Message from HS Principal
Dear Parents,
As we approach the end of the second week of visual school we are more excited and hopeful about a return to face to face school on February 1st. All parents and High School students have been updated with recent communications regarding the latest news about school re-opening, so please do read those messages as they are sent out. In the meantime we have another week of later starts (9am) and zoom lessons and work set by teachers for our learners.
Thank you to all of our parents who joined us virtually on Thursday night for either the Junior College night hosted by our college counseling team or the IB Basics presentation hosted by Mrs. McMillan, Mr. Assimakopoulos and Matthew Kelly. You can find copies of those presentations elsewhere in this week’s ENews. We also hosted parents of our Senior students at a webinar earlier this morning where we answered questions about IB Exams and progress of our students at this time. For parents of seniors who were unable to attend the webinar on friday morning we will be sharing on Monday afternoon or Tuesday morning detailed answers to the questions asked by parents and students about the IB exams.
Enjoy the weekend and stay safe and stay well.
Regards
Justin Alexander
High School Principal
IB Basics – presentation for sharing
Justyna McMillan
justynam@isb.ac.th
On February 21st we held a virtual presentation about the Basics of the IB, for interested parents and students. Here are the links to the recorded webinar and separate slide presentation.
Webinar Recording HERE
Copy of slide presentation HERE
As a reminder to 10th Grade parents and students, our Course Information evening is scheduled for Thursday February 4th, which we hope to have on campus.
Gr10 Course Selection Evening
Justyna McMillan
justynam@isb.ac.th
Thursday February 4th at 6:30PM, Chevron Theater
Please save the evening to come along with your grade 10 child to speak with grade 11 course teachers about the different options available in grade 11. The transition from grade 10 to 11 is the time when students have the most choice available about what courses they can study. It can prove to be hard to make these choices and we hope that having the opportunity to talk to teachers will help that decision to be an informed one.
The evening will start off with a short presentation in the Chevron Theater, with a Gr10 course overview. After this session, students and parents will move to the MPB to be able to talk to individual subject teachers.
In case we are not able to be back on campus at this stage, we will adjust the evening to follow a virtual format.
IB Predicted Grades
Justyna McMillan
justynam@isb.ac.th
IB students who are registered for an IB Course and Exam this May have been given a Predicted Grade. The Predicted Grade is the subject teacher’s ‘best guess’ of the students’ final IB result and is based on evidence of achievement so far in the subject. They are used to give students an indication of their achievement so they can evaluate where they are at. They are also used by some colleges and universities for admission purposes. A January Predicted Grade report is now available for students and parents on PowerSchool. If you would like to discuss this grade please do so with the subject teacher, the counselor or myself.
A final IB Predicted Grade will additionally occur in March.
ISA Testing for Grade 10 Students
Justyna McMillan
justynam@isb.ac.th
ISB conducts external standardized testing periodically in order to review our programs and compare ourselves to like-minded schools, evaluate the effectiveness of our curriculum, and monitor student progress and trends across the school.
On February 15th and 16th, our students in grades 3, 5, 7, and 10 are scheduled to take the International Schools Assessment (ISA) in Mathematical Literacy, Reading, and Writing. If we are not back on campus at this stage, we will adjust the dates for the ISA test to a later date.
More details about the tests will be communicated in the next couple of weeks.
You can access the ISA Privacy Statement here. If you have any questions, please contact Debi Caskey, Deputy Head of School for Learning (debic@isb.ac.th)
GCW Name Change
Peter Assimakopoulos
petera@isb.ac.th
Before the pandemic, plans were put in place to shift our GCW trips to be more volunteer-based and environmentally conscious. Last year, we were excited to share this move with our community towards developing trips that ‘give back’ to the community and match the vision and mission of ISB. Additionally, during the first semester, we put together a small sub-committee from our student council representatives to find a new name for our week without walls.
We strongly believe in the purpose behind running these trips. We know they create meaningful and transferable experiences that engage our students in collaborative learning opportunities to deepen understanding of local communities, cultures and the environment by developing appropriate skills and attitudes through humanitarian action.
At the moment, GCW stands for Global Citizenship Week. This sub-committee was tasked to find a name that best works with our new philosophy for these trips.
Last week, we sent out a survey to our HS students to select a name which best suits our ISB community and connects with the purpose of the week.
And the results are in….
News from the College Office
Sonya Ohlsson
sonyao@isb.ac.th
Breaking News: The SAT Subject Tests and SAT w/Essay are going away forever.
SAT Subject Tests:
Within the United States and US Territories, SAT Subject Tests will stop being administered immediately. International test sites will still be able to offer them on the May and June test dates. But those will be the last Subject Tests offered.
SAT with Essay:
The Essay portion of the SAT will be discontinued after the May 2021 SAT test administration internationally and after the June 2021 SAT test administration in the United States. No action is required on your part, as students can still take the SAT with Essay through the May 2021 test administration internationally.
Students who are registered for the SAT with Essay in Spring 2021 can cancel the Essay portion at any time, free of charge.
Only one or two universities and a few specific programs in the US actually required the SAT Subject test. There are universities outside of the US who do require them and they are now in discussions about what they will need from students in the future–this includes Thai universities. The College Office will stay in contact with our global networks as college and universities around the world come to terms about what this will mean for future admissions.
A reminder that the deadline to register for the March 13 test (just SAT, no Subject Tests this day) is February 12. There are no waitlists or stand-by options if you miss the deadline.
Juniors:
Thanks to all who joined us for last night’s College Night presentation. If you missed it or would like to relive the fascinating PowerPoint, you will find a recording of the session and a PDF of the PPT on the Resources page of the College website.
The next Junior College Seminar is next week on 28 January during 6th period. Each junior will receive an email on Monday from their college counselor with a Zoom link for that meeting. This is an important meeting where we will share and discuss with them the template that they will use to do their Junior-Led Conference.
Virtual University Visits
There are no ISB-only university visits next week, but there are virtual information sessions happening at a wide variety of universities. Please check out the list on the college website: tinyur.com/isbcollege for more information.
~Sonya Ohlsson
Head of College Counseling
News from HS Counselors
Shannon Leoni
shannonl@isb.ac.th
We have successfully completed two weeks of virtual learning! It has been great to see how students are adapting to this model of learning, and to hear what they are doing for continued self-care. One benefit to virtual learning is that students are able to get more sleep, and this is a great time to pay attention to sleep hygiene.
For more guidance on the importance of sleep schedules and the slightly controversial suggestion that naps aren’t always a great idea, check out this resource: https://www.sleepfoundation.org/sleep-guidelines-covid-19-isolation
Another way to find balance during this time is to find a physical activity that is enjoyable. There are multiple free resources online, and here’s a great article to get you started: https://www.cnbc.com/2020/04/06/free-workout-exercises-at-home-while-social-distancing-coronavirus.html
As always, parents, please let us know if you have any questions or concerns, or if you’d like us to check-in with your child. We wish you a healthy and safe weekend.
News from The Main Library
Chris Bell
chrisb@isb.ac.th
We are happy to report that our Request a Book and Pick Up is working very smoothly. We’ve already filled 47 requests in one week! Thanks for following the program. Additionally, the WONDERFUL ISB Buildings and Grounds staff has completed a ‘Deep Cleaning’ of the library including all AC Units, Tables and Chairs, as well as, carpet cleaning! They are awesome! The library has also done another major order for our Sora App, which is our ebooks and audiobook platform for students as well as receiving a large order of physical books. Look on the Library Catalog to see the Recently Added Titles! We hope that in the near future we will be back face-to-face, in the meantime take care and be safe.
Main Library Information:
The Book Club/Gathering scheduled for Jan. 28th had to be postponed, I will update when we get confirmation of allowing people on campus.
The HS Tedx Event has been postponed until late March.
RESOURCES
We are updating as fast as we can the Main Library website with information about checkouts and other resources. Take a look if you need something at: https://library.isb.ac.th/
BOOK RETURNS: Bins will be out in front of the turnstiles by the panther – you can drop them off anytime.
REQUEST BOOKS ANYTIME!
- Using the Library Catalog – find the book you would like (make sure to check if it is AVAILABLE). You will need the Title and Author.
- STUDENTS Complete this Book Request Form.
- PARENTS Complete this Book Request Form.
- Wait for an email confirmation
- Pick up of Book Requests will be on Tuesdays and Thursdays
REQUESTING A BOOK TO BE PURCHASED
We are always accepting requests for New Print Books or Audio/eBooks (on Sora). At the bottom of the Book Request Form, you can make a request for a new book to be purchased by the library. If it is purchased we will email you to confirm and with the details.
BELL’S BEST BOOK
The Poppy War ~ by R.F. Kuang
This is the first in a series of books that have a little bit of everything. It is in the Fantasy Genre, however it could also be in the Historical Fiction about the Poopy Wars. It also has an amazing group of characters, especially our main character Rin. She is a peasant girl that earns her way into a coveted school. As she develops her skills there certain secrets come to light that make Rin aware of the fact that she is more than just a peasant girl. She is strong and powerful. For someone like me Fantasy is a stretch, but this is GREAT!
TECH UPDATES
- VERY IMPORTANT: Make sure your Zoom App is updated and that when you sign in you are using the Google Sign On and not logging in with your email address (ISB Account Holders Only)
- BigSur the Mac OS update came out last week. PLEASE do not update yet as we are waiting to see if any issues arise. Also, it takes about 45 minutes to go through the process, so I would wait.
- Let me know if you are having any software issues: christob@isb.ac.th. If you are having hardware issues, please contact: help@isb.ac.th
TECH RESOURCE OF THE WEEK
Learn to Take Notes Effectively
Need help taking good notes? Below you will find a slide deck that gives some great tips for quality note taking from Elevate Learning Designs. We also are including a Google Doc Template for Cornell NoteTaking method.
Business Camp
Peter Assimakopoulos
petera@isb.ac.th
Pinmada (Mye) Makornwattana is joining the following Business Camp and would like to know if others in the community are interested in joining. Take a look at the website from Reactor School for more information.
“The Business Camp is a 2-full-day virtual course which will teach students how to create, manage, develop and pitch their ventures. The participants will be able to present at the Bangkok Student Entrepreneurial Tryouts Competition and the top-ranking teams will have the opportunity to present at True Corporation. Skills you will learn include:
- Public Speaking
- Pitching
- Developing a Venture
- Finances behind Business
- Marketing
- Interviewing/Surveying
- Leadership
All the details of the camp are in the poster below. The link to sign up is bit.ly/entrecamp.
If you have any questions or concerns, please contact Mye (19517@students.isb.ac.th).”
ISB: Invitation to free Netflix Talk with Lead Engineer
Peter Assimakopoulos
petera@isb.ac.th
ISB has been formally invited to attend the upcoming event with Amy Smidutz, lead Engineer from Netflix on Jan 23 at 1 pm Eastern. Amy will discuss her non-traditional path from disengaged high school student to Director of Engineering at the world’s largest streaming company. She’ll tell your community about niche fields of Engineering like Chaos Engineering, and she’s hosting a post-session discussion for a select group of students.
Most might be sleeping at this time – therefore we can watch a recording of this, available on Monday, January 25th here: https://youtu.be/YJ31D-RYAUY
Welcome to ISB Virtual Activities!
Anthony Giles
anthonyg@isb.ac.th
Please note the below information to ensure that your child can take advantage of the Virtual Activities being offered during this time at home.
The activities schedule found HERE represents ALL activities being offered during the week of Monday the 25th of January to Friday the 29th of January, 2021.
Look for a schedule of the following week’s activities (1st to 5th of February) in the Whole School Enews next week. For the best experience, please adhere to the grade level groups represented on the activities schedule, and always check the air quality before heading outdoors.
Remember, the after school Zoom Activities here are FREE, and not offered in lieu of cancelled pay-to-play sessions for semester 2 Panther Activities for which fees will be adjusted once campus is open and regular activities are back on.
Go Panthers!!!
Chris, Lucas, Mark, Corry and Anthony
Virtual Panther Run
Anthony Giles
anthonyg@isb.ac.th
GOAL
To get as many members of the ISB community running in this event as possible (3km or 5km).
You will receive a link on Monday 25 January where you can submit your time optional photos or videos.
You can run anywhere you like, but we will also share some route options with you too.
AWARDS
Top 3 Fastest runners in each Division (with GPS Data proof only)
Fun awards (e.g. Best Panther dress-up, 25th finisher 50th finisher, 100th finishers etc.)
Complete the run at any time between 25-31 January but remember to stay safe, check the air quality before going outdoors, and practice physical distancing!
Register HERE to participate, and then run anywhere you like, or use one of our suggested 3K or 5K routes anytime between January 25th-31st. Awards will be given to the top three runners in each division (w/GPS data proof only), as well as for best Panther dress-up, and the 25th, 50th, and 100th finishers!!! Questions? Contact Mark Jaspers at markj@isb.ac.th.