Valentines Day
Justin Alexander
justina@isb.ac.th
Dear Parents,
Thank you again for your support and understanding this week as we moved 168 students into different courses for Global Citizenship Week trips. Some of these trips start tomorrow so it has been pretty busy in the High School office adding flights, canceling flights, increasing students on different trips and following up with individual parents/student requests. A big thank you to Andy Vaughan and his team of helpers to make this happen. I know that he is sharing his thanks and more information about GCW a little later in this Enews.
Speaking of GCW – I am very much looking forward to hearing the news, seeing the photos about the great work that our students will be undertaking next week. For parents, rest assured that we will be taking good care of your children and that there is no need to be calling or messaging them every day. We want our students to be engaged in their service and activities that they are involved in and not checking or replying to messages.
Enjoy your week.
Regards
Justin Alexander
High School Principal
GCW Begins!
Andy Vaughan
andyv@isb.ac.th
It has been quite the roller coaster ride in the past week with the shift of 168 students from International to Thailand GCW trips. This has required an enormous amount of work from many staff members, quick turnarounds for students and parents and a large dose of flexibility for everyone involved. I want to express my utmost gratitude to our students for how they have handled this news, especially in how adaptable they have been able throughout the changes.
As your child heads off to the various GCW trips around Thailand, we firmly believe that the experiences they have will stick with them for a lifetime. We also hope that each child will feel challenged in their thinking as they work with the different organisations and cultures and understand these local environments to a much deeper level. We know that service and engagement in local communities actually changes who we are as we develop empathy and gratitude for the incredibly blessed lives we live.
We look forward to hearing from each of our trips and students and will be in touch via SMS throughout the week with updates for each of the trips. As a reminder, if there is a need to contact your child through the week, please feel free to call Andy Vaughan (087 514 9550) so we can relay a message onto your child’s GCW teacher (there will be times when some groups do not have mobile coverage).
Once again, a special thanks to the many hands that have made GCW work with the constraints that we have been working with over the past weeks and we wish our students a fantastic experience over the coming week.
Andy Vaughan
High School Dean of Students
+66 87 514 9550
IB Basics for Parents
Justyna McMillan
justynam@isb.ac.th
For parents who were unable to attend the IB Basics evening earlier this week, HERE is a recap of the presentation.
News from the College Counselors
Andrew Weiser
andreww@isb.ac.th
Student Led Junior Conferences
The Student Led Junior Conference are individual meetings that include the student, parents and college counselor. These should be scheduled during February and March. Please ask your child about these meetings and identify several possible dates/times for the conference.
Seniors
Many university decisions will be coming in February and March. Seniors should inform their College Counselor about all decisions.
Important: The student must tell the College Counselor which university he/she will attend! Students should deposit to ONE university and ISB will send one final transcript to the “attending” university.
Upcoming College Coffees
March 10 UK & Hong Kong MPB 3
March 12 Australia, Canada, the Netherlands MPB 3
March 31 Financial Aid, Gap year MPB 3
Summer Programs
If students are interested in summer programs, now is the time to start researching. Please see this LINK for a database of programs. Please understand it is the students (and parents) responsibility to research these programs.
Upcoming University Visits:
University of Exeter
Mandarin Oriental in Bangkok, Friday 21st February between 6:30pm – 8:30pm.
All prospective Exeter students are very welcome to attend. However places must be booked online in advance, please see the invite attached.
Success Canada Forum BKK (multiple Canadian Universities)
Sunday, March 1 11am – 4pm
Renaissance Bangkok hotel, BTS Chitlom
Carleton University
Tuesday, March 3 10:55 – 11:40am
University of Pittsburgh
Tuesday, March 3 10:55 – 11:40am
University of British Columbia (UBC)
Wednesday, March 4 10:55 – 11:40am
For a complete list of University visits please use this link (Link to Calendar)
News from Counselor
Kevin Callahan
kevinc@isb.ac.th
We wish everyone a safe, exciting and enjoyable GCW! Below are a few notes about schedule changes and thinking about next year’s schedule:
Schedule changes for this semester can only be made for the following reasons and by the following dates:
- If a teacher recommends a level change due to misplacement (i.e. Math HL to Math SL, Extended Math to Core Math, Spanish III to Spanish II), a change can be made with counselor, parent and administrative approval. The original class will not appear on your transcript. Deadline is Friday, February 14.
- Between the fifth and tenth week of a course, if a student needs to move down a level, the dropped course will be listed on the transcript with a WP (Withdraw Pass) or WF (Withdraw Fail). WP or WF grades are not included in the calculation of GPA nor are credits granted. The grade calculated in the new course will start fresh and only include work completed for the new course. Deadline is Friday, March 20.
- No level changes afterMarch 20.
Concerning scheduling and choosing classes for the 2020-2021 school year, the following dates are particularly helpful for Grade 10 students and parents (dates in brown are for students, blue for parents with students welcome):
| March 2 | Course Selection Meeting with Dean of Academics (Panther Block) |
| March 2-6 | Teachers discuss Grade 11/12 course options (in classes)
|
| March 9 | Grade 10 Course Information Session & Department Fair (Evening – Parents and Students welcome) |
| March 9-10 | College counselors meet with their assigned Grade 10 students |
| March 11-17 | Course Registration (Online in PowerSchool for all grades |
| March 20 | High School Parent Teacher Conferences (Daytime) |
CAS Deadline for Seniors:
Becky Hansberry
beckyh@isb.ac.th
The due date for seniors to complete their CAS program is Monday, March 2nd. Students have been aware of this deadline all year and have had ongoing progress checks. To be finished, each experience entered on Managebac should include evidence of the student’s participation, reflection on the chosen learning outcomes, and a supervisor review requested. Students can refer to this tutorial or come see Becky Hansberry with questions.
IASAS CC @ ISB Extravaganza – March 6!!!
Anthony Giles
anghonyg@isb.ac.th
Despite the sad news that students from IASAS schools will not be able to travel to participate in IASAS Music, FAD, and DDT events in Bangkok, Taipei and Singapore respectively – there is some good news in that students share a combined CC event here at ISB instead. More details to follow – but plan to attend events throughout the day on March 6 at ISB’s first ever IASAS Combined CC Extravaganza!!! We will host presentations, performances, debates etc have a special lunch on the day and adjust the schedule to allow for HS students to be more involved in this unique experience.
Stay tuned for more details and for the exact schedule for that day – but note that classes may be adjusted slightly on that day (a few minutes shorter). Go Panthers!
Graduation Announcement Cards
Carolina Bulow
The class of 2020 is just months away from graduating and it is time to order announcement cards. Ordering these cards is optional and there is no minimum nor maximum amount to order. The cost of each card is 60 THB (card and envelope).
Cards are a tradition in many countries, and are sent by parents to friends and family to announce the graduation of their Senior. Please see the attached sample card. There will also be a sample on the payment drop box in the HS Office beginning today.
Ordering is a two-step process.
- First, complete the Google Order Form following this link https://forms.gle/Azsrnw6VzTZNP8Lr5.Orders must be placed by 3PM Wednesday 4th of March.
- Then,drop off your cash payment in a labeled envelope in the drop box at the HS officeby 2PM Friday 6th of March.
Announcements will be distributed in the cafeteria during lunch/panther block by 25th of March (exact date/details to be confirmed later).
Thank you
Parent Graduation Committee
ES Art Exhibition
Trista Meisner
tristam@isb.ac.th
February 18 – March 27 2020
The Elementary Visual Art Team welcomes you to our annual March Exhibition. “A Celebration of Learning” will be on display in clay, collage, construction, sculpture, pastels,paint, printmaking, and more!
Please join us in celebrating the creative work of our students at the exhibition opening on Tuesday, 18 February at 5:30p.m. in front of Chevron Theatre!
Every K-5 artist is exhibiting and looking forward to sharing their wonderful creations. The Student Led Conferences on March 5 & 6 will be a wonderful opportunity for your child to show you their work and discuss the learning involved to create it! The artwork will be displayed in the Chevron Theatre Foyer and throughout the school. We hope you can make it.
ISB ES Art Exhibition
18 February – 27 March 2020
Chevron Theatre Foyer, Administrative Offices, ES Office and other locations throughout ISB
REPEAT
Food donations needed!
Debbie Gunderson
gunderdl9@gmail.com
To help local families in poverty, the Girl Scouts are collecting food and personal hygiene items which are urgently required. A collection bin will be placed outside the registration office at ISB from Feb 10 to Feb 21. All donated items will be delivered to people who desperately need our support.
Please consider contributing an item from the list of non perishable items below. Your donation will make a real difference to those in need.
Thank you for your donation!
Items required:
- Lentils – any color except green
- Cooking oil (any)
- Rice (any)
- Whole wheat flour called “ATTA”
- Sugar (any)
- Indian Spices (any)
- Milk powder
- Milk Powder for babies
- Cartons of UHT milk
- Tins of beans (red, white, chick pea etc)..
- Tins of tomatoes
- Washing powder
- Personal hygiene items : Soap, shampoo, toothpaste, toothbrush, deodorant, sanitary pads, shaving foam