MS eNews – Friday, February 12th, 2016
Class Trip Photos
by Dennis Harter
We continue to upload photos from our grade level class trips last week. For your reference, here are the links to the photos. More photos will continue to be added in the next week. Enjoy!
Getting Information You Need
by Dennis Harter
Keeping informed of how your child’s learning is progressing is an important part in the partnership between home and school to ensure your child’s success and happiness. In addition to PowerSchool updates and an open door communication philosophy with teachers, counselors and administrators, we also schedule events that keep you “in the loop” on information you might need to know about our program.
During this semester, there will be several of these events specifically targeted for certain purposes, so please be on the lookout for these.
Expert on substance abuse
On March 4th, 7:30 to 8:45 AM, a consultant from Freedom from Chemical Dependency will be running a parent session on drugs, alcohol, and general substance use and abuse by adolescents. During Tuesday – Friday that week, he will be working with our middle school students around these topics.
Parent-Teacher Conferences
On March 10 & 11, we will host parent-teacher conferences. This is a time to talk with teachers about how your child’s learning is progressing at this stage and to get feedback regarding their Habits and Attitude for Learning (HAL). Conference appointment “sign-ups” will be online and will take place in the week prior to the conferences. Based on feedback from last semester, we will be strict around honoring sign-up times and ensuring that parents in the time slot are prioritized to see the teachers. Parents who are late for their time block will not be allowed to join another slot, unless there is space as that negatively impacts others’ opportunities for rich conversation. Within the 30-minute blocks, we will use a timer to indicate when parents need to switch to other teachers.
Grade 8 to HS transition
On March 14th, we will be hosting parent sessions in conjunction with the high school, to share information regarding registration and general expectations for grade 8 students transitioning to high school next year. There will be a morning session 9:30 to 10:30 am and a repeated evening session, 6:30 to 7:30 pm.
Growing our Culture of Care
Throughout the school, we are invested in the social and emotional development of our students. More and more, this is becoming the focus of schools as they prepare young people for success, not just academically, but in life. Once thought of as “soft skills,” in fact, resilience, empathy, collaboration, communication, and responsibility are fundamental to both academic success and long-term happiness. In the coming year, the ISB Middle School will be implementing an Advisory program, which will focus on kids feeling cared for (important if we expect them to learn) and social and emotional development. This semester we are preparing for this implementation, including training, curriculum development, and scheduling. At a future PTA meeting, we will share some of the tenets of the program, along with our hopes for how the students’ experiences will be impacted.
What’s the IB Program?
In grades 11 & 12, students may elect to take courses within or the full IB Diploma Program. That is a long way off for our MS students, but there are still some elements of the program worth knowing about even during middle school. In April (date to be determined) we will provide general information sessions for parents on what the program entails, what options there are for students down the road, and what students could or should be doing in the years leading up to grade 11 (as well as the things they don’t need to worry about).
MS & HS Advisory Program
Dear Parents,
To better understand the needs of our community, our advisory consultant, Steve Barrett, will lead an interactive session on advisory programs at both the High School and Middle School levels. This session aims to gather parent input into this initiative as we continue to strengthen the home-school connection and provide for the whole child at ISB. Please join us as we embark on this exciting journey together. The session takes place on Thursday, February 18th from 9:30 – 10:20 am in MPB2.
Middle School Art Exhibit
You are cordially invited to visit the Middle School Art Exhibit being held in the Main Library from Monday, 15 February – Friday, 11 March.
Welcome to the world of middle school students at ISB. Their works approach this theme in a variety of media and from numerous perspectives.
The next and final Middle School Art Exhibit will be held in the Chevron Theatre Foyer from 27 April – 12 May. Some of the works will be for sale at the MS Art Silent Auction on 27 April and 11 May.
Scholastic Art Awards NYC
By: Valerie Beard, valerieb@isb.ac.th
Dear Parents,
I am delighted to announce that 11 of our Grade 7 Artists in Drawing and Painting received a total of 14 awards for the Region At Large 2016 Scholastic Art Awards in New York for their ‘Thai Fruits’ Drawing and Paintings.
Awards are given in 3 categories, Gold key, Silver key and Art Honorable Mention; all awards are a wonderful achievement.
I have outlined the list of ISB winners below and the complete list of International School winners can be found here.
Gold Key Winners may also qualify for a summer scholarship through the ASAP awards, (Alliance Summer Arts Program).
If a creative career is an area of interest for any student then this is a great way to get started in building a successful portfolio.
We will have a Middle School Art Exhibition in the library from 15th-22nd February and another formal exhibition at the end of April in the Chevron Theatre. The winning works will be displayed there for you to view.
Well done to this year’s entrants you worked hard and deserve recognition. All award winners will receive a certificate and a pin.
| Name | Award | Media | Title | School |
| Serena Mehta | Gold Key | Drawing and Painting | Som O | International School
Bangkok |
| Emily Merrit | Silver Key | Drawing and Painting | Watermelon | International School Bangkok
|
| Bryan Cheng | Silver key | Drawing and Painting | Dragon Fruit | International School
Bangkok |
| Parima Durongkamibul | Honorable Mention | Drawing and Painting | Dragon Fruit | International School
Bangkok |
| Jane Kraprayoon | Honorable Mention | Drawing and Painting | Som O | International School
Bangkok |
| Jane Kraprayoon | Gold Key | Drawing and Painting | Dragon Fruit | International School
Bangkok |
| Zai Limwatanakul | Honorable Mention | Drawing and Painting | Dragon Fruit | International School
Bangkok |
| Sophie Szalai | Honorable Mention | Drawing and Painting | Som O | International School
Bangkok |
| Sophie Szalai | Silver Key | Drawing and Painting | Watermelon | International School
Bangkok |
| Zyrah Sheikh | Honorable Mention | Drawing and Painting | Dragon Fruit | International School
Bangkok |
| Zyrah Sheikh | Honorable Mention | Drawing and Painting | Watermelon | International School
Bangkok |
| Emmy Thamakaison | Silver Key | Drawing and Painting | Pomelo | International School
Bangkok |
| Emmy Thamakaison | Honorable Mention | Drawing and Painting | Watermelon | International School
Bangkok |
| Angie Walker | Honorable Mention | Drawing and Painting | Dragon Fruit | International School
Bangkok |
A Parent’s Guide to Writing Instruction: Presented by Visiting Consultant, Carl Anderson
Writing instruction in schools today is very different from what parents experienced when they were children. In this parent workshop, Carl Anderson will explain the writing workshop approach to teaching writing that is used at ISB. He will also give parents suggestions for ways they can support their children’s growth as writers at home. Carl is the author of How’s It Going? and Assessing Writers and will be visiting ISB the week of February 23rd.
When: Thursday, February 25th at 7:30 – 8:30am
Where: MPB 1
Suggested Target Audience: Parents of children in grades 3-8
Have you submitted your photo yet?!
International Family Fair – MS Photography Competition
Inviting all MS students to take part in this fun photography competition!
THEME: Living in Thailand
DEADLINE: Monday, February 22nd – 8:00am
Click here for more information
(Repeat Announcement) 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.