The ISSE Update
May 2009
The ISSE Update will only be published via email, so please could you make sure we have your correct email address? The ISSE Update can also be found on the home school website www.issehv.nl
Colophon
The ISSE Update is a joint venture of the Parents’ Committee and the School
Editors: Marcella Watts (vacancy), Parent Jeanne Verhagen, Parent Copy for the June/July edition should be submitted before Friday 12 June 2009. Email your contribution as an attachment to the editors’ email address: isseupdate@gmail.com International Secondary School Eindhoven Venetiëstraat 43, 5632 RM Eindhoven, the Netherlands
Telephone +31(0)40 242 6835 Fax +31(0)40 256 6344
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May 2009
Principal’s Column Students arriving/leaving Calendar Mr. Zey’s Hi-Ed Corner ISSE International Fair 6 June 2009 Helpers for the Fair!! ISSE Art Explosion—Mixed Emotions, 15 May 2009 Places to visit: Antwerp – DP 1 Dutch A1 Excursion Request for donations for raffle etc. on 6 June 2009
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Principal’s column
The life of a teacher is not an easy one—we’re expected to instill skills, knowledge & understanding, nurture, guide, manage and help create responsible, well-behaved global citizens all within a 50 minute period each day! Challenging—yes and at time frustrating! But on evenings like the graduation dinner which took place this week, all the concerns I have about my role as a teacher fall aside! Seeing the faces of the young men and women of our class of 2009 sitting on stage clutching their certificates is enough to make me feel privileged and proud to be a teacher! The students should be pround of themselves for undertaking the rigors of the Diploma Programme, for pushing themselves to the limits and now for going into the world ready to use their talents and education out there in the real world—I would like to wish them all every success for this next step in their lives. Hearing some of the stories from our group of students and teachers who have just returned from their service project in Kenya has also made me feel very proud. Proud of the commitment this group has shown in not only taking part in the project, but their ongoing commitment to continue their work in Kenya and passing their experiences on to the rest of our community. This project has without a doubt been one of the biggest and most fulfilling activities we have ever taken on and I hope, will over the years, give our community the true understanding of what service really means—to the people we help, but also how it can impact our own lives. Congratulations to Mr. Lima! During the May holiday, Mr. Lima got married in sunny Portugal. I would like to wish him and his wife Anna many happy years together. I would also like to welcome back Ms van Roosmalen who returned to her full teaching load last week after an extended illness. Unfortunately, we have had to say goodbye to Mr. Boere. We are very grateful to Mr. Boere who originally took on the role of replacement Music teacher for 6 weeks—this ended up being 7 months! Mr. Bowker will be leaving us this week to undergo an operation—I would like to wish him a very speedy recovery and look forward to seeing him again in the new school year!! This will be my last update contribution until I return following my maternity leave. These last 2 years while I have filled the position of Acting Head of School have been a personal challenge. This challenge was made easier by working with a leadership team who are strong communicators, reflective in their approach and willing to work as a real team—sharing the load. I would like to extend a special thanks to Ms Cloutier, Mr. Rutherford and Ms Volpert for their on-going support to me and their dedication and commitment to continue to develop our vision for the ISSE. The support of my colleagues, parents, and students has also been crucial in helping me in my interim role. Next school year brings a number of changes for the ISSE, a new director, aligning the ISSE with the primary school and of course striving to make the new campus a reality. I am sad not to be here at the start of the school year, but will be looking forward to taking up this new challenge when I return!
Marcella Watts
The ISSE Update 4 May 2009
Congratulations to Mario Coppola, DP1
Mario Coppola's 2008 Personal Project has been selected to be published in a new IBO guide entitled: ‘50 Excellent Personal Projects’. Mario’s Personal project was entitled ‘Can I raise awareness of the futility and horrors of war?’ and was awarded a perfect 7! Well done Mario!
Congratulations to Ms Costas
The IBO has recently contacted the ISSE to inform us that some of the assessment tasks and student work that Ms Costas has developed in her Spanish classes in MP5 will be included in the IBO publication ‘Teachers' Support Materials for Language B Spanish’. This publication gives examples of good practice and is used as a reference for IB teachers around the world!
Congratulations to Irene Adelmeyer, MP3!
Irene took part in the Amsterdam Diving Cup recently. Seven countries participated in this competition; Sweden, South Africa, Oman, Germany, Denmark and The Netherlands. Irene had 4 competitions; the 1 meter board, the 3 meter board, the 5 meter platform and a synchronized dive from the 3 meter board. She won a bronze medal for her synchronized dive!
A reminder to all parents
If your child will be leaving the ISSE at the end of this school year, you must provide the school with written verification. The letter should be addressed to Ms Watts and give details of your child’s last day of school. This letter should be sent to the office as soon as possible! If you are uncertain about leaving Eindhoven as plans have not been finalized, please contact Ms Watts directly via E-mail at mwatts@issehv.nl to inform her of the possibility of your departure—this will remain confidential until your plans are finalized.
Saying hello:
Hsin Yu joins joins MP3 from Jodie Champaneria joins MP3 from the UK
Saying goodbye:
Zheyu Zhang returns to China Devin & Brayden Dewar return to Canada Mihaly Szonyi returns to Hungary
The ISSE Update 5 May 2009
May 2009
27 28 28 MP4 excursion to Ypres (return 29) Ms Walker in charge MP3 Dutch excursion to Vught Mr van Daal in charge NECIS softball matches Rotterdam Mr Hendrikx in charge
June 2009
1 5 6 10 17 23 26 Holiday DP1 Environmental Systems excursion to sewage plant, Eindhoven Mr Zeytoutsian in charge 11:00-16:00 ISSE Fair 12:40 MP4 Visual Arts excursion, Eindhoven Ms Stolk in charge DP1 Geography Field trip, Zeeland – return 11 June - Ms Fell in charge 09:00 Assembly – focus on Kenya Servive Project Sports Day – this is a compulsory day for all students First day DP1 exams No leave will be granted during this time
July 2009
3 Last day DP1 exams 1st day MP4 assessment period No leave will be granted during this time 6 19:00-22:00 End-of-Year party Please be aware the canteen will be closed on this day! Start of PROJECT WEEK - this is a compulsory week for all students MP3 & 5 camps depart (return 9 July) 7 8 DP1 TOK presentations DP1 Group 4 projects Last day MP4 assessment period DP1 Group 4 & TOK presentations 9 10 DP1 TOK presentations Please be aware the canteen will be closed on this day! LAST DAY FOR STUDENTS Issue MP1,2,3 & 5 reports 11:00 Assembly 14 15 12:30 students are dismissed MP4 & DP1 students may pick up reports otherwise they will be posted 14:00-16:00 Parent-Teacher report meetings
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May 2009
27 May 28 may 6 June 23 June 6 July 10 July
MP4 excursion to Ypres – returns 29 May MP3 Dutch excursion to Vught NECIS Softball tournament ISSE fair Sports Day MP3 & Mp5 camp depart – return 9 July Last day of lessons for all students
Start of the new school year 2009-2010 Please be aware that Dutch law does not permit students to be granted an extended holiday leave of absence in the first two weeks of the school year.
2008-2009
Whitsun holidays Start Summer holidays
Holiday schedule
Monday June 1 2009 Monday 20 July 2009 ↔
inclusive
Monday June 1 2009
2009-2010
Start school year
First day off
Last day off
Autumn holiday Christmas holiday Carnival holiday Easter holiday May holiday Whitsun holiday Start Summer holiday
31 August school office opens 4 September 1st day back for teachers 9 September 1st day lessons all returning students 26 October 2009 ↔ 30 October 2009 21 December 2009 15 February 2010 5 April 2010 30 April 2010 24 May 2010 12 July 2010 last day of lessons for students ↔ ↔ ↔ ↔ ↔ ↔ 1 January 2010 19 February 2010 5 April 2010 14 May 2010 24 May 2010 10 September 2010 1st day of lessons all returning students
May 2009
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DP2 STUDENTS
As I type this, DP2 students are in the middle of their gruelling final examinations. For the Netherlands bound students, there is a requirement to register with the “IB-Groep” in order to secure studiefinanciering (financial assistance). This should be done as soon as possible, which is an on-line procedure that requires the candidate to have his or her Correspondentie nummer (registration number) and the link is at https://app.studielink.nl/vchfos/welcome.jsp. EU citizens pursuing higher education outside this country (but within the EU territories) are also eligible for Studiefinanciering. To do this candidate should download a special IB-Groep form and send it off as soon as possible. Scroll down to the section ‘links’ in order to download this form. However, in the event of any difficulty, you can visit the Studiefinanciering office at Clausplein 6, near the Witte Dame library in Eindhoven centre. In the first week of July, preliminary IB examination results should become available. Students can find essential information for processing these results at the site: http://www.isse-school.nl/HiEd/HiEd.htm
DP1 STUDENTS
On two consecutive Thursdays, April 2 and 9, we had two useful sessions with DP1 students and parents about university planning and research. The emphasis was on an early start (beginning of September 2009) re UK and US university applications. Those DP1 students aspiring for medical career or a place at Oxford or Cambridge Universities must apply before the deadline of October 15, 2009. For some students, the Mid-IB Summer School in Cambridge and Boston (USA) could be a useful way of catching up in subjects with specific difficulties. More details at http://www.osc-ib.com/ For younger students, there is a local Summer Camp at the International School of Eerde (July 12 to August 2). The programme of activities includes English language improvement lessons, sporting activities, including golf, soccer and tennis; dance and music; cultural excursions: Amsterdam, The Hague and Rotterdam. For more details visit the site http://www.eerde.nl/ The University of Amsterdam and VU University Amsterdam have announced the start of an all English, Liberal Arts and Science programme. This leads to a 3-year Bachelor degree. The courses on offer fall under the following six themes: Energy, Climate and Sustainability Life, Evolution, Universe Health and Well-being Information, Communication, Cognition Social Systems Cities and Cultures More details at http://www.studeren.uva.nl/auc With the approach of the end-of-year exams, most students are perhaps too occupied with studies to have the time to do any serious research in terms of finding a university that meets their individual needs and academic profile. This is particularly the case with UK universities, where students need to be aware of their likely IB Diploma score in 2010. Parents can help out with on line research and if they could share their finding with me, so much the better. The next several paragraphs should make this clearer:
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May 2009
Economics, Business and Management courses – by Anne Edwards, DP Parent
This research below was carried out in April 2009 with reference to traditional universities and not the new universities, which in general have lower admission requirements. It must be stressed that it's up to each individual to do their own research, but I'm quite happy to share this with the ISSE community, as long as they don't blame me if the information turns out not to be accurate or the universities make offers quite different from those quoted below. I gathered the latest information online from the individual universities and 2 league tables. The positions in the League Tables are for Business, Management, etc., and Economics only. They are not for the university as a whole. Some universities might come overall in the top 20, but for Business or Economics degrees much lower down the ranking – you may want to go to a top university even if it’s not so good for Business or Economics. League tables change every year, so don’t only pay attention to them. When choosing a course, look at whether or not it has a year out in business option, a year at a Business School abroad, good job prospects, modules you actually want to study, a high rate of applicants per place, etc.. They vary greatly. What’s important to you in the course? When choosing a university, look at where it is in relation to airports, is it in a city centre or out on a campus, are sports facilities and societies really important to you, do you want to play your favourite sport for your university team, which position does it comes in league tables, is it famous internationally, etc.. What’s important to you in the university itself?
Degrees in Business, Management and combinations
Those highlighted in red come in the top 10 in both league tables. Those highlighted in blue come in the top 20 in both league tables. IB points needed 30 30-32 32 32+ 33 33-36 34 34-35 35 36 36+ 38
The ISSE Update
Name of University Leicester Lancaster Nottingham Liverpool York Cardiff Sheffield Exeter Birmingham Durham Aston Manchester Southampton Leeds Warwick St Andrews Loughborough Bath
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The Times League Table 09 18 10 15 62 50 20 25 7 34 30 11 16 21 23 5 9 6 4
The Guardian League Table 09 13 5 18 36 31 46 35 4 21 23 16 9 37 19 2 7 14 8
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Economics – on its own or combined with Business / Management
Those highlighted in red come in the top 10 in both league tables. Those highlighted in blue come in the top 20 in both league tables. IB points needed 30-32 32 Name of University Lancaster Leicester Liverpool 33 Cardiff Sheffield 33-36 34 Exeter Manchester Southampton min.34 34-36 34-37 35 36 37 38 Loughborough Birmingham Bristol (7 in SL Maths!) Leeds York St Andrews Warwick Durham Bath Nottingham The Times League Table 09 14 20 42 25 38 10 39 17 16 7 9 29 13 12 5 6 15 8 The Guardian League Table 09 9 28 31 43 38 12 30 32 23 4 14 29 17 8 5 7 15 13
Aston University also does Economics and Management for 34 points – see Aston above. It does not come under Economics in either league table. Hopefully, this document encourages other parents or students to do the same for different courses, that would be great - but it does take many hours of internet research. Feel free to send the fruits of your research to Mr Zey: mrzey@live.nl
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May 2009
The above table speaks for itself and simplifies the search for top UK universities
Useful links
UK university Open Days: http://www.opendays.com/ NL university Open Days: http://www.opendagen.nl/schools.asp?action=state&id=NB ISSE alumni site: http://home.vianetworks.nl/users/isse/ Mr Zey's Hi-Ed site: http://home.tiscali.nl/fishnet/ Mrs Anne Edward’s document on the cost of UK universities: http://www.isse-school.nl/HiEd/Cost-of-UKUniUpdate08.doc EU application form for studiefinanciering: http://www.isse-school.nl/downloads/StFinEu.PDF You can read this newsletter on line at http://www.isse-school.nl/HiEd/2009.htm Parents and students can contact me by phone during school hours [040-2927673] and by email: mrzey@live.nl
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May 2009
International Food Hall
Children’s blanket Sale
Many interesting and exciting commercial stall holders
Hand painting (Mehendi)
ISSE International Fair
6 June 2009 11 am—4 pm Bring the whole Family! Invite your friends and neighbours! Fun for everyone!
Face Painting
Sumo Wrestling
Secondhand Book Stall
Bar
Computer Games
Bottle Bingo
Beat the Goalie & other games in the gym
Children’s Crafts
Lucky Dip
Tombola
Raffle with Fantastic Prizes Fair Trade stall organized by students
Musical Entertainment
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May 2009
To help with the International Fair WHEN:
Tuesday 2nd June from 9am onwards at the school to help:
* Wrap Lucky Dip prizes *Prepare prizes for Tombola & Bottle Bingo *Sort books *General last minute organisation
If you can help please come along!
*
On the day of the fair Saturday 6th June
If you can spare an hour (or more) between 11am and 4pm on the day to help sell raffle tickets or help man an activity, PLEASE PRINT (or collect a copy from the office) and fill in the attached form and return it to the school office. A member of the fair committee will contact you during the week 1‐5June.
‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐ Name: _____________________Phone no:_______________ I can help at the fair from ____ o’clock until ____ o’clock
The ISSE Update 13 May 2009
This year’s Art Explosion was a creative showcase for all aspects of The Arts; visual, musical, drama and dance were all on the menu! Visitors could get their creative juices flowing by taking part in a variety of different activities. Parents could enjoy themselves with drinks, snacks and conversation while looking at artistic outbursts on and off-stage in the aula. It was a great success enjoyed by all! Visitors were welcomed by DP1 students who showed their creative movies at the entrance. In front of the aula there was a bake sale all made by parents and students to raise money for a good cause. Artistic merchandise created by ISSE teachers was also on sale for anyone looking to add an original piece to their art collection. The drama focus was provided by Ms Bowker’s Bananadrama group who performed Bus Stop, a hilarious short sketch! Music throughout the evening was provided by Mp5 students Aron, Robert and Mario our resident school band and Ms Jet Groot-Antink entertained us on her accordion. There were several workshops taking place in and around the aula; rock painting, Delft Blue tile painting and DP1 student Melissa Andrews decorated sneakers with her beautiful and powerful drawings. In the poetry corner visitors could scribe their actions and intentions into poetry. A group of students followed the rap workshop and performed on stage at the end of the evening. It was very impressive to see how much they learned in such a short time with a very enthusiastic rap teacher! The judges had a difficult time choosing winner in the annual art competition, but finally after much deliberation the following students were given prizes: Lower school first prize Alex Drake, MP2 second prize Vidihika Khanna, MP1 third prize Megan Grant & Grace Nolan, MP3. Upper school first prize Ilona Salo, MP5 second prize, Mandi Astola, MP4 third prize, Melissa Andrews, DP1. A big thank you to the ISSE Parents Committee for providing the prizes fro the Art Competition! Many people helped to make this evening a great success; parents and students who provided the refreshments, and manned the stalls—thank you very much! A special thanks goes to Joy Bowker, Hubertine Koenraadt, Maurice Schoffelen, Jet GrootAntink and Marrit Ras, Marcella Watts and Lotte Watts. We hope to see you all again next year! From the Visual Arts deprtemnt Myrna Stolk, Mascha Keersmaekers & Sjaak Smolders
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May 2009
Traditionally, DP1-students taking Dutch A1, visit in May the city of Antwerp to study some of the best preserved treasures of the Renaissance in this region or Europe.
On Thursday, May 14th, we left the ISSE in two private cars, managed to avoid the usual traffic jams around Eindhoven, got stuck in the Antwerp version and still arrived at the agreed time at our first historical site, the famous printing museum “Plantin-Moretus’, just in time to take part in the monthly (!) evacuation exercise. The staff managed to get everyone out in 5 minutes and aims for three this year! After this warm welcome, we toured the beautiful buildings, dating from the 16th century. Museum Plantin-Moretus They house a complete printing facility with 8 authentic presses, including the two oldest in the world, and complete sets of dies and matrices.
One of the students was allowed to actually use one of these presses and left with a print of a French love poem. We then admired the 15th century ' Froissart Chronicles', a richly decorated manuscript with beautiful miniatures, a rare copy of the famous Gutenberg- bible and of course the most famous book ever printed by the family PlantinMoretus: the Polyglott-bible.
We also passed through the great library, containing more than 25.000 volumes, dating from the 9th to the 19th century. The family Plantin-Moretus also lived in these buildings for more than 400 years and they preserved not only the printing facility but also their living quarters.
The ISSE Update 20 May 2009
This gives us a unique opportunity to see how they decorated their rooms with beautiful tapestry and paintings by friends. One of these friends was Peter Paul Rubens, one of the best Flemish painters ever! Another friend working with the family was Kiliaan, author of the first dictionary written in the Dutch language. It took us nearly two hours to complete the tour. We then welcomed a lunch outside on one the many outdoor café’s, and enjoyed a traditional croquet monsieur with several cappuccino’s, or pizza’s or even a complete dinner with steaks and of course non-alcoholic refreshments. Rubens House The next activity for weary minds was a short walk to the next site to visit: the also very famous ‘Rubens Museum’.
We managed to arrive at the agreed time, with compliments to the students, because they had to neglect numerous shops along the Meir, the access road to the museum. Here the painter Peter Paul Rubens lived and worked with a staff of more than 25 apprentices and produced an astounding number of paintings on an almost industrial scale.
Some of these paintings can be seen in his spacious work shop and in the part of the house where he used to live with his large family. It was build as an Italian palace with extensive grounds outside the walls of Antwerp. Now it is located in the city centre. We enjoyed the site together with legions of students from other schools. The season for school trips definitely had started. All in all, this event again will support the students’ awareness of the rich cultural history of the Netherlands and provide ample background for their studies of Dutch literature. Next year’s DP1 students will visit the city again and celebrate the 20th anniversary of the first excursion, a special occasion! Thanks to Anique, Iris, Lindsay, Patrick, Rosanna and Mrs. Niemarkt. Mr. J. van Daal/ teacher Dutch A1
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May 2009
On Thursday 14th May we went to Amsterdam. We left early by train. The aim of the excursion was to develop our knowledge about Amsterdam and the Dutch culture. When we arrived, we met our tour guide. He gave us a tour around Amsterdam; from the centre to the Jordaan. The Jordaan used to be the poorest part of Amsterdam. Many riots took place here between the public and the police. Due to these riots the canal was filled in because when it was there it was one of the sources of the problems for the street. In contrast, the Jordaan has now become one of the richest streets in Amsterdam!
We also visited the hofjes. They were originally built for the wives of sailors, who often became widows after their husband never came back from a trip. Hofjes were often built by rich people who wished to leave their name behind. Now they are used as regular houses.
After the tour, we had lunch. We had some traditional Dutch food; Kentucky Fried Chicken! We also saw some street performers, which were performing in the centre on the Dam. After lunch, we went on a boat trip around the Amsterdam canals. On the boat trip we saw the boat-houses and different areas of Amsterdam, and learnt about the history of Amsterdam thanks our Multilanguage loudspeaker which explained everything in several languages! This gave a chance to also brush up on our English, French and German!
of to
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May 2009
Would you like to include a personal message in the yearbook?
At this moment, we are finalizing the production of a great new yearbook for the ISSE community. The Year Book is produced by a professional publisher with the help of a teacher and a group of dedicated students. We are sure, the Year Book will be an unfor‐ gettable overview of your son/daughter’s experience of a year at the ISSE. A book filled with precious memories that can be treasured for the years to come to remember fondly the ISSE school years. This year, we are offering you (and other relatives and friends) the unique opportunity to have your personal message to your son/daughter printed in the yearbook. This is an ideal way for parents to have their wishes printed in black and white as a permanent re‐ minder of your wishes, hopes and dreams for your child at this time in their life. This would be a particularly, special opportunity for those of you whose child will be gradu‐ ating this school year or leaving the ISSE. The costs involved are very reasonable and start from €3,85 per line. Special pages will be incorporated in the book for these messages. You even have the option of including photographs! You can design the look of your message yourself on the website of our publisher, www.uitgeefhuis.nl. Click on the heading ‘feliciteren’, then click on the link ‘ja, mijn kind feliciteren’. On the following page you can choose the ISSE from the drop‐down menu. This will take you to a page with examples of messages and costs involved. Al‐ though, the site is in Dutch, the steps can be followed without the knowledge of the Dutch language. Because the books have to be printed and delivered to our school on time before the summer holiday, the deadline for your personal messages is midnight on the 8th of June.
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May 2009
On a sunny Wednesday 13th May, all MP1 students went on an excursion to the Delta Park Neeltje Jans in Zeeland. This park is situated by the famous storm surge barriers, which provides the Netherlands with effective defense equipments against floods. This impressive structure was started as a result of the disastrous 1953 flood, and its construction lasted for about 40 years. The students started their visit by explorating the many attractions that the park has to offer. While some students took the option of a rush down a water slide, others preferred to watch a show with seals, admire the many species of fish and sea creatures at the aquarium, or be blown away by the gale force 12 wind provided by the hurricane simulator. Lunch was the gastronomic delight of a choice between fricandelle or croquette with chips! This was followed by documentary film about the delta works, which provided students with an insight and how these massive structures were planned and then constructed over so many years. The visit then continued with a guided tour of the storm surge barrier where students were allowed to explore the heart of the structure. Our guide was very insightful and students posed many interesting questions. Although there was still a 2 hour journey back to Eindhoven, students revealed that, although they would have liked to have more time to explore the park on their own, they had a very fun and educational day out.
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May 2009
8 students and 3 teachers took part in a service project in Kenya this month. Below you can read their updates from Kenya. On the 17th of May there will be an assembly where the students will be telling the school about their experiences.
Wednesday 13 May 2009 Well, everyone arrived and all is going smoothly. The students are full of energy and wideeyed - well, they are dipping a bit now as evening approaches. Jetlag and heat is winning out now...We went to the school this afternoon and each of the classes gave the students a warm welcome - singing loudly and dancing as we went into each of the classes. Today was just a brief orientation. Tomorrow, they will join the Victory teachers and begin working alongside them with the students....We are now at Nakumatt where Ruth is heading up the grocery shopping expedition. From here it's back to the spacious house, cooking, eating and some planning before what I imagine will be an early night under the mosquito nets. Thursday 14 May 2009 The students were not so quick to rise and get ready but fortunately the school had problems with the arrival of the matatu and our arriving later than planned became 'their fault' and not ours. Students spent the morning divided up with teachers and by lunch - which was only 2h 30 later, they were quite dead. Happy but very drained from the heat and just adjusting to the situation. At 15:00 they will run a crafts activity which they planned last night - mask making. It'll be interesting to see how the execute it. Ruth is on duty with them for this while Sjef and I have come to email and change more money for the project and for the students. We'll also begin the grocery shopping before the students meet us here in 90 minutes....Then it's back to the house for cooking, perhaps a walk to the ocean, and then some more planning. The students are working wonderfully with the students. Not all of the teachers here are using them so effectively but I think that after today, they will feel more comfortable with them. Luckily it did not rain today and we have a breeze.
Monday 20 May 2009 It's hot hot hot! And I'm absolutely drenched in sweat. Just came to the meeting point with students from the town where I went to get geography and social studies materials for the ISSE - to "kenyanize" our curriculum a bit. The safari certainly delivered up the goods - a pride of lions, including cubs chowing down on a dead water buffalo; a leopard chowing down on something boney and bloody; herds of lions, waterbuffalos; lots of giraffe pairings and families of zebra and all of those other deer-like animals, to numerous to name...
The ISSE Update 26 May 2009
We got back yesterday evening and the girls went to the ocean for a swim while the boys kept to the pool....Yesterday we had our first group dynamics issue but I think it has settled now after some discussion and a night's sleep. The heat exacerbates any disagreements but in the end peace prevails... The group who are coming to this plaza for lunch, and then a visit to the Aga Khan Academy where they will play soccer with their DP1 students! Tuesday 19 May 2009 The failing rains did not fail last night. They came in full force lwith high winds and lightning, gnashing against the house and causing the power to go out twice. While we don't sleep with lights on, we do have the fans on to keep the air moving and the mosquitoes out of the room; the fans stopped. This morning the raining continued and the students arrived to school in muddy conditions. By 11:00 they stopped and now the sun is out and the humidity abounds! Today the students have been interviewing students and involving some classes in sports games out on the field. A couple have remained in the classrooms where they have felt quite welcome and where they've been integrated effectively. At lunch, the group went to see the proposed new site and this afternoon will continue with games in the fields. Ruth and Sjef will interview some of the teachers. I have been in town most of the morning organizing for the students to visit the Coast General Hospital tomorrow. Much waiting and of course some bureaucracy - but now all is in place and we will visit a project called Kesho Bara (Better Tomorrow), a project sponsored by the WHO which is working to prevent the transmission of the HIV virus from mother to child during pregnancy. The students will have an opportunity to hear from people involved in the project and to see relevant areas of the hospital. Tomorrow is our Mombassa day. The students will rise early so they can be out on the coral reefs for 7:30, at low tide. A friend of mine will take us out and will also be able to give some background information on the marine park and efforts to preserve the Kenya coast. From there the students will spend part of the morning on the coast line, have lunch and then go to the Coast General Hospital. After the presentation we will proceed to the Old Town where they will have an opportunity to see Fort Jesus, a timely (but unsettling) photo journal exposition entitled "Kenya Burning" - which chronicles the horrible events following the January elections in 2008. They will have some wander time before dinner at the Jahazi Cafe in the Old Town where they will feast on Swahili food. A former student of mine from the Aga Khan Academy will join us and I hope she will help provide students with some more context around what happened, and why, during the election period, from her perspective. Already the students have met some other IB Diploma students from the Aga Khan Academy, having had a chance to play a friendly game of football at their school yesterday! Time is running out and already I am seeing so many opportunities we are missing because of time constraints. We do hope that we are chronicling the experience and bringing back a wealth of information and insight to promote the project further alongside a deepening understanding of Kenya that all of the ISSE students will benefit from, and which will, in turn, continue to build our relationship with the people of Kenya. Updates sent from Kenya from Mr. Rutherford
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May 2009
The Personal Project Fair
After having received a small presentation by Ms. Evans, introducing us to the ‘grueling’ Personal Project, the next step was to look at the examples of last year’s. These examples were those of the current MP5s. This looking, reviewing and for some even scrutinizing of successful projects came in the form of a Personal Project fair.
The fair was set up in the Aula of the school, with two columns of about 17 projects. We [the apprehensive MP4s and the probably-even-more apprehensive parents], were able to walk around the Aula freely looking at various projects and asking questions about these. There were two openings. One was, quite conveniently, at around 2 o’clock (as this was during a lesson), and the other around 6 o’clock. Personally, I preferred the 6 o’clock opening, as at this opening drinks and cookies were served wonderfully without charge. Nonetheless, the object of this fair was to give us a bit more of an idea about the whole Personal Project, and to get advice or tips on how to make a good project. And these were, indisputably, received. The MP5s openly discussed what went well, what they could have improved on and what they would recommend we do for a good mark. As the second opening came to a close, I felt much more relaxed, with key factors of the Personal Project ascertained. I truly feel that every one of the MP5s I spoke to was a help, those that attained excellent grades and those that attained good grades (as everyone I spoke to achieved at least a relatively good mark!). This fair was helpful, and I am very glad that I took a few mere hours out of my afternoon to go to it.
Patrick Gilbert, MP4a.
The ISSE Update 29 May 2009
If you would like to view or order photos of the Graduation dinner please refer to the steps below:
(A) • • • •
VIEWING PHOTO’S
Please visit the website:
www.ifotografie.nl
International school Diploma
Go to INLOGGEN and click Your ‘Gebruikersnaam’ (user name) is: Your ‘wachtwoord’ (password) is:
(B)
ORDERING PHOTO’S
At the base of each down‐sized photograph are the words ‘foto aan winkelwagen toevoegen’ (add photo to shopping trolley). Click on this, the photo will be added to your order. Do this for all photos that you want to order. When you have completed your selection, click on the icon written in blue at the base of the page ‘inhoud winkelwagen bekijken’ (check contents of shopping trolley) Now you can choose the size, colour option and number of each print that you want … Please DO NOT click on the small square box on the left hand side of the photograph, as this action will delete ‘verwijderen’ your photo from your selection Once you have selected all the possible options in terms of size, colour and number of prints that you want to order, click on the ‘Doorgaan met bestellen’ (continue with order). You will see a summary and total cost of your order to the right of the screen in the grey box. 1 2 Click on ‘Bestellen’ to order your photo’s. [‘Order aanpassen’ will allow you to change your selection if you need to …]
This is where you fill in your details – and please mention in the ‘comments’ box at the base of the screen that you have selected photo’s from the International School Diploma Ceremony 25th May 2009. After you have placed your order online – please transfer the correct amount of money to this account: 1 2 Payment has been received. Ingrid van Dommelen Rabobank Account number 1782.23.751
Please also fill in your own name and International School Diploma Ceremony 25th May 2009. Orders will be processed when
FINAL DATE for placing orders: 5th June 2009 Within 2 weeks of this date, photos will be delivered to the school, You may collect your photo’s from the school office.
The ISSE Update 30 May 2009
Ingid van Dommelen
CAS Cooking Book for Beginners
Need a tool for preparing simple meals? Want to support our Kenya Service Project? Why not subscribe for the limited edition of the CAS Cooking Booklet for Beginners by Céline Booms The book has thirteen easy recopies, all tried & tested by our own DP students Interested? then send your name and details to GRO@issehv.nl
ISSE Venetiestraat 43 5632 RM Eindhoven 040-2426835
Mombassa Children’s Service Project
31 May 2009
The ISSE Update
Donations
Do you or your spouse/partner work for a company which could donate an item to be used in a raffle or auction at the ISSE International Fair which will be held on 6 June 2009? Alternatively, if your company would like to give financial sponsorship for an activity, this too would be very welcome If so, please get in touch with the Parents' Committee at issepc@gmail.com ISSE Parents Committee
Would you like to help with the ISSE International Fair ? Then we would very much like you to get in touch with us!! Please contact one of the members of the International Fair Committee, Julie Armstrong, Robyn Kouw, Majola Slot or Marcella Watts, or the PC at issepc@gmail.com
The ISSE Update
32
May 2009
The School and the Parents’ Committee would like to notify you in time of forthcoming events, so could you please make sure we have your correct email address?
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Roman Catholic Mass in English at Heilig Hart Kerk, Ploegstraat (near Hoogstraat) in Eindhoven 12 noon on the 2nd and last Sundays of every month May 10 and 31 Visit www.heilighart.nl or call Patricia McHugh (040 2845692) for further details. If you are interested in catechism classes, please call Patricia McHugh
******************************************************************************************************* ISSE SPORTSNIGHT FOR PARENTS, STUDENTS, TEACHERS AND FRIENDS
ARE YOU….
An ISSE staff member ? An ISSE parent ? An ISSE student ? An ISSE alumnus ? An ISSE friend ? And in need of a bit of exercise ? Then the ISSE sports night is just what you are looking for. We get together every Monday night at the gym at 8.00 pm to play a bit of bandy (indoor-hockey) followed by some badminton.
ALL JUST FOR FUN!!!
The ISSE Update 33
SEE YOU THERE!
May 2009