MS eNews – Friday, October 30th, 2015
Message to MS Parents about Digital Citizenship week
Dear parents,
In the past two L2L sessions students have had The Talk about how to be safe, responsible, and respectful online. We have scaffold students’ learning by having The Talk in G7 and G8 levels using a straightforward lesson titled “Trillion Dollar Footprint” from Common Sense Media. G6 has done their part earlier this year during Transitions sessions.
Following the week of Digital Citizenship organized by Common Sense Media from October 16 to 24, 2015, we don’t want to lose this opportunity to contribute to this great cause worldwide and share some of their resources. Please use The Talk one-pager (https://bit.ly/digciti) so that you can reinforce learning at home.
COUNSELORS CORNER
Earlier this semester we hosted an evening for parents to discuss computer use. Our Gr 6 students were due to take home their laptops and we wanted to support parents in understanding the school’s expectations for use of the computers for homework as well as addressing concerns about the use of computers in general. We are all struggling to answer the question about what is a healthy amount of time to be on computers and screens.
During this evening I shared the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommendations for screen time for older students. Two hours a day was the recommendation. I think most of us were concerned that this seemed an impossible target to meet. There would not be too many middle school students who were adhering to this time limit.
Recently the AAP have changed these guidelines so that they now reflect a more realistic and holistic approach taking into account many factors. The AAP wrote, “Our policies must evolve or become obsolete. The public need to know that the Academy’s advice is science driven, not based merely on the precautionary principle”.
The AAP now suggest 12 new guidelines that reflect the reality of our digital life. It was affirming to see that these new guidelines are very much in line with the suggestions offered at our parent meeting.
The AAP guidelines suggest that as a parent you need:
* set limits and be involved in what your child is doing on-line
* you need to act as a role model ( monitor your use )
* Interactive apps assist your child’s growth
* Co-engagement counts, play games with your child
* Outside play is essential for the young
* create tech free zones in your home
* Social media is an important part of adolescent life, so talk with them about what they are doing and who with, understand both context and content.
Lastly, our children will make mistakes and these are teachable moments.
If you would like to read the AAP guidelines in full the article is attached and thanks to our tech specialist, Miguel Zambrano, for alerting me to this new information.
Here is the Link to the Forbes Article. In the first paragraph of this article if you click on “changes to guidelines” this will take you to the AAP newsletter.
Good Luck navigating these tech challenges with your family.
Carmel Kean – Gr 6 Counselor
BISAC Season 2 Tryouts for U11 – U15
This weekend season 1 will come to an end as all our teams from U11 to JV will be participating in the end of season tournaments. Good luck to all teams!
Season 2 tryouts are about to begin on Monday, November 9th.
For full details go here. To see practice location throughout the season go here.
| Sport | Tryout Dates | Times (tryouts and practice) | Tryout Location |
| U11 Soccer | November 9 & 12 | Monday & Thursday 2:10-3:10 | Meet in front of MS PE office, instructions will be given there. |
| U11 Track & Field | January 11 & 14 | Monday & Thursday 2:10-3:10 | Meet at Track |
| U13 & U15 Soccer | November 9 & 11 | Monday, Wednesday, and Thursdays 2:10-3:15 | Meet in front of MS PE office, instructions will be given there. |
| U13 & U15 Badminton | November 9 & 11 | Monday, Wednesday, and Thursdays 2:10-3:15 | Meet in front of MS PE office, instructions will be given there. |
| U13 & U15 Track & Field | January 11 & 13 | Monday, Wednesday, and Thursdays 2:10-3:15 | Meet at Track |
MS Theatre Sports Coming November 19th!
This year’s Middle School Theatre Sports Show is called: OUT OF THE BOX, a theme appropriate to the nature of improvisation. This show is a competition between 6 theatre sports teams as they battle it out to be the Theatre Sports champions of 2015. Come and support them on November 19 in the CCT Theatre. Tickets are 50 Baht and all proceeds go towards the charity – Operation Smile. Tickets will be on sale soon in the MS and HS Cafeteria. Click HERE to see the poster.
Boarding School and Summer School Applications
Dear Parents,
If you are considering applying for boarding and summer schools for 2016, please do contact our Counseling Secretary Khun Natt natthapc@isb.ac.th at your earliest convenience. It is important that we have sufficient time to prepare reports and recommendations and these are best attended to in November and early December. Applications for schools are normally made by early January but with Winter break, it is vital that these requests are made before the end of this semester.
Please contact Jackie Greenwood (jackieg@isb.ac.th) grade 8 Counselor if you have any queries or concerns about boarding and summer school applications.
Creating A Culture of Family Literacy– The Case for Reading To and With Your Children from Birth to Adulthood.
Creating a family culture of literacy is a simple and meaningful thing you can do to support your child’s academic success. The keys for creating this culture are right at your fingertips and can be achieved with only a small amount of time and commitment. Join us as we explore how you can nurture a family culture of literacy at home! Presented by Nat Whitman & Tammy Westrick
- When: Thursday, November 5th from 7:30 – 9:00 a.m.
- Where: MPB 1
- Who: Parents of any aged children
“TCK and Transition” presentation from Friday, October 16th
By Janel Wilder, janelw@isb.ac.th
I would like to take a moment to thank everyone who came to the “TCK and Transition”presentation/ parent workshop on Friday, October 16th. I have placed the presentation used with notes on a PDF so that you have a chance to look through it at your own leisure – click HERE to access the PDF.
Following is a quick description of the “TCK and Transition” presentation/ parent workshop:
In this workshop led by Janel Wilder our 7th grade Counselor we will be discussing TCK identities, their unique qualities followed by a short film on Third Culture Kid Identities called “So Where Is Home?”. We will dive into the “Transition Cycle” and how it affects TCKs during their youth, and discuss what happens in the transition stage and why grieving is important during this period. We will take a look at the “Change Curve” which explains life changes. Parents will find out how to support their children through transition, and how to create opportunities for closeness and support during this difficult period. In our workshop we will also discuss TCKs transition back to their own country, what challenges they face and how to make their transition a bit easier
Late Start Trial – Tuesday, November 3
As part of our later start research, ISB will be trialing an 8:10am start time on Tuesday 3rd November.
The school day will end at 2:05pm and all buses/vans will depart at the usual times of 2:15pm, 3:30pm and 5:00pm. All scheduled after school activities/sports will take place.
We are expecting morning buses & vans to arrive by 7:50am. It is intended that all students traveling by Montri Transportation will be picked up 30 minutes later than usual in the morning, but please be aware that traffic may result in some delays.
We ask that parents do not bring or send your children to school before 7.30am on this day.
MAP Test Scores Explained
by Graeme Scott
graemes@isb.ac.th
Dear Parent(s),
Measures of Academic Progress (MAP) test results for this school year have been uploaded to PowerSchool.
This standardized test is only one of many different types of assessment that we use to determine student progress. We get the most accurate picture of a student’s progress by using a variety of evidence ranging from everyday ongoing assessments, learning conversations with students and short quizzes, to the more formal and less frequent standardized tests.
Your child’s MAP results are reported in RIT scores (Student Score Range). RIT stands for Rasch Unit. The RIT score is an equal-interval scale that is independent of a student’s grade level and measures learning from elementary through the high school level.
The MAP Student Progress Report indicates progress your child has made from any previous times they may have taken a MAP test at ISB. This is reported as the student growth score. This score represents the growth in RIT points your child made between testing dates.
The MAP test also measures your child’s achievement level compared to other students who have taken this test and academic growth over time in the areas of mathematics and reading. The test does not cover all academic skills, nor does it cover such areas as physical, artistic, or interpersonal skills. Parents will gain a more complete picture of student performance by looking at this test in conjunction with a variety of classroom work samples and other assessments over a period of time.
In addition to your child’s RIT score, the Student Progress Report provides:
- District Average RIT: The average RIT score for all students in your child’s grade at ISB.
- Norm Group Average RIT: The average RIT score for students in the United States included in the most recent MAP norming study.
- Student %ile Range: The percentage of students in the United States that had a RIT score less than or equal to your child’s score.
- Lexile Range: A score that can be used to identify books that match your child’s current reading level. A database with lists of books for each lexile range can be found at the Lexile Framework for Reading:(https://www.lexile.com/DesktopDefault.aspx?view=fa).
We hope that you find these test results to be useful. For information and resources for parents, please access the MAP Document Library at www.nwea.org. If you have additional questions about your child’s scores, please contact their class teacher.
Is ISB Wasteful?
We are trying to reduce plastic waste at ISB and parents need to be a part of the solution. While there are many areas of focus, the main focus of this article is on the use of single-use throw away cups used at the Grind for smoothies and other drinks.
While we informed the whole school about it we have only been actively campaigning in the MS. Students have made signs, spoke at the assembly, gathered over 200 pledges, and promoted the use of the green cup. It seems the campaign is working as today over 100 MS students choose the Green Cup and only 44 did not change.
We have not campaigned strongly in the HS or with teachers, staff and parents… and the stats are UGLY!! Hopefully, it is because people didn’t know; not that they didn’t care (let’s hope).
Next week we will focus more on the areas in red and get them on board. We are asking you to choose between more POLLUTION, or a better SOLUTION! I think we can all do a better job than this.
| How wasteful
are we? |
Used Green Cup | Used Throw Away Cup | Difference |
| High School | 21 | 135 | – 114 |
| Middle School | 101 | 44 | + 57 |
| Teachers and Staff | 15 | 21 | – 6 |
| Parents and guest | 2 | 49 | – 47 |
Remember:
- If you don’t ask for the Green Cup you will automatically get a throw away cup.
- Green cups should not leave the cafeteria (because most people will not return them, causing a bigger problem).
- There is a 2 baht charge for plastic bags as well.
UNLESS…
Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better. It’s not!
-THE LORAX-
Kerry Dyke
U11/13/15 Athletics Coordinator & ISB Environmental Coordinator
International School Bangkok
https://inside.isb.ac.th/athletics
eNewsletter Guidelines
by: Tony Arnold
anthonya@isb.ac.th
ISB eNewsletters provide a valuable avenue for communication within the ISB parent community. Please see our eNewsletter guidelines below.
Submitting an announcement for publication
ISB accepts announcements from ISB families and ISB staff 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
• An image or photo (optional)
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.