ISB Communication Single Page View

Dear ISB Community,

On behalf of all of us at ISB, I extend a very warm welcome to both new and returning parents. We are really looking forward to seeing our school and community again full of our wonderfully diverse families, with ISB as the central hub for learning and enjoyment.

As always, the summer at ISB has been incredibly busy as we make a number of facility improvements in a relatively short window.

In the High School, students will now be able to enjoy a revamped learning area in the Math quad with larger classrooms, air conditioning throughout, and collaborative learning spaces. In the Middle School, students and faculty will return to a plush new MS office – a revamp that has been long overdue. Elementary School students will probably be the most excited as this year they will get to enjoy a turtle pond, an agri garden, and an enclosed Pre-K/KG quad with a flexible learning space in the middle.

Whole school facility improvements include the laying of grass on Field D to replace astro turf that was quite hot at times, higher fences around the 50m pool, adult bathrooms by the 25m pool, and a number of aesthetic enhancements. Preliminary work on our Outdoor Education Campus in Petchburi has also taken place and we look forward to what this center can add to our students’ learning experiences in the 2017/18 school year.

We have also returned to some excellent news on the International Baccalaureate (IB) front with the Class of 2016 earning a very strong 97% pass rate, compared to a world average of 70%. The average IB Diploma score was 35 points (compared to world average of 30), while 17 students – our largest group ever – scored higher than 40 points (out of a maximum total of 45 points). Please join me in congratulating our IB Diploma students on their excellent accomplishments. College admissions were again very strong with our students attending colleges and universities all over the world in a wide array of fields.

We have been welcoming and orienting 34 new teachers, administrators and annual substitutes (from 10 different countries) and we are looking forward to the fresh ideas and energy our new hires will bring. On the administrative front, Dr. Ugo Costessi returns as interim Deputy Head of School/CFO while new to the ISB administrative team are Keith Collins, our ES Vice Principal (coming from the International School Beijing), and Susan Canobie, our HS Dean of Academics (coming from the American International School of Kingston, Jamaica). In addition, Mark Hevland joins us from Shanghai American School as Head of Risk Management,  Shelley Bragg is coming from Western International School of Shanghai as Director of Marketing and Communications,  while Elliott Bowyer (from Western Academy Beijing) assumes the mantle of our first ever Director of Outdoor Education.

The ISB administration and faculty have been working hard to prepare for the year ahead as we seek to ensure the aims of our Mission are being realised. At ISB, we strive hard to ensure that our students:

• Achieve their academic potential

• Be passionate, reflective learners

• Become caring, global citizens, and

• Lead healthy, active, balance lives

For the 2016/17 school year, as a school we will be focusing strongly on further developing a “Culture of Care” for our students (and indeed all in our community) and meeting the very different learning needs of our students. Smaller teams at ISB will also be developing our Mother Tongue and Outdoor Education programs as well as our new ISB 2025 Vision.  Parents will be invited to participate in our vision of the future of learning later in the semester.

 

Please note that there are some changes to start and end times as we enhance our Social/Emotional programs at ISB. For details, please refer to this graphic that was distributed to the ISB community last school year.

I will leave you with the exciting news that Amalie Iuel, a graduate of the Class of 2013, will be competing for Norway in the 400m Hurdles at the Rio Olympics. We are very proud of Amalie and our whole community will be cheering loudly from afar.

We look forward to seeing you all when school starts and anticipate a year of great learning, inspiration and innovation for our students.

If we can help in any way, please contact any of us at school.

Kind regards.

Andy Davies
Head of School

Back to School Parent Coffee

by Welcome Wai
welcomewai@isb.ac.th

On Monday, August 15 from 7:20am, at the front of the Chevron Theatre, the PTA will be hosting a coffee for all ISB parents, new and returning.  There will be short introductions from the school administrators, plus coffee and treats and a chance to mingle.

Booster Club: Mark your calendar – Pancake Breakfast Fundraiser 2016

Saturday, 20 August @ 8 to 11am, ISB Main Cafeteria

by Cheryl June (cheryljune7@icloud.com) and Mindy Lorber (mindylorber@gmail.com)

 

MS/HS Orientation Day PTA Reception for New Parents – Saturday, August 13

Welcome Wai
welcomewai@isb.ac.th

If you are new to ISB and attending the MS and HS new family orientation, the PTA Welcome Wai will be hosting a reception for all new parents on Saturday, August 13 at 11:00 am (HS parents) and 12:15 pm (MS parents) in the ES cafeteria. While the students are busy on campus, please join us for an opportunity to meet new people and ask questions.

 

 

The Booster Hut will be open Saturday, August 13

by Maria Van Zant
mvanzant@hotmail.com

The Booster Hut will be open on Saturday, August 13 from 10am -2 pm and on Monday, August 15 from 8am -10 am and 1:30pm to 2:30 pm.

Start the year showing your panther pride! Purchase ISB spirit items, like t-shirts, sweatshirts, water bottles, bags, and more. Come visit the Booster Hut located across from the school bookstore next to the main cafeteria.

 

2016-2017 ISB Calendars

by Bob Connor
bobc@isb.ac.th

This year’s calendars are ready, and will be sent next week to all ES classroom teachers, MS Advisory teachers, & HS Comm. group teachers.  The calendars will then be distributed on day one in all classrooms/advisory rooms/comm. groups – to all returning students. The oldest child in each family will receive the calendar for his/her family. All new families will have already received a calendar during the admissions process.

If you do not receive a calendar, or if you would like to purchase an additional calendar (100 THB), please come to the CAO (Community Activities Office) starting on Monday 22 August.

Thanks & Have a great 2016-2017 school year!

Community Activities Office

by Bob Connor
bobc@isb.ac.th

Dear ISB Students and Parents,

As you will find out very soon, ISB is a busy place. We at the Community Activities Office (CAO) offer a wide variety of activities for students to participate in when the school day is finished.

Please go to our website https://www.isb.ac.th/community-activities to get an idea of all activities available and how to register.  Please be aware that there are also ES Explore (previously called Elementary After School Activities) and ISB Athletics (BISAC and IASAS) which differ from our CAO offerings.  Yes, it can be a bit confusing, this document (click here) should help give you a basic understanding of CAO, ES Explore, and ISB Athletics.

One very important piece of information regarding CAO groups:  We do NOT provide transportation for students.  So please take this into account when registering your children.  For those of you that live in and around Nichada, this should not be a problem, but for those of you who live downtown and want to participate, you will have to arrange your own transport.

We will have a CAO Information day on August 20th from 9am-12 noon in the ES A/C Gym.  This will give you the opportunity to ask questions, register and pay for activities.  If you cannot make this day please don’t worry, all registration can be done on-line through the CAO website, and payments can be made at the CAO Monday–Friday 7am-3pm (located next to the nurse and bookstore).

I hope you all have a great start to the school year.

Regards,

Bob Connor
Community Activities Coordinator

 

Dear Parents,

Welcome back to our new academic year. The ISB Music Program (IMP) offers instructions on a variety of instruments from piano to flute as well as voice lessons after school. Online registration will open Monday, August 15, with the start of lessons Monday, August 29. All lessons will be taught in the Performing Arts Center. If you are interested in your child joining the program, contact us under angelak@isb.ac.th.

For those who have pre-registered their kids already in the last semester: You should have received a draft schedule already. Please let me know if there are any questions.

To get a first idea about the program, please visit https://www.isb.ac.th/isb-music-program.

For registration, please use the following link, but only after you have had a conversation with the coordinator.
https://thriva.activenetwork.com/Reg4/Form.aspx?IDTD=3207594&RF=11609984

 

Fitness @ ISB!

Panther Masters Swimming – every Tuesday and Thursday, 7:30AM.

Want to swim like Michael Phelps, Sarah Sjostrom, Katy Ledecky or Chad le Clos and get ready for Tokyo 2020?  Well . . . that’s not going to happen!

But come out and join your fellow Masters swimmers for some great exercise and fun.  Our group swims every Tuesday and Thursday mornings (7:30 – 8:30am) in the main Nichada pool.  There is no cost and all levels are very welcome.  It is a great hour of exercise and fun.   And the coffee at Starbucks tastes much better after an hour of swimming!

We start on Tuesday, August 16th.

Contact Catherine Miller at solviken66@hotmail.com or Kerstin Wild at kerstin.bangkok@gmail.com if you have any questions.

 

After School Dance offer classes in various styles

After School Dance offer Classes in the following Styles

Pre K – Kg Dance             Pk/Kg Dance
Gr 1 – 2                            Jazz, Ballet, Tap
Gr 3 – 5                            Jazz, Ballet, Tap, Street
Gr 6 – 12                          Jazz, Ballet, Tap, Street, Hip Hop, Contemporary
Adults                              Jazz, Ballet, Tap, Contemporary

NEW 2016 – Street for Grade 3 with Ms Pak, Hip Hop for Middle and High School with Mr Tim and Adult Classes.

Dancers wishing to join After School Dance should complete On-Line Class Request Registration stating classes they wish to join before attending Placement Assessments.

https://www.isb.ac.th/after-school-dance/registration

After School Dance Placement Assessment Sessions will take place in the CC Theatre Foyer (overlooking astro turf field), Thursday 18^th and Monday 22^nd August.

 Class Lists and Schedule will be available from Saturday 27^th August.

For more information please contact Helen Weir afterschooldance@gmail.com or visit https://www.isb.ac.th/after-school-dance

 

 

ISB Panther Gymnastics Registration for Term 1 2016-2017

 

ISB Panther Tennis Online Registration for Session 1 2016-17

 

by Panther Tennis
panthert@isb.ac.th

Dear Parents,

Panther Tennis online registration for Session 1 2016-17 is now open. Please click HERE to register.

The session 1 will commence from August 22, 2016. For session 1 schedule and fee, please click HERE

Best Regards,

PantherTennis

 

eNews Guidelines

Shelley Bragg
shelleyb@isb.ac.th

ISB eNewsletters provide a valuable avenue for communication within the ISB parent community. For your convenience we have provided you with our eNewsletter guidelines below.

Submitting an announcement for publication
ISB accepts announcements from ISB families 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

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 Director of Marketing and Communications 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.