Dear Parents,

The highlight over the last two weeks was the World Cultural Month Final Day. I think it was a great way to reflect our diversity through the booths; our talent through song, dance and drum; and to celebrate some of Senegal's own arts and sports. A big thank you to Gaucher, who pulled this all together with his weekly meetings and daily updates. Also THANKS to those of you who ran booths, helped with costumes, walked the runway, or just came to join in the fun. 

Other notes:

1.  World Cultural Month Final Day: Here is a selection of Chantal's wonderful pictures of the day, and I'm sure a lot of these will appear in the ISD Yearbook! These will go home at the year's end.

2.  Swimming in PE Class: From the week beginning May 9, the K - Gr 5 classes will have swimming in PE. Mr. Te Huki requests that children bring flip flops, towels, swim suit and goggles. Ending June 10. Here is the schedule:

3.  Healthy Snacks: Thanks to those of you who keep including the "slow burning" carbohydrates in the snack bags for recess. We do request in the Parent Handbook that children bring in a healthy and nutritious snack. I have spotted a few chocolate bars and candies of late, that I'd slip into the treat (rather than snack) category. 

4.  Recycling Crayons: As part of our Earth Day activities, Art teacher Kelly Valdmanis recycled some wax crayons. A fun, planet-friendly idea that also introduced some science concepts. If you'd like more on how to do this, drop her an email:

5.  MAP Testing: Our final round of MAP tests begins the week of May 16. If you are new, they are standardized, US-based computerized assessments in math, reading and language usage. The children sit them in the Fall, Winter and Spring Trimesters. These diagnostic assessments, based on our school's standards, allow us to see areas of student growth or highlight concerns. More information will follow.

6.  1T's Assembly: Thanks to Mrs. Te Huki for her wonderful re-tellings of two Senegalese stories:

7.  Mr. C's Assembly: I was given an opportunity to lead an assembly on Friday. I highlighted some concerns I have about after-school timings, challenged the classes to maintain their Earth Day pledges and offered some advice for those leaving or staying about the last few weeks of school. 

8.  AGM: Thanks to those of you who came to the AGM last month. I hope you found it interesting to hear some of the background behind the school, and it also gave us a chance to recognize stalwarts of our community with awards ranging from 5 years to 25 years' service.

9.  Upcoming Dates: The following are dates for your diaries:

- June 10: 2pm Talent Show

10. Faculty Appreciation Lunch: We had a wonderful time enjoying Shady's lunch, and wish to thank the PTO for organizing the event, and those of you who braved a lunchtime duty!

11. Construction: Finally, here are a couple of snaps out of my window of the new MS/HS building-in-progress. The Pre-K 3 children came to have a look today, and I shared a construction-related story:

Looking above: In the lower left corner, the ground floor will be new Language Labs; in the far left corner are two Art rooms with a kiln in the middle; and the far right ground floor room behind the two men will be a window-walled conference room. Please drop in my room any time for a coffee and for a closer look at the construction.

Regards,

Ian Clark 

Ian Clark Ed.D.

Elementary School Principal

International School of Dakar