MS eNews – Friday, November 1st, 2013
Updated MS Calendar of upcoming events:
Saturday, November 2
- MS KS 3 String Festival at BPS
- BISAC U13 Basketball Tournaments (Boys at SHB, Girls at HIS)
- BISAC U13 Team Tennis Tournaments (Boys at ISB, Girls at BPS)
- BISAC U15 Basketball Tournaments (Boys at RIS, Girls at ISB)
Sunday, November 3
- BISAC U15 Girls Touch Invitational at ISB
- BISAC U15 Rugby at ISB
Monday, November 4
- Season Two U13/U15 Tryouts after school for Soccer & Badminton
Tuesday, November 5
- Early Dismissal at 1:00pm for Students
Wednesday, November 6
- Season Two U13/U15 Tryouts after school for Soccer & Badminton
Thursday, November 7
- Now a regular school day – Day 1 for the MS
Friday, November 8
- ISB Passion Day
Thursday, November 14
- MS Theatre Sports at 3:00pm in the CCT
Wednesday, November 27
- MS Band Concert at 6:30pm in the Chevron Theatre
Thursday, November 28
- MS & HS Strings Concert at 6:30pm in the Cultural Center Theatre
MS Activities and Athletics Weekly Update
Check out some of the highlights that have happened, or will happen soon. For the most up-to-date information, click on the following link: Link to MS Activities and Athletics
Early Dismissal on Tuesday, November 5th
A reminder our next scheduled Early Dismissal day is Tuesday, November 5th – all students will be dismissed at 1:00pm. School buses will leave at 1:15pm.
Parent Volunteers Requested…
The Middle School Yearbook is requesting photography help from any parents that are interested. We need assistance with taking photos of MS sporting events, socials, concerts etc. Please contact MS Yearbook advisor Robin Ulster at robinu@isb.ac.th.
Upcoming Mindfulness Training Available to MS Students
Dear MS Parents/Guardians,
This exciting program is now open to MS students. We have places for 12 students only. The training will be led by Jackie Greenwood (grade 7 counselor) who is a trained Mindfulness teacher. The Mindfulness in Schools Project (UK) have designed this 8 week program, which has been successfully evaluated by Professor Felicia Huppert of Cambridge University and Professor Katherine Weare, Exeter University. Mindfulness is now highly regarded as a life skill that can be taught to young people and adults to improve well-being and enable people to flourish.
If you would like your child improve their attention/concentration, feel happier, calmer, more relaxed, improve their relationship with others, and help them feel more confident in situations that make them feel anxious like tests or sport or music performances, this program is ideal for your child. If you think your child would benefit from this program, please complete the online form by the 8th November 2013 to reserve your place. There is no cost for this program.
The program will be held on Wednesdays and starts on the 13 November 2013 from 2.15 until 3.15 and takes place in the MS Office. Students need to know this is an 8-week commitment.
Dates of the Program are:
13/11/13
20/11/13
27/11/13
4/12/13
11/12/13
15/01/14
22/1/14
29/1/14
Thank you for your attention, and please feel free to contact me with any queries/concerns. As places are limited, I encourage you to sign up sooner rather than later.
Be Well,
Mrs. Greenwood
Middle School Counselor
Next MS Counselor Connection with Parents on November 19th
We welcome MS parents to join the school counselors on Tuesday, November 19th from 9:00-10:30am in the MS Skybox, 3rd floor. Coffee and pastries will be provided. In our Wellness classes this month we are exploring the topics of bullying and building positive relationships. We will focus November’s Counselor Connection with parents on these same issues, discussing how to spot signs of bullying, what to do if your child is being bullied or bullying others, and how to promote positive relationships at home and in school.
Please RSVP by completing the form: https://docs.google.com/forms/
Busy weekend of BISAC…
Dear Parents,
This weekend is a busy BISAC tournament weekend. There are 8 tournaments for U13 and U15 – 4 of these are being hosted by ISB!! Please come along and support your ISB panthers – wear Black and Gold to support our school!
We will kick it all off 1pm this Friday with a special U15 girl’s basketball match against American School Bangkok. We will have the whole Middle School watching this game and cheering for their team. As well, at halftime we will introduce all other first season teams and have a pep rally for them before they play in their tournament.
Please note that for all away matches, we have provided a 27-seat bus for all teams so that some parents can join and ride the bus as well.
For complete schedules, please click on the following links:
HOSTED @ ISB
U15 Girls Basketball (Friday and Saturday)
U13 Boys Tennis (A team) (Saturday)
U15 Boys Rugby and Girls Touch (Sunday)
HOSTED BY OTHER SCHOOLS
U13 Girls Tennis (and boys b team) @ BPS (Saturday)
U15 Boys Basketball @ RIS (Friday and Saturday)
U13 Boys Basketball @ SHB (Friday and Saturday)
U13 Girls Basketball @ HIS (Friday and Saturday)
It will be an exciting weekend of sports. We hope you can show your support for any of these teams.
Thank you,
Kerry Dyke
Book Group
ES Counselor, Doug Williamson, has decided to open up to all parents PreK-12 the parent book group of Rosalind Wiseman’s new book “Masterminds and Wingmen: Helping Our Boys Cope with Schoolyard Power, Locker-room Tests, Girlfriends, and the New Rules of Boy World.” Space is limited and registration can be made by contacting K. Joom at porntipt@isb.ac.th in the Learning Design Center or by calling ext. 4409. The books have arrived and are available for purchase. The first meeting will beWednesday, Nov. 20, at 8 a.m. in the ES MPR.
New Notable Book Picks from Our MS Librarian
I hope you all had a wonderfully relaxing break and got a lot of leisure reading done. I read quite a few new titles that I thought I’d pass along to you for your consideration. All titles, as always, are available at your trusty library.
The Luminaries by Eleanor Catton: Winner of this year’s Man Booker Prize (in my opinion deservedly so), The Luminaries is an exquisitely crafted, historical novel set in New Zealand’s goldfields. On the surface, it is a mystery set into motion by the seemingly simultaneous death of a hermit, the attempted suicide of a prostitute, and the disappearance of a well-liked man. Upon deeper reflection, it is a meditation on coincidence, fate, love, and the ways in which all three intersect. The tale unravels cleverly and surprisingly quickly given its admittedly daunting length. A highly intriguing and readable romp of a tale!
Longbourn by Jo Baker: If you are an Austen fan, you know that there are hundreds of adaptations, sequels, and re-imaginings of Pride and Prejudice. You may also know that the majority of these fail, in any way, at capturing the power and wit of the original text. Longbourn is a rare exception, in part because it stays far away from the main characters of the original text and imagines, instead the lives of the servants living and working in Longbourn, the Bennet estate. Told largely through the eyes of the housemaid, Sarah, the story delves into the many details, deprivations, and longings that make up the life of a servant. It’s a lovely book with not a few darker surprises. Think Pride and Prejudice meets Downton Abbey and you have a fair idea of what awaits you!
My Year of Meats by Ruth Ozeki: For those of you who enjoyed A Tale for the Time Being or who simply have not yet had a chance to read Ruth Ozeki, I highly recommend her first novel, My Year of Meats. It is the story of two women brought together through the unlikely auspices of the meat industry and a Japanese TV show titled My American Wife! Alternately funny, moving, and horrifying, the story encompasses feminism, corporate greed, romance, and the media. A compelling and witty book that’s of particular interest to those intrigued by cross-cultural concerns or who are mixed race like myself!
Someone by Alice McDermott: It is very hard to describe a novel where nothing happens, a novel about a “someone” who could be any one of us living our daily lives. And yet, I so want to convey how gorgeous this novel is in all of its seemingly mundane details. It is simply the story of one very ordinary Irish-American woman’s life. Nothing extraordinary happens to her but the telling of her story is marked with amazing poetry. I have not read many books in my life that have so aptly captured what it means to be alive in moments both quiet and large. For a much more eloquent review, read this. A beautiful book!
Happy reading!
Alegria Barclay
The Massed Band Festival Concert, Saturday November 2nd at 2 pm.
This is a simply stunning event – each year it just gets more and more mighty!
Parents of budding musicians and those who already know the power of massed bands will be interested in this message. The foyer event might encourage prospective players and help children ‘find’ their instrument to learn.
The Massed Band Festival Concert: have you ever heard the mighty sound of 150 band instruments playing together? Do you harbor an inkling for an instrument, but need the chance to experience one close up so you can hear what it sounds like? What does it mean to “hug a note”?
Come along this Saturday, November 2nd, to the Massed Band Festival Concert at 2 pm in the Chevron. There will be a chance to meet some HS musicians before in the foyer from 1:15 pm. Come along and interview a HS musician and get the inside story on what it means to be a Band member … then indulge yourself with the sounds of the big band and wrap it all up with a slice of cake.
Kerri Fitzgerald
Leaving ISB End of This Semester?
If you are leaving or possibly leaving ISB before, or end of this semester, please contact Khun Fon in the MS Office at supanniy@isb.ac.th – she will send you the ISB Withdraw Form that needs to be completed in order for her to get your child’s school records ready for his/her next school.
Cafeteria News…Did You Know…?
… That we use 100% premium Soybean Oil for all of our cooking. Why soybean oil? For several reasons: 1) It contains 0% Trans fats, the kinds of fat that are the worst for you. 2) It has 8% Omega 3 Fatty Acid, a number even higher to that which is in premium Canola oil. Omega 3 fatty acids are an essential part of our diet and very important for proper brain and muscle functioning. 3) It has a high smoke point, which means it can be heated to high temperatures without breaking down, and is therefore perfect for stir frying, etc. 4) It is made locally allowing us to benefit in two ways a) decreasing our cost and as compared to using an imported item, and b) reducing our carbon footprint on the environment. 5) Last, when compared in nutritional value to more well known imported oils such as Canola or Safflower oil, Soybean oil ranks right alongside them. Enjoy.
Michelle Ihrig
Epicure Catering
Manager of Operations ISB
Tel. 02-963-5800 ext. 7728
M: 082-322-7531