Welcome to a New School Year!
Greetings, and welcome to our 2020-21 school year! During the past weeks we have been busy preparing for our first day of school which will be on Tuesday, August 11 (G2-G5). After so many months of Virtual School, we cannot wait for our learning spaces to be filled with joyful kids once again!
The start of a school year is a new start for everyone: a new grade level, new teachers, new friends, and for many, a new school and a new country. We are sensitive to the many challenges involved in adjusting to these changes, as the unfamiliarity of new health and safety procedures. Know that we will work with you to help make this transition a healthy, happy and successful one. Together, we will work to ensure that the Elementary School is a place where your child feels safe, and experiences the joy of learning and growing.
ISB Elementary School has a caring, committed, and skilled staff dedicated to providing a challenging, supportive, and child-centered learning environment for each child. Central to this process is our partnership with parents. We encourage you to be involved in your child’s education by staying well informed, communicating with teachers on Seesaw, attending ES Parent Engages, and attending school events once we are able to have parents on campus again. We know that you will also be an effective partner in your child’s education by establishing and maintaining open communication with your child’s teachers. Please do not hesitate to contact a teacher or one of us should you have any questions or concerns.
As a school, we will strive to keep you informed on a regular basis through our weekly eNews and the Parent Portal. Please ensure that you also review the ES Parent/Student Information Handbook before the start of school. It contains important information on learning, school activities, programs, and school policies. We strongly encourage you to take the time to read through it and ensure that both you and your child understand the information.
On behalf of all of the ISB Elementary School staff, we welcome you and look forward to a wonderful school year together.
Sincerely,
Michael Allen, Elementary Principal
Sarah Fleming, Elementary Vice Principal
Jeff Scott, Elementary Vice Principal
Virtual Learning Plan – Details for Off Campus Families
ISB will preserve the academic integrity of our program and ensure that all students are served, on or off campus. During this time ISB will offer both on campus face to face learning and virtual learning to all Kindergarten to Grade 5 students. PreK students will begin their PreK program when they are on campus (see PreK details below). Kindergarten to Grade 5 students delayed in returning to campus will have access to content, teachers, and support services that will help them continue to learn until they are able to rejoin us on campus. It is important to keep in mind that virtual learning, when school is also in session face to face, will look different than when all students and teachers are working virtually.
Launching Virtual Learning
Kindergarten and Grade 1 virtual learning students will meet with their child’s homeroom teacher via a scheduled appointment on August 10 and 11. All Grade 2-5 virtual learning students and families are encouraged to participate in the Meet the Teacher Zoom session on Monday, August 10 at 2PM. Watch for Zoom details via email from your homeroom teacher on Monday, August 10 at 9AM. If unable to attend, the teacher will email you a link to the recording of the session.
In addition to Meet the Teacher, classroom teachers will be in contact with families and students who are unable to be on campus for an individual connection during the week of August 10th. Virtual learning will begin on Monday, August 17th.
All families with children participating in virtual learning will need access to Seesaw and Zoom on a computer or iPad. Parents are asked to provide support by facilitating their child’s learning, supporting them in connecting to Zoom calls and using other technology tools. You will have access to technology support from ISB via email.
ES Virtual Learning Information Session for Parents, Monday, August 17 @ 8AM
Join us for the Virtual Learning Parent Information Session with ES Principals on Monday, August 17 @ 8AM BKK time. Details of the ES virtual learning plan will be shared with time to address questions you might have. A recording of the session will be available for those unable to attend.
NOTE TO PK FAMILIES: For delayed students in PreK1 or PreK2, their program will begin when they arrive on campus. Please let our admissions team know your child’s expected first day of school. The child’s tuition calculation will be based on the students’ on campus arrival date.
August 2020 Kindergarten to Grade 5 Virtual Learning Overview
- ES Virtual Learning will commence on Monday, August 17th.
- Students will complete the learning tasks as assigned on the Grade Level Virtual Learning Grid that will be provided by the child’s homeroom teacher at the start of each week. Learning tasks will be aligned with the learning outcomes being addressed in face to face on campus learning in the areas of literacy, mathematics, art, music and PE. World Language virtual learning will begin the week of August 24th. The Virtual Learning Grid will include the needed resources for the family such as links to videos or materials.
- The completion of Art, Music and PE learning tasks are optional for families depending on their situation and planned duration of distance learning. All other learning tasks will be required.
- Students will participate in one or two Zoom sessions with a Virtual Learning Instructor once or twice weekly. The Virtual Learning Instructor will support each child with their weekly learning tasks and ensure that the virtual learning tasks are meeting each child’s needs. Zoom session schedules will vary based on the child’s location and time zone. The Virtual Learning Instructor will be a teacher or instructional assistant who will support students. The Virtual Learning Instructor will be in contact with parents with a letter of introduction and details for the first Zoom session the week of August 17th.
- If the family is in a time zone that allows for connection within ISB school day hours, efforts will be made for virtual learning students to connect with students in their classroom community once or twice a week via Zoom.
- Homeroom, art, music, and PE teachers in addition to the child’s virtual learning instructor will provide feedback regarding the child’s completed learning tasks.
Student Class Placement and “Meet Your Teacher”
Class Placement for the 2020-2021 school year will be communicated to families on Monday, August 10th by 9AM in an email from your classroom teacher. This email will include some important information including a Zoom link for our virtual Meet the Teacher on Zoom at 2PM Bangkok time on August 10th.
This time will be a chance to say hello, learn about your teacher, meet/connect with classmates and receive any essential information for the first day of school. You will receive information about the school year later in the week and at our Elementary Open House on Aug 27. Also, please realize that teachers continue to work on setting up the classrooms throughout that afternoon and we’ve encouraged them to end their sessions by 3 PM.
After the uncertainty and challenges of recent months, our focus on social emotional learning and transitioning students back to school is our priority as elementary educators. Our approach to class placement has been to ensure that students have been moved up in groups that will be familiar to them. By moving them up in groups from their previous class, it supports learning and wellbeing in multiple ways:
- Students have developed a sense of belonging and community with their classmates, which supports transition
- Established friendships and relationships that allow children to feel safe
- Teachers and counselors are able to effectively handover students, and design successful learning environments
- It provides stability and consistency for students in a complex, ever changing time
Please note: PreK-Grade 1 Meet the Teacher will be individual appointments on campus on Monday, August 10th & Tuesday, August 11th. Details have already been emailed to parents. Please contact Khun Ann in the ES Office if you have any questions (naiyana@isb.ac.th).
Important Dates for the new School Year:
| Mon. Aug. 10 | G2-5 Virtual Meet the Teacher at 2PM |
| PreK/KG/G1 Meet the Teacher appointments on campus | |
| Tues. Aug. 11 | School Opens (School Year 2020-21) for Grades 2-5 |
| PreK/KG/G1 Meet the Teacher appointments on campus | |
| Wed. Aug. 12 | NO SCHOOL |
| Thurs. Aug. 13 | PreK1 (3 year olds) Partnership in Learning Day |
| PreK2, KG, G1 First Day of School | |
| Fri. Aug. 14 | PreK1 (3 year olds) Partnership in Learning Day |
| Mon. Aug. 17 | PreK1 (3 year olds) First Day of School |
| Thurs. Aug. 20 | ES New Parent Orientation 7:45 am |
| Thurs. Aug. 27 | ES Open House |
School Supplies
ISB will provide all essential school supplies with the exception of earphones and flash drives.
Essential Paperwork
Some important paperwork will be coming home the first day of school, such as departure/arrival form, “Safe Haven” form, etc. Please make sure you look for them, and return to your child’s homeroom teacher as soon as possible.
After School Thai Class 2020-2021
Thai Nationals enrolled in our “pull-out” English for Academic Purposes (EAP) and “pull-out” Learning Support (LS) programs are required to learn Thai during after school sessions. These lessons are scheduled every Monday and Thursday afternoon. The first class starts on Monday, August 17 at 2:30 – 3:15 pm in Thai classroom numbers 111 and 113. Our Thai teachers, K. Ying and K. Charuwan will teach these classes.
Panther (ES) Explore
First Semester’s Panther (ES) Explore Program will begin on Monday, September 14th.
Panther (ES) Explore Booklet will be available online on August 15th.
For viewing or downloading go to https://www.isb.ac.th/student-life/activities/elementary-school-activities/ and click “Activities booklet”.
Registration and payment will be open online on Friday, August 28th (at 3 pm) until Wednesday, September 2nd
Livnat Ziskinder
Panther (ES) Explore Coordinator
esactivities@isb.ac.th
Parent, Staff & Student Voices Needed: “One Voice” ISB Community Music Video Project
In honor of the International Day of Peace (September 21, 2020), we invite the ISB community members (parents, students and staff) to help us with a community music video project. If you love to sing, and you’d like to be part of this meaningful experience, please click here for more information. Please note, the deadline for video submissions is August 21st.
ES Music Recorders, Grades 4 & 5
All Grade 4 and 5 students will need to bring their recorders back to school for ES Music this year. They can bring their recorders to their music teacher (Mr. Enders or Mrs. Wong) at any time. Recorders will be kept in the music rooms for classroom use. If a Grade 4 or 5 student does not have one, a recorder can be purchased from the ISB bookstore. All Grade 3 students will be provided with a recorder later in the year.
ES Music Ensemble Sign Ups
Panther Orff Ensemble, Panther String Ensemble and Panther Choir begin the week of September 14th. Click HERE to learn more and register for one of these ensembles. These ensembles are only for students in Grades 3, 4 or 5. Enrollment for some ensembles is limited, so sign up quickly!
ISB Athletics introducing Chris Mott
It is my pleasure to welcome you all to the 2020/2021 school year! We are excited to have you all back on campus.
The ISB Athletics Office is ready to begin with Season One Athletics and we are all here to support and assist our students returning to the fields, courts and pools. While you will notice some changes, our programs will remain the same.
This is my first year in the ISB community and I am looking forward to meeting and working with you all. I am originally from Australia and have most recently moved from Lima, Peru and The American School of Lima, where I had been for the past five years. I am joined by my family, Eve (entering grade 4), Hudson (entering grade 1) and my wife, Georgina.
Panther Activities: New Look, New Name & New Peeps
Yes, after years of people referring to our headquarters and the programs organized there as the CAO Office, or CAO Activities – short for Community Activities Office Office, or the Community Activities Office Activities – we are changing our name to Panther Activities, and the office to the Panther Den. We would also like to take this opportunity to introduce our newest Panther Activities Coordinators, Zack Wade for baseball & softball, Nandi Blanchard for basketball, Krittiya (Boom) Jalik-Fitzgerald for golf, Jordi Bartes for soccer, and Nannapat (Mint) Nantasuk for tennis. Finally, a big shout out to the fab four, Khun M, Khun Fon, Khun Venus, and Khun Kwang for their work last spring with Panther Activities, and Arts and Activities refunds, as well as this summer’s Panther Activities camps. Thanks for all that you do for our community. You guys rock!
NEW ONLINE REGISTRATION
Postponed until Monday, August 10 at 12:00 noon, we are also rolling out our new online registration system (CHQ) for both ISB’s Season 1 Athletics Teams, as well as all of the Panther Activities programs you have grown to love, like Panther Arts, Panther Baseball & Softball (BBSA), Panther Basketball, Panther Dance (ASD), Panther Gymnastics, Panther Music (IMP), Panther Native Language Academy, Panther Rugby, Panther Soccer (PFA), Panther Swim, Panther Tennis, Panther Boy & Girl Scouts, and new this year, complete with a Golf Center in January, Panther Golf! Details including sign up deadlines and instructions on how to use CHQ will be sent out before the registration window opens on Thursday at noon.
NEW VENUE FOR THE PANTHER ACTIVITIES FAIR
Want to know more about what’s on offer at ISB? Join us at the annual Panther Activities Fair scheduled in Rajendra Hall from 9:00am until 12:00 noon on Saturday, August 15 where you can meet the program reps, ask questions about the different activities, and register. Make a morning of it by swinging by the annual ISB Booster Pancake Breakfast. From all of us on the Panther Activities team to all of our prospective and returning participants, we look forward to seeing you on campus soon doing all of the things you love to do!
Anthony (Tony) Giles & Lucas Rivera pantheractivities@isb.ac.th Providing active, creative, diverse and collaborative opportunities for all students.
New Online Registration for Panther Activities & ISB Athletics
OPENING POSTPONED UNTIL 12:00 noon Monday, August 10
Welcome to CHQ, ISB’s new registration platform for Panther Activities and ISB Athletics. Many of you will be familiar with CHQ as we used it for Panther (ES) Explore sign ups last January, and again this summer with our Panther Activities camps. We’re now pleased to move to CHQ as our main Activities and Athletics registration platform.
Postponed until 12:00 noon on Monday. August 10, registration will open for both Panther Activities and ISB Athletics programs in one place, for the first time. Think of it as one-stop-shopping for many of the things your kids love to do at ISB!
How to use CHQ
Step by step instructions for navigating CHQ can be found HERE. For ISB parents, log into PowerSchool, then press the CHQ button on the left side of your screen. Parents of students not attending ISB will need to register each child, one at a time, directly on CHQ. Once in CHQ you will find an account for each of your children. In each of their accounts, you will only be able to see the activities for that child’s age group and grade level. Where available, you may click the blue “i” to the right of each activity title for a description of that activity. You can change your preferences as many times as you like between noon August 10 and noon August 19, but once registration closes, you cannot change or withdraw your selections, and no refunds will be given. Please be mindful to ensure the activities you choose are indeed those that your child wants to attend.
Fees and Attendance
Please note that while most of the offerings listed in CHQ with “Panther” in the title are paid and open to both ISB students and students attending elsewhere, while those listed with “ISB” in the title have no participation fees and are open to ISB students only. For instance, Panther Soccer Academy, or League options on CHQ require a fee to participate but are open to all students PK2-G12 whether ISB or not, while ISB U11 Basketball is free, but only open to G3-G5 students currently enrolled at ISB. Payment, for those programs requiring a fee, is not expected until after the activities have been allocated following the close of registration on August 19.
Important Dates and Changes
Note that with new COVID-19 protocols in place some of the start dates for Panther Activities programs have been moved to the week of August 24-28 with the exception of Panther Dance assessments August 13-14, and Panther Swim evaluations August 17-20, both limited to G3-G12 students only. Fall ISB Varsity sport tryouts start August 13, with JV starting August 18, U13/U15 teams beginning August 19, and U11 on August 24. Panther Dance “Interest Only” sign up closes at 12:00 midnight on August 12.
Panther Activities Fair
Want to know more about what’s on offer at ISB? Join us at the annual Panther Activities Fair scheduled in Rajendra Hall from 9:00am until 12:00 noon on Saturday, August 15, where you can meet the program reps, ask questions about the different activities, and register.
Make a morning of it by swinging by the annual ISB Booster Pancake Breakfast. We look forward to seeing your kids on campus soon, doing all of the things they love to do!
Please note that the Panther Activities Fair as well as the activities on offer will take into account the safety measures and physical distancing guidelines as set forth in ISB’s reopening plan.
Questions? For ISB Athletics, contact Chris Mott at chrism@isb.ac.th, or Mark Jaspers at markj@isb.ac.th. For Panther Activities, contact Anthony Giles or Lucas Rivera at pantheractivities@isb.ac.th.
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
August 2020
| Aug. 10 | G2-5 Virtual Meet the Teacher at 2PM |
| PreK/KG/G1 Meet the Teacher appointments on campus | |
| Aug. 11 | School Opens (School Year 2020-21) for Grades 2-5 |
| PreK/KG/G1 Meet the Teacher appointments on campus | |
| Aug. 12 | No School |
| Aug. 13 | PreK1 (3-year olds) Partnership in Learning Day |
| PreK2, KG, G1 First Day of School | |
| Aug. 14 | PreK1 (3-year olds) Partnership in Learning Day |
| Aug. 17 | ES Thai After-School Begins (Mondays and Thursdays) |
| PreK1 (3-year olds) First Day of School | |
| Aug. 20 | ES New Parent Orientation 7:45 am |
| Aug. 27 | ES Open House |