Principal Forum
Charlotte Hallegren
Global Citizenship Week Planning
In the coming weeks we will be starting the preparations for our Global Citizenship Week which takes place in February. Today, the course handbook has been posted online under Global Citizenship Week on the main website. Download the PDF here. During High School lunch time on September 24, 26, and 28, we will be running the GCW Course Fair. On each day, we will showcase different courses in our program, as teachers will man tables and take questions regarding the experiences on their courses. Parents are welcome to come by at that time to check them out. You may be envious of the things your kids get to do!
Registration for the GCW courses begins on Friday, October 5th, at 7 pm, for Grade 12 students. The registration windows for each grade are listed in the school calendar. Registration is done entirely online. More information on the registration process to come.
Students provide their top 5 preferences in order and we assign courses based on time of submission until a course is full at which time we move to a student’s next preference (so the order they list them is important). It is essential that you have conversations ahead of time with your child about what courses you will allow them to attend, including what cost you would support. If a student wishes to change courses after registration has completed, that student will drop down to the end of the list and we will only assign him/her to a course that is available after all other students have registered.
Once registration is complete and all students have been assigned to a course, parent permission forms will be distributed which include the course your child is signed up for and the cost of the course. Parents commit to making that payment as a condition of accepting that student into the course. Final payments will be due on November 30th.
Please keep your eye on the Parent Portal communications for continuing news on GCW. Every course offers amazing learning and character development experiences for your child. Read through the course descriptions with them and help them find the course that best interests them.
An Open Parent Discussion about Teenage alcohol and substance use
Like most schools, issues of teenage consumption of alcohol and substance abuse affect our community. Our young people are at a crucial time in their brain development – second only to the brain growth that happens just after birth. Not surprisingly, introduction of chemicals designed to influence the brain, are counterproductive to this development. ISB continues to be a concerned community member regarding the choices of our students and their social behaviors. One of the many ways we address these issues is through open dialogue with parents about the concerns.
On Wednesday, September 26th, from 6:30 pm to 8:00 pm in the MPB, we will host and open parent discussion regarding these issues. We will be joined by representatives from the Freedom from Chemical Dependency group who are experts in current issues of substance abuse. They will be working with our own ISB students during that week. Please plan on attending this evening discussion.
Class of 2012 IB Result
By Philip Rogers
Our class of 2012 performed exceptionally well and we are very proud of their achievements for the May 2012 examination sesion. A summary of these are given below:
ISB’s IB Diploma students achieved a 96% pass rate compared to the world average of 78%. The average point score was 36 points (45 – 24 range for a Diploma) compared to 29 worldwide.
There were 15 students (25%) who received an IB Diploma point’s score of 40 points or more. This represents students who are in the top 3% of the worldwide candidature of the IB Diploma. Including Emily C Corning, Yujeong (Lean) Hong, Ben Ruktantichoke, Katherine P Eliot, Rahul Kuchibhatia, Alex E. Purdy, Aonnicha (Gigi) Burapachaisri, Thomas K Eliot, Anish Wesley King, Khetthai (Mick) Laksanakorn, Arthur Martorel Rempel, Chawannuch (Friend) Chaikulngamdee
Shreya A. Goel, Polchate (Jam) Kraprayoon, Sirisupa (Trent) Sripolcharoen
Overall, 200 ISB students took one or more IB course examinations and 50% of the results were scores of 6 or 7 (7 being the highest score) and 97% were scores of 4 or higher. The average points per IB course was 5.73.
These results are a tribute to the dedication, maturity and commitment of our students, their families and teachers. We are very fortunate at ISB to have such an experienced faculty and our community who support the learning of each young man and woman.
Congratulations to the Class of 2012, we know you are well prepared for the exiting challenges that lay ahead!
Grade 9 MAP Testing
By Philip Rogers
Students in Grade 9 completed their MAP testing early this week. We have a few students who are finishing off components of the two tests. Results from this testing should be sent to families in mid-October.
Grade 10 ISA Testing
By Philip Rogers
All Grade 10 students will sit International Schools’ Assessment on the mornings of Tuesday 2nd October and Wednesday 3rd October. This is a series of tests that look at Reading, Writing and Mathematical Literacy. Students do not need to prepare for the tests and will be provided more details closer to the time.
Grade 12 IB Diploma exam registrations & invoices
By: Philip Rogers
A reminder to all Grade12 parents and students to return their May 2013 exam registration form and to make necessary arrangements to pay the invoice. Thank you.
This Week in the Counseling Office
By Jeff Harper
Week five has been very busy in the Counseling Office – we met again with all of the Juniors to have them work on becoming more aware of their career and university match criteria, as well as college readiness. Parents may want to talk to their Juniors about the exercises they did in class. We also have been having meetings with the parents of Seniors about the nuts and bolts of the university admissions process and to answer any last minute questions.
If you haven’t already done so, please ask your Seniors to make an appointment with their counselor to discuss their individual university application plan. There are many details to discuss, such as, Early Decision/Action, financial certificates, essays, etc.
Juniors were given their parent access codes for Naviance to take home this past week. If you haven’t seen these, please ask your child!
Freshmen met with Ms. Tananone during their Freshmen Seminar period to learn about the extensive community service opportunities available at ISB.
We have completed more than a month of school. The “academic review period” is mostly over in all classes and the work is getting more rigorous with the introduction of new material. If your son or daughter is having extreme difficulty coping with their academic challenges, please encourage your son or daughter to see their counselor (drop in or make an appointment if the counselor is busy).
ISB does not send or mail any “report cards” home to parents: Parents must consult PowerSchool to monitor your child’s academic achievement in school. Teachers leave notes to students AND parents on PowerSchool, so you should check once a week. However, parents should not check their children’s grades too often, as this puts undue pressure on their child and can increase grade anxiety. A once–a-week chat about school and grades, with PowerSchool open, would be a good family practice, with parents helping their child to find and use resources when or if improvement is needed.
What’s Coming Up…
Stress Management Parent Workshop
All children will have stress. It’s natural, and normal. As parents our role is not to “ make it go away’ but to help our children manage stress in healthy ways. As parents we need to be able to recognize the signs of stress in our children, the physical or behavioral or verbal messages they try to send to us to let us know they are overwhelmed by a stressful situation.
Our Parent workshop will focus on understanding what stress is and what to do to help our children. The workshop will be on Thursday, September 27th, from 8.00am – 9.30. The workshop will take place in Cultural Center Theater.
There are a limited number of places available so please contact the ISB Curriculum office to reserve your spot. (Khun Joom : pomtipt@isb.au.th) .
University Research Lab – This week’s URL will be a Essay Writing Lab (September 17th). The University Research Lab is open EVERY Monday for students who would like to work on their university application, essay, search, etc. Open from 2:15 – 3:00 in Room 203 and a counselor will be there to help. Encourage your senior to make this a weekly habit!
Registration for the October SAT has passed! The College Board DOES NOT ALLOW any “Stand-By” or “Walk-In” registrations any more! If you are a Senior taking the SAT in November, remember to use your four (4) FREE score reports when registering – they cost a lot to send them later! The registration deadline for the November SAT is October 4.
University Visits: All University Representatives’ Meetings occur during lunch period, unless otherwise noted (Please check Naviance for any last minute changes, cancellations or delays. Parents are always welcome)
| Hampshire College | Gabriel Agree | Tue September 18 |
| Osaka University | Prof. Seki Tatsuji | Tue September 18 |
| Cear Ritz Colleges (Switzerland) | Phong Huynh | Wed September 19 |
| Guilford College | Kaitlyn Moore | Wed September 19 |
| University of Notre Dame | Jake Baska | Wed September 19 |
| Welleyan University | Teresa Overton | Wed September 19 |
| CIS Tour (Check Naviance for full 20+ university list) | Tue September 25 | |
| Lewis & Clark College | Bridget Flaherty | Wed September 26 |
| Hofstra University | Jane LaRocco | Wed September 26 |
| Ringling College of Art & Design | Jim Dean | Wed September 26 |
| University of Pennsylvania* | Liz O’Connell | Wed September 26 |
| Brown University* | Panatha Ott | Wed September 26 |
* The University of Pennsylvania and Brown University are also hosting an evening program, “An Introduction to Brown and Penn,” at NIST (Soi 15 Sukhuvit) at 6:30pm on September 26, which is open to ISB students and parents. Please RSVP: www.admissions.upenn.edu/e/thailand
BBSA – Baseball and softball registration is now open for the 2012-13 season
You can make your payment at the Community Activity Office (CAO) or pay by Thai bank wire transfer. Credit cards are now accepted. Thai baht checks will also be accepted.
BBSA brochure 2012
League assessment will be held on Sunday Oct 7th and Sunday Oct 14th at the ISB fields. All players are strongly encouraged to attend both assessment sessions but it is vital that all players attend at least one assessment session to allow the coaches to create fair and balanced teams. Parents will be contacted about the specific times for their player’s assessment session.
Practice will begin in late October with Opening Day for baseball/softball on Saturday, Nov 10th, 2012. All games are played on Friday evenings and Saturdays at ISB. Games will continue every weekend until the league championships the weekend of February 8th/9th.
All teams will practice once per week during the season as a weekly practice is important to skills development and to learn the fundamentals of teamwork, etc. Most practices will take place at the ISB fields on weekday evenings (Monday – Thursday). We will arrange downtown Bangkok location for weekly practice at NIST. Parents will have to pay THB 500 for the season for this practice because NIST charges for field usage. But all players should register to play even if they cannot commit to attending all weekly practice sessions.
On the registration form you will also have an opportunity to volunteer to be a coach, assistant coach or team parent. Please consider helpng out with your child’s team in some way. The kids really love having their parents helping out with their team and you will have a great time. No previous baseball experience is necessary.
BBSA has purchased a limited number of fielding gloves and batting gloves for players who need them. These will be sold on our assessment days on Sunday, Oct 7th and 14th. Please note that the BBSA no longer has any baseball cleats to sell. So parents who want baseball cleats will need to obtain them on your own.
Please go to https://inside.isb.ac.th/cao/
Panther Tennis
contact: justinw@isb.ac.th
* PTC Coordinator : Senior/Key Coordinator [1 person/1 vote]
[1 or 2 people, 1 collective vote]
* ES Rep. [1 or 2 people to share]
MS Rep. [1 or 2 people to share] ‘LYN’ EVELYN SETHBHAKDI
HS Rep. [1 or 2 people to share] PRIYA KING
Competitive Players Rep. [1 or 2 people to share] SHARKA FURDA
Tournament/Sponsorship Rep. : to manage match play & end of term tournament schedule with the head of the tennis program & coordinate relevant sponsors
[1 or 2 people, 1 collective vote] JILL WALKER
Advisory panel: Legal, Finance, Tennis related advice from professionals [2-3 people to share, 1 collective vote] MARCUS COLLINS, VIRGINIE VAN DE COTTE, ANDY CHAN.
* General Assembly: Tennis Parents interested without Committee positions [unlimited members, 1 collective vote] MATTHEW WALKER
When the PTC is announced on September 24th, an immediate meeting of available members will be held on the 24th or 25th to set & announce parameters for tennis program/head coach candidates/applicants. Candidates will have 1 week [October 3rd] to submit their candidacy/proposal to the PTC, from which point, a review/interviewing process will be set over the following week with an aim to conclude with a final vote October 12th.
Regards,
Panther Tennis Committee
Cafeteria News…Did You Know…?
By: Michelle Ihrig
cafeteria@isb.ac.th
…100% Organic White and Brown Rice has arrived to the ES Cafeteria!! Gone be the conventional grown rice containing pesticides. What a relief to everyone, especially to those who are concerned about the large volumes some children consume of rice, now you know it is wholly natural, chemical free. This is a ‘win win’ situation for all, the environment and our health. How is it served? A ratio of approx 30% brown rice is already mixed in with the white rice, hence when choosing rice, every portion has whole grain goodness inside. Why have we chosen to invest in such? Because we take our food seriously and understand the effects it has on our growing children. Now that is something to celebrate! Enjoy.