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Learning Feedback in PowerSchool

This week teachers published comments in PowerSchool for students in all of their courses. This timing practice has been adopted this year so that students and parents receive learning feedback that provides students with an opportunity to see what learning behaviors have been successful for them and what they might need to address before the end of the term.

In the past comments have been summaries of the term, isolated to report cards and without opportunities for students to improve their learning from the feedback. Our approach now, with just over a month of school remaining is to provide formative feedback from a body of evidence so that students have time to make improvements or continue successful practices.

Please visit PowerSchool and visit the course grades for Semester 2 (S2) to see the written learning feedback for your child.

Important information if your child is transferring schools

From the Counseling Office

Transferring to another school?

Often a school receiving school will request that confidential recommendation forms be filled out by the student’s current teachers as part of their admissions process.

Instead of going to teachers, we ask that you please turn these recommendation forms in to the MS Counseling Office, where they will be directed to the subject teachers required by the receiving school. When a specific subject is not identified, then we can direct the forms to the teachers of your choice. In some cases the new school forms are electronic and need to be sent directly to a teacher from the new school. In these cases, please notify your child’s counselor before sending the links directly to the teachers. This allows us to prep them and ensure they can provide the best reference possible.

We’ve found that it’s helpful to have one person coordinating the application process to ensure that all documentation is completed in a timely manner. The Counseling Office will contact you when the forms have been sent out as per the prospective schools’ requirement. Of course, confidential letters of recommendation, once prepared, will not be turned over to students or parents, but will be sent directly to the prospective school. The Counselor is the best person to coordinate all of this, follow up with teachers, and ensure that the application is the best it can be for a student.

Part of ensuring this is allowing teachers adequate time to craft a strong recommendation. Recommendation requests tend to all come in around the same time, so we ask parents to give our teachers at least two weeks notice before deadlines, so that these recommendations aren’t rushed and students get the best versions of these.

Please notify the Counseling Office as far in advance as possible to prepare recommendations for the new school(s). Please meet with your child’s counselor to help facilitate this process.

A Trending TV show among teens and what parents should know

by Dennis Harter
dennish@isb.ac.th

Recently, a series on Netflix has gained a lot of attention among teens and subsequently parents, educators, and mental health professionals. Based on a popular Young Adult fiction novel by Jay Asher, the series “13 Reasons Why” tells the story of a high school teenage girl who commits suicide and leaves 13 recordings detailing the role people played in her decision. The themes are mature and there are scenes and scenarios that can be disturbing.

This show has been a hit for Netflix, particularly among teens, and prompted discussion on how suicide and teenage life, in general, are portrayed. Ultimately, a message of helping those who are hurting is reached, but other aspects take centerstage on the show, particularly as it flashes back regularly to when the girl was alive.

While not all MS students have watched this show, it is widespread enough to be someting they are talking about. For this reason, we wanted to be sure parents are aware that it may contain some confusing messages for teens, particularly if they feel distressed or know someone who does. If your child has seen this show, it may be an opportunity for you to talk about these issues with them.

In cases like these we don’t want to elevate anxiety. Most of the time, students are fine and can separate media messages from their own lives. Sometimes, however, students may internalize undesirable messages unless we are helping them through with counter-messages.

Cindy Warner-Dobrowski, our Director of Student Services, has put together a resource for parents adapted from National Association of School Psychologists. (2017) recent paper, 13 Reasons Why Netflix series: Considerations for educators [handout]. This resource shares the current thinking from mental health professionals about how best to talk about these difficult issues with teens.

Please do not hesitate to contact a counselor or school administrator if you have any concerns.

Middle School Art Exhibit Now Open

Next time you are on campus, please swing by the Chevron Foyer to enjoy the artwork of our MS Art students. The Art Exhibit opened this past Thursday and is open until May 9th.

Congratulations of artists and there art teachers for the inspiration and putting together this wonderful celebration of their learning.

Student Food Choices at School

By Tico Oms, Deans of Students

To be successful at school, sleep and nutritious foods are primary factors. Healthy choices support kids in how to stay focused, contribute to lessons, and manage the expectation in the classroom both socially and academically. The challenge for parents is how to support children in making healthy choices when they are not around you.

We have many choices in our cafeteria. For many middle school students, 6^th grade lunch is the first time they get to make their own choices in what they eat. While our health classes teach students about proper nutrition, we encourage parents to keep an eye on what foods students order while at school. Checking what foods kids eat at school is easy.

From the ISB website, go to the parent portal.

From the parent portal, click on campus card.

You can look up your child’s eating habits through Card Activity Report. Click on Reports to get a pull-down menu. Then click on Card Activity Report.

Select which child’s purchasing history you’d like to see (if you have more than one child at ISB), the date range for the report, and whether you’d like to see the report on your screen or to print out.

The report will look something like this:

Please use this information to have thoughtful conversations with your children about the value of healthy eating.

PTA Touchstone announcement

The ISB PTA publication – the TOUCHSTONE’s team wishes all the graduating seniors Best of Luck and Success for the final exams. Best wishes to all who are in exam mode.

We are looking for articles on the prompts mentioned below for our next issue. Student articles are preferred but all are welcome to contribute – it is your magazine. Articles, anecdotes, opinions, cartoons and pictures – we need your involvement. Last date is 4th May.

Prompt 1: April 22nd was Earth Day – Do you have any unique ideas for the Earth, How did you celebrate Earth Day this year? What would you do differently this year to save the Earth?

Prompt 2: April 1st – April Fool’s day. Send us something really funny or innovative that you did on the day.

Prompt 3: 21st June – World Yoga day – How can or how has yoga changed your life? Teach us and tell us more.

Prompt 4: May 4th is Star Wars day – Give us your creative best!

Thank You,

Gunjan and Pratip

Repeat Announcement: Selling Band Instruments

By Kentaro Udagawa
kentarou@isb.ac.th

Dear ISB Bands families,

Next year’s grade 6 band students will soon be hoping to purchase instruments for next year. Some will be looking for second-hand instruments to purchase.

If you have band instruments in good condition that you wish to sell (flute, oboe, bassoon, clarinet, alto/tenor/baritone saxophone, trumpet, French horn, trombone, euphonium/baritone, tuba and/or percussion kit), please contact <kentarou@isb.ac.th> and bring your instruments to the MS band rooms (#119 or 107, first floor in the Cultural Center) before Thursday, May 4 for us to evaluate and give an estimated price. We will then send a list of available instruments to parents who are interested in purchasing second-hand instruments.

Please be advised that we are not able to guarantee that all instruments will be sold due to the condition or interested buyers.

If you have further questions, please feel free to write to <kentarou@isb.ac.th>.

Kentaro Udagawa and Brent Poling, MS Band