Passion
Middle School News
Transition Time
We are nearing the end of the academic year and are therefore
further preparing for our upcoming transitions. Some students
will be leaving ISL London and transiting to their new schools in
familiar or unfamiliar places.
For those who remain at ISL London, there will be the transition
from one year group to the next. One of the most exciting
transitions is probably the one from Primary into the MYP. This
week our current Grade 5 students had their special transition
day in which they followed a number of G6 subject classes.
For the students, it was a busy day where they got a good
taster of what it is to be part of the MYP. One of the sessions
involved the current Grade 6 students in a Q&A resulting in some
very interesting questions as well as answers. These types of
experiences turn out to be most valuable and probably give
them the answers they are most anxious about.
For our Grade 10 students, the Graduation marked their transition
whether staying or leaving ISL London. The MYP is one of the
most important parts of a young adolescent’s life and one they
will remember and cherish. After the summer holiday, they will
move into a new educational chapter of their life being different
people. We will notice how much they have matured and how
they have adopted a more serious approach to studying.
Ate Hemmes
Head of Middle School
Language Acquisition
G11 English B and G10 Foundation students went to see ‘The
Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time’ at Gielgud Theatre
on Thursday 23rd June. This is a play adapted by Simon Stephens
from the novel of the same name by Mark Haddon. The novel is
one of the literary works that DP English B students study in class
for the written assignment.
The students have read the book and were very excited to see
the theatre version. Our experience exceeded our expectations!
We thoroughly enjoyed every minute of the show. It was a
stunning production with an awesome set flawlessly integrated
into a great play. We were especially impressed with the light
and sound which gloriously came together in this wonderful
production. It was entertaining, engaging and enquiring!
Hyun Jung Owen
Head of Language Acquisition
Image from 5th October 2014 article at thenewyorktimes.com on 24th June 2016
Mathematics Beyond the Classroom
Mathematics in the MYP is about more than learning new
concepts and finding answers, it’s about looking for patterns in
every day life and making sense out of real world problems. It
is also about challenging what you think you know about the
subject and about the world, as well as how to use what you
learn in different ways.
The Math department has organized a number of events in the
past few weeks, including:
• Grades 8 and 9 – Math-magician showed them how to
always win at games using simple concepts.
• Grade 7 Cutty Sark – students explored the historical ship
tackling mathematical problems along the way.
• Grade 6 Hampton Court – students investigated the
best way out of the maze and how to design a similarly
complicated maze.
• Festival of Learning – activities included what happens if
you cut a Mobius strip lengthwise, how to escape in the
game Unblock Me, and how to make a mirror image of a
pattern using opposite colors.
Winner announcement of the Festival of Learning Win a Rubik’s
Cube competition is Bianca, Grade 9! Congratulations!
Vivian Moate
Mathematics Teacher
Diversity
Understanding
Identity
Passion
Diploma College News
Grade 12 results
Grade 12 students are reminded that their results will be released 13:45 GMT on 6th July. Students access the results via the IB
candidates portal online: http://candidates.ibo.org
(This is the same website used to upload e-coursework). You will need your personal code and PIN as before to login.
Mr Morris will be available in school until 8th July and thereafter by email or Skype.
Grade 11 News
What happens after the semester examinations?
After examinations, students return to classes for feedback. They will then again meet with Mr. Morris for semester academic
review interviews (target setting) and with Mr Morris and Ms Williams for Higher Education guidance.
UCAS
In PSHE / guidance period we will be starting to work on UCAS personal statements (for those
who intend to apply to university in the UK). We will share materials from these sessions in the
HE Guidance 2017 ManageBac Group, so parents can also view them. UCAS also offers extensive
guidance on writing the Personal Statement online: LINK
A reminder of those online resources for Grade 11 students Higher Education research:
•
Bridge-U
•
Higher Ideas online
… along with the UCAS search tools and – of course – universities’ own websites. Grade 11 will be meeting individually with Mr
Morris, Ms Williams and Mr Mayo over this semester to discuss their options.
The resources from the parent workshops can be found in the ManageBac HE Guidance class 2017 group. Mr. Morris has set up a
login for Grade 11 parents to access this group, please contact me via email if you would like this information.
Grade 11 reports
Grade 11 reports will be published in Managebac end of today. This report includes for the first time:
• a predicted grade, indicating the most likely expected result at the end of the programme based on a student’s performance to
date. Of course these can change!
• Information (in Mr. Morris’ written comment) on student expected grades. These are the total of grades calculated based on
average performance of ISL students in previous years, in each subject and at this point in the course.
• Student personal target grades. These are the totals that the students themselves have agreed to aim for in discussions with Mr.
Morris and Ms. Williams. These are of course also aligned with university aspirations for next year.
Looking ahead...
Next week we look forward to welcoming
Grade 10 students to the college for the
Diploma Programme Orientation days on
Monday and Wednesday. Ms Pearson has
contacted parents and a schedule for the
days is published on ManageBac.
Grade 11 reports
Grade 11 IB Group 4 project took place on
the 21st and 24th June, in collaboration
with ISL Surrey IB DP sciences students.
The theme for this year’s project was
‘shape and size matter!’ Students
worked collaboratively in teams
comprising different IBDP sciences
to decide on their own question for a
scientific inquiry related to this them,
then designed an investigation, took
results, and then each research team
presented their findings to the group
– and rigorous cross-examination to
test the reliability and validity of their
findings!
Diversity
Grade 11 parent-teacher conferences
take place at the college on Wednesday
29th June.
Alumni News
This week we were delighted to see
Mimi and Alyson, ISL London class of
2015. Mimi has just finished her first year
at Queen Mary, University of London
Understanding
and is about to leave to spend a year in
Thailand, working as an intern investment
analyst with the Quant Group. Alyson just
completed her first year at University of
Arizona, which she is loving, and has now
been allowed to jump directly to begin
her double major in BA Photography and
Business. “My IB courses gained me a lot
of credits so that I didn’t have to take all
my first year ‘General Ed.’ Classes!’ Alyson
tells us. She is spending the summer
working as an intern with Anna’s Friends,
a professional photography company.
Art alert!
ISL London Alumna Anna Vesaluoma,
class of 2013, is exhibiting and selling
her paintings, drawings and mosaics
on Saturday 25th and Sunday 26th June,
10am-5pm at the Art House Open Studios,
29 Burlington Avenue, TW9 4DF.
For more information, please visit the Art
House Open Studios website and Anna’s
website.
Paul Morris
Diploma College Deputy Principal
Identity
Passion
Mother Tongue
Dutch
During the collaborative unit about `stories express ideas, beliefs and values` the Dutch PYP Mother Tongue students read a book
of their choice which they presented last Tuesday for their classmates. One of the students used puppets in his presentation to tell
the story. On this day all the Dutch students also ate a traditional Dutch crispy toast with blue and white sprinkles called ‘beschuit
met muisjes’. This is a common treat in the Netherlands when we celebrate the birth of a baby boy and the return of their Mother
Tongue teacher from Maternity Leave.
Ilona Groen
Dutch Teacher
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