High School Upcoming events (Please click):
‘Up and Running’
Justin Alexander
justina@isb.ac.th
Friday August 16th
We all enjoyed a busy and energetic week at school after the big welcome back High School Assembly on Tuesday. There is great spirit and energy in the air and our teachers are very excited to be back with their students and getting the school year underway.
The House Council has been active this week with an assembly on Wednesday and then a whole school gathering in the Rajendra Gym earlier today to determine which house has the best House chanters. I am glad to say that it was the house of MAKARA that clearly won that competition.
Varsity tryouts also kicked off on Wednesday afternoon and nearly half of our HS students took to the fields and courts for Soccer (Football), Cross Country and Volleyball. Whilst not all players will make the Varsity team, there was great spirit and excitement on display during the tryouts. For those that do not make the Varsity team, please do stay involved and join one of our JV teams in the weeks ahead.
As the weekend approaches and your children rest up after their first few days of school, please take a few moments to engage them in discussions about school and their first week of school. I am confident that the vast majority of our students are positive and enthusiastic about being back in school, with their friends, and joining exciting new classes, but it is not unusual for others to be a little less enthusiastic about the return to school. Do encourage them to speak with their teachers, advisors and/or counselors if there are any matters (large or small) as we are all here to help.
Please mark your calendars for the HS Open House on Wednesday, September 11th starting at 6 pm.
Regards
Justin Alexander
High School Principal
Mandatory Study Hall (MSH)
Andy Vaughan
andyv@isb.ac.th
Mandatory Study Hall is assigned in cases where a student has not completed work in a subject; the consequence for not doing your homework is simply ‘to do your homework’.
Here’s a quick summary of MSH:
- MSH runs from 2:30-3:30pm(On Early Dismissal days it starts at 1.15pm)
- If assigned MSH,your child must attend for a minimum of 30 minutes
- If your child has HL, this takes precedence over MSH, however your child still must attend for a minimum of 30 minutes if assigned (3:00-3:30pm).
Please find a link to the MSH process so that you can better understand the process here: MSH Process Chart.
All students who are assigned MSH should be told by their teacher verbally and receive an email notification by 2.00pm on the day of MSH.
Absences & Attendance Reminders
Andy Vaughan
andyv@isb.ac.th
Any absence for HS students should be excused by parents via a phone call to the HS Attendance secretary, Khun Gade 02 963 5883 (ext. 3305). It is appreciated if this phone call can be received before 8.30am so that we can alert teachers early. If you are unable to call, please email Khun Gade on (sasivimb@isb.ac.th)
It is important that we receive this parental contact, because without it, your child is marked as absent (X). Unexcused absences may result in additional consequences.
You can see whether your child has been marked absent (X) on any day using PowerSchool. If we receive confirmation from parents that the absence is excused, then we adjust the code to reflect that (AbE). Please help us to ensure we best understand reasons for your child missing school.
Please also note if a student misses a class during the day, they may not participate in co-curricular activities on that day without prior approval from the Dean of Students.
For extended absences, parents should email counsellors and also copy in Andy Vaughan (andyv@isb.ac.th) and Khun Gade(sasivimb@isb.ac.th) for approval.
Here are a few more helpful reminders regarding attendance:
- Students who have their first block/s free can arrive at school after first block so long as they are in time for their first scheduled class/meeting of the day.
- Students who have a free during the day are not allowed to leave campus except in the case of a pre-arranged appointment in this time. In such cases a signed note or email must be received. Please note we are unable to allow verbal confirmation on a phone in such cases.
- Students who have the last block of the day free are allowed to leave early at 1pm so long as a signed note or email has been received from parents. Students who have a double free block which is back to back cannot leave until 1pm.
Andy Vaughan
High School Dean of Students
M: +668 7514 9550
Uniforms and Dress Code
Andy Vaughan
andyv@isb.ac.th
This coming week High School will have a strong focus on ensuring students are following the ISB dress code.
There have been a few changes to the ISB Uniform Policy, which have been shared on Enews, in assembly with students and reminded to students this week. The detail of the changes can be found in the online student handbook under ‘Uniform and Dress Code’.
To sum up the key changes:
- School pants can be purchased from the bookstore, but we do allow non-bookstore pants, so long as they are in the same design limitations. Pants must be appropriate length (defined as 1/3 of the hip to knee). Tighter pants are allowed however, spandex and ‘branded’ sports pants are not allowed.
- Hoodies and sweaters must be purchased from the Boosters and can be worn at any time. All other team hoodies are not to be worn on Monday to Thursday. Every Friday students will have a ‘themed dress day’ in which they will be able to wear team, class, ISB club wear or other themed dress as per the planned schedule for that week.
- Footwear should be comfortable, practical and safe. Open toe shoes are not allowed such as slippers and flip flop sandals.
Starting Monday morning, any student not in dress code will be asked to meet with administration. Students required to see administration for a second day will be required to purchase the appropriate school uniform from the Bookstore on that morning.
Please help us in ensuring that your child is wearing the correct uniform to school.
Schedule changes
Justyna McMillan
justynam@isb.ac.th
With the start of a new school year there are always a few disruptions and changes to a student’s schedule. Students may request a schedule change through their counselor up until Friday 23rd August. Some course changes will require a completed form that includes a parent signature. Please be aware that due to some courses being full some requests may not be possible at this late stage. Please remember Administration are in the process of balancing classes and this may result in a change of section.
News from HS Counselors
Jackie Valenzuela
jackiev@isb.ac.th
It has been a great week! Students seem to be settling into their classes/routine. It looks like the vast majority of their schedules are suited to their needs and abilities. If your child is concerned about a scheduling issue, please have them speak with their counselor right away. The last day to make schedule changes for this semester is next Friday, August 23.
For those families who are new, we hope your transition is going well. Please don’t hesitate to stop by and talk with your child’s counselor if you have any questions about, not only their academic life, but also their transition. We know these first few months come with bumps along the way and want to support you in any way we can.
Jackie Valenzuela
High School Counselor
News from College Counselor
Andrew Weiser
andreww@isb.ac.th
Week One of the 2019 – 2020 school year is complete!! Congratulations
College Counselors are touching base with seniors the first two weeks of school and then scheduling a Senior Conference with the student and parent(s).
Upcoming events:
August 19 (Students) – G12 UCAS Registration
August 20 (Students) – G12 College Seminar #1
August 26 (Students) – G12 Common Application Registration
August 28 (Students & Parents) – G12 College Night 6:30pm
Starting the week of August 19 (Students & Parents) – University Visits (Link to Calendar)
September 18 (Students & Parents) – ISB World University Fair (over 180 Universities)
Once again, welcome back to all students and parents.
Andrew Weiser
Club Fairs next week
Becky Hansberry
beckyh@isb.ac.th
Did you know that we have over 60 student run clubs in the high school? The Club Fairs next week are a perfect opportunity to learn more about what they do and when they meet. The clubs that meet on Mondays will be the only ones presenting at the fair on Monday, August 19th. Clubs that meet on Wednesdays will be at the fair on Wednesday, August 21st, and Friday clubs will be at the fair Friday, August 23rd. Please see the Club Schedule here to learn which clubs meet on which days. To read descriptions of all the different clubs please see the Clubs and Activities Haiku page..
CAS Meetings for Juniors & Seniors
Becky Hansberry
beckyh@isb.ac.th
Next week 11th and 12th graders will meet with Ms. Hansberry to go over the graduation requirements for CAS. Grade 11 students will attend this meeting during their free period on Tuesday, August 20th or Wednesday, August 21st. Grade 12 students should attend during their free period Thursday, August 22nd or Friday, August 23rd. For those students without free periods, there will be sessions the following week during Panther Block. Remind your 11th or 12th grader to check their email for more details about this important meeting or contact Ms. Hansberry if there are questions.
Panther Run Series-Race #1 – August 24
Derrick Quinet
derrickq@isb.ac.th
Feel like jump starting your fitness now that school has begun and summer is a distant memory? Come join the ISB Cross Country Runners at the first Panther Run this Saturday, August 24. There is a 5km and a 3km race, and everyone is welcome to join. All proceeds go towards Operation Smile.
Registration/Warm-up: 6:40 AM in the Breezeway
Race Start: 7:15 AM sharp.
Cost: 200 Baht for Adults; 100 Baht for Students
See you on the track!
Derrick Quinet
Athletic Director
+66 981342547