Edition 23 - May 4, 2018
Meet 2 of our Newly hired staff
Please click on each photo below to read the bio of two new appointments to the school.
Brooke Bertholet
Grade 4 Homeroom Teacher |
Dina Kirovski-Trajkova
HR Manager |
Important upcoming dates
Wednesday May 23 Simultaneous Storytime Read-a-loud
Thursday May 24 Public Holiday
Friday June 1 ES and MS Fun Days
Saturday June 9 Grade 8 Prom Night (tentative date)
Tuesday June 12 Kindergarten Transition Ceremony
Wednesday June 13 Grade 5 Transition Ceremony
Thursday June 14 Grade 8 Graduation Ceremony 1.30pm start
Thursday June 14 Last day of school (Half day finish at 12 noon)
Dear Parents,
As I sit here writing this newsletter, I am on the bus with the Grade 3 students who have spent the day visiting the “Zdravje Radovo” Dairy and milk processing plant in Bitola. Thanks to Tanja Pandeleski and her family for all your support in enabling this excellent field trip to take place. It has been a long day, as we left school at 7.00am but it was certainly worth the early morning start as we were able to see the full process of dairy farming from milking to packaging as well as the production of cheese. Thanks also to the Grade 3 teachers and the parent volunteers who came along to help out and supervise.
Spring Bazaar and International Day
Thank you to all of you who took time to support the school at the recent International Day and Spring Bazaar. They were both wonderful events that truly demonstrate the community spirit of Nova. Thanks to the staff and students for getting into the spirit of International Day and dressing up in national costumes or colours that represent their home country. Thanks also to the PTA and all the parent, staff and community helpers for making the Spring Bazaar such a success. As a result a substantial donation will be made to the University Pediatric Clinic Oncology Department, Skopje.
Book fair
I would also like to thank Kay, Sonja, Tabitha, Martin and their band of helpers in the library for their efforts in once again holding the Book Fair. This was a huge success and thanks to the support from students and parents, we will be able to significantly increase the number of books in the library for next year.
Planning for 2018/19
Much of the planning for next year has already taken place. Schedules have been rewritten and modified so that students will receive more instruction in English, Maths, Social Studies and Science, while at the same time we will maintain our strong commitment The Arts (Music, Dance and Visual Arts) as well the increases in Macedonian Languages in ES and Foreign Languages in MS. Physical Education, Health, Library and Learning Technologies will all be maintained for next year.
Class Allocation Policy for next school year
Students will be allocated to classes based on our new Class Allocation Policy. Parents are welcome to write me a request for class placement via Natasa Mitevska at natasa.mitevska@nova.edu.mk outlining the reasons and justification for the request. While requests will be considered, there is no guarantee that they can be accommodated. A request for a particular teacher would not be considered to be in line with the policy, so please read it carefully before making a request. You can find the policy by following this link.
New staff for next year
As we continue to appoint new staff for next year, I will keep you updated and share their bio's with you. As you can see above, this week I am introducing you to Mr Brooke Bertholete our new Grade 4 teacher. I am currently recruiting for 9 other positions. Some of these will be replacing teachers who are leaving and some will be additional staff to what we have this year. We have significantly increased the number of international hires for next year. We can now confirm that we will have an overseas, international teacher in every grade level from Kindergarten to Grade 8. Here are the links to the Bio’s of the first 4 international teachers that will join us for next year.
Michael Odbert Bio
Jessica Lonchas Bio
Damian Misiaszek Bio
Brooke Bertholet Bio
Stronger programs for next year
Several of the additional positions that we are currently recruiting for are ESL teachers and Macedonian Language teachers. Both of these programs will see a significant injection of time and human resources for next year. Each Grade level will have their own dedicated ESL teacher (2 in Grade 1), that will work exclusively with students in their allocated grade level.
In addition, every student in the Elementary School, regardless of nationality, will receive Macedonian Language lessons, provided that they have demonstrated the required level of English learning capabilities. Those that have not reached the required level of English Language proficiency will receive additional ESL support. I will provide more details later about the improvements we have planned for the Middle School Languages program, once we have finalized these.
New Monitoring, Assessment and Reporting software
We recently purchased a new monitoring, assessment and reporting software program that will greatly enhance the way that teachers can, not only track the progress of students, but it will significantly improve the way that parents can access their child’s assessments, have access to the outcomes we are teaching and what your child needs to do in order to progress to a higher level. We will provide more information later but if you want to have a sneak peak at what it looks like you can find more information here.
ES Fun Days - June 1
On June 1 we will be holding a Fun Day for elementary students grades 1 – 5. Teachers and students will depart from NOVA at 8:30am and travel by bus to the Macedonia Gjorce Petrov- stadium. Children will have a full day of playing outside participating in many fun games that develop team-building skills and cooperation. They will return by bus for the regular dismissal at 14:00. Details are currently being arranged and we will provide them later.
MS Fun Days - June 1
On the same day we will hold a Fun Day for Middle School students. These details are currently being arranged by the Middle School teachers and they will provide more details later. Both of these events will take place outside of the school and there will be a participation cost involved.
The effects on the mental health of a child from helicopter parents
Experts claim so-called “helicopter parenting” is leading to mental health issues in children in later life. Triple P Positive Parenting Program Professor Matt Sanders said overprotective parents were preventing their children from experiencing failure. As a result, he said some children were becoming afraid or anxious as they grew up. “It’s one of the most common mental health problems that children experience,” Professor Sanders said. “If we step in and take over they get used to relying on someone else to fix it for them - not a good message. “There are lots of kids who are anxious and worried and it’s a significant psychological problem that affects many children in the community.” To read the rest of the article please follow this link.
Why parents should encourage the use of mother tongue at home
A consequence of the ever-increasing popularity of international schools is the growth in the number of children learning in a language other than their first. This can open opportunities for the individual but, as Carolyn Savage explains, continuing to develop the mother tongue is vital to enhance learning. Follow this link for more information.
Another similar article titled "Why is it important to maintain the native language at home?" can be found by following this link
Early close Wednesday for next year
As a reminder to a notification a couple of months ago, I want to remind parents that for the 2018/19 school year, early close will take place on a Wednesday afternoon and not Friday as it is now. We are giving this notification as I know that some parents arrange their working schedule around collecting their children after school.
Nova and Eurovision 2018
Many of the staff that work at Nova have skills and talents that span well beyond the role they perform each day at school. Our school is filled with highly accomplished, musicians, singers, actors, sporting champions, dancers and choreographers. Our very own dance teacher Ms. Jana Andrejevikj Lazarova is the choreographer and the stage director for the Macedonian entry of Eurovision 2018. . This is not her first Eurovision experience as she was choreographer and dancer back in 2010 and 2011 where she performed on stage together with our dance teacher Mr. Ivan Angelkovski. You can watch the Macedonian performance on 8th of May on Macedonian Television where the group, “Eye Cue” will perform 11th in the first semi-final. "Lost and found" is the name of the song to be performed at the Eurovision Song Contest in Lisbon.
Photos this week
There are lots of photos this week so I encourage you to have a look. They include the Grade 3 field trip to Bitola, The Spring Bazaar, The International Day, The amazing Grade 5 Exit Point as well as some of the new art displays around the school and some excellent samples of student work from Macedonian Language classes.
I look forward to seeing some of you on Sunday at the Skopje Marathon and if you are running, I wish you well.
Kindest regards,
Russell O'Neill
EMS Principal
Wednesday May 23 Simultaneous Storytime Read-a-loud
Thursday May 24 Public Holiday
Friday June 1 ES and MS Fun Days
Saturday June 9 Grade 8 Prom Night (tentative date)
Tuesday June 12 Kindergarten Transition Ceremony
Wednesday June 13 Grade 5 Transition Ceremony
Thursday June 14 Grade 8 Graduation Ceremony 1.30pm start
Thursday June 14 Last day of school (Half day finish at 12 noon)
Dear Parents,
As I sit here writing this newsletter, I am on the bus with the Grade 3 students who have spent the day visiting the “Zdravje Radovo” Dairy and milk processing plant in Bitola. Thanks to Tanja Pandeleski and her family for all your support in enabling this excellent field trip to take place. It has been a long day, as we left school at 7.00am but it was certainly worth the early morning start as we were able to see the full process of dairy farming from milking to packaging as well as the production of cheese. Thanks also to the Grade 3 teachers and the parent volunteers who came along to help out and supervise.
Spring Bazaar and International Day
Thank you to all of you who took time to support the school at the recent International Day and Spring Bazaar. They were both wonderful events that truly demonstrate the community spirit of Nova. Thanks to the staff and students for getting into the spirit of International Day and dressing up in national costumes or colours that represent their home country. Thanks also to the PTA and all the parent, staff and community helpers for making the Spring Bazaar such a success. As a result a substantial donation will be made to the University Pediatric Clinic Oncology Department, Skopje.
Book fair
I would also like to thank Kay, Sonja, Tabitha, Martin and their band of helpers in the library for their efforts in once again holding the Book Fair. This was a huge success and thanks to the support from students and parents, we will be able to significantly increase the number of books in the library for next year.
Planning for 2018/19
Much of the planning for next year has already taken place. Schedules have been rewritten and modified so that students will receive more instruction in English, Maths, Social Studies and Science, while at the same time we will maintain our strong commitment The Arts (Music, Dance and Visual Arts) as well the increases in Macedonian Languages in ES and Foreign Languages in MS. Physical Education, Health, Library and Learning Technologies will all be maintained for next year.
Class Allocation Policy for next school year
Students will be allocated to classes based on our new Class Allocation Policy. Parents are welcome to write me a request for class placement via Natasa Mitevska at natasa.mitevska@nova.edu.mk outlining the reasons and justification for the request. While requests will be considered, there is no guarantee that they can be accommodated. A request for a particular teacher would not be considered to be in line with the policy, so please read it carefully before making a request. You can find the policy by following this link.
New staff for next year
As we continue to appoint new staff for next year, I will keep you updated and share their bio's with you. As you can see above, this week I am introducing you to Mr Brooke Bertholete our new Grade 4 teacher. I am currently recruiting for 9 other positions. Some of these will be replacing teachers who are leaving and some will be additional staff to what we have this year. We have significantly increased the number of international hires for next year. We can now confirm that we will have an overseas, international teacher in every grade level from Kindergarten to Grade 8. Here are the links to the Bio’s of the first 4 international teachers that will join us for next year.
Michael Odbert Bio
Jessica Lonchas Bio
Damian Misiaszek Bio
Brooke Bertholet Bio
Stronger programs for next year
Several of the additional positions that we are currently recruiting for are ESL teachers and Macedonian Language teachers. Both of these programs will see a significant injection of time and human resources for next year. Each Grade level will have their own dedicated ESL teacher (2 in Grade 1), that will work exclusively with students in their allocated grade level.
In addition, every student in the Elementary School, regardless of nationality, will receive Macedonian Language lessons, provided that they have demonstrated the required level of English learning capabilities. Those that have not reached the required level of English Language proficiency will receive additional ESL support. I will provide more details later about the improvements we have planned for the Middle School Languages program, once we have finalized these.
New Monitoring, Assessment and Reporting software
We recently purchased a new monitoring, assessment and reporting software program that will greatly enhance the way that teachers can, not only track the progress of students, but it will significantly improve the way that parents can access their child’s assessments, have access to the outcomes we are teaching and what your child needs to do in order to progress to a higher level. We will provide more information later but if you want to have a sneak peak at what it looks like you can find more information here.
ES Fun Days - June 1
On June 1 we will be holding a Fun Day for elementary students grades 1 – 5. Teachers and students will depart from NOVA at 8:30am and travel by bus to the Macedonia Gjorce Petrov- stadium. Children will have a full day of playing outside participating in many fun games that develop team-building skills and cooperation. They will return by bus for the regular dismissal at 14:00. Details are currently being arranged and we will provide them later.
MS Fun Days - June 1
On the same day we will hold a Fun Day for Middle School students. These details are currently being arranged by the Middle School teachers and they will provide more details later. Both of these events will take place outside of the school and there will be a participation cost involved.
The effects on the mental health of a child from helicopter parents
Experts claim so-called “helicopter parenting” is leading to mental health issues in children in later life. Triple P Positive Parenting Program Professor Matt Sanders said overprotective parents were preventing their children from experiencing failure. As a result, he said some children were becoming afraid or anxious as they grew up. “It’s one of the most common mental health problems that children experience,” Professor Sanders said. “If we step in and take over they get used to relying on someone else to fix it for them - not a good message. “There are lots of kids who are anxious and worried and it’s a significant psychological problem that affects many children in the community.” To read the rest of the article please follow this link.
Why parents should encourage the use of mother tongue at home
A consequence of the ever-increasing popularity of international schools is the growth in the number of children learning in a language other than their first. This can open opportunities for the individual but, as Carolyn Savage explains, continuing to develop the mother tongue is vital to enhance learning. Follow this link for more information.
Another similar article titled "Why is it important to maintain the native language at home?" can be found by following this link
Early close Wednesday for next year
As a reminder to a notification a couple of months ago, I want to remind parents that for the 2018/19 school year, early close will take place on a Wednesday afternoon and not Friday as it is now. We are giving this notification as I know that some parents arrange their working schedule around collecting their children after school.
Nova and Eurovision 2018
Many of the staff that work at Nova have skills and talents that span well beyond the role they perform each day at school. Our school is filled with highly accomplished, musicians, singers, actors, sporting champions, dancers and choreographers. Our very own dance teacher Ms. Jana Andrejevikj Lazarova is the choreographer and the stage director for the Macedonian entry of Eurovision 2018. . This is not her first Eurovision experience as she was choreographer and dancer back in 2010 and 2011 where she performed on stage together with our dance teacher Mr. Ivan Angelkovski. You can watch the Macedonian performance on 8th of May on Macedonian Television where the group, “Eye Cue” will perform 11th in the first semi-final. "Lost and found" is the name of the song to be performed at the Eurovision Song Contest in Lisbon.
Photos this week
There are lots of photos this week so I encourage you to have a look. They include the Grade 3 field trip to Bitola, The Spring Bazaar, The International Day, The amazing Grade 5 Exit Point as well as some of the new art displays around the school and some excellent samples of student work from Macedonian Language classes.
I look forward to seeing some of you on Sunday at the Skopje Marathon and if you are running, I wish you well.
Kindest regards,
Russell O'Neill
EMS Principal