Middle School Tardy Policy
At ISB, we value the time students have in class with their teachers and classmates. We understand that class time allows students to interact with each other as they make sense of new ideas and concepts.
We believe that students demonstrate respect to themselves, their teachers, their classmates, and their learning when they arrive to class on time and engage in the learning. In general we support students in this and talk to them about what that respect looks like. Occasionally, students repeatedly arrive late to class. In these cases, we follow up further in the hope that students will value their class time more.
MS Tardy Procedures
Attending classes in a timely manner helps create a more positive learning climate and is an important habit to develop. Tardy students miss valuable learning time and cause a disruption when entering the classroom late.
The ISB middle school tardy policy is as follows:
- First tardy: teacher addresses tardy with student.
- Second tardy: teacher addresses tardy with student and may contact home.
- Fourth tardy: Dean of Students informs student and parents of the repeated tardies.
- Eighth tardy: Dean of Students sends email to student and parents that lunch detentions are instituted for each additional tardy.
- Twelfth tardy: Dean of Students requests a parent meeting.
How to check your child’s tardy count on PowerSchool
Sign into PowerSchool. If you don’t know your username and password, please contact Khun Arintra at arintrat@isb.ac.th. Click on Attendance History on the left-hand column. If you see any records that you believe are in error, you can e-mail Khun Arintra with the corrections or send a note with your child.
This screen will show you the most recent entries as well as totals for the year.
MS Flex Program kicks off next week!
by Cindy Plantecoste, MS Dean of Academics
Our Flex program is designed to provide students with opportunities for further challenge, enrichment, creativity, movement, fun, and choice! Our MS students love this aspect of our MS program and so we are excited to get the program up and running. Here is some information about our flex program this year:
- All students have now signed up for 2 flex courses
- On Monday, September 10, students will be able to view in PowerSchool the courses into which they have been scheduled
- These classes will run between September 12 – January 23
- Each class will meet every other week on alternating Wednesdays
- Flex classes are 30 minutes long and take place from 10:55-11:25
- We select the classes to run each semester based on student interest, expressed through our registration process
MS PTA Meeting on September 13th
As we shared at the MS Open House evening a few weeks ago, parent involvement at school supports school and student success. Additionally, it connects us as a community with a common goal of making our school great for kids.
On Thursday, September 13th, 9:00 AM to 10:00 AM in MPB 2, the MS PTA representatives are hosting our first Middle School PTA meeting of the school year. Parents can learn about ways that they can be involved at school and MS administration will share some of the key elements of our program. We will also look ahead to other parent sessions to come later in the year.
Hope to see you there!
How to receive the Good Morning MS Student Announcements via email each day…
If you would like to begin receiving the MS student announcements each day via email, please complete and submit the enclosed subscription form.
If you were on the list and receiving the announcements each day last year and would like to continue receiving them this year, you will need to resubscribe using the above link as we build the parent database from scratch start of each school year.
Please Join Us!
The first Middle School PTA meeting will be held Thursday, September 13 at 9AM in MPB2 (at the top of the zig-zag). Join us for an overview of the upcoming year’s MS activities, comments from the administration and some time with other parents of middle school students.
Hope to see you there!
Middle School Coordinators
Kelly Kabat and Ferda Seyhan
Repeat Announcement: MS Reporting Timeline for 2018-2019
By Cindy Plantecoste, MS Dean of Academics
In an effort to keep you informed about the progress of your child, we’ve established a communication and reporting timeline. On the dates listed below, you can access accurate information related to your child’s progress in PowerSchool or in person during conferences. You should always feel free to reach out to your child’s teacher and/or counselor if you have any questions or concerns related to your child’s progress.
The definitions below will help you understand our reporting terminology:
Attainment of Learning Goals:
Students are assessed upon their current level of attainment of our ISB academic learning goals, including the key knowledge, skills, and understandings identified by our ISB curricular standards and grade-level benchmarks using the descriptors listed below. Progress may be assessed between levels (example: Meeting/Excelling) when the student has attained one level for some goals and the other level for other goals in a particular learning area.
Habits and Attitudes for Learning (HAL):
Our ISB Middle School HAL are behaviors and dispositions that support students’ progress towards achieving our Mission. Students who approach their learning with these habits and attitudes develop a growth mindset and become independent, life‐long learners.
Reporting and Communication Timeline for Semester 1 (2018-19)
Please note that the first PowerSchool update will be next Friday, Sept. 7, when teachers will share their first HAL ratings. This would be a perfect time for you and your child to go into PowerSchool together, look at the feedback, and discuss the kinds of healthy routines, behaviors, and dispositions that will contribute to a successful learning experience throughout the year.
Repeat Announcement: MAP testing dates – Session 1, 2018-19
by Cindy Plantecoste, MS Dean of Academics
Between August 29 and September 19, MS students will take the NWEA Measurement of Academic Progress (MAP) test in Math and Reading, during their regularly scheduled Math and English classes.
The MAP test is a computer-based test in either Reading or Math, that assesses students on each question, adjusting subsequent questions to determine appropriate challenge and provide a snapshot of what the student can do at a specific point of time of the year. This information is useful to our teachers as they decide how to differentiate the learning experience for their students.
Students will be given a full class period to complete each MAP test. For students who aren’t able to finish their test in the allocated time, we will host after-school sessions for students to complete their test(s).
While the test is not timed, the NWEA shared that 60 minutes should be enough time for most students. Between a full 80-minute block and the afterschool extended time, a student would have 110 minutes to complete each the test, if needed. Results from past testing sessions show that there has not been an impact on student performance due to the time allocated for testing.