Message from HS Principal
Justin Alexander
justina@isb.ac.th
Dear Parents,
It is great news to hear that we will be able to welcome all HS students and teachers back on campus next week. Although our teachers and students have done a fantastic job during the past three weeks of virtual school learning at home, it is not the same as being face to face with each other and our teachers.
As you will have read in other school communications, we are well prepared for the opening of school and continue to follow all COVID rules and regulations for our students and faculty. We have recorded a safety briefing video containing reminders of our regulations and requirements and will share this with all HS students later this afternoon. Please be sure that you have completed the self disclosure form for each child as shared in previous communications. You can access this form through the Powerschool ParentPortal.
At the present time we are not permitting parents to come onto campus for meetings etc and as such our upcoming Grade 10 course selection evening on Thursday February 4th will be held via a zoom webinar. More details to follow in the ENews.
Enjoy your weekend and hope to see you on campus soon.
Regards
Justin Alexander
High School Principal
Gr10 Course Selection Evening – updates
Justyna McMillan
justynam@isb.ac.th
Thursday February 4th from 3-4PM, Subject Fair for Students ONLY
Thursday February 4th at 6:30PM, Virtual Session for Parents and Students
Although we will be back on campus next week, we are having to adjust the format of the Gr10 Course Selection Evening. This will now take place in two separate installments. We will have a face-to-face subject fair for students only, on Thursday 4th February between 3-4PM. More information about what this will look like, will be shared with students in a special grade level meeting on Tuesday.
We will also hold a virtual webinar for parents and students at 6:30PM on Thursday 4th February. A special eNews item will be sent out to Gr10 students and parents with the sign up link and format for this virtual webinar.
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 right after school on Thursday, will help that decision to be an informed one.
ISA Testing
Justyna McMillan
justynam@isb.ac.th
On Monday 15th and Tuesday 16th February all Grade 10 students will be completing the International Schools Assessment (ISA) in Mathematical Literacy, Reading and
Writing. This assessment is conducted in grades 3, 5, 7 and 10 at ISB and the results are used to provide patterns in learning and assist in charting future direction. Students are expected to bring a pencil, black pen, eraser, ruler, sharpener and calculator to the test. EAL students may also bring a translating dictionary for Mathematics.
Information regarding this test and what to bring will be shared with students in class, this week.
News from the College Office
Sonya Ohlsson
sonyao@isb.ac.th
Seniors:
As students get some admissions decisions, please update your Cialfo with the results. Some universities have sent out messages about a delay in sending out their results and have also pushed back their deposit date. Please keep track if any of your universities have done this as you may have some US universities who will require a May 1 deposit (if you are choosing them) while others night now have a May 3 deadline.
Students may only deposit at ONE university in the US. And if you have offers from schools in other countries, by depositing at a US school, you are indicating that THAT is the school you plan to attend, and you must mean it. Double depositing can result in having offers rescinded. If you have any questions about deposits, please speak to your college counselor.
Juniors:
This week, in Junior College Seminar, we presented the template that all juniors will use to create their presentation for the Junior-Led Conferences. This will be a meeting that they lead and present their thoughts, ideas and goals about life after ISB, and for most, the college process. The meetings, with the student and parents in attendance, will be held between now and the end of March and have asked students to talk with their parents about their schedules to find days and times that work best. We have also encouraged the students to not wait until the last minute since we will not be able to accommodate everyone trying to schedule their meeting during the last week of March!
Parent Coffees:
There will be three Parent Coffee’s next week:
Tuesday, Feb 2, 12:30-1:30PM: Applying to Japan. Link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/89948006501
Wed, Feb 3, 12:30-1:30PM: Applying to Thailand. Link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/89723613157
Thurs, Feb 4, 12:30-1:30PM: Applying to Korea. Link:
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/83811650723
SAT:
Reminder that the deadline to register for the March 13 test is February 12.
If you registered for SAT with Essay, you may change that online to remove the Essay portion.
There are no SAT Subject Tests on the March test date. The last Subject Tests will be offered in May and June.
June is SAT Subject Tests ONLY–no “regular” SATs are given on this date. There will be more Subject Tests offered anywhere after this test date.
Virtual University Visits:
There are no ISB-specific visits scheduled for next week, but there are several virtual sessions happening that are open to the public at schools around the world. Check them out here, as always: tinyurl.com/isbcollege
~Sonya Ohlsson
Head of College Counseling
News from HS Counselors
Shannon Leoni
shannonl@isb.ac.th
Happy Friday! We’re so glad that we received confirmation to head back to campus next week. While we know it has been challenging at times to engage in virtual school, we hope everyone was able to find the balance as much as possible during this time.
We have begun the conversation about course selection for next year, and last week, Mrs. McMillan and the counselors hosted a Webinar with our current Grade 10 students to discuss Course Selections for Grade 11. Next week, our current Grade 9 students will receive a PowerPoint presentation that they can review prior to registering for Grade 10 classes.
Course Registration for the 2021/2022 school year will begin Monday, February 8 finishing on Wednesday, February 17. High school students can register for classes at any point during this time period. It is not on a first come first served basis. Students may adjust and resubmit their course selections throughout the registration time period (Feb. 8 through Feb. 17).
The Grade 8 to 9 Course Selection/Registration session for students is scheduled for Wednesday, February 3 during Advisory at 11:15am. Mrs. McMillan, Dean of Academics, and the high school counselors will host this session.
The Grade 8 to 9 Course Selection/Registration session for parents is scheduled for Thursday, February 4 at 8:30am. This will be a Webinar and parents will receive an invitation via email early next week. Mrs. McMillan, Dean of Academics, and the high school counselors will host this session.
Please contact counselors with any questions. We look forward to being back on campus soon!
News from Athletics
Mark Jasper
markj@isb.ac.th
Upcoming Events
Monday 1st of February – returning to season two trainings
Monday 8th of February – U13 – U15 season two sports celebration
Thursday 11th of February – JV and Varsity Season Two Awards
Sunday 14th of February – Official end of Season Two
Monday 15th – Friday 19th of February – ALL Season Three Tryouts U11 – Varsity
Season Two extension
As we can return to campus on 1st February, we will resume practices on this day for all of our season 2 teams. The season will be extended for 2 more weeks, until Friday the 12th of February.
Please be mindful that the COVID-19 safety measures that were in place before the holiday need to be strictly adhered and remind your athletes about mask wearing before and after practices, hand washing and physical distancing when possible.
Our goal is for all of our season 2 teams to have at least one more game in the final week to close out the season. This is dependent on being allowed to travel and/or host school teams.
As games are scheduled these will be shared with individual coaches and teams.
Season Two Awards/Banquets
The below dates for the U13/U15 and JV/Varsity Athletic awards. We aim to continue as planned with these events. We will be in touch with more details in the near future.
U13 – U15 – Monday the 8th of February 4:00-6:00
High School – Thursday the 11th of February 5:30-8:00
NEW Season Three Start date
Season 3 will officially start on Monday 15th February for all of our teams (U11-Varsity)
Virtual Panther Run extended to 7th February
Due to the recent poor air quality the submission date for Virtual Panther run has been extended until Sunday 7th February.
When you take part in this virtual event, please make sure to follow the safety guidelines below.
- Try and run during daylight hours and wear colorful or reflective clothing
- You are on an open road, so follow traffic rules and look out for cars, bikes, dogs etc.
- For our younger participants: try and run with your parents, who can help you stay safe (and you help them to stay fit!)
- Check the AQI before your go out to make sure it’s safe to run
DON’T FORGET TO ENTER YOUR TIMES AND UPLOAD PHOTOS HERE
News from HS Library
Chris Bell
chrisb@isb.ac.th
Please click News from HS Library
PANTHER ACTIVITIES
Anthony Giles
antohonyg@isb.ac.th
TO BEGIN ON FEBRUARY 8th!!!
And it’s not too late to sign up! Although registrations for Semester 2 offerings closed in December, there are still a number of programs that have space available including the Panther Golf Academy offered at the new ISB Golf Center. Check out what’s available by going to CHQ through PowerSchool, and then contact any one of the Panther Activities Coordinators listed HERE for more information, or to register. The payment window, also on CHQ, will be open from 11:00am on February 1st with payments due before activities begin on February 8th. Season 2 Panther Activities that are mid-session will pick up where they left off in December. Please look for more details about specific Panther Activities from area coordinators next week.
Thanks,
The Panther Activities Team
PantherActivities@isb.ac.th
Welcome to ISB Virtual Activities Week 3!
Anthony Giles
antohonyg@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 1st of February to Friday the 5th of February, 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.
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 activities are back on.
Go Panthers!!!
Chris, Lucas, Mark, Corry and Anthony