Friday 14th August
Justin Alexander
justina@isb.ac.th
Dear Parents and Students,
It was fantastic to be back on campus with students and teachers present for the first time since Friday March 6th 2020. Despite a little uncertainty and inconvenience with mask wearing and social distancing, students and teachers were able to re-connect and continue with their learning after the summer break. I really enjoyed visiting a number of classrooms other the last few days and although I couldn’t see our students’ faces because of their masks I knew that they were all smiling about being back at school.
Student Athletes took to the fields and gyms on Thursday afternoon for Varsity and JV tryouts and next week our thespians will be auditioning for the HS play Romeo and Juliet. We look forward to continuing with ‘regular’ school with suitable safety measures in place for the coming weeks.
Schedule Adjustments
As is typical at the start of the school year, there are some adjustments to students schedules with changes taking place to balance class sizes and to change students schedules. Please do have your child check powerschool regularly in case there are any changes to their schedule.
Social Distancing
Whilst our students have done a great job of mask-wearing and social distancing at school, we know that they may let their guard down after school hours. Can I please ask parents to also remind their children of their social and community responsibility to continue to wear masks when in public areas around Nichada and follow the Thai regulations that are still in place.
Library opening hours
Starting Monday August 17th, the MS/HS Library will remain open until 5pm Mon-Thurs and 4.30pm on Fridays. Students will need to of course follow the social distancing measures that are in place and use the library for quiet studying or reading.
Teachers arriving
This week we welcomed to campus new teachers Danny Wall (TOK and IB FIlm) and Oliver PIcton (Geography and TOK) after they completed their quarantine requirements. On Monday we will welcome Meredith Liang-He (English), Jessica Woo (Annual Sub), Taryn MacBrayen (Learning Support Associate) and Rebecca Lebel (Learning Support associate) on campus as well. Over the next few weeks we look forward to seeing the rest of our new teachers complete quarantine and join us on campus.
Have a great weekend.
Regards
Justin Alexander
High School Principal
Schedule changes
Justyna McMillan
justynam@isb.ac.th
With the start of a new school year there are always a few disruptions and changes to a student’s schedule. Students may request a schedule change through their counselor up until Friday 21st August. Some course changes will require a completed form that includes a parent signature. Please be aware that due to some courses being full, change requests may not be possible at this late stage. Please remember that we are also still in the process of balancing classes, which may result in a change of section.
Please check your PowerSchool Schedule on Monday for any schedule changes.
Excusing Absences
Andy Vaughan
andyv@isb.ac.th
Any absence for HS students should be excused by parents via a phone call or email to the HS Attendance secretary, Khun Gade 02 963 5883 (ext. 3305) or email: sasivimb@isb.ac.th. It is appreciated if this phone call can be received before 8.00am so that we can alert teachers early.
It is important that we receive this parental contact, because without it, your child is marked as absent (X) on PowerSchool. Unexcused absences may result in additional consequences. You can see whether your child has been marked absent (X) on any day using PowerSchool. If we receive confirmation from parents that the absence is excused, then we adjust the code to reflect that (AbE). Please help us to ensure we best understand reasons for your child missing school.
Please also note if a student misses a class during the day, they may not participate in co-curricular activities on that day without prior approval from the Dean of Students.
For students who are currently overseas or in quarantine and will be accessing learning virtually, these students will have a code of NPVS (Not Present, Virtual School), this does not count towards their accumulated absences. For students in the same time zone, the expectation is to connect synchronously to the classroom learning. For students in other timezones, your child should be reviewing the recorded lesson and completing the work that is required for each class. We are already welcoming students who are arriving out of quarantine and continue to look forward to welcoming more students in the coming weeks to school.
The final reminder is for any extended absences, in these situations, parents should email counsellors and also copy in Andy Vaughan (andyv@isb.ac.th) and Khun Gade (sasivimb@isb.ac.th) for approval.
Uniforms and Dress Code Reminders
Andy Vaughan
andyv@isb.ac.th
We are continuing this school year with a focus on uniform and dress code with our students. Our dress code policy can be found in the online student handbook under ‘Uniform and Dress Code’.
For a quick summary please note the following:
- School pants can be purchased from the bookstore, but we do allow non-bookstore pants, so long as they are in the same design limitations. Pants must be appropriate length (defined as 1/3 of the hip to knee). Tighter pants are allowed however, spandex and ‘branded’ sports pants are not allowed.
- Hoodies and sweaters must be purchased from the Booster Hut. All other team hoodies are not to be worn on Monday to Thursday.
- Every Friday students will have a specific focused alternative dress day in which they will be able to wear ISB Team-wear, class shirts, ISB club wear or themed dress as per the planned schedule for that week. Our Student Council will be sharing these dress days with students next week.
- Footwear should be comfortable, practical and safe. Open toe shoes are not allowed such as slippers and flip flop sandals.
The High School faculty and administration will monitor students’ attire to ensure that it aligns to our expectations. Please help us in ensuring that your student(s) only wear dress code conforming clothing to school.
Hello from the College Office!
Sonya Ohlsson
sonyao@isb.ac.th
Juniors
This week we got the chance to introduce ourselves to the junior class during their 6th period Core introduction. We are thrilled to have this new schedule because it allows us so much more time with the juniors. In previous years, we only had juniors for one hour each semester. . . in 30 minute chunks! Now, we will have up to 8 small-group meetings throughout the year or almost 11 hours — and this doesn’t even include the individual meetings the students will have with their college counselor!
During the presentation, we explained how and when we will work with them this semester. The biggest message we gave them was that the most important thing to be doing right now was to focus on their academics. Better grades now means more options later. The first Junior Seminar will be September 2.
Seniors
We will have our first Senior Seminar next week, August 19 and 20. We are thrilled to have a nice long block of time to jump right into the application process with the seniors and get some work done. Having so much more time with them this semester will be invaluable.
We would like to have a Senior Family Check-In with everyone, so please talk, as a family, to come up with some possible times you can meet with your college counselor to check-in and see where things are.
Ms. Swati Shrestha is one her way to Thailand as I write this, so she will be able to start meeting with her students virtually, soon!
Virtual College Visits
Please keep checking our Google site for information on virtual sessions some colleges are providing. This list is not inclusive of all virtual visits out there! Go directly to the website of schools you are interested in to see what they have to offer by way of virtual information sessions and campus visits.
https://sites.google.com/isb.ac.th/isb-college-counseling/testing
High School Counselors News
Kevin Callahan
kevinc@isb.ac.th
It has been a wild week! Many students have settled into their classes/routine, and many are still getting used to the “new normal”. We are so grateful that we get to interact with students once again. Of course, we’ll all be vigilant about safe social distancing, cleanliness, mask wearing, and other details that the school has worked hard on to provide us the opportunity to be together “live”. It looks like most students’ schedules are suited to their needs and abilities. If your child is concerned about a scheduling issue, please have them speak with their counselor right away. The last day to make schedule changes for this semester is next Friday, August 21.
For those families who are new, we hope your transition is going well. Please don’t hesitate to stop by and talk with your child’s counselor if you have any questions about, not only their academic life, but also their transition. We know these first few months come with bumps along the way and want to support you in any way we can, especially in these strange times. This week the counselors have had to focus mostly on scheduling and new student admissions; we are looking forward to interacting with students more next week as the “paperwork” part of the job winds down just a little bit. Be well.
Club Fairs next week
Peter Assimakopoulos
petera@isb.ac.th
Did you know that we have over 60 student run clubs in the high school? The Club Fairs next week are a perfect opportunity to learn more about what they do and when they meet. The clubs that meet on Mondays will be the only ones presenting at the fair on Monday, August 17th. Clubs that meet on Wednesdays will be at the fair on Wednesday, August 19th, and Friday clubs will be at the fair Friday, August 21st. Please see the Club Fair Schedule here to learn which clubs meet on which days. To read descriptions of all the different clubs students can access these on the Activities Website linked here.
CAS Meetings for Juniors & Seniors
Peter Assimakopoulos
petera@isb.ac.th
For the next two weeks, 11th and 12th graders will meet with Mr Assimakopoulos to go over the graduation requirements for CAS. Grade 11 and 12 students will meet with Mr Assimakopoulos during their ToK block between August 17-29, 2020. Remind your 12th grader to check their email for more details about this important meeting or contact Mr Assimakopoulos if there are questions.
The ROTC meeting for grade 10 Parents
Krittiya J. Fitzgerald
krittiyf@isb.ac.th
The ROTC meeting for grade 10 Parents who have a son with Thai Nationality or Holding 2 passports
Please mark your calendars on Wednesday afternoon, September 2nd (14:45 -15:45 pm. at MPB 1). Important information will be provided regarding the application process for the ROTC 2020 -2021. All details pertaining to the application process, documents list, fees for training/ uniforms/ transportation will be explained during this meeting. Also, the ROTC training schedule and the exam date for 2020 will be announced. I will also provide time for parents to ask questions.
Parents, please don’t forget to bring a copy of your son’s Thai ID or front page of your son’s passport.
PANTHER FUN RUN SERIES
Mark Jasper
markj@isb.ac.th
Please join us and register for this year’s Panther Fun Run Series (August 22, September 5, October 3). These three charity races will benefit Operation Smile. You only need to register once HERE
This year, the run is only open to ISB families and only participants who pre-registered will be allowed on campus you find a link to complete the self-disclosure form HERE.
Due to the strict COVID guidelines, we will have a physically-distanced start. Please ensure to wear your masks at all times until you are starting the race and put it back on after you reach the finish area. We will not hand out race bibs nor provide timings at the end of the race. It’s a true fun run to enjoy with your family. If you want to run hard, bring your running watch and time yourself!
Fun Run Dates: August 22, Sept. 5, and Oct. 3
All races will begin at 7:15 am. Meet at the main field before 7:00 am and wait until you are invited to move to your starting position.
Instead of a registration fee, we will have donation boxes for Operation Smile at the start of the event. Please bring some cash before the race to donate to this wonderful organization. Operation Smile is a non-profit organization providing life-changing cleft-palate surgeries for children.
For more information, see the promotional posters around school/attached to the email regarding the race.
Panther Activities Fair and Booster Pancake Breakfast
Anthony Giles
anthonyg@isb.ac.th
Please join us for ISB’s annual Panther Activities Fair this Saturday, August 15 from 9:00am to 12:00 noon, where representatives from Panther Activities and ISB Athletics will be set up in Rajendra Hall to answer questions about the various programs on offer, and to assist with registrations on CHQ. Then, grab some grub in the Main Cafeteria at the annual Pancake Breakfast from 8:00am to 11:00am.
Apologies for the late notice, but different than earlier communications, campus entry on Saturday morning for either the Panther Activities Fair or the Pancake Breakfast will be limited to ISB families only who have met the COVID-19 requirements for campus access, including completing the disclosure form HERE. Entry will not be allowed without an ISB ID or equivalent linked with the electronic disclosure form. Face masks must be worn at all times and capacity in each venue will be capped at 200 participants as per government regulations. Please expect queues and maintain a 1 – 2m physical distance from others.
If you can’t make it to the fair this weekend, no problem. Coordinators and Coaches will be available through email HERE to help you out. In addition, with the same COVID-19 protocols used this weekend in place, we are hoping to open campus access up soon to ISB parents and family helpers.
Parent, Staff & Student Voices needed: “One Voice” ISB Community Music Video Project
Anthony Giles
anthonyg@isb.ac.th
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.
Panther Dance (ASD) offers Classes to ISB Families in –
Pk 1, Pk 2, Kg Pk/Kg Dance
Gr 1 Jazz, Ballet, Tap
Gr 2 – 5 Jazz, Ballet, Street/Hip Hop,Tap
Gr 6 – 12 Jazz, Ballet, Pointe, Street/Hip Hop, Contemporary, Tap,
Panther Dance (ASD) Expression of Interest closes 15th August 12.00pm.
Please complete the Google Form to request classes –
https://forms.gle/9NsyQ99HzcgHYQSL6
No Payment is Due at this time.
Placement Assessment Sessions – Grade 4 – 12
Thursday 13th OR Friday 14th August – CC Theatre (2nd Floor or the Cultural Center)
2.35pm Gr 4 / 5
(We will collect Gr 4/5 Dancers at the Hard Top and take them to the CC Theatre)
4.00pm MS
6.00pm HS
Pk and Kg, Grade 1 – 3 Dancers do not need an Assessment.
Accept Placement Register / Pay through CHQ – from Monday 18 th August (afternoon)
For more information please email isbasd@isb.ac.th
Important Information for Varsity/JV Tryouts
Anthony Giles
anthonyg@isb.ac.th
Tryouts for Cross Country, Soccer and Volleyball are open to all HS students on August 13, 14 & 17. All runners, soccer players and volleyball players should come during the first 3 days and join our community of ISB Athletes. “If you have a body, you are an athlete.” Bill Bowerman (Co-founder of Nike).
IASAS ANNOUNCEMENT
Anthony Giles
anthonyg@isb.ac.th
Please see the announcement below from Jacob Stockman, AD at JIS and IASAS Board President, announcing the status of Season 1 Activities and Athletics tournaments and events. ISB is committed to pursuing meaningful alternatives for all of our IASAS programs, and details about what that might look like will be communicated to students and families as soon as possible.