February 20, 2019
Important upcoming dates
March 12 - Nova Writing Pearls
March 14 - Classical Evening and Art Exhibition
March 15 - Wear GREEN to school
March 29 - End of Quarter 3
April 10 - MS Science Fair
April 12 - Parent Conferences
April 22-30 - Spring Break (school resumes on May 2)
May 1 - Public Holiday, non-working day
Dear Parents,
I would like to start this week by congratulating our MS Basketball teams who recently competed in regional CEESA Competitions. The boys stayed in Skopje and hosted schools from Sofia, Warsaw, Prague, Budapest and Bucharest while the girls team went to Warsaw to compete. I was extremely pleased to be able to witness some of the games that were played here and I was very proud to see that the boys team were crowned champions. The grand final was an excellent and hard fought game that was enjoyed by a large crowd from the school. They were also deemed by their peers from other teams to be worthy of winning the sportsmanship award.
The girls team visited Warsaw last week and participated with pride and determination. It was a tough schedule but they persevered and had some hard fought victories. Thanks to the adults who supported them during the event and to the parents of both teams for your ongoing support for these wonderful sporting opportunities.
Going green this Friday
As we creep out of winter weather and head towards some beautiful Spring days, we thought that we would have a fun dress up day on Friday to commemorate St Patrick's Day which will happen this coming Sunday. Please feel free to dress your children up in something green on Friday and join in the fun.
Classical Evening
I am very much looking forward to the Classical Evening and Art Exhibition this coming Thursday evening. The event will be held in the EMS Auditorium starting at 6.00pm. I have included a copy of the formal invitation at the end of this newsletter.
Myren Dueck visit
Thanks to all the parents who came along to the parent information session from Myren Dueck who was our guest last week when he worked with our teachers to support them with their ongoing professional development. Teachers from across all divisions of the school were given the opportunity to work with a world leading educator and hear about a variety of topics; including grading, assessing, planning, reporting and homework. I look forward to working with teachers as we follow up on what we learnt and start to implement some of his ideas.
Liz Haske visit
It was wonderful to host Liz Haske who is a children's author and educator. Liz workshopped with students and explained the process of writing a book. The sessions that I attended were very relevant to the students interests and I received a number of comments from students telling me that they now want to write their own book. Motivating students is half the battle when educating children and the more events such as this we have, the better prepared our students will be. Thanks to all those involved in the organisation and implementation of this visit.
Cyber Bullying parent session
Last Tuesday, the PTA sponsored an informative parent session on cyber bullying and gaming addiction. Recently, it was discovered that many Nova students are friends with an anonymous person (Nova Spy) on Instagram. (I strongly suggest you check your child's Instagram account to check this) In light of these two things, I would like to share an article with you about guiding social media use in kids. These issues are addressed in the article below:
1. How much is too much social media use?
2. Should we monitor our kids’ social media use? If so, how?
3. What are some symptoms that a student needs to cut back on social media?
4. How do I handle arguments about their portable device?
5. Should we be friends with our children on social media?
These questions are addressed in this article. Please follow this link to read it.
MMR vaccine does not cause autism, another study confirms this.
A study of all children born in Denmark from 1999 through 2010 concluded that the measles, mumps, and rubella vaccine does not increase the risk of autism, does not trigger autism in susceptible children and is not associated with clustering of autism cases after vaccination. Read the full story
In a related article, the author gives a breakdown of not only the rates of infections but also sadly, the death rates of Measles around the world with many of the worst affected countries being in our region. I would encourage all parents to read this article in order to learn more about this serious epidemic that is spreading around the world. Finally, there is a very interesting article from WHO about the vaccination programs in Europe that you can read by following this link.
Students Who are Late to School and How it Affects Their Learning
I am concerned at the number of students who are presenting as chronically late for school, and we also have many who are missing significant chunks of time each week. The following advice is adapted from an article published last year and clearly explains how frequent lateness to school impacts on our children’s well being and their learning.
We all run late sometimes. For your child, arriving late to school occasionally won't cause major disruption. Inevitably, children will feel sick or tired some mornings, or other situations will prevent them from being on time. But chronic lateness eventually takes its toll on a child's overall educational experience. According to the Australian national initiative 'Attendance Works', missing just 10 percent of the school year in the early grades causes many students to struggle in elementary school, and lateness in later grades is associated with increased failure and dropout rates. Fortunately, parents can help prevent tardiness from becoming frequent enough to negatively impact their child's school life.
Disrupted Routines
One of the most important aspects of school is that it is organized, scheduled and predictable. Students depend on the structure of the day. They know where they have to be and when. They know the main purpose for being in school is to learn and that routines are in place precisely to help them focus on that learning. When students are repeatedly tardy, these routines are disrupted. Children who are often late have trouble settling in and mastering routines. Tardiness can throw off their whole morning or even their day, especially if the late commute to school was stressful.
Social Criticism
The social experience has a powerful impact on a child's feelings about school and his or her ability to be academically successful. When a child continuously shows up late to class, other students are distracted. Attention is drawn away from the teacher or assignment and toward the child who has just arrived. Over time, classmates may begin to criticize this child, affecting how they feel about themselves in school. During adolescence, children are especially conscious of fitting in and being accepted by peers. If your child is repeatedly tardy, they may become a target or outcast over time, and negative peer interactions can hurt their ability to concentrate on learning. According to the Encyclopedia of Children's Health, children with steady friendships throughout the school year enjoy school more, and children who can make new friends tend to perform better academically.
Low Achievement
Perform Well, a nonprofit policy research and educational organization, reports that frequent tardiness is associated with lower grades and lower scores on standardized tests. It is also linked to low graduation rates. In addition, students who are routinely late at the elementary and middle school levels are more likely to fail in senior school -- or even drop out. In many classrooms, particularly at the elementary level, morning routines are critical to daily lessons. Warm-up activities may introduce topics that will be learned later in the day, or review work offers students an opportunity to review previously learned skills.
Responsibility
Part of your child's education is learning to be responsible. The school experience teaches children how to meet expectations. They learn to follow schedules, obey rules, complete assignments and keep track of their materials. Learning responsibility in school is a precursor to functioning in the working world, as noted by William Kirby in his 2010 article "School Attendance Tied to Academic Success”.
Attendance is one of the ways children show they can meet their obligations. In many cases, a child's attendance depends on his parents' ability to help them be on time. Parents can teach their children organizational techniques that will help them get out of the house faster, such as packing their bags and laying out their clothes the night before school. But parents who drive their children must also remember to be punctual and responsible.
After all, you are the primary role model.
Classical Evening and Art Exhibition
You are cordially invited to our 8th annual evening of classical music, which will take place on Thursday, March 14, at 18h. Students from all three divisions, Elementary, Middle and High school will showcase their instrumental skills and will perform pieces by the musical giants including Mozart, Beethoven, Chopin and Bach. The topic of this year Classical evening is The Opera and its Features, and the special guest star of the evening is Mr. Igor Durlovski, a well known Macedonian bass singer.
The entrance is free of charge but any donations are highly appreciated. All collected funds will go towards enriching the music program at Nova International Schools.
Sanja P.Milanova & Ana Hristova
Russell O'Neill
EMS Principal
March 12 - Nova Writing Pearls
March 14 - Classical Evening and Art Exhibition
March 15 - Wear GREEN to school
March 29 - End of Quarter 3
April 10 - MS Science Fair
April 12 - Parent Conferences
April 22-30 - Spring Break (school resumes on May 2)
May 1 - Public Holiday, non-working day
Dear Parents,
I would like to start this week by congratulating our MS Basketball teams who recently competed in regional CEESA Competitions. The boys stayed in Skopje and hosted schools from Sofia, Warsaw, Prague, Budapest and Bucharest while the girls team went to Warsaw to compete. I was extremely pleased to be able to witness some of the games that were played here and I was very proud to see that the boys team were crowned champions. The grand final was an excellent and hard fought game that was enjoyed by a large crowd from the school. They were also deemed by their peers from other teams to be worthy of winning the sportsmanship award.
The girls team visited Warsaw last week and participated with pride and determination. It was a tough schedule but they persevered and had some hard fought victories. Thanks to the adults who supported them during the event and to the parents of both teams for your ongoing support for these wonderful sporting opportunities.
Going green this Friday
As we creep out of winter weather and head towards some beautiful Spring days, we thought that we would have a fun dress up day on Friday to commemorate St Patrick's Day which will happen this coming Sunday. Please feel free to dress your children up in something green on Friday and join in the fun.
Classical Evening
I am very much looking forward to the Classical Evening and Art Exhibition this coming Thursday evening. The event will be held in the EMS Auditorium starting at 6.00pm. I have included a copy of the formal invitation at the end of this newsletter.
Myren Dueck visit
Thanks to all the parents who came along to the parent information session from Myren Dueck who was our guest last week when he worked with our teachers to support them with their ongoing professional development. Teachers from across all divisions of the school were given the opportunity to work with a world leading educator and hear about a variety of topics; including grading, assessing, planning, reporting and homework. I look forward to working with teachers as we follow up on what we learnt and start to implement some of his ideas.
Liz Haske visit
It was wonderful to host Liz Haske who is a children's author and educator. Liz workshopped with students and explained the process of writing a book. The sessions that I attended were very relevant to the students interests and I received a number of comments from students telling me that they now want to write their own book. Motivating students is half the battle when educating children and the more events such as this we have, the better prepared our students will be. Thanks to all those involved in the organisation and implementation of this visit.
Cyber Bullying parent session
Last Tuesday, the PTA sponsored an informative parent session on cyber bullying and gaming addiction. Recently, it was discovered that many Nova students are friends with an anonymous person (Nova Spy) on Instagram. (I strongly suggest you check your child's Instagram account to check this) In light of these two things, I would like to share an article with you about guiding social media use in kids. These issues are addressed in the article below:
1. How much is too much social media use?
2. Should we monitor our kids’ social media use? If so, how?
3. What are some symptoms that a student needs to cut back on social media?
4. How do I handle arguments about their portable device?
5. Should we be friends with our children on social media?
These questions are addressed in this article. Please follow this link to read it.
MMR vaccine does not cause autism, another study confirms this.
A study of all children born in Denmark from 1999 through 2010 concluded that the measles, mumps, and rubella vaccine does not increase the risk of autism, does not trigger autism in susceptible children and is not associated with clustering of autism cases after vaccination. Read the full story
In a related article, the author gives a breakdown of not only the rates of infections but also sadly, the death rates of Measles around the world with many of the worst affected countries being in our region. I would encourage all parents to read this article in order to learn more about this serious epidemic that is spreading around the world. Finally, there is a very interesting article from WHO about the vaccination programs in Europe that you can read by following this link.
Students Who are Late to School and How it Affects Their Learning
I am concerned at the number of students who are presenting as chronically late for school, and we also have many who are missing significant chunks of time each week. The following advice is adapted from an article published last year and clearly explains how frequent lateness to school impacts on our children’s well being and their learning.
We all run late sometimes. For your child, arriving late to school occasionally won't cause major disruption. Inevitably, children will feel sick or tired some mornings, or other situations will prevent them from being on time. But chronic lateness eventually takes its toll on a child's overall educational experience. According to the Australian national initiative 'Attendance Works', missing just 10 percent of the school year in the early grades causes many students to struggle in elementary school, and lateness in later grades is associated with increased failure and dropout rates. Fortunately, parents can help prevent tardiness from becoming frequent enough to negatively impact their child's school life.
Disrupted Routines
One of the most important aspects of school is that it is organized, scheduled and predictable. Students depend on the structure of the day. They know where they have to be and when. They know the main purpose for being in school is to learn and that routines are in place precisely to help them focus on that learning. When students are repeatedly tardy, these routines are disrupted. Children who are often late have trouble settling in and mastering routines. Tardiness can throw off their whole morning or even their day, especially if the late commute to school was stressful.
Social Criticism
The social experience has a powerful impact on a child's feelings about school and his or her ability to be academically successful. When a child continuously shows up late to class, other students are distracted. Attention is drawn away from the teacher or assignment and toward the child who has just arrived. Over time, classmates may begin to criticize this child, affecting how they feel about themselves in school. During adolescence, children are especially conscious of fitting in and being accepted by peers. If your child is repeatedly tardy, they may become a target or outcast over time, and negative peer interactions can hurt their ability to concentrate on learning. According to the Encyclopedia of Children's Health, children with steady friendships throughout the school year enjoy school more, and children who can make new friends tend to perform better academically.
Low Achievement
Perform Well, a nonprofit policy research and educational organization, reports that frequent tardiness is associated with lower grades and lower scores on standardized tests. It is also linked to low graduation rates. In addition, students who are routinely late at the elementary and middle school levels are more likely to fail in senior school -- or even drop out. In many classrooms, particularly at the elementary level, morning routines are critical to daily lessons. Warm-up activities may introduce topics that will be learned later in the day, or review work offers students an opportunity to review previously learned skills.
Responsibility
Part of your child's education is learning to be responsible. The school experience teaches children how to meet expectations. They learn to follow schedules, obey rules, complete assignments and keep track of their materials. Learning responsibility in school is a precursor to functioning in the working world, as noted by William Kirby in his 2010 article "School Attendance Tied to Academic Success”.
Attendance is one of the ways children show they can meet their obligations. In many cases, a child's attendance depends on his parents' ability to help them be on time. Parents can teach their children organizational techniques that will help them get out of the house faster, such as packing their bags and laying out their clothes the night before school. But parents who drive their children must also remember to be punctual and responsible.
After all, you are the primary role model.
Classical Evening and Art Exhibition
You are cordially invited to our 8th annual evening of classical music, which will take place on Thursday, March 14, at 18h. Students from all three divisions, Elementary, Middle and High school will showcase their instrumental skills and will perform pieces by the musical giants including Mozart, Beethoven, Chopin and Bach. The topic of this year Classical evening is The Opera and its Features, and the special guest star of the evening is Mr. Igor Durlovski, a well known Macedonian bass singer.
The entrance is free of charge but any donations are highly appreciated. All collected funds will go towards enriching the music program at Nova International Schools.
Sanja P.Milanova & Ana Hristova
Russell O'Neill
EMS Principal