September

B Block

• From new renovations and new food choices, to tips, tricks and school info for you to enjoy! •

Starting off the School Year!

Six Tips to Stay Organized

Alexandra R.

The school year is new and fresh. Students and teachers are working on making their notebooks, computers, and supplies clean and easy to get to. Staying organized can lead to an easier year. Here are 6 tips to stay organized.

Backpacks

If you are someone like me who cannot leave their backpack out of sight, it is a good idea when your teacher asks to get a specific book out, you aren’t looking through your backpack trying to find it. A good way to get your books out easily is by putting them in a specific order before you go to a class.

Lockers

For your locker, it is also important to know where your books and supplies are. You want to be able to know where your supplies are because if you have to get a book for a subject during the five minute passing time, you need to be quick so you can get to class on time. It is a good idea to have different sections in your locker for different things.

Notebooks

Your notebook is the place where you will be doing most of your notes. It is really important to keep your notebooks organized because you want to be able to locate different pages for notes. Studying will take much longer if you have to flip through all the pages one-by-one because you don’t know where a specific page is. It is also important to have a table of contents in your notebooks so you can look back to see which page specific notes are on.

Computer

Your computer will also be a tool that you will use a lot. You will need it everyday so be sure to charge it every night before you go to school, because do you not really want to have an uncharged computer. Having many tabs open on your computer can be overwhelming.

Night Routine

Having a night routine is a pro tip to staying organized. We have to wake up really early, and we all are tired. It is easy to forget something if you are half-asleep. A good idea is to have a routine before you go to bed.

Time Management

As you get older, you need to learn how to manage your time. You want to have time to spend with your friends and you don’t want to spend all your time studying or doing homework. You want free time to be fun. Managing your time is important because you need to find time to get school things done and still have time for fun.

Now that you know these tips, hopefully you will be more organized. I hope you take some of these tips to heart, and try them. Remember that staying organized is important and the way to an easier year.

New Changing Rooms

Ahana M.

At the start of ISM’s centennial year, students discovered many changes in the boys' and girls' locker rooms. The ISM middle schoolers experienced a life-changing update to improve the security and efficiency of the locker rooms.

The bag storage room now has a window to prevent stealing. As for the changing rooms, stalls were added to respect students' privacy.

A noticeable difference is that the locker room facility is now much cleaner and better looking.

“I think the changing rooms are more modern than before, and I think that ISM made really good improvements during the summer of 2019. One of the advantages of this facility is that the changing spaces are now bigger. And now you have more space for bags,” said Sara N., a Grade 8 student.

The new changing rooms also got a good review from teachers as they are also frequent users.

Mr. Flynn has confirmed that it can be noticed as an addition to ISM’s centennial year. He added that the changes have been made to match ISM’s bathroom theme. He mentioned that these changing rooms appear cleaner, since the lights and colors are bright.

Something that the middle schoolers will not be able to notice is that the layout is similar to the high school changing rooms. There are three separate rooms in the locker room. One of the reasons for this is so that bags can be monitored through a window. Another reason is so teachers can have their own space to store their belongings safely.

Students and teachers are very pleased with the new layout and modern design of the changing rooms that noticeably resemble the high school changing room setup and match with the bathrooms.

How it Feels to be a New Student

Mildred Y.

I am sure many of us have felt how it is to be a new student in either ISM or even in other schools. You may feel either anxious and scared or excited and eager to meet new people.

When I first joined ISM, I felt mostly anxious as it was my first time abroad in an international school and it was definitely not going to be the same as the local school I went to. Since I joined in the middle of the school year, it was going to be harder to find a group of friends and take longer to get used to the lessons. But thankfully I managed to find a group of friends to talk to and hang out with during break and lunch.

I went around and managed to ask some people about their new student experiences. Questions were about how they felt and what were the main differences were between their previous school and ISM.

Most of them said that ISM was bigger than their previous school and that there were more students attending as well. Some mentioned that the curriculum was different from what they were previously taught.

Being a new student, they felt either nervous and left out or confused with how the school worked, yet excited as they were able to meet new people. One student that came in the middle of the school year said, “Everyone had their own friend group.” I agreed since the school year had already started and everyone was able to make friends with one another and hang out for a longer period of time. It is not as easy for new students to just join a group and click with them.

ISM is a school filled with many students and teachers from different parts of the world, allowing us to know and understand more about other cultures and traditions, and enabling us to learn to respect people from different countries whenever we travel around the world.

ISM has Students from 102 Countries!

Matteus N.

International School Manila has hosted many students from many different countries over its history. This year from the school has 102 different countries represented!

ISM has students from half of the countries in the world. Altogether, the whole school has 2,318 students.

Middle School at ISM has been growing at a massive rate. In the 5th, 6th, 7th and 8th grades combined there are around 700 students. Kids at ISM are very diverse. They come from all around the world-- from America to Africa to Australia.

The most students by far are from the US. Second is the Philippines, ISM’s home country. There are 177 American and 91 Filippino students, respectively. The next largest student populations come from Korea, India, Japan, and Australia. There are 71 Korean students, while India, Japan, and Australia are represented by more than 40 students each. Middle school also has many countries represented by only one or two students--35 countries to be exact.

Middle school has students from sixty-five countries in total. Canada and China also deserve a mention, represented by 24 and 23 students respectively.

"I love the diversity at IS Manila as it helps our community members build a better understanding of people and the world we live in,” said Stephanie Hagedorn, Director Admissions and Advancement. Ms. Hagedorn provided the Balitang Bamboo with student population information.

“The diversity is rich," said one seventh-grade student.

Everything You Have to Know About the New MS Courtyard Look

Marny A.

The iconic diamond climber, trampolines, and round tables are still around, but new monkey bars have been installed in the MS Courtyard this school year 2019-2020. What else is there to know? Well, a lot.

The MS Courtyard

Surrounded by trees, this green and serene environment is a place for students to loosen up a bit. The Middle School Courtyard has playground equipment, like the diamond climber, roundabouts, and the new monkey bars, for middle schoolers to play in. There is also a four-square area, where students play games . Finally, the round tables for students to sit back and relax.

New Monkey Bars

Also known as the “turbo-challenge,” a new set of monkey bars have been added for kids to test their abilities. The idea of adding new playground equipment to the courtyard has been going on for the past few years. Emails have been sent, students have spoken up, and now there is a new way for middle schoolers to enjoy their free time.

The Courtyard’s Creation

According to Ms. Pekin, “The MS courtyard provides more opportunities for children to be active.” Finding out what kind of equipment girls and boys like to play on was part of the process of designing the courtyard. Knowing what 10-14 year-olds enjoy playing on was also a crucial variable. Playground companies were able to provide that research. Hence, the MS Courtyard was made.

Check This Out

The Diamond Climber stands out the most among all the popular things in the MS Courtyard. Every break time, middle schoolers gather around to play and spin on it. Not only does it look enjoyable, it also helps improve health. As stated by Ms. Pekin, “One thing that probably declined over the years is upper-body strength.” There are not as many climbing activities with our technology nowadays. Check out the Diamond Climber sometime!

Building Connections

An interesting thing about the MS courtyard is that it brings middle schoolers together. Students play in the courtyard regardless of grade or gender. This allows middle schoolers to interact with people that they usually don’t talk to in class. Kids from 5th grade play on the roundabouts with 7th graders. Boys and girls spin on the Diamond Climber. The MS Courtyard is known for many things, but what’s important is that it gives way to building connections and having fun!

Go-Kinjo Offers Milk-Tea and Ramen

Alvie Z.

The replacement of Asian Express, Go-Kinjo, has rivaled the other vendors with the recent popular craze of milk tea and ramen. As a result, this has drawn a lot of attention from all the students and faculty in our ISM community.

Milk Tea at ISM

The old vendor Asian Express sold many different foods from various cuisines around Asia. However, the newly installed vendor Go-Kinjo has caused a crowd of people waiting to try its new delicious food. One of the most popular food orders so far has been milk tea. Four of our fellow eighth-grade students were asked the question, “What have you tried from Go-Kinjo?” All the answers included milk tea.

Why is Milk Tea Only Sold After 2 pm?

Chef Byron Francisco, the president of Go-Kinjo, stated that one of the most popular things students get after school is milk tea. The reason why buying milk tea is only available after 2:00 p.m. is that he did not want students to order it every single day of the week. He wanted kids to focus more on their healthy food products rather than a sugary drink that should be drunk in moderation.

Ramen at ISM

One of the most ordered items during lunch is ramen. One student interviewed stated that the word they hear most often in the line is "ramen." It’s not only students who have been ordering this but faculty have also joined the trend.

How Is It Going For You?

What Is Your Best Memory of SY 19-20 So Far?

From Old to Bold, New Bathrooms Appear in the Library.

Student Views on the New Changing Rooms

Kate J.

On August 13, students flooded into the library to discover one thing has changed: the bathrooms have had a facelift, bright, new, and modern. The bathrooms are ready, in preparation of our centennial year.

After students spent 67 days, or 1,608 hours having fun in the summer, school year 2019-2020 has begun. During the summer people were hard at work renovating the bathrooms in the Middle School Library. “I think it’s nice that they renovated them so students will feel like it’s a cleaner environment now,” said Marny A, a grade eight student.

The newly renovated bathrooms have some aspects which are carried over from the previous bathrooms. The amenities are located in the same area as they were before, the toilet is located in the back left corner, the sink is in view as you walk into the bathroom. There are new aspects in the bathrooms in addition to the same layout. “They look bright and modern, and I think they look cleaner. I think the problem with the old ones was even when they were clean they didn't look clean because of the color scheme. That's why we went for a much brighter look so that when we go in there you know that they’re clean because they’re shinier," said Mr. Flynn, head of security.

Many other students think along the same line. “I think the new bathrooms in the library are really nice and clean now,” stated a six grader, Sam J. “They’re much better because they’re cleaner now,” mentioned Tim P, a grade eight student.

The idea for the design is not just for the bathrooms in the library. Instead, the library bathroom design is based on the countless bathrooms located across ISM. "The school has been constructed for a long time and we haven’t done renovations to any of the bathrooms for a significant period of time. They were beginning to look a little bit tired and old and so a decision was made to embark on a renovation program that would make them brighter and more welcoming," said Mr. Flynn. All of the bathrooms across the school consist of a modern and bright scheme. Like in the other bathrooms across the school, the library bathrooms have the same white and black look.

Throughout the summer numerous people where working on the project. Mr. Flynn, head of security, said, “We renovated a lot of bathrooms across the school at the same time. There’s quite a large team, so sometimes there might be two people in there sometimes it might be six or seven people in there.”

The new MS library bathrooms are bright and modern,. “The ones in the middle school library weren't actually that old but what we wanted to do is make them consistent with all of the other bathrooms across the school," said Mr. Flynn. So, what do you think of the new library bathrooms?

Margethe K.G

The old changing rooms have been redone. There is a new look for the new school year. The school has decided to put in change stalls for more privacy. They have also added showers and another room to put our backpacks that has a security camera so that other students won’t steal anything. Balitang Bamboo spoke with two groups of students--a group of fifth-graders and seventh graders.

What do they think about the changing rooms?

Fifth graders think that the new changing rooms look cleaner and brighter than the old changing rooms. The seventh-grade students think it is a bit weird to put a window instead of a regular security camera because it might be awkward going past the girls/boys changing rooms.

Do they like the changing rooms?

The fifth graders said that they liked the changing rooms because they have a room where they can put their backpacks. But the seventh graders said that it does not feel that big and they think it is unnecessary to put their bags in a different room. They think it is easier to put their bags where they change.

Will the new system work?

Fifth graders think that the new system will work. They think it will be better not to have their bags lying all over the floor. Seventh graders think it will be helpful.

What do you think about the privacy stalls?

Fifth graders think it is good to have more changing rooms stalls because some students maybe want to have more privacy when they change. Seventh graders think it might be too small to change in the stalls and that they are a bit short in height.

What is your opinion? Let us know at bambooms@ismanila.org.

What is Advisory and How is Advisory Beneficial in Student Life?

Stella S.

Advisory is a time of the week where students can connect with their peers and socialize with others. Here are some reasons why Advisory can positively impact student life here in ISM.

Culture and Belonging

Advisory is a place where students can feel accepted by their peers while still having fun. It enables the students to calm down and not think about the stressful areas of the school. Advisories often practice mindfulness to clear the minds of the studnets during the day. During Advisory, children create strong bonds with not only their fellow classmates, but they also make a connection with their advisor. This is meant to create a welcoming environment and gives students the chance to have a strong relationship with a trusted adult.

Curriculum for Advisory

The curriculum of Advisory is truly unique and aims to help students have fun with their friends and learn how to be a better person in general. Ms. Unite, the Student Life Coordinator, says, “Each month has a different unit that follows one of the dispositions, but we also use a structure from The Advisory Book.” The ISM Dispositions are: balanced, caring, curious, ethical, persevering and responsible. Each Advisory has a welcome/greeting, an opportunity to share, an activity and reflection, followed by an opportunity to share.

Are my friends in my advisory?

Whether your friends are in your Advisory or not really depends on the counselors and how they feel you interact with others. If the specific student’s friends all left ISM, the counselors will try to place students in an Advisory where students can foster friendships. They will try and provide many opportunities for students to make new connections with their fellow students and make sure that the middle schooler is not uncomfortable in their Advisory. Advisory gives students a chance to improve collaboration skills and learn more about the people in their Advisory.

Five Fun Food Ideas

Zoe S.

The Kantina is the perfect spot to fill your stomach or chat with your friends. With so many different restaurants, many students are intimidated by lines and end up not knowing what food they should be buying. Here is the perfect list of the cafeteria foods you need to try.

5. Margherita Pizza

Prego’s Margherita Pizza is one of the most popular lunches in the Kantina. If you haven’t seen these Margherita Pizzas, then you have not eaten in the cafeteria. The soft crust and the gooey cheese, with a basil leaf on the top for color, makes the pizza taste and look amazing! If you’re looking for something simple, then this is the way to go.

4. Frozen Yogurt

Being here in the hot and humid Philippines, everyone craves a simple bowl of Yogi’s tangy, creamy frozen yogurt. With the addition of a few chocolate chips, it turns into an amazing dessert. Each bite is a spoonful of happiness. Yogi also has a variety of sizes to choose from. If your stomach is a little full, you should get a small. Their lines aren’t that long because it’s located at the backside of the Kantina, so it's a quick and easy tap.

3. Bubble/Milk Tea

Gokinjo, which means neighborhood, is one of the newest restaurants in the Kantina, rivalling other vendors with its teriyaki-flavoured dishes, ramen, Japanese-inspired curry choices and more. But what has gotten it so popular is their milk tea. The cold drink has people rushing to the Kantina to get a spot in Gokinjo’s incredibly long line. The bubble tea’s pearls are extremely chewy and add texture. Due to the unhealthiness of the sugary drink, Chef Byron Francisco, the president of this company, stated that the reason why milk tea is only available after 2 pm is because he wants students to focus on healthier foods.

2. Burrito Bowl

If you are craving Mexican, you should try Chihuahua’s burrito bowl; it’s a bestseller! “It’s affordable, filling, and easy to eat,'' said an 8th grader. It's soft, flavourful and a little bit spicy, perfect if you like hot, fiery foods!

1. Chicken Quesadilla

Chihuahua’s Chicken Quesadilla takes the number one spot on this list! Who doesn’t love a soft but cheesy and crunchy quesadilla? The chicken adds a wonderful texture and it’s simple yet delicious. The Chicken Quesadilla is totally worth waiting for in Chihuahua’s lengthy lines! It's the ideal snack you have been looking for!

Sports

Looking for IASAS Hosts

Helena K.

ISM will be hosting all three IASAS sports this October 9-13 for the celebration of ISM’s centennial. Due to this massive event, ISM is still looking for 16* beds for the athletes with little time left before the guests arrive.

IASAS is the annual competition between six southeast Asian schools: International School Manila (ISM), Jakarta Intercultural School (JIS), Taipei American School (TAS), International School Kuala Lumpur (ISKL), Singapore American School (SAS), International School Bangkok (ISB). The “Interscholastic Association of Southeast Asian Schools” (IASAS), have been together since 1982, taking turns hosting schools for competitions.

The Volleyball and Cross Country 2019 IASAS were already planned to be hosted at ISM, but for the special 100th year of ISM, Mr. Pekin requested to host the Football IASAS. Therefore, ISM needs 330 beds in total. The search for beds started May 1st and our amazing community has already volunteered to host over 300 athletes. With only 16 beds to go and only a few weeks left to complete the hosting, ISM is in good shape to get all the beds and are thankful to our volunteer hosts in helping make this 2019 IASAS a success.

To sign up as host all you have to do is go to the athletics website and press the link under the IASAS page. There you can sign up to host a minimum of two athletes. If you have any requests on hosting specific athletes whom you might be friends with or know, you can request them on the sign-up sheet and the schools will do the best they can to make that happen.

“I've got down to host two students already. If need be I can host two more, but it is going to be tight,” said Mr Pekin, ISM’s Athletic Director. “With all girls already paired with a host, we have a need for boys hosts in cross country, volleyball and football.

If you are able and willing to host, please help make IASAS 2019 possible.

*as of September 12

New MS Field

Tim P.

The MS field has had its turf ripped out and replaced by a new, brighter one. The MS field is where numerous middle-schoolers spend their lunchtime, and it is where some ATAC sports are played. It is also where PE classes are sometimes held.

“It’s so awesome!" an anonymous person in fifth grade said when asked about their opinion of the new MS field.

Evidently, there are benefits to the new MS field. The old turf was rougher and hotter than the new one, and it had turf mold. The new turf doesn’t have any turf mold.

When asked about why the new turf was added, Coach Quinn, a MS PE teacher, said, “Because it was old, and it was getting really hot underneath. So the rubber underneath was getting really hot, which meant everybody’s shoes were burning.”

An unnamed eighth-grader said that the new turf will feel less hot when the temperature is higher. Another eighth-grader said that it is more vibrant compared to the old turf.

However, some people feel that the changes aren’t really relevant. “It’s practically the same,” said Aditeya Das, a seventh-grader.

Most people can agree that the new turf looks much better than the old one, but time will tell if the new turf can sustain its quality.

Lockers

Is It Important to Have Locker Reminders?

Sara N.

Locker reminders were always on the walls of ISM, but are they really that important? Many teachers and some students admit that locker reminders are really important so that students follow school rules and don't hurt the lockers or themselves.

Locker reminders are created for your own safety and to prevent locker damage. Lots of people in ISM truly believe that it is really important to be safe and responsible with school property.

Based on answers from five students, these locker reminders are usually not noticed by students and some students don’t even know about them.

“No one cares about them,” said one 8th grader.

Locker reminders are both important and not important in their own way. Different students have different perspectives on the locker reminders and it is hard to figure out which one is right.

What’s Your View on Lockers?

On the weekend before school began, students were given their personal locker and were told how to use it. All the students have been told of benefits that come with the locker, while others have a more negative opinion.

After interviewing multiple students from different grade levels we got very contrasting responses about the lockers.

Grade 5

Four fifth-graders were all very excited to use a locker. One of them said, “The locker is very useful, important and the locker helps me be organised for upcoming classes since it is so close to my main core subjects."

A fifth- grader who is using a locker for the first time ever seems to be very excited to be able to use a locker. The 5th grader already designed their locker and made it very personalized and is hoping it can help them be more organized in school.

Grade 6

People from the sixth grade said that they were very thrilled to have a locker to start their middle school journey, but as they grew into middle school, they decided that it wasn't of the same use as they first thought, and it is way too far from the majority their classes.

Grade 7/8

Out of the eight 7th and 8th graders interviewed, none of them used their lockers continuously throughout the day and the maximum response was once a day. The reason most of them stated was because of the distance from the locker to students' classes.

The biggest issue comes for 7th and 8th graders who have their classes the furthest away from each other and in a random order. While in 5th and 6th grade there is a certain schedule of when students have cores and encores, in 7th and 8th grade there is no fixed schedule that is followed by all students, so you can have any classes at any time.

After an interview with a Balitang Bamboo staff member, Ms. Pekin mentioned that as the grades go up, the people using lockers goes down. She added that in 5th and 6th grade a decent amount of people use it while in 7th and 8th it is fewer.

Overall, out of the sixteen students interviewed--eight 5th and 6th graders and eight 7th and 8th graders--there were ten people who stated that the locker was not very useful and six who stated that they continuously use their locker throughout the day.

Out of the six students who said that lockers were useful, four of them were 5th graders and two of them were 6th graders. After this, the question still remains, are lockers still needed in the modern generation?

News

Grade 8 CWW Trip

Julia

On October 3rd, ISM’s eighth graders are going on a service trip to donate time, money, and resources to two elementary schools.

The eighth graders are going to the Lewin Elementary School and the Caliraya School. Many students are looking forward to the experience and are very excited for this trip. This is great that so many of the eighth graders want to help to make a change in someone’s life.

The trip will last for two whole days. There will be many activities and classes organized by the students, and of course, the teachers. We chose these schools due to their proximity to where we stay for our team-building activities.

This trip is also a preparation for the second CWW service trip in February. There are two local and six provincial trips for eighth graders to choose from. For example, one of the local sites is MAKABATA, a school for street children. Another choice is SPECS, a foundation that also supports street children. One of the provincial sites is the SURFice Camp.

The whole 8th grade also does a yearly Walkathon to raise funds to support the needs of the schools and organizations. This year's funds will support the installation of a water pump in Lewin Elementary School.

MS Tech Gets High-End iMacs

Adi D.

This year, the MS Technology department, located in Room 2026, Mr. Sturgeon’s room, received brand new 27-inch 5k iMacs with Bluetooth mice, keyboards, and larger screens.

Mr. Sturgeon said, “These iMacs are worth it: they are modern, have great processing speed and have tons of storage space.” He also says that the reason MS received these iMacs was that the school tries to keep the computers new by updating them every five years. This way, the computers can enhance student work with apps such as Photoshop and movie editing.

An eighth grader said that he loves these new iMacs, the Bluetooth keyboard and mouse, and the bigger screen.

However, a few students say that these iMacs are practically the same as the older ones and they have been a big waste of money. Some students also use their own laptops as they think that these iMacs are just the same.

There is much that can be said for the benefits of these new iMacs. There’s no doubt there are many uses for them such as more storage, bigger keyboards and much more. If you are interested, stop by Room 2026, Mr. Sturgeon’s room in the G6 hallway, to check them out during tutorials.

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