‘Opening up’
Justin Alexander
justina@isb.ac.th
Friday August 30th
Dear Parents,
Thank you for your interest and involvement in a number of High School events as the school year opens up. Thank you to the nearly 180 or so people who attended the Grade 12 College night on Wednesday in the Chevron to hear from our experienced College counseling team (Alex Becker, Debbi McDowell, Sonya Ohlsson and Andy Weiser) about the University application process and what lies ahead for our Senior students. You can see a link to the presentation in the College Counseling section of this edition of the Enews.
We look forward to seeing you all at the annual HS Open house on Wednesday 11th September. Parents will have the opportunity to learn more about the courses that their children are taking this year and to meet the teachers that make the learning happen! Learning at ISB is a partnership with all concerned – students, parents and teachers and as such we want to invite you into school to see how the learning will take place.
Please arrive prior to 6.00pm and make your way to the front of the Chevron Theater where you will be able to collect an individualized schedule for each of your children. The schedule will guide you through the evening with details on class periods, teachers and locations. We will then commence our evening at 6:00 pm with introductions and some helpful information for parents in the Chevron Theater. From 6.20pm – 8.30pm parents will then follow their child’s HS schedule to meet their teachers and to learn about the exciting courses on offer. Please be reminded that the Open House is not a parent-teacher conference, so if you have specific questions about your child’s progress etc, please contact the teacher to make arrangements to meet/talk at another time.
Regards
Justin Alexander
High School Principal
Schedule Changes
Justyna McMillan
justynam@isb.ac.th
Student schedules are now settling and further changes must include a signed schedule change form, which students can obtain from their Counselor.
Schedule changes may still occur up to week 5 of the Semester (Sep. 13th) if recommended by the Student Support Team or the Classroom teacher believes the student is in the wrong level (eg. HL to SL, Spanish III to Spanish II). This change does not appear on the student transcript. Up to the 10th week (Oct. 18), if there is a schedule change due to the above situations, the change can occur, but the original course will be placed on the student transcript with a Withdraw Pass (WP) or Withdraw Fail (WF) dependent on the student grade at that point. Beyond this period there can be no schedule changes.
This is all clearly explained in the Student Handbook on page 59-60.
News from HS Counselors
Kevin Callahan
kevinc@isb.ac.th
Students are all in their classes for the semester, and some adjustments have been made to assure that class sizes are optimal for our students. It’s been a great start to the year, and clubs, organizations, sports, drama, dance and other activities are already in full swing. That said, be sure that your student has a manageable schedule and is able to organize a balance between school work and extracurricular activities. The biggest source of stress for our students in being double-booked; having to miss an obligation and then explain why is hard on a young person! Check out this article from a Canadian publication about maintaining balance among all the demands on young people these days. And think about: what does my student do with their “down time”?
News from College Counselor
Andrew Weiser
andreww@isb.ac.th
Thank you to all seniors and parents (over 180) who attended the College Night presentation on Wednesday. The college counselors outlined the process and procedures for university applications. Anyone with questions are recommended to contact their child’s college counselor
All Seniors who will be applying to the US should have attended the meeting on Monday to register for the Common Application and linked that account with Cialfo. This is an important step since Cialfo is the system through which ISB electronically sends all application materials to universities.
Upcoming events:
3 September @ 8:00 AM : MPB 1 : Parent College Coffee for all high school parents. The first topic is an “Introduction to ISB College Counselors & Program.”
4 September @ 10:55 AM : MPB 3 : A special presentation from three U.S. Universities. Demystifying the rankings “game” and “Life in the U.S. for Students.” Please bring a personal Device (cell phone, tablet, lap top) to participate.
4 September @ 6:30 PM : Chevron Theater : Grade 11 College Night. All grade 11 students and parents are invited to the first College Night for grade 11. Come to meet your child’s college counselor and hear an overview of the program designed for the juniors and seniors.
Upcoming University Visits:
3 September @ 10:00 AM : Swarthmore College, Pomona College, Williams College
4 September @ 10:55 AM : Rutgers University, University of Indiana, University of Minnesota
5 September @ 10:55 AM : Washington and Lee University
6 September @ 10:55 AM : Johns Hopkins University, Barnard College, University of Chicago, Wesleyan University
For a complete list of University visits please use this link (Link to Calendar)
E.sperimenti GDO
Anthony Giles
anthonyg@isb.ac.th
September 6th, 6.30pm
September 6th, 6.30pm in the CC Theater. E.sperimenti GDO, the exemplary dance company from Italy, is visiting ISB and working with our students within September. On Friday September 6th, they will perform their show, Convergenze, for our school community and visiting guests. Don’t miss this professional dance company, right here at ISB!