August 31, 2009

International School Pointe-Noire
Calendar Notes September 7 – First day of school October 16 & 19 – No school (AISA Conference/professional development) November 11 – No school (Armistice Day) December 2 – End of first trimester (report cards issued) December 19 – January 3 – Winter Break
Principal’s Note
They may forget what you said but they will never forget how you made them feel. — Anonymous
The summer is almost over. Yes, it’s true — time to begin preparing for another school year, and for that I think the above quotation is appropriate. No one remembers all that their teacher tried to teach them, and it is important to recognize how that can create some anxiety (for students and parents) around the beginning of another school year. I encourage everyone to focus instead on the positive memories your child has of last year’s work and on the excitement and anticipation for new experiences in the coming year.
We here at ISPN strive always to teach with an understanding of how important the emotional connections are to learning successfully. Confidence and resilience are two skills that are vital to overcoming challenges throughout life, regardless of academic abilities. The way a person approaches a project or deals with setbacks is often more important than the storehouse of knowledge the person brings to the experience. Here at ISPN, we know that when we foster our students’ views of themselves as successful risk-takers and problem-solvers, we are helping them to succeed in school and to become lifelong learners.
Parent Newsletter August 31, 2009
Pointe-Noire, Republique du Congo +242.748.7700
Many of you, like my family, have recently returned and are re-settling into your Pointe-Noire lives. Feel free to stop by the school for a visit – you’ll see some changes have occurred inside and out that we think will improve the school for everyone. If you or your children have never been to the school, please do come in ahead of time to familiarize yourselves with the campus and hopefully meet some of us who work here.
I also want to make you aware of changes that you cannot see yet: the curriculum and the way we will organize the learning. Similar to last year, we have organized the learning around different curricular themes. Since we have mixed-grade classrooms, it is essential that we do not repeat the same material every year, and therefore our themes have changed. Many important lessons will get re-taught and reinforced (remember the quote above), but in a different context and with a raised expectation for student mastery.
Whereas last year students in the two classrooms focused on different themes, this year we will be teaching with the same themes for all students, one theme per trimester (approximately thirteen weeks). These common themes will provide students with real opportunities for inter-age learning, and will allow us to create more whole-school activities led by both teachers. As always is true with mixed-grade classrooms, all students are not expected to achieve identical goals or perform the same activities. Rather, similar fundamental concepts from each topic will inform and inspire the work that is done at every grade level. In a study of the solar system, for example, first graders could focus on learning capital letters and how to spell the names of planets, while sixth graders write research reports and read science fiction novels.
All that being said, these are the thematic topics for ISPN 2009-10:
Trimester 1- Oceans Trimester 2- Forests Trimester 3- Skies.
The themes that we have chosen are purposefully broad, and allow for many variations. As with last year, we intend to present as much of the teaching as possible from within the framework of each theme. We expect this unified approach to the curriculum to enhance both the vitality of our school community as well as our ability to advance every student’s learning. It is very exciting to be planning this year, yet we are also eager to feel the energy of students in the building. I hope you all enjoy the final days of the season, and we look forward to a great start to school.
Health and Hygiene
Although we do not have any reports of people in Africa being infected with the H1N1 influenza virus, we are following guidelines to help us maintain a heightened awareness of how to prevent communicable diseases from spreading. Reminders of proper hand-washing procedures and appropriate coughing/sneezing etiquette are incorporated into daily school life. As always, all bathrooms and all high traffic/contact areas are cleaned throughout the day.
The following guidelines focus on the early identification of ill students and staff, staying home when ill, and instituting good cough and hand hygiene protocols. If your child has any flu-like symptoms, it is critical that you keep your child at home. These symptoms include: fever, cough, sore throat, body aches, headache, chills and fatigue, and sometimes runny nose, nausea, vomiting and diarrhea. Please keep a child home for 24 hours after their symptoms have subsided before they return to school. (As always, please notify us of a child’s absence by 8:00 am.) Should a child exhibit flu-like symptoms or fever while at school, we must ask a parent or guardian to pick up your child so he or she can be cared for and recuperate at home. Any work missed while a student is out can be sent home per parent’s request, and students are allowed as many days as they are absent to make up work they are unable to do while out of school.
Encourage your children to wash with soap and water whenever possible, or use an alcohol-based sanitizer frequently to prevent the spread of germs. Teach them to cover their mouth and/or nose when coughing or sneezing.
Here are some useful links to websites that contain more information about H1N1 influenza if you wish to educate yourself further:

http://www.cdc.gov/h1n1flu/

http://www.who.int/csr/disease/swineflu/en/index.html

School Clothes and Supplies
It is important that students are prepared to succeed at school, with the tools they need to learn and as few distractions as possible to their physical comfort. As such, we request that parents ensure that children are appropriately dressed and provisioned for all that they do here. The children move around all day and must be wearing comfortable clothing and footwear. We have physical education four times per week and classes often sit on the rug for meetings. Therefore, we ask that students not wear party clothes, mini-skirts or high-heeled shoes. For the sake of safety, all shoes should tie or fasten securely. Wearing shorts with skirts will ensure that recess and physical education are comfortable and enjoyable. Please see the following excerpt from the dress code as described in the ISPN Parent/Student Handbook:
General Rules All clothing is to be worn appropriately and in the manner for which it was designed. Outer clothing which resembles pajamas or underwear is prohibited. Fads and styles in dress which differ extremely from conventionally accepted standards are prohibited. Any clothing that is viewed as distracting because of extremes in style, fit, color, pattern, fabric, etc., shall not be permitted. Undergarments may not be exposed at any time. Tight fitting clothing is prohibited. Footwear must be worn at all times. Hats, caps, bandanas, sunglasses, etc. may not be worn inside the building.
Students will receive all school supplies from ISPN, including a pencil case in which to keep their writing tools and scissors. These will be kept in school, however, and parents must supply children with a full complement of school supplies for doing homework: pens, pencils, colored pencils, pencil sharpener, ruler, erasers, glue, scissors, blank and lined paper, homework notebook (for writing down assignments), and a dictionary. These are as important as a book-bag and a lunch.
Parent-Student Handbook
You will be receiving an e-mail with the revised 2009-10 Parent-Student Handbook attached, and we will have printed Handbooks available shortly. There are a few changes from last year, so even if you’ve seen it before please take the time to read through it with your family. It is a good idea to be familiar with the ways and “whys”
of International School Pointe-Noire, and the Handbook also contains valuable ideas about how you can help to support your child’s academic progress.
Looking forward to another great year of learning,
David Potter Principal
IMPORTANT REMINDER: Students may be dropped off at school between 7:45 and 8:00. Pre-school students are picked up at 12:00 and do not eat lunch here. All students should bring a healthy snack for the morning and a water bottle. Kindergarten through sixth grade students are ready for pick-up at 2:00.