MS eNews – Friday, December 20, 2013
Updated MS Calendar of upcoming events:
December 23 – January 10
- ISB Winter Holiday (No School)
Monday, January 13
- School opens – 1st day of Semester 2
Monday – Thursday, January 20 – 23
- MS Drama Auditions – after school
Thursday, January 23
- MS AMIS Strings (off-campus)
- MS Yearbook Make-Up Photos
- MS PTA Meeting at 11:00am
- Drama Auditions – after school
Friday, January 24
- MS AMIS Strings (off-campus)
- MS Alternate Dress Day
Saturday, January 25
- MS AMIS Strings (off-campus)
- BISAC U13 Badminton – Boys at ICS, Girls at TCIS
- BISAC U13 Soccer – Boys at NIST, Girls at SHB
- BISAC U15 Badminton at RIS
- BISAC U15 Soccer at BPS
Tuesday, January 28
- Early Dismissal Day
Friday, January 31
MS BKK Choral Festival at ISB
Saturday, February 1
- MS BKK Choral Festival at ISB
- MS Bangkok Choir Festival Concert at 2:00pm
Monday – Friday, February 3 – 7
- MS Class Trips
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
Season’s Greetings To All!
On behalf of the MS Staff, best wishes to all for a safe and happy holiday! We look forward to seeing you all back on Monday, January 13, 2014 for the start of semester 2.
For students and families who are leaving ISB and Thailand, all the best on your move and new adventures!
Mr. Burgess and Mr. Baron-Toaldo
Access to PowerSchool & Semester 1 MS Report Card
MS student and parent access to the Grades section of PowerSchool has been turned on again as of Friday afternoon, December 20th. You may access final semester 1 grades and comments for each class in PowerSchool. Semester 1 Report cards will be mailed home sometime first week of January (exceptions are students with any unpaid bills – report card will be held until all bills are cleared – you can see if this is the case within PowerSchool). If you don’t receive your semester report card by the time semester 2 starts, please inform the MS Office and another copy of the report will be printed for you.
MS Olympics 2013!
Dear MS Parents,
Yesterday we held the MS Olympics 2013. Japan was a wonderful host country and the Japanese community really came together to show their spirit and culture.
The day saw 100’s of students giving it their all, but doing so in the best of athletic spirit and sportsmanship. Numerous students performed at a level high enough to get on the record board. 8 students set a new Olympic record! You can see all of this at this link: Olympic Records
Over 1000 photos were taken. You can find these at Olympic Photos 2013
There are so many people to thank that we are sure we will miss some. However, none of this would be possible without everyone helping in some form or another.
Big Thank You to:
- · Japanese community for being so supportive and helpful and arranging wonderful games and opening ceremony with Lien Indigne.
- · Trista Meisner and her students for all your artwork
- · All the teachers and parent volunteers who helped run the events.
- · The MS secretaries for arranging flags, food, and more.
- · Khun Apple for all of her efforts and help with the decorations.
- · Khun Det and the Thai support staff for the amazing set up of all the facilities. Without you we would be nowhere.
- · Myuki Jesse and her Japanese students for making all the Japanese signs and shurikens.
- · Joni Arnold and her 5th grade students for making the fish kites.
- · Kahoru Nakamachi for organizing the fisherman dance and communicating with the parent group.
- · All the performers: Grade 5 choir, MS/HS choir (Japanese students), Gym Cats, the fisherman dancers, the kendo performers, the sumo wrestlers.
- · Mr. Nakagawa for his opening speech.
- · All the MS students for just being so great and showing your energy and spirit.
- · The MS PE Department (we have a great team who love what we do)
We are already thinking about who will host next year. Suggestions?
Thank you,
MS PE Department
Repeat Announcement: Cafeteria News…Did You Know…?
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 symbolizing luck, prosperity, health and good fortune. Items to be found on such a Menu may be: Pork– it brings good luck and favorable fortune. If you are not a meat eater, so will any other treat in the shape of a pig do the same thing; Fish Scales or any dish with fish which symbolizes silver, hence precious metals of fine fortune; Bread or Cakes with trinkets baked inside, those who are lucky enough to end up with the trinket are the recipient of good fortune and luck; Eating 12 Grapes at the stroke of midnight, a good luck forecast grape for each month; Eating long, uncut noodles at 12 o’clock for an equally long life. From all of us at Epicure Catering, we hope you have a fantastic New Year’s Celebration, which will bring you into the New Year with all the Well Wishes you desire, whatever your Menu may be. Enjoy.
Reminder: Student Laptops During The Winter Break
Dear Parents, Please be aware we will not be collecting student laptop computers for the ISB Winter Break. Students will be able to bring their school laptop computer home for the winter break (some individuals may lose the privilege to do so as a discipline consequence in which case those parents will be notified). Please click on the following link for some information that should be helpful: Winter Break – Laptop Recommendations for Students and Parents
Repeat Announcement: Middle School Father/Son Book Club @ the Library
By Robert Kelly
Contact Email: rkelly2@gmail.com
Ship Breaker, the National Book Award nominee for adolescent literature, is a fast, action-filled thriller set in the near future. It has inspired numerous You Tube videos for “book trailers” and a couple of “action films” put together by middle school kids re-creating scenes from the book. Take a look:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=35JxCOo0sUY
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eJt_gL6r8p0
Perhaps the next Steven Spielberg? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ybM29VHoZvE
We are organizing a father/son book club to read this book and then meet together in late January. Yes, I know, hanging out with Dad in the library is probably the last thing your 12, 13 or 14 year old son would like to do on a weekday night (or any night)! But as a father, I would like to grab any opportunity I can before my son drifts off into his independent teenage orbit, and share in the adventure and fun of a good book.
Please join me, and the other dads that have already signed up.
So, what book are we reading? Ship Breaker is written Paolo Bacigalupi. It is a powerful book choice for this age level that covers the nature of trust, family, fate and luck from the thematic underpinnings of Ship Breaker’s heady adventures.
Here is the link to the book information on Amazon. It can be ordered in paperback or downloaded on the Kindle or iPad: https://www.amazon.com/Ship-Breaker-Paolo-Bacigalupi/dp/0316056197/ref=tmm_pap_title_0
The idea is that fathers and sons can read the book at home over the holidays (it’s a fast read) and then we will gather at school for a casual evening that will include conversation about the book, as well as refreshments.
If you are interested in joining us, please send me an email at rkelly2@gmail.com, and I can send you more detailed information.
PS. The American news show, 60 Minutes, did a segment on some of the real ship breakers in Bangladesh: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ia7xnmcQbNg