Updated Schedule for Virtual School
Dear Parents,
In recent days we have been reviewing feedback from students, teachers and parents about Virtual School and as a result we have made some adjustments to our schedule and expectations starting next week on Tuesday March 24th.
We have adjusted the schedule and will extend the ‘lesson time’ from 40 minutes to 60 minutes with a 15 minute break in between Blocks 1 and 2 and in between Blocks 3 and 4. We will set aside an hour for lunch each day, and on Thursday or Friday all advisory groups will be able to do a virtual check-in as well.
High School Virtual School Schedule (effective Tuesday, March 24th – Day 5)
(8.15am – 9.00am students available for meetings if needed)
9.00am – 10.00am Block 1
10.15am – 11.15am Block 2
11.15am – 12.15pm Lunch break – Advisory on Thursday or Friday @11.20am
12.15pm – 1.15pm Block 3
1.30pm – 2.30pm Block 4
(2.30-3.15 students available for meetings if needed)
Interactions and connections:
As our virtual school situation looks likely to continue for a number of weeks more we realise that it becomes more and more important for our students to ‘see and hear’ their teacher and their classmates every day. Virtual school (particularly if you are under some form of quarantine) can be isolating and therefore difficult to connect with your peers and teachers, so we will ensure that there is a virtual check in and discussion at the start of every lesson with your teacher.
We will shift to using Zoom as a video conferencing tool for our classes as this has proven to be a more effective tool than Google meet. Teachers will open their class lessons with some form of a Zoom meeting and instruction which will include the taking of attendance (students being present for learning). Learning resources will continue to be shared via Powerschool Learning or google classroom. Ask your child to show you where their online resources are!
Next Week
Monday March 23rd is a Virtual school FREE day in order to allow teachers to spend some time planning the next few weeks online and get some practice in using Zoom and other new online collaborative tools to help make that virtual experience a better one for everyone.
On Tuesday March 24th, (a day 5) we will start with the new schedule as listed above. There are also updated student expectations listed below for your children to follow. Please review these expectations with your high schooler, taking particular note of being online and present at the start of each lesson and being dressed appropriately.
STUDENT EXPECTATIONS: Students need to
- be in a comfortable and conducive environment for study, have access to their laptops and internet connectivity at least during the times above. Ideally this would be a desk/table set up for work in a suitable room. Students should not be in bed.
- be dressed appropriately for their learning (i.e not in their pajamas).
- check in at the start of each lesson with their teachers via Zoom, google meet or other ‘face to face’ platforms as required by their teachers. Students should not be using an ‘avatar’ during the face to face check in time.
- be ready to participate and ready to access online materials and resources
- be online and available during their regularly scheduled classes* based on the adjusted ‘Virtual School Schedule’.
*If a student is in a different time zone that does not allow them to engage in synchronous learning, then they would need to set aside time within the next 24 hours to be online and complete any work set that falls in the given schedule.
- remember that attendance will be taken at the start of each lesson and that the usual rules regarding attendance apply during this period. (no more than 7 absences a semester).
- contact the teacher directly if they are ill or not able to attend the lesson on that day.
- regularly check the school platform (powerschool learning or google classroom) for their resources and instructions.
- follow teacher instructions regarding the uploading of assessments, assignments work, etc.
- If your family relocates to a different time zone during virtual school, your parents must contact the HS Principal and counselor.
We look forward to the week ahead and to an enhanced virtual school experience for our students and teachers.
Please do reach out to teachers, counselors and any members of the HS Admin team if you have any questions about these changes.
Have a great Friday and a great weekend.
Justin Alexander
High School Principal
Changing locations over the next few weeks
Justin Alexander
justina@isb.ac.th
In these uncertain times we understand that circumstances may change every day for families and across the globe. As such, some families may be travelling, returning home, or have challenging situations for getting online at a specific Bangkok time.
If that is the case, please do inform the High School Principal at justina@isb.ac.th and your child’s school counselor as soon as possible.
Course Registration 2020-2021
Justyna McMillan
justynam@isb.ac.th
Dear HS Community, please note that Course Registration opened up today on Powerschool. Course registration closes on March 25th. For further information about the registration process, please refer to the grade specific communications that have gone out from the Counselors and the HS Office over the last week. If you have questions about any of our course offerings, please refer to the Program of Studies on our website, or feel free to email the counselors with any questions.
College Counseling eNews
Andrew Weiser
andreww@isb.ac.th
“In the midst of chaos, there is also opportunity.” –Sun Tzu
Grade 10
College Counselors had 5 hours of virtual conferencing time for Grade 10 students. This conference time was to ask questions about scheduling courses for next year.
Student Led Junior Conferences- are continuing!!!
Ask your student about the emails they received about a Google Meet (Hangouts) to schedule this meeting.
The Student Led Junior Conference are individual meetings that include the student, parents and college counselor. These should be scheduled during March and April. Please ask your child about these meetings and identify several possible dates/times for the conference.
SAT Information
The following statement is an email from the College Board (SAT)
Dear Colleague,
Our top priority is the health and safety of students and educators. Our thoughts are with you during this time.
In response to the rapidly evolving situation around the coronavirus (COVID-19) and guidance from public health officials, the College Board is canceling the May 2, 2020, SAT® administration. Makeup exams for the March 14 administration (scheduled March 28) are also canceled. The College Board will provide refunds to all students who are registered for May, whose March test centers were closed, or who won’t receive March scores because of an irregularity.
We’ll provide future additional SAT testing opportunities for students as soon as feasible in place of canceled administrations. We’ll be as flexible as possible to give students the best chance to show their skills and stay on the path to college. We haven’t yet canceled the June 6, 2020, administration of the SAT Subject Tests™ and will continue to assess its status.
We understand that students outside the U.S. may have differing needs from country to country in terms of university planning steps and timelines. The College Board will take these concerns into consideration as we provide future testing opportunities.
We’ll be flexible, thoughtful, and collaborative in exploring ways to continue to support student learning and provide students opportunities to test during this challenging time. Thank you for your partnership.
Sincerely,
College Board
Upcoming College Coffees: To Be Announced
(please understand these dates are “TBA” as the MoE is requiring that schools close “…until further notice”)
TBA – UK & Hong Kong
TBA – Australia, Canada, the Netherlands
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
Many Universities have cancelled their travel plans to Southeast Asia. There are no University visits at this time.
Update on ISB Summer School 2020
Maurilio Baron-Toaldo
maurilib@isb.ac.th
Understandably, there are many uncertainties ahead due to the COVID-19 coronavirus incidents around the world. We are presently planning as regular for our ISB Summer School 2020 which will run from Monday, june 15th to Friday, July 10th. You can go to the ISB website to access all information about dates, programs, and fees, and to submit a registration form online.
We encourage people to plan ahead and register. Please note that with the uncertainties around the world right now with the COVID-19 coronavirus, there will be no cancellation fees applied for people who register and then cancel by May 15th. This date will be reviewed as we get closer to it. Our EarlyBird prices for tuition are still available until Friday, April 24th.
For HS students, we have the following Special Enrichment Camps available this year!
HS Art Camp (1 week) June 15 – 19 for students entering Grade 9 – 12 in August.
HS Math SAT Prep Camp (1 week) June 15 – 19 or June 22 – 26 for students entering Grade 10 – 12 in August.
HS Work Experience Program (9 days) June 15 – 25 for any student presently in Grade 9 – 12.
ISB Panther Swim Camp; Experience the “Panther Way” (1 week) June 15 – 19 for students entering Grade 2 – 12 in August.
For any questions, please email sumdir@isb.ac.th
Best Regards,
Mr. Maurilio Baron-Toaldo
Summer School Director