Principal Forum – Nov 2012
Philip Bradley
philipb@isb.ac.th
Please find attached the agenda / minutes from our last principal forum meeting.
Also attached is a link to the full podcast.
There will be further meetings next semester.
https://inside.isb.ac.th/parentportal/files/2012/12/principal-forum-2.mp3
Thursday Dec 20th at 6:30 pm class of 2013 Mid-Year graduation.
Philip Bradley
philipb@isb.ac.th
Five members of the senior class will be graduating at the mid-year graduation. We hope you can join us in the Culture Centre Theatre for this special event.
Sincerely
Philip
Please take note
Philip Bradley
philipb@isb.ac.th
I want to advise you of a disturbing event that happened earlier in the semester. Whilst enjoying a night out with friends at a down town venue one of our female students was raped. This was not an incident of date rape or sexual assault. The perpetrators were completely unknown to the victim; they watched carefully, added a substance to the drink she was consuming and then attacked her when she was momentarily isolated. They have been described as very sophisticated and professional and have not been brought to justice. Our immediate concern has been to support the victim and family through this horrific event.
As chilling as such news is, the belief that this always happens to someone else and that “I am always careful, so don’t worry” is at times hard to get passed when talking with youngsters. Regardless, I am sure that some good can come from this incident if you engage in an honest conversation with your child/ren. Here is the advice/reminders we would give them:
General Guidelines for Student Safety in Thailand
Students
- Should always travel with your mobile phones and call your parents to let them know where you are
- Make sure that your mobile phones are charged up and switched on and that you have contact numbers for all of your friends’ families
- Should remember the strategies to help you say no to substance misuse
- Never leave your drink unattended, ask one of your group to look after it if you have to go to the toilet
- Any drink, not only alcoholic ones may be ‘spiked’ (tampered with) by someone who may wish to harm you
- Always stay with your group when you go out and keep a close eye on each other’s behaviour (in case their drink is spiked)– if it works for your group designate a ‘responsible person’ each time you go out
- Pay close attention to ‘outsiders’ to your group and frequently check up on the person that they are talking to
- Have an understanding in your group beforehand that if one of you is behaving strangely and irrationally then the others will take them home
- If a member of the group, especially a female is behaving irrationally or seems unusually disoriented whether by alcohol or something else stay with them at all times, contact the rest of the group by mobile phone and immediately take the person home
- Check in with your parents while you are out and if you are moving from place to place – do this by text if you don’t want to keep talking to them
- Go where you told your parents you were going
- Text your parents to call you with an excuse why you should go home if you feel you need to get away from a situation
Parents
- Always ensure that you know where your child is outside school time and what time they will return home
- Many parties are mis-characterised as ISB parties, this may give you a sense that ISB is supervises the event and that it is safe, if you are told an event is an ISB event it may simply mean there are lots of ISB student attending – always check, start with the official calendar
- If your child is going to a friend’s house then always call the other parent beforehand to ensure that you are happy with the arrangement and call again during the visit to ensure that your child is there
- Make sure that you know the mobile numbers of your child’s friends so you can contact them if you need to
- Keep your mobile phone charged up and switched on when your child is out in Bangkok
- Check your child’s health when they arrive home –often a hug and sniff is all that is needed.
These additional points refer to alcohol related / legal matters in Thailand
- It is illegal in Thailand for anyone under the age of 20 to enter a bar or night club
- It is illegal in Thailand for anyone under the age of 18 to purchase alcohol
- It is illegal in Thailand to be in possession of substances such as marijuana, ecstasy, opiates, etc
- It is illegal in Thailand to use fake identification papers or ID cards
- No ISB events allow alcohol
- After Graduation and After Prom parties are not organised by the school and we can not take responsibility for them
- Many bars in Bangkok will willingly permit students who are clearly under 20 years of age to enter them and sell alcohol to them
- There are extremely harsh penalties under Thai law for substance misuse (drugs) and such use is viewed as an adult crime even if committed by a student
- Illegal substances such as marijuana are easily available in Bangkok and young people out at night (and even in daylight) are seen as a potential market by drug pushers
Report Cards and Student Information Holds
Dennis Harter
dennish@isb.ac.th
ISB will be closed during the week of December 24th to 28th. As a result, report cards will not be mailed out until after January 1st. In order to provide families information regarding end of semester grades, we will open PowerSchool access back up, beginning Monday, December 24th. Additionally, students will receive their graded final exams back on the last two days of school, this term.
If students have any outstanding payments, sports uniforms, library materials, or course materials for courses the student has finished, then a hold will be put on the student’s information. PowerSchool access will remain closed and report cards and transcripts will not be sent out. To ensure that information reaches you, please work with your child to return all materials.
Last Day of the semester
Dennis Harter
dennish@isb.ac.th
December 21st is the last day of the semester. The school day ends at 11:30 on that day. It is an alternate dress day for HS students.
HS Examinations
Philip Rogers
philipr@isb.ac.th
From Wednesday student’s have been fully occupied with their end of semester exams and have been exemplary on their behaviour and attitude.
These exams continue until Tuesday next week with Wednesday being a makeup day for any students that are yet to complete their exams.
A reminder that Thursday and Friday will be an important day for students to receive feedback on their papers which will be useful for next semester. These days are normal school days for attendance.
SAT Practice Sessions
Philip Rogers
philipr@isb.ac.th
If you are interested in getting some extra tuition before taking the SAT test early next year you might consider the Princeton Review course being run during this winter break. The attached flier provides details.
SAT_ACT_The Princeton Review Thailand
News from Counseling Center
Andrew Weiser
andreww@isb.ac.th
Pondering points…
IQ (Intelligence Quotient) and EQ (Emotional Intelligence Quotient)- it seems both are important factors of “success.” Read article from Forbes…
https://www.forbes.com/sites/keldjensen/2012/04/12/intelligence-is-overrated-what-you-really-need-to-succeed/
Semester Exams: Almost Done!!! Only a few more to complete!! Students should continue to prepare for exams. Make sure they have their materials organized. Students are responsible for the entire semester. Cramming a night or two before the test is not a good strategy for test success.
Freshmen: Freshmen Seminar (Dec. 6 & 7) was a session about preparing for Semester Exams. It included test preparation tips and wisdom, as well as ways to reduce stress.
Sophomores: Many 10th graders did not attend the Sophomore Seminar, and will not have the information on Naviance in order to go forward in future sessions. See Mr. Weiser to find out what you need to do to get caught up!
Juniors: Junior Seminar- students should have turned in their “spring board” list of universities. The winter break is a GREAT time to work on the Junior Packet. It includes important assignments to be completed by January 29 including a “Junior Profile,” “Resume,” “Self Recommendation” etc. There’s even an assignment for parents (Parent Perspective)!
Seniors: If you turned in a transcript request form and wonder how to send your mid-year documents (updated transcript), don’t worry. We send mid-year reports and updated transcripts to every school in which you applied.
If you still haven’t turned in the “transcript request form” for schools with deadlines of February 15th or earlier, we cannot guarantee that school documents will reach universities by the deadline. Remember: The High School offices are closed December 21 to January 2- plan ahead.
ALL: If a student is moving and will not return to ISB in January, please inform Khun Namwan (Registrar) in the counseling offices. For grade 9 and 10 students who are withdrawing at the end of the semester, students must turn in their laptops back to the Ed Tech office. Students should report to the Ed Tech office on Monday or Tuesday to begin the paperwork for turning in the laptop. Failure to turn in the laptop will put a hold on a student’s account and documentation. It is student’s responsibility to save the data from his/her computer onto another storage device.
Winter Break– Relax, Enjoy, Read that book you always said you would read!!!
Main Library Open This Saturday
Mischele Jamgochian
mischele@isb.ac.th
The Main Library will be open this Saturday from 9 – 3. Stop by, check out the new space, study for your exams, and enjoy!
Taking Laptops out of Thailand
Christopher Bell
christob@isb.ac.th
9th and 10th Grade students, remember to take care of your ISB Computer over the holidays. If you plan on taking your computer out of the country you must get the insurance information updated at the Ed Tech Office. For ALL the information on Computer Care please check the Presentation on HS Winter Break Laptop Care. If you have any questions please contact Mr. Bell
Parent Messages for the ERAWAN 2013, Yearbook.
ERAWAN CLASS
erawan@isb.ac.th
Parents are invited to place a ‘Parent Message’ in Erawan Yearbook 2013. The aim of message is to congratulate (perhaps surprise) your graduating child. The message will be printed in color, will appear within the last pages of the book, and can include text, photos, or combination of both. Additionally, the message can be prepared in your mother tongue. The Parent Message is a wonderful tradition in many international schools. You are invited to be part of this growing tradition here at ISB. All messages should be handed in by FEBRUARY 15th. It is a first come first serve basis; space is limited!
Layouts: Please submit photos at their highest resolution possible. If you are working off of old print photos, please scan them at a high resolution. If you need assistance with this, please contact us.
We have a selection of pre-designed layouts for your convenience. Please contact us to get copies of these and we will do all the work for you. However, if you would like to design your own layout, you can submit it in an electronic format and we will do our best to accommodate your request within the formatting of the yearbook. If you are submitting your own layouts, we will also need all of the photos as individual files, along with your design.
Cost: The cost is quite reasonable: A quarter page: (10 by 12 cms) is 1500 Baht, and a half page, (20 by 12 cms) is 3000 Baht.
Payment: Payment can be made at any time to reserve your space. Please make payments to Khun Tara in the HS office during school hours. She will have receipts available.
Contact Us: Direct all inquiries through email to erawan@isb.ac.th Your contact people will be Ciel Sriprasert and Erika Nagasaki.
YEARBOOK PHOTO ORDERS are IN!!!
Keith Miller
keithm@isb.ac.t
Please pick them up before the Holidays. They are conveniently located at the attendance desk with Khun Gade in the High School Office. Thank you.
SENIOR PARENTS
By: Keith Miller
keithm@isb.ac.th
The ERAWAN YEARBOOK is still waiting for several photo submissions. If your son or daughter already missed deadline #1, please be sure they submit their photos before the break. Please be aware that the final deadline, including Senior Quotes is January 18th, by 3:00pm. No submissions will be accepted after this deadline.
The Seussical Photos
Kerri Fitzgerald
kerrif@isb.ac.th
At last all the Seussical Photos have been uploaded onto the flickr site. Please use this link:
Seussical photos https://www.flickr.com/photos/isbhs/sets/72157632207794099/
Anyone can download and there is a mountain of choice! Many thanks to photography teacher Basil Tahan for his fine skills.
Cafeteria News…Did You Know…?
Michelle Ihrig
cafeteria@isb.ac.th
Every holiday and special occasion has a foundation built on traditions. The majority of these traditions are centered around food. Especially when we think of a New Years Eve Celebration, many traditions around the world include food which symbolizes Luck, Prosperity, Health and Good Fortune. A few examples of items on the Menu may be: Pork– it brings good luck and possibly fortune. If you are not a meat eater, any other treat in the shape of a pig may do the same thing; Fish Scales or any dish with fish symbolizes Silver, a precious metal; Bread or Cakes with trinkets baked inside, those who are lucky enough to end up with the trinket are the recipient of good fortune; Eating 12 Grapes at the stroke of midnight is a good luck forecast grape for each month; Eating long, uncut noodles on New Years equals a long life. Epicure Catering wishes you wonderful Holidays and a Fantastic New Years Celebration which will bring you into the new year with all the well wishes you desire, whatever your Menu may be. Enjoy.
eNewsletter Guidelines
Tony Arnold
anthonya@isb.ac.th
ISB eNewsletters provide a valuable avenue for communication within the ISB parent community. For your convenience we have provided you with our eNewsletter guidelines below.
Submitting an announcement for publication
ISB accepts announcements from ISB families for potential publication in our eNewsletters. The announcements are generally intended to highlight events that occur at ISB and/or highlight information about ISB.
What to include in the announcement
• A title for your announcement
• An email contact for further information
Where to submit your announcement
4publish@isb.ac.th is for announcements of interest to the entire ISB community.
tinaratr@isb.ac.th is for Elementary School (ES) announcements of interest to ES families.
maurilib@isb.ac.th is for Middle School (MS) announcements of interest to MS families.
vijitl@isb.ac.th is for High School (HS) announcements of interest to HS families.
Your announcement will be submitted to the appropriate Principal and/or to our Marketing Director for review. ISB reserves the right to determine which announcements will and will not be published, and to edit announcements that are approved for publication.
Frequency of eNewsletter mailings
The ISB eNewsletter that is for the entire community is sent out on Thursdays. Announcements for potential publication in this newsletter must be received by noon on Thursdays.
The ES, MS, and HS eNewsletters are sent out on Fridays. Announcements for potential publication in these newsletters must be received by noon on Fridays.