International School of Kraków
Upcoming events and Reminders From the Director Early Years and Grade 0 Start Elementary Updates Secondary Updates Library Corner
ISK News Brief 2022-2023 - Edition # 2
Text
News Brief
Contents
28, October, 2022
28 October - Trunk or Treat & EY/ES Halloween Parade 28 October - End of Quarter 1 31 October - 04 November - FALL BREAK 07 November - Quarter 1 Progress Reports Due CEESA DEIJ Workshop 08 November - Principals Coffee in MPR 10 November - Early Years Field Trip to Fabryka Charliego 11 November - Polish National Holiday - No School
Upcoming Events and Reminders
From the Director
Dr. Michael J. Hibbeln Director
ISK for Ukraine Update Last year when the crisis in Ukraine began, the ISK Community responded. Our community supported over 40 groups, hosted more than 160 people and with our international partners raised 176K PLN in financial support. Because of our location and the close network of international schools, friends and families, we were contacted by others who also wanted to find a way to support. ISK played a key role in facilitating this. Now that we have concluded active fundraising we’d like to provide a summary and thank our ISK community and international partners.
Donations
ISK GALA
3,500.00
ISK Family Donations
2,172.00
Friends of ISK Donations
7,337.43
Shipley Family and Friends
117,337.40
Taipei American School
28,855.47
Schools and Organizations outside of Poland
16,983.15
Total
176,185.45 PLN
Distributions
Clothes
1,306.60
Food
6,198.29
Household Equipment to Fundacja Wolno Nam to build a shelter
48,090.54
Personal Items/Medicine
6,165.14
Supplies
12,390.55
Transport
283.28
Support to #ASW4Ukraine Campaign (https://go.rallyup.com/aswforukraine/Campaign/Details)
101,751.05
Early Years and Grade 0 Start
Sue Mleczko Early Years Coordinator
The Learning Tree House enjoyed learning about families and friends in our unit of inquiry called "Who We Are." It's always fun getting to know each other and finding out about what makes our families special.
EYB students and Grade 5B students became learning buddies this school year. We meet every second Thursday for reading sessions, but our meeting this time was not about books. We celebrated Halloween! We made edible broomsticks and banana ghost snacks. Then everyone enjoyed creating mummies and spiders out of recycled materials (cardboard, yarn, paper rolls). Those meetings are so valuable for both groups. The "Little Buddies" benefit from having conversations with older students about topics that interest and involve them (extending their vocabulary, and oral language abilities); enjoying fun, positive experiences with the "big kid" who is now a recognizable face in the school community. The "Big Buddies" benefit from fostering leadership and problem-solving skills, and improving self-confidence that comes from being looked up to. Learning Buddies meetings promote a higher interest and engagement in reading, and improvement in social and communication skills, particularly for students learning English as a second language. And, most importantly, it’s so much FUN!
Learning Buddies Halloween Celebration
Nina Wójtowicz Early Years B Homeroom Teacher
Brett Elkei Elementary School Principal
Elementary Updates
Grade 5 students have begun their year-long project on the architecture and history of Krakow. Small groups of students will be working throughout the year to research 28 buildings and monuments in the Krakow Old Town. They began with a look into the different architectural styles they would encounter in their study and then went on a full-day field trip to see all the sites that will be covered. They then had an art lesson with a special guest, Mr. Stephan Baker, to learn how to draw 3-D medieval castles. Eventually, they will create a website that showcases some of the most important buildings and monuments in this great city.
Grade 2A students designed and made a bird feeder. They learned what the birds eat, how to keep birds safe from cats. They also chose the best design for each kind of a bird and how they like to stand while eating or resting.
Danuta Szymańska Assistant Teacher
Grade 2 enjoyed a very sunny, lovely day for a trip to the ZOO.
The Grade 1-2 IPS student are proud to present their recycle bags decorated by them during our class.
In October (el OCTUBRE) Grade 3 students explored the autumn season (el OTOÑO) in their Spanish classes in our beautiful forest (el BOSQUE), played with the leaves (las HOJAS), walked on the bridge (el PUENTE) and had lots of fun and joy (la ALEGRÍA) with the colors (los COLORES).
Lilianna Niemiec-Lutley Elementary School Counselor
Grade 3 Spanish exploring OTOÑO (Autumn)
Dear families, It's hard to believe that we have come to the end of Quarter 1, a quarter that has seen us resume our extracurricular activities and competitions; Fall Camps for all of middle and high school; and community events organized by the school and PTA. Having spent the past few years with restrictions, this has been a welcome resumption of normal school life. Soon after we return from our much-deserved fall break, Quarter Progress Reports will be shared with each family. This will be followed by our secondary family conferences on Wednesday, 16 November. Please remember that on that day, there will be no classes for middle and high school. More details about conferences will follow upon our return, including sign up. In the meantime, enjoy the week ahead and be ready to come back recharged and ready to launch into our second quarter! Sincerely, Erik Lutley Secondary School Principal
Secondary Updates
Kinga Matusik Head of Polish Department
Grade 8 and 9 Native Polish students have participated in a night field trip called "Magic Krakow''. They had a chance to listen to interesting, unknown, and scary stories about some places in the Main Square area. It was a fascinating and unforgettable way to learn about the history of Kraków.
Marcos García-Page López Athletic Director
FIRST Polish Athletic and Activities Conference (PAAC) event hosted by ISK. Bravo to our Hussars that ended 3rd! we play, we learn, we grow! Thank you for the support of our community on both days! Next stop: CEESA Prague #Hussars #ISK #PAAC #ASW #TBSW #wolves
Lilianna Niemiec-Lutley Elementary School Counselor Spanish B Teacher
Hi Everyone, In the midst of the Halloween festivities, please also check out our Mexican ALTARES for el DÍA DE LOS MUERTOS, have your students visit them (HS Commons and next to ES Counseling Office) and admire them! All Spanish classes at ISK are making ALTARES (altars) which you can admire in the HS commons and next to the ES Counseling Office. On Friday teachers will vote for the best altar, and the winner will receive a prize. The Day of the Dead (Spanish: Día de Muertos or Día de los Muertos)[2][3] is a holiday traditionally celebrated on November 1 and 2. It largely originated in Mexico,[1] where it is mostly observed, but also in other places, especially by people of Mexican heritage elsewhere. Although associated with the Western Christian Allhallowtide observances of All Hallows' Eve, All Saints' Day and All Souls' Day,[1] it has a much less solemn tone and is portrayed as a holiday of joyful celebration rather than mourning.[7] The multi-day holiday involves family and friends gathering to pay respects and to remember friends and family members who have died. These celebrations can take a humorous tone, as celebrants remember funny events and anecdotes about the departed.[8] Traditions connected with the holiday include honoring the deceased using calaveras and aztec marigold flowers known as cempazúchitl, building home altars called ofrendas with the favorite foods and beverages of the departed, and visiting graves with these items as gifts for the deceased.[9] The celebration is not solely focused on the dead, as it is also common to give gifts to friends such as candy sugar skulls, to share traditional pan de muerto with family and friends, and to write light-hearted and often irreverent verses in the form of mock epitaphs dedicated to living friends and acquaintances, a literary form known as calaveras literarias.[10]
28 October, 2022
Christine Dietz Gr. 6 Homeroom Teacher
After beginning their studies on space, Grade 6 students were lucky enough to experience a wonderful astronomical event - a partial solar eclipse. On Tuesday, during the lunch break, students and teachers alike patiently waited for a break in the clouds so the sun could appear and we could witness this spectacular event. We were lucky enough to be able to glimpse the moon passing in front of the Earth and blocking out a portion of the sun. While we couldn't look at it directly, we were able to view it through a special film. It was truly remarkable to see how excited and staff and students were to be able to see this event and enjoy that moment together.
What better time to curl up with a mystery than now when the days are shorter and temperature falls? The ISK library just got a new mystery series called “Truly Devious”, set in an exclusive private High School in Vermont. The school was founded by one of America’s richest men in the 1930’s but shortly thereafter his wife and child were kidnapped. The crime was never solved. Jump to the present day and a new student has arrived at the school, intent on solving the old crime, but of course there is a new crime as well! Even if you finished High School years ago this series is a fun and quick read!
Lori Wallett Librarian
Library Corner
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