Newsletter - February 2013 - Verdala International School

Fort Pembroke, Pembroke, PBK 1641, Malta
www.verdala.org vis@verdala.org +365 21375133
February 2013 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 jill@verdala.org or
Jess Droscher at jessicad@verdala.org. 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 Newsletter team (Jill Kirkstadt, Jess Droscher, and Jesmond Navaro).
Inside this issue:

Elementary News

High School News

IB News

All-School News

Booster Club News

Accreditation News

Board News

Alumni News

Announcements/Achievements

Classifieds
This month’s
highlighted event:
Sports Day - 15th March, 2013
Inside
this
issue…
….
Page 2
Elementary News
Pre-K 1 News
We have been learning about FOOD and SHAPES in Pre-K 1. It was fun
making SQUARE sandwiches and choosing our favourite fillings.
Whoever imagined that salami, jam, chicken and cheese would be a
tasty combination? After making a big square sandwich, we cut it up
into 4 small squares. We also made our own pizzas in class, choosing
our own toppings. We saw how the food changed from being cold to
hot and enjoyed cutting our ROUND pizza into lots of TRIANGLES. We
are becoming pretty good chefs in PK1!
Suzy Blanshard
Pre-K 1 Teacher
Kindergarten to Grade 2 Music Field Trip
Elementary students from kinder to grade 2 attended a
workshop called ‘Meet the basses’. During this workshop,
the
students
listened
to
the
National
Philharmonic
orchestra. Some of our students were also chosen to play
on the percussion instruments of the orchestra.
All in all, it was a unique musical experience.
Ms. Sonya Degiorgio
Music Teacher
Page 3
Grade 2 Field Trip to Busy Bee
This morning, Wednesday 13th February 2013 the whole class went
to Busy Bee, a store that makes chocolate. It was very cool.
There was a big mixing machine with white chocolate, milk
chocolate and dark chocolate. There was even orange
chocolate!
We made chocolate bunnies, chocolate chicks and chocolate
sheep. We even made orange chocolate lollypops. We also made
a giant Easter bunny out of chocolate.
The chocolate we made we could take home. We had lots of
fun! I ate my bunny for dessert – yummy!
Nora, Filippa, Jonas
Grade 2
Today I was so excited to go on a field trip to Busy Bee
for two reasons. First of all: I come very often with my
family and I really wanted to know how the kitchen looks
like. Second of all: I love chocolate!
We were working in three different groups. There were three different big
machines. One filled with white chocolate, another one with milk
chocolate and one with dark chocolate.
We poured the chocolate into the moulds. We also got bunny cookies
and put them in a tunnel of white chocolate. We made little chocolates
filled with hazelnut cream and on top of the chocolates was the Maltese
cross. We tasted orange chocolate and made orange chocolate lollies!
At the end of the field trip we got a nice bag with all the chocolates that
we made. We had a nice time at Busy Bee – it was excellent!
Violeta, Liv and Johanna
Grade 2
Page 4
Grade 2 Field Trip to Fillipa’s House
On Wednesday we had a field trip to Filippa’s house to see the puppies. One of them was licking my
chin. It tickled me they were so cute. We went for a walk in the fields Schiller only came with us
because Mc Phee had to stay with the puppies and Ghoete needed to sleep. I held all of the
puppies. I saw a carob tree. We took carob pots back to school to compare them to coco pots.
Lara and Isla
Grade 2
Grade 4 News and Pictures
Grade 4 have been busy recently, going on a field trip to Spinach
Gym as well as participating in a nature walk in Zebbiegh. Also Below
is work from the Grade 4 IPC unit of The World Cup.
Page 5
Dear Oliver,
Hello Oliver, today and yesterday we went to the carnival in Rio de Janeiro. I know you’ve always
wanted to come; we tried to get you tickets when we got ours but everyone wanted to go so it was
jam-packed.
The reason I sent this letter to you is because I just experienced a once in a life time opportunity with
loads of booming, amazing, cool, loud, lovely fireworks and lots more.
The atmosphere was better than Liverpool v Chelsea in the F.A cup final at Wembley and Holland v
Spain in the World Cup final.
It was even better at night because it was louder and you can see the floats much better. It was so
good I started to cry in the end I had to let all my emotions express themselves.
The first thing I noticed was that their costumes were very, very, very flimsy and that they were as
colourful as a colouring book with all the pages stuck together, not one white piece of paper. I also
realised that you cannot get them anywhere else in the world and they must be very expensive.
My ears were pounding against the pillow when I was in bed because I couldn’t get the samba drum
beat out of my head.
Most of the floats were supposed to look like a parrot, surprisingly, they actually did but I cannot get
the amazing picture of all those lights in the air with different colours like red, blue, purple, green not
one dark sad one. All the lights on the float matched the colours in the sky.
Every time I looked up in the air there were loads of fireworks and lights that match the lights
beaming out of the floats.
In the parade [the main thing] there were loads of dancing people and to be honest I just wanted to
jump off the balcony of our hotel and join them.
Hope I see you soon.
From your friend forever,
Sam
Samuel Reeves
Grade 4
Page 6
Grade 1 Field Trip
Me and my class went to Playmobil. We went on a tour of
the factory and we saw a lot of machines making
the Playmobil toys. We went to the playground and we
played. It was fun.
Nicholas Montfort
Grade 1
Grade 5 and Pre-K go shopping!
On February 15, 2013, we had a field trip involving Pre-K 1 &
2 by going shopping with them. We each got a Pre-K who
had a shopping list written by their mom or dad, a little bag
to put the things in, and about €15. While we are searching
for the things on the list, we ask them questions like: Where
do you think you can find an apple? The Pre-Ks were allowed
to pick something else off the list if we couldn’t find one. We
taught them how to scan the item to see how much it was,
also how to check out the items. After the hassle of scampering about in the supermarket, we went
to a café to get some refreshments. Half of us settled down with
our Pre-K on a table and started eating, while the other half
went down to a play area. Soon enough, we were allowed to
go down and play with the little ones! There was lots of
screaming and laughing when we entered the ball pit. Pre-Ks
were on top of us and we were buried in a blur of colors. There
were so many colorful balls flying around and everyone came
crashing down the slide, giggling. I was a tad upset when we had
to go back to school, but it wasn’t really affecting me. I had loads of fun and the Pre-Ks learned a lot.
If we could go again I definitely would. It was one of the best events I have ever experienced!
Maggie Cao
Grade 5
Page 7
Today is Friday, February 15, 2013 – we get to take the Pre-K’s shopping! The bus ride to The Point was
quite a long one. I got put in a group with Ellie, Matwey, and Ella. What we had to do seemed
simple. But it wasn’t. Each kid had 15 euros and a shopping list with 5 items that they had to buy.
We were zipping all over the store, trying to help the kids find what they had to buy. Now I see what
it’s like to be a mother! After all the shopping was finished, we rounded up all the Pre-K’s and took
them to play in the play area. After all that shopping and playing, everyone was a little hungry, so
we went to a café. Each child was allowed to buy a cookie or a muffin with their leftover money.
Soon afterwards, the bus was back to pick us up. Time to go back to school!
Cameron Christie
Grade 5
Elementary School gets a new computer lab
Friday 15th of February was a happy day for Elementary students and
staff alike. After a week of hectic activity, mysterious noises and strange
smells coming from and surrounding our library and computer area, our
new, improved computer lab was unveiled. Thanks to Jesmond, Alun
and the Maintenance Team, the Elementary computer lab is now ‘wirefree’ has lighter, easier to move chairs and is a bright, safe place to
work. Thank you to all involved!
Page 8
Grade 3 vs. Grade 3 Football Match
As the only Elementary Grade with two classes, Grade 3A and Grade 3J took advantage of their
numbers to have a friendly football game.
Making the most of their ‘Day 0’ the two
classes took to the football pitch in the
glorious sunshine for some fun, exercise and
team work.
High School News
High School Ski Trip!
From February 9-14, four high school teachers joined 29 students on a trip from Malta to Sud Tirol, the
German-speaking part of Italy on the Austrian-Italian border. After flying to Munich and taking a bus
through the Austrian Alps, the students spent four days skiing, sledding, drinking hot chocolate and
visiting the local thermal baths.
Many thanks to Mr Bugeja,
Ms Depasquale, Ms Gili
and
Mr
Tomich
organizing
chaperoning
for
and
such
exciting adventure!
an
Page 9
Page 10
High School Art News
WAYS OF SEEING: CHAPTER1
For Berger, ‘an image is a sight which has been recreated or reproduced ... which
has been detached from the place and time in which it first made its appearance ... This
detachment can be great or small, but all images, including photographs, involve a way of seeing
by the person who has created the image. Further, when we look at someone else’s image; our
understanding of it depends on our way of seeing.‘(p. 9)
Page 11
Field Trip to Valletta
Grade 9 IGCSE Art have been working hard on the Comenius Project; preparing to visit Prato, Italy
and collaborate with European schools creatively. They will explore Art from different countries and
exchange different perspectives and ideas within their culture. This project is ongoing throughout the
year. We have begun to explore our theme “Seeing and making visible” by visiting a photographic
exhibition at St James Cavalier that showed a selection of contemporary and historical examples of
street photography and street art in Malta. Street art and street photography are important art forms
that capture and record our cultural heritage.
All students then reacted to what
they saw within the images of the
exhibition by going around Valetta
taking shots that record personal
moments and every day movement
within the Capital. Then they layered
the images using editing software.
The results are truly special.
Samantha Hothersall
Page 12
Page 13
Page 14
IB News
Parents/Guardians of 11th Grade Students:
Here are G11 deadlines for the months March - May
2013
Others:
Extended essay
Preliminary research done; Title chosen.
April
Group 1
English World Lit 1 – First “rough” draft
Group 2
Group 3
Group 4
Business & Management (BMP)– Contact a Business and think
about topic.
Group 5
Computer Science Dossier (CSD)– Start work on dossier
Math Standard Level & Higher Level Explorations (MEx) – Decide
on topic for the project
Group 6
Others:
Extended Essay
“Personal Statement”
Outline plan submitted
14th – First draft to College Counsellor
May
Group 1
English World Lit – Outline due
Group 2
Group 3
BMP – Details, permissions, documents, proposal, etc due on 16th
History Essay (HE) – Rough draft due
Group 4
Biology, Chemistry, Physics – Group Four Project
Group 5
Math Studies Project (MSP) – Decide on topic for the project
Group 6
Others:
Extended Essay
“Personal Statement”
First “skeleton” version
2nd draft due to College Counsellor on 30th
Page 15
For parents and guardians of 12th Grade students, here are the remaining deadlines for 2013.
February
More French, Italian, Spanish orals
TOK 2nd presentation (if necessary) / TOK essay draft
English A2 Written Assignments
Mon Feb 14, Final deadline for Eng A1 HL and SL World Literature
Computer Science Final Draft
MSP: Final deadline for submission of 2 copies of project
English B oral
Lab portfolios for Biology, Chemistry, and Physics (cont)
29th, BMP: 2nd and Final draft
TOK essay/presentation
Theatre, TPPP Presentations
March
Visual Arts booklets and workbooks
French, Italian, Spanish orals
Maths Standard and Higher Level portfolios due
English B oral
CSD: Final deadline for Comp. Studies dossier
French, Italian Spanish oral examinations
TOK: Final draft essay early in March
Final deadline for CAS (150 hours)
Theatre, Final draft of IPP due
April
Visual Arts exhibition
May
IB Written examinations begin May 2nd.
There will be an opportunity for students to do mock exam papers
in mathematics at school on Saturday, April 13th and Saturday, April 20th.
This is voluntary but highly recommended.
Page 16
All School News
Great enthusiasm at the 2nd Age Group Swimming Meet 2013
The 2nd Age Group Time Trials were held on Saturday 2nd
February at the National Pool Complex and Verdala Swim
Club swimmers put on great efforts and demonstrated
outstanding performance!
Personal Best results were achieved by all swimmers who
have been training hard in all conditions.
Callie Hock (Age group 2002-2004) 50 Front Crawl - 46.14 (11 Place)
Samuel Reeves (Age group 2002-2004) 50 Front Crawl - 44.18 (7 Place)
Brett Robbertze (Age group 2002-2004) 50 Front Crawl - 49.71 (9 Place)
Sebastian Pratt (Age group 2002-2004) 50 Front Crawl - 45.00 (8 Place)
Abdulgamid Gadzhiev (Age group 1999-2000) 50 Front Crawl - 33.81 (3 Place)
Jason Robbertze (Age group 1999-2000) 50 Front Crawl - 43.98 (11 Place)
Murtuzali Gadzhiev (Age group 1997-1998) 50 Front Crawl - 29.10 (6 Place)
Christopher Mailander (Age group 1996-1997) 50 Front Crawl - 30.99 (5 Place)
Well done to all our swimmers and supporters!
Thank you!
Ms Galya Umnova
Elem./ Middle School PE Teacher
Page 17
Elementary and Middle School Art
Grades K-5 Art had the Queens of Hearts visiting our art room to make beautiful heart projects with
each grade. A huge thank you to the HeART Queens, Liselot Moazed and Liz Johansson for their
time, inspiration and creativity the shared with all the students!
Page 18
Page 19
Grade 4 working on their Picasso style self portraits and proud of finishing their hearts.
Page 20
Grade 1 building toys in art using recycled materials. This compliments their IPC unit on “The Magic
Toymaker”.
Page 21
Grade 8 is in disguise on their Street Art spray painting day in the Middle School. Stop by to see their
creations!
VIS Baseball Team come 2nd!
The VIS Baseball Team came in 2nd Place in a Baseball Tournament
held on the 22nd January. Their coach is Nick Borg-Barthet. Here are
some of their eyewitness accounts:
On 22nd January I went to a Baseball Tournament and on my way
in the van I was a bit scared because I never had a Baseball
Tournament in my whole life. When I was at the field I saw a lot of
other kids. Out of all of our games we won one and lost one and
then we tied one. Out of all we came in second place and I felt
very happy when I was in the van because I tried hard.
Sebastian Pratt, Grade 3
Page 22
On the 22nd of January I (and some other people) went to a Baseball Tournament. It was great
because we were outside and it was extremely fun! We played at Marsa Sports Ground and we
played against 3 other teams. I had trouble with catching the ball but I am much better at batting.
We were so close to coming third in the tournament but we got lucky and ended up coming second!
It was a bit easy to beat the other teams but one of the teams had sixteen year olds and the oldest
person in our group was in Grade Eight. If we carry on playing we should get better at it and beat the
other team.
If anybody wants to join they can. I really like baseball because you can do different things like play
games, play matches, bat and catch and throw the ball. I recommend that you should join. I hope
you do.
The people in the team are:
Sebastian Pratt and Brett Robbertze (Grade 3)
Jin Lee (grade 4)
Kai Borg Barthet (grade 6)
Jason Robbertze, Seth Borg Barthet, Jamie Busuttil and Jacques Boffa (Grade 7)
Dean Bartolo and Daniel Duprez (Grade 8)
Brett Robbertze, Grade 3
Page 23
Talent Show 2013
It is once again time for everyone’s favorite annual event! So get your
dancing shoes on, your acting skills out and be prepared to rock the stage
like never before!
Date: Friday, March 8th
Time: 7:00pm
Location: High School Gym
Entrance Fee: €3.00
*There will also be a bar providing drinks and snacks.*
Any student participating in the Talent Show may only perform in maximum two acts, whether that is
solo, duo, or group act. Each act should not be longer than 4 minutes. Any poetry readings should be
read by heart, but sheet music is allowed for musical performances. There will be a dress rehearsal/
tech rehearsal on the Thursday afternoon before the Show – please plan to attend.
See a Student Council member or Ms Kirkstadt for application forms. Forms must be handed in no
later than March 1st. A sound system will be provided, but any backing music needs to be handed in
with the form. If your act requires special lighting or sound instructions please make note of them and
hand them in with the form.
High School Student Council
The Student Council is a group of students elected to act as the voice of other students and present
their views on various subjects. This school year, we have organized various activities such as the High
School Assassins Game which was a great bonding activity for everyone! We also made it possible for
students to have half-yearly paper-cut vouchers and a table tennis available at lunch time. We took
charge of selling food and drinks at the High School Play and wrote up all the love-cards for
Valentine’s Day. Organizing such activities means a lot of work since it involves promoting them,
ordering or buying the food, sweets and drinks, and collecting and counting all the money. But it is
worth it since the raised funds will go towards the students’ much anticipated Prom which will be held
in June.
We would like to give special thanks to our President Evita Otigbah and to our Advisor Ms Kirkstadt!
Your High School Student Council Team
Page 24
Dress Down/Crazy Hat/Wig Day
February 8th was “Dress Down/Crazy Hat/Wig Day”. Everyone who wore a crazy hat/wig also gave a
donation to Hospice Malta and a total of €140 was collected.
Hospice Malta is a Voluntary
Organisation, which exists to provide and promote the highest possible standards of Palliative Care
for people suffering with cancer, motor neurone disease and other terminal illness and to help and
support their families that are passing through this difficult time.
Page 25
Bottle Cap Drive
For the last year and a half the students, the staff, the parents and friends of The Verdala
International School have been helping out The Community Chest Fund and The Istrina campaign by
collecting thousands of plastic bottle caps. These caps are then collected by the Greenpak
Recycling Company and exchanged for 1Euro/kg. In our last collection by Greenpack we collected
37,000 plastic bottle caps in total. This is an amazing amount and everyone should be proud of
helping out. The money made from the first part of this campaign went towards helping a family
buying a delux wheelchair for their son. The money made from the last amount of 37,000 caps went
towards l-Istrina, which helps out local people who need special treatment and other care due to
various terminal illnesses.
Page 26
We thank everyone for helping out, and we encourage you all to keep collecting plastic caps! If you
have any caps you can contact Carolyne Cassar-George on carolyneg@verdala.org to arrange a
time to bring the caps over to school.
“In about the same degree as you are helpful, you will be happy” ~Karl Reiland
“How wonderful it is that nobody need wait a single moment before starting to improve the world”.
~Anne Frank
Honours and High Honours Lists – Scholastic Year 2012-2013
Middle School Honours Second Quarter
Grade 7
Grade 8
Hannah Brown
Quinn Kirk
Felix Hackenbruch
Anneke Narain DeTar
Charlotte Ambery
Sean Mahon
Middle School High Honours Second Quarter
Grade 6
Grade 7
Grade 8
Mindy Alfvegren
Alana Clements
Gabriela Cremades Izquierdo
Clemens Rattasits
Paula Von Jagow
Olivia Cooper
Carl Sundelius
Leyan Zhai
Heidi Cao
Ita Nudelman
David Salge
Page 27
High School Honours and High Honours Second Quarter
Grade 9
Johanna Benndorf (HH)
Charlotte Vondy
Young In Kwon
Tereza Petrovicova (HH)
Emily Geraghty
Liam Narain DeTar (HH)
Kim Sundelius
Oceane Visser
Pauline Verges ( HH)
Mikhail Ishkhanov
Ipek Ulker (HH)
Grade 10
Sophie Hackenbruch (HH)
Isobel Walliker
Elizabeth O’Donnell (HH)
Andrea Amato Gauci
William Pettit
Steven Xu
Davide Lagana’
Pavel Vedernikov
Zuzanna Zajac (HH)
Xiaoyu Lou (HH)
Saida Ryazapova (HH)
Domiziana Lagana’
Hannah Veltrup
Maryam Gadzhieva
Valerio Pellicciari (HH)
Jonathan Schulz
Gabriela Cruz (HH)
Yuliya Isakava
Dylan McCormick
Caroline Schiller (HH)
Xiaoke Ye
Ghada Dbouba
James Kohout (HH)
Kimberly Merten
Valentina Spiteri
Grade 11
Phil Kyu Jeong
James Rulli
James White (HH)
Demetra Lagana’
Maria Paola Micallef (HH)
Alec Anthony Zammit
Grade 12
Samantha Cassar Ellis
Andrew Graham
A In Kwon (HH)
Evita Otigbah (HH)
Tatiana Torriani
High School Honours and High Honours First Semester
Grade 9
Johanna Benndorf
Liam Narain DeTar (HH)
Tereza Petrovicova (HH)
Oceane Visser
Grade 10
Sophie Hackenbruch (HH)
Isobel Walliker (HH)
Grade 11
Phil Kyu Jeong
Pavel Vedernikov
Zuzanna Zajac
Maria Paola Micallef (HH)
Grade 12
Gabriela Cruz (HH)
James Kohout
Kimberly Merten
Xiaoke Ye
India Raniolo
Mikhail Ishkhanov
Kim Sundelius
Elizabeth O’Donnell (HH)
Andrea Amato Gauci
Domiziana Lagana’
Hannah Veltrup
Corinne Graham
Valerio Pellicciari
Ghada Dbouba
A In Kwon
Evita Otigbah
Pauline Verges
Denis Krakhmalny
Ipek Ulker
William Pettit
James Rulli
James White (HH)
Xiaoyu Lou (HH)
Saida Ryazapova
Rosina Geraghty
Dylan McCormick
Caroline Schiller (HH)
Page 28
Booster Club News
BOOSTER CHRISTMAS EXTRAVAGANZA
Well the home decorations are packed away in their boxes, the last of the
snowspray has been washed off the windows and Christmas 2012 starts to become
a mere memory.
So let’s beat the Winter blues and take a look back at the
Verdala Christmas event.
We all probably have our own favourite moments. 3 hours of fabulous music and song from
Kindergarten all the way up to High School students would probably feature highly. The magician
was a big hit as always with the little ones while Santa and his band of helpers were probably the
bigger hit, partly thanks to the amazing grotto created by the ‘Swedish team’. The utterly yummy
mince pies, kindly contributed by many, were hard to forget ; as was the the equally delicious mulled
wine. And of course, the array of stalls from natural soaps to jewellery all helped deliver a Christmas
Market of which we can be proud.
So many people came together yet again to produce Verdala’s annual festive event. Our thanks go
to Elke, Emma, Michele, Karolina, Mary, Gelinde, Svetlana, Katherina, Sam, Johan, Patrik, Liselott, Liz,
Annica, Rosie, Christina and many many more.
Okay, so just 10 months to go til the next Christmas Market..
Prabjit Chohan-Patel
Page 29
Page 30
Accreditation News
An important step that has come out from this preparatory phase of the Accreditation process is the
review of the VIS Profile of Graduates. This was created from the VIS values, the IB Learner profile and
the IPC personal goals. We would like to share this with you and if you have any suggestions on how
to improve it we look forward to hearing from you.
Thanks,
Daphne Said
VIS Accreditation Coordinator
_____________________________________________________________________________
VIS PROFILE OF GRADUATES
The Educational Programme at VIS is guided by IPC in the Elementary years and the IG & IB
programmes in the Secondary years. Verdala believes in instilling in our graduates a set of values
-
Personal, Social , Creative, Academic - that drive the mission statement:
To develop knowledgeable, inquisitive & ethical contributors to our world.
VIS VALUES
Personal
Social
Academic
Creative
We strive to instill in our graduates the characteristics and values that contribute towards a holistic
individual:
Personal
Adaptable
They are able to consider and respect the views, cultures and traditions of other people
and are able to cope with unfamiliar situations and approach tasks with confidence
Brave
They are risk-takers who are strong and articulate in defending their beliefs.
Balanced
They understand the importance of intellectual, physical and emotional balance to
achieve personal well-being for themselves and others.
Moral
They are able to develop and act on their own moral standpoints as well as respect
alternative ones.
Principled
They act with integrity and honesty, with a strong sense of fairness, justice and respect
for the dignity of the individual, groups and communities.
Responsible They take responsibility for their own actions and the consequences that accompany
them.
Page 31
Resilient
They are able to commit to a task until it is completed, cope with disappointment if they
are unsuccessful and willing to try again
Thoughtful
They are able to identify and act on ways of developing their strengths and
overcoming their weaknesses
Social
Caring
They show empathy, compassion and respect towards the needs and feelings of others.
They have a personal commitment to service, and act to make a positive difference to
the lives of others and to the environment.
Communicative They are able to use a variety of tools and technologies to aid their
communication in more than one language.
Cooperative They are able to adopt different roles dependent on the needs of the group and on the
activity. They are able to work alongside and in cooperation with others to undertake
activities and achieve targets
Open-minded They understand and appreciate their own values, cultures and tradition and that of
others. They are accustomed to seeking and evaluating a range of points of view, and
are willing to grow from the experience.
Respectful
They are able to show respect and act in accordance with the needs of other people,
other living things and the environment
Creative
Appreciative They participate in and have an appreciation for creative endeavors.
Courageous They approach unfamiliar situations and uncertainty with courage and forethought,
and have the boldness to explore new roles, ideas and strategies.
Insightful
They take initiative in applying thinking skills critically and creatively to recognize
and approach complex problems.
Academic
Inquisitive
They have the skills to plan and carry out investigations to develop their natural curiosity.
They are able to collect evidence and relate it to wider issues independently. They are
able to adopt fluid forms of thinking and are at ease with themselves in a variety of
situations. They participate in their learning and enjoy it.
Knowledgeable They explore concepts, ideas and issues that have local and global significance.
By using a range of thinking skills, to draw conclusions and develop their own reasoned
point of view, they acquire in-depth knowledge and develop understanding across a
broad and balanced range of disciplines.
Reflective
They give thoughtful consideration to their own learning and experience. They are able
to assess and understand their strengths and limitations in order to support their learning
and personal development.
Responsible They are able to take responsibility for their own actions and their learning.
Page 32
Board News
In addition to the letter sent out on January 31st 2013, regarding the approval by the Government
and the Parliament of the 65 years lease agreement for Verdala, the Memorandum of Understanding
between the Maltese Government and the School and the Statement of the Maltese Government,
referring to the favourable conclusion of the issues raised at the October 5th Town Hall meeting,
please find below the summary of the Board activities since the last Newsletter in November 2012.
1.In December 2012 the School reached a final agreement with the former Head of School, Mr Mac
an Bhaird, whereby he would relinquish his rights to any claims against the School, including a referral
to the Industrial Tribunal alleging unfair dismissal. While the Board is of the opinion and was advised by
external counsel that the School would have won any legal dispute should Mr Mac an Bhaird have
brought one and that no damages would be payable in connection with his dismissal, it was
decided nevertheless to settle on the terms agreed in order to limit further disruption to the life of the
School, adverse publicity from outsiders and to facilitate the selection and appointment of a
replacement Head.
2. In December 2012 the Board chose the recruitment agency Anthony Millard, based in the UK, to
assist in the search for a new Head of School. The Board also decided, on the initiative of Ms Andrea
Cruz, the US Government representative, the creation of a three person Selection Panel, to more
efficiently work with the Agency's representatives.
Its members are: Mr Lawrie Simpson, Acting Head of School, Mrs Wendy Mistruzzi, Elementary
Principal and Dr Monica Binder, Parent Board Director.
They were mandated by the Board to select amongst the long list of suitable candidates, four to
interview in Malta in early March.
The recruitment agency's representative has already visited Verdala, in order to familiarize himself
with our exact needs, the ads have appeared both in print and online in the Times Educational
Supplement, as well as on the Agency's website. We had a total of 85 applicants, out of which 25
best were interviewed by the Agency and the top nine were long listed. The Selection Panel met on
February 12th and unanimously agreed on the four candidates to be invited for interview. They are all
very experienced, having served for many years as Head of School or Assistant Head in international
schools.
3. The first step of the Instructional Staff salary harmonization process has been completed. An
increase of 5% in salary for all local teachers was approved in December. The salary scale was
extended from 20 to 40 steps and the progression to superior step was linked to continuous
professional development, the details of which will be looked into and defined at a later date. The
total costs related to the 5% increase and the extension of the scale amounted to roughly 58000
Euros. The Board approved at the same time an annual 12000 Euros expenditure to go towards a
continuous professional development fund. A new scale was introduced for the kindergarten
assistants.
Page 33
4. On February 5th, the Chairman, Mr Michael Trapnell met with the school lawyer and a notary and
signed all the papers necessary for registering the Foundation. The papers were to be taken on the
same day by the lawyer to the Registry where the application for registration was to be filed. It
should take about two to four weeks to hear if our application has been successful.
5. 13800 Euros for additional works in Health & Safety were approved in December and a further
25000 Euros for a modern fire alarm detection system were approved in January. Veranda doors in
Elementary were changed to open outwards, a Health and Safety requirement. The US embassy reconfirmed that the Embassy is prepared to help with assessment of safety and physical upgrades.
Belishia beacons (flashing lights) were finally installed (after many years of struggle by several Boards)
and the Zebra crossing was painted.
6. An assessment package worth 3000GBP for Elementary was approved at the Acting Head of
School's request, in order to improve the ongoing assessment of the IPC in Elementary. Additional
6,700 euros were approved for updates in Elementary and 12,000 euros were approved for updates
of the Biology laboratory equipment in High School.
7. An Encyclopedia Britannica annual subscription, worth 800 Euros, was approved at the request of
the School librarian, Ms Veronica Calleja.
8. Board involvement in the Accreditation process is ongoing through the full support for any requests
connected to the Accreditation, the active participation of several Board members, Parent and Staff
on the different accreditation teams and through a permanent Board representative on the
planning team. On the initiative of Mr Ivan Camilleri, our Bursar and Ms Daphne Said, the
Accreditation Coordinator a new committee was formed, whose task will be to address and monitor
the more pressing and visible changes needed to take place in our buildings and grounds before the
arrival of the Accreditation team in the fall of 2013.
9. The re-instatement of free early morning extra-classes for IB students, requested by two parents was
discussed, but not approved, as it was felt by Staff Directors and Acting Head of School that
previously this system had been unsuccessful, due to lack of participation of students. It was
mentioned that classes were already available in French, Spanish, Biology, Chemistry and Math and
teachers were working with students during lunch time.
10. At the last Board meeting, Mr. Matthew Tomich was co-opted as a Staff Board Director with full
voting power for the remaining duration of the current Board's term, filling the vacancy created by
the resignation of Ms. Ann Marie Cassar Torregiani for Health reasons.
For the Board of Directors,
Monica Binder
Page 34
Alumni News
WHERE ARE THEY NOW???
There is a Facebook Group called “Verdala Reunion 2014”. If you are an Alumni, or know some
Alumni then ask them to join. They are planning a Big Multi-Class Reunion for the summer of 2014.
I recently put a post on the Group’s Homepage asking some of our FABULOUS ALUMNI to send me
news! Here are some of their replies:
Maria Kvantrishvili - Class of 1996
Maria went to Boston University, and studied International Relations. Now she is
an international news producer on RTTV (a 24 hour news channel, broadcasting
in English all around the world).
Timothy Pace-Lupi – Class of 2000
- Diploma of Agriculture University of Malta - 2003
- Post Graduate Diploma in Plant Pathology : CIHEAM Bari, Italy - 2004
- Master of Science - Plant Pathology : University of Bari, Italy - 2005
- Bachelor of Science Honours - Applied Biosciences - Ulster University, Ireland
2010
Timonthy has mostly worked for the Government of Malta since 2006 (MRAE, MRRA, MSA, MCCAA). In
November 2012 he resigned from the Government to become a full-time lecturer at MCAST (Malta
College of Arts Science and Technology) at the Institute of Agribusiness. And he is currently planning
his PhD.
On a humorous note - if you look at old VIS yearbooks Tim’s ambition from the age of 5 was
consistently to be a farmer! Funnily enough, he is actually fulfilling that goal as he works in Agriculture
today.
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Pier Luigi Buttigieg – Class of 2004
After VIS, Pier did a three year B.Sc. in biochemistry and cell biology at
Jacobs University Bremen, a young, research-focused university with over
100 nationalities represented in its student body. From 2007-2009 he did an
M.Sc. at the International Max Plank Research School for Marine
Microbiology. He stayed at the IMPRS-MM and completed his Ph.D. in microbial genomics and
bioinformatics in 2012. Currently, he is working as a post-doctoral research associate for the Alfred
Wegener Institute Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research. His main research interests are the
analysis of multivariate microbial ecology data and the development of semantic resources for the
environmental and life science community. On the side, Pier is the academic director of Videotutor.org, an e-learning resource specifically designed for IB students. http://www.video-tutor.org/
Jennifer Chiha – Class of 2005
UNI and my job status: Jennifer attended Notre Dame University in LebanonBeirut, and she earned a B.A in Business Marketing and minored in Distribution
and Logistics Management. She also took fashion classes and earned
Certificates
in
Fashion
Design
and
Pattern
Making.
Jennifer has been working for two and a half years now in a high-end Luxury
company in Lebanon called Aishti. This company has many multi-branded stores and mono brand
boutiques for luxurious brands throughout Lebanon and the Middle East. She is a senior coordinator
working in the Wholesale Distribution Department. You can find more about the company through
their website www.aishti.com.
Jennifer has also been privately working in her free time in designing her own clothes and selling
them among friends and family. She is currently relying on the ‘word of mouth’ strategy to expand
her personal business and she has organized two open house events launching her collections. Her
clothing line is called ‘JayCee’ and she only started last summer (so she has worked on two seasons
until now). You can also visit her website that is still under construction: www.chihadesign.com
Page 36
Elizabeth Evans – Class of 2006
Elizabeth went to the University of Sheffield where she studied
Neuroscience. After Uni, she took a year out with her boyfriend and
they got a position teaching English to 4-16 year olds at a school in
South Korea. They got to do a bit of travelling in Asia while they were
there as well. Then they moved back to the UK to Manchester and Elizabeth got accepted for a PhD
in Neuroscience at the University of Manchester researching imitation in autism. She is currently in the
final year of her PhD, finishing up her experiments and writing her thesis.
John O'Brien – Class of 2007
Jonathan O'Brien is now working as pilot for RyanAir based in Malta.
Announcements and Achievements
Middle School student wins 3rd place in National Chess Competition!
Felix Lad in Grade 6 recently took part in a chess competition held by the
Malta Chess Federation and managed to get 80% of the total points placing
him in third place. Well done Felix!
Elementary School students walk the ‘President’s run’
Molly is 8 and Maxi is 5 and they walked all the way from our home in Attard to Valletta which is
roughly 9-10 km.
We experienced a lot of new things that we would never have noticed if we were in a car.
We all had a fab time and have made a big collage of our day with our certificates and numbers
and photos!
I was very proud of them and would love to share their news with the verdala community.
Taryn Butler
Page 37
MOC Sports Awards 2012
The Maltese Olympic Committee (MOC) and the MOC
Director of Sport, Mark Cutajar, organized an awards night at
the Grand Hotel Excelsior on 2nd December.
48 sports
individuals from 12 different disciplines around Malta were
awarded platinum, gold, silver or bronze awards for their
achievements.
Special award *Youth of the Year* was
granted to Michael Umnov.
CONGRATULATIONS MICHAEL!!!
Attention Expat Community:
Application Process for New e-Residence document
All ID cards issued to foreign nationals will expire at the end of March
2013 at the latest. However your current residence documents can be
used as an ID until June 2013.
Applicants are invited to submit their application for the e residence document by appointment.
In order to set up an appointment kindly send an email on eresidence.mfa@gov.mt
A confirmation of the appointment will be sent by email.
This is the website outlining the regulations and procedures and forms for the new e-residence and ID
cards for foreigners residing in Malta:
http://www.foreign.gov.mt/default.aspx?MDIS=552
Page 38
History in the making! Why not be part of it?
On Sunday 17th March, The Irish Maltese Circle are holding the first ever St
Patrick's Day parade in Malta.
The parade will leave the Phoenicia Hotel at 11.45 am and continue down
Republic Street and stop in St Georges Square.
H.E. Jim Hennessy, Irish Ambassador to Malta, and Mrs Monica Nally
Hennessy will lead the parade.
Also in the parade:

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The Irish Maltese Circle
Traditional Dancers from Ireland
Paws Malta
Breast Care Support Group
San Gwann Scouts Band (pipe & drum band)
St Patrick's football club
Keltika (Maltese group who play Irish music)
The Pipe band, Keltika and the Irish Dancers will perform in St George's Square.
Why not join us on the day? Let turn Valletta green!
Booster Car Boot Sale!!
Christina Meyer is organizing a Car Boot Sale on Sunday 14th April, 9 am – 1 pm. In case of bad
weather the sale will be postponed by one week.
The sale is open to all Verdala parents and teachers and the event will
be marketed in Malta through Times of Malta, Facebook, flyers in the
area and a banner at the car park, in order to attract as many visitors
as possible. The cost for space for a car is 10€. Rental of tables is 10€, of
which 5€ is returned when the table is brought back to the Middle
School.
All income for rental of spaces, sales of drinks etc. will go to the Booster funds.
Please contact, christinameyer66@gmail.com or send a text to 99280118 for bookings, sponsors and
prizes for raffle, donate to the Booster table, volunteers and who can donate cupcakes, muffins to be
sold on the day.
Page 39
Plugged In
We are PluggedIn, a Young Enterprise Company. We created the Paddock, an extremely
aesthetically pleasing charging station of good quality and value. Paddock can charge 4 U.S.B
devices simultaneously, but as well as a charging tool this contraption looks beautiful and organizes
the mess created from having multiple charging chords in use at one time.
PluggedIn would like to formally announce today that we are in production, and the first Paddocks
will be ready within the next week for commercial purchase! If you would like to get your hands on a
Paddock, or have any questions, please contact us on contact@pluggedinmalta.com or visit our
webpage www.pluggedinmalta.com.
We have worked tirelessly in order to please you with our product!
Ecology Meets Technology. PluggedIn.
Manuel Fajardo
Corrine Graham
Maria Paola Micallef
Jonathan Schulz (CEO)
Pavel Vedernikov
James Rulli
Page 40
Classifieds
Are you teaching your child how to manage their digital world?
The debate is on, as to whether you should get your child a smart device or upgrade their existing
one. But protecting your child in this is a priority as well. The reality is, everyone from bullies to
paedophiles like their smartphones and tablets just as much as everyone else. There are so many
reasons to get your child a smart device, from keeping in touch to helping with homework, but you
want to make sure they are safe. Technology can never, ever replace good parenting. But cell
phone parental controls can be useful aid to helping you learn about your child’s digital lifestyle and
teaching them to have a safe and healthy relationship with digital communications. How can you
assist? See below 
Finding your child and their device : We know your child has promised, hand on heart, to look after
their smartphone and tablet. But accidents happen, and you can use cell phone parental controls to
locate a missing device and even get the device to send you its up-to-the-minute current location.
You can also see where you child has recently roamed, and in the unfortunate event that they go
missing, track them down via their smart device.
Protect your child from dangerous people : Using the cell phone parental controls lets you monitor
and block undesirable contacts, and still allows them to have the smartphone or tablet of their
dreams - safely.
Key Features :






Locate your missing device and get current phone location
Block calling to/from specific contacts
Block third party browsers
Block calls and SMS at certain times
Lock device remotely
Delete data
Visit www.smexchange.eu/redir.html for more info and for 10% discount apply Voucher code:
smexchange
Page 41
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
jill@verdala.org or
jessicad@verdala.org.