February 20, 2019
Important upcoming dates
February 21 - 24 - Ski Break - no school
February 25 - 26 - Author visit
March 7 - Parent Coffee morning with guest - Myron Dueck
March 14 - Classical Evening and Art Exhibition
March 29 - End of Quarter 3
Dear parent and members of the Nova school community,
It has been fun to talk to the students as they arrive at school this week, as I can see that many of them are excited about the 4 day break that will start this afternoon. Whether you are going away or staying in Skopje, I hope that you enjoy the extra time with your family. I look forward to hearing about your children's adventures when we return on Monday.
Reporting to parents
I want to thank you as parents for the overwhelming positive feedback that I have received about the new reporting format. We know that there is still room for improvement and in order to assist us, I will be sending out a parent survey later to get your feedback and suggestions. As a staff, we believe that this new format is more valid and relevant to the actual learning that is taking place in the classroom and helps you as parents, to get a better understanding of exactly what progress your child has made and more importantly, if they are on track to meet the targets for the year.
Myron Dueck visit
On March 7 and 8, Myron Dueck, who is a highly regarded expert in the Field of educational assessment and grading, will be working with teachers at the school. He will also present a parent session on Thursday March 7 in the EMS Cafeteria, commencing at 8.15am. Myron developed a number of grading, assessment and reporting systems with his classes in which students have greater opportunity to show what they understand, adapt to the feedback they receive and play a significant role in the reporting of that learning. I welcome you to come and hear Myron present, as he is not only highly skilled in his field of study but is also highly entertaining and enjoyable to listen to. You can learn more about Myron by following this link.
Author visit
The library would like to share the wonderful news of author Liz Haske visiting NOVA ES on February 25 and 26. Ms. Haske is an internationally published author for children’s literature. Her stories focus on mindfulness and engage children into social emotional thinking related to worry. Moreover, she is an experienced teacher in international schools around the world. We are very excited to have her in the classrooms and interact with our learners face- to- face. Students will have the chance to ask her questions about her stories and learn more about what it is like to be a writer.
Students and parents who want to buy their own copy of When Worry Takes Hold by Liz Haske and get it signed by the author during her visit, please sign-up and pay in the ES library before Friday Feb. 15. The author will be signing books between 12.15 and 12.35 on both days. It costs 450 den. for paperbacks and 750 den. for hardcovers. In case you request a special or personalized message, please pass the message to the librarian when ordering the book. The pre-ordered books will be brought in on the days of the visit by the author. This is a direct-selling offer with no obligation. The book is also available on retailers’ platforms such as Amazon and Book Depository. To read more about this author, please follow this link.
When a Prime Minister writes to you
Congratulations to the Grade 8 Social Studies students who have been learning about the environment and the impacts that humans have on our planet. As part of their studies, they needed to write a letter to Justin Trudeau, the Canadian Prime Minister. You can read about the outcome and the response that Mr Trudeau sent them by following this link to an article in the local media.
What happens when you give a teenager an open bar? Decoding the teenage brain
New technologies are shedding light on what really makes adolescents tick—and providing clues on how we might reach them better. A study involving mice and alcohol consumption reached a similar conclusion. That 2014 experiment exposed rodents of different ages to the equivalent of an open bar: They could drink alcohol at their leisure. The adolescent mice—those at the tender age of 4 to 5 weeks—drank about as often as adult mice when by themselves. But in the presence of other juveniles, they settled in for a bender, drinking 25 percent more of the time. There was no change in the drinking of adult mice. Please follow this link to read more about this fascinating topic.
PTA support
Thanks to the PTA for organising the recent Valentine's Day Cake Stall. Funds raised were donated to the PE department who have already purchased some new equipment. You can see a photo in the gallery below.
Russell O'Neill
EMS Principal
February 21 - 24 - Ski Break - no school
February 25 - 26 - Author visit
March 7 - Parent Coffee morning with guest - Myron Dueck
March 14 - Classical Evening and Art Exhibition
March 29 - End of Quarter 3
Dear parent and members of the Nova school community,
It has been fun to talk to the students as they arrive at school this week, as I can see that many of them are excited about the 4 day break that will start this afternoon. Whether you are going away or staying in Skopje, I hope that you enjoy the extra time with your family. I look forward to hearing about your children's adventures when we return on Monday.
Reporting to parents
I want to thank you as parents for the overwhelming positive feedback that I have received about the new reporting format. We know that there is still room for improvement and in order to assist us, I will be sending out a parent survey later to get your feedback and suggestions. As a staff, we believe that this new format is more valid and relevant to the actual learning that is taking place in the classroom and helps you as parents, to get a better understanding of exactly what progress your child has made and more importantly, if they are on track to meet the targets for the year.
Myron Dueck visit
On March 7 and 8, Myron Dueck, who is a highly regarded expert in the Field of educational assessment and grading, will be working with teachers at the school. He will also present a parent session on Thursday March 7 in the EMS Cafeteria, commencing at 8.15am. Myron developed a number of grading, assessment and reporting systems with his classes in which students have greater opportunity to show what they understand, adapt to the feedback they receive and play a significant role in the reporting of that learning. I welcome you to come and hear Myron present, as he is not only highly skilled in his field of study but is also highly entertaining and enjoyable to listen to. You can learn more about Myron by following this link.
Author visit
The library would like to share the wonderful news of author Liz Haske visiting NOVA ES on February 25 and 26. Ms. Haske is an internationally published author for children’s literature. Her stories focus on mindfulness and engage children into social emotional thinking related to worry. Moreover, she is an experienced teacher in international schools around the world. We are very excited to have her in the classrooms and interact with our learners face- to- face. Students will have the chance to ask her questions about her stories and learn more about what it is like to be a writer.
Students and parents who want to buy their own copy of When Worry Takes Hold by Liz Haske and get it signed by the author during her visit, please sign-up and pay in the ES library before Friday Feb. 15. The author will be signing books between 12.15 and 12.35 on both days. It costs 450 den. for paperbacks and 750 den. for hardcovers. In case you request a special or personalized message, please pass the message to the librarian when ordering the book. The pre-ordered books will be brought in on the days of the visit by the author. This is a direct-selling offer with no obligation. The book is also available on retailers’ platforms such as Amazon and Book Depository. To read more about this author, please follow this link.
When a Prime Minister writes to you
Congratulations to the Grade 8 Social Studies students who have been learning about the environment and the impacts that humans have on our planet. As part of their studies, they needed to write a letter to Justin Trudeau, the Canadian Prime Minister. You can read about the outcome and the response that Mr Trudeau sent them by following this link to an article in the local media.
What happens when you give a teenager an open bar? Decoding the teenage brain
New technologies are shedding light on what really makes adolescents tick—and providing clues on how we might reach them better. A study involving mice and alcohol consumption reached a similar conclusion. That 2014 experiment exposed rodents of different ages to the equivalent of an open bar: They could drink alcohol at their leisure. The adolescent mice—those at the tender age of 4 to 5 weeks—drank about as often as adult mice when by themselves. But in the presence of other juveniles, they settled in for a bender, drinking 25 percent more of the time. There was no change in the drinking of adult mice. Please follow this link to read more about this fascinating topic.
PTA support
Thanks to the PTA for organising the recent Valentine's Day Cake Stall. Funds raised were donated to the PE department who have already purchased some new equipment. You can see a photo in the gallery below.
Russell O'Neill
EMS Principal