Monday, December 6, 2021 – No School
Monday, December 6, 2021 is Substitute Father’s Day. Therefore, school will not be in session. Classes will resume on Tuesday, December 7, which is an ‘F’ Day.
Friday, December 10, 2021 – School in Session as Usual
In our school calendar, Friday, December 10, 2021 is listed as Constitution Day, however, school is in session for ALL students on this day.
iCares ES Donation of Cuddles: December 6-10
All PreK- Grade 12 ISB students have made a commitment to give back to our Thailand community in need. One way ISB is embarking on this is through our partnership with iCare Thailand Foundation. The MS and HS students have been generously donating food throughout the semester to communities in crisis. In the ES we will support through a charitable ‘Donation of Cuddles’.
As regions in Thailand transition into the cold season, iCare supports more than 2,000 dormitory students in government schools in the mountains of northern Thailand. For more information on the dormitories, please take a look at the iCare ‘Dorms of Hope’ project video.
https://www.facebook.com/iCareTH/videos/1025864591601975
To support these children, ISB students and families are invited to donate the following needed items:
- Blankets. As the weather drops to 3-4 degrees at some of the dormitories, blankets are very needed and appreciated. Any blanket in good condition is welcome.
- Stuffed toys. Once a year, iCare holds a special event for all children in the dormitories where the importance of education is emphasized and celebrated; many students are the first in their family to receive an education. As many of the kids have no toys to speak of, ISB community members are invited to donate a stuffy (soft toy).
The week of December 6-10 all elementary school students and families are invited to donate a new or gently used stuffed toy or blanket to the iCare Dorms of Hope Foundation.
Thanks again for supporting the needs of the iCare Thailand Foundation,
iCares Letter in English
iCares Letter in Thai
iCares Letter in Mandarin
iCares Letter in Korean
ES Letter Days
When we return to school on January 10th, the ES letter days will align with the published calendar, however for the rest of the first semester, the letter days will be as follows:
Weekly Message from Dr. Michael Allen
ES spirit week was lots of fun! Thanks to all the students, staff and faculty who participated. Checkout a few photos of our panthers showing their ISB spirit!
CAN’T YOU SEA @ ISB? Dec 6–Dec 16, 2021
ES Hub, ES Office and Hallways
Art is powerful. It has the ability to communicate important social, political and environmental issues in a way that is loud and unyielding in its resolve and at the same time playful and beautiful in its approach. Can’t You Sea @ ISB? is an exhibition of ES art that brings awareness to one of our world’s most immediate and biggest environmental problems: plastic ocean pollution. The ocean contains an estimated 150 million tons of plastic, with 8 million tons added annually—equivalent to a garbage truck load every minute (2015 study). Plastic ocean pollution injures and kills marine life, spreads toxins and poses a potential threat to human health. This global environmental issue has been dramatically elevated in recent years, and the ES art team is proud to become a part of the conversation by bringing ocean plastic pollution awareness to ISB.
Can’t You Sea @ ISB? is an exhibition of ARTifacts created by every student in the elementary school. The works are created with ceramics, drawings, and collage. Discarded plastic is used as both an artistic medium and as subject matter. While helping make the world a better place by keeping plastic and other pollutants out of our oceans, beaches and waterways, the young artists are bringing awareness to this increasing environmental threat.
A video of this exhibition will be available and sent home to the wider community at a later date. Please take some time to discuss the important issues highlighted throughout the exhibition with your families and friends. Special thanks to Khun Apple and the B&G team, Khun Noi, Khun Somsa and Khun Toom.
johannan@isb.ac.th, kylieh@isb.ac.th
“True Colors” – an ISB ES Community Song
In their music classes, our ES musicians have been using the song “True Colors” as a way to explore the concept of artistic citizenship. This song has been very meaningful for them as they discuss the importance of being confident, brave, and accepting of themselves and others. Enjoy their beautiful singing and some kindergarten and grade 3 artwork in this video.
Upcoming Measures of Academic Progress (MAP) Assessment
This past week and next, students in grades 2-8 are taking the MAP (Measures of Academic Progress) test. MAP testing is done on a computer and each test adapts to the student’s previous answers, so if they answer a question correctly, the test gets progressively more challenging. If a student answers a question incorrectly, the test adapts to become easier.
MAP is a standardized test and is only one part of ISB’s overall assessment plan. MAP testing is given twice a year, in the fall and in the spring. MAP provides a standardized measure of student growth in Reading and Mathematics based on our content standards. A true picture of a child’s academic progress must include a variety of opportunities to demonstrate learning such as ongoing formative assessments given regularly in class; evidence of understanding such as writing samples, projects, and presentations; and teacher designed assessments. Teachers collect a range of learning data to help them determine where students are in their learning and where they are ready to go next. MAP is a single piece of your child’s learning picture.
MAP measures your child’s achievement level compared to other students who have taken this test. However, the student sample is drawn from US public and private schools, not international schools. The test does not cover all academic skills, nor does it cover such areas as physical, artistic, or interpersonal skills.
As with any standardized assessment, students can become anxious about how they will perform. You can support your child by ensuring that s/he gets a good night’s sleep, has a healthy breakfast, and comes to school knowing that this is important, and they can do it!
If you have any questions, you can look at the NWEA website or contact Debi Caskey, ISB’s Deputy Head of School for Learning (debic@isb.ac.th).
Check and Update Your Details in Powerschool Parent Portal
Many people move houses over the summer, details change (phone numbers etc). We are in the process of updating phone numbers, addresses and emergency contacts. Please take the time to login to Powerschool Parent Portal and check the details that ISB has on record. Please update if necessary. It is really important this information is accurate, as we use this in emergency situations.
Instructions
Step 1. Login to Powerschool
- If you are new, you should have received an email with your login details, if not please contact help@isb.ac.th
- If you have forgotten your password please contact cholthis@isb.ac.th
Step 2. At the bottom of the left hand menu click “Contact Update”. This information will then take a day or two to update (we manually check for accuracy).
If you have any questions or queries, contact cholthis@isb.ac.th
On Campus Student Absences
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.
Looking for Lost & Found items
If you are looking for your child(ren)’s lost items, please check the link below.
https://www.facebook.com/isbptalostandfound/
Leaving ISB at the End of the First Semester?
Parents of students who are not returning to ISB in January need to notify the ES Office, Khun Kunlawan (kunlawan@isb.ac.th) as soon as possible to enable us to process school records for their next school. Thank you for your attention to this important matter.
ATK Testing Information
The next ATK must be administered on Sunday, December 5 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
ES Cafeteria Menu
Please find the KG – G5 ES Cafeteria menu for next week linked here, and here is the menu for Pre-Kindergarten.
NOTES & BOLTS: News about The Arts at ISB
While a number of arts events have been postponed or cancelled due to the recent COVID restrictions, many are still on tentatively, or will be available to share virtually at a later date (details to follow). Please see the list of what is on and off below.
What’s On & What’s Off…
MS Exhibition “Together We Bloom” – Now through December 17 Panther Commons
ES Exhibition “Can’t You Sea @ ISB” – December 6-16 ES Hub, Office and Hallways
MS/HS Choir Concert– 6:30 pm December 8th Live for Participants Only
ES/ MS/HS Strings Bash – 6:30 pm December 9 Video Concert
HS Jazz Nite I – 6:30 pm December 10th Video Concert
ES Festival of Lights – 6:30 pm December 14 Cancelled
MS/HS Band Concert – 6:30 pm December 15 Video Concert
HS Artists under the Stars – 6:00 pm December 16 Live for HS Students Only