Newsletter - March 2014 - Verdala International School

Fort Pembroke, Pembroke, PBK 1641, Malta
www.verdala.org vis@verdala.org +365 21375133
March 2014 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, Jesmond Navaro and Malcolm
Bonnici).
Inside this issue:

Head of School Communication

Elementary News

Middle School News

High School News

IB News

All School News

Board News

Staff Profiles

Announcements
Inside
this
issue
…….
Sports Day!
Thursday 27th March - Marsa
Sports Ground
Page 2
Head of School Communication
28 February 2014
Dear VIS Community,
It is my pleasure to update you on the many strategic initiatives being pursued by Verdala
International School.
1. Enrollment growth: As you may know, due to long waitlists for next year’s kindergarten and
grade 3, we have decided to add additional classes. Next year the elementary will have 2
kindergartens, 2 grade threes, 2 grade fours and 2 grade fives. To accommodate the
increased demand for space, grade five will move to the middle school, and we will move
high school classes which are in the middle school, to the Fort. This move will ultimately allow
us to significantly increase our enrollment and therefore our revenues.
2. Facilities improvements: This summer we will concentrate the majority of our capital
improvements on the Fort because it has the greatest needs. The main issue in the Fort is
obsolete wiring which has created very erratic power supply. We will put all electrical and
data cable underground and over the next two years new cable trunking in all classrooms
and office spaces will be installed. This two year project also includes fire alarms, public
address, CCTV and IT data.
We will create a new space in the Fort for our chemistry lab and move the high school IT lab
back to the Fort to increase student access to technology and to free up space in the Middle
School.
And last, we will renovate Fort student restrooms. The Parent Boosters will fund the cost of one
restroom project.
The cost of these projects, and other smaller projects, are included in the budget approved by
the Board of Directors on 24 February.
3. We continue to move forward with recommendations which resulted from our Middle States
Accreditation visit and report. In May, our Board of Directors will engage in a two day School
Governance training lead by Adele Hodgson from the European Council of International
Schools. In addition, the Board is developing a comprehensive handbook to guide this Board
and future Boards as they lead VIS.
4. Our curriculum development work also continues in earnest as our teachers align course
content from kindergarten through grade 12. Focus is on those transition times from
elementary school to middle school to IGCSE to IB. This is an enormous task and our teachers
are to be commended for their diligence in approaching this accreditation project.
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As usual, thank you for your support and for trusting us with the critical task of educating your
children.
Sincerely,
Mr Roy Crawford
Head of School
Elementary School News
Grade 1 Science
We have many keen scientists in Elementary, and
Grade 1 is no exception! This year they started a
new IPC topic called ‘It’s Shocking’, can you guess
what it’s about? That’s right! Electricity! Grade 1
students have been learning all about power,
electrical circuits and even different types of
electricity.
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Grade 2 Field Trip to St. James Cavalier
Today we went on a field trip. We went to
Valletta. The place where we went was called
St. James Cavalier. First we watched a movie
about Australia. Then we went downstairs to
make Didgeridoos. A Didgeridoo is an ancient
instrument. We had to glue brown paper on a
drain pipe. Then we painted the pipe and left
them to dry.
Afterwards we made
Lamingtons. We had to bring a chocolate
sponge cake and then I cut the sponge. We
then put chocolate sauce inside and put the
top of the cake back on. I cut it into small
pieces. We dipped the pieces in chocolate and
then in coconut. It was very messy! They were really yummy. The outing was fun and it was also Ms.
Generelli”s birthday!
By Matteo, Charlie, Thomas, Damaris
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Grade 3 – Catch the Drop
As part of their ‘On Tap’ IPC unit, Grade 3J and Grade
3D learnt all about the Water Cycle, the Water Crisis,
saving water and pollution.
They were fortunate
enough to have the Catch the Drop team from HSBC
Malta come in to talk to them about conserving water
on Malta. They learnt how little things like fixing a leaky
tap can actually save a huge amount of water that
could be used for other things.
Celebrating Writing
On Thursday 20th and Friday 21st February, 2014, the Elementary Section held their first Celebrating
Writing Event. This event was an extravaganza of words and writing across all grades from PreKindergarten 1 to Grade 5. Some of the activities that took place during the Celebrating Writing
Event were:
Cross-grade collaboration – reading to younger children,
helping with ‘Pre-writing’ in Pre-Kindergarten, sharing work
Mad-libs
Phonics
Creative Writing
Designing book covers and writing story blurbs
Caligraphy
Story elements games in the gym – mixed Grades K - 2
Mystery story writing in the gym – mixed Grades 3 - 5
Celebrating and sharing the production of the first ‘Elementary written book’
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As well as the exciting and inventive activites that
children took part in during the event, every child
also contributed to our own Verdala Fairytale Book.
This book features stories written collaboratively by
each class in Elementary with pictures, words and
ideas produced solely by the students and
gathered together into one volume. This book will
live in the Elementary Library for all to read and
enjoy. Well done Elementary student authors for
producing such a wonderful book that you can all
be proud of!
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Middle School News
Holocaust Memorial Day
Holocaust Memorial Day (27 January) is a commemoration day in several countries dedicated to
the remembrance of those who suffered in the Armenian Genocide, the Holocaust, under Nazi
Persecution, and in subsequent genocides in Cambodia, Rwanda, Bosnia and Darfur. It was first held
in January 2001 and every year since then Middle School students always assemble to discuss this
topic as part of our international mindedness.
Following a short presentation and discussion, some Grade 8
students led a paper origami session with the aim of folding
paper into a white dove.
Terra Madre Day
Terra Madre Day is an event organised by Slow Food
International. As an organisation, Slow Food promotes three
basic food-related principles: Good, Clean and Fair.
Sponsored by Slow Food Malta, and led by our Project Earth
team, a number of activities were organised to raise awareness
about healthy living and continue to raise environmental
awareness. The day was solid packed with activities. The events
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were brought to a close with a delicious pumpkin soup. Special thanks go to a number of parents
who have made all the preparations for this day to be a successful one.
Underwater Archaeology
Dr Timmy Gambin was the guest speaker for one of our career-oriented talks. This was attended by
the Grade 6 students whose interest and enthusiasm turned this into a worthwhile exercise. Dr
Gambin managed to talk about his profession and felt comfortable speaking to a group of students
who have actually experienced scuba diving. The presentation included a lot of information about
other professionals involved in underwater archaeology: computer programmers, chemists, restorers,
engineers and a handful of other field experts. The event was also significant because it catered
specifically to the IMYC Big Idea of “Consequences”.
Computer Club
The computer club has now been launched, and meets on Monday evenings after school. It is early
days so we don’t yet have an established format for meetings, but some strands are already
emerging, including: coding, website development, animation and robotics. One student is already
working hard at designing the club website.
MITA Robotics Challenge
A team from Grade7 attended the MITA Robotics Challenge in Kalkara earlier this month. From a
standing start, and with no prior experience, they soon got to grips with the software and had the
robot running around the table – although they had to be alert as it sometimes seemed to want to
jump off!
By the end of the morning’s activities, Alana, Gabriela and Tomer had the robot running to their
commands, negotiating around an obstacle course with great precision.
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Programming the robot was a true team effort.
Grade 7 Visit to MITA Data Centre
The robot tried to escape from the table!
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Grade 7 visited the MITA Data Centre where they were asked to produce an animated story for a
very demanding ‘client’. While they worked from the design brief they were challenged by one or
two unexpected changes – before finally demonstrating their work to the client, and each other.
MITA’s Karen Hautala-Hili, who led the workshop, helped the class see the fun side of the challenge in
spite of the pressure.
Safer Internet Day
The whole of Middle School marked Safer Internet Day (officially February 11 th) this year. Following on
from classroom sessions on careful internet browsing, Grade 8 performed a series of short skits,
dramatically bringing attention to some of the problems that can arise if the internet is used without
reasonable care. Grade 6A then provided their own interpretation, loosely based on Dickens’ ‘A
Christmas Carol’. Scrooge was brought well and truly into the digital age!
There’s an App for that!
Grade 6 had a taste of modern programming when Sasha Lijescik presented a talk on what goes into
the development of apps for smart phones. Thanks to Maya for introducing her father to us.
Sasha Lijecik explaining smartphone
apps to Grade 6A.
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IMYC news
Back in December, our Grade 6 students put together a very special fashion show as an exit point for
the unit Adaptability.
The Big Idea was:
Adaptability is demonstrated by the ability to change, alter or cope with new environments or
circumstances.
Under the supervision of Ms Generelli, students explored what adaptability means when applied to
works of art. Working only with newspapers, the students created wearable pieces of art making the
most out of their material.
To showcase their final piece in the
fashion show they chose a piece of
music that expressed their theme
and wore their creation on the
runway.
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The topic we are currently exploring is Creativity:
The Big Idea is:
Very few actions are neutral. Most actions create impact or change that then has to be dealt
with.
The Entry point consisted of 5 challenges which students had to complete in groups. Before getting to
know what each challenge was about, there were asked to make a choice between three tools:
some tools were the right ones for the challenges, other tools could be used to complete the
challenges but they were cumbersome to use, and other tools were either very difficult to use or
completely useless for the challenges.
Challenge: Blowing cotton balls
into a small container
Right tool for the challenge!
Wrong tool for the challenge
(but with persistence they still managed!)
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Through these activities, students got first-hand experience of the consequences of making blind
choices. A reflection exercise followed where students discussed with each other the meaning of
terms such as choices, decisions, expectations, perceptions, experience, team work and, of
course, consequences.
Our next topic is Creativity. On the 14th March, Grade 6 students, parents and teachers will be
participating in workshop where we will all learn a creative skill. The nature of the skill is a well-kept
secret that will only be revealed on the day itself. More details will follow in the next newsletter.
Ms Ana Acevedo Nistal
Spanish Teacher / IMYC Coordinator
Our Maltese Experience
On February 7th 2014, our Grade 6 Maltese class went to “Ta’ Guza” in Pembroke, which is a
traditional Maltese cafeteria where many locals go to have breakfast and buy their lunch. Once we
got there we went up to the counter and ordered what we wanted in Maltese. We had prepared
flash cards during our previous lesson to remind us what we need to say. We both decided to have a
“ftira” but we did not choose the same filling. Our teacher ordered tea. The tea was served in a
transparent cup as this is the traditional Maltese way of having tea. It was a fun experience and we
certainly learnt Maltese from it, in a fun way!!
Sam BugejaBlanshard & Elyssa German
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High School News
Grade 10 Geography MET office Field Trip
On the 15th of January, our Geography class went on a field trip to the MET office at the Malta
International Airport. We were welcomed by a forecaster who works for the MET office. He took us on
the roof of their building and there we were able to see the various instruments that they use. We
have recently been studying these instruments in our Geography class and it was interesting for us to
see how these are used by the local MET office. We then visited the inside of the building, where the
forecasters use numerous monitors and computers to be able to determine the weather. These
monitors show the readings of the various instruments and also satellite images. We also got to know
that the local MET office is mostly focused on giving continuous weather updates to the airport and
marine control rooms. Before we left, we had the opportunity to see their collection of very old
instruments that were used in the past. This was a really interesting trip and it helped us understand
even further the various instruments used to forecast the weather, how readings are taken and how
technology has changed weather forecasting.
We would like to thank Ms Farrugia and Mrs Geraghty for organizing this trip.
Ocean Visser & Charlotte Vondy
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“Disconnected” Quotes from Grade 11B
Grade 11 IBDP English B (English as an additional language) has been studying
issues arising from social relationships and technology. In addition to listening to
TED Talks and reading current articles on the topic, the class agreed to see how it
felt to go 12 hours without access to their electronic devices. I have to admit that
the class’ gracious compliance was a bit of a surprise to me. Their reflections on
the experience were amusing and heart -warming. I conclude that this group is
truly challenged by the choices, as digital natives, that digital devices provide to
edit, delete and disconnect at will. Moreover, the students expressed concern about the social
acceptance of doing so. As our relationship with technology grows faster than can be described, I
thought you might enjoy current VIS student takes on this. When asked, the English B students agreed
to share some of their reactions to our little experiment with the VIS community:
“To be half a day without any connection with the society wasn’t as bad as I thought. I read an
entire book and I didn’t know I was able to do that.” – Riccardo Armeni
“Unfortunately I tried to stay 12 hours without using any kind of technological enhancement and
results were disastrous because like everybody my age, I need to use some electronic tool.” – Mario
Bruni
(After accidently losing her phone): “So now I feel really bad, lost and lonely. I have realized that it is
truly my best friend and I miss it even more than I miss my friends.” – Lidiya Murakhovs’ka
[the 12 hours] “They have been the ugliest hours of my life. My brain was thinking so many things, but
unfortunately, they were all about technology. I wanted to check my Facebook status, play on my
Iphone, spend some of my time seeing some stupid video on Youtube.” – Francesco Marra
“I confess that I cannot live without technology, but I understand that there are other things to do
besides this.” – Daria Burdina
“I always preferred, and will always prefer to communicate with people face to face.” – Anna Koval
“Although I do not particularly like technology, I think I have to accept that it is a vital part of our
everyday life nowadays.” - Patricia de Catalina
“It is relaxing to not constantly have to talk to people, though when I came back from that holiday, I
did miss a lot.” – Laura Peters
“Smartphones are made to help us but they only help our life to be faster and faster, because you
have tools to make things easier you finally end up with more to do and less time for you. In this way,
the social networks give you the feeling that you have friends and social relationships with them but
finally we are all isolated.” – Alys Boranian
“When I have it [an electronic device] I spend most of my time just holding it in my hand and
checking Facebook sometimes…It is really strange, but you feel more self-confident just holding it in
your hand or knowing you can use it freely.” – Suzanna Karapetyan
Jill Vincent - HS English
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IB News
Parents/Guardians of 11th Grade Students:
Here are G11 deadlines for the months March - May
2014
March
A1 ST LITE – Final Official Draft for comments from teacher
Topic for the EE decided
Candidates have met individually with librarian or made appointments to meet for
resource assistance
Preliminary research done and Title chosen for EE
April
English A Literature in Translation essay (LITE) – Topic and plan
English L & L – Rough draft of WT2 for HL candidates handed in
A1 ST – Part IV Presentations I.O.P.
Business & Management (BMP) – Contact a Business and think about topic.
CS-IA – Outline of application due
Math Standard Level & Higher Level Explorations (MEx) – Decide on topic for the project
Mathematics Studies – Initial discussions on project (MSP)
EE – Outline plan submitted
University Application Personal Statement (PS) – First draft to college counselor
May
English A LITE – First ‘rough’ draft with quotes and references
Eng L & L WT2 – Final draft due (HL candidates)
Sciences – Start Group 4 Project
CS-IA – First draft of documentation due
BMP – three possible titles and permission from Business (mid-May)
History Essay (HE) – Rough draft due
MSP – Decide on topic for the project
EE – First “skeleton” version due
PS – Second draft due for Counselor
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**There will be an opportunity for IB 12th Grade students to do mock exam papers in mathematics at
school on Saturday, 5th April. This is voluntary but highly recommended.**
For parents and guardians of 12th Grade students, here are the remaining deadlines for 2014.
March
French, Italian, Spanish orals and oral examinations
English B Orals
CSD – Final deadline for Dossier
Theatre – Final RI
Mathematics SL – Final IA mid-March
Visual arts – Booklets and Workbooks
TOK
Final draft of essay due early March
CAS
Final deadline (150 hours completed)
April : Visual Arts – Send works & Exhibition
May : Written examinations begin first week in May
Exam timetable and further information on examinations released late March.
Mr Simpson
IB Coordinator
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All School News
COMENUIS PROJECT – PART V – TURKEY
“Seeing and Making Visible”
Dear Parents and Students,
The two year Comenius Project is coming to an end this
June. Our final trip will be to Adana, Turkey and it is promising
to be an exciting experience for the participants!
Greeting from Turkey!
Anneke De Tar, Olivia Cooper and Carla Esposito Lavina
from eighth grade; and Alexander Meyer Stroeborg, Dean
Bartolo and Anna Petrenko from ninth grade will be
representing Verdala International School for our final
Comenius project trip abroad. The Verdala group will be
travelling to Adana on Saturday the 29th March and
returning on the 5th April.
The “Seeing and Making Visible” theme will continue with a
study on the origins of Mosaics. The Students will be doing research about the history of mosaics; if
and when mosaics were introduced here in Malta and also the Art of Turkish Islamic Marbling. They
will then draw a simple icon or figure representing Malta in preparation for Mosaic workshops. Below
are some photos of students in Adana working on
Mosaics to give you an example of the
techniques used to create these beautiful pieces.
On the second day of the project, the Comenius groups will visit the Zeugma Museum which is the
biggest mosaic museum in the world and covers an area of 30,000 square meters. According to the
museum’s website, its collection includes: mosaics originating from the Roman and Late Antique
Periods, frescoes, Roman fountains, columns, limestone sculptures, the bronze statue of Mars, grave
steles, sarcophagi and architectural pieces belonging to the collection of the Zeugma Mosaic
Museum which have been restored and put on display.
You can find more information about the Zeugma museum on the following website:
http://www.muze.gov.tr/gaziantep-en
The students, as groups, will choose and prepare a short performance based on a mosaic theme
from the Zeugma Museum. Creative and historic activities will also be provided by our Adana
partners at their school campus.
Our final day in Adana will be spent at historic Cappadocia. It is well known for its underground
cities, natural pinnacles, rock churches and fairy chimneys. You can find more detailed information
on
the
following
websites
http://www.cappadociaturkey.net/ http://www.cappadociaexclusive.com/history.html
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Thank you for your constant commitment and support.
Please don’t hesitate to contact us if you have any questions.
The Verdala Comenius Team
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VIS Swim Team Prominent at National Time Trials
Our squad made a stronger showing than ever at Malta’s most
recent National Time Trials. An impressive haul of PBs (‘personal
bests’) was matched only by the number of new competitive
swimmers and overshadowed by the tremendous team spirit
proudly observed by their coach, Ms. Galya.
On Saturday, 8th February, competitors from the VIS Swim Team
participated in the Aquatic Sports Association of Malta’s
Swimming Meeting at the National Pool Complex. Swimmers
take part on behalf of their team (VIS is the only school side, the
others are association sports clubs such as Neptunes WPSC or
Sirens ASC), to have their official time recorded under
internationally recognised race conditions. Swimmers are not
only able to measure their and their team’s progress against
previous personal bests, but can become eligible to compete in
FINA recognised events at home and abroad. Last year, VIS Swim Team represented Malta at the
ORCA Cup in Slovakia. This year, VIS Swim Team is planning to be part of the 19 th Easter Swimming
Competition at Celje, Slovenia.
Here was the VIS Swim Team line-up:
Event
Women’s
Freestyle
Athlete
50m Paula Eckermann*, Beatrix Ambery, Maya Lijeskic Ancilleri*
Men’s 50m Freestyle
Women’s
Breastroke
100m Beatrix Ambery, Paula Eckermann*
Men’s 50m Backstroke
Women’s
Breastroke
Victoria Montfortova, Vitaly Maleev
Liam Keys*, Vitaly Maleev, Jason Robbertze
50m Molly Butler*, Maya Lijeskic Ancilleri*, Paula Eckermann*,
Beatrix Ambery
Men’s 50m Breastroke
Victoria Montfortova, Jakob Szephalmi*, Vitaly Maleev
Men’s 100m Freestyle
Liam Keys*
A crowd of VIS Swim Team mums and dads, siblings, friends and pets massed in the East Stand to
provide (at times deafening) support to Miss Galya’s protégés. And our swimmers didn’t disappoint
in any department: Pre-match nerves haunt every competitor – they fuel the adrenaline needed to
win, but competing on a stage this size can be overwhelming for some. Not for a new member of
the Verdala team though, as old hands Vitaly and Beatrix will welcome you to just another day at the
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office. After the event, Miss Galya said: “Competitors at events like this can easily draw into
themselves – not think about others and maybe even niggle them. Our guys were something special
today: they supported and encouraged each other, especially the newbies and it lifted the whole
team’s performance.”
Teamwork aside, special mention should go to Paula Eckermann on her debut outing, not only
winning her heat in the 50m Breastroke, but going sub 50 seconds. Neither did competing with
powerfully built 16 and 19 year old swimmers in the
100m Breastroke intimidate both her and Beatrix out
of PBs in that event. The Verdala rabble cheered
on PBs from Jason in the 50m Backstroke after a
lengthy absence. Last but not least, Liam should be
applauded for an heroic performance in a long
and lonely 100m after Inspire and SW Elite no-shows
left him to compete on his own.
All eyes on Celje now – they can’t know what’s
about to hit them.
Richard Ambery
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VIS Baseball
Well done to the Verdala Baseball Team for sweeping the tournament
and coming out undefeated. Your training really paid off. On
Saturday 22nd February the Verdala Baseball Team played against
Marsa and Stella Maris College. Team Verdala won both games.
Scores were as follows:
Verdala vs Marsa 7 - 1
Verdala vs Stella Maris College 6 - 2
On Sunday 9th March they played against Redcoats Baseball and
Ghajnsielem winning both games again with the following scores:
Verdala vs Redcoats Baseball 15 - 10
Verdala vs Ghajnsielem 12 – 11
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MS and HS Honours Lists - Scholastic Year 2013-2014
Honours and High Honours - Second Quarter - Middle School
Grade 6
Beatrix Ambery (HH)
Nicole Binder (HH)
Sam Bugeja-Blanshard
Maggie Cao (HH)
Lisa Drewsen (HH)
Paula Eckermann (HH)
Elyssa German (HH)
Callie Hock (HH)
Maya Lijeskic Ancilleri (HH)
Desmond Martin
Stella Moazed (HH)
Amra Ryazapova
Grade 7
Mindy Alfvegren(HH)
Alana Clements(HH)
Giorgio Gatti
Paula Von Jagow (HH)
Grade 8
Hannah Brown (HH)
Olivia Cooper (HH)
Carla Esposito Lavina
Felix Hackenbruch
Hunter Shi (HH)
Carl Sundelius (HH)
Leyan Zhai
Honours and High Honours - Second Quarter - High School
Grade 9 Second Quarter
Charlotte Ambery (HH)
Dean Bartolo
Heidi Cao (HH)
Cristina Gatti
Abdel Moneim Mawi
Alexander Meyer Stroborg
Ita Nudelman
Varun Pathak (HH)
David Salge (HH)
Moritz Rebers
First Semester
Heidi Cao (HH)
Abdel Moneim Mawi
David Salge (HH)
Moritz Rebers
Alexander Meyer Stroborg
Grade 10 Second Quarter
First Semester
Glory Carrascal
Yanic Dobler
Dijana Josifovic
Miguel Martins
Giulia Palmieri
Tereza Petrovicova (HH)
Kim Sundelius
Tristyn Torriani
Pauline Verges (HH)
Oceane Visser (HH)
Johanna Benndorf
Yanic Dobler
Dijana Josifovic
Miguel Martins
Giulia Plamieri
Tereza Petrovicova (HH)
Kim Sundelius
Pauline Verges
Oceane Visser
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Grade 11 Second Quarter
First Semester
Patricia De Catalina Flores
Sophie Hackenbruch
Anna Koval
Lidiya Murakhovs’ka (HH)
Elizabeth O’Donnell
Laura Peters
Victoria West
Steven Xu
Sophie Hackenbruch
Lidiya Murakhovs’ka
Grade 12 Second Quarter
First Semester
Corinne Graham
Domiziana Lagana’
Xiaoyu Lou (HH)
Maria Paola Micallef (HH)
James Rulli
Hannah Veltrup
Zuzanna Zajac
Xiaoyu Lou (HH)
Maria Paola Micallef (HH)
Valerio Pelliciari (HH)
James Rulli
Hannah Veltrup
Zuzanna Zajac
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ART NEWS
Kindergarten Art class attends Art Tricks Workshop at St James Cavalier Center for Creativity
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Grade 2 Art makes didgeridoos and lemingtons at St James Cavalier
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Grade 3 Art creating our Galaxy and making pots at Alka Ceramics in Ta'Qali
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Grade 5 Art visits artist Luciano Micallef at his studio
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Grade 6 Art dazzles with newspaper fashion show
Grade 6 Art trip to US Embassy Permanent Art Collection
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Board News
Between the last Newsletter and the deadline for the upcoming one, the Board met once.
Several policies were amended (all details are available in the published Board minutes):



Admission Requirements and Placement of Students
Terms of Reference for Board Committees
Withdrawal from school policy- the latter after considering the feedback from parents
regarding the previously revised policy
The Board supported the HoS's decision, backed by the Elementary Principal as well as the Finance
and Facilities' Sub-Committees, to add a second Kindergarten and a second Grade three class
beginning Sept. 2014, given the current large waiting lists for those grades and the fact that there
would be no need for any additional structural work to accommodate the additional classes. This is in
line with a strategic decision taken at Board level, to create gradually in the near future two classes
per grade in Elementary (K-5).
As part of the Accreditation requirements, the Governance Subcommittee presented a preliminary
report on the training options available to the Board and recommended a dual approach: a Board
training manual – provisional draft already written- and a local CIS (Council for International Schools)
facilitated training for all Board members- to take place this year on May 2-3rd.
The election process was discussed and the need for an updated coherent policy was addressed.
It was decided that the HoS together with the Board Chairman would present a draft of the
proposed policy at the next Board meeting.
In the meantime, in view of the upcoming elections, it was decided to increase the upper limit of the
word count of the individual Candidate's statement to 1000 words.
The Agenda for the upcoming AGM was discussed and a maximum 6 minutes limit for individual
presentations was advised.
For the Board of Directors,
Monica Binder
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Staff Profiles
An Elementary edition of new Staff Profiles this time around! Watch out Middle and High School –
we’re coming for you!
I have just moved back to Malta having lived here as a child. I have been
teaching for 21 years now, I taught in two schools in the U.K. and then in
one of the largest schools in Cairo, Egypt. I come from Great Britain but
have been lucky enough to live in several different countries during my life.
I had quite a few different jobs before becoming a teacher. In my spare
time I like to do a variety of things including reading, scuba diving, cooking,
singing, gardening and riding my motorbike.
Ms Dorothy Sinson
Grade 3 Teacher
Hi, I'm Victoria. I'm originally from New Jersey, but I've also lived in New York,
Philadelphia, and Washington D.C. With a degree in Early Childhood
Education and Elementary Education, I've previously taught PreKindergarten, 1st Grade, and 4th Grade. Fourth Grade is my favorite grade
to teach. I'm happy to be working at Verdala International School and think
we will have a great year. In my spare time - I like to visit museums, work out,
and I hope to check out more of Malta.
Ms Victoria Matkowski
Grade 4 Teacher
My name is Anna Dalton and have recently moved to Malta from the UK. I
completed my Psychology Degree at the University of Portsmouth followed
by a PGCE from the University of Brighton. In my spare time I enjoy
travelling, yoga and keeping active. I have been teaching for 6 years and
this year will be teaching Grade 4 which I am very excited about!
Ms Anna Dalton
Grade 4 Teacher
Page 34
Miscellaneous Announcements
Boarder Student Photos!
Page 35
Page 36
Bottle Cap Campaign
We’ve already collected 15 bags of bottle caps for the Plastic Bottle Cap
campaign. This is part of the Istrina Fund Raising activities organised by the
President of Malta (http://www.l-istrina.org/category/news/). The plastic
bottle caps are exchanged for money and donated to buy wheelchairs.
Well done and keep collecting those caps! The teacher in charge is Ms.
Cassar George in High School. Please collect your caps and give them to
your homeroom teacher.
VOLLEYBALL!!
AFTER SCHOOL ON
FRIDAYS
ATTENTION LADIES!
3:30-5:00
For experienced
players – High School
Students & Adults
Are you looking for some Harmony
in your lives? Small a cappella
ladies choir (Sweet Adelines)
looking for new members!
Rehearsals on Thursday evenings.
Contact Jill for more information:
jill@verdala.org
Experienced and qualified
teacher available for tutoring or
teaching French and ESL. Should
you require any assistance,
please call home phone: 2784
5603 or mobile: 7987 1026
Page 37
GRAND REUNION
FOR
EX-ALUMNI AND STAFF
(from 1976-2014)
OF THE
VERDALA INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL
***
Programme: 3-day-Event
Friday, 20th June 2014 - The Lido, Qui-Si-Sana
********
Saturday, 21st June 2014 morning - Visit at school
Saturday, 21st June 2014 evening - Gala Night
*********
Sunday, 22nd June 2014 – Hera Boat Trip
*********
Event Organisers
Liz Camilleri
Elvira Petroni
Gabriella Arcidiacono
Keep up-to-date on our Facebook page “Verdala Reunion 2014”
and Verdala School website under Verdala Reunion 2014/or via Myschool
Page 38
Itinerary
We’re very excited to finally unveil the grand reunion itinerary!
A weekend programme on our beautiful island has been tailored to fill you and your
family/partner/pet with laughter and everlasting memories, further hyped by professional
photography and plenty of surprises, to make this once-in-a-lifetime grand school reunion, truly as
GRAND as can be!
Friday afternoon (20th June 2014): Kick-off! The “ice-breaker” event will be held at the popular Lido
in Sliema and is the ideal relaxed atmosphere for this first day that will leave everyone in smiles! A
private function catered exclusively for us only from 5pm onwards, enjoying a BBQ buffet that
includes 2 drink tokens for adults, free flowing water and fresh fruit. The cost is €25 for adults and
€15 for children 6-11. Children under 6 eat free at this venue.
Saturday morning (21st June 2014): A nostalgic morning visit to Fort Pembroke and the surrounding
school. See how your old school has changed, re-live childhood memories (or nightmares) and meet
the new headmaster as well as teachers “old and new”! There will be a few special surprises and
activities on the day… Can anyone guess what?? Food and refreshments will also be available.
Saturday evening (21st June 2014): The Grand Gala Night! This will be the main event that we hope
ALL of you will attend! Tables will be set up according to years so that you will be surrounded with
your classmates and teachers.
The formal dress code has been themed the Verdala logo colours, that’s ‘Black, Red & White Night’
in case you had forgotten. The venue will very much depend on how quickly you can pay and
confirm your (and any partner/family’s) attendance, as all venues require a minimum deposit and
this date is smack in the middle of wedding season in Malta! We have a grand venue indeed
currently on hold but without a deposit this venue is not secured so we urge you to book ASAP in
order to help us out. The event will start at 7.00pm and continue till late with lots of entertainment
on stage as well as dancing. The cost of this evening with 3-course dinner including half bottle wine
and water is €45 for adults and children 12 years and above (soft drinks instead of wine). Children
11 and under will have a special kids menu with 3 courses too, including drinks and shakes, all for
€20. And no, before you ask, adults cannot order from the kiddies menu!!
Sunday late afternoon (22nd June 2014): A boat trip aboard the Hera gullet will round off this
reunion in a chilled manner, taking us to the beautiful Blue Lagoon in Comino just in time for sunset
swimming, all accompanied to the reggae beats of the DJ. Maximum 195 person capacity means
first come, first served basis. Book fast! Leaving Sliema strand at 5.30pm and returning at 11pm, a
buffet meal is served on-board at ca. 7.00pm. Prices including the buffet are €40 per adult and €25
for children between 6- 11. Children under 6 are free. Cash-bar basis for all.
Page 39
Grand Reunion
Verdala International School
BOOKING FORM
Confirmation date by Friday 2nd May 2014
Send this completed form once you have effected payment to:
gabriella.arcidiacono@gmail.com
I, …………………………………., with email address ………………………………….., left/graduated (please
delete one) from Verdala year ………….., would like to attend the following events:
Names of guests (please give full name and ages of any children):
1_________________________________
4___________________________________
2_________________________________
5___________________________________
3_________________________________
6___________________________________
BBQ Friday 20th June 2014: Nr of adults …….. x @ €25 each = total €………….
BBQ Friday 20th June 2014: Nr of children 6-11 …….. x @ €15 each = total €………….
Gala Night Saturday 21st June 2014: Nr of adults …….. x @ €45 each = total €…………..
Gala Night Saturday 21st June 2014: Nr of children 0-11 ….. x @ €20 each = total €………
Boat Trip Sunday, 22nd June 2014: Nr of adults ………. x @ €40 each = total €…………..
Boat Trip Sunday 22nd June 2014: Nr of children 6-11 x @ €25 each €…………..
GRAND TOTAL €___________
*For any Special Dietary considerations please contact us directly on lizaclass@gmail.com to
arrange.
PAYMENT DETAILS ON THE FOLLOWING PAGES
Page 40
I have sent my payment by:
Bank Transfer or PayPal (underline which method)
_____________________________________________________________________
Sending your payment via Bank Transfer
Name:
Arcidiacono Gabriella
Bankers:
Bank of Valletta
Account no.:
40021829084 (reunion committee joint account!)
BIC/SWIFT: VALLMTMT
IBAN:
MT27 VALL 2201 3000 0000 4002 1829 084
Bank address:
Bank of Valletta plc, Preluna Towers, Tower Road, Sliema, SLM 1605
MALTA
Sender! Be sure that you “pay all charges” so that we receive the full amount that is
required from you. Also be sure to state the head name of this booking form in the
transaction details.
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
Sending your payment using PayPal
 Log into your PayPal account (or create a new one – free!)
 Click tab: Send Payment… will look like this:
Page 41





Continued…
To email: gabriella.arcidiacono@gmail.com
Amount: You must add 5% EXTRA to the amount you had to transfer, which covers
the PayPal charges that are automatically deducted from the amount that the
receiver obtains. So this means if your total reunion costs were € 75 (for example),
you must add 5% extra (€ 3.75) and make a transfer of €78.75 and not € 75,
otherwise the receiver will only get € 71.25. We will have to refuse payment and
send back to sender if this hasn’t been done.
What are you sending money for? – choose “I’m paying for goods or services”.
After you’ve pressed continue the next page will ask you to confirm the amount by
clicking on “send money” (monies will automatically be drawn from the credit card
that you’ve linked your PayPal account to).
In the message box to receiver please state the head name of this booking form.
_____________________________________________________________________
For any questions regarding payment kindly contact: gabriella.arcidiacono@gmail.com
Happy booking folks!
Looking forward to seeing you all in just THREE
EIGHT months time!!!