Edition 25 - June 5, 2018
Important upcoming dates
Wed June 6 ASA Ballet Recital
Thursday June 7 Middle School Play
Saturday June 9 Grade 8 Semi-Prom
Tuesday June 12 Kindergarten Transition Ceremony 2.00pm start
Wed June 13 End of Year Performance/Grade 5 Transition Ceremony 2.00pm start
Thursday June 14 End of Year Performance/Grade 8 Graduation Ceremony 1.30pm start
Thursday June 14 Last day of school (Half day finish at 12 noon)
Monday June 18 Summer Camp Commences
Tuesday August 21 First day of the new school year
Dear Parents,
I was very proud to attend the Grade 12 Graduation last night. Congratulations to all the students who graduated, for your hard work and efforts over your whole school career and particularly during these last 2 years of study. In many ways, studying for the IB Diploma Program or the Advanced Placement (AP) in Grades 11 and 12, are the toughest years of study we will ever undertake. I therefore, want to congratulate these students for getting over the biggest hurdle and wish them luck in all that they pursue in the years to come.
PTA Teacher Appreciation Day
On behalf of the extremely hardworking and dedicated staff at the school, I would like to thank the members of the PTA and parent volunteers for providing such a wonderful event on Friday afternoon. The selection of food was truly remarkable and a highlight seemed to be the photo booth where we were able to dress up and take a variety of comical photos.
EMS Field Trips
On Friday we conducted three simultaneous 'Super, Happy Fun Days' at various locations. I was fortunate enough to ensure that I attended each venue and had the chance to interact with all students and teachers. Congratulations to the Early Childhood teachers for developing a fun and interesting day where students were able to engage in a variety of interesting activities. .
Elementary Students went to Gjorce Petrov Stadium and enjoyed a highly organized set of activities that tested their skills and coordination. I was very impressed with the efforts of the coordinators, as they clearly know what they are doing, and were also able to impart some of their skills onto our own teachers. As it was my first year to see this event, and on reflection, I would consider making some modifications for future years in order to develop the program further. Given the warm day, I feel that we may be able to find a location that has more trees and shade available and I would also consider reducing the length of the day, especially at this time of year when it can be hot. It was pleasing to see so many students wearing hats, and as a school we provided and regularly reminded students to wear sunscreen. However, I still believe that can find a venue that will better suit our needs for next year. Here is the Nova Facebook link to more ES Fun Day photos
Middle School students had an fantastic day at 'Makedonsko Selo' where students engaged in activities that included, jewelry making, carpet weaving, baking as well as hiking. Lunch was a highlight for many of the students as we sat in the restaurant overlooking the city. The only disappointment for me was the less than ideal attendance by Grade 6 students. Grade 7 and 8 were at near capacity but Grade 6 were certainly underrepresented.
As a staff we will get together to debrief on how successful the each of these days were and hopefully we can continue to make improvements as we move forward with all the activities for next year.
Wearing hats in hot weather
One of the reminders for the fun day, is for children to wear a hat for sun protection. However, it is also important to ensure that you child is protected whenever they are at school, especially during the hot summer months. I would ask all parents to pack a hat in their child's bag and encourage them to wear it each day. In many countries around the world there is a "no hat, no outside play" policy. While that is not the case in our school, I feel that as adults we should be encouraging our children to be sun smart at all times.
Upcoming Transition Ceremonies for Kindergarten, Grade 5 and Grade 8
As we approach the final stages of the school year, students who are transitioning to a different part of the school will participate in Transition Ceremonies. These are important events in the lives of students and a great deal of planning goes into organizing them. Dance and music teachers have been preparing their performances and homeroom teachers have also been getting ready.
I have been somewhat surprised and a little disappointed to hear that some students will not be here for the last week of school, and therefore, they will not participate in these important events. When dance teachers a choreographing a performance, they plan that dance, taking into account the number of performers and ensure that visually it looks right. There is also the consideration of dance partners, so if I child is not there on the day then this has an enormous impact on their partner. The school calendar has been available for more than 12 months. I would request that if parents are considering not sending their child to school for the last week then they should immediately inform the homeroom teacher and also the dance and music teachers.
Language Institute
We are currently developing a Language Institute program where we plan to introduce additional language offerings for students at the school as part of our after school program in addition to what we offer during the school day. Shortly, there will be an electronic parent survey sent to you where you can assist us by identifying what languages you would like your child to study. This survey will assist us in developing our Language Institute and help us to prioritize what languages we offer. In addition to the after school survey, students in Middle School will receive a separate survey requesting information about the languages for class time next year. Please keep an eye out for that via your child.
Grade 8 Community Service Projects
Last Friday the 8th graders went over to the HS to hear IB Seniors talk about their community service projects. It was great role modeling by the IB students; they demonstrated how passionate and sincere about their projects and shared what they had done to improve Skopje. There are some photos below of the activities.
Summer Camp 2018
Please be informed that we are rapidly approaching this year’s Summer Camp but places are filling up fast but we have several slots still available. We encourage you to have your children join NOVA International Schools Summer Camp, it will be an exciting journey! If you are interested in enrolling your children in our summer program, please fill out the online application form by using the following LINK. In addition, we have the information provided on the school website by the following LINK. We look forward to seeing you and your child at the opening ceremony on Monday morning June 18 at 8.30am.
Pance Pancevski
Summer Camp Coordinator summer.camp@nova.edu.mk
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 all 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. WE will commence the task of compiling classes this coming Friday, so please ensure that you contact me prior to that as after that time, requests cannot be considered. You can find the policy by following this link.
Kindest regards,
Russell O'Neill
EMS Principal
Wed June 6 ASA Ballet Recital
Thursday June 7 Middle School Play
Saturday June 9 Grade 8 Semi-Prom
Tuesday June 12 Kindergarten Transition Ceremony 2.00pm start
Wed June 13 End of Year Performance/Grade 5 Transition Ceremony 2.00pm start
Thursday June 14 End of Year Performance/Grade 8 Graduation Ceremony 1.30pm start
Thursday June 14 Last day of school (Half day finish at 12 noon)
Monday June 18 Summer Camp Commences
Tuesday August 21 First day of the new school year
Dear Parents,
I was very proud to attend the Grade 12 Graduation last night. Congratulations to all the students who graduated, for your hard work and efforts over your whole school career and particularly during these last 2 years of study. In many ways, studying for the IB Diploma Program or the Advanced Placement (AP) in Grades 11 and 12, are the toughest years of study we will ever undertake. I therefore, want to congratulate these students for getting over the biggest hurdle and wish them luck in all that they pursue in the years to come.
PTA Teacher Appreciation Day
On behalf of the extremely hardworking and dedicated staff at the school, I would like to thank the members of the PTA and parent volunteers for providing such a wonderful event on Friday afternoon. The selection of food was truly remarkable and a highlight seemed to be the photo booth where we were able to dress up and take a variety of comical photos.
EMS Field Trips
On Friday we conducted three simultaneous 'Super, Happy Fun Days' at various locations. I was fortunate enough to ensure that I attended each venue and had the chance to interact with all students and teachers. Congratulations to the Early Childhood teachers for developing a fun and interesting day where students were able to engage in a variety of interesting activities. .
Elementary Students went to Gjorce Petrov Stadium and enjoyed a highly organized set of activities that tested their skills and coordination. I was very impressed with the efforts of the coordinators, as they clearly know what they are doing, and were also able to impart some of their skills onto our own teachers. As it was my first year to see this event, and on reflection, I would consider making some modifications for future years in order to develop the program further. Given the warm day, I feel that we may be able to find a location that has more trees and shade available and I would also consider reducing the length of the day, especially at this time of year when it can be hot. It was pleasing to see so many students wearing hats, and as a school we provided and regularly reminded students to wear sunscreen. However, I still believe that can find a venue that will better suit our needs for next year. Here is the Nova Facebook link to more ES Fun Day photos
Middle School students had an fantastic day at 'Makedonsko Selo' where students engaged in activities that included, jewelry making, carpet weaving, baking as well as hiking. Lunch was a highlight for many of the students as we sat in the restaurant overlooking the city. The only disappointment for me was the less than ideal attendance by Grade 6 students. Grade 7 and 8 were at near capacity but Grade 6 were certainly underrepresented.
As a staff we will get together to debrief on how successful the each of these days were and hopefully we can continue to make improvements as we move forward with all the activities for next year.
Wearing hats in hot weather
One of the reminders for the fun day, is for children to wear a hat for sun protection. However, it is also important to ensure that you child is protected whenever they are at school, especially during the hot summer months. I would ask all parents to pack a hat in their child's bag and encourage them to wear it each day. In many countries around the world there is a "no hat, no outside play" policy. While that is not the case in our school, I feel that as adults we should be encouraging our children to be sun smart at all times.
Upcoming Transition Ceremonies for Kindergarten, Grade 5 and Grade 8
As we approach the final stages of the school year, students who are transitioning to a different part of the school will participate in Transition Ceremonies. These are important events in the lives of students and a great deal of planning goes into organizing them. Dance and music teachers have been preparing their performances and homeroom teachers have also been getting ready.
I have been somewhat surprised and a little disappointed to hear that some students will not be here for the last week of school, and therefore, they will not participate in these important events. When dance teachers a choreographing a performance, they plan that dance, taking into account the number of performers and ensure that visually it looks right. There is also the consideration of dance partners, so if I child is not there on the day then this has an enormous impact on their partner. The school calendar has been available for more than 12 months. I would request that if parents are considering not sending their child to school for the last week then they should immediately inform the homeroom teacher and also the dance and music teachers.
Language Institute
We are currently developing a Language Institute program where we plan to introduce additional language offerings for students at the school as part of our after school program in addition to what we offer during the school day. Shortly, there will be an electronic parent survey sent to you where you can assist us by identifying what languages you would like your child to study. This survey will assist us in developing our Language Institute and help us to prioritize what languages we offer. In addition to the after school survey, students in Middle School will receive a separate survey requesting information about the languages for class time next year. Please keep an eye out for that via your child.
Grade 8 Community Service Projects
Last Friday the 8th graders went over to the HS to hear IB Seniors talk about their community service projects. It was great role modeling by the IB students; they demonstrated how passionate and sincere about their projects and shared what they had done to improve Skopje. There are some photos below of the activities.
Summer Camp 2018
Please be informed that we are rapidly approaching this year’s Summer Camp but places are filling up fast but we have several slots still available. We encourage you to have your children join NOVA International Schools Summer Camp, it will be an exciting journey! If you are interested in enrolling your children in our summer program, please fill out the online application form by using the following LINK. In addition, we have the information provided on the school website by the following LINK. We look forward to seeing you and your child at the opening ceremony on Monday morning June 18 at 8.30am.
Pance Pancevski
Summer Camp Coordinator summer.camp@nova.edu.mk
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 all 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. WE will commence the task of compiling classes this coming Friday, so please ensure that you contact me prior to that as after that time, requests cannot be considered. You can find the policy by following this link.
Kindest regards,
Russell O'Neill
EMS Principal