primary newsletter 1

ISHNEWS

#01PRIMARY SCHOOL

Primary Newsletter | Issue 01 | 03 September 2010

The International School of The HagueWijndaelerduin 12554 BX The Hague www.ishthehague.nl

Primary SchoolTelephone +31 (0)70 338 4567Fax +31 (0)70 328 2049Email [email protected]

Secondary SchoolTelephone +31 (0)70 328 1450Fax +31 (0)70 328 2049Email [email protected]

In this issue

3 Dear ISH News Readers,

4 Mr. Scott Continued

5 Mother Tongue News

6 Invitation

7 Calendar

8-9 Adverts and Info

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Dear Parents,

Welcome to the fi rst newsletter of the new school year. It was nice to see so many of you at Meet the Teacher evening last night. I hope you found the event interesting and informative.

I am delighted with the way our new children have settled so quickly. Many of them made their fi rst new friends on day one. Our new staff too have worked extremely hard to settle in and already feel an integral part of our team. We have two new classes this year, in Reception and Year 1, to meet the growing demand for school places. Given the current economic situation, it is diffi cult to predict whether numbers will continue to rise or not, but the additional space off ered by our new portacabins (on the far right of the building as you enter the school grounds), has allowed us to expand a little.

I hope you all had an enjoyable summer. I spent a very relaxing week in northern Spain, enjoying great food with wonderful (and predictable!) weather. I followed this with a week of intensive study at Harvard University. It was a fascinating week and intellectually invigorating. The institute focused on many aspects of learning and was led by some of the leading authorities (in their fi eld)

in the world. There were many times during the week when I felt challenged by new research, new technology or new ways of thinking. There were also many occasions when I was reminded how well we are doing here and how, in many ways, we are ahead of the game. However, to stay ahead, it is important that our school is represented at such events and we play an active part in educational research. Many of the new initiatives we introduce this year will be borne out of this research. I look forward to introducing them to you in these newsletters throughout the year and inviting you into school to see them for yourself.

We have been working on a new website for some time now. We are expecting the site to go live in around two weeks. The address will be the same but the format will be easier to navigate, more interactive and will off er more opportunities to provide you with a window into school life.

Our Year 6 students will soon be working with iPod touch devices in class. These are mini-computers and basically an iPhone without the phone. We have done a lot of research into this idea, and have worked on it for the last six months. It is a very exciting development and one which will result in interest from all over Europe. Apple in California have already expressed an interest (outside the

Dear ISH News Readers,

This Issue is made byVerona Schroder ([email protected])Graeme ScottPhotographs taken by Christel van Meeuwen

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Mr. Scott Continuedpurely commercial type of interest of course!) and other international schools are also watching closely. I have been in touch with some schools in California who are having great success with iPods in class, so this time, we are not the fi rst in the world. However, sometimes it’s good to be the second, or even the third, and to learn from the fi rst. To my knowledge, no other primary school in Europe has a 1:1 iPod touch arrangement in place in their school although I haven’t asked them all so I cannot say for sure! But it’s not just about doing things fi rst; it’s about doing them best and sometimes learning from those who do it fi rst. I will keep you updated!

We will also be having Monday morning video podcasts done by the children and beamed into every classroom. These will inform our school community about menus for the week, the weather, upcoming exciting events and any other ideas that the children may have. We are hoping to start this around October half term time, and to use our new website to allow parents and children who are at home sick to see what is happening during the week.

So, lots to look forward to for all of us. I thank you all in advance for your support throughout this

year and look forward to seeing you in and around school.

Kind regards,

Graeme Scott4

Mother Tongue NewsMother Tongue News

Dear Parents,

Welcome back to the ISH and a warm welcome to all our new families.

At ISH we recognise the importance of Mother Tongue (MT) for the children’s education and culture. Therefore we are willing to support its development as much as we can. On September 28th, 18:00 to 19:30 we will hold our English as an Additional Language (EAL), Mother Tongue and Special Education Needs (SEN) information evening. During this evening you will meet the EAL, MT and SEN key people. We will explain how these programmes are organised and how your child will benefi t from them. You will also be able to ask any questions that you have. Our MT programmes will already start before that meeting:Mother Tongue within the curriculum will start next week for Y2 to Y6. Y2&3 MT will take place on Tuesdays from 2:15 to 3:00PM and Y4 to Y6 will take place on Thursdays from 2:15 to 3:00PM. Reception and Y1 will start later as we prefer to give the children a few more weeks to settle in their class group before dividing them into their language group. Information will follow.

During that MT time we would love to welcome any parent willing to join their child’s language group, either for one session or every week, and to support the children in their discussions and productions. Ms. Jagdev and Ms. Johnson will coordinate Y2-3 and Ms. Gardella will coordinate Y4-6.

Our after School MT programme will start on the 22nd and 23rd September. You will receive a leafl et on the 10th September with all the information needed such as: which languages are available, the dates for all the sessions, registration form..etc. Classes for R-Y2 will take place on Wednesday, from 12:30 to 1:50PM and classes for Y3-Y6 will take place on Thursday from 3:00 to 4:10PM

As some of our MT tutors moved during the summer we are looking for some new tutors in: French (Wed.), German (Thurs.), Dutch and Arabic (both Wed. and Thurs.). If you are a qualifi ed teacher and one of these languages is your mother tongue, if you have some experience teaching your mother tongue or if you know someone that would be interested to join our MT tutors team please contact me.

This year we also have the possibility to open a Catalan group. If you are interested for your child to join please let me know.

We will regularly update you with MT news in the newsletter!

I am looking forward to visiting the children during their MT time and meeting with you on the 28 thSeptember.

Kind regards,

Pascale Hertay, Deputy Head

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Invitation Invitation for the Spanish speaking community:

Dear Spanish speaking families,

We are very happy to share some good news for the Spanish Speaking Community and to extend an invitation to you!

The Nieuw Waldeck Library is going to open a new Spanish section (0-12 years). They have received 70 books as a contribution from the “Instituto Cervantes” in Utrecht and will purchase 30 extra books. This will make a total of 100 books in Spanish that will be available in this public library. Public libraries in The Netherlands are free for the children. This is a very interesting opportunity for our community.

The library board has contacted the ISH primary to participate in the opening and to invite all our Spanish speaking families to attend the opening of this Spanish section. The opening will take place on October 6th, 2010 at 3:00PM, Rossinilaan 141, 2551 MR Den Haag. The Director of “Instituto Cervantes” in Utrecht and the Director of Den Haag Library will both attend the opening. A group of Spanish speaking children from the ISH will perform a song or a poem in Spanish at the opening.

A letter has been sent home to all our Spanish speaking families with all the details regarding participation to the event. If you have not received the letter but you wish to join you can collect a copy from the offi ce or contact Mrs. Hontoria , [email protected] .

We encourage you and your children to attend this event as it is a good occasion to make a link with the local community and a great opportunity for our Spanish speaking children.

We are looking forward to meeting you there!

Mrs. Hertay, Deputy Head and Mrs. Hontoria, ISH coordinator of the opening

CT Days Explained Compensation days are given in accordance with Dutch law. Primary teachers (full time) are entitled to 9.5 days leave in addition to the regulation school holidays. Where possible we will inform you in advance of the teachers’ leave and are covered by fully qualifi ed teachers.

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Dates for your Diary

School Photographer

School Photographer

School Photographer

School Photographer

Pre Reception Curriculum Evening 18:00-

19:00

School Photographer

Feel At Home in The Hague Fair

Prinsjesdag - School Closed

EAL,SEN,& MT info Evening 18:00-19.30

Pre - Reception Meet and Greet 09:00-

10:30

Open Spanish Section at Nieuw Waldeck

Library @ 14:30

Parent Consultation 17:00 - 19:00

Parent Consultation 15:30 - 17:30

October Holidays

All Students Back to School

Ms. Peck

Ms. Sanders

Ms. Stock

Ms. Stock

Ms. Stock

Ms. Johnson

Ms. Brown

Ms. Brown

September October CT DaysCT Days

13 06 06 Sept

16

16

09 Sept

14

1207 Sept

15

1408 Sept

17

25

10 Sept

Please check our website for a complete calendar.

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21

28

09 Sept

13 Sept

14 Sept

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Adverts and Info Chess NewsChessplay and guidance has started again on 1 September 2010. Students can play from 16:00 hours onward. Boy Frank ([email protected])

ISH LADIES NETBALL The ISH ladies netball team is ready to get going again after the holiday. Our fi rst session will be on Thursday 9th September.We are a group of players who meet every Thursday at 7.30 p.m in the school gym. It’s a great way to keep fi t and have fun at the same time! Beginners are very welcome ! If you would like more information please email Ali Scott [email protected] or come along on Thursday evenings. Bring some indoor training shoes and lots of water ! SEE YOU THERE Dear Parents!

Would you be interested in helping out at our school bookstore for 3-4 hours every 2 weeks? We are a friendly team and it’s good fun! If you are interested, please contact [email protected] Bookstore Team

Note to all Parents: Please make sure to call the offi ce before 9:00 if your child is ill. We are going to start to call the parents of children who are absent without a reason. This is in conjunction with the rules and guidelines of the Leerplicht.

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Canteen NewsWelcome back Parents, Students and Staff members!We hope that you have enjoyed your holidays and are ready for a new school year. We as your school canteen have been busy over the summer holidays getting ready for a fresh start for this school year.

In conjunction with the school management the caterer has made a few changes to the selection of food on off er. To further promote the healthy eating of our students and staff .Throughout the year we will be looking into healthier foods for your children as healthy eating and learning go hand in hand. We hope that as parents you will continue to support us.If you would like to view our online menu please go to www.andreplace.nl Lunch cards can still be purchased in the canteen or online.If you have questions or suggestions please feel free to send an email to: [email protected]

With kind regards,All staff from Andre’s Place

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