MS eNews – Friday, August 19th, 2016
What a First Week!
by Dennis Harter
Wow, what a week! It has been so wonderful to have the students gathering in the halls, learning in the classrooms, and connecting with each other. The building feels like a school again.
Through the first week students have interacted with each other and teachers in deliberate way to create a warm, welcoming, fun environment for everyone at school. Students have been getting to know their new schedules and teachers have been out in the halls, helping them find their way with a smile and an encouraging word. In classrooms, teachers have started to get to know the students as people and learners. Our grade 6 students have already settled in to the new world and our grade 7 and 8 are showing a calm and comfort that comes with enjoying the place they go to school.
To quote, a grade 6 student who was asked in the hall by his former grade 5 teacher how it was going, “Middle School is awesome!”
The faculty and staff of our middle school is excited to keep that feeling going throughout the year as our students learn, feel cared for, discover and foster their interests, and have fun.
A great year ahead!
A Culture of Care on the First Day of School
On their first day of school, students did not attend any of their classes, yet they still learned a lot. We know students learn best when they feel safe, confident and happy. The first day of school was designed to create just such an atmosphere. The students spent the first day learning about their school, making new friends, and having fun. Some of the things we did:
- Played team-building games at the gym
- Learned about the library and wrote fun songs about books
- Understood our rights and responsibilities as valuable members of the Middle School community
- Explored how to use laptops effectively for learning
- Played some “getting to know each other” games in their House
- Received and learned how to use our ID cards, lockers, supplies, and schedule
- Took tours of the school to know important locations such as the Tech Help Center, the counselors, and the Nurse’s Office
We also launched the Middle School advisory program. Advisory is a caring group of peers that support each other throughout the school year. It is a “homebase” of approximately ten students that meet every day. One teacher serves as the Advisor for each Advisory and becomes a person students can go to for questions and concerns, whether they are academic or social. Advisory is also where students learn about the weekly events and announcements, plan for their Middle School activities, grow in social skills and study habits, have fun, and develop an inclusive, safe, supportive community within our school.
MS Parent Technology Trainings August 2016-17
by Miguel Zambrano
miguelz@isb.ac.th
Dear MS Parents,
For the startup of the new school year, we will be offering parent tech training to familiarize yourself with online systems we use at ISB, as well being prepared to support your child when the laptops come home. We welcome suggestions for each session. If you have some ideas or topics you would like covered please let me know when you fill out the registration form. In general, all sessions will be the same and will mainly focus on PowerSchool, Haiku, Campus Card, Parent Controls, recommendations for using the laptops at home, and some applications to help students’ use of the laptop. There is a limited capacity for 32 parents per session, so please sign up early (If there is demand, we will run extra sessions). All sessions will be in MPB 3.
To register for the session visit: https://bit.ly/isbmstraining16.
Requirements for the session:
– The student laptop and the charger just in case. If you are unable to bring the student laptop please indicate it in the registration form and I will prepare in advance to provide some spare laptops for the session.
– Parent PowerSchool login (you should have received this by email, or for existing parent you already have it)
– Parents need to request an administrator account from Ed Tech by visiting: https://bit.ly/parentadmin. Students will have to take their laptops to Ed Tech so that the account can be created before you show up to the session.
Please do this in advance as it takes some time to set these accounts and we not just want to be able to cover as much as possible during the sessions, but also have more time to talk and answer questions.
Should you have any questions please don’t hesitate to contact me via email or come to see me at the Coaches Office in the first floor of the MS building.
Looking forward to seeing you.
Interested in Receiving the MS Daily Student Announcements in Your Email?
Dear Parents,
Some of you have already found the link on our website where you can subscribe to receive via email each day the MS Student Announcements for the day. The link is on the ISB website under MS Activities. II’ve attached a link below for your convenience if you haven’t.
If you would like to begin receiving the announcements, just click on the following link, completing the details asked for.
Best Regards,
Moe Baron-Toaldo
MS Activities Coordinator
Panther Run Series – Race #1
Feel like jump starting your fitness now that school has begun and summer is a distant memory? Come join the ISB Cross Country Runners at the first Panther Run on Saturday, August 27. There is a 5 km and a 3 km race. All proceeds go to Operation Smile.
Registration/Warm-up: 6:45 AM in the Breezeway
Race Start: 7:15 AM sharp.
Cost: 200 Baht for Adults; 100 Baht for Students
See you on the track!
ISB Cross Country Coaches
Boy Scout Registration — Tuesday 30th August, 2016 at 1800 in ES MPR
Registration for ISB’s Boy Scout Troop 701 will be Tuesday, 30 Aug in the Elementary School Multi-Purpose Room at 1800. Come learn about Thailand’s oldest Boy Scout troop and get ready for an adventure. Troop 701 camps every month and meets every Tuesday night at 18.00. Scouts Learn leadership, outdoor skills and participate in many community activities. Boys age 11-17 can participate in Boy Scouts and we welcome both new and current Scouts.
Please contact Steve Grove troop701bangkok@gmail.com
And view the troop’s web page at:
https://www.scoutlander.com/publicsite/unithome.aspx?UID=24313
Phone Number Updating in Powerschool
Greetings,
Many people move houses over the summer, details change (phone numbers etc). We are in the process of updating phone numbers, addresses and emergency contacts. Could you take the time to login to Powerschool Parent Portal and check the details ISB has on record, update if necessary. It is really important this information is accurate, we use this in emergency situations.
Instructions
Step 1.
Login to Powerschool
- If you have forgotten your password click the “Forgot username or password” link
- If you are new, you should have received and email with your login details, if not please contact Vinit Pathela (vinitp@isb.ac.th)
Step 2.
At the bottom of the left hand menu click “Contact Update”. This information will then take a day or two to update (we manually check for accuracy).
If you have any questions or queries, contact Vinit Pathela (vinitp@isb.ac.th)