This week, we explore some of the amazing things happening across the school, from ancient Romans to learning to respect and cherish different cultures.

Ms Nordby’s Year 1 class has been learning all about healthy eating! The class has been focusing on a balanced and healthy diet, and about the different meals throughout the day and why they’re important. Students then set healthy eating goals to take home and achieve with the help of their parents. To help them to learn about a healthy routine, Ms Nordby is also teaching her students the days of the week and the months of the year.  Later this week the students are taking a trip to The Kids’ Cookery, to learn how to make a healthy pizza -what fun!

In Ms Nicolaou’s Year 2 class, the students are exploring the idea that building a sense of community can make our lives better, focusing on the different communities the class belong to and how each person can make a difference based on their interests and talents. Next week, the class will learn basic sign language from our Speech and Language expert, and will hear about how one 12 year old girl started a unicycle group in her community!

Ms Sargent’s Year 3 class is looking at how journeys and movement have changed the world. The children have begun by looking at how London has changed over the ages, starting with the Romans founding the new city of Londinium. The students are also looking at other aspects of Roman life, like how the Romans planned and built towns, and how they organised things. This week, for example, part of the class’s numeracy work has included some strategic thinking and de-coding skills working on Roman Numerals, and for an art project, they are making mosaic pictures - they're coming on beautifully!

What amazing work by both staff and students this week. We hope it inspires you to explore some of these things for yourselves this weekend! 

Dear ICS Families,

It is with great pleasure that we welcome you all to a new school year at ICS.   It was wonderful to meet all of the new students and families Tuesday morning and the teachers have been telling us how excited they are about their students and about the learning that is planned for this year.  We currently have families from 33 countries and families that have been living in London anywhere from many years to 3 days!  This helps to create a very rich, inclusive learning environment that is at the heart of our programme.

Each Friday, we will be sending home a weekly update that will include celebrations of student success, upcoming events, and other relevant information.  Please feel free to contact us regarding any questions as we are here to ensure that your children are happy, stress free, and enjoying the journey of becoming lifelong learners.

The faculty have spent the past 2 weeks looking closely at the Programme of Inquiry, essential components of balanced literacy, best practices in teaching English as an additional language, and research-based teaching that ensures all students will succeed.  Your child’s teacher will be contacting you shortly with more details regarding the daily schedule, the Unit of Inquiry, and ways you can engage with your child’s learning at home.

We have some great plans for this year and many exciting opportunities for your children.  Please read below to find some important information.

Please do not hesitate to contact us with any questions or comments as your feedback is always appreciated.  We look forward to meeting each of you in the coming year.

Yours sincerely,


Stuart Pollard                            Liz McLaughlin
Head of Primary School            Primary School Principal

For the last few weeks, ICS has played host to some amazing children at ICS Solaris, our summer school programme specialised in supporting students with special educational needs.

It’s sometimes hard for parents to keep their children engaged over the summer break, and research and experience shows that students with SEN regress more over the summer months and take longer to recoup information in the new academic year.

Children are given the chance to participate in fun activities that we hope will help them to retain and build upon social communication, creativity and play skills. Activities range from yoga, arts and crafts, mathematics, and ICT.

Each week follows a different theme, Exploration, Space Adventure, Under the sea, Dinosaur Roar, and Dressing Up, and includes a corresponding trip to places like the London Science Museum and the V&A.

The children so far have been really engaged and have loved the activities and classes alike.

Huge thanks to Renato Marques and Philippa Da Silva for their hard work and creativity!

 Last week, we talked about the importance of outdoor learning to our teaching philosophy, here at ICS. But now with the Summer holidays underway, it falls to parents to keep their children physically and mentally active. Of course television and games consoles are a part of children’s lives and can be an easy solution, particularly with the Great British weather in mind, but we thought we’d put together some tips for some alternative activities to keep your family occupied during the break:

Build, explore, get muddy!

Whether it’s your own  back garden, or a nearby park, there’s plenty of green space for kids to run about, build a fort, or roll down grassy slopes. Apart from simply being a lot of fun, playing outside also has huge benefits  to children’s health and development, as a recent Guardian article explained. So, get outside this summer and explore the world around you!

Read, read, read

No matter what the genre, children should be encouraged to read as much as possible during the summer break - perfect for those inevitable British rainy days.

Go to the theatre

Nothing enlivens the imagination like the theatre, and with London becoming the cultural hub of the world this Summer, there’s plenty to see. Alternatively, plan a trip to the Edinburgh Fringe, where children’s plays are shown all day long!

Try something new

The Summer isn’t just a time to entertain your children, but to open up your own imagination! Whether you’ve always wanted to wander around the Tate or explore the Great British countryside; the more joy you gain from activities, the more engaged your children will be too! 

Michael Palin, the writer, TV presenter, and former Monty Python star has spoken out about the importance of Geography fieldtrips to children’s education. Here at ICS, we couldn’t agree more heartily with Mr Palin! We’ve written before about our philosophy of outdoor classroom, but heading into the holidays seems like a great opportunity to emphasise the importance of exploring the outdoors.

According to research from the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, 13 per cent of schools failed to take children out of the classroom on a regular basis. ICS bucks the trend, with our dedicated outdoor education centre in Bawdsey, Suffolk, we are incredibly lucky to be able to offer our students a learning experience that isn’t simply restricted to the classroom. 

Perhaps during these long summer holidays, parents will think about taking Mr Palin’s advice to heart, and take their children to see as much of the world as possible, because Mr Palin is right, getting out of the classroom doesn’t only lead to better informed, more engaged students, but also because “The next generation... are going to be around for the next, say, 120 years, they're going to have a lot to deal with and geography is key.”

How do you plan to explore the great outdoors this summer? 

On the evening of 20th July, students and staff at ICS attended the annual end of year School Prom, organised by the Student Council and Miss Alex.

The Prom took place at Club Ten, a stylish private club at the 5 star Grange Hotel, where a delectable selection of canapés and non-alcoholic drinks were served. There were speeches from students and teachers as we came together celebrate the many individual and group achievements that we have had this year. It was also an opportunity to say goodbye to those students who will be leaving ICS this summer to move on to pastures new.

The evening was a great success with a large attendance and proved to be a fitting way in which to end the academic year.

Erin Baker – Life Skills Lead Teacher

At the busy Terminal 5 of Heathrow airport on a Monday morning, a group of 20 people hustled through the crowd to board a plane to Madrid, Spain. After weeks of goal planning, independent travel training and social skills lessons, the Life Skills class and staff were off to a beautiful resort in Cadiz, Spain. Despite a turbulent flight, we landed on the warm and glowing soil of Andalucía and introduced ourselves to our Pen Pals from International School of Brussels; who were awaiting us with coconut juice in hand, smiles from ear to ear and drenched in sun.

After a moment to share we were off to the resort. Upon being greeted by the resort staff, the holiday had officially begun for the PYSE and SYSE students and staff. Students independently unpacked their belongings and settled into their rooms. Not a moment was wasted, as we decided to continue to enjoy the 30 degree weather and sunshine by the pool. Each student set personal goals for the week, some were met with ease and others’ took prompting, but in the end, goals were achieved, all while enjoying the beauty of Spain.

During the trip, we took part in activities such as: surfing, horseback riding, boat ride in the Atlantic, tour of an ancient castle and a walking tour of the historic city of Cadiz. Each evening, our group met and reviewed the days’ activities and the highlights of our adventure. When asked about the highlight of the trip, Eleni Milissis, a Secondary student, stated “I loved surfing. It was my first time and I was nervous. I’d love to try it again one day.” Mousa Afifi explained his hesitation of learning how to drive a speed boat, “I didn’t want to try because I was nervous, but once I did, I wanted to keep driving the boat. It was so much fun.” Reaching new heights and reaching new levels of independence is a core belief in the classroom and I could not be any more proud of my students for finding the strength inside of themselves and maximising their potential and finding their inner courage.

It was a trip that will always be regarded as a highlight in my career at ICS and I look forward to reaching new heights with the students on our next Travel and Learn trip.

Philip Hurd

As another successful academic year draws to a close at the International Community School, I am pleased to read in this newsletter about the many events that have taken place since our last edition of News that Matters.

The summer term is always an extremely busy one and the ‘2012 version’ has been no exception. Term began with our Diploma 1 students returning from a challenging, but fulfilling, visit to Ghana and in the weeks that followed we have had many trips, events as well as, internal and external exams, most notably for our older students with IB Diploma and IELTS. In spite of the changeable weather we have managed to enjoy a number of outdoor activities, including our Charity run in Hyde Park and just last week, an extremely enjoyable School Sports Day with students from the Primary and Secondary schools competing together in teams. The Secondary School Prom held at the Grange Hotel near St. Paul’s was also a huge success and a fitting way for our students to end the year, and in some cases say ‘goodbye to ICS’.

With the academic year drawing to a close we inevitably have to say some goodbyes to students, their families and teaching staff. I am pleased that this year these are relatively few in number but nonetheless we wish those students and their families, who will not be returning at the end of August all the very best for the future.

Furthermore, I would like to extend my thanks on behalf of the whole school community to Sjors Duursema, Stephanie McMillan, Katya Toneva , Jack Kurty and Beryl Jones, who are all leaving the faculty this term. We wish them well in their future pursuits.

As part of our ongoing commitment to personal development and wider opportunities I must also announce that our Secondary School Principal, Brenda Murray, will be taking a sabbatical from ICS next academic year and will return to us in August 2013. We will miss Brenda on a professional and personal level, but of course, are fortunate that Rose Threlfall will be returning to ICS at the start of next term, to resume the role of Head of Secondary School . Rose will be supporting Alex Moreno-Hemming, who will take up the role of Acting Secondary Principal from August.

For those returning in August, School begins on Wednesday 29th August at 8.45am and please note that classes will run until 4.30pm from that day onwards. This will be followed by an extended programme of after school activities from Monday to Thursday. On Friday’s school will finish at 2.05pm at which point the school bus service will run. Teaching staff will be involved in planning activities as a requirement of the IB Programmes. Those students not able to go home at 2.05pm can stay for Homework Club until 4.30pm. A weekly timetable on page 2 shows the changes. Please also note that the October half term will now be a 2 week half term.

Finally, I wish you and your families a wonderful summer break and I am sure like me you are excited about the Olympic Games that are so nearly upon us. If you are leaving us then please keep in touch with the School wherever, you may be and rest assured that you will always be part of the ‘ICS family’.

Be sure to keep an eye on what we’re up to on the official ICS blog, and if you’re a Twitter user or LinkedIn member, say hi!

Here at ICS we have had some fantastic projects throughout the term and across the years. Here are just a few highlights students and teachers that we’d love to share with you!

Endangered Animals

Reyanna Al-Hijji

Did you know there are only 600,000 elephants left in the world today? There used to be 1.3million.

Okay now that I’ve got your attention, let’s examine how human activities have damaged and endangered animals over time. Endangered animals are animals that are in danger and have become fewer and fewer over time to the point where there is worry that they will not exist at all unless something is done about it. If they do not exist at all anymore, they will become what is called ‘extinct’. There are many reasons why animals have become endangered, such as hunting, poaching (illegally hunting or capturing), torturing or even burning and cutting down the habitats animals live in. There are many reasons why humans continue to use animals, causing them to become further endangered. Many hunt animals for their fur to sell or to use as a decoration for their houses. Some may kill these animals for food or simply for pleasure.

If this is something that you feel is important to address, you need to take action. You could donate to a charity, such as WWF that helps endangered animals by giving them shelter and taking care of them, volunteer at an organization that helps animals, or simply write a message or letter like I’m doing. You could also make a website or run a marathon to raise money – as long as you are helping animals you will be making a difference and will feel proud of yourself. If you would like to learn more about this cause, please visit my website for further information at http://endangeredanimals2012.weebly.com

Action Against Hunger: ACF International Network

Mr Jim Y3

Year 3 students spent a unit learning about how people’s needs are met, or not met, around the world. The most basic human needs of all are food and clean water. Students were tasked with collecting “Change for Change” to help children who are starving to death. Did you know over 16,000 children around the world die every day from hunger related causes? You helped our efforts by donating your spare change to help support this cause. Year 3 students also created art and put it on sale to support Action Against Hunger.

Meghan’s World

This is a children’s book about a girl who learned how to deal with Sensory Processing Disorder. It’s the real story of the author’s daughter and her journey of developing self awareness about her SPD. It is written for families with children with SPD, autism, PDD, ADHD, Dyslexia, Downs syndrome and other social and learning differences. However, it can also be used by teachers to read to their class to develop self awareness by identifying their own sensory differences. This book has a very positive message about the challenges that children may face and the therapies or strategies that are available to make their life more enjoyable. If you are interested in the book, you could find more information at: www.meghanstriumphoverspd.com

Risk-takers PYSE

PYSE students were amazing risk-takers this term. They tried different leisure activities indoor and outdoor, individually and in a group. They enjoyed kick-boxing, doing yoga together in the Special Yoga Centre, making pizza using different toppings in Pizza Express as well as joining in a lots of exciting activities in Bowles Outdoor Learning Centre. They went rock-climbing, canoeing and tried the zip-wire too. Some of our students also travelled to Spain, Andalucía where they took part in surfing, swimming and hiking activities. What an active term this has been!

Bowles

Amal Y5

At the beginning of May years 4, 5, 6 and PYSE went on a trip to Bowles. Bowles is an outdoor school in Kent, an hour away from London. At Bowles our school was divided in to 3 groups, the groups were group A, group B and group C. All the groups got to do the same activities but at different times. Some of the best activities were the ropes course, rock climbing and canoeing. In the ropes course, there was a zip wire where you climb a tree, let go and then fly across the trees! The second activity is rock climbing. Rock climbing is really fun because you get to climb real rocks. We wore helmets and harnesses for safety. At some rock climbing places the rocks that you climb are not real. Canoeing is really cool because we learnt canoeing skills. Mr Stuart splashed water on us. I wanted to splash him back but I didn’t want to tip over! Other activities were the Harrison rocks, where you got to crawl under and over tunnels and the Treasure hunt where you have to find clues to solve a puzzle. I think I learnt to be a risk-taker because I tried new things that I haven’t done before. At Bowles you get to do a lot of fun activities.

The Baseball Team

Daniel Y5

The baseball team have played twice this term. Both games were against Southbank Kensington. The first game wasn’t really good. We had lost by 9 points. Adren from Year 5 was the MVP of the first game (from ICS). The second game was much better. We lost by 4 points. The MVP was Daniel Y5. The baseball team were awesome!!!!!!!!!!!

The International Community School (ICS) is excited to welcome a number of new faces to the educational team for this coming academic year. We have two new teachers, a returning teacher and a new Primary Years Principal that we would like to introduce.

Starting this August, our new Primary Year’s Principal, Liz McLaughlin has already been working very closely with our Primary Year Programme (PYP) senior management team and brings a wealth of experience with her.As the primary school’s instructional leader, Liz will work closely with teachers and parents alike to ensure that decisions and learning engagements demonstrate ICS's philosophy about best learning practice. 

Kicking off her educational career as an ‘inclusion teacher’, Liz worked with a variety of children with special educational requirements before going on to teach at an urban school in Honolulu. Following her time in Hawaii, Liz went on to receive a Master of Education at Queen's University in Ontario, Canada prior to joining a bilingual school in Milan where her love of the IB Primary Years Programme and second language learning began. And if that wasn’t enough, Liz then went on to add a Master of Education in school leadership from Harvard University to her repertoire. Speaking of her appointment, Liz is clearly thrilled to join us in the new year, “I am very excited to join the ICS community as it is the ideal educational setting for all children. My passion in education stems from the belief that all students can learn and be successful in a classroom that fosters inquiry-based and second language learning. I truly believe that ICS is at the forefront of this kind of learning within the UK.”

And we are equally excited to have her join the team.  Our Head of Primary, Stuart Pollard said of the news, “We are extremely pleased to welcome Liz into our community this summer.  With diverse experience in international education and a keen passion for the International Baccalaureate and its associated values, we believe Liz will be a great asset to the school.”

We are also very pleased to welcome back Courtney Dickens Rogers, from Dallas, Texas. Having enjoyed teaching both in the United States and in the UK, Courtney worked at the International Community School for several years. After which, she and her husband moved to the Outer Hebrides of Scotland, where they have been living in Stornoway on the Isle of Lewis. There, Courtney has been working with the nursery and reception classes and privately tutoring year 6 students. She has a Bachelor of Science in Elementary Education and a Masters in Curriculum Development and Instruction. Outside the classroom, Courtney loves to travel, read and go to festivals. “I'm excited about being back in London and look forward to working and learning together.”

Cara DeRosa is from the United States and grew up in Boston, Massachusetts. Cara holds an undergraduate degree in Psychology and Elementary Education and a Master’s degree in Elementary Education. For the past 8 years she has worked as a primary school teacher in an urban public school setting. “I enjoyed working with a diverse population of students with different language and learning needs. I am very excited to start my year with the International Community School and to meet your children”, says Cara on joining in the new year. Away from school she enjoys pilates, running, photography, and cheering on Boston sports teams.

And finally, but by no means least Julie Sarmah from the UK, qualified as a primary teacher in 1993 and has taught in various places in the UK, Macau and China. Her most recent teaching post was in Nottingham, where she taught from Reception through to Year 6, and primarily Year 5. Julie led her previous school in the area of Special Educational Needs and went on to pursue her passion in this subject, completing a Masters in special educational needs in 2001. Julie highlights that “It is important for me to get to know each child’s strengths and what they find challenging. I also co-ordinated Science and enjoy arranging Science Fairs. One of my passions outside school is listening to rock!”

We look forward to seeing everyone in August and wish everyone a great summer!