On Monday, November 8 we welcome all ISB students back to campus everyday! Monday will be Day F.
PK-Grade 4 students who will not be returning to campus will be contacted by our ES Virtual Learning Teacher, Ms. Shannon Brown (ShannonB@isb.ac.th), with details about how each child will be supported over the next few weeks. (G5 students learning virtually will learn asynchronously via Google classroom learning tasks as directed by their homeroom teacher.)
Please note that when school fully resumes on campus and Hybrid Learning ends, students who do not come to campus will engage in Virtual Learning.
- Virtual Learning occurs when campus is open and a few students are not able to come to campus (ie: in transit from another country or in quarantine). When the hybrid model ends and classes resume on campus, virtual learning will occur for students who don’t return to campus in the form of asynchronous learning tasks and assignments.
- Hybrid Learning occurs when campus is able to be open with reduced numbers. In September 2021, ISB was approved to be open at 50% capacity. In this case a hybrid model was put into place where students are engaged in both on campus and virtual learning.
- Virtual School is the model for learning when all students are learning at home.
Arrival Time for Students
Given that our ES play spaces are currently not open before school, and that teachers are getting set up and ready for the day, we seek your support in having students arrive at school after 7:15AM. Students will not be permitted to enter classrooms until 7:15AM and may be asked to wait in the seating areas outside or grade level quad.
Student/Parent/Teacher Conferences Update
This afternoon an information letter was uploaded to your family’s PowerSchool account regarding conferences for ES students. Click on the Parent Conference icon on the left sidebar to access this letter. Included in this letter are important directions for how to sign up for conferences using Pick-A-Time, our online scheduling system. Pick-A-Time will open for parents on November 9th and will close on November 15th.
Need help accessing PowerSchool? Contact: Khun Tom, cholthis@isb.ac.th
On Campus Student Absences
Starting Monday, November 8th, when students who attend classes on campus are absent, they will be marked absent in PowerSchool and may be expected to complete missed work when they return to campus. Should a student be required to quarantine due to COVID exposure, they will complete virtual learning tasks and have check-ins with our Virtual Learning Teacher, Ms. Shannon Brown. On campus students who miss school due to travel will be marked absent and will not participate in virtual learning. Please contact ES Principal Michael Allen at MichaelA@isb.ac.th if planning an extended absence.
Parent Workshop: December 1, 2021 with Ken O’Connor-Assessment and Grading for Learning
As part of ISB’s Parent Education series, we will be offering a workshop in December with Ken O’Connor. Our topic is Assessment and Grading for Learning.
Please see the flyer below for more information and you can register here using this link. You will receive a Zoom link for the session once you register.
Looking forward to seeing you on December 1, 2021 with Ken O’Connor!
Weekly Message from Dr. Michael Allen
Once again, thank you to everyone in the community for their support as we move to our third instructional model of the school year…from virtual school to hybrid model to being fully open on campus! Your support and flexibility has been appreciated!
As we transition to be fully on campus for the first time, it’s a great opportunity to showcase one of the significant updates we made to the ES Parent/Student Information Handbook before the start of school.
As you review the portion pertaining to student discipline, you’ll see that we have clearly articulated our approach to guiding student behaviour. The word “discipline” is from the Latin word disciplina meaning “instruction and training”. It’s derived from the root word discere—“to learn.” At ISB, we believe in creating a safe, positive and challenging learning environment which will enable our students to learn and develop a sense of themselves as lifelong learners, skillful decision makers and responsible citizens. ISB focuses on a culture of care and social emotional learning to foster community, connections and relationships. We believe this supports students to demonstrate responsible behavior and grow in their capacity for self-control and self-management.
It goes on to say that we believe in a “positive discipline” approach to guiding student behavior, which is in alignment with our ISB Definition of Learning. ISB teachers and leaders use strategies to guide student behaviors that invite cooperation (versus focusing on compliance) and engage in effective problem solving and solution finding strategies with students and families when there are needs or problems to address (versus focusing on punishment and/or blame). We believe mistakes are opportunities for deep learning, and are an important piece to a child’s development as they learn to be effective problem solvers and develop strategies to use for the future.
You’ll notice that at ISB, students work with their teachers to develop classroom agreements that bring our ISB Values alive! And, students engage in problem solving conversations when our ISB values aren’t being demonstrated. Our ISB Values of Respect, Care, Integrity, Responsibility, Courage, Commitment, Balance and Gratitude guide our conversations. ISB faculty use several researched best-practices and resources including Kelso’s Choices, Second Step, Positive Discipline, and Restitution.
An extraordinary resource for parents that aligns with our beliefs and approaches for guiding and empowering students is the series of Positive Discipline resources by Jane Nelen. Hop on Lazada or Amazon to purchase a copy for yourself…would love to hear from you if you do!
Positive Discipline (for ALL parents): https://s.lazada.co.th/s.fs5BG
Positive Discipline Parenting Tools: Amazon Link
Positive Discipline for PreSchoolers: https://s.lazada.co.th/s.fs63B
Positive Discipline for Teenagers: https://s.lazada.co.th/s.fshom
Your partner in education,
Michael Allen
michaela@isb.ac.th
Returning iPads
This is a reminder to please send back your child’s iPad and all peripherals (charger, cables, stylus, etc) to school on Monday, Nov 8th.
Here is the list of equipment for each grade level that was sent home in August:
Grades PK-1: iPad, charger and lightning cable (stylus for Gr1)
Grade 2: iPad, charger, lightning cable, stylus, ISB tote bag
Grades 3-5: iPad, charger, lightning cable, keyboard, stylus and ISB tote bag
ATK Testing Information
The next ATK must be administered on Sunday, November 7 between 4:00pm and 8:00pm – with results uploaded on the ATK Form within that same timeframe. If you need assistance with the ATK Form, please write to help@isb.ac.th
All test results must be entered into the ATK Form within the specified times in order to ensure campus access the following day. The ATK Form is linked to the ID cards and ISB turnstiles system.
Distribution of ATKs: Additional ATK supplies were distributed to students on Wednesday 3rd and Thursday 4th November. In the event that a student was not at school to receive the ATKs, please email your division, ES – Naiyana (Ann) naiyanar@isb.ac.th, MS – Phremjit phremjiz@isb.ac.th, HS – Vijit (Hui) vijitl@isb.ac.th to arrange pick up.
ES Cafeteria Menu
Please find the KG – G5 ES Cafeteria menu for next week linked here, and here is the menu for Pre-Kindergarten.
Registration will be open from 3:00pm November 10th through 3;00pm on November 12th for the return of Panther Activities. While some programs like the Panther Native Language Academy, ES Music Ensembles, and Cub, Boy, and Girl Scouts run throughout the year, look for new sessions in art, baseball & softball, dance, golf, gymnastics, music, soccer, swimming, tennis, and volleyball November 15th through December 16th. With COVID safety protocols in place, we hope that the return of these programs provides a number of pathways for students to stay active and engaged with the activities that capture their passion and interest. Please also check out the Season 2 ISB Athletics opportunities HERE.
How to register on CHQ: Step by step instructions for navigating CHQ can be found HERE. Simply log into PowerSchool, then press the CHQ button on the left side of your screen. Once in CHQ you will find an account for each of your children in which you will only be able to see the activities for that child’s age group and grade level. Where available, you may click the blue “i” to the right of each activity title for a description of that activity. Please contact Lucas or Anthony at pantheractivities@isb.ac.th for general questions, or any of the Panther Activities Coordinators at the email address listed below.
PantherArts@isb.ac.th, PantherBoyScouts@isb.ac.th, PantherBaseballandSoftball@isb.ac.th, panthercubscouts@isb.ac.th, PantherDance@isb.ac.th, PantherGirlScouts@isb.ac.th, PantherGolf@isb.ac.th, PantherGymnastics@isb.ac.th, PantherMusic@isb.ac.th, PantherNativeLanguageAcademy@isb.ac.th, PantherSoccer@isb.ac.th, PantherSwim@isb.ac.th, PantherTennis@isb.ac.th, and PantherVoleyball@isb.ac.th.
ISB Athletics Season 2 registration (Basketball)
U11 Basketball is starting on Monday 15th November. This is open to all students in grade 3, 4 and 5.
Practices will be on Monday and Thursday from 2:30-3:30. Registration is open until Wednesday 10th November on the ISB Athletics website: https://inside.isb.ac.th/isbathletics/