‘Coming Up’
Justin Alexander
justina@isb.ac.th
Dear Parents,
Thank you to the 70 parents who joined us on Tuesday morning for the Principals’ Forum presentation where the HS Admin and Head of College Counseling (Debbie McDowell) answered questions and shared information about many of the programs on offer at ISB. Thank you to our Principals’ forum parent committee and to the committee chairs Dhooleka Raj and Debbie Gunderson for putting the questions together. If you would like to see the questions and the responses you can look at the slideshow presentations – HS Principals’ Forum presentation and College Counselor presentation
We are hopeful to shortly hear confirmation of when we can have all students back on campus (fingers crossed for November 8th) and we look forward to seeing all of our students back in classes that time. Currently there is a handful of families that are not yet back in Thailand, but with the changing quarantine requirements and the likelihood of a full return to school soon, we are encouraging you to return soon. If your child is currently out of country or not attending our ‘on campus’ days please do contact me (justina@isb.ac.th) to let us know when you are planning on returning to Thailand and/or having your child return to school.
Have a wonderful weekend
Justin Alexander
What’s on in HS
Justin Alexander
justina@isb.ac.th
Events coming up for HS students/parents to be aware of:
Nov 2nd – Mathematics Learning for the 21st Century with Dr. Chang Whathall 5pm (register here)
Nov 3rd – College Parent Coffee – ‘University Rankings’ 9am (click to join meeting)
Nov 18-19 Student Parent Teacher conferences (sign up details will be shared next week)
Nov 26 – AP Informative Session for Parents 9am
Dec 1st Assessment and Grading for Learning with Ken O’Connor 8.30am
Early Dec – Mathematics and Language Pathways (date tbc)
Senior Gate Passes
Andy Vaughan
andyv@isb.ac.th
Dear Parents of the ISB Class of 2022,
Students in grade 12 may apply for the privilege of a Senior Gate Pass. This pass may be used for their final two semesters prior to graduation. With the Senior Gate Pass, seniors may arrive late, leave campus during the school day, or leave early with permission from the HS Office provided no class time is missed.
When exiting campus, seniors will need to show their gate pass to the guards to indicate they have this privilege to leave campus. Student RFID cards will be approved for this access only if a student has been given a Senior Gate Pass. Passes are to be kept by the student at all times and may be requested to be shown at the front gate when exiting the campus grounds.
Parents need to be aware that students who leave campus are not covered by the school’s insurance policy, since they are unsupervised during this time. While off campus, the Parent assumes responsibility for their child.
For approval, a parent or guardian must sign the waiver form, which was shared on Thursday with the class of 2022. The student must be in good academic, behavioral and attendance standing. Students need to be up to date with EE/CAS requirements to receive their gate pass. Administration reserves the right to refuse the issue of or revoke a Senior Gate Pass if a student does not maintain this standing. Students with excessive tardies or unexplained absences are not eligible for a Gate Pass.
For any questions regarding the Senior Gate Pass, please contact Andy Vaughan (andyv@isb.ac.th)
Graduation Committee & Donations
Selma Benmoussa & Kelly Mott
parentgradcom@isb.ac.th
Dear Parents of the ISB Class of 2022,
If you are anything like us, you may be asking yourself “how is it possible that I have a graduating senior?!” It is an exciting time for all of our families and especially our sons and daughters. It has been a tradition at ISB to acknowledge this special milestone with several small celebrations throughout the school year that culminate in the graduation ceremony. Celebrations such as monthly Senior Treats, Mock Exam Bags, Faces on Fences, and the Golf Cart Parade are all a part of what the SENIOR PARENT COMMITTEE is about.
Although this year has not started out the way we have all hoped, there continue to be signs that the worst is behind us and we are ready to start to make plans. The parents of Class of 2022 are a solid group that have been involved in many Booster Club/PTA activities over the years. We are currently looking for help with a variety of subcommittees mentioned above. To find out more on the various subcommittees and to sign up to volunteer, click this link.
2022 ISB Parent Graduation Committee Registration
Finally, we realize not everyone is able to volunteer but would like to contribute. In past years, the committee has graciously received 1000 baht per graduating senior to pay for such things as mock exam packs and other goodies for seniors, custom made water bottles, printing of banners and posters, parade decorations, treats and other small graduation presents. This year we are able to accept these donations from your campus card or in cash. Please indicate how you’d like to contribute at the link below:
Looking forward to celebrating with all of you soon.
Best Regards,
Selma Benmoussa and Kelly Mott
HAL and Grade progress posted on PowerSchool
Justyna McMillan
justynam@isb.ac.th
Your child’s grade in progress will be posted on Powerschool by the end of day on Monday 1st November. You will also see the Habits and Attitudes towards Learning (HAL) progress, alongside their academic grade. Please remember the grade is a ‘snapshot’ of achievement and your child will continue to receive feedback on their progress in learning for the rest of the semester.
Please note that students taking a Global Online Academy course or a Pamoja online course, will not have grades input at this time.
To view current grade and HAL progress:
- Log to PowerSchool Parent Portal.
- Select ‘Grades and Attendance’
- To view current grades, select ‘Grades and Attendance’ tab
- To view current HAL performance, select ‘Standards Grades’
If you have any questions about your child’s academic performance, please reach out to the subject teacher or the student’s counselor. The admin team can also help, if you have any overall questions.
News from University Counselors
Debbie McDowell
debbiem@isb.ac.th
This week has been very busy for seniors who are applying Early Action/Early Decision in the US. The first major deadline of 1 November means that students should have submitted their application with their university counselor already. The next big university deadline is 15 November. Just a reminder that each student should have their essays and application reviewed by their counselor before the university deadline.
Please note: The Transcript Request Form is due on 23 November for all applications that have a deadline before 15 February. This will include most applications to Canada, Netherlands, Thailand and the US, as well as many others. Please discuss this deadline with your child to make sure he/she gets that form in before 23 November to guarantee that all supporting documents from ISB will be submitted on time.
Most of the Juniors took the PSAT on Tuesday. Thanks to all of the students who were on time and were very cooperative during the test. The scores will be reported directly to the students via email. So please remind your child to watch for that email starting in early December. Once the scores are reported, each student will get an individualized code that will allow them to log into Khan Academy to do free SAT prep based on their skills, strengths and challenges according to their performance on the PSAT.
Parent Coffee:
The next Parent Coffee will be on Wednesday, 3 November @ 9:00 am. The topic will be University Rankings: What you should know! Click on this link to join the counselors on 3 November
Upcoming Virtual University Fairs:
8 November, UK / Irish University Fair: 4:00-6:00 PM (Thai time). The UK/Irish Virtual University Fair will be live and interactive and hosted through the platform Airmeet. Students with their parents will have the opportunity to meet individually with university admission representatives at virtual university booths. The tentative list of universities participating can be found here. Pre-registration in advance of the event (by 1 November) with the student’s school email is required. Only those who pre-register will be able to enter the event on 8 November. Official sign up for the event is here. If your child is interested in attending this UK & Ireland University Fair, please encourage him/her to sign up no later than Monday, November 1, 2021. Once registered, students will receive the log in to join the fair.
Tentative: 30 November, Thai University Fair: 2:30-4:30 (Thai time). Pre-registration will be required. A school email will be required to register for this event. Registration link will be provided closer to the date.
Interested in learning more about US University Admissions?
Consider joining the U.S. University Admissions Roundtable that the U.S. State Department’s Office of Overseas Schools is hosting in partnership with the College Board on November 10 for students and families. The roundtable will cover applying to U.S. colleges in these uncertain times and help guide students on any policy changes or enhancements resulting from COVID-19. The panel was very well-received by participants last fall. We will run the roundtable twice to accommodate for multiple time zones. Here are the registration links for quick access:
November 10, 2021 o 8:00 am Eastern Time o Register here!
November 10, 2021 o 8:00 pm Eastern Time o Register here!
Confirmed speakers include:
- Shawn Abbott, Assistant Vice Provost for Admissions, Financial Aid, & Enrollment Management, Temple University
- Adele Brumfield, Vice President for Admissions, University of Michigan
- Doug Hartog, Director of Admission, University of Virginia
- Diane McKoy, Senior Associate Director | Undergraduate Admissions, Director of Training and Professional Development, Columbia College | The Fu Foundation School of Engineering & Applied Science, Columbia University
- Elisabeth O’Connell, Senior Associate Dean of Undergraduate Admissions, University of Pennsylvania
Virtual university visits: The university counselors are hosting many virtual visits with universities from around the world (7:15-7:45 am, 12:50-1:15 pm, and 3:00-3:45 pm) for ISB students and parents. Be sure to check the Virtual University Visit list for university presentations that are scheduled exclusively for ISB students and parents (highlighted in yellow). In addition, there are many other virtual events available for any students interested in gaining more information about particular institutions so please check the Virtual University Visits list on the ISB University/College Counseling website for loads of information!
Want to find out more about the University Counseling program at ISB? Please visit the ISB University Counseling website.
News from School Counselors
Shannon Leoni
shannonl@isb.ac.th
We have continued to enjoy seeing students on campus this week, and are hopeful to be fully back together soon.
One topic of conversation that has come up lately is Netflix’s new series Squid Game. This series is set to become the streaming service’s most successful show of all time, with huge numbers of viewers taking to social media to discuss each new episode. There have been some concerns raised about the violence in episodes, and we recommend this resource for talking points and how to guide conversations with children.
For more information around media usage and how to have meaningful conversations with your children, we also recommend Common Sense Media. They have helpful guides on digital safety, ratings on TV shows and movies, and key information for parents. Here is the guide for parents around Squid Game.
As always, we are here to support students and families with conversations about digital media and online safety.
High School Season Two Athletics
Chris Mott
chrism@isb.ac.th
From Monday the 18th of October High School students will begin all season two athletics programs. Sign ups for season two athletics can be found HERE. Further information will be sent to all registered students on Sunday the 17th of October.
Due to current restrictions only registered students will be allowed to stay for the after school programs. If any assistance is needed in this process please do not hesitate to reach out to Mr. Mott or Mr. Jaspers in the Athletics Office.
News from HS Library
Christopher Bell
christob@isb.ac.th
Please click News from HS Library
2nd Annual En Nichi Festival presented by HS Japanese Students and The Japanese Community
PTA – Japanese Co-Rep
ptarep-japan@isb.ac.th
JPC (The Japanese Parents Community) is proud to support the 2nd Annual En Nichi Festival.
Through this event, the Japanese Club and Japanese Heritage Language Club would like to send the message that “We are firmly committed not to let the Covid-19 stop us! Let’s work together to make tomorrow a better day.”
Seeing how it is difficult to host En Nichi in person this year, but committed to making a better tomorrow, today! This year, the students have created videos for all to enjoy and learn more about our Japanese culture. The videos include our traditional art entertainments and a virtual tour guide of Tokyo.
The first video is an ISB version of a famous Japanese pop song, “Fortune Cookie” The highlight of this year’s online event. Many of our ISB members, faculty and staff are featured on this video. You might see some of your friends in this ISB iteration of the hit song by AKB48 and BNK48.
Link: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1_lv-Zl1tqKSC-RMNw5V2aLRhzfHkwynQ/view?usp=sharing
1-Koisuru Fortune Cookie Final Video.mp4
The second video is a compilation of historic Japanese culture, major tourist destinations and more. At Asakusa, we have Senso-Ji, a Japanese temple, dating back to 600 AD. The Hyakunin Isshu is a compilation of 100 poems from 100 individual Japanese poets dating back to our ancient history. Origami is a folded Japanese mastercraft. The art is made by using only paper and the hands of the artist. Shodou or Japanese Calligraphy is the art of writing Kanji/Japanese characters on a blank slate of washi paper.
Link: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1buT3GzfP4DTc61OZQNu61sWsI1J25DPW/view?usp=sharing
Looking for IASAS CC Theater Tech Delegates (REPEAT)
Anthony Giles
anthonyg@isb.ac.th
We are looking for students who are in the Theater Tech Club and interested in applying to be CC Tech delegates for IASAS Cultural Convention 2021. If you are interested and not a member of the club, please do so.
The IASAS CC this year will be on Thursday, March 3 – Saturday, March 5, 2021. This will be a good opportunity for you to develop your skills in many areas such as working as a team, communication, leadership, and Theater technical skills and also make new friends from other IASAS schools.
Other than enjoying working with those IASAS CC talented delegates, you will be benefited from many workshops run by professional people in the theater and entertainment industry. Please complete the application by Oct 31. Registration Form. or scan QR Code.
Questions? Contact Khun Sathit at sathitk@isb.ac.th.