Newsletter - April 2012 - Verdala International School

Fort Pembroke, Pembroke, PBK 1641, Malta
www.verdala.org [email protected] +365 21375133
April 2012 Newsletter
Welcome to the Verdala International School Newsletter! If you would like to contribute to future
issues, or have any comments or suggestions, please email either Jill Kirkstadt at [email protected] or
Jess Droscher at [email protected]. Do you have some exciting family news? Do you know of a
past (or present!) student or staff member who has had an achievement that should be recognised?
Do you have an interesting hobby that you would like to introduce to the Verdala community?
Please email us with any news from inside or outside Verdala, so we can share it with our readers.
Many thanks from the JQ Newsletter team (Jill Kirkstadt, Jess Droscher, Jesmond Navarro, and Joseph
Borg).
Inside this issue:

Elementary News

Middle School News

Booster Club News

IB News

High School News

All-School News

Upcoming Events

Announcements

Classifieds
This month’s highlighted event:
International Night!
See Booster Club News.
Inside this
issue…….
Page 2
Elementary News
Pre-Kindergarten Field Trip
Pre-Kindergarten classes recently enjoyed a visit to the Playmobil Funpark. To link up with their IPC unit
on SHOPPING, they were able to choose a small toy from the Playmobil shop and purchase it with
their own money that they had brought with them. The hail and rain outdoors restricted them to the
indoor play area, but luckily there was plenty for them to do, such as being captain of a cargo ship,
setting up train tracks, playing with the dolls houses and various vehicles and playing on the real
piano. A fun time was certainly had by all!
Pre-Kindergarten Easter Activities
Pre-Kindergarten classes 1 and 2 had an exciting adventure to the home
of one of the parents to celebrate the end of the spring term as well as
Easter. The Easter bunny had sneaked in to the garden the night before
and hidden eggs all over the garden, so it was quite a challenge to hunt
for them all and work hard for a REAL chocolate egg as a reward! (We
didn't find the Easter Bunny though!). We played other games, such as
'making waves with the parachute', kicking and catching balls, chalking
all over the paving stones and trying out an
obstacle course; crawling through tunnels
and tents.
We have all been busy in class too, designing and painting Easter eggs,
making Easter bonnets with collage materials, dying real eggs, making
Easter chicks and rabbits and decorating Easter baskets in which to take
home LOTS of chocolate eggs!
Grade 1 Field Trip – Valletta Toy Museum
As part of their IPC Topic on Toys, the Grade 1 class recently visited the
Toy Museum in Valletta to learn about different types of toys and how
they have changed over time.
We went to the Toy Museum. I saw lots of toys, and they were old toys.
Some old toys were made out of clay. By Nora Eckermann, Grade 1.
We went to the Toy Museum. We saw a lot of toys, my favourite toy is a car.
Then we had our snack and then we played in the square with the fountains.
By Malik Jebaili, Grade 1.
Grade 1 IPC Parent Presentation
We had a performance on our IPC unit Toys. All our mummys, dads and
other family members came. We sang and showed them our work.
They were happy to see our hard work. By Lara Merten, Grade 1.
We had a show for Toys. All mums and dads came. We sang I’ve Got
No Strings from Pinocchio and talked about our favorite toys. They all
cheered for us. By Luke Hock, Grade 1.
Page 3
Grade 2 Field Trip – Chocolate Making
We went to Corinthia Hotel. We had to wear a special hat. First, we
dipped cookies into chocolate sauce. Then we dipped strawberries
in the white chocolate sauce and put the white chocolate on
chocolate balls. At the end we got a plate with chocolate. Then we
went home. I think it was the best day ever! By Julie Von Bahr,
Grade 2S.
After lunch we walked to Corinthia Hotel. On the way Kassius and I saw a
dog and were frightened. When we came a lady came and took us to the
restaurant kitchen. She took all of us to the pastry section. We had to wear
something before we went into the kitchen. There were chocolate balls
and we dropped our chocolate ball inside melted chocolate and took it
out with a fork. There were strawberries and we dipped one strawberry. It
was fun doing these things. Before we went we got a present. By Tuna Berk
Yaygin, Grade 2S.
This was a very special day. We were going to Corinthia Hotel. First Ms.
Katie was really nice and showed us the way. When we arrived a nice
lady came to us. She was called Marie Louise. She showed us the lobby,
the restaurant, and then the kitchen. In the kitchen there were three
sections, the cold section, the warm section and a sweet section. There
we had to put on a hat and a plastic robe. We got to dip cookies in
melted chocolate. We also got to put some chocolate on a kind of
chocolate bar, we got to eat some white chocolate. We also got to dip
strawberries in chocolate. Then we got to put some truffles in chocolate.
The chefs were so nice that they gave us a present each! We got two
truffles, one cookie, one chocolate bar and one strawberry. Then we took
off our hat and robes. We waited outside for a while and then we went
back to school. At school we packed up and went home. By Nadine
Alfvegren, Grade 2S.
Grade 3 IPC Parent Presentation
On the 7th March, Grade 3 had their IPC Presentation about Habitats. The parents arrived at our
classroom and we showed them what we had been working on. Then we took them to the Art room
and then the Music room where we put on a show for them. I thought that Grade 3 did an excellent
job. By Gavin Mahon, Grade 3.
Page 4
Grade 5 - The Pre-K Puppet Play
Creating the Story
When you’re making a puppet play for the Pre-Ks you need to stick to a
‘non-complicated’ theme. So our group (Mindy, Katya and I) decided to
do a birthday party theme. The story is that a little girl’s mother is planning a
surprise birthday party and the Pre-Ks have to be quiet about it or else it
won’t be much of a surprise.
Making the Puppets
We decided to make the puppets cartoon style. We drew
them, then cut them out and stuck them onto a cardboard
piece of paper. We then stuck sticks onto the puppets.
Performing the Play
We were so enthusiastic about performing the play. When it
was finally our turn we got up and went behind the curtain. Mr.
M got behind the curtain and asked if we were ready. We
performed the puppet play as best as we could. At the end
we heard loud clapping. We bowed and showed our puppets to the Pre-Ks to hold. I really hope we
can perform another puppet play.
By Isabella Pacetti, Grade 5.
Page 5
Middle School News
Middle and High School Recycling Initiative
Thank you to all students, teachers and parents who
brought in their unwanted clothing for recycling. We
managed to collect 100kgs of textiles! Well done!
We hope to do this again – so, if you are doing your
‘Spring Cleaning’, please do bring your unwanted
textiles – clothes, shoes (tied together), curtains,
handbags and other textiles to be either reused or
recycled.
http://www.refabmalta.com/schools
Thank you for Saving the Planet.
Simone Brincat (High School)
Mary Kay Zammit (Middle School)
Middle School Drama
In March the Middle School Drama students worked on their performance skills in preparation for the
upcoming Middle School Play ‘The Verdala Tales’. Grades 6 and 7 put a script to life, and Grade 8
devised a scene to a musical stimulus. Students were in charge of all aspects of the performances,
from costume, to sound, to set design. All scenes were performed in front of an audience to great
acclaim, the 6’s performing scenes from ‘The Bonnie Pit Laddie’ the 7’s from ‘The Canterbury Tales’
and the 8’s chose music from Grieg, Carl Orff, Start Wars and Pirates of the Caribbean. All
performances were an outstanding success, and enjoyed by students and audience alike. Well
done!
In order to see this creative bunch, keep May 18 free and come and watch ‘The Verdala Tales’
performed by all Middle School Students!
Page 6
WORLD MATHS DAY – WORLD SPELLING DAY – WORLD SCIENCE DAY
From March 6 - 8, 2012 VIS middle school students participated along with 1.57 million other students
from around the world in The World Education Games. For three days they competed online against
students from over 60 other countries in math, spelling and science competitions. Some students
decided to continue playing on their own time at home and won certificates for high scores.
Congratulations to our top 3 students: Heidi Cao, Luke Wilkinson and Luke Brient.
Oceane Visser, Albert Svanberg and Young In Kwon also received special recognition for their results.
As part of World Education Games schools were invited to join together so support UNICEF's SchoolIn-A-Box program. During one pastoral care class they watched a UNICEF video on children in
refugee camps and discussed the causes for and hardships of displaced families. The students
decided to organize bake sales to raise money and donated a total of €303 to the School-In-A-Box
program.
Page 7
Booster Club News
Social Events.
On 9th of March a very relaxed and informal get-together for all parents and teachers from the
Verdala community was held at Portside Lounge in Sliema. Although the weather was atrocious, a
considerable number of party-goers braved the elements and attended. A very enjoyable night was
had by all.
On the last day of the Spring term the Grade 6 parents organised a last-minute activity, Paintballing
at Rinella; there was a good turn out of Grade 6 students who were joined by a few Grade 7 ones as
well. Tea and cakes were on offer for parents at Mandy's house during the activity and for the
students afterwards. Both parents and children relished an entertaining afternoon.
SAVE THE DATE - Wednesday 6th June. Another social dinner for adults is being scheduled - this time
at Chukkas (opposite the entrance to the Marsa Sports Club). Thursday is a public holiday and it is
hoped that we will also see some of our Gozo parents at this event.
More details will follow soon.
Pizza Lunch at High School
On 20th March, a group of Boosters turned up to knead, roll, spread and bake no less than 40 pizzas
to feed 120 hungry High School students. Special thanks go to the group of HS mums led by Ghislaine
and ably assisted by Alex, Mandy, Nicola, Monique, Francesca, Melanie, Annamaria, Liselott, Rachel
and Robyn. Thanks also go to the High School teachers who helped out with ‘crowd control’, and to
Alun and the Maintenance crew for setting up the pizza oven and tables for this event.
Robyn, Ghislaine, Melanie Rachel, Mandy,
Monique & Alex
Monique, Francesca & Liselott
Pizza Days for Elementary and Middle School are scheduled for 26th April, and 3rd May respectively.
Any Elementary and Middle school parents willing to become pizzaiolos for a day please contact
Ghislaine by email [email protected] or by calling on 99260102.
Page 8
Easter Fun Day
Kath, Sam and Ariane
Games/Activities
Tickets
per
Game
Tickets Sold
Craft – Bags
2
48
Craft – Cards
2
21
Craft - Eggs
Decorate
Guess The Egg
2
67
1
191
Hockey
2
191
Egg Hunt
3
323
Egg & Spoon
2
330
Cup Cake Walk
2
103
Basket Ball
1
100
Food
2
447
Bunny Toss
1
154
Blind Fishing
1
279
The Easter Fun Day was held on
Friday, 16th March in the Elementary
School Courtyard.
We would like to thank Ms Mistruzzi for
allowing us to use this location for the
event. The children were enchanted
by the transformation of their yard into
an Easter-themed playground, and
their delight was evident by the
squeals of laughter which were heard
throughout the event.
We would like to thank the
coordinators Kath, Ariane, Nicky and
Liz as well as all the Teachers and
Parents who volunteered and
attended the Elementary Easter Fun
Day.
This made it a success for the second
year running, as shown by the figures
in the table.
A total of €1013.99 was raised.
The greatest thanks go to the children
– their smiles made it all worthwhile!
Page 9
International Night
Preparations have started in earnest for International Night which will be held on Friday 11 th May 2012
at 7.00 p.m. This is a social and fund-raising event which aims at giving all members of the Verdala
Community the opportunity to ‘show off’ their country of origin. All families are invited to donate a
sweet or savoury dish typical of their country’s cuisine, and a nominal entrance fee entitles visitors to
taste any of the food available on the night.
The PTO will also organise a bar which will be selling wines, beers, soft drinks and water.
International Night is one of the most popular events at our school, and a great effort is put into the
decoration of the stalls by those parents who volunteer as region co-ordinators. (All the nationalities
in the school are grouped into 8-10 regions). The region co-ordinators are the point of contact with
parents and will be the ones who contact you before the event to suggest or enquire what type of
dish you would like to prepare and donate.
Some members of the Verdala community dress up in national costume to attend the event, and
they are encouraged to do so again if they would like to.
There are several positions available to parents who might wish to help out, and these include being
a member of the organising committee, co-ordinating a region, advance planning of decorations
for the night, setting up on the day of the event, selling drinks during the event and many more. If
you would like to be part of the team, please contact Michèle ([email protected]
or tel 9947 7794).
International Night 2011
Special Thanks to Leon Schulz who took
photos
International Night 2011; the Brave Swedes
gave us renditions from ABBA.
The colourful stalls depicting regions
Page 10
PTO Executive Committee Elections
A nominating committee has been set up to receive nominations from persons wishing to stand on
the Executive Committee of the Verdala Parent Teacher Organisation – Booster Club (the PTO) for
the year 2012/2013. The elections will be held during the AGM which is taking place on June 4 th. The
nominating committee is made up of Karolina Orn Schulz ([email protected], tel: 99918403), Mandy Camilleri
([email protected],
tel:
79827088)
and
Tatjana
Balassopulos
([email protected], tel: 79824452) who will be nominating eligible candidates for each office to be
filled at the General Booster Meeting on May 14th. Anyone who wishes to run for the ExCom of the
PTO should contact one of the three members on the Nominating Committee.
Nominations are being sought for the roles of President, Vice-president, Secretary and Treasurer. It is
envisaged that the role of Class Parent Coordinator, which has undergone radical changes since its
introduction four years ago, will be eliminated from the Executive Committee as a position, while
being retained under the ‘Extended ExCom’, which is a group of dedicated parents who volunteer
(and are not elected) to do specific roles. Should the amendment pass, responsibility for the Class
Parent Program will fall under the Vice-President’s role. A proposal to amend the By-Laws will be
made at the General Booster Meeting on Tuesday 17th April.
An outline of the responsibilities of the various positions on the ExCom is being reproduced for ease of
reference:
The PTO President shall:
1. preside over all regular meetings of the Club and the Executive Committee
2. coordinate the work of the officers and ensure that all committees function smoothly
3. serve as liaison to the School Board of Directors
4. work closely with the vice-president of the club and the Headmaster of the school in
order to keep informed of activities, staff and student needs, scheduling, and all matters
of interest to the Club membership
5. establish and liaise with special committees as necessary, and appoint the chairpersons
The PTO Vice-President shall:
1. act as aide to the President
2. perform the duties of the President in his/her absence
3. coordinate outreach to recruit new members
4. (subject to General Booster Membership approval): identify the three Section (High, Middle and
Elementary School) Class Parent Coordinators, and keep the line of communication open between
the PTO and the Section Class Parent Coordinators, and their respective section Class Parents.
The PTO Secretary shall:
1. record and prepare the minutes of all meetings and present a report at the next meeting
2. record attendance at regular meetings
3. maintain a membership list with phone numbers and e-mail addresses
4. be responsible for all correspondence
Page 11
The PTO Treasurer shall:
1. keep a full and accurate account of receipts and expenditures
2. distribute funds as authorized by the Executive Committee
3. present a financial statement at each Club meeting
4. prepare an end-of-year Financial Report
5. arrange for the annual external audit of the accounts
Please contact [email protected] should you have any questions or queries about the above.
DATES TO REMEMBER:
General Booster Meeting: Tuesday, 17th April @ 1.00 p.m. at Corinthia, Marina
International Night: Friday, 11th May @ 7.00 p.m. in High School Section, Verdala Int School.
General Booster Meeting: Monday, 14th May @ 9.00 a.m. (Deadline for PTO nominations)
AGM of the Verdala PTO – Booster Club: Monday 4th June @ 9.00 a.m. (Verdala PTO Election of new
ExCom)
Social Evening / Dinner: Wednesday, 6th June. Chukkas Restaurant Marsa.
Booster Pizza!
Page 12
High School News
Grade 10 – IGCSE Art Exam
Alec Zammit
Alexander White
Corrine Graham
Andre Moazed
Eleanor Walliker
Benny Curmi
Damiano Lagana’
Georgia Raniolo
Page 13
Davide Lagana’
Demetra Lagana’
Domiziana Lagana’
Jan Filin
Maria Paola Micallef
Valerio Pellicciari
Louis Kocmick
Maryam Gadzhieva
Page 14
Hi School Ski Trip to Bulgaria
During Activity Week in February, 11 Verdala high school
students were joined by Ms. Gili and Mr. Tomich on a ski trip to
Pamperovo, Bulgaria. The trip luckily coincided with a record
snowfall, which created some travel delays but also gave the
students near-perfect skiing conditions and incredible scenery
for many of those who had never before seen snow. In
addition, the students got to try for the first time many things
they cannot do at home in Malta, from eating Bulgarian
specialties to making snow angels.
Page 15
IB News - April 2012
For 12th Grade students the next major event on the calendar is the examination period which begins
on Wednesday, May 2nd. Candidates should now have a personal revision schedule that will give
them time to fully revise the topics they have studied over the past two years and be confidently
prepared for the examination session. (Parents, please note that, if your child is not spending several
hours daily on revision he/she is seriously jeopardizing their chances of success!) Shortly 12th Grade
students will be given a detailed examination schedule including times of the examinations. There
may be minor changes and students will be advised and given an updated timetable. But they need
to make sure they use any updated versions. They should also now be in possession of their
registration document, their PIN codes to get results, and within the next few days they should have
filled in and returned the “Legalisation of Results …. Results Sent to Universities”, and the “Future
Contact Details” forms.
This year examinations will take place in the Malta Institute of Tourism Hall (across from Sprachcafe). It
is about 5 minutes from the High School, and candidates will be shown the location before the
examination period. During the examination they may need to make their own arrangements for
travel as the exam schedule is not based around school bus times. IB candidates must be at the
examination room 15 minutes before the scheduled exam time.
11th Grade parents and guardians Here is a list of IB deadlines coming up before the summer
vacation. 11th Grade are now well into their Extended Essays and the next deadline is Friday 20th
April. By that date they need to have submitted an outline plan which includes sources and have
discussed it with their supervisor.
Here are Internal Assessment and other deadlines for Grade 11 up to this coming June.
April
Maths Studies Project (MSP): deciding on a topic for their project
Outline plan submitted for the EE
First “rough” draft for English World Lit. 1
Business Management Project, Contact a business, think about topic (BMP)
14th, First draft “Personal Statement” (for Counselor)
Computer Science, begin work on Dossier (CSD)
May
First “skeleton” version of EE
End of May – Start Group 4 Project (Sciences)
Outline for World Lit due
16th, B & M - Details, permissions, documents, proposal, etc. (BMP)
30th, Second draft “Personal Statement” (for Counselor)
June
BMP Business/Permission/Titles/meetings with teacher
Summer vacation work plan for the Extended Essay (EE)
MSP: Summer vacation plan for project
Final draft English World Lit. 1
First draft of History IA Essay (HE)
Approximately 90 hours of CAS completed
Parents / Guardians of 10th Grade students: Please be reminded that the IB applications were due in
before Easter. Remaining places in classes are now on a first-come first-served basis.
Page 16
IB Art Exhibition
Marcel Bally
arrived in Malta
from Uganda two
years ago and
began his IB Art
Journey with an
investigation into
self and identity.
These were themes
that he continued
to use as inspiration
for many of his
pieces.
Marcel, Emilia & Francesco
Emilia Radova started experimenting with portraits
and her first piece was inspired by world and selfportrait photos. She looks at the world with the
eye of a photographer, and she used this vision to
inspire many of her pieces.
Francesco Trapani has a background in music and had no
previous art identity. However, he found the inspiration that he
needed in tattoo art and Japanese woodcuts. He then went on
to explore the Holocaust and statements concerning past
events in history that relate today’s political turmoil.
Page 17
All-School News
Sports Day Finally Here!
On the 23rd I woke up very excited and nervous because it
was sports Day. I got in the car and my mum drove me to
the Marsa Sports Club.
When I arrived I saw my friends getting ready and talking.
I was in the orange team so I lined up with my team
mates. The age category was from Kindergarten to
Grade 12. The Pre-K 1 and 2 had their own little Sports
Day. The first race was the 50m sprint which I participated
in. There was the obstacle race, skipping, potato relay,
over and under, basketball, tug of war, water balloon toss
and bowling. I loved the obstacle race and I didn’t like
the bowling.
We had lots of short breaks where we would talk, play, laugh, eat and drink. Sports Day is my
favourite event of the year because I love Sports.
When we finished all the activities, Mr. Mac, our headmaster, told us all the marks. He said, “In 6 th
place the purple team, in 5th place the orange team, in 4th place the yellow team, in 3rd place the
blue team, in 2nd place ….. the red team, and in 1st place the green team! After that I headed home
a bit upset, but I was happy that I actually participated and it’s all about the fun!
By Alana Clements, Grade 5.
Page 18
Page 19
The victorious green team!
Thanks to Ms Gera and Ms Umnova for another fabulous Sports Day.
Page 20
TALENT SHOW 2012
Gabriela & Violeta - The Talent Sisters
Johanna, Filippa & Nora + Chris Vella - ‘Imagine’
Mindy - ‘You Belong With Me’
Dmitry Ishkhanov - ‘Walz Kobalevski’ + ‘Rio Carnival’
Mila Kocmick - ‘Riverside’
Jasmine & Louis - ‘Skinny Love’
Alanna Duprez - ‘Set Fire to the Rain’
Maryana Gurhzos - Alice and Humpty Dumpty
Gabriela - ‘Eternal Flame’
Jaimie goes to Mars
Verdala Glee Choir - Medley
Arlo & Hannah Brown - Heavenly Blue - ‘The Cave’
Leelu Zitzman - ‘Behind the Wall’
Islah, Emilia & Katja - ‘Once Upon A December’
Céline Schmid - ‘Just The Way You Are’
India, Trevor & William - ‘Lucky’
Senior Song - ‘In IB and I Know It’
Page 21
Thanks again to everyone who participated and helped out with our annual Talent Show.
It was a fabulous evening and a wonderful opportunity to showcase some of the exceptional talent
that we have here at VIS! Start working on those acts for next year!! 
*Mr Schulz took some wonderful photos – they can be found at:
http://gallery.me.com/reginasailing#101144 username and password are both ‘verdala’
*Chris Vella and Gianluca Trapani (both Grade 9 students) also took some photos. If you would like
these photos, please bring a memory stick to Room 10 in the High School.
*DVDs of the Talent Show are available for €5 from Ms Kirkstadt (High School Room 10)
Page 22
Upcoming Events

24th – 27th April – Verdala International School Art Exhibition

1st May – Public Holiday, no school

3rd – 10th May – Grade 9 Health Week

4th May – Elementary School Host Country Day field trips

11th May – International Night

18th May – Middle School Play

25th May – High School Prom, Villa Bologne – PLEASE NOTE DATE CHANGE!
Announcements
VERDALA INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL
School Year 2012 – 2013
1st day of school (All students) – Monday 3rd September 2012
Last school day before Christmas holidays – Wednesday 19th December 2012
First day back to school after Christmas holidays – Monday 07th January 2013
Last day before Easter holidays – Friday 22nd March 2013
First day back to school after Easter holidays – Wednesday 3rd April 2013
Last day of the scholastic year –Elementary and Middle School - Wednesday 19th June
2013
High School -Thursday 20th June 2013
There are 2 mid-terms :a) Monday 22nd October 2012 – Friday 26th October 2012
b) Monday 11th February 2013 – Tuesday 12th February 2013
Page 23
Page 24
Classifieds
If any member of the
school community would
like a ‘small ad’ in the
newsletter please send
the details to the JQ
Newsletter Team at either
[email protected] or
[email protected].