Message from ES Principal, Kelly Armitage
Dearest ISB Elementary School Community:
After what will be 12 amazing years at ISB, it is with bittersweet emotion that I inform you I have decided this academic year will be my last as Elementary Principal. Our youngest child is graduating from ISB, and we are feeling the pull to return to our “other” home in Colorado to be with our children and aging parents. In the year ahead, however, we still have a great deal of work to do supporting our students to be the best learners and people as possible, and I look forward to every minute of it.
What I’ll remember more than anything are the people in this vibrant community. Even more profoundly, I will miss the students who make this work the most rewarding and fulfilling part of the job. My time as a leader at ISB has been an incredible honor. I want to thank all of you for joining me to help our students be successful in so many ways. I’m proud of what we have accomplished together.
I am committed to a seamless leadership transition and will work with Andy Davies and my successor to ensure that this happens in the best possible way. I thank each one of you for our continued partnership.
With deep gratitude,
Kelly Armitage
ES Parent/Teacher Conferences – October 3 and 4
We are looking forward to sharing your child’s learning progress in our upcoming Parent/Teacher conferences. For Grades 2-5 only, students are encouraged to attend the conference with you. Our purposes for conferences are the following:
- Communicate learning growth
- Enhance home-school connection
- Provide ways to promote home learning
- Build understanding around what learning looks like at ISB
Please keep in mind that this structure is not a student-led conference; rather a chance for teachers, parents, and students to informally discuss how learning has progressed during the first part of the school year. Students in PK-Grade 1 will not be involved in the Parent/Teacher conference. All students are welcome to attend the Book Fair in the ES library HUB and the ESMPR where supervision will be provided.
Please be reminded that there is no school for students on these days.
Pick-A-Time, our conference scheduler, will close Tuesday, October 1 at 2:00 PM.
The information letter explaining how to use Pick-A-Time can be accessed via PowerSchool beginning on Friday, September 20 at 3:00 PM. Once you have logged on to PowerSchool, click on the “Parent Conference” button on the left to see the letter. If you have more than one child in the ES you will need to switch between students to access a letter specific to your child’s grade.
Should you wish to speak with any of our counselors on conference days, please make an appointment in advance — Matthew Johnson (Pre-K, School Psychologist), Kate Kersey (KG, Gr. 1 & 2) or Doug Williamson (Gr. 3, Gr.4 &5).
ES Book Fair (During Conferences)
Stop by the Learning HUB and the ES MPR to browse an amazing book selection!
Top Vendors: Nai-In, Kinokuneya, Asia Books and Books at 53
October 3-4 from 7:00-3:00
Intercultural Day Logo Contest
We would like to call upon our talented ISB artists to create this year’s Intercultural Day logo. This is open to any Elementary School ISB artist. Students who are interested in working on an Intercultural Day logo will need to find their own time to work on their piece. All artwork must be original and it must say “Intercultural Day” somewhere on the logo. We also would like for it to connect with our theme, which is: Cultures connecting through the Arts. All logos must fit on a 15 cm by 10.5 cm piece of paper. Students will be able to get a piece of drawing paper cut to this size from their classroom teacher early next week. All artwork must be submitted to the ES Office by Friday, October 11th by 2pm. Please make sure that the artist’s name, grade, and class has been clearly written on the back.
A group of faculty members and staff will choose one logo for this year. We will celebrate all artwork that is submitted by displaying them on bulletin boards during Intercultural Week in November.
If you have any questions, please email Caryn Macky (carynm@isb.ac.th) or Marie Gaetgaeow (marieg@isb.ac.th). Thank you!
ES Explore (ES After School Activities)
Please note that Thursday and Friday, October 3rd and 4th– ES Parent-Teacher Conferences, no school, ES Explore in session. ES Explore Activities are well underway. All of ES Explore have already hosted their 2nd session so there are no longer any changes permitted.
Livnat Ziskinder
ES Explore Coordinator
esactivities@isb.ac.th
October ES Parent Engage: Word Study Workshop with Consultant Fiona Hamilton & Intercultural Day
October 10, 2019: 7:45-9:15, ES MPR
Our October ES Parent Engage will begin with a Word Study workshop with guest consultant, Fiona Hamilton (see description below). Then, there will be a PTA presentation on Intercultural Day, and an opportunity to have all your questions about Intercultural Day answered. Join Us!
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Word Study Workshop: Spelling & Vocabulary Development for Children with Fiona Hamilton
Would you like tips on ways you can help support your children’s spelling skills at home? Would you also like ideas about practical ways you can boost their vocabulary? Join Fiona Hamilton as she shares strategies and suggestions you can immediately put into practice at home.
In this interactive session, we will explore the following concepts:
Writing:
- Spelling: What do you do when your child asks “How do I spell…?”
Reading:
- Decoding: What do you do when your child can’t read a word?
- Comprehension: How do you guide children to understand the meaning of an unknown word?
Vocabulary:
- How might you boost your child’s growing vocabulary skills?
Critical thinking and developing learner agency:
- Involving your child in the process – not just telling them
Fiona Hamilton has worked internationally for 26 years after beginning her career in Australia. Fiona holds an MEd (administration) and an MEd (literacy) as well as Literacy Coaching certification. She has studied with Real Spelling and regularly co-presents with Pete Bowers of WordWorks. Throughout the 2019-2020 academic year, Fiona will be working with a group of ISB teachers to deepen their understanding of the teaching and learning of English orthography.
ES “Lunch with Michelle” on October 10 at 10:00am
Have you ever wondered what it is really like in the ES Cafeteria, what food is being served, how it tastes, how the menus are prepared, where to find the menu, and all around the operations of Epicure at ES?
Join us for ‘ES Lunch with Michelle’ on October 10 starting at 10:00am, Meeting Point TBA.
Epicure Catering Manager Michelle Ihrig will start off with a brief presentation about Epicure and the ES food services, followed by a lunch sampling in the ES Cafeteria and closing with any further questions to be addressed.
Allow the ES cafeteria to be demystified!
Attendance is limited to 14 pax (based on order of email received). Kindly RSVP to escoord@isb.ac.th. Should participation wishes exceed the max, Michelle will be happy to offer a second Lunch at a later date.
Panther Pops are back!
New to ISB?
A Panther Pop is a delicious chocolate chip cookie wrapped around a scrumptious Mars Bars with an easy to hold popsicle stick handle. Panther Pops are sold by the Booster Club on the last Friday of every month.
Who can buy a Panther Pop?
Grades 2 – 12 are allowed to come to the table outside the Booster Hut for purchase. Students in Pre, K and 1 need to come with a parent, sibling or helper to purchase a pop.
How much is a Panther Pop?
Only 30baht! And the money raised goes toward supporting our awesome Booster Club!
I like to bake – can I help?
YES YOU CAN! We need volunteers to help bake batches each month – please get in touch with Meredith Page, Panther Pop coordinator – her email is meredithwisorpage@gmail.com. We provide you with most of the supplies and ingredients.
Baseball/Softball players and families
The Bangkok Baseball/Softball Club (Travel) teams are launching the 2019-2020 season. We look to have strong participation at the U10, U12 , U14 and U18 levels. The travel teams are competitive teams playing tournaments in Thailand and the region. Players must tryout for the teams.
Please note that the BBSA Divisional (community league) will have registration in October with games starting in November.
We will be having baseball/softball tryouts for the travel/tournament teams on Sunday, September 29th. See the attached flyer for the tryout teams for each league.
See our website here for more information.
25th ANNUAL BANGKOK INTERNATIONAL CHOIR FESTIVAL (BICF) GALA CONCERT:
25th annual Bangkok International Choir Festival (BICF) Gala Concert will be held at 2:00 p.m. on Saturday, October 5, in the Chevron Theatre. This year’s festival will feature choirs from sixteen international schools under the direction of guest conductors, Dinah Helgeson and John Baker. A cake reception follows the concert and admission is free. Hope to see you there!
(Repeat) ES PTA News
Room Parents still needed for a few rooms
Thank you to those who signed up to be room parents this year. We are still looking for a few more classrooms to be represented. Typically, room parents coordinate and inform about class celebrations by email, organize end of the year gifts, and assist the teachers in sending out information to parents when needed. They will also occasionally help out in the classroom when required, or facilitate communication on events across a whole grade. Our teachers already have support from lots of amazing IAs and specialist teachers – room parents are generally required to assist with the fun stuff!
The following teachers need a room parent. If your child is in that class and you would like to assist, please email escoord@isb.ac.th.
Grade 2: Giles
Grade 3: Bowyer
Intercultural Day 2019: “Cultures Connecting Through the Arts”
Calling all parents of ALL CULTURES!
Intercultural Day is an elementary school event that celebrates the diversity and richness of our cultures. The big event will be on Friday November 22 … and the planning begins now.
Parents are needed to volunteer to set up classrooms and organize age-appropriate activities highlighting their culture in line with the theme of the year. Each room will be visited by students of the same grade level. The PTA coordinators are very happy to help you with ideas and putting your plan together. Generally, each room organizes a combination of fun activities with songs, dance, games, food, and stories that will delight your eager audience! We are excited to work together to make this a fun, enriching and successful event for the school community.
We have already begun to receive room/culture requests for Intercultural Day. Classrooms are booked on a first come first serve basis. This year’s theme – ‘Cultures connecting through the Arts’ – has been inspired by ISB’s learner attributes of globally-minded and creative. As you plan and design your rooms, consider highlighting the role of dance, music, and the visual arts in your culture. How are these used to build a sense of community within and across all cultures?
Email us at escoord@isb.ac.th to secure your space or if you have any questions at all.
(Repeat) ISB’s Bangkok International String Festival (BISF)- September 23-28, 2019:
ISB will host its annual Bangkok International String Festival the week of Sept. 23-28, welcoming over 100 students from a number of international schools across Thailand, Hong Kong and more. The guest conductor is Dr. Mark Laycock, Professor of Music at Wichita State University. The gala concert featuring the BISF orchestra will take place in the Culture Center Theater on Saturday, September 28th at 2:00pm and is free and open to the public! The concert will feature a variety of pieces and is a wonderful way to see our students showcase their talents and work together with students from around Asia, enriching and creating a positive community.
(Repeat) Diamond Girls Softball Extravaganza! – 11:00am-1:00pm Sunday, October 6th Albert Field
Calling all girls! ISB, in partnership with BBSA will hold its first ever softball extravaganza on 11:00am-1:00pm Sunday, October 6 on Albert Field! Come out to further develop the skills you already have, or to learn more about this exciting sport!!! The camp is FREE and open to girls in PK2 through G12. Led by ISB Head Softball Coach Samantha Galarza with special guests, The Women’s Thai National Softball Team, the day promises to provide great opportunities instruction and even signed autographs! Drinks and snacks are included, and each player will get a FREE Diamond Girls T-shirt with registration, so please include your size on the sign-up form HERE.Want more softball? Sign up for the BBSA league (Registration opens on Sept. 30th)! Questions? Email Community Sports Manager Lucas Rivera lucasr@isb.ac.th
(Repeat) ES Maker Space
We are excited to announce the return of our ES Maker Space! This year, we will work to expand on our successful “Maker Pop-Up” from last year, further exploring how designing and making can support our learners.
In order to open ASAP, we are again seeking donations from our community. Please ensure any donations are clean and ready for use! Drop them off in the wooden donation box in the ES Art/Music quad. We are currently seeking:
- Fabric/thread/yarn
- Cardboard (tubes, boxes, etc.)
- Egg cartons
- Interesting paper/newspaper
- Craft items (pom poms, buttons, beads, etc.)
- Wire
Should you have any ideas or questions about making in the ES or have ideas about other donations, please contact Nate Bailey: nateb@isb.ac.th
(Repeat) After School Supervision
Any elementary school student on campus outside of regular school hours, who is not participating in a school-sponsored event, must be actively supervised by an adult in charge, appointed by the family. This includes being in the elementary Learning Hub (library).
eNews 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.
naiyanar@isb.ac.th is for Elementary School (ES) announcements of interest to ES families.
phremjiz@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 Director of Marketing and Communications 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.
Calendar of Events
September/October 2019
| Sept. 30 | Adult Education Classes Begin |
| Oct. 1 | Pick-a-Time Parent Conference Scheduler Closes at 2:00 pm |
| Oct. 3-4 | ES Parent-Teacher Conferences |
| ES Book Fair, 7:30-3:30 pm (HUB and ES MPR) | |
| Oct. 10 | ES Parent Engage 7:45 am (ES MPR) |
| Oct. 10-11 | ES ‘Out of School Uniform’ Day |
| Oct. 14 | His Majesty The Late King Bhumibol Adulyadej Memorial Day (No School) |