High School Upcoming events (Please click):
‘At the Forum’
Justin Alexander
justina@isb.ac.th
Dear Parents,
Thank you for taking the time today to be at school with your sons and/or daughters at the Parent Teacher (student) conferences. Taking the opportunity to speak with teachers about your children’s progress, achievements and looking for areas of growth is an important aspect of the learning experience for your children here at ISB. There are a few busy months ahead of us before the end of the school year and these conferences will hopefully provide that extra piece of encouragement, guidance and support to help our students finish the school year with confidence and success.
We enjoyed hosting nearly 50 High School parents at the Principals’ Forum on Tuesday in the MS/HS Library. A variety of questions/concerns were raised and responded to by our HS Admin team which consists of Andy Vaughan, Susan Canobie, Derrick Quinet, Anthony Giles and Becky Hansberry. Areas of discussion included
- Age rules for JV team selection,
- Teacher absences, substitutes and attendance
- Class allocation for teachers etc
- Choice of HS plays
- GCW
- IB Statistics and results
- Information from the FCD Drug survey
- Dress Code and uniform
- Library opening for Seniors
- PSAT for 10th graders
You can view the slideshow presentation of the meeting by clicking here.
Other links within the presentation include:
PTA presentation for Parents re May IB results
Upcoming HS PTA meeting:
The next HS PTA meeting was originally scheduled for March 29th at 9.30am, however given the proximity of this date to the recent Principals’ Forum we have now moved this meeting to Wednesday April 25th at 6.30pm (in the evening). Please mark your calendars.
Regards
Justin Alexander
High School Principal
Vaping and Juul’s -A must read for parents
Andy Vaughan
andyv@isb.ac.th
There is a growing trend in the U.S. that is now appearing also in Thailand called ‘Juuling’. This is a type of smoking via an e-cigarette or vaping tool that looks like a USB drive and charges in a laptop; you would not notice it unless you knew what to look for. It seems that in a number of schools in the States, students are using it everywhere – in class, bathrooms, lunchrooms because the vapour is easy to hide.
Vaping in Thailand is supposed to be illegal, but there is also a reality that it is here, which can be seen in the presence of this online company, ‘Juul Thailand’ linked here: http://juulthailand.com/
We recommend that parents read the following article which gives a background to this emerging phenomena and then have open conversations with your child about this growing habit and the risks of addiction that accompany it.
At ISB, our FCD data has shown us some of our students have tried vaping, however the reported use was quite low. We hope by being proactive with our community we can help ensure that this use remains low in our student population. https://offspring.lifehacker.com/what-parents-need-to-know-about-juuling-1823376027
2018/19 COURSE REGISTRATIONS – OPEN NOW
Susan Canobie
susanca@isb.ac.th
Students in grades 8 -11 are currently signing up for next year courses via Powerschool. ALL students in these grade levels need to complete this by Tuesday 3pm. If you would like to look through the courses on offer with your son or daughter for next year updated information they are placed on the main website HS Academic courses page here.
Even if students may be leaving ISB at the end of the current school year, they still need to select their courses.
Grade 12 Exam Schedules for May 2017 – Important information
Susan Canobie
susanca@isb.ac.th
Grade 12 students will all finish formal classes on Monday 23rd April and start study leave the following day. The official IB exams for ISB start on Friday 27th April and go through to Friday 18th May. There are IB exams on Thai holidays during this period. Individual ISB exam schedules for non-IB students can now be found on PowerSchool. They are located on the top right corner of the quick lookup page. Please check them carefully and record the dates in your family calendar. All exams are in MPB with AM (mornings) starting at 7:30am and PM (afternoon) starting at 12noon.
High School Counseling News
Andrew Weiser
andreww@isb.ac.th
ALL HIGH SCHOOL
Summer Enrichment Programs – It’s that time of year when families are starting to think about their summer plans. It’s an ideal time for students to do things they normally cannot do during the school year: travel, spend time with family, cultivate an interest in a new field, pursue volunteer opportunities, or attend summer programs. When it comes to admissions to colleges and universities, participating in summer programs is not a requirement or expectation. Any institution wants to know what a student is curious about, what motivates them, and are they willing to seek out those interests. For students who are interested in a structured summer enrichment program, ISB has a great database of opportunities that can be accessed here. Search based on the subject or the location. Although some summer program deadlines may have past, there are still many available.
If a student would like to apply to a summer program, they should schedule a time with their school or college counselor to discuss the application requirements and deadlines. Students should complete a form in our office giving us more information about the program so that we can best support the student in their application. Recommendations and official transcripts can only be sent directly to an institution.
COLLEGE COUNSELING
It’s Time to Schedule the Student Led Junior Conference – These meeting started in February and are ongoing through March, 11th grade students and their parents will be meeting with college counselors to start planning for life after graduation. Parents or students can schedule this meeting for approximately 1 hour. We prefer that both parents attend this meeting. The Junior Assignment (University Research, Resume, Parent Perspectives and Power Point) needs to be completed before this meeting can be scheduled.
Monthly College Coffees – The next parent coffee focusing on college is on March 19 from 12:30 – 2:00 in MPB 3 and is targeted for our Korean parent community. Our Korean liaison will be available serve as a translator. The April 9 College Coffee will be about admissions and applying to university in the UK and Hong Kong
Grade 12 U.S. Student VISA Meeting – A U.S. Embassy representative will be on campus Wednesday May 2 at 2:45 to present information regarding Student VISA’s to the United States. Grade 12 students and parents are invited. The meeting will be held in the High School Library (Literacy Lounge)
University Visits– for a full list of who is coming, please subscribe to the Google Calendar at this link.
School Counselor:
Kevin Callahan
kevinc@isb.ac.th
Have your son or daughter see their counselor if they have questions about registration for next year’s classes. All the counselors are available to answer questions about course selection. Some of the choices of courses are quite confusing, so don’t be shy; come and ask!
All Grade 9 students met with school counselors to be informed of course options for Grade 10. The link below is the little presentation we put together. It includes planning sheets, which students received as hard copies on the day. We have encouraged them to access the online program of studies, especially when considering electives and prerequisites. Students sign up for courses through PowerSchool, registration is open March 14 -20. The course selections are not first come, first served. Here is the link:
https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1ABaeFwuAqii3SIxSAKH7eSU_i808Q6iYIbGtDSDa9to/edit?usp=sharing
In addition, Grade 9 students were sent a video tutorial on how to register for curse through PowerSchool. The video is linked below:
If you have further questions about course selections, feel free to contact us. Hopefully, we’ll see you at Parent Teacher Conferences!
SPIRIT NIGHT – Friday the 23rd March
Derrick Quinet
derrickq@isb.ac.th
Don’t miss our third and final Spirit Night of the year, this coming Friday, March 23. We will be hosting the Senior Track & Field Championship and featuring the Varsity and JV girls and boys Badminton teams. The action begins about 4pm and doesn’t stop until 9pm! Don’t miss out on our vendors and Booster Tent spirit sales. Show your Panther Pride!
Derrick Quinet
Athletics Director
IASAS Baseball Exchange 2018!
Derrick Quinet
derrickq@isb.ac.th
ISB welcomes the five visiting schools from IASAS for a fun-filled weekend of non-stop action on Reinsch Field. Not only will JIS, SAS, TAS, and ISKL be returning, we will be joined for the first time by Taipei International School.
Don’t miss out an exciting weekend of IASAS Baseball! All your favorite vendors plus the Booster Club will be in attendance. We hope to see you in the stands.
Baseball Exchange Schedule This Weekend
You can also follow the RESULTS HERE.
Go Panthers!
IASAS Exchange Weekend
Derrick Quinet
derrickq@isb.ac.th
http://www.tas.edu.tw/iasas-exchange-badminton-track – Follow this link to keep up with this weekend’s Track & Field results and Badminton Scores, hosted by TAS.
Our varsity softball team ravels to Kuala Lumpur and ISKL for this year’s IASAS Exchange. Goo luck to all our athletes and teams!
Go Panthers!
AMIS MS Honor Choir Housing April 4-8, 2018
Anthony Giles
anthonyg@isb.ac.th
Dear ISB Students and Parents,
Apologies if you are receiving this information again but we are desperate to find housing for our 192 guests! As you may or may not be aware, ISB will be hosting the 2018
AMIS MS Boys’ and Girls’ Honor Choirs April 4-8, 2018.
With 213 students (including 20 from ISB) from 17 schools around the region participating in the conference this year I am writing to ask for your help housing our visiting student delegates. Think of it as an opportunity to connect with students at other schools who may host students from ISB in the future. Or, think of it as an opportunity to give back if your family has already benefited from similar arrangements at other schools.
AMIS conferences and tournaments depend upon the good will and generosity of people like you to host visiting students from other schools. This reciprocal agreement shared throughout the region adds immense value to our programs, and provides a unique opportunity to develop new friendships, share in culture, and strengthen our connections across international communities. Honestly, it’s one of the things that makes AMIS events so special.
So, show off your new guest room. Share your favorite dessert. Get to know students from other schools. In short, be a part of this rich AMIS hosting tradition by registering HERE on or before Wednesday, March 21, 2018.
Please Note: All ISB students involved with IASAS CC or AMIS in the past few years are required to submit the housing form linked,or find someone who can house for you.
Things to consider…
- Host families are responsible for providing a safe environment for visiting students in compliance with the ISB Hosting Policy
- Student guests must be hosted in pairs, or more, with no exceptions.
- Accommodation can be fairly basic and rooms shared.
- At least one parent/guardian must be present at home for the duration of the convention. Evening supervision is required.
- Visiting participants will arrive Wednesday, April 4, 2018.
- All visiting teams will depart on or before Sunday, April 8, 2018.
- Host families are expected to provide healthy breakfasts and dinners for visiting students.
- All participants and host students must follow the IASAS Rules and Guidelines set forth by the league and host school.
- Parents will receive a curfew call from visiting coaches at 9pm every evening to check in with their students.
Regards,
Anthony Giles
PK-12 Arts & Activities Director
Jazz Night – March 29th, 6:30 pm in the MPB
Anthony Giles
anthonyg@isb.ac.th
Come join us for our annual Jazz Night Concert featuring the HS Jazz Band! They’ll be playing songs in different jazz styles from swing and blues, to latin and funk, and feature several of our students as jazz soloists. We’ll also be featuring 2 HS jazz vocalists with the band. In addition, our elementary music teacher, Ms. Angela Wong, jazz flutist,
will be joining with the jazz band on a latin number, and also perform in a small combo with Mr. Marshall
and Mr. Myers. Free admission and Refreshments will be served as you are entertained, so we look forward to
seeing you in the MPB at 6:30 pm on Thursday, March 29th.
Regards,
Anthony Giles
PK-12 Arts & Activities Director
Native Language Survey for Parents—Open Through March 31
Avery Udagawa
averyu@isb.ac.th
As part of ISB’s Strategic Learning Plan (ISB 2025), a group of faculty are considering the role of native languages on our campus. We would deeply appreciate your opinion. Please watch for a Native Language Parent Survey by email (one will be sent per family) and take a few minutes to complete it. It will be open for responses until March 31, 2018. We hope to hear from parents throughout our community, regardless of which languages you speak. Many thanks!
Sincerely,
ISB Native Language Faculty Committee
Nominations for PTA Executive Board 2018/2019 is now open.
PTA – First VP
pta-firstvp@isb.ac.th
In order for the PTA to continue to offer critical community-enhancing support like Intercultural Day, Staff Appreciation, parent education and social support events, Welcome Wai, student activity and materials grants and MORE, we need YOU!
This is an incredible opportunity to make a difference in your child’s school. We are seeking energetic and dedicated individuals to help make the 2018-2019 school year the best yet! If you are interested to serve on the board, please complete electronic application form by 30 March 2018, and the Nominating Committee comprising of the following individuals will be in touch:
Eilin Hee (pta-firstvp@isb.ac.th)
Dawn Baker (pta-adulted@isb.ac.th)
Karen Leung (pta-mscoord@isb.ac.th)
Lizette van Bergen (lizettevanbergen@gmail.com)
Vinitha Chirayil Thilakan (drvinithajayachandran@gmail.com)
Positions & a brief overview of each role:
| President – Primary liaison between PTA and the school administration. Oversees officers, chairs, and committees. |
| Vice President – PTA representative on Food, Security, and Transportation committees. Liaise and support the Community Representatives and chair the PTA Nominating Committee. |
| IFF Coordinator – Recruits & leads a team of volunteers to orchestrate the annual IFF event including securing sponsorships and raffle prizes, booking vendors and games, organizing country reps to provide food booths, developing an entertainment program, and liaising with B&G to provide facility services for the event. |
| Adult Education Coordinator – Manages course offerings and recruits teachers; manages online enrollment system and collects payments; advertises program in various media; keeps accounting ledger and liaises with treasurer to disperse teacher payments. |
| Secretary – Creates meeting agendas, notifies Board Members and Membership of regularly scheduled meetings, and records and reports meeting minutes |
| Treasurer – Manages all PTA budgets and financials, through the use of good accounting and in accordance with Bylaws. A background in accounting is required. |
| ES Coordinator – Organises PTA school meetings and intercultural day activities, represent general parent interests, ideas and suggestions to the school leadership team. |
| MS Coordinator – Organises PTA school meetings and student socials, represent general parent interests, ideas and suggestions to the school leadership team. |
| HS Coordinator – Organises PTA school meetings, liaise & support subcommittees, represent general parent interests, ideas and suggestions to the school leadership team. |
| Communications Coordinator – Maintains PTA website, publish “PTA e-news” newsletters & update the PTA Facebook page as needed. |
| Editor in Chief of Touchstone – Oversees editing, layout, writing, proofreading, publishing, and distribution of Touchstone magazine. |
| Hospitality Coordinator – Organizes cookie appreciation day, Staff Appreciation lunch, hospitality treats and distribute cards/gifts for births, farewell & welcome for staff. |
| Welcome Wai Coordinator – Organizes parent activities like welcome coffees, plan & assemble welcome packs, new parents orientation, first point of welcome for new ISB families and assist in their integration to ISB. |
Elections for the PTA Executive Board 2018/2019 will be held on 15 May 2018 at 6pm.
ISB Summer School 2018 – Registration Now Open!
Maurilio Baron-Toaldo
maurilib@isb.ac.th
Our ISB Summer School Office is now open and accepting registrations for Summer School 2018 at ISB! You can go to the ISB website, or click here, to access all information about dates, programs, and fees, and to submit a registration form online.
Our Summer School Office is located through the door on the right side of the ISB Bookstore where Khun Fon will be there to greet and assist you Monday to Fridays, 7:00 – 11:00am.
For any questions, please email sumdir@isb.ac.th
Best Regards,
Mr. Maurilio Baron-Toaldo
Summer School Director
eNewsletter 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 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.