V o l ume L V , I s s ue 2 A n gl ic a n I n te r n at io n a l Sc h oo l, J e r us al e m 7 th No v e m be r , 2 0 1 4 P ARENTS ’ N EWS DIRECTOR’S NOTE ...OF INTEREST INSIDE THIS ISSUE: Secondary ...to none 2 Middle Years Program 2 IB Independent Studies 2 Elementary ...my dear 3 Pre-School ...of thought 3 Special Announcement 4 Feature: Sophie Hibbs 4 Upcoming Event Dates November • Tuesday 11th: Secondary Parent Teacher Conference PM • Friday 28th: Autumn Fair Whole School December • Thursday 4th: PreSchool Christmas Performance • Thursday 11th: Elementary Christmas Performance • Tuesday 16th: Christmas Carol Service, followed by International Winter Traditions Dinner • Friday 19th: Last day of classes before Christmas Holiday Break Dear Parents and Guardians Thank you for your continued help and support as together we support all our students in their educational journey. As I sit to write to you, I am thinking of two visitors who came to school on this wet Friday morning in Jerusalem. One was the Education Officer from the U.S Department of State. Beatrice Cameron has had a long relationship with our school over 17 years and countless Heads of School and Directors. The other was a former student – Nirel Crombie who came with her husband and daughter to show them her IB art work – which is the wonderful Jerusalem vista on the wall of my office. Both reminded me of what our school is all about: Firstly, we are here to educate to the highest stand- ‘Where the world goes to school’ ard possible, and secondly, we are in the business of building student achievement which lasts. Our students should be proud of themselves and of our school. Our learning processes ought to enable each student to achieve their full potential and create their own treasured memories, which stands the test of time. The Scriptures often refer to the passing of time, they talk about its swiftness but also its purpose – in the book of Ecclesiastes, we are reminded that ‘there is (Continued on page 4) GRADE 6 STUDENTS EXPLORE VA R I A T I O N S O N A T H E M E … . . PA R K This year Grade 6 have been studying a unit on Theme Parks in MYP under the subject of Individuals and Societies ( formerly Humanities). They have spent time looking at geographical factors which effect the location, set up and facilities of a theme park. They then started a project to design their own theme parks, utilizing all this information. They worked in groups, where their first task was Theme Park Design Projects (Continued on page 3) Pa g e 2 V o l ume L V , I s s ue 2 S E C O N DA RY . .. T O N O N E Ms Anna Brunskill Head of Secondary Geared up for a dive Despite the time off school during the past month, the Secondary School seem to have crammed an awful lot of activity into October. We had a very successful whole school residential, led by our Dean of Students Mr Mitchell. This year we returned north, heading to Caesarea with an overnight at Kibbutz Maagan in the Galilee, then canoeing at Kfar Blum. Last Monday, the Middle School participated in the annual Community and Service Day volunteering at local community projects where their help was very well received. Thanks to Mrs Rania Husseini and Dr Barbara Zinn for all their hard work in organising the event. In the Athletics Department, 16 students spent the Sukkot break scuba diving in the balmy waters of the Red Sea in Eilat. Some were complete beginners and others were advanced divers, but all enjoyed the challenges that scuba diving pre- sents. I am immensely proud of them for all they achieved, and a little bit proud of myself too for receiving my own qualification. We're now looking forward to a quiet November in school. Our first Parent Teacher Conferences are on Tuesday 11th November 1.00 to 5.00 p.m. see you there! ~ Ms Anna Brunskill, Head of Secondary MIDDLE YEARS PROGRAM (MYP) C O M M U N I T Y A N D S E RV I C E D AY Dr Barbara Zinn, MYP Coord. More MYP photos on insert Community Service Day had MYP students and teachers volunteering at different venues: 1. The Helen Keller institute for the blind (Jerusalem) 2. The Princess Basma Institute for the Disabled (Jerusalem) 3. Jemima House for the Disabled (Bethlehem) 4. The SOS Children's Village (Bethlehem) 5. The Augusta Victoria Hospital (Jerusalem), where students picked about 150kg of olives which will be pressed at Latrun Monastery and should produce about 20 liters of olive oil. The students’ hard work helps support the hospital’s “Fund for the Poor,” which ensures IB/INDEPENDENT STUDY (IS) Recently, I attended The IB Africa/Europe/Middle East (IBAEM) Regional conference in Rome, featuring sessions by several influential speakers in the field of education, and where I gave a talk on the importance of learning for educators. Ms Robin Press, IB/IS Coordinator It was very inspiring to be in the company of 1300 IB educators from around the world. I returned with a wealth of new ideas and that cancer and dialysis patients continue to receive life-saving care. My thanks to Ms Rania Husseini, our coordinator for Community and Service, for organizing this event which gives AISJ students the opportunity to serve the community. ~ Dr Barbara Zinn, MYP Coordinator PROGRAM food for thought. Our opening plenary speaker, Dr. Yong Zhao spoke with wit and insight about teaching students to prepare them for the ever-changing world in which they will be employed. Discussing Albert Einstein Dr. Zhao said, “If Einstein were to take an IB Physics exam, he would no doubt get 100%, but that is all he could get.” As important as they are in our system, there is a limit to what exams can measure. This week, I made the official IB exam enrollments for our grade 12 class. I would encourage our students to do their very best during the upcoming, highly stressful period. That said, I would also encourage them not to lose a wider perspective. Each of them, indeed each of us, is more than the sum of our exam scores. P a r e nts ’ Ne w s Pa g e 3 E L E M E N TA RY .. . M Y D E A R Elementary school has had a wonderful October month. It passed by really quickly with the holiday in between. Still there was enough time to learn, play, sing and work together. The biggest change to Elementary is that the old art room from last year is back in usage and the EY2 love their new classroom. AISJ is also keeping up with technology changes and over the last month the younger year groups have been equipped with an interactive whiteboard. The children are able to use a ‘massive’ iPad, as one of the children called it. We are really excited that our children will have access to new types of media. Since last week the clubs have started running. We are glad to see that most of the clubs were able to go ahead with (more than) enough signing up. It is a joy to see all the children enjoying different styles of activities after school within the school grounds. This week we were pleased to meet with nearly all parents during our first Parent Teacher Conference of this school year. It is really encouraging for us to hear all the words of appreciation during these talks, which enables us to keep going the extra mile to ensure your children receive the best education. ~ Mr Steffen Ferwerda, Head of Elementary Mr Steffen Ferwerda Head of Elementary (Continued from page 1) to carry out Market Research. They integrated the results of this into their Theme Park designs. This week cumulated in their grand presentations, where they showed us their thoughtful models and their creative posters and Students give presentation maps. They demonstrated their incredible acting abilities with their adverts and wowed us with their technological prowess, in their PowerPoint's......fun was had by all....and then we ate cake! ~ Mrs Liz Album, Grade 6 Individuals and Societies Teacher Mrs Liz Album, Grade 6 Individuals and Societies Teacher, LLS Coordinator PRE-SCHOOL ...OF THOUGHT The EY2 new classroom is finally finished and the children have spent an exciting two weeks settling into their room. The new classroom is a wonderful learning space that is bright, light and cheerful. Thank you to the Maintenance Team for doing such a fantastic job. EY2 had their entry point last week to introduce the children to the new IPC unit on Transport. The parents were invited to join their children in creating a mode of transport using junk modelling. I was so impressed with the amazing rockets, ships, fire-engines and bicycles. Well done parents and children! EY1 did their entry point through role-play and having the children dress up. They have an airport, bus station and other wonderful activities in their classroom. The children had a wonderful day last week, washing the bikes in the rain. What a wonderful picture of learning in action. The new Nursery teacher arrived on Monday night and is settling into her new life in Jerusalem. She will be busy getting the new classroom ready for the little ones. Work will begin on the new classroom on Monday and we look forward to seeing the end result. The next few weeks will be busy getting ready for our Christmas Play, preparing the Nursery classroom and learning through new experiences. Thank you to all the Pre-school parents for your care and support. Ms Beverly Sandy Head of Pre-School New EY2 Classroom LIGHT OF M T Hark E Your W O RCalendar: LD Tuesday 16 Dec. 6pm Light of the World Christmas Carol Service Winter Traditions Dinner Mark your calendars! Join & International us on Prepare to join us for a delightful evening festival of music, lights, food and cheer for all! Bring your favourite traditional winter holiday foods to share with everyone! A ng l i c a n I nte r na ti o na l S c ho o l , J e r us a l e m where the world goes to school 82 Rehov Haneviim PO Box 191 Jerusalem 91001 Israel Phone: +972 (0)2 567 7200 Fax: +972 (0)2 538 4874 E-mail: [email protected] We’re on the Web! www.aisj.co.il AISJ is an internationally accredited pre-Kindergarten to Grade 12 (ages 3-18) school, dedicated to preparing students to succeed throughout the world, in schools, universities, future responsibilities and careers, and is founded upon Christian beliefs and values. Our mission is to: Lead the way, every day to deliver the best world class education. Teach within the best methodology available and within the highest standards of Christian ethics and values. Value, care for and encourage every child to learn to the best of their ability and to prepare them to take their place as a world citizen. Value and professionally enhance every staff member. Assist every school family to partner in the learning experience of the child within this unique and special location. (Continued from page 1) a time for everything under the sun’, and we are told that time is precious. It is time that produces friendships and good, established relationships such as that with Beatrice, and it is also time that allows for achievement, success and wonderful memories. It took Nirel three whole months to complete her masterpiece in my office! So as you and I invest in our students’ education – let’s make sure we don’t just give them things, but that we all invest time – use it wisely and, of course, use the precious treasure of ‘our time’ given to us by God to the best possible effect. ~Dr Lawrence Hilditch, Director Dr Lawrence Hilditch Director TEACHER FEATURE SOPHIE HIBBS Hello I’m Sophie! This is my first year at ASIJ and first international teaching post; I am really enjoying the varied experience of teaching at an international school. However, this is not my first time living in the Middle East, in 2010 and I lived in Bethlehem and volunteered at a special needs school for ten months. I am very happy to be back and have started to learn the local language, is really fun to practice in the local shops. I also lived for a season in California studying bible and ministry, whilst there I was able to visit Afghanistan which was amazing. My favourite moment was visiting a tailor and his family in Kabul and having a special dress made for a wedding I attended there. I am really grateful for all the difference I have had. Ms Sophie Hibbs PrePrimary Homeroom Teacher I am from the UK and have been teaching for six years. My original degree was in nursing science, and then I completed a PGCE in teaching, I am really happy to be able to do something that I love. Education is my passion and it is such a privilege to be able to positively influence children and their families. It has been fantastic getting to know Pre Primary this year; it’s my first year teaching this age group and I am really enjoying the challenge. I come from a big family; I have three sisters, a brother and a sister and brother in law. I also have two beautiful nieces and a nephew. I am thankful that Israel is quite close so that I am able to travel home and have my family come and visit me. I am looking forward to many adventures to come living in this special place. ~ Ms Sophie Hibbs, PP Teacher