High School Upcoming events:
9 March
7:30 am – Yoga Stops Traffic
March 9 – 10
Bangkok Service Conference (TCIS)
12 March
1:00 Early Dismissal
13 March
9:00 HS Parent PTA Meeting (MPB 2)
14 March
1:30 pm Gr. 8 Course Registration Meeting – MPB 2-3
6:00 pm Gr. 8 Parent Night on Course Registration
6:00 pm HS Artist On the Roof
15 March
HS Parent-Teacher Conferences (No School for Students)
16 March
Badminton Exchange (SAS)
Softball Exchange (ISB)
Track & Field Exchange (JIS)
18 March
2:05 pm IB Senior CAS Meeting
19 March
10:00 am PTA Executive Board Meeting
20 March
HS Course Registration Opens
21 March
Third Thursday with Andy
22-23 March
HS VEX Robotics Competition (ISB)
22 March
Season Three Spirit Night
Parent/Teacher Conferences Reminder
Philip Bradley
philpb@isb.ac.th
Please note that the High School Parent/Teacher Conferences will take place on Friday 15th March, this is not an instructional day for students. Students are strongly encouraged to join their parents (uniforms are not required).
Conferences will be held in the HS Gym.
Session 1: 7:30 to 11:15
Lunch: 11:15 to 12:00
Session 2 12:00 to 3:00
Parent/Teacher conferences are NOT pre-booked. Rather parents queue to meet each teacher. The conference format works very well but does not allow for lengthy conversations, 5min is typical. Arriving with specific questions is a good plan especially if you have a concern that needs to be addressed. If you require an in depth / follow-up discussion with a teacher, please make an appointment for another day.
If you have any flexibility in when you attend session 2 is less busy, unless everyone follows this suggestion!
HS PTA meeting Wednesday 13th March in MPB – TRANSITIONS
Philip Bradley
philpb@isb.ac.th
Please join us for our next HS PTA meeting – we have a double session devoted to Transitions.
From 9:00 – 10:00 AM the focus will be moving up transitions for students currently in grades 8,9,10 or 11. We have assembled a panel who will address a selection of frequently asked questions related to charting the best possible path through high school – advice, observations and experience. This will include a brief outline of the online course registration process.
From 10:00 – 11:00 AM the focus will switch to our graduating seniors. Mr. Kevin Callahan will start by outlining details related to the senior transition end of year programme. This will be followed by a panel discussion led by parents of existing graduates.
If there are questions you would like to see addressed in either session please email Holly Daniel the HS PTA representative at hwdaniel@yahoo.com.
Early Dismissal on Tuesday, March 12th
Dennis Harter
dennish@isb.ac.th
Please note that students will be dismissed from school at 1:00 pm on Tuesday, March 12th for our Early Dismissal day, allowing teachers to engage in professional development and school improvement. Here is the bus schedule for that afternoon:
- Regular bus departs at 1:15 pm.
- Late buses depart at 2:30 pm. and 5:00 pm.
ISB High School on Facebook
Dennis Harter
dennish@isb.ac.th
If you haven’t found it already, the ISB High School has a Facebook page worth checking out. On this page we celebrate students and learning at our school. We post photos regularly of events as well as daily life at ISB. A fun insight into the great learning and activities that happen at ISB. This week we posted some GCW pictures, an amazing take on the Harlem Shake by our GCW Nepal crew, and photos from the inspirational Breast Cancer Awareness event, when our community came together to show their support, raise awareness, and generate donations towards curing this disease. Like our page to get updates from us – without providing us access to your information. https://www.facebook.com/
No IB Extended Essay Workshop in June
Phil Rogers
philr@isb.ac.th
Grade 11 IB diploma students are not expected to attend a mandatory extended essay workshop during the first week of the summer break. These dates appear in printed calendar and should be ignored. All students writing the extended essay this year have a guide that sets out expectations and interim dates. The draft of the essay will be due when they return from summer break, therefore the expectation is they will independently allocated time to write the first draft during the summer break.
Course Selection for 2013/14
Phil Rogers
philr@isb.ac.th
There has been a hive of activity this week around course selections for next year. Students in years 9 – 11 have been speaking to teachers, counselors and administrators about possible course choices and I hope that parents will spend time over the next two weeks helping students reflect on the choices they have in relation to reaching their academic potential and challenging them to be their very best. Further information can be found on the parent portal under the HS program of studies tab.
On-line Course Registration window
Phil Rogers
philr@isb.ac.th
The on-line course registration window will run from 7am on Wednesday 20th March to 9pm on Monday 25th March. It is important that all students in Grades 8 – 11 register online during this time.
Counseling Newsletter
Jeffery Harper
jpharper@isb.ac.th
All: The Counseling department is still looking for a volunteer parent to be in charge of the College Spotlight board in the high school. Every week we focus on a different university from the top schools around the world and our volunteer parents have always done a great job. We’re looking for a parent to continue this much-appreciated job. See Cathy Curtis if you are interested.
Freshmen – Grade to date checks and grade 10 (2013-2014 school year) course panning with counselors are this Monday and Tuesday (March 11 & 12). Do you check with your son or daughter to see how classes are going? Parents may want to visit the ISB on-line “Parent Portal” and access the 2013-2014 Program of Studies for information about grade 10 classes for your children. It’s a good discussion point as long as you focus as much on the positive as on the “needs improvement” category!
Sophomores: Sophomore Seminar took place May 6 & 7. Students took the information that they have learned from their Individual Career Plan to develop an initial course plan for the next two years that will advance their university and career goals. Talk you’re your grade ten student about their course selections for grade eleven. Choosing classes for grades 11 and 12 will be coming up soon (on-line registration opens on March 20th).
Juniors: Junior conferences are in full swing. Have you made an appointment to see your son’s/daughter’s counselor yet? Don’t delay! Juniors should consult the new 2013-2014 Program of Studies about their course selections for their Senior year. On-line course registration opens March 20.
Seniors: If you are a U.S. citizen applying to schools in the U.S. you may be eligible for loans, grants, work study, or any combination of the three. You need to file a FAFSA with the colleges in the U.S. that you have applied to. Go to https://www.fafsa.ed.gov/ – it’s a free application and might be well worth your time. Most schools start assigning financial aid in March so time is of the essence. If you haven’t done your 2012 taxes yet, estimates based on 2011 are accepted.
Seniors applying to universities in Japan, Korea, Australia, South Africa etc. with late deadlines, PLEASE be aware of those deadlines. They can vary from university to university!! See your counselor if you have any questions.
As you receive your offers for universities, remember that when you make a deposit for a university, you are committing to that university for a year. You may not deposit at more than one university. You have to make up your mind! Remember that, because universities that learn that their accepted students have “double-deposited” will sometimes remove their offer.
Upcoming University Visits (Consult Naviance for additions or changes)
The College Fair (AEO) next Friday will be held in front of the gym to coincide with Parent-Teacher conferences. The Fair will run from 10:15 – 11:00 and that all parents and students are welcome to stop by the table. This is a great opportunity to ask specific questions about the university admissions process of the very people who make admissions decisions for their respective universities.
| Depaul University | March 14 | 10:15 AM |
| AEO Tour (Univ. of San Francisco, Paris
College of Art, North Seattle Community College, and many others) |
||
| Durham University | March 18 | 10:15 AM |
| University of Glasgow | March 21 | 10:15 AM |
| University of Edinburgh | March 26 | 10:15 AM |
| La Trobe University | March 28 | 10:15 AM |
Dance Madness
Kerri Fitzgerald
kerrif@isb.ac.th
Dance Madness date rescheduling. This event will no longer take place on March 22nd as in the calender. A new date and place pending
SUMMER SCHOOL:
James Fitzgerald
jamesf@isb.ac.th
We are excited to announce this year’s Summer School. Program. The First Session of Summer School will run from June 1 through July 5. The Second Session will run from July 8 through July 26. The Full Session will run from June 10 through July 26. For information concerning the courses being offered and tuition please refer to the Summer School Page found on The International School Bangkok’s website: www.isb.ac.th
The Summer School Office is located at the top of the Zig-Zag. Our phone number is 02-963-5812; our fax is 02- 960-4110. Our email is sumdir13@isb.ac.th, and the Summer School’s website is www.isb.ac.th/Summer_School.
HS Graduation Announcements
Kevin Sypolt
ksypolt@gmail.com
Hard to believe, but our High School seniors will graduate in just over 3 months. Graduation is on Friday, June 7th, so mark your calendars. In preparation, the Graduation Committee will be taking orders for formal graduation announcements and invitations. These can be sent to your friends and relatives. Orders for the announcements will be taken each Thursday and Friday in the HS cafeteria from 10:00AM – 12:00PM, starting March 7th. No orders will be accepted after April 1st. The printer should have the graduation announcements back to parents by early May so there will be time to mail them to overseas guests. Don’t wait. Order yours right away so you are not disappointed. You can also go to this google document for the order form – https://docs.google.com/
See the below files for an example of what the graduation announcements look like.
THE GRADUATING CLASS OF 2013
Heidi Gailey
heidigailey@gmail.com
The Graduating Class of 2013 is ready to graduate but are we! 2013 Graduation Committee Meeting March 14th 10:00 am Room MPB3. If you have question please contact Heidi Gailey at heidigailey@gmail.com.
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.