High School Upcoming events (Please click):
January 11th 2019
Justin Alexander
justina@isb.ac.th
Dear Parents,
Welcome back to you and your families after the break and I trust the first week back at school was a great one for your children. The months of January and early February are busy ones with upcoming IASAS events including IASAS tennis which we are hosting and of course GCW for all High School students which takes place in February. You will hear more about these events in the weeks ahead, but do keep your calendars open and ready to mark in these exciting school and community events. Have a great weekend.
Regards
Justin Alexander
High School Principal
Semester 2 schedule changes
Susan Canobie
susanc@isb.ac.th
In the first 8 days of a new semester, students have the option to request schedule changes with their counselor. There have been changes to Grade 9 English and Integrated Math Standard 2 as numbers have meant that we needed to open up additional sections. This has meant that some students schedules may change for other classes such as World Studies, PE, and Sciences as we balance the numbers in each class to benefit the learning for all students.. Please note that the final day for schedule changes is Wednesday 16th January.
College Counseling News
Andrew Weiser
andreww@isb.ac.th
Grade 11 College Night– Wednesday, January 16 at 6:30pm, Chevron
All 11th grader parents and students are expected to attend
PSAT 10- ISB will offer Grade 10 students, free of charge, the opportunity to take the PSAT 10 on April 23, 2019. The PSAT is an excellent practice tool for students preparing to take the SAT in Grade 11.
Although the PSAT is excellent practice in preparation for the SAT, ISB understands not all students need the SAT for college entrance. Therefore, the PSAT 10 will be optional (OPT IN) for Grade 10 students. The OPT IN form was given to Grade 10 students on January 10. This form will be due on February 1, 2019. February 1 is a FIRM deadline because ISB needs to order the correct number of tests! The form should be turned into the High School Counseling Office.
ISB suggests juniors take the SAT for the first time no earlier than December of their junior year.
For more information about the PSAT and SAT, go to the College Board website at https://www.collegeboard.org/
Parent Presentation- “Sending Your Child to Study in the US: The Application Life Cycle and Financial Considerations”
January 15, 2019
11:45 – 12:30 PM
HS Large Conference Room
Please join Jackie Girard Vogl, Associate Vice President at State University of New York (SUNY) College at Plattsburgh, for a discussion about financing your child’s university education in the US. A brief description of the application life cycle will set the stage for an in depth discussion about the financial considerations of higher education in the US. Hear about the cost of attendance, financial aid and return on investment during this presentation.
High School Counselors News
Kevin Davy
kevind@isb.ac.th
We are back and moving!! Our students have been oiling their wheels and getting back into routines this week. Maybe the most challenging routine getting out of bed a wee bit (or a lot) earlier!!
Quite a few students have been dropping in for adjustments to their schedules. All students have until next Wednesday January 16th to request a potential change. We try to accommodate as best as possible but sometimes at this point in the year the constraints of schedule do not allow us to fulfill all requests. One consideration for transferring students is the science course they are taking. We had discussed last semester that if a student is transferring and if they know the school they might attend, then they should look at its requirements for science. In addition, we had also sent an email before the beginning of school that if a Grade 10 student is considering a Higher Level IB course in Grade 11 then there will be a level 2 prerequisite to that course (i.e. Chemistry II, Biology II, Physics II).
In regards to transferring schools, a lot of private schools in the U.S have deadlines during January and February. We have already received several for those who might or are transferring. February 1st is a popular deadline for some schools. If you are looking at a school with this deadline then your family should contact Kuhn Fon our registrar in the counseling office immediately for setting up transfer of documents. In addition, all teachers and counselors should be informed of any required recommendations immediately, thus providing adequate time for a quality response.
Kuhn Fon contact email: supanniy@isb.ac.th
Counseling Office phone number: 02 963 5887
Below is some information about a PRE- K – 12 Counseling collaboration in creating a parent workshop, hope you can join:
Safeguarding and Consent – Life beyond ISB
Parents expect their childrens’ school to give them the academic skills to succeed in university and life, but what about the skills to manage the social demands that they face in feeling good about themselves and making smart decisions about friends and relationships? ISB strives to impart the additional skills our students need to survive “life beyond ISB” from PreK to Grade 12 – setting boundaries and fully understanding consent. We feel that learning these skills is every bit as important to a healthy, fulfilling future. So how do we promote learning about safety, consent and boundaries at ISB? Come find out! We’ll have two sessions (same content, repeated) on Wednesday, January 23rd, in the MPB 1, 8:00-9:00 AM or 6:00-7:00 PM
Last Year we held a screening for “Screenagers”, a documentary addressing technology use with our youth. Below are a couple of articles addressing “how to say “No” effectively” and “Creating Consequences”. We know this is ongoing struggle for many families:
In some cultures many individuals will set New Year resolutions, goals & ambitions for the next year. I came across this very brief email ping that is from a documentary website (Angst is the documentary that we are excited to be screening in late March!!!! – more details to come!). It speaks of alternatives to new year resolutions if you live with mental illness – reading this, we believe that living with mental illness or not these are all good points to keep in consideration. Please see below, it may be something to discuss at home:
Let’s be honest, we all know the drill. Our New Year’s resolutions are lucky to last through the first few months of the new year. Here are few alternative resolutions to start off your year right, especially if you struggle with a mental illness.
- Try setting New Year’s self-care goals. Keep your mental health in mind when setting your resolutions. Your self-care should be a priority.
- Set smaller, more attainable goals. A step-by-step goal guide can be more satisfactory than one, unattainable resolution.
- Put yourself first. Your mental and physical health is most important.
- Start small. Once those small goals are met, you can set even more!
- Spread them out. Check in with your goals throughout the year to set new ones or readjust.
- Do nothing! You don’t have to make resolutions, especially if you set goals just fine throughout the year.
- Accept where you are. Don’t compare your goals and resolutions with others. If you don’t meet them, don’t blame yourself. We’re all human.
- Celebrate who you are. Your goals should reflect and respect who you are.
Raising Multilinguals Parent Workshop: Unlocking the World with a Family Language Plan
Avery Udagawa
averyu@isb.ac.th
On Thursday, January 24, 2019, from 7:45 to 9:15 a.m. in MPB 1, ISB EAL and Native Language faculty will offer a workshop for parents from all divisions (ES, MS, HS) about maintaining students’ native languages while they also study in English at ISB. This will be similar to the Raising Multilinguals workshop offered last year, and is especially useful for new families.
At this workshop faculty will:
- Present reasons to maintain native language, based on research
- Describe native language classes and resources available at ISB
- Discuss the importance of making a family language plan
Faculty will also lead small group discussions of how to nurture particular languages, how to support native language development at home, and how to make a language plan work.
Please join us! Parents of students in PreK through Grade 12 are welcome. For further information, please email: nativelanguage@isb.ac.th
ArtSS: Art Studio Saturday coming up on 26 January! Sign up now!
Trista Meisner
tristam@isb.ac.th
Art Studio Saturdays are designed to enrich the ISB community through the intellectual and creative thoughts and actions of its participants.
The format of Art Studio Saturday is structured so that participants are involved in one of four focus workshops in which they will learn specific skills, have the opportunity for individual exploration, and participate in creative challenges. As the day progresses, participants will be invited to visit other workshops and to engage in collaborative works.
All participants, regardless of workshop, will explore image making with a focus on mark making, texture, and contrast in a variety of media, including; paint, print, ink, clay, charcoal, oil pastel. Participants will be working towards a collaborative piece as well as individual works. These explorations will be both 2-dimensional and 3-dimensional.
Saturday, 26 January 2019
10:00-2:00
Art Quad
Art Studio Saturday is free and includes a light lunch.
It is open to students (grade 4 and up), parents, staff and teachers at ISB.
Spaces are limited and will be based on a diversity of ages and experiences.
Please register here by Thursday, 17 January.
Confirmation emails will be sent on Monday, 21 January.
This studio session is hosted by the ISB Visual Art Department with support from the ISB PTA & Boosters.
For more information please email: kylieh@isb.ac.th, johannan@isb.ac.th, tristam@isb.ac.th, basilt@isb.ac.th, or pauld@isb.ac.th.
Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (Repeat)
Cindy Warner-Dobrowski
Director of Student Services:
cindyw@isb.ac.th
Dear Parent/Guardian,
At ISB we care deeply about the well-being of our students. To help us meet our mission to support them in leading healthy, active and balanced lives, we will pilot the administration of the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire to all Middle and High School students in January.
Why is the questionnaire being administered?
The purpose of this questionnaire is to:
- Identify students who require immediate support
- Identify students who are struggling with social/emotional/behavioral issues in order to provide appropriate early intervention/prevention support
- Obtain an overview of the social/emotional/behavioral needs at our school to ensure that we are providing optimal support for our students
How and when will the questionnaire be administered?
The survey will be administered on Thursday, January 17 to High School students and Monday, January 28 to Middle School students. The online questionnaire will be administered during an Advisory class period and will take approximately 10 minutes to complete. Your child’s participation is voluntary. The survey items are available for you to review here.
How will the results be used?
- The data collected will be managed, analyzed, and reported by a team including the school counselors, school psychologists and the Director of Student Services in accordance with the ISB Confidentiality Policy.
- Individual student responses to the questionnaire are confidential. Any concerns raised through the survey administration process will be shared only with school personnel involved in supporting that student.
- The questionnaire administration process has been designed to identify specific students who need additional support. The survey will be conducted electronically and students’ names will be captured along with their responses. ISB counselors will meet with any student whose responses indicate a need for follow up and parents will be notified.
- School counselors, school psychologists and administrators will analyze overall trends to help improve student support at ISB.
- In completing this questionnaire your child will have an opportunity to privately reflect on his/her current social emotional health and wellness. Some parents may choose to use the questionnaire as an opportunity to create dialogue related to social emotional wellbeing topics with their child following completion of the survey.
- Key findings will be shared with teachers and parents.
Does my child have to complete the questionnaire?
No. As a parent or guardian, you can opt out of having your child complete this questionnaire. Students will be informed that they may choose to skip any questions that they do not feel comfortable answering.
Parents/Guardians who do not want their child to take the survey should let their child’s school counselor know by phone or in writing no later than January 14. ISB will assume parent/guardian consent to their child participating unless the school counselor has been notified. Parents do not have to do anything unless they do not want their child to participate.
Thank you so much for your support with this important project.
The ISB Counseling Team
Middle School Counselors:
Karen Kinsella (karenk@isb.ac.th)
Colleen Coady (colleenc@isb.ac.th)
High School Counselors:
Jackie Valenzuela (jackiev@isb.ac.th)
Kevin Callahan (kevinc@isb.ac.th)
Kevin Davy (kevind@isb.ac.th)
MS and HS School Psychologist:
Ryan Ruhl (ryanr@isb.ac.th)
Director of Student Services:
Cindy Warner-Dobrowski (cindyw@isb.ac.th)
High School Principal
Justin Alexander
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.