FRIDAY FLASH
Jan 13, 2023 / Issue No:16
Integrity Inquisitiveness Caring International Mindedness
WHOLE SCHOOL
Dear IICS Parents,
We hope this letter finds you well-rested and rejuvenated after the December break. We are extremely grateful and at the same time excited to welcome everyone back to school as we prepare for the start of the second semester.
As we return, we would like to remind everyone of our commitment to creating a safe and inclusive environment for all students, staff and families. Please feel free to contact us if you have any concerns or suggestions as we strive to collectively embrace and enhance the learning experiences of our students at IICS.
The second semester is filled with many exciting events and activities, and we encourage everyone to get involved and make the most of their time at school. Please refer to the weekly “Friday Flash” our central communication tool that unites everyone. All important events, activities and the celebration of our successes will be shared in the Friday Flash as we strategically share our story with you.
We wish everyone a wonderful new year and we look forward to an exciting rest of the school year.
Warm regards,
Nicolaas Mostert
Head of School
Calendar for the School Year 2023-2024
Every year we take into consideration many factors that determine the outcome of the final calendar. The two main factors are the amount of school days (180 contact days), requested by the CIS/NEASC accreditation organizations, and the second factor is the turkish holidays that forced us to make a change during the mid-year and end of year vacations. Please find the calendar here for the upcoming school year.
News from the Athletics and Activities Department
Winter season is in full swing and we are getting ready for the tournaments, competitions, international and local trips. Please see the list of the upcoming events:
TISL MS Basketball Tournament in Ankara, January 19-22, 2023.
TISL HS Basketball Tournament at IICS, February 3-4, 2023.
CEESA MS Choir Festival in Sofia, February 1-5, 2023.
CEESA MS Math Competition in Skopje, February 2-5, 2023.
CEESA HS Knowledge Bowl in Zagreb, February 2-5, 2023.
MS Friendly Basketball Tournament at IICS, February 11, 2023.
CEESA MS Boys Basketball Tournament in Baku, March 2-5, 2023.
CEESA MS Girls Basketball Tournament at IICS, March 2-5, 2023.
CEESA HS Girls Basketball Tournament in Belgrade, March 8-12, 2023.
CEESA HS Boys Basketball Tournament in Bucharest, March 8-12, 2023.
Wish our teams safe travels and best of luck!
GO DOLPHINS!!!
CELEBRATIONS
Dear parents, we will be sharing with you our students' success stories outside our walls here in this corner. Please send any story to Ms. Figen Underdown (fengin@iics.k12.tr) by Thursday each week so that we could share with the community about your child regardless of age.
PRIMARY SCHOOL
Peak of the Week
Click and check out all of this week’s ongoings in Primary with the Peak of the Week.
Dear Parents,
You should have received a message from Schoolsbuddy with your children’s Co-Curricular Activity (CCA) allocations for this session. If you have not received it or you have missed out the sign-ups, please feel free to contact Nihan Onerli (Marmara CCA coordinator- nonerli@iics.k12.tr) or Burcu Ozden (Hisar CCA coordinator- bozden@iics.k12.tr) for further assistance with the late sign-up process by Friday, January 20. After this date, we will be unable to add any students to CCAs.
Please note that we aim to give all children the chance to participate in at least two activities. However, activities such as Arts and Crafts, Horseback Riding, and Master Chefs at Marmara and Chess Club, Aikido Club, and Gymnastics club at Hisar were heavily oversubscribed and as such not all students who requested these activities will be able to attend. We will look at the possibility of reoffering these activities in future sessions.
Activities will start this coming Monday, January 16 and finish on Friday, February 17.
If you have any further questions regarding our CCA programme, please do not hesitate to contact us.
Kind Regards,
Nihan Onerli and Burcu Ozden
CCA Coordinators
Primary Student Progress Reports
Parents as Partners 2022-2023
Bringing Out the Best with Joy Marchese
SPRING SEMESTER: Four interactive webinars designed to help you bring out the best in yourself, your child and your home
OFFERED BY THE NEAR EAST SOUTH ASIA COUNCIL OF OVERSEAS SCHOOLS (NESA)
SESSION 1
Wellbeing in the home: Bringing out the best in your child and yourself
Wellbeing is a positive state where we feel and function well as individuals and as a family unit. During this session we will explore the following:
Wellbeing as a journey, not a destination. How can you move forward towards a state of greater wellbeing in the home?
What would it look like if things were going well in your home?
How can you make that more likely to occur? What small steps can you take?
How are you taking care of yourself?
SESSION 2
Building Resilience and Developing a Growth Mindset
During this session, we will discover practical steps for the whole family to grow their mindset and their relationships. Our children should know their worth, have the confidence to take risks, and be happy with the person they are. They should feel free to choose their own path in life and withstand every obstacle and challenge along the way in order to achieve success. But what does success look like? Achieving straight A’s? Sports awards? Learning multiple languages? A degree from a prestigious university? Join us to explore this important topic.
SESSION 3
Mindful Parents, Mindful Kids
From our earliest moments, mindfulness can help to minimize anxiety and increase happiness. Children of all ages can benefit from mindfulness, the simple practice of paying attention to the present moment in a non-judgmental manner. It can help parents and caregivers as well, by promoting happiness and relieving stress. During this session, I will offer basic tips for children of all ages, as well as practices that help develop compassion, focus, creativity and empathy. Parents will leave with practical strategies that can be implemented immediately in the precious time that they have with their children, resulting in less stress within the home and more connection and calm.
SESSION 4
Summer Routines and Family Connections
During the school year, daily routines are defined by the school day. But once summer comes, that pattern may not be so well defined. Should you try to keep the kids to a routine similar to what you do in the school year, or let things slide? During this session we will discuss summer routines, creating agreements and follow through, and fun family rituals to connect on a deeper level.
How to Join
Please register in advance at any time before the webinars with this link. After registering, you will receive an email with the subject “Your Link to Join NESA Parents as Partners 2022-2023”. The email will contain a personalized link to join the webinars. This link is unique to you: please do not share it. This single link will allow you to access ALL FOUR webinars. If you lose it, please register again and you will receive a new link.
Webinar Dates:
SECONDARY SCHOOL
Upcoming Events
January 18-20 Art and Media Exhibition
January 18 - College Fair 8:30 - 10:00
January 23 -27 Grade 11 Semester Exams and Grades 7 - 10 Culminating Activities
PARENT TEACHER ASSOCIATION
PTA TOUR #4 - GLASS ART WORKSHOP IN CAMHANE
Date: Tuesday 19 January 2023
Time: 10:00-13:30
Come and enjoy creating unique gifts for family and friends in a fun, relaxed environment of renowned glass artist Yasemin Aslan Bakiri’s CAMHANE Art Center in Balat. You will gain an understanding of the materials, techniques and processes involved while producing your own masterpiece! For more information please visit our section of the Community Portal and sign up here.
PTA KIDS’ WORKSHOP - CUPCAKES WITH MERVE ESKITASCIOGLU
Date: Saturday, 28 January 2023
Time: 14:00-16:00
Enjoy this delicious and fun workshop together with your friends from school. In this workshop, the kids will learn how to prepare yummy cupcakes from the scratch. For all details, check the Sign-Up Form on the Community Portal, or fill out this form if you wish to join!
Announcements
Dear all, hope you had a nice winter break and are having a pleasant beginning to the New Year! Please be reminded that we are always happy to be welcoming you to our team, the Food Committee and especially as Booster Club volunteers. Please use these links to sign up:
For more information about the Boosters, please check here.
Please don’t forget to join the IICS PTA Facebook Group.
