Upper School Newsletter

• From the Deputy Headmaster and Upper School Principal
• Forward Magazine – May 2024
• A Message from The Board of Trustees
• Enrollment for the 2024-2025 School Year
• Final Weeks’ Bus and Event Schedule
• From the Booster Committee
• Fill Your Bottles with Confidence
• Updates from the Activities Office
• IB Calendar of Deadlines for 2023-2024 School Year
• College Visits
• SAT Testing at Brent
• School Uniforms
• Sick Child Guidelines
• Closing of School – Cancellation of Classes
• Upper School Calendar of Events
• Communicating with the Upper School

Dear Upper School Community,

As we approach the culmination of another remarkable academic year, it is a time for reflection and celebration. This week marks a significant milestone for our students, faculty, and families as we honor the hard work, dedication, and achievements that have defined this year.

We will gather for the Baccalaureate Service and the Activities Awards on Wednesday. This event is a cherished tradition, providing an opportunity to recognize the diverse talents and accomplishments of our students in academic pursuits and extracurricular activities.

The Academic Awards and the Moving Up Ceremony will be equally momentous on Thursday. These events celebrate our students’ academic excellence and transition to the next stages of their educational journeys. It is a proud moment for us all, acknowledging our students’ perseverance and growth.

The week culminates in our 39th Commencement Exercises on Friday. This graduation ceremony is a significant event, marking the end of one chapter and the beginning of another for our senior class. We look forward to celebrating their journey and sending them our best wishes for the future.

As we reflect on the past year’s achievements and anticipate the exciting events ahead, let us also recognize the collective effort of our entire Brent community in making this year a success. Your support, dedication, and resilience have been truly inspiring.

Thank you for being part of this incredible journey. Let us celebrate together the accomplishments of our students and look forward to the bright futures that await them.

Dr. Brett Petrillo
Deputy Headmaster and Upper School Principal

Dear Brent Family,

We are excited to share our Forward magazine’s May 2024 issue with you. We hope you find it enjoyable.

Please note that there are two file options for download: a high-resolution version for viewing on computers and a lower-resolution version optimized for mobile devices.

On behalf of the Forward team, we wish you all the best. Thank you for all the support.

Happy reading to all!

May 20, Monday
Make-up Exam Day (No classes otherwise)
Bus schedule: 2:00 pm
** No second and third buses.

Year End Activities

May 21, Tuesday – Faculty In-service (No classes)

May 22, Wednesday
8:15 am Baccalaureate Service
9:30 am Activities Award
**Bus schedule: 11:00 am (one bus only)

May 23, Thursday (Last day of school)
8:00 am Upper School Assembly
9:30 am Moving Up Day
**Bus schedule: 11:00 am (one bus only)

10:30 am Graduation Practice
12:00 nn Headmaster’s Lunch with Seniors
**Bus schedule: 1:00 pm (one bus only for seniors)

7:00 pm Junior-Senior Prom

May 24, Friday

6:00 pm Graduation

Occasionally someone asks about the safety of the water coming from our drinking fountains. So, we decided to let the whole community know about our process.

Brent’s water is provided through two deep wells. That aquifer is already an excellent source of clean water, but we don’t stop there. We test our cistern and main water tank every month, and we test every drinking fountain every two months. The main tank is stainless steel and has a central filter. Additionally, we add chlorine to the main cistern twice a day to kill any bacteria, and we monitor the chlorine level daily to maintain 1-3 parts per million. Each drinking fountain is also fitted with a filter that is changed every six months. Finally, we flame the nozzles of each drinking fountain monthly to further prevent any potential bacterial growth.

So, there is really no need to purchase bottled water. Fill your water bottles with confidence. Water is still by far the healthiest thing you can drink. Staying hydrated provides a host of benefits, including the ability to think clearly and learn faster.

I would like to welcome our grade 11 and 12 learners and parents. As we start the academic year, we would like both parents and students to have an idea about the different deadlines that we set for our grade 12 IB students. Please note that the dates are set from August 2023 to March 2024, and keep in mind that the deadlines have been spread out so that students can manage their time in meeting the different requirements of the course and IB program. The International Baccalaureate Organization supports the school in maintaining our IB internal deadlines. “The school’s deadlines are the IB deadlines.” Ms. Kristi Pozon, IB Coordinator.

All US students are expected to report to campus in uniform each day in accordance with the dress code on pages 60 & 61 of the Student-Parent Handbook.

• Boys’ hair should be kept neat and trimmed, and all students should not have unnaturally colored hair.
• Students must also wear appropriate shoes. This means black or brown leather or ‘leather-like’ shoes: Girls’ shoes should be flats or leather-type dress shoes. As for boys, shoes are to be dress shoes or loafer style, with or without shoelaces. Shoes must be of one solid color with no logo or ornamentation.
• Students should not wear athletic shoes of any kind, including sneakers or canvas-material shoes, to school. Students will not be permitted to come to school in their PE uniform.
• Please complete the Uniform Order and Measurement form if students need uniform items. To confirm if the Tailor Shop has your size or to pre-order a custom uniform, contact: Ms. Imelda Pacayra at ipacayra@brent.edu.ph.
• Parents and students can visit the Tailor Shop to purchase items daily, Monday through Friday, from 8 am to 4 pm.

Quarantine

• Asymptomatic close contacts of confirmed cases do not need to quarantine but are recommended to wear a mask for 10 days

Isolation of Positive Cases

• Asymptomatic and mildly symptomatic positive cases need to home isolate for 5 days and until fever-free for at least 24 hours (without medication) and with improvement of respiratory symptoms
• Shortening of isolation may be done if patient already tested negative on antigen test before the end of 5 days but only upon evaluation and approval of the school clinic
• Moderate to severely symptomatic positive cases need to isolate for at least 10 days or until cleared by the attending physician

Masking

• Masking is voluntary on campus but required in healthcare facilities (clinic)
• All symptomatic students/staff are required to wear a mask until recovered
• Confirmed positive cases are required to wear a mask for up to 10 days

Brent International School Manila adheres to the Storm Signal Guidelines established by PAGASA – (the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration). Accordingly, when storm signals are posted over Biñan, Laguna, classes will be affected as follows:

• Storm Signal #1 Normal Operation: All Brent classes will proceed as scheduled.
• Storm Signal #2 No Classes or Activities: No students or teachers are to report; however, learning may continue in the distance learning environment as announced. School offices will remain open for the day. Administrators and office support staff report as usual if it is safe to do so.
• Storm Signal #3 and #4 No School: The entire school operation will be closed; however, learning may continue in the distance learning environment as announced. School offices and business operations will be closed.Please be aware that the storm signal for Laguna is not the same as Metro Manila’s. Weather reports regarding Manila, therefore, may not apply to the conditions at Brent.

Please be aware that the storm signal for Laguna is not the same as Metro Manila’s. Weather reports regarding Manila, therefore, may not apply to the conditions at Brent.

Every attempt will be made to contact parents, students and teachers in the event of a cancellation of classes. When available and applicable, we use corporate texts to inform those whose cell phone numbers are registered in our system. If you have not heard from the school, you can assume that classes will happen as scheduled.

If you are still unsure, calling the school at +63-2-697-9043 or +63-49-511-4330 to 33 after 6:00 a.m. or checking to see if there is a notice on our website (www.brent.edu.ph) may help.

Finally, we realize that parents have the ultimate responsibility for determining whether or not their children go to school. Even if no order for the suspension of classes has been issued, if parents feel that travelling to or from school will place their children at risk, we certainly understand and will honor their decision.

Please contact the Upper School Office if there is anything we can do to help you better understand our school. We thank you all for your continued support of the people and the programs at Brent.

Please also note that we have provided the names of all Upper School faculty on our website for easy communication: http://brent.edu.ph/academics/upper-school/faculty/. For the most part, faculty email addresses follow this format: first initial and last name followed by @brent.edu.ph.

Thank you, in advance, for supporting the wonderful people and programs in our Upper School. We look forward to another great year!