High School Upcoming events (Please click):
‘From Conventions to conferences’
Justin Alexander
justina@isb.ac.th
Dear Parents,
It has been fantastic to watch some wonderful performances and to be able to appreciate the artistic talents of our ISB students along with their IASAS friends who have descended on our campus this week for the Cultural Convention (CC) for Arts, Dance, Drama, Film and Tech. With more than 400 delegates/participants involved in workshops, seminars, performances and rehearsals ISB has been a hive of activity with lots of opportunities to see their talent on display. The full schedule is available here and there are performances in the CCT starting at 6pm on Friday night and then again on Saturday morning at 10.00am. The Art exhibition in the CCT foyer is worth a visit on its own and is available for viewing until Saturday morning.
Congratulations are also due for our delegates (and their coaches) attending the Music CC in Singapore and the Forensics and Debate convention in Jakarta. More details next week when they all return.
Regards
Justin Alexander
High School Principal
Parent-Teacher-Student Conferences:
Justin Alexander
justina@isb.ac.th
Parent-Teacher-Student Conferences will be held from 7:30 – 2:30 pm (Lunch -11:15- 12:00 pm) on Friday March 8th in the Rajendra Hall. This will be an important time to discuss the semester two progress of your child(ren) with teachers and counselors.
The conferences in March are a great opportunity for students and parents to speak with their teachers about course selections for the following school year. This is particularly important for students moving from Grade 10 to 11 as they have to make a greater number of decisions.
With this in mind it we expect that all students attend the conferences along with their parents and come ready to discuss current progress and future course choices. Please be aware that if you have a choice in the time you attend, the afternoon session from 12:00 – 14:30 is generally less busy than the morning session.
Principal Forum
Justin Alexander
justina@isb.ac.th
Principal’s Forum Wednesday 6th March 9.30am
(Room 3-302) Third Floor High School Building
High School Parents are cordially invited to attend the HS Principal Forum on Wednesday 6th March at 9.30am in Room 3-302 of the High School building. The HS Admin team will be responding to questions asked by parents and submitted to the PF parent committee in the past month or so. Some of the questions to be discussed at the meeting include:
- Discussion about combined HL and SL classes for students
- Tutoring Survey
- Teachers leaving at the end of the year
- Issue of ‘Vaping’ and other drug related questions
- Math and Science
We look forward to discussing these questions and other areas of interest during the meeting on Wednesday. See you there.
Justin Alexander
High School Principal
Grade 10 Course Selection Evening
Susan Canobie
susanca@isb.ac.th
Monday 4th March 6:30pm Chevron/MPB
Please save the evening to come along with your grade 10 child to speak with grade 11 course teachers about the different options available in grade 11. The transition from grade 10 to 11 is the time when students have the most choice available about what courses they can study. It can prove to be hard to make these choices and we hope that having the opportunity to talk to teachers will help that decision to be an informed one. Please find a summary of the process of course selection and support that Grade 10 students have.
Please come along!
College Counselor News
Stephan Golas
stephang@isb.ac.th
There are several events coming up in the next two weeks in the world of College Counseling, both on-campus and off!
Firstly, for those of you interested in studying in the United States, EducationUSA is hosting a college fair from 13:00 to 16:00 at the Arnoma Grand Hotel (Chit Lom) tomorrow, March 2nd. Representatives from over 50 American colleges and universities will be available to speak with you about their institutions. A smaller group of schools is visiting ISB today (Friday, March 1st), but for those who could not attend, this is a great opportunity to catch these schools before they leave Bangkok!
Mr. Golas and Mr. Weiser will be available on Monday, March 4th, at the G10 Course Information Session for any students or parents who may have questions about how curriculum may impact the university search and admissions process. As a reminder to all G10 students: you will be meeting with your college counselor on either Monday, March 11th, or Tuesday, March 12th, during your free period to discuss your plans for 11th and 12th Grade curriculum.
On Tuesday, March 5th, we will host the next installment of our monthly Parent College Counseling Coffees – this one will be in the MPB2 at 8:00am and focus on higher education in the United Kingdom and Hong Kong. Also: stay tuned for more information about some special workshops coming up in mid-March about student life and university application tips in the UK.
Then, on Saturday, March 9th, those of you considering hospitality, hotel, and tourism management should attend École Hotelière de Lausanne’s presentation at the Conrad Hotel downtown titled, “Hospitality, What’s Next?” which will explore the future of the hospitality industry and provide an opportunity to learn more about EHL from admissions officers and recent alumni. Registration for the event is required here. EHL will also be visiting ISB on Monday, March 11th, during lunch.
And a final note to G11 students: please make sure to book your Junior Conferences!
Counseling Center News
Kevin Callahan
kevinc@isb.ac.th
Take some time to talk with your student about their course choices for next year. Grade 12 choices for this year’s 11th graders are usually pretty straightforward; make sure that all graduation requirements are satisfied. Grade 9 moving to 10 involves choices about P.E., science, and electives; students who read the course descriptions and ask questions of their teachers and counselors tend to be happier in their classes. Grade 10 moving to 11 is the most complicated; attending the Grade 10 Course Information Session (both parents and students welcome) on Monday evening, 4 March, is a great way to get a lot of information in a short time. Teachers will also be presenting information to students in class about the options available in their specific subject areas.
Sometimes we counselors “sound like a broken record” in saying that, with all the things going on here at ISB, students need to be very skillful in their time management in order to get everything done and keep their stress levels at a reasonable level. This article from The Creativity Post gives 21 time management tips to help students maximize their time. While it would likely be stressful to try to incorporate 21 time saving tips (!), take a look and see which ones could help your student to be more happy and productive in their work and play.
ISB Arts in March, or ISBAM, Begins Today!!!
Anthony Giles
anthonyg@isb.ac.th
Come celebrate all of the wonderful art events held throughout March as ISB celebrates our annual month long arts festival, ISBAM 2019!!! From ADDTF CC to the ES Art Exhibition, from Jazz Night to BOrCh, from the IB Art and Film Exhibition and IB Arts Madness to the Arts Council’s Art Fest/ISBAM Main Stage, there is something for everyone!!!
Community Basketball (NBBL) – remains open for Registration
Kelli Alexander
kellia@isb.ac.th
Dear ISB Community,
NBBL Community Basketball registrations remain open for one more week with the late registration fee waived for those who sign up prior to Wednesday March 6.
The North Bangkok Basketball League (NBBL) runs at ISB from February 24 – May 18 with players coached by the professional coaching team at Top Flight Basketball Co. All information about the league can be viewed on the ISB website at Community Activities – Basketball (NBBL).
ISB is also offering a reduced rate of 5,000 Baht to Minis (Pre K and Kindergarten). Those pre-registered will be sent a refund for the difference.
Please contact Kevin Sypolt if you have any questions – ksypolt@gmail.com
REPEAT
Grade 10 Course Selection Evening – Monday 4th March 6:30pm Chevron/MPB
Susan Canobie
susanca@isb.ac.th
Please save the evening to come along with your grade 10 child to speak with grade 11 course teachers about the different options available in grade 11. The transition from grade 10 to 11 is the time when students have the most choice available about what courses they can study. It can prove to be hard to make these choices and we hope that having the opportunity to talk to teachers will help that decision to be an informed one. Please find a summary of the process of course selection and support that Grade 10 students have.
Please come along!
Important information for IB Exam Students
Susan Canobie
susanca@isb.ac.th
Grade 12 Exam Schedules, Mock exams and for May 2018
Grade 12 students will be undertaking Mock exams from Wednesday 6th March to Thursday 14th March, with the Arts students having a working session at specific times in the schedule. The Mock exam schedule for students will be available on PowerSchool this coming week. Please note, morning exams begin at 7:30am and afternoon exams begin at 12:00pm, with the exception for Wednesday March 6, where the session will begin at 8:00am.
Grade 12 students will all finish formal classes on Friday 26th April and start study leave the following week. The official IB exams for ISB start on Friday 3rd May and go through to Thursday 23rd May. There are IB exams on Thai holidays during this period.
All exams are in MPB with AM (mornings) starting at 7:30am and PM (afternoon) starting at 12noon.
Grade 8-11 Course Selection for 2018/19 Academic Year
Susan Canobie
susanca@isb.ac.th
More information will be coming out over the coming weeks leading up to online course registrations opening on Wednesday March 14th. If you would like to look through the courses on offer with your son or daughter for next year updated information will be placed on the main website HS Academic courses page within the next week. Even if your family is leaving ISB next year we ask you to sign up because it assists students, counselors and administrators in this transition.