International School Suva students will take centre stage at Fun Day 2026 tomorrow, showcasing their musical talents while helping raise funds for student-led projects that give back to communities.
The school’s Parents Teachers Association is on track to provide more than $15,000 this year to support student community service projects, with Fun Day being its major fundraiser for the year.
ISS PTA President Amanda Beyer says money raised from the event helps students from primary through to secondary level turn their community service ideas into action.
She says the PTA works alongside students and teachers by providing funding for projects identified and carried out by students.
Beyer says students are also actively involved in raising money themselves.
She says primary students hold pop-up markets where they sell crafts and other items, with students recently raising $3,500.
The PTA matched the amount, bringing the total to $7,000, which was given to local charities selected by the students, including the Sri Sathya Sai Sanjeevani Heart Hospital and SPCA.
Beyer says secondary students also identify needs within communities and develop projects to address them.
She says one group travelled to Ovalau during a term break to refurbish a basketball court at a secondary school after finding that the facility had fallen into disrepair.
Another group is working on a project involving a creek near Jerusalem Road, where money has been raised to install a trash boom to prevent rubbish from reaching the ocean.
Younger students have also been involved in beach clean-ups, with the PTA helping provide rubbish bags, gloves and other supplies.
Beyer says the PTA provided more than $13,000 to support student community service projects in 2025 and is on track to provide more than $15,000 this year.
Meanwhile, tomorrow’s Fun Day will also put the spotlight on the students themselves, with music and cultural performances planned throughout the event.
ISS Primary Music Teacher Timothy Nova Ulacake says this year the school is moving away from bringing in outside bands and is instead giving its own students the opportunity to perform in front of their families, the school community and the wider Suva community.
Ulacake says the response has been encouraging, with around 34 students joining the band after practices began about five weeks ago.
He says he initially expected a low turnout because practices were held during lunchtime, when students would normally be outside playing with their friends.
However, he says students kept turning up because of their passion for music and the arts.
Students from Year 2 through to Year 12 will be involved in performances, with original and cover songs expected to be showcased.
Ulacake says around three original songs will be performed, including a bilingual English and iTaukei song called “Don’t Drop Litter, Put It In The Bin.”
He says the song encourages students to dispose of rubbish properly and promotes good habits and responsibility within the school community.
Students from Year 2 to Year 5 will perform the song.
Ulacake says the music department has also received PTA funding towards the cost of recording a school song, showing how funds raised through the PTA are being invested back into student projects.
He says giving students the opportunity to perform live is about more than entertainment, as it helps build their confidence and encourages them to continue developing their musical abilities.
Beyer says Fun Day will also give people an opportunity to taste food from around the world and experience the different cultures represented at ISS.
She says this year’s theme, “It Takes a Village,” reflects different cultures coming together as one to support students and the wider community.
The ISS Fun Day 2026 will be held tomorrow from 10am to 2pm at International School Suva in Laucala Beach.
