ES Student/Parent/Teacher Conferences: October 1 & 2 – ON CAMPUS
We look forward to sharing your child’s learning progress with you as part of the upcoming October 1 & 2 conferences on campus!
Please be reminded that there is no school for students on these days.
Pick-A-Time, our conference scheduler, will close Tuesday, September 29 at 2:00 PM. If you wish to add or change a conference appointment after Pick-A-Time has closed, please contact Khun Tom in the ES Office: cholthis@isb.ac.th. The information letter explaining how to use Pick-A-Time can be accessed via PowerSchool. Once you have logged on to PowerSchool, click on the “Parent Conference” button on the left to see the letter. Directions on how to access and use Pick-A-Time are included in this letter. If you have more than one child in the ES, you will need to switch between students to access a letter specific to your child’s grade.
In Grades 2-5, students are an important part of the conferences and will also attend. At ISB, we believe that children are in charge of their learning and we give them many opportunities to know that they are capable and that they can influence what happens to them. As we prepare for conferences, children work with teachers to assess their strengths and challenges, select work samples that illustrate their current levels of skill, ability and effort, and create an action plan for continued growth and improvement. During conferences, teachers, students and parents discuss all aspects of the child’s learning together with openness and transparency so that students continue to feel empowered and responsible for their behavior and learning.
From PK-Grade 5, the purposes for conferences are the following:
- Communicate learning growth
- Enhance home-school partnership
- Provide ways to promote home learning
- Build understanding around what learning looks like at ISB
Should you wish to also speak with any of our ES counselors on conference days, please make an appointment in advance:
- Matthew Johnson (Pre-KG) <matthewj@isb.ac.th>
- Kate Kersey (KG, Gr. 1 & 2) <katek@isb.ac.th>
- Doug Williamson (Gr. 3, 4 & 5) <douglasw@isb.ac.th>
Come See Us on Conference Day! ES Principals Connect!
ES Principals Sarah Fleming, Jeff Scott and Michael Allen look forward to meeting with groups of parents on Thursday & Friday during the ISB conference days from 9:30AM-10AM and 11:30AM-12PM in the ES Maker Space located in the Grade 1 Quad. Please stop by to say hello!
Access to Campus
As shared in the recent All School eNews, starting Monday 28th September parents are permitted to come on to campus after 12:00PM without an appointment. ES parents will now be able to enter through the turnstiles at the Elementary School entrance after this time. For appointments prior to 12:00PM, parents are still asked to check in at the Business Office turnstiles.
The dismissal pick-up procedures will remain the same for students, including the designated KG and G1 meeting points for after-school activities.
ES Hub Book Fair!
Grade 5 Performance Update
Soon, our grade 5 students will begin working toward their final music performance of their elementary careers! We’re very excited to announce the theme for their performance: “Same Same but Different”! Throughout the next few months, grade 5 students will explore music from various cultures that falls into 3 categories: Music for Comfort, Music for Communication, and Music for Celebration. In this music/visual art collaboration, students will learn how music and art connect us to ourselves, history, and the world as they explore how various cultures use music and art for the same purposes. The final performance in March will be a demonstration of their learning through singing, playing, dancing, and visual art. All grade 5 students will be a part of the process and performance. Though this performance will not be a musical as in past years, we are excited about the depth and authenticity of the experiences that our students will have, and we hope that they come away from the experience with a greater understanding of the important roles music and art play in the development of cultural identity and global-mindedness.
Panther ES Explore Updates (ES After School Activities)
Please note that Thursday and Friday, October 1st and 2nd – ES Parent-Teachers conferences, no school, no ES Explore in session.
After School Activities are well underway. There are few limited spaces available in some of our classes. Remember once the ES Explore schedule begins there are NO REFUNDS. All ES Explore have already hosted their 2nd session so there are no longer any changes permitted.
I am in the office daily from 2:00pm – 4:00pm if you have any questions or concerns.
Livnat Ziskinder
ES Explore Coordinator
esactivities@isb.ac.th
Panther Run #3, October 3rd
Please join us and register for the next Panther Fun Run Series. This charity race will benefit Operation Smile. You only need to register once HERE!
ES Cafeteria Menu
Please find the ES Cafeteria menu for next week linked here. Here is the menu for Kindergarten and here is the menu for Pre-Kindergarten.
After School Supervision
Any elementary school student on campus outside of regular school hours, who is not participating in a school-sponsored event, must be actively supervised by an adult in charge, appointed by the family. This includes being in the elementary Learning Hub (library).
October ES Parent Engage on October 8, 2020: Words, Words, Words: Tips for Supporting Your Child at Home in Reading & Writing with Consultant Fiona Hamilton
7:45 -8:45 am for parents of students in KG & Grade 1
9:15-10:15 am for parents of students in Grades 2 – Grade 5
MPB 2 & 3 (Above zig zag)
In this interactive and practical session, we will explore the following concepts:
- Tips for Helping Your Child with Reading: When your child encounter words they can’t read OR can read, but don’t know the meaning
- Tips for Helping Your Child with Writing: When your child struggles to spell a word
- Family Games for you all to enjoy!
Fiona Hamilton has worked internationally for 26 years after beginning her career in Australia. Fiona holds an MEd (administration) and an MEd (literacy) as well as Literacy Coaching certification. She has studied with Real Spelling and regularly co-presents with Pete Bowers of WordWorks. Throughout the 2020-21 academic year, Fiona will be working with a group of ISB teachers to deepen their understanding of the teaching and learning of English orthography.
Please fill in this form and you will receive an email confirmation of your appointment the day before the event. Show your ID to the guards when you enter the turnstiles by the business office.
MAP Parent Session & Assessment Results – October 9 @ 9AM
The MAP assessment is one data point in our assessment body of evidence for your child’s learning. We will be having a parent presentation to help you understand and interpret your child’s MAP results. This presentation will take place on campus on October 9th at 9AM and will be facilitated by ES and MS administrators. If you are interested in attending, please email Debi Caskey at debic@isb.ac.th.
MAP testing results will be available on PowerSchool on Friday, October 9th. Please follow the steps below to access the MAP results:
- Log on to PowerSchool (shown below)
- Click on Grade and Attendance on the left side (as seen in gray highlighted)
- Copy password (label in red) to open MAP results
ES ‘Out of Uniform’ Day – October 8 and 9
These two days are ‘Out of School Uniform’ days in the Elementary School. On PE days, students need to wear their PE uniforms. On their non PE day, students may choose to not wear their ISB uniform.
Appropriate dress guidelines for our ‘Out of School Uniform’ days are listed in the ES Student/Parent Handbook.
Panther News
Spirit Night CANCELLED
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
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.
New Panther Activities Offerings and October Break Camps
Registration on CHQ for Season 2 Athletics and Panther Activities, as well as October Break camps will open at the end of next week. Details including sign up deadlines and instructions will be sent out before the registration window opens on Friday, October 2.
(Repeat) Masks are REQUIRED on Campus! Be a Superhero!
ISB has strict mask guidelines in place. All parents and adults are required to wear a mask while on campus. Be a superhero…wear a mask on campus.
(Repeat) HELP! PARENT ACTION REQUIRED: Student Tracking of Student After School and Weekend Locations
HELP! All ES parents are required to login to Powerschool and update their journal for the week, listing locations visited outside school hours. All schools in Thailand are required by the Ministry of Education to have their students/parents keep and complete a daily journal of their whereabouts after school hours. Only 60 families have completed the needed ES PowerSchool form. ES secretaries will need to contact individual families who don’t complete the PowerSchool form, therefore we ask for your support in completing this important Covid-19 safety task each Sunday.
Logging into Powerschool, you will see a notification to update the Journal:
Each Sunday, complete the journal for the preceding week for each ES child. If you are having trouble accessing Powerschool or are unable to see your students in Powerschool, email ES Powerschool Secretary, Khun Tom <cholthis@isb.ac.th>
(Repeat) After School Access To Campus
Thank you for your continued support of our COVID-19 guidelines as we work to provide a safe and healthy environment for everyone entering our campus. As a reminder, all community members on campus (indoor/outdoor) must:
- Wear a mask at all times
- Maintain physical distancing of 1-2 meters at all times
- Wash or sanitize hands frequently
- Consume food in the cafeteria or at designated picnic tables – there should be no food on the fields, bleachers, or in the gyms.
After 5:10pm, the campus is only available for formal activities organised with direct supervision (Panther Activities, etc). All others on campus will be asked to leave. Weekend access is only for organized activities coordinated by the Panther Activities/ISB Athletics office. Participants must have an ISB ID to enter campus.
Please direct any questions to Mark Hevland, Director of Risk Management
markh@isb.ac.th
(Repeat) ID Access for Family Helpers Available
ISB is now ready to start processing ID access cards for family helpers. With the new turnstiles, all domestic help will need to get a new ISB ID card to gain access to the academic areas of the school. Please login to powerschool and complete the online application. Need support? Contact Mark Hevland, markh@isb.ac.th, Director of Risk Management, 0993910932
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
September/October 2020
| Sept. 29 | Pick-a-Time Parent Conference Scheduler Closes at 2:00 pm |
| Oct. 1-2 | ES Parent-Teacher Conferences |
| ES Book Fair, 7:30-3:30 pm (HUB and ES MPR) | |
| Oct. 5 | PTA Adult Education Classes Begin |
| Oct. 8 | ES Parent Engage 7:45 am (MPB 2&3) |
| Oct. 8-9 | ES ‘Out of School Uniform’ Day (Black & Gold Dress Day) |
| Oct. 9 | MAP Test Results Online |