The ISD Parent Update is emailed to the ISD Community once a month. The Parent Update contains a collection of stories from the various classes and departments within the school. Enjoy the read!
Dear parents,
We are coming to the close of 2022!
We look back on a very successful first half of the school year. Primary has successfully passed their IB evaluation which extends the IB world school accreditation for the next 5 years. We are very proud to continue with our PYP program and provide meaningful, skills-focused, transdisciplinary learning activities for our diverse, international community. We are very happy to inform you more about the development of our program in the first quarter of 2023.
At Secondary the authorization process for the IB Diploma programme is in full swing. With the consultation visit coming up beginning of January staff have been working hard on completing the necessary steps for full implementation of the IB DP programme in 2023. At the same time our MYP programme has fully been developed this school year with a focus on personal projects, great efforts in community and service and an expanding careers programme and well-developed media resource center. We hope to inform you in the first quarter of 2023 of the expansion and development of the facilities at ISD Secondary in preparation for the school year 2023-2024 and thereafter.
The past 4 months have been filled with lots of wonderful activities in the last few months. In this newsletter you can read all about Sinterklaas, Christmas, Rijksmuseum trip from PYP 7 and our new library chill time. Other activities have been the Art trip for MYP 1 to the Teylers museum, Little Victorians play with Phileas Fogg for MYP 2, the wonderful and well attended Winterconcert! We are looking forward to exciting activities in the new year.
Going into the Christmas holiday we want to thank all parents and volunteers who helped us in various ways in the school. Parent volunteers for cycling, the library volunteers, Parent Committee, Division Council members. But also, everyone who helped with trips, class and school activities. We are grateful for so much parent engagement. We are looking forward to collaborating again in 2023!
We want to wish you a wonderful holiday and see you back in school on Tuesday 10 January 2023!
Winter break including staff inset day on 9 January
10 January
Students back in school
ISD Secondary
24 December - 9 Jan
Winter break including staff inset day on 9 January
10 January 2023
Students back in school
19 January 2023
Careers Fair MYP 4/5
Up close with 'The Night Watch'
Contribution by Mr Joel Auer
To broaden our learning and make a deeper connection to our units, PYP7 visited the Rijksmuseum. The Rijksmuseum is a world-renowned museum and offers a variety of stunning exhibitions. Our professionally led tour was engaging and interactive for the students and related well to our past civilisations and art units.
Our students were very inquisitive, engaged, well-behaved, and represented our school well.
Primary Library: Cheer & Chill
While some students made the most of the icy day by making sleds at the playground, others joined our first Thursday Library Chill session - a new tradition we started on 15th December. Once a week, PYP 4, 5, 6 and 7 students can decide to come to the library instead of going outside in their lunch playtime. We can only host 20 students in each 30-minute sessions, so the children will take turns joining us in the coming months. The first session was a big success, and the kids enjoyed their relaxing, quiet time inside: they did arts and crafts, read books or wrote stories. We loved the calm vibe of the session and we are already looking forward to the next one.
Ms. Judit and Ms. Renu
Winter mind blowing science experiments
Contribution by Ms Gabriella Angelin Teixeira
Do you wanna build a snowman? In the science lab, MYP1 students have conducted two fun winter science experiments.
The first controlled experiment resulted in the growth of sugar crystals. In this experiment, sugar and hot water are stirred together to form a solution. When the solution cools, crystals are formed.
In the second experiment Miss Angelin got students some diapers of her baby after she found out that fake snow is made from the same material found inside of diapers! The polymer sodium polyacrylate inside of the diapers expands when it gets wet. In this way, fake snow can be made. This is an example of a physical process because the polymer atoms are not chemically modified during the absorption.
Eco Team lunch with professor
Contribution by Lili Glockler
Andy van den Dobbelsteen, professor at the faculty of architecture and coordinator of sustainability at TU Delft joined the ISD eco team for lunch and we shared our thoughts and projects about sustainability at the International School of Delft and TU Delft. We look forward to sharing more projects together in 2023!
If you would like to watch the interview you can follow this link:
On December 5th, our school had a visit from Sinterklaas! We had spent a lot of time preparing for this special occasion. The Pieten were prancing along and making everybody laugh, the school was decorated beautifully, awesome activities brought out our creativity, and we even practiced our Sint songs to welcome him! In the morning, all the kids were buzzing with excitement to meet Sint, and in the afternoon, kruidnoten were flying everywhere! The Sint visited each class and we enjoyed his lovely poetry, our presents and he loved our songs we sang for him. It is a tradition that we all enjoy. Thanks Sint Nicolaas for visiting us!
Sinterklaas at Secondary
Contribution by Ms Joline Cramer
The first week of December in the Netherlands is all about ‘De goedheiligman' aka Sinterklaas. On 5 December, this old bishop from Spain celebrates his birthday. Together with his horse 'Ozosnel' (‘Oh so fast’), he visits all the children in the night and gives them presents.
At ISD we celebrated this very Dutch tradition during Dutch class. The students had to pick a random name from one of the other students from a basket. The paper explained some personal interests of this student. They then created a 'surprise'. This is a funny crafty item which represents the person they picked.
And how surprised we were on Monday morning to see this table full of beautiful artworks:
What an effort the students had made! Accompanied by a bowl of ‘pepernoten’, a digital fireplace and ‘Sinterklaas songs’, the party began. One by one, the children unwrapped their surprises. And that produced a lot of happy faces:
Student contribution - Dutch Cultural Tradition: Sinterklaas
Contribution by Renato Moreno - student MYP 4
Sinterklaas is a typical Dutch tradition and/or holiday that is celebrated in the winter, specifically December 5th, which is when Sinterklaas himself arrives in the Netherlands. Sinterklaas is in the centre of Dutch culture and it is very important to the Dutch people. Sinterklaas, for me, is quite new, considering this year has been my first ever Sinterklaas celebration, but nonetheless, I think Sinterklaas is a holiday that brings friends and family together at the same, joyous time everyone loves. All of the excitement that comes with Sinterklaas arriving is all very exciting and nice for someone to experience at least once in their life. During the celebration I was a part of this year I thought the gift exchange was a nice touch that I hadn’t done before even outside the Netherlands. Each person picked out a name randomly from a box and you had to make a creative surprise that connects to the person you picked. I found this quite fun and interesting. In the celebration we had in class when someone gave you your gift, you would then put yours in the middle and the person you picked would pick up their gift, from you, and on and on until everyone got their gift. There was also pepernoten and little sweets and some fruits to snack on during the celebration. Everyone seemed happy.
Parent Coffee Morning- Primary
Contribution by Ms Sandip Jagdev
ISD coffee mornings are an essential part of ISD. It gives us all a chance to connect and talk about things that are important to us.
At the last parent coffee morning we introduced the EAL team. The EAL team shared a little about what they do and how we celebrate multilingualism around the school. Ms Irene talked about the importance of speaking in our home languages to our children as well as about reading and talking about reading in our home languages. Even if reading with your child in English, ask questions in your home language about the book. Try to maintain speaking in your home language even when your child will reply in another.
Ms. Judit and Renu shared information about all the things they do at school including how they support the classes around the school in the classes and small groups during sessions such as guided reading. They also organise library sessions with the help of our parent volunteers. If you are interested in helping in the library or would like more information about this, please contact us.
We are always looking for parents to help with events at primary school.
We would love your input of what you would like to see/ hear about during coffee mornings. If you have any suggestions, please let us know. Ideas for workshops and parent meetings are always welcome.
Winter Concert
Contribution by Ms Federica Grassulo
On 19 December ISD had its first Winter Concert Ever! What an honor to have the opportunity to organize that with the students. MYP 1-2-3 classes and some MYP4/5 students worked really hard in the past 4 weeks, and I was amazed about the final result. In addition to the 6 class performances, we had the band, the choir, and some classical ensembles too. We had on stage a 6 hands piano piece, a duet, a flute trio, and some solo performers! So many talents in the school! After so much work, seeing the students on stage enjoying the performance with happy and proud faces was the best gift they could give to the big audience we had. So much dedication from every member of each ensemble is summed up so beautifully in the concert. Well done students!
One of the highlights of our school year at ISD primary is celebrating the Christmas/Winter Holidays.
We kicked off our week-long celebrations on Monday, as we welcomed Ms. Anne back for her puppet show. On 20th December 2022 the primary School had their Christmas dinner! It was an amazing event filled with fun, food and laughter. The children dressed up in their festive best and brought in plates of food to share with their classmates during our class dinner.The classes were decorated and ready for children to enjoy the feast. It was lovely to see the parents joining in the fun with drinks and snacks while the children had their dinner. Everyone enjoyed the chance to get together and we hope to make this a yearly event!
During our whole school assembly, some of our parents shared all about the different cultural celebrations during the winter holiday. Together with Ms. Ilein and the string ensemble we sang Christmas carols, and Santa also visited the school with a gift for each class.
We ended the week off with hot chocolate and watching Christmas movies in our pajamas.
MYP3B - Recycling Project
Contribution by Ms Claudine van Diemen
During mentor class 3B worked on a small project focussing on recycling. They researched how recycling works in the Netherlands and how they can reduce, reuse and recycle themselves. In class, they used their creativity and recycled materials to create costumes and art pieces.
The DofE International Award is a great chance for students to broaden their horizons, discover new interests and talents, have fun with friends, develop essential skills for their future and achieve an internationally renowned Award. Starting in January students will commit to physical recreation, service, and learning a (new) skill. Besides their own activities, there will be a number of training sessions in which the students work in small groups and plan for an overnight expedition. The expedition will take place in September and the students will plan their own walking route, prepare their own meals, and camp in tents.
We look forward to getting them ready for their expedition and promoting commitment and adventure amongst the students!
Gala dinner MYP 4 & 5
Yesterday evening we had our first-ever gala dinner for the MYP4 and MYP5 classes. Students, dressed in festive outfits, from gala dresses to onesies ;)), gathered at 6:30pm in the beautiful decorated Colijnlaan lounge which was converted to a candle lit dining room setting with space for over 70 students.
The evening started with a special X-mas mocktail drink, offered by school and continued with a lovely dinner. In the last weeks the students prepared the inventory for the food together with the class reps. There was a selection of all kinds of foods from around the world: from sushi, to Indian to lovely sweets and desserts.
It was a very nice evening and special way to end the last day of school. A new ISD tradition is born!
NEWSFLASHES FROM THE CLASSES
Mike Dessens – Xmas breakfast 3a
Friday morning the 16th, students of MYP3A got together to enjoy a home-made and festive Christmas breakfast. Everybody brought in something from traditional Indian, Panamanian, Polish, Scandinavian, French & British treats. Everyone enjoyed the food and the hot chocolate. We were also able to share it with many others. Students also signed Christmas cards for their classmates to take home and remember the fun times we have as class MYP3A. It was a great morning with a very high calorie and sugar count.
MYP2B Xmas breakfast - Ms Marine Okhrimenko
MYP2B, in mentor class had a Christmas party. The students took part in Secret Santa: they created a beautiful Christmas card for their classmate with end of year whishes, a joke or a riddle and a personal encouraging message. During the party, the students received their card and tried to guess who it was from. They also enjoyed some snacks and played a fun game as a big group. It was a fun and joyful party!
MYP5 The art of (E)Etiquette - Ms Nané Paraiso
Etiquette expert Mrs. Odilia de Ranitz (wife of former Ambassador to Ukraine, Indonesia, Vietnam and Russia) lectured our MYP5-students on some valuable life lessons.
The students learnt the art of courtesy, table manners, table setting, first impressions and appropriate (festive) clothing.
The lesson was just in time before the Christmas gala. Moreover, the lecture might be beneficial for future aspirations such as college, career and social relationships when they fully comprehend that form relates to content and therefore creates meaning.
MYP 2 Phileas Fogg Little Victorians
Contribution by Ms Evelyne Le Poole
Last Thursday all the MYP 2 students were stars in the “Little Victorians” performance in the Hofkerk just opposite the Secondary Campus.
They were directed by the Phileas Fogg Theatre Group, a UK-based group with fully trained actors who all have a wealth of experience of working with children.
Through their interactive shows, students are given a chance to gain real insight and appreciation of classic English literature, the Elizabethan period, and the works of William Shakespeare, Charles Dickens, and JM Barrie.
Our students went back to the Victorian Era in the show. In a playful way, this was an interesting History lesson for them. Performing on stage can help every single student to become more confident when presenting in front of a group and it can also boost their self-confidence.
The show was a nice team-building activity and a lot of fun. We saw big smiles on the students’ faces and the parents and mentors enjoyed seeing the students performing.
As an IB student, you sometimes have to step outside of your comfort zone, be a risktaker and try something new. All in all, it was a lovely evening. I think our students are all happy not to live in the Victorian era anymore😉
MYP 1 jumps into the life of David Hockney
Contribution by Ms Judith Gerritzen
Last week MYP 1 went to the exhibition of David Hockney at the Teylers Museum in Haarlem. Their current unit is about his life, and they will make a collaborative landscape within the ideas of Hockney's different perspective view.
The museum organized a lovely workshop in pairs and a guided tour through the museum. After this, the students sat down to sketch their favorite artwork. The museum was small and crowded, but I am proud of our students. They were respectful and engaged in each part of the field trip. I can not wait to see the result of their interpretation of his work at the end of this unit. Thanks to the voluntary moms who came along on this trip.
Nice to meet you - new staff members
ISD Secondary
My name is Maya Kalir and I'm delighted to start working at ISD Secondary as an Admission and administration assistant.
I came to the Netherlands almost 20 years ago, live in The Hague with my husband and boys of 5 and 10 years old. We're a multinational family and speak different languages at home (Bulgarian, Hebrew, Dutch & English).
I was born and raised in a kibbutz in Israel, used to be active and involved in the community. I studied social work and throughout the years gained experience in diverse sectors. I worked for 10 years in a gym, teaching diverse group fitness classes and loved to motivate and interact with members. Later on I worked for Inter IKEA Systems B.V and contributed as a support staff member to IKEA's concept development.
In my free time you'll find me on the football field with my kids 🙂 I also love baking and listening to music or taking a yoga class.
One of my greatest passions is connecting to- and working with individuals with different backgrounds and I am very much looking forward to getting to know all students, teachers and parents.
Information & contact
For more information about our school, the enrolment and contact options, please visit our website: www.internationalschooldelft.com
We are coming to the close of 2022! 
Sinterklaas is a typical Dutch tradition and/or holiday that is celebrated in the winter, specifically December 5th, which is when Sinterklaas himself arrives in the Netherlands. Sinterklaas is in the centre of Dutch culture and it is very important to the Dutch people. Sinterklaas, for me, is quite new, considering this year has been my first ever Sinterklaas celebration, but nonetheless, I think Sinterklaas is a holiday that brings friends and family together at the same, joyous time everyone loves. All of the excitement that comes with Sinterklaas arriving is all very exciting and nice for someone to experience at least once in their life. During the celebration I was a part of this year I thought the gift exchange was a nice touch that I hadn’t done before even outside the Netherlands. Each person picked out a name randomly from a box and you had to make a creative surprise that connects to the person you picked. I found this quite fun and interesting. In the celebration we had in class when someone gave you your gift, you would then put yours in the middle and the person you picked would pick up their gift, from you, and on and on until everyone got their gift. There was also pepernoten and little sweets and some fruits to snack on during the celebration. Everyone seemed happy.
This school year ISD offers the Bronze 
Last Thursday all the MYP 2 students were stars in the “Little Victorians” performance in the Hofkerk just opposite the Secondary Campus. 
My name is Maya Kalir and I'm delighted to start working at ISD Secondary as an Admission and administration assistant.
