Grade 2 Lego Car Design Challenges
You might have seen some of our Grade 2 students with balloons and legos last week at the HUB Terrace and ES Makerspace! All Grade 2 students participated in a Lego Car Design Challenge where they had to design a car that would travel the furthest powered by a balloon. Each class had a whole day for this experience, which was a great format to go deeply into learning. The learning focus was around their science unit on Air but also focussed on measurement, data collection and the power of the design cycle to innovate. Ask any of our Grade 2 students about their design challenge experience!
Thanks for Coming! ES Virtual Parent Engage – Virtual School Plans
Thank you to the parents who were able to join us for our ES Virtual Engage session on Thursday, November 26 @ 8AM where we discussed the ES Community Virtual School Handbook (linked here). The recording of the session is available here.
ES ‘Free Dress’ Day – December 3 and 4
December 3 & 4 are free dress 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.
Monday, December 7, 2020 – No School
Monday, December 7, 2020 is Substitute Father’s Day. Therefore, school will not be in session. Classes will resume on Tuesday, December 8, which is an ‘B’ Day.
Thursday, December 10, 2020 – School in Session as Usual
In our school calendar, Thursday, December 10, 2020 is listed as Constitution Day, however, school is in session for ALL students on this day.
Friday, Dec. 18 – Last Day of School – 11:30AM Early Dismissal
Weekly Message from Dr. Michael Allen
In many cultures and countries, November and December represent a time of gratefulness and thankfulness, however I would argue that EVERYDAY should include time to reflect and express gratitude!
Current research supports the idea that those who instill gratitude are happier people. Grateful children (and adults!!) tend to be happier, more engaged with hobbies and schoolwork, have better relationships and report greater satisfaction in general. Studies also show that grateful kids are less jealous, depressed, and materialistic than ungrateful kids.
I invite you to check out this short article, THE GRATITUDE TREE FOR KIDS, for a plethora of strategies and tools to use at home. In addition to great activities and ideas, the different videos are excellent to watch as a family. Enjoy!
Your partner in education,
Michael Allen
michaela@isb.ac.th
Panther Activities
Please note that Monday and Wednesday ES Explore classes already have their last session – no more classes for this semester.
Tuesday ES explore activities will have their last session on December 1st.
Thursday activities will have their last session On December 3rd with exception of Lego Challenge class that will have the last session on December 10th.
Friday ES explore classes will have their last session on December 4th.
Livnat Ziskinder
ES Explore Coordinator
esactivities@isb.ac.th
Community Choir Concert 6:30 Wednesday, December 9th Chevron Theater
On December 9th, 120 Middle School, High School and adult singers will join together for the annual Community Choir Concert. This event is a display of all of the hard work that these musicians have put in over the last couple of months and a celebration of the position we are in in Thailand to be able to sing together while much of the world has been music-less. The concert will feature the Middle and High School Choirs under the direction of Ms. Lindsay Fuson, accompanied by Ms. Miao Rong Wang with special guests ISB’s Choral Union.
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.
Sign Up Before Monday: Tri Kids is Back!
The Deadline to sign up is approaching quickly, November 30th so claim your spot.
Race Day:
December 7th, 2020, we will host the 22nd annual triathlon @ ISB, this year in partnership with Amorn Group Thailand as main sponsor. The registration fee will go to benefit iCare Thailand Foundation with the mission to raise money for bikes to be bought and provided to impoverished children to help them get to and from school. These kids walk 5-15 km to and from school, along rural paths making it difficult to maintain good attendance throughout the school year, and impacting their grades and general well being.
We’ve found that a bicycle has a direct measurable impact in the children’s results, not to mention overall well being and state of mind, which makes a huge difference to attendance and the length of time the kids actually stay in school. iCare Thailand Foundation is a charitable organization that is committed to long-lasting and meaningful community development through projects that empower youth and help the underprivileged. iCare Thailand Foundation is driven by the belief that every life has value and that within each person lies the capability to reach out to those in need and make a positive contribution to society.
Tri Kids Triathlon info:
Ages 4-18, please follow the below link for more information and to sign up via CHQ:
- ISB student please login via PowerSchool : HERE
Try a Tri – 50m swim, 600m bike, 200m run (Ages 4-8years) Not timed, but great for ages 4-8
Standard – 200m swim, 5.5km bike, 1.1km run (Ages 8 -19 years)
Do the Double – 400m swim, 11km bike, 2.2km run ( Ages 8-19 years)
…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..
Relay Team of 2 Standard – 200m swim, 5.5km bike, 1.1km run (Ages 8 -19 years)
Relay Team of 3 Standard – 200m swim, 5.5km bike, 1.1km run (Ages 8 -19 years)
Relay Team of 2 Do the Double – 400m swim, 11km bike, 2.2km run ( Ages 8-19 years)
Relay Team of 3 Do the Double – 400m swim, 11km bike, 2.2km run ( Ages 8-19 years)
Questions?
Please contact Lucas Rivera at pantheractivities@isb.ac.th
(Repeat) Visiting Artist, Kitti Narod, at ISB
20 November – 4 December
Internationally renowned painter, K. Kitti Narod, will be working with elementary, middle, and high school students during his time at ISB, focusing on the idea of what people do in public spaces. During his studio time from 10-Noon each day he will be taking ideas, suggestions, and drawings for a collaborative community piece. Stop by the ES Art Quad to watch this painting develop!
(Repeat) Strings Bash Concert – Wednesday, December 2nd @6:30 Chevron Theatre
On Wednesday, December 2nd, 100 string musicians from 3rd-12th grade will join together for the annual Strings Bash. This event is a wonderful display of commitment, community, and musicianship. The concert will feature The ES Panther String Ensemble, MS Beginning Orchestra, MS Concert Orchestra and HS String Orchestra, under the direction of Adrianna Gricius.
(Repeat) Festival of Lights: A Virtual Concert
This year, in order to meet a variety of needs and to satisfy safety measures, the elementary Festival of Lights concert (featuring the G3-5 Panther Choir, Orff Ensemble and String Ensemble) will be virtual. The concert will be shared with ensemble families on Wednesday, December 16th, with the ISB community on Thursday, December 17th, and with the ES student body on Friday, December 18th as part of our Festival of Lights Virtual assembly. On December 17th, please stay tuned for a special enews with a link to this beautiful celebration of holidays from around the world, presented through the singing, playing and dancing of our young musicians!
(Repeat) Leaving ISB at the End of the First Semester?
Parents of students who are not returning to ISB in January need to notify the ES Office, Khun Kunlawan (kunlawan@isb.ac.th) as soon as possible and fill out the ISB’s official online withdraw form to enable us to process school records for their next school. Thank you for your attention to this important matter.
(Repeat) Reminder: Student Passport Information in Powerschool
We are six weeks away from winter break. Please check your passports to see when your visa expires and contact Khun Tang in the admissions office to renew your paperwork before December 11th. Limited resources are available after December 18, and five working days are needed to process documents. The school is closed from December 25-January 3.
Also, in order to ensure that thorough contact tracing can be conducted if necessary and ensure that schools are maintaining proper records, earlier this school year, Thailand’s Office of the Private Education Commission (OPEC) issued a directive to schools regarding the collection of passport or national ID numbers and other details (listed below) of community members, including students and staff.
In line with Thailand’s Personal Data Protection Act, ISB would not disclose this information to any individual or organization for any purpose other than that designated by our legal obligation to the Government of Thailand.
Please ensure that one person from each family reviews and updates Powerschool with your student’s current demographic information.
NOTE: Passport issue date is a new required field.
Login to Powerschool Parent Portal> Contact/Passport Information
If you are unable to login to Powerschool or need assistance, contact: help@isb.ac.th
(Repeat) PARENT ACTION REQUIRED: Student Tracking of Student After School and Weekend Locations
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>
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.
Calendar of Events
December 2020
| Dec. 2 | ES/MS/HS Strings Bash 6:30 pm (Chevron) |
| Dec. 3-4 | ES ‘Out of School Uniform’ Day |
| Dec. 7 | Father’s Day (No School) |
| Dec. 8-10 | Grade 4 Overnight Trip to Khao Yai |
| Dec. 9 | Community Choir Concert 6:30 pm (Chevron) |
| Dec. 10 | Constitution Day – School in Session |