MS eNews – Friday, February 26th, 2016
Information on Upcoming MS Parent-Student-Teacher Conferences and on How To Schedule Your Appointments
Please click on the following link to access all the information about the conferences and on how to schedule your appointments. Please note you may access and schedule your appointments anytime between 8:00am on Tuesday, March 1 and 12:00pm on Wednesday, March 9.
Upcoming Parent Sessions
by Dennis Harter
dennish@isb.ac.th
In the coming weeks and month, there will be several of parent sessions 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 that whole 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 of 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.
Grades 6 and 7 to Grades 7 and 8 Registration
Students currently in middle school and staying in middle school, will have a very simple registration process, selecting elective and flex classes. Moving on in languages and math will come from teacher recommendation and expected progression within our program. Since this process is straightforward, there will not be a parent session for this. Parents with questions can contact their child’s current counselor. Additionally, we will host a lunch time session of Questions & Answers regarding course registration, during the lunch breaks at Parent-Teacher Conferences.
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.
MS Principal’s Forum
Our next Middle School Principal’s Forum will take place on March 29th, 9-11 AM. MS PTA reps will communicate with parents about submitting concerns or questions to be addressed on that day. Please be on the lookout for that communication from them.
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 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).
Chickenpox
We have had a few confirmed cases of Chickenpox in elementary school. If your child is unwell with fever or rash please do not send them to school and take them to see a doctor. If they are diagnosed with an infectious condition please inform the Health Clinic.
If your teenager has not been vaccinated against chickenpox and have not had the disease naturally you may want to consider vaccination because chickenpox is generally more severe in teenagers and adults. Any vaccinated person can still get chickenpox but it tends to be a mild illness, which is shorter in duration and less infectious than the natural disease.
Please see below information regarding Chickenpox and Shingles
Chickenpox and Shingles
Chickenpox (varicella) is a viral infection caused by the varicella-zoster virus. Shingles (herpes zoster infection) is caused by reactivation of the chickenpox virus.
How chickenpox and shingles are spread?
Chickenpox is spread when a person comes into contact with the virus in airborne droplets produced by coughing or sneezing, or with fluid from the blisters.
Following infection, the virus will remain dormant (resting) in nerve cells near the spinal cord for the rest of the person’s life. Reactivation of this virus causes shingles (herpes zoster) rather than a second attack of chickenpox.
Direct contact with the blister fluid in shingles can cause chickenpox in a nonimmune person. There is generally no airborne droplet spread from people with shingles. Contact with chickenpox or shingles cannot lead to shingles in the exposed person since shingles can only follow the reactivation of a previous chickenpox infection.
Chickenpox
Symptoms of chickenpox may include:
- Slight fever and cold-like symptoms, followed by a rash.
- A rash appears as blisters which crust to form scabs and is usually itchy.
- Crops of blisters may appear over several days and various stages of blisters may be present. The rash is usually more noticeable on the trunk than on the limbs. It may affect the scalp and the inside of the mouth, nose, and throat.
- In childhood, chickenpox is usually a mild illness and can be so mild it might not be noticed. Chickenpox in adults is more severe and may be complicated by pneumonia (lung infection or inflammation).
- The time from exposure to developing Chickenpox is 10-21 days and Chickenpox is contagious from 2 days before the rash until the rash has completely crusted over (usually 5 days after the rash or longer).
Shingles
- Shingles follows a previous chickenpox infection, usually several decades later. Shingles occurs when the body’s immunity to the virus drops and the virus, which has been resting near the spinal cord, becomes active again.
- A blistering rash with band-like distribution, usually associated with severe pain, occurs in the skin supplied by the spinal nerves carrying the reactivated virus. The rash may be followed by persistent pain in the area, lasting for weeks.
- Shingles is contagious from the onset of the rash until rash has crusted over.
Treatment
Specific antiviral treatment for both chickenpox and shingles is available. Treatment is usually only given to those with severe disease or at risk of severe disease. To be effective, treatment must be commenced early, usually within 24 hours of onset of the rash.
For all cases, calamine lotion or promethazine [Phenergan] (available from pharmacies) may be useful for the itch. If treatment to reduce temperature or discomfort is necessary, paracetamol/acetaminophen is recommended.
If your child is diagnosed with Chickenpox or Shingles please notify the Health Clinic as soon as possible and they need to present a medical certificate to the Health Clinic stating they are fit to return to school and no longer contagious prior to going to class.
Vaccination
Vaccination is available and is recommended for all children aged 12 months with a booster at 4-6 years. It is still possible to get Chickenpox despite the vaccination but the course of the illness is much milder.
Given that Chickenpox is more severe in teenagers and adulthood, people who have not been exposed to the Chickenpox virus (vaccination or disease) by teenage years should be vaccinated.
Prevention:
- Vaccination (can decrease the severity of the illness even if given up to 5 days post exposure).
- School exclusion: Anyone with Chickenpox or Shingles should not attend school or work until all the blisters have crusted over (usually about 5 days).
- Avoid any contact with non-immune individuals especially pregnant women or anyone whose immune system is not working properly.
- Wash hands when dealing with any contaminants.
- With shingles cover the rash where possible.
ISB is committed to your child’s overall development, both educationally and health related. Should you have any questions or concerns, please contact your healthcare provider or the ISB Health Clinic (nurse@isb.ac.th).
(Repeat Announcement) 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.
(Repeat Announcement) NBBL Scorekeeping/Timekeeping Opportunity for Students in Grades 7-12
By: Kevin Sypolt
As we have in past years, NBBL (North Bangkok Basketball League) will hire Grade 7-12 students to be scorekeepers and timekeepers for NBBL games.
The games will take place Saturdays at the ISB gyms. This is a great opportunity for Grade 7-12 students to earn their own money and learn the responsibility of a work situation. The students will earn between THB 200 and 300 per game. In order for the students to be eligible to work at these games, all students (including those who have been scorekeepers/timekeepers in the past) must register. Click here to access the registration form.
There is a MANDATORY training session for any student who did NOT work as a scorekeeper/timekeeper last season. This training will take place either on Sunday, March 6th at 5:00PM in the Health Room above Rajendra Hall or on Tuesday, March 8th at 7:00PM in MPB Room 2. The sessions will last about an hour. Students are only required to attend one of the sessions.
Please let me know if you have any questions or concerns. As always, please consult our NBBL website at https://www.isb.ac.th/basketball for information. This is where we will post calendar information, schedules, team listings, etc.
(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.