‘Signing Up’
Dear Parents,
Congratulations to our musicians and music department for their involvement in the Bangkok Massed Band festival that is taking place at ISB in the Chevron Theatre on Friday and Saturday. I was able to spend some time today listening to them play and work with our guest conductor along with 100 musicians from a variety of other schools here in Bangkok. We have talented musicians and teachers here at ISB and it is wonderful that we can now come together with other musicians in order to create music together. Although we are unable to have a live audience for their final concert, you are able to watch and listen in via this livestream ZOOM LINK on Saturday at 2 pm.
Good luck to our IASAS Dance team, who despite the absence of travel opportunities are still participating in a virtual IASAS Dance exchange this weekend. We are hosting and running virtual workshops for dancers from other schools in the region from Friday afternoon through to Saturday evening.
In this week’s E News we have some important messages for parents regarding Global Citizenship Week (GCW) and the upcoming Student Parent teacher conferences on October 1st and 2nd. Please do take the time to read and take note of the information regarding these two important events. In order to attend the HS Student Parent Teacher conferences – you must register for one of the sessions. This is a different procedure from previous years, so please do follow instructions in today’s message and be ready to ‘sign up’ on Tuesday at 8am.
Have a great weekend and we look forward to seeing everyone on campus in a few weeks time.
Regards
Justin Alexander
High School Principal
Student Parent Teacher Conferences October 1st and 2nd
Dear Parents,
As mentioned in last week’s ENews the High school will host Student Parent Teacher conferences over two days in October (Thursday October 1st and Friday October 2nd). We will host these conferences on campus and follow current social distancing and mask guidelines as required.
The HS conferences will be held in the Rajendra gym and the adjoining ES gym with HS teachers split among these two locations. We will be sending out via email on Tuesday September 22nd (just after 8am) a signup link for parents so that you can select and sign up for one of the HS sessions. If you have a child in the MS as well, you will need to sign up for a separate session for your MS child. We have limits on the total number of people inside a venue at a given time, so parents MUST register and sign up for a session. If a session is full you will not be able to register for that session and must choose another time slot.
Due to covid precautions we are unable to provide food and refreshments in our conference locations. However students and parents are welcome to visit the cafeteria where they can purchase and consume food and drinks.
These conferences are student-parent-teacher conferences and as such students are required to attend with their parents. We believe that the ongoing development and growth of our students is best served when teachers work in partnership with parents and students. Ensuring that students, parents and teachers can meet and speak together about the successes and growth challenges for each child is very important.
We look forward to seeing you all on campus on either October 1st or 2nd (with your HS student!)
Regards
Justin Alexander
High School Principal
HS Session times
Thursday
Session 1 8.00-10.00am
Session 2 10.30-12.30pm
Session 3 1.30-3.30pm
Friday
Session 4 8.00-10.00am
Session 5 10.30-12.30pm
Session 6 1.30-3.00pm
GCW Postponement Announcement
Peter Assimakopoulous
petera@isb.ac.th
Dear Parents,
We have been closely monitoring the impact of COVID19 on our planned GCW trips in December. After much thought and investigating different options available we have made an early decision to postpone our GCW trips to the end of the school year. We have not yet finalised the exact dates for this postponement, but this will be firmed and communicated in the coming weeks as there may be some re-shuffling of the calendar that is required for this to occur.
The days that were to be GCW at the end of semester one are now replaced with regular school days as follows:
- 14 December: Day 6
- 15 December: Day 7
- 16 December: Day 8
- 17 December: Day 1 & Mid-Year Graduation (Moved from 10 December)
- 18 December: Adjusted Day Schedule & Closing Assembly (Moved from 11 December)
In reviewing the feasibility of running GCW as was planned with overnight trips in Thailand, the risks were simply too high due to the current COVID19 pandemic. We also considered adjusting GCW to a Bangkok based day trip option, however we are still experiencing difficulties in partnering with Bangkok based organizations and institutions we normally work with due to current COVID19 regulations.
We hold hope that by May/June 2021 the risks that have caused us to postpone GCW in December will have reduced and we will be able to run the full set of local Thailand GCW courses for our students. If this is not possible, we have already started work on an alternative day trip option for students that we will share with parents and students early in semester two.
Looking forward to the end of the school year, it is unlikely that we will be able to offer the GCW trip to our Senior Students, based on the timing of IB examinations and graduation. However this is still to be confirmed.
Although the postponement of GCW may be disappointing for our students, we do hope that we will be in a better position in May/June 2021 to host meaningful and purposeful GCW options for our students.
Many thanks,
Andy Vaughan Peter Assimakopoulos
HS Dean of Students HS Service Learning & CAS Coordinator
Academics and Assessment in the HS – meeting for parents
Justyna McMillan
justynam@isb.ac.th
On Tuesday September 29th we will hold a parent presentation about Academics and Assessment in the High School. This meeting is primarily focused for any parents new to the High School, but anyone is welcome to attend. The meeting will be held at 12:30 in MPB1. We look forward to seeing you there!
News from the College Office
Sonya Ohlsson
sonyao@isb.ac.th
On Sept. 18, 22 & 24, Juniors will register for the PSAT during their CORE period 6. Each student was sent an email with their 20 minute registration appointment. Students have the ability to Opt-Out of the PSAT and they can pick up an Opt-Out form at their registration appointment to bring home for a parent’s signature. The PSAT will take place at ISB on October 14 in the morning. More information will be sent closer to the date. There is nothing a student needs to do to prepare as this is, literally, the “Practice SAT”!
Last night’s Junior College Night was a huge success with 140 people in attendance. We were able to give students and families an overview of the next year as they begin their journey towards life after ISB. A recording of the event and a PDF of the presentation are available in the Resources section of our website: tinyurl.com/isbcollege
Some of next week’s Virtual University Visits :
Sept. 23 Rice University 11-11:45am
Sept. 23 Manhattan College 7:00pm
Sept. 23 UPenn & Brown University 8:00pm
Sept. 25 University of Warwick 11-11:45am
For links and more details on all Virtual Visits: tinyurl.com/isbcollege
In preparation for SAT Testing next Saturday, 26 September:
All students must bring their school ID to get on campus. ALL STUDENTS must bring their Passport or Thai National ID and Admissions Ticket to gain entrance to the test rooms. No student will be admitted without both of these items. There can be no exceptions–College Board makes these rules, not us. All phones will be turned off for the entire testing time and students may not access them until the tests are completed. We will let students in at 7:30am. We will send another reminder next week.
Spirit Week
Chris Mott
chrism@isb.ac.th
We are excited to celebrate Spirit Week between the 21st – 25th of September. Each day the Varsity Council has organised a dress code. Please check the poster below so students in ES, MS and HS can prepare their outfits.
Spirit Night CANCELLED
Chris Mott
chrism@isb.ac.th
Due to current COVID-19 restrictions, we are not able to run our traditional ISB Spirit Night. Campus will be closed from 5:10 for everyone except students who are taking part in a scheduled ISB or Panther Activities.
ISB Soccer and Volleyball Invitational
Chris Mott
chrism@isb.ac.th
On Friday the 25th and Saturday the 26th of September we will be hosting our first tournaments on campus. Our Varsity boys and girls soccer and volleyball teams will be playing against various Bangkok schools.
Due to strict government regulations, only athletes who are part of the event, and direct family members or players are able to attend the games as long as they wear face masks and keep physical distance.
ISB’s Massed Band Festival – September 18-19, 2020
Anthony Giles
anthonyg@isb.ac.th
ISB will host its annual Massed Band Festival September 18-19, welcoming nearly 100 band students from international schools around Bangkok. Tune into the live streamed Gala Concert featuring the Massed Band at 2 pm on Saturday, September 19, 2020.
Live Stream Link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/83262461370
ISB To Host IASAS Dance Exchange – September 18-19, 2020
ISB will host an expanded IASAS Dance Exchange virtually this weekend. Workshops on Friday and Saturday will feature instructors from Bangkok teaching dancers from all over the region. Look for highlights later this month.
Submit Your Art
Anthony Giles
anthonyg@isb.ac.th
ArtsCouncil is launching a monthly series of IG challenges to showcase the diverse range of talented artists in our community. This month’s theme is PEACE – in honor of the upcoming Peace Day on September 21st. Submit your artwork, pieces, and/or videos that relate to this theme of peace- which you can define and interpret any way you like. We will be posting your submissions on our Instagram page. Send in your submissions through this link.
Arts Council Presents September Open Mic – Outdoor Stage, HS Lunch, September 25
Anthony Giles
anthonyg@isb.ac.th
Have a song, poem, speech, or dance to share for Arts Council’s first Open Mic event of the year? Please sign up HERE now through Wednesday, September 23 to perform on the outdoor stage during HS Lunch on Friday September 25th!
Bangkok International String Festival – September 25-26, 2020
Anthony Giles
anthonyg@isb.ac.th
ISB will host its annual Bangkok International String Festival September 25-26, welcoming nearly 150 string musicians from international schools around Bangkok. Tune into the live streamed Gala Concert featuring the festival orchestra at 2 pm on Saturday, September 26, 2020. Link to be shared next week.