Issue: Seven

Date: November 18, 2011

Message from the School Head, Roy G. Crawford Our NISC Vision: Inspiring ethical, respectful and compassionate global leadership.
In the last issue of the Mekong Messenger, I listed the many events which will be occurring at NISC during the months of November and December 2011. I encourage you to inspect closely the calendar of events in this Mekong Messenger issue and on our website: www.nisc.edu.kh. We hope you can attend as many events as possible and join us in celebrating the fine work of our students and teachers. Media Gallery: Please be advised that the website now includes a menu called Media Gallery in gold print, on the home page. We will be posting video and slide shows of our recent events. Posted now are Cultural Celebration Day and International Peace Day. I invite you to view these very informative presentations. Thank you Parent Group: On 4 November, prior to the PG meeting, Mr. Steve, Mr. Rob and I were invited to speak with parents about some issues of concern to those parents. This time together gave us a chance to discuss the facilities Master Plan including parking concerns and future playgrounds, Monday delayed starts, and our school lunches. The time together was very productive and some clear information was exchanged. One outcome of that meeting is that I will meet with three parents, some students and a representative from Northbridge Catering to discuss our lunch and snack program: healthy food choices for students and food students like to eat. This advisory group will then make recommendations regarding lunches and snacks. Phase I Architects: We are very close to appointing an architectural firm to develop Phase I of our campus Master Plan. I plan several parent meetings in January and I will provide detailed information about Phase I and our timeline for the completion of many projects which will begin this school year. As usual, thank you for trusting us with the very important job of educating your children.

We like to recognize and acknowledge the accomplishments of our students by sometimes placing pictures of them in NISC publications or on the Web. If you do not want pictures of your child to be included in the school website or publications, please contact the school office immediately. Thank you.

Message from the Primary School Principal - Robert W. Cody

Parent Involvement NISC continues to support ways for staff, parents and students to spend quality time together. I hope you have had the time to take advantage of these opportunities. Some of the events that have already happened are Moms and Muffins and Dads and Donuts, nights where parents read with their children in our NISC library. This weekend is our first Family Hike on Silk Island. I hope you received an invitation and have the time to Expensive Electronics NISC has policies in our handbook that clearly explain our concern for expensive items being brought to school. Policies only go so far. We are asking families for help with the challenge of expensive high tech equipment being brought to school. If your child needs a cell phone, please give them an inexpensive phone to bring to school and use their expensive cell phone after school and on weekends. If you child needs to bring electronic devices to help their learning process please understand we cannot guarantee the device will not be stolen. It would be great if every time a computer was left on a bench it was returned to the office. Most of the time electronic devices do get returned to lost and found but sometimes they go missing. Thank you for helping us with this issue. Please continue to talk to your child about what they would do if they found an expensive device at school. Would they bring it to the office, would they just leave it there or would they claim it as their own? hike with us. Cinderella is coming to NISC on 24 September 2011. Cinderella is a 10 minute play that will be followed by ballroom dance lessons where parents can dance with their children or your spouse. Please come dressed as your favorite Prince or Princess. It is great to see all the parents involved in the lives of their children. NISC will continue to keep you informed of all related events.

Message from the Upper School Principal - Stephen W. C. Paterson

Upper School Exams and Grade Reports The end of the second semester is nearly upon us. There will be changes to the way exams and grade reporting are done this year. The change in exams day and grade reporting will allow teachers to give higher quality exams and provide more meaningful feedback on exams and grade reports. Exams will take place from 12-14 December. Students in grades 7-9 will have exams during their regularly scheduled class times. Students in grades 10-12 will have an exam schedule. During times when there are no scheduled exams students will be in supervised exam prep study periods. Upper School Mission in Action Camps The Mission in Action (MIA) Camps, formerly known as Cambodia Studies Trips (CST) will depart on 30 November, 2011. The MIA trips start with the goals of the previous CSTs to learn about Cambodian places, customs, cultures and traditions and add IB specific learning objectives. MIA camps for grades 7-10 are designed around the MYP Areas of Interaction (AOIs), with each trip having one AOI as its focus. Grade 11 students will focus on aspects of the Diploma Programme, including the Extended Essay and the Theory of Knowledge. Grade 12s will be focused on university preparation. Each trip is planned with the goal of fulfilling the NISC Vision to inspire ethical, respectful and compassionate global leaders. Each grade level will attend a camp in a different area of Cambodia. The trips may change slightly each year, but the goal is for the program to develop into a consistent program of study. MIA trips are an important part of the curriculum and development of the IB programmes. It is important students attend the MIA trips as the learning experiences of the trips cannot be replicated. If you have any questions about your students MIA trip please contact their grade level advisor. Continued on page 3. Students are expected to be at school for the entire school day. Grade reporting for students in grades 7-11 will be done in two ways. Students will be able to access their grades online through Managebac beginning at 4:00 on Monday, 19 December. All students in grades 7-11 have their Managebac login information. Printed copies of grade reports will be sent home on 10 January. Grade 12 students will be emailed a grade report on Monday, 19 December. Printed and scanned transcripts will be available on 22 December.

Continued from page 2. Upper School Mission in Action Camps. The destinations and objectives for each grade level are: Grade 7 8 9 10 11 12 Destination Kirirom Rovieng Angkor Wat Rattanakiri Kep Sihanoukville Learning Objectives Environments whats our responsibility to our environment? Health & Social How can I improve my fitness? Human Ingenuity How did the worlds largest pre-industrial city operate? Community & Service How do tribal communities operate? DP Core CAS, Extended Essay, Theory of Knowledge University application preparation

Fostering Young Leaders by Jenni Young, MYP/DP Teacher

Grade 11 students Jason Im, Deva Ly, Titus Payne and Nika Pisith recently travelled to Ho Chi Minh City to attend the MRISA Conference on Leadership Through Service. After a long journey, students were greeted with a scavenger hunt (and pizza!) which allowed them to familiarize themselves with the ISHCMC campus, and a chance to meet or renew friendships with students from the other MRISA schools before going home with their host families. The two-day conference began in earnest on Friday morning with a session on KOTO (Know One Teach One), an NGO which works with training young people in the hospitality industry. Each of the two days began with talks and discussions on topics such as team excellence and different leadership styles, followed after lunch by hands-on sessions, which provided opportunities to put ideas into practice. All four NISC students agreed that the highlight of the

conference was a visit by 27 students from KOTO on the last afternoon, when the 50 young leaders alternated between participating in team-building exercises, and leading activities for the visitors. The smiles and laughter from both student leaders and KOTO visitors showed that minor inconveniences such as language barriers and an untimely downpour couldnt dampen good teamwork and communication. After the intense two days of workshops and discussions, a tired group of young leaders returned to NISC, ready to put ideas into action.

Student Council Updates by Niche Thamshivasakti

The first Student Council host assembly passed by with success. The assembly was held to officially address students and staff about our NISC card and also to get feedback about what Student Council can do to better serve the student body and how to improve. The NISC annual Halloween Dance was a BLAST!! With costumes of horror ranging from Bloody Mary to the Wicked Water Festival in Cambodia
The Cambodian Water Festival (called Bon Oum Touk in the original Khmer language) starts every year on the day of the full moon in late October or early November. Approximately close to a million people travel from the provinces to the riverbanks of Tonle Sap and the Mekong in Phnom Penh to watch or participate in traditional boats racing on a huge scale. Some boat racers come from provinces hundreds of kilometers away, paddling for days in the same boats they use for competition. Water Festival dates back to the time of King Jayavarman VII in the Angkorean period. It was celebrated by the king to kick off the

Witch, it was without a doubt a nightmare come true. Everyone had an awesome time. The best Halloween Dance ever hosted by Stuco. Upcoming Event - Student Council is in the process of organizing the annual Winter Formal. Please take note that this event is only open to upper school students.

Cambodian fishing season and offering the Gods of Waterways a bountiful harvest of rice and fish for the next year. There are three main events connected to Bon Oum Touk. 1) The parade of lights (loy pratip) where all manners of boats, barges, and small ships are decorated with colorful lights at night floating past the royal palace. 2) Homage to the full moon (Sompeah Preah Khe) which is thought to be a good sign for a bountiful harvest next year. 3) Offering of pounded rice (Ork Ombok) usually celebrated at night where people gather at temples or Wats. Ombok is a type of readyto eat rice which tastes best when the rice is newly harvested, stir fried dry with the husk and pounded immediately to remove the husk, and then served with banana or coconut juice.

Counselors Corner - John Nash, Counselor

Universityfor 11th Graders?!!? To 11th Grade students and their parents.now is the time to start thinking about University! As the calendar year is racing to a close, I want to remind you that you need to start exploring the net and start looking for universities you might want to attend when you graduate from high school. By the time this school year ends, you should have a short list of six to ten universities to which you are going to apply as soon as you return to school in August. suburbia or out in the country; Figuring out which size of school you would feel most comfortable and they range from 2,500 to 20,000+ stu dents; Learning if your overall grades and test scores make you competitive to be accepted to that school; Talking with your parents about the cost of tuition, housing, and incidentals this may be the first adult conversation you will have with them about finances;

You might ask, Why not do this later? Please take a moment Finding out if the schools you are interested in offers and speak with any 12th grade student about how busy they financial aid for international studentsand what about are right now and then you will knowThe first semester in scholarships? your senior year is one of the busiest times in your entire high school career! So, start now and get ahead of the curve! A word of caution to the 11th graders. Please be patient with your parents. To have you start talking seriously with them Things you need to consider: about moving away and attending universitywell, this is 1. Going to university is great! You will be spending 4 or so often very stressful for parents. You may need to spread this years living with new friends, having new experiencesreally discussion over a couple of meetings. Remember, your moving away is a big change in their lives too. beginning your adulthood journey. 2. Finding schools you want to attend is time consuming because you have many things to consider: Finding schools that offer the Major or Course of Study you want; Deciding where you want to live which country, in a city I invite you to visit the counselors office if you have questions or just want to get feedback on some ideas. Remember, Collegeboard.com is a great place to begin your university search. Good luck 11th Graders (& Get Started) !

MRISA Junior Boys Basketball

On 3-6 November the NISC Boys junior basketball team travelled to the MRISA tournament being hosted by Vientiane International School in Laos. On the first day the boys marched proudly around the centre court as part of the opening ceremony, taking part in 3 games. Our first game saw us play against ISE from Thailand. In a very close match we lost to ISE with our two main scorers being Boris and Ty. Ty was a well deserved player of the match. In the second game we met ISPP and we felt confident after we had defeated them in the local tournament. We lost our second game with our scorers being Ty, Hwan Hyu and Vireak. Player of the game was Youthakak for his strong defense and making space available in offence. Our best game of the day came against the undefeated ISHMC team. The NISC boys relaxed and played their natural game with the half time difference being 4 points to ISHMC. In the second half we controlled the ball but the fast break of ISHMC gave them the win. Our main scorers were Su Hak and Ty. With no wins on the first day, we were placed in the bottom half of the draw and were set to play UNIS. Our boys held their heads high and were able to limit the opposition in their scoring opportunities. Ty was our main scorer and thrilled the crowd with his 3-pointers and was awarded player of the game. Our last game was against HIS from Hanoi. While we lead for most of the match, we lost by 3 points in the last few minutes. Our main scorers were once again Ty and this time he was as sisted by Hwan Jin, Hwan Hyu, Boris and Su Hak A special mention must go to our captain, Boris. He tried his best all tournament and was a great leader for all our younger players. Our future looks bright in the middle school and it will be sad to say good bye to our only Grade 8, Boris. Ty was named the NISC representative to the All Tournament Team.

NISC Art Exhibit at the Intercontinental Phnom Penh

Exciting news for Northbridge International School community, we are preparing for an upcoming art exhibit titled Phnom Penh, on display at the Intercontinental Hotel from 21 November until 11 December. The Intercontinental Hotel is hosting an opening event at 4pm on 21 November. Students ranging in age from Grade 2/3 through Grade 12 have been busy at work representing different concepts of Phnom Penh. The exhibition is a collection of artworks interpreting Phnom Penh through the eyes of primary and secondary students from Northbridge International School Cambodia. The exhibit at the Intercontinental allows our students to share their work with the larger community of Phnom Penh and gives the students a chance to be part of a professional art show. NISC would like to thank the Intercontinental Hotel; with the help of Ms. Jenny Tchen, Mr. Simon Hall, Mr. Bobby Fajardo and Mr. Stefan Voogel; for hosting the art show which gives our students this wonderful opportunity.

MRISA Cultural Exchange (CX)

Hey Grade 6-12 Love art, music, dance, performing or traveling?? Then the MRISA Cultural Exchange is for you this year CX will be hosted by UNIS in Hanoi, Vietnam 2-6 May. Sign up by 25 November- there are only 14 spots from NISC. See Ms. Kelli or Ms. Anna if you are interested!

PYP Music
On Thursday, 8 December, all the children from K-Grade 6 will We hope that you will be delighted at the beautiful sound of be performing in a very special evening concert. your childrens voices singing together. The concert is called the FESTIVAL OF LIGHTS and will be featuring songs from various cultures that celebrate special events around this time of year. The music your children will be sharing with you is primarily choral music. They have been working very hard at developing their singing and vocal skills. Thank you for your support in making this an especially memorable experience in the lives of your children.

Joyce Penner PYP Music Director

LIBRARY NOTICE Please note the library will not be open on Saturdays that occur during long weekends or holiday periods. Therefore the coming schedule for Saturday library openings prior to Christmas will be: 19 November 26 November 3 December 10 December

Cafeteria Lunch Menu

Monday, 21 November Tuesday, 22 November Wednesday, 23 November Thursday, 24 November Friday, 25 November Monday, 28 November Tuesday, 29 November Wednesday, 30 November Thursday, 1 December Friday, 2 December sandwich bar, chicken teriyaki with grilled vegetables, fish amok, rice, bread pudding, lemon tea sandwich bar, beef broth, chicken tandoori and grilled vegetables, pho noodle, rice, banana, lemon tea sandwich bar, vegetable cream soup, sausage, lasagna, mash potato, garlic bread, ice cream, lemon tea sandwich bar, broth, pork ribs, fried egg, Hainanese rice, fruit in syrup, lemon tea sandwich bar, garlic soup, fish with soya, beef noodle soup, rice, fruit, lemon tea sandwich bar, sour fish soup, baked chicken wings, stir fried vegetables, rice, bread pudding, lemon tea sandwich bar, bok choy in garlic sauce, fried egg and onion, seafood tempura, fried rice, pastries, lemon tea sandwich bar, vegetable cream soup, fish fingers, quiche, fries, garlic bread, ice cream, lemon tea sandwich bar, garlic bread, spaghetti, vegetable curry, rice, pastries, lemon tea sandwich bar, vegetable soup, grilled pork, steamed bok choy and bean curd, rice, fruit, lemon tea

Performing Arts Evening

When: Friday, 18 November Where: School Cafeteria
EM DATES TO R EMBER

Time: 6:00 pm Dress Code: Smart casual NISC would like to invite our students, families and friends to our Performing Arts Evening where our upper school students will showcase their talents in music and drama. Please come along and support our students.

ath Night sday - PYP M ber, Wedne 16 Novem Evening orming Arts Friday - Perf November, 18 Family Hike rday - NISC ember, Satu 19 Nov ng hibit Openi - NISC Art Ex r, Monday 21 Novembe inderella ursday - C IA Trips ovember, Th 24 N to Friday- M Wednesday ember, r & 1-2 Dec 30 Novembe inter Formal Tuesday - W December, 6 ir mas Craft Fa sday - Christ ber, Wedne 7 Decem Lights - Festival of r, Thursday /DP Exams 8 Decembe esday - MYP Friday to Tu r, 3 Decembe 9-10 & 12-1

Cinderella
You shall go to the Ball Come along to see our short musical production of Cinderella on Thursday 24 November, then stay with us and dance the evening away in our own Cinderella ball. The show starts at 6.30 pm. Tickets are $3 each, but if you come dressed for the Cinderella Ball it is free. The show and dance are open to all members of the NISC community and their friends. Please come along, support our performing arts students and have a great evening.

P.O. Box 2042, Phnom Penh 3. Kingdom of Cambodia Phone: (855-23) 886-000/ -006 Fax: (855-23) 886-009 E-mail: info@nisc.edu.kh