Footprints International School
September 2019 Newsletter
Message from the School Director
Dear Parents and Community,
Welcome to the September edition of the Footprints International School Newsletter. This month has been very busy. Term 1 is going by very fast and our academic teams are laying the foundation for the rest of the year’s programs. As academic studies increase, students are being prepared for the rigorous lessons ahead.
Footprints International School will be administrating the MAP (Measure of Academic Progress) assessments for all students from grades 3 to grade 12. These assessments will be coming up soon, your Principals will be updating you on the actual dates of the assessments.
Unlike paper and pencil tests, where all students are asked the same questions and spend a fixed amount of time taking the test, MAP Growth is a computer adaptive test which means every student gets a unique set of test questions based on responses to previous questions. As the student answers correctly, questions get harder. If the student answers incorrectly, the questions get easier. By the end of the test, most students will answer about half the questions correctly, as is common on adaptive tests.
The purpose of MAP Growth is to determine what the student knows and is ready to learn next. MAP growth can track students’ individual growth over time – wherever they are starting from and regardless of the grade they are in. For instance, if a third grader is actually reading like a fifth grader, MAP Growth will be able to identify that. Or, if a fifth grader is doing math like a third grader, MAP Growth will identify that, too. Both things are incredibly important for a teacher to know so that they can plan instruction efficiently.
Footprints Leadership team is currently participating in ongoing training on MAP assessments. Our goal is to use the data collection from each child and then analyze this data for the classroom as a whole. Data collected will help drive our teachers on instructional practices and best practices in the curriculum. Each child will be given a full individual data report from MAP assessments to take home to the parents.
One of our goals this year is to enhance our literacy levels in all grades. As a parent I encourage you to help set aside time at home for your child to read. Research has shown that students whose parents encourage them to read as well as read with them do better in school and make better grades. A good practice is for parents to read with your children each night. Have them read to you a couple of pages then stop and have a conversation with them about what they just read. Make sure they understand the story and can re-tell what they have learned. This will not only help your child but will give you precious time with your child and memoirs that will last forever.
I hope you enjoy this newsletter. You will see in the following pages information concerning the student council, curriculum, student success and a host of other very important information. As always, if you have any questions or concerns please feel free to contact your teacher or myself.
Thank you for your support and being part of this amazing school.
Mr. Dwayne Lehman,
School Director
SEPTEMBER IS A CELEBRATION OF STUDENTS' SUCCESS!!!
Through Passion, Hard work, Patience, Dedication & Love from our AMAZING TEACHERS, anything is POSSIBLE to our Students in achieving and meeting their individual goals!!!
Student's Impression
"As I walked into the school, I noticed that everything had changed so much. It didn’t look plain anymore: there were different kinds of flags hanging from the ceiling, three benches on the left side with big and beautiful trees between them and lots of new students. As I continued walking something caught my eyes. The stairs looked so colorful and cheerful, they were lit up with lots of different colors and writing on them such as: “When you walk into this lovely school, you are a part of one extraordinary family”. I was excited; I walked to meet my friend and we went to class. The classroom wasn’t empty and unattractive. It was full of pictures and quotes related to each subject. As we got into our seats, the teacher started introducing himself - and a bunch of games - and talked about the school rules."
by: Pha Nearysereirachana, Grade 8B
How Your Health Determines Your Quality of Life
Quality of life can be defined as something that an individual enjoys or something that allows them to feel satisfied in life. I chose to measure my quality of life with good health. Good health means maintaining physical, mental and emotional health. With a healthy body, you can feel better about yourself as a student.
Maintaining physical fitness is an indication of a good overall well-being and also provides energy to sustain you throughout your day. The more energy you have, the more productive you are. Maintaining your physical health can boost your energy, promote a better sleeping schedule and encourage a more positive attitude or outlook. About 20% of children are dealing with chronic diseases according to General Health and Life Satisfaction. Students from the age of 6-17 are recommended to have 60 minutes of daily physical activity by the U.S Department of Health and Human Services and studies have shown behaviour habits established during childhood often prevail into adulthood. Although some people can eat well, exercise, and even meditate they can still feel unfulfilled. Physical health is not everything, so you also must take into account mental health. HealthyPlace.com defines emotional health as a state of positive psychological functioning. If a student is emotionally healthy, it means they are in control of his/her actions, feelings and behaviours. Mental health affects how you think, feel and act. Mental disorder such as anxiety or depression can have a terrible influence on someone’s life. It is very important to maintain a healthy mindset and in order to do this, it would help to surround yourself with supportive people, have positive thoughts, be aware of your feelings and keeping yourself from negative vibes. There should be more social awareness about the importance of mental health prevention to reduce the incidence, prevalence and recurrence of mental health disorders. As we know, there is no exact way of preventing mental illness from happening, but if you are experiencing any mental problems, you should go talk with a counselor at school, a therapist or a psychologist.
Working out can be something you can do to enhance your quality of life. It is both beneficial to both your body and mental health. Fitness reduces stress, helps you to focus on your daily tasks and have high self-esteem.
In conclusion, good health leads to a high quality of life. Although there are other aspects to quality of life, promoting good health allows you to pursue the improvement of the other aspects of your life.
By: Huot Sreypech, Grade 11
Footprints of pride
On August 14th 2019, a group of FIS students made their journey to the land of down under to compete in the World Scholar’s cup. This annual event brings people together from all over the world – regardless of their background or race – to celebrate the joy of learning. The program took place in the heart of Sydney, Australia with more than 2000 contestants from 484 schools across the 6 continents. Joining form FIS were 6 teams, consisting of 18 students, 2 parents and 2 chaperones.
The program lasted for 6 days from 15th to 20th August 2019, but no day was the same. Students had to compete in different challenges from a scavenger hunt, - where students created a bond with other contestants from different countries, to team debates where hot topics were discussed, and each individual debated for their life. Every day, students were faced with different challenges in the field of History, Technology, Literature, Social Studies and the Arts. From the funny and quirky questions pulled out of their favorite TV shows to the most serious questions from their least favorite subject; students managed to stay positive and have fun whilst finding the answers that would earn points towards for their qualification.
However, we did not go there just to compete; we also took some time to explore the most popular places in Sydney. On 16th August, we took the boat cruise to the magnificent Darling and Sydney Harbours and landed at the beautiful Taronga zoo where students explored the diverse worlds of different types animals – including their climates. At the end of the day, finally, we got to see the gorgeously fluffy alpaca and the hilariously lazy koala! After a long hard week, we then spent our last day visiting the iconic Opera House, Sydney Harbour Bridge, and the Rock_ (a famous historical area).
All that is left to say is that, all the students made us proud! Not only did they bring home medals and certificates, more than that, they qualified to the final round of the Tournament of Champions in the United States of America. As we look back on this, let’s all take a moment and congratulate team 151: Sok Chhayhee, Deat Danidh, and Doung Chanpisal. We are so proud of you all.
By: Vichka Ong
World scholar's cup - Sydney Australia
The World’s Scholars Cup is an international academic team program with students participating from over 80 countries. During August 15th- 20th, the junior scholars from FIS went to Sydney, Australia to participate in the global round. The competition took place in International Convention Center Sydney, near the beautiful Darling Harbour. This year the theme is, “A World on the Margins,” and the concept revolves around… chairs.
It was a one of a kind experience. The team took part in scavenger hunts, keynote speeches, panel discussions, the signature scholar’s ball, and academic events such as debating, team writing, and the scholar’s bowl. Other special activities arranged by the WSC team included dinner on a cruise and an excursion to Sydney’s Taronga Zoo.
Overall, the students did extremely well. This trip was an amazing opportunity to not only learn and strengthen certain academic skills, but also to learn to take part in competitive and community-building events that bring us all together. We look forward in to having something very similar to this in the future.
By: Aim Chansovichata Grade 8
My Experience Joining World Scholar's Cup
After passing the regional rounds of the World Scholar Cup, my team and many of our schoolmates who had made it past the regional rounds, made our way over to Sydney, Australia to compete in the next round.
We got to stay in Sydney for a week; on the first day we got to relax and went on a cruise. The view was amazing, especially since we got to ride under a bright full moon, with seagulls soaring above the water. On the second day we went on a tour to the Taronga Zoo, where we got to see many different animals such as alpacas, llamas, rabbits, penguins, platypus and even giraffes called Jimiyu. Right before returning on the deck to go back to the hotel, we got to do Wild Ropes, an area where you have to get across obstacles to get to another tree. That night was also one of the many special nights we had, as we attended the Scholars Ball, a big party hosted for the scholars so they could make friends and enjoy their time.
The next day, was one of the most stressful in that week; it was the day of the competition. We got to compete with many scholars from all over the world, from more than 30 different countries. The morning after was a similar experience; it was the day of the scholars’ bowl, which is an event where each team has clickers and has to choose which answer is correct from the multiple choices. Everyone was competing against everyone, but in the evening we all got together as one big diverse group sharing many cultures and traditions in the Culture Fair.
On the fifth day, the last day of the competition, we finally got the results and our achievements, not everyone from our school qualified for the final round, but that didn’t bring our spirits down the next day when we went walking around on the Harbor Bridge to the Sydney Opera House. We went to the rocks and went into many shops to buy many different items and souvenirs for our families and us. The final day came to an end as we made our way home the next day.
This trip has definitely been one of the best experiences I had this year, we got to take part in one big competition and go somewhere new. We also got to meet many other friendly and talented scholars who put hard work into making their way into the global rounds as well. I hope to participate in this activity again, and I hope other scholars would consider it as well.
By: Vonthanak Tevy - Grade 8
Khmer Program
This is the second month of the new school year 2019-2020, September. As we focus on the student achievements, we will give you some highlights of how September looks like for our students in the Khmer Program. It is an amazing month for our students, both primary and secondary levels across campuses. Doing the learning projects, experiments, and other hands-on activities, makes our students even more active, engaged, creative, joyful, and learned.
Different kinds of learning projects have been accomplished by our students, including drawing the pictures of their future careers, living organisms and their environments, solar system, and Khmer culture understanding. Students did the self-study, explored the information, illustrated their thoughts with diagrams, and used their artistic skills to make their projects more attractive, informative, and meaningful.
Photosynthesis Lab Experiment
During Math Presentation
Photosynthesis Experiment
Our students have done a variety of experiment activities conducted inside and outside the classrooms and in the laboratory, which they are truly engaged in the investigative nature of scientific learning. Rather than simply learning science through textbooks, experiments allow them to ask questions, set hypotheses, conduct investigations, collect data, and probe for answers to satisfy their eagerness.
They have also used the printing press like newspapers to discuss and analyze the Khmer language grammar, which they reflect the language they have learned in the classroom and the language used in the society. This September, we clearly see that they are becoming more and more independent and responsible individuals.
Students' work
CARE PROGRAM
FIS CARE students already started their AQUATIC THERAPY PROGRAM. This is a new program added this year. It is scheduled every other Friday all throughout the year, except during rainy days and Christmas season. Aquatic Therapy is an exercise program done in swimming pool. Physical and occupational therapists use this type of program to improve a person’s strength and movement.
The benefits from this are:
1. Improves muscle strength and tone
2. Increases heart and lung strength
3. Reduces stress
4. Increases balance and body awareness
5. Increases fitness level and endurance
Through this program, students were also trained on developing their independence in dressing, to wait for their turn as well as to listen and follow instructions. It was great to see how students had so much fun while getting all of these benefits!
Joanne Duran,
CARE & SEN Principal
early childhood program
This year our Kindergarten classes are following the Cambridge Global English curriculum, this will better prepare them to study the next step of this syllabus in our Primary Program.
Our September newsletter is celebrating Student Achievement, and what better place to start than our Kindergartners excelling with Cambridge!
A great part of the new curriculum is that it incorporates project based learning, something we believe is a vital way for our young learners to understand the world. This month our Kindergarten students were given the opportunity to choose a model to make; they went through the whole process of brainstorming, sharing ideas, planning the process, building and decorating the model and reflecting back on the process.
All these steps help them to improve their English vocabulary and literacy, to sequence events and plan, with an end product they can be really proud of. As you can see from the photos they created some wonderful pieces; colourful dragons and wonderful robots. We’re excited to see what the rest of the year brings working on Cambridge!
Martin McGuiness,
ECP Vice Principal
They are really into it.
Unity and Teamwork!
Robot made by Students
Primary Program
This month we have been focusing on our core value of responsibility. The students were set a challenge to take care of a class pet and our Grade 5B students have started their own recycling programme within the school. We have also been promoting health and safety in September. Our grade 3 students are making healthy smoothies at break time to teach students about reducing their sugar consumption, and we have also been giving out badges to students with healthy lunches and snacks, so a big thank you to all the parents sending those in. Finally, our first fire drills of the year took place at each campus this month, and I’m happy to report that they were all a great success with every student being safely out of the building and accounted for in less than 5 minutes.
I hope you all have a wonderful Pchum Ben holiday, and we can’t wait to see you all back in October!
Nicholas Brewer
Primary Vice Principal
Talk for Writing Article
The first Storytelling week of the new school year in Primary yielded some fantastic pieces of Writing from students across all grade levels.
Learning to tell a story before writing not only gives students a foundation and ideas for their writing pieces, but also helps improve sentence fluency and grammatical rhythm in the writing of English language learners.
As you can see from the examples, our Grade 2 and 3 children produced some marvelous pieces of writing. They looked at how best to describe characters in a narrative piece and also attempted to put a modern spin on some well known folk-tales.
Determination Certificates
Last month our core value was Determination, so at the start of this month we celebrated some of our most determined students by awarding them with a certificate in the morning assembly. The reasons varied, but a few notable examples were:
- Asking for help when I don’t understand
- Catching up with school work when I was absent
- Completing class jobs
- Settling in to a new class and making friends
- Helping classmates when they get stuck
Responsibility Challenge
In September, as part of our responsibility month, each class was given a ‘pet’ which they had to be responsible for all week. The pet went everywhere with them – even on breaks and at lunch time. As part of the challenge, they decorated their pets, made a home for them, and then introduced them to the school at Friday’s assembly. I’m happy to say that nearly all of the pets survived the week and the students chose Grade 5B’s pet, Freggie, as the best. Well done to all the students who helped to take care of their pets so responsibly!
CAMBRIDGE IGCSE RESULTS MAY/JUNE SERIES 2019
Congratulations for passing IGCSE Cambridge exam! Your patience and determination have finally paid off and are one step closer to your dream. You’ve proved that dedication and learning ended with wonderful outcomes. You are all an inspiration to your classmates!
PRACTICAL AND EASY TIPS TO FOLLOW IN PREPARING FOR IGCSE EXAM
From: Grade 11 students, SY 2019 – 2020
Before the exam:
· Make a study plan 2 weeks before the IGCSE test.
· Get plenty of rest the night before the exams.
· All materials should be kept in a folder and make sure all these are ready.
· Specimen papers are helpful, you may find the same structures of questions during the actual exam.
· Study all past papers to avoid exam anxiety during the test.
· Study with classmates and ask questions that you don’t understand.
· Research for additional inputs on the subject you are studying.
· Set a timeline and plan.
· Be in a comfortable place when studying.
· Highlight important notes and go through/skim through each subjects or books.
· Practice lots of problems and remember formulas
· Practice/ study the experiments conducted in the class
During exam:
· Be on time, keep yourself calm, concentrate well and don’t panic.
· Bring all necessary materials during the test (extra pens, calculator, etc.)
· Read the questions twice.
· Answer all items; never leave any blanks on your paper.
· Believe in yourself
Toran Kumar Behera – ICE Certificate-Merit Category 2019 June Exam Series
Patrick Sam Lazarov-A*(GP.ENGLISH,Math)
“I summarized information in the books and presentations onto pieces of paper so I wouldn’t have to flip through as many pages. This was also a good preparation method for me, because personally, writing information over and over helps with memorization. I did my best, and I honestly felt like my revision method worked. Before receiving the results, I was expecting to pass all of the exams, but I did not want to give myself high expectations. I was surprised and very happy with the scores I got especially with History. I still wonder about where exactly I made my mistakes, and how I could have done better but at least all of that is in the past now. The AS and A level examinations will be a much bigger.”
At Footprints international school students are given the freedom to choose what subjects they are going to sit for Cambridge examination between May and June. Below is a summary of the subjects taken during the May/June 2019 series.
What is Cambridge ICE?
Cambridge ICE is awarded to students who pass in at least seven Cambridge IGCSE subjects, including two from Group 1 and one from each of Groups 2 to 5. The seventh subject may be chosen from any of the syllabus groups. Students enter and sit for a minimum of seven subjects selected from the five IGCSE curriculum areas:
- Group 1 - Languages
- Group 2 - Humanities
- Group 3 - Sciences
- Group 4 - Mathematics
- Group 5 - Creative and Vocational
FOR MORE INFORMATION REGARDING CAMBRIDGE ICE FOLLOW THE LINK
Juna Bulahao,
Secondary Vice Principal
Cambridge Coordinator
A Day without Speech
OIC Cambodia is an organisation that aims to improve communication and swallowing therapy services in Cambodia. Part of their work is advocacy and awareness raising by conducting an activity called “Day without Speech”. The experience allows teachers, students, and staff to understand how difficult it can be without speaking/talking in a day. Footprints International School is supporting this advocacy and thank you to Ms. Gemma (Guidance Counselor), Mr. Aldrin (Behavior Support Coordinator) & FIS Students who run the program and make this event successful!!! Kudos FIS!!!
Secondary Program
September, a month to remember! It’s hard to believe we are in our 6th week of instruction already. So much has already happened, yet we are really just getting started. So let’s start with the best news: we received word that a very good number of 11th graders were successful in our IGSCE exams last Spring, including our first Merit Scholar Toran Bahera, so good on all of them. Their photos are proudly displayed on a banner outside the school.
Then we elected a student council which meets every two weeks in a standing meeting and will hold many school events throughout the year for both fun, practical, fundraising and events that are designed to serve the common good outside of our school walls. We aim not just to build academic skills, but citizens who have a sense that it is all our duty to serve those who are less fortunate.
Then we had a very memorable assembly that was oriented around those who suffer from speech impediments or otherwise have difficulties in oral communication. So we simulated that. At TK Campus this was done in some memorable classroom activities. At TPP Campus, we did this during a silent lunch hour! That’s right, students has to spend the entire lunch hour without speaking! It was a very interesting time to observe and many students got a lot out of the experience by their participation.
Now, we are about to have a well-earned break in the action for our teachers and students who work so hard. But FIS never stops, beginning right away, there is a movement afoot to make us a Google school. This will occur gradually over time and little by little we will inform our community what it means to be a Google school and just why this is so important in the 2 1st Century. We know you will not be disappointed.
Gratefully,
Ambler Moss
Secondary Principal
Footprints International School
Mission: FIS empowers our learners to discover their potential in a nurturing environment through innovative instruction, challenging and collaborative activities, and exposure to diverse perspectives.
Vision: A community of responsible, determined, and compassionate learners who make meaningful contributions to humanity.
Values: Compassion, Determination, Responsibility
Email: enquiries@footprintsschool.edu.kh
Website: http://footprintsschool.edu.kh/
Location: No. 84, St. 135, Toul Tom Pung
Phone: 17222094
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Footprints-International-School-594644840601504/