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Message from HS Principal

Dear Parents

As we reach the end of the first semester we have a few events to look forward to although they might not be in the format we are used to. December means concerts, performances and opportunities for our students to showcase their skills and talents in front of cheering friends and families.

Alas due to current restrictions these events will now be either live-streamed or pre-recorded and shared with everyone. Please do read the rest of the Enews for details and timing of these events so that you are ready to join a zoom meeting or to watch a video in the comfort of your own home of our talented students. This weekend will see a handful of athletic events take place on campus and as mentioned earlier there are concerts and performances to look forward to as well.

A reminder to please complete the survey for parents on the recent Student-Parent-teacher conferences. We had over 80% participation in the conferences, but only a handful of parents have shared feedback with us yet. Please click on the SURVEY LINK to help us improve future conferences.

Have a wonderful weekend.
Justin Alexander
HS Principal

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 29th November. You will also see the Habits and Attitudes towards Learning (HAL) progress, alongside their academic grade. Your child will continue to receive feedback on their progress in learning for the rest of the semester. Semester 1 grades will be posted by Friday 17th December.

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’

Please note that students taking a Global Online Academy course or a Pamoja online course, will not have grades input at this time.

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.

SPTCs: Comments for students who were unable to attend conferences

Justyna McMillan
justynam@isb.ac.th

Dear Parents,

If your child was unable to attend the Student Parent Teacher Conferences last week, teachers are providing feedback in the form of a comment. The Comment Report will be available on PowerSchool early next week. To access the report please follow the instructions below.

To view a comment report

Log into PowerSchool
Select ‘Grades and Attendance’
Copy a red text password.
Select ‘Comment Report’, paste the password to open the file.

Mathematics and Language Pathways in the HS – Informational Session for Parents – Thursday December 2nd @ 10:30 AM on Zoom.
Justyna McMillan
justynam@isb.ac.th

Dear Parents,

We would like to invite you to our webinar on pathways for mathematics and languages in high school. We often get questions through the Principal’s Forum about the different pathways in maths, in particular the two IB pathways as well as some common questions about the languages on offer, how and why students change language pathways etc.

This will be a focused session where we will share information about Math and World

Language progression in the High School, and provide an opportunity for parents to ask questions.

Please register for the meeting using the link below. The registration link also includes a space for you to enter a question you would like to have answered during the meeting. We can use these questions to help guide our discussions.

Hope to see you on Zoom!

You are invited to a Zoom webinar.

When: Dec 2, 2021 10:30 AM Bangkok

Topic: HS Maths and Language Pathways

https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_oS0msILNS9O_e_4lJADPAg

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the webinar.

News from University Counselors

Debbie McDowell
debbiem@isb.ac.th

Last Reminder: ISB, in conjunction with other international schools in Bangkok, will be hosting the first ever Virtual Thai University Fair on 30 November, 2:30-4:30 pm. The list of universities that have confirmed their participation include 50 Faculties and can be viewed here. Pre-registration was required for students and parents to participate. Those who registered to attend the fair will receive an email to complete their registration before the fair begins. All sessions will be delivered via the Aimeet platform, so if you wish to join the event via a mobile device please download the Airmeet application in advance of the fair via Airmeet’s mobile app on both iOS and Android, should that be of convenience.

Remember, all ISB students and parents must have their cameras on during the meetings with university representatives during a fair or virtual visit.

Seniors are having to really focus and manage their time wisely as they are facing many assessments and with IAs, projects, assignments and university application deadlines. The deadline to submit any Transcript Request Forms was this week on 23 November. All requests should be submitted for ALL universities with deadlines before 15 February. If your child has not submitted them, they must see their university counselor in person to discuss a plan moving forward. Those requests submitted prior to the deadline will be processed first. If time allows, others will be handled as best as the counselors can.

Seniors should have already submitted their University of California applications by the time this newsletter is sent out. Students should not be waiting until the deadline to submit their UC applications as we know in the recent past, the UC application website crashed and many students were negatively impacted. We do not want our students facing such difficulties. So submitting their applications well before the deadlines will prevent extra anxiety.

UCAS applications are due to the student’s university counselors by 1 December. The application will be reviewed, the teacher recommendations added, and the IB Predicted Grades will be added to the application and then sent on to UCAS. Please check with your child to see where they are in the process!

Juniors should have shared their Priorities and Preferences spreadsheet with their university counselor this week after interviewing their parents. If you have not had that conversation with your child, please plan on doing this over this weekend. Self reflection and communication are key to a successful university research and application process.

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 HS Counselors

Jackie Valenzuela
jackiev@isb.ac.th

November is Men’s Health Awareness Month often referred to as Movember. Last week, our student-led Men’s Mental Health group put together an incredible assembly for our entire high school student body addressing this very important topic. Mental health challenges affect nearly 1 in 8 men (Mental Health Foundation, UK), but less than half of those who are dealing with anxiety and/or depression seek support. Stigmas and stereotypes of traditional male roles often get in the way of seeking much needed help. Events, such as the assembly by our students last week, are gradually changing the conversation around this very important topic. The Men’s Mental Health group followed up this week with a message in the student bulletin to all HS students. They said: 1) Reach out for support; 2) Talk to your parents, teachers, counselors; 3) Open up; 4) You are not alone.

We hope you are able to have conversations with your kids about their social/emotional wellbeing. Providing a safe space for them to talk will make all the difference as they prepare to head into early adulthood. Also, please feel free to reach out to your student’s counselor if you have any questions or concerns related to their wellbeing.

Spirit Week

Chris Mott
chrism@isb.ac.th

Monday the 29th of November to Friday the 3rd of December will be this semester’s ISB Spirit week. Our Spirit Week is for our entire ISB community to enjoy and we encourage everyone to get involved. Thank you to our High School Varsity Council for their organisation. Please see the designated days below

Mon (29th November) – PJ Day

Tues (30th November) – Dress like a teacher

Wed (1st December) – Jersey Day ***this is senior class photo, seniors wear blue

Thurs (2nd December) – Intercultural Day

Fri (3rd December) – Black & Gold

News from HS Library

Christopher Bell
christob@isb.ac.th

Please click News from HS Library

ARTISTS UNDER THE STARS 2021
Anthony Giles
anthonyg@isb.ac.th

Open to all HS students. 5:30pm-7:00pm, December 16th marks the time and date for the annual HS Arts Council Artists Under the Stars event. Get ready for a cozy evening of awesome performances and holiday themed booths! Please sign up HERE to perform, or HERE if your club would like to host a booth.

IASAS CC Drama Auditions November 29-30, 2021 (Repeat)
Anthony Giles
anthonyg@isb.ac.th

SIGN UP HERE

IASAS CC Drama auditions will take place in the HS Drama room (8-201) on Monday November 29th and Tuesday November 30th, from 3:30-5:00pm. This year’s show is The Climate Monologues by Sharon Abreu, a musical play about climate change. It brings to life onstage the stories of real people around the world – people affected by climate change, and people working to solve the climate crisis. Their stories are told in their own words and through original songs that complement the stories. For Monday’s audition, please prepare two monologue excerpts from the show itself HERE of no more than one minute each. Tuesday audition materials will be distributed at the Monday audition. Questions? Contact Co-Directors, Anthony Giles or Rebecca Lebel at anthonyg@isb.ac.th or rebeccal@isb.ac.th.