2.  Supply Drive: The ISD GIN Class (Global Issues Network) would like to extend their thanks for the supplies being sent in in the recent supply drive for families of maintenance staff. The final collection will be on Wednesday.

3.  Last Day Reminders: Last day of school is Friday, December 16. On that day, please remind your children to check they bring home drink bottles and search for any other items they might be missing from lost property. At the end of each month, all left over lost property will be donated to local causes.

4.  Elementary School Concert: Thank you for your support of the Elementary School Winter Concert. This was another musical extravaganza with songs from around the world. I would like to thank Mr Fuhr and Mr. Watters for all their hard work in preparing the children for the performances. I also thank you for staying to the end of what was a long program for the two whole school numbers at the end, including Mr. Burnside's guitar solo!

5.  WAISAL Swimmers: Congratulations to those Elementary School students who represented ISD in the recent swim meet in Lagos. There were 160 swimmers, representing 4 WAISAL schools and 4 local schools. Swimmers who went from the ES are: Paige Walden, Tyler Osterhout, Sophie Kane and Davida Alumbaugh. 

6.  ASA Assembly: Many of our After School Activities were showcased in our recent assembly. Here are some photos from the event:

7.  Next Trimester's Activities: These begin Monday, January 9. On the sheet, the yellow denotes an activity that requires payment. Please pay by week 2 and the instructors will give a receipt for payment. In addition, ensure that your child continues an activity that they sign up for, and if any changes need to be made to let Mr. Te Huki know. 

8.  November Birthday Lunch: I shared a lunch with the November birthday kids on my balcony, and here we are!:

9.  Swedish School Visit: Some of you may have seen Eric Klauda, the former ES Principal, on campus this week. He was here with the International High School of the Gothenburg Region, who spent time on Science projects in Senegal and visited our sister school Yaaya Xaley. Their teachers were very appreciative to those of you who hosted them, and told us how they were impressed by all that was going on at ISD. They also appreciated the sunlight!

10. Read, Read, Read!: As the gift buying season may be increasing for you, I am including three links to booklists, which may help in your search for new literature for your children. They are from Oprah, the American Library Association, and Amazon. Tumblebooks (the passwords were sent earlier) are also downloadable, and might be useful for entertainment on a long flight!

11.  Room Parents: Thank you to those of you who are room parents. I know that the teachers have appreciated your help over these busy weeks. 

12. Kelso: I hope you had a chance to see Laura Perry's video about Kelso's choice on a previous posting. A 2nd Grade student came to me when I was on duty yesterday to tell me that she had two friends who had an issue. She told me that they had tried two choice and they had not worked. I asked her to tell them I am happy to help. She returned a couple of minutes later to tell me the problem had been solved. I loved the fact that she had a point of reference to help her friends move on and enjoy recess. We are looking to hold a Kelso assembly in the New Year. Does anyone have a frog costume?

13. Assemblies: Here are some photos from the 1T and 5H assemblies. They celebrated the CORE values and showed us how to dance!:

Following the 5H assembly, a CORE values bulletin board appeared outside my office. Children are asked to write the names of friends exhibiting CORE values at school. Click on it for a clearer view:

14. MSA and CIS Re-accreditation Visit: As with many international schools, ISD is accredited by outside organizations. The Middle States Association and Council of International Schools both run a 10-year full audit of a school's practices, and a 5-year mid-term audit. We have been reflecting on how our programs support our students, and looking ahead to our 10-year accreditation visit in 2016. Having been a member of an accreditation team to a school in Saudi Arabia, I know the detail and time that is required, and kudos to Lisa Emborsky and Wayne Rutherford for guiding the faculty through this visit. 

14. Insect Alert!!: The 1st Grade classes have just hosted their annual insect museums and they showed us models and research, combined with projects from Ms. Chantal and Ms. Kelly in Computers and Art:

15. K-5 Movie Night: On Wednesday, after school, there will be a movie night for K-5 children. There are posters up, and see Ms. Philen and Ms. Hinshaw for more details. 

Upcoming Events: 

Ian Clark

Ian Clark Ed.D.

Elementary School Principal

International School of Dakar