MS eNews – Friday, March 11th, 2016
Partnering in Learning
by Dennis Harter
We have had a terrific two days of Parent-Teacher-Student-involved conferences. Our turn out was terrific, which is a testament to the partnership we share in caring about the learning growth of your child. We hope that you learned about your child’s strengths alongside their areas for growth. For teachers, these days have provided them a chance to further communicate how they know your child as a learner and what our optimistic hopes are for their improvement.
Like so much of our school, we look at what we do and determine what we can do better. If you have some positive feedback for us around the Parent-Teacher conference, or suggestions for improvement based on previous experiences, please share them with us, using this optional survey/data catcher (it’s literally a place for you to submit feedback).
Again, we hope you found the Parent-Teacher conferences welcoming, informative and helpful. Thanks for being a part of your child’s learning growth.
Early Dismissal on Tuesday, March 15th
Students will be dismissed at 1:00pm on Tuesday, March 15th. School buses will leave at 1:15pm. Early Dismissal Days provide a common time for staff in all three divisions to meet, collaborate, and further their professional development.
Grade 8 to HS Transition
Dear Parents,
Reminder that this coming Monday, 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.
Some New Offerings In Summer School This Year…
Dear Parents,
We have some new special enrichment camps being offered this year in summer school I’d like to bring to your attention in addition to ones that were offered other summers and are again this year.
New additions this summer are the following camps:
- Two week camps in Mandarin and Spanish open to students who will be in grades 1 – 5, and three week camps in Thai open to students who will be in grades 1 – 8.
- A two-week camp in drama improvisation (Devising Theatre) open to students who will be in grades 4 – 8.
- One-to-four week camps, called Physical Fun, for students who will be in grades 2 – 9 in August.
Camps being offered from previous years are the two week Coding & Robotics Camp, which has changed its name to Computer Science for All and is open to students in grades 4 – 9 in August, and the one week Panther Musical Theatre Camp open to students in grades 4 – 8.
Please click here to access all information on our website about the programs, dates, costs, and registration process.
Registration is now open with an Early Bird special that expires on Friday, April 29th.
For any questions, please email sumdir16@isb.ac.th
Best Regards,
Maurilio Baron-Toaldo
Summer School Director
International School Bangkok
Parent Book Club Opportunity for Parents of 8th Graders
There have now become open a few spots for a parent book club. This was originally open to high school parents but has now been extended to parents who have 8th graders. This may be a great way to have discussions with parents who have students in the high school as you look ahead to transition next year. Please note that you should sign up immediately if interested and pick up the book early next week. The first session is next Wednesday, March 16th. Following is the original announcement to HS parents:
Parent Book Club
There will be a book club that will be offered to High School Parents starting in March. The book of focus will be Flourish by Dr. Martin Seligman. The book and our sessions will consider how both the participant and their student can find ways to positively flourish in life. Here is an overview of this book based upon a positive psychology approach: https://books.simonandschuster.com/Flourish/Martin-E-P-Seligman/9781439190760
Here are details of the club:
Sign up: First 20 parents that sign up (20 parents max)
Sign up Location: Learning Design Center – 3rd floor of library.
Sign Up Contact: Kuhn Didi – supasrin@isb.ac.th
Book Order: The books for the club have been ordered.
Cost: 500 Baht
Session Dates: March: 16, 23, (29), April:6, 20, 27 (all Wednesdays except Tuesday March 29)
Session time: 11:30 – 12:30 (Location TBD)
Facilitators: Kevin Davy (HS Counselor) & Jacqui Brelsford (Counseling Intern)
MS Visiting Author
ISB MS Art Department is delighted to introduce Australian Artist Giles Ryder as our next visiting artist. Giles will be working with our middle school art students on a dynamic large-scale wall art installation in the Art Department from 14th March until 8th April.
Industrial materials, modern life, advertising, and consumerism influence Giles’s artwork. His work often combines elements from his background in painting and compositions using shiny reflective surfaces and neon. We are very much looking forward to introducing these concepts and materials to our students.
Do say hello when you see him around. Giles will be based in the art department if you would like to stop by and see what is going on.
MS Art Team
Light Pavilion – version 2 at Open Studios, National Studios Seoul Korea 2011
Materials: Timber, Korean ‘explosive’ pot plant holder, neon Room installation – 6m x 10m approx
(Repeat Announcement) 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.
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.
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).
(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.