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International School Pointe-Noire

admin — Sat, 23 Jan 2010 21:39:08 +0000

ISPNA is a non-profit association formed in December 2007 for the sole purpose of establishing and managing English taught International School in Pointe-Noire.

Pointe-Noire is the oil and economic capital of the Republic of Congo and it has become increasingly difficult to be able to find a placement for non-French citizen children in the near-saturated French School.

Efforts have been made by various companies including — Chevron, Magalloy and Schlumberger — in the last couple of years to start an English taught school in Pointe-Noire.

ISPNA was registered under the Congolese Law in Pointe-Noire in May 2008.

Membership: Membership of the Association is open to all individuals and companies who purchase the Founder’s Certificate.

Board of Governors of the School: All members of the Association are members of the Board of Governors of the School. The Board of Governors determines how the International School Pointe-Noire is run. Priority will be given to pupils sponsored by members of the association.

Current Board of Directors

President: Anthony Kunle Ogunkoya

Vice President: Bryan Coryea

Treasurer: Christian Mbourou

Secretary: John Ogunwole

International School Pointe-Noire Implementation Committee

Chairman: Bryan Coryea

Vice Chairman: Christian Mbourou

Secretary: Alain Mahouna

Supply Chain: Yann Etchian

External Relations: Jean Paul Fouani

Roll of Honor of those who worked very hard to establish the International School Pointe-noire
Mrs Vicki Jones
Mr Niel Jones
Mrs Arunna Phalipou
Mr Gordon Murray
Mr Herve Phalipou
Mr Eric Allard
Mr Bryan Coryea
Mr Steve Woodruff
Mrs Katia Mounthault-Tati
Alain Mahouna
Jean Paul Fouani

Mr Alain Kayo
Mr James Lochrie
Mr John Ogunwole
Mr Elie Gompe
Mr Christian Mbourou
Mr Monday Okoro
Mr Darryl Cousin
Ms Marie-Laure Binam
Yann Etchian

Last Updated ( Tuesday, 06 October 2009 08:15 )

About International School Pointe-Noire
International School Pointe-Noire

The first and only English taught elementary school (ages 4-11) in the country, established in May 2008

International curriculum for English speaking pupils

* Managed by: International Schools Services (ISS)

Where: Pointe-Noire, Cote Sauvage

Start date for 2009: Monday 07th September 09

Registrations have started for the school year 2009-2010. Available seats are limited.

Principal:

Mr David Potter This e-mail address is being protected from spambots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it ,Ed.M

Secretary

Mboungou Anne-arletteThis e-mail address is being protected from spambots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

Contact: International School of Pointe-Noire Association (ISPNA)

Congratulatory Message From Well Wishers

Mr. Ogunkoya,
This is wonderful news about the school! As I had mentioned, we are looking for a place to relocate our American Corner computers and books. I would like to come to PN to discuss this with you.
Cindy Gregg
Charge – Brazzaville US embassy

Hi Mr. Ogunkoya,

Congratulations on the great news about the international school opening — that is truly fantastic news.

Thanks and congratulations again on the school.
All the best,
Kelly Daniel
Consular/Economic Officer
US Embassy Brazzaville
Republic of the Congo

Tony,

Quite simply – Congratulations

It made me very proud to see your email – the infectious enthusiasm that you have continues.

Gordon Murray
Gas Assets Team Leader
Southern Africa SBU
Chevron USA

Dear Tony

Neil and I are delighted that you and your team have managed to bring this project to fruition.
We will be thinking of you on September 1st
Best wishes for a smooth opening every success for the future.

Congratulations
Vicki

Vicki Jones
Houston

Tony,

Congratulations on bringing this project to a satisfactory conclusion.
It was a pleasure to be involved at the early stages.
Well done to all those who will have worked extremely hard over the last 12 months to see this through.
I wish all those involved with the operation of the school and its students every success.

Sincerely,
Neil. (chevron Houston)
Neil was Former Director General of Chevron SA Congo

September 11, 2009

admin — Fri, 11 Sep 2009 22:25:39 +0000

International School Pointe-Noire Parent Newsletter September 11, 2009
Calendar Notes

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

The great aim of education is not knowledge but action. –Herbert Spencer
We had a fabulous first week here, beginning with a terrific turnout for the ISPN Family Gathering on Saturday, continuing through the excitement of a first day field trip on Monday, and ending with four days of steady learning and community-building back here at the school. Our school population is up fifty percent from the end of last year, and the diversity of our students’ home countries has also increased dramatically. We now have eighteen students, aged 4 – 11, from nine different countries representing five continents.
The quotation above speaks well to the philosophy that drives us here at International School Pointe-Noire. We are dedicated to active, rather than passive, learning. The students this week have already worked as naturalists, observing, collecting, and studying samples of beach artifacts; they were writers and artists as well, putting their impressions of shells and sea water onto paper. We have learned new songs, new games, and made new friends.
We will soon be setting a date for Back to School Night, when parents are invited to come in and learn about the curriculum and classroom expectations. You will have an opportunity to view student work and ask questions of the teachers. Later in the trimester, parents will be invited to view our Oceans Museum, and toward the end of the marking period we will be having Parent-Teacher Conferences. Please e-mail me
with your suggestions for the best timing of evening events such as Back to School Night and an exhibition of our Oceans Museum.
Snacks and Lunch We have noticed some unhealthy items in students’ snacks and lunches, and we urge parents to seek out healthier alternatives. Soda and candy are two things we would rather not see the students consuming while they are here. Other “junk food” items like chips and cookies should be balanced out with healthy options: fruit and vegetables, fish, grains, or protein. It’s a hard day of work for most children in school, and good food gives them the energy they need to concentrate and perform to the best of their abilities. Also, we ask that parents do not send in food that requires the microwave. Our lunch period is not that long as it is, and a line of students in front of the microwave slows us down and could take away from time on-task in the classroom.
School Clothes and Supplies
We have students coming to school in skirts that are too short and shoes that are too fancy to allow them to be truly comfortable and safe throughout the school day. Please talk with your children about wearing practical clothing and footwear, and saving the party clothes for special occasions.
Parents of students in the Older Years classroom with Ms. Cloutier are reminded that their children need to have Homework Notebooks that travel with them to and from school. They are to be used for all assignments that do not have a separate worksheet to write on.
Parent-Student Handbook
The revised Handbooks are now available in the school office if you would like to have a hard copy. Otherwise, look for the Parent-Student Handbook attachment in the e-mail with this Newsletter and save it on your computer or print it for your own reference.
Early Years Class Notes (written by the class with Mr. Potter)
On Monday we went to 2 beaches. We collected shells and water and crab legs and sand. We went to the fish store and we drew fish. We looked at our shells in class. We wrote about and drew our shells. We also drew other things we collected at the beach.
We also made pictures with colorful shapes. We learned about ocean animals. We talked about numbers and digits.
Older Years Class Notes
We learned about the water cycle and began our observations of sea water collected on the field trip. We did journal writing about our memories of the trip, and we have been sharing book reviews of the books we read. We have also discussed books read aloud, paying particular attention to the way that describing words create detailed, interesting writing. In math, we reviewed how digits make numbers, and how important it is to write neatly in math, keeping digits in the right columns to show ones, tens, hundreds, etc.
After-School Activities
Parents may have the opportunity to sign up their children for two exciting programs after school – African dance and tennis lessons. We are still working on details like scheduling and setting fees for these activities, but we would like to get an idea of how many children might be interested. Each program would take place on a different afternoon, and would last approximately one hour. Parents would pay for these activities individually. The dance activity is presently proposed for one hour per week, at a cost of 1,000 FCFA per child per hour. Tennis lessons would cost approximately 10,000 FCFA per child per month, with two lessons each week.
Please e-mail or call Davina in the school office to express your interest in either activity, and we hope to finalize the programs by the end of next week.
Looking forward to another great week of learning,
David Potter Principal

August 31, 2009

admin — Mon, 31 Aug 2009 22:29:10 +0000

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.

May 11, 2009

admin — Mon, 11 May 2009 22:31:50 +0000

International School Pointe-Noire Weekly Newsletter
May 11, 2009
The mission of International School Pointe-Noire is to ensure that all of its students are academically prepared, socially responsible, cuitlurally sensitive, and personally fulfilled lifelong learners. – ISPN Parent/Student Handbook
REMINDER: No School on May 21.
Early Years Class Notes
Our last major theme of study is Community. We are working on a class play, based on the folk tale The Little Red Hen. So far, we have discussed what a play is and the things you need to perform a play (script, props, scenery). The story also brings up important themes of friendship, cooperation, and community. As part of this theme we will spend some time appreciating the communities within Pointe-Noire, including our own community right here at ISPN.
Older Years Class Notes
This week we begin our biggest writing project of the year: autobiographies. These personal stories with include writing about the students’ individual lives and on the cultures of their home countries. In math, we have begun our review of the year’s material. Each week we will look again at the units we have studied, practice our skills, and have a test on the material at the end of the week.
New Enrollment
A reminder to those of you with younger children at home – if you think that they will be joining us at ISPN next year, please contact Davina so that you may register and receive any pertinent information.
Physical Education
We have been working our way through the ISPN Physical Fitness Activities, and documenting our efforts. So far, we done the long-distance running, sprints, and the long jump. Students record their best effort, then compare that with their performance on the same activity the next time through. Thank
you for continuing to encourage your children to wear clothing appropriate to physical activity.
Field Trip to Jungle Kolors
We have arranged for an all-school field trip to Jungle Kolors on Saturday, May 23. This will count as the make-up day of school which was missed in March. Parents are invited to join us. We will be able to transport all the children in a Schlumberger van, but the more adults the merrier. The students will participate in some local activities such as fishing, pottery, and music. Details will follow in a separate note, including a permission slip that parents must sign and return to ISPN before your child can go with us.
Calendar May 21 – No school (Ascension Day) SATURDAY, May 23 – All-School Trip to Jungle Kolors June 1 – No school (Pentecost Monday) June 10 – No school (Commemoration of Conf. on Nat’l Sovereignty) June 16 – Last day of school (tentative)
We are looking forward to another great week of learning!
David Potter, Ed.M Principal

May 4, 2009

admin — Mon, 04 May 2009 22:39:07 +0000

International School Pointe-Noire Weekly Newsletter
May 4, 2009
The habits we form from childhood make no small difference, but rather they make all the difference. – Aristotle
REMINDER: No School on May 21.
Early Years Class Notes
We are learning about fractions, both as equal parts of one whole and as equal groups of a collection. Our beginning readers have been making great progress and have been focusing on sounds made by putting two vowels or two consonants together. We have also been studying bones, and we read a book called Bones, Bones, Dinosaur Bones.
Older Years Class Notes
We had a great time last week cooking up some homestyle dishes from each household! This week we did a project of imagining your own country and making a map of it. Next we will write stories about our countries. We are also going to be making an electromagnet, and we’ll be starting personal portfolios to document our lives and the cultures of our home countries.

New Enrollment
A reminder to those of you with younger children at home – if you think that they will be joining us at ISPN next year, please contact Davina so that you may register and receive any pertinent information.
Communicating with the School
Please remember to use the school’s office phone number when calling school in the middle of the day. Davina can be reached at 748-7700. Also, please do call or otherwise let us know when your children are absent.
Field Trip to Jungle Kolors
We are trying to arrange for an all-school field trip to Jungle Kolors on Saturday, May 23. This will count as the make-up day of school which was missed in March. Parents are invited to join us. We will be able to transport
all the children in a Schlumberger van, but the more adults the merrier. The students will participate in some local activities such as fishing, pottery, and music.
Calendar May 21 – No school (Ascension Day) June 1 – No school (Pentecost Monday) June 10 – No school (Commemoration of Conf. on Nat’l Sovereignty) June 16 – Last day of school (tentative)
We are looking forward to another great week of learning!
David Potter, Ed.M P