Message from HS Principal
Dear Parents,
Each week I get more and more excited as I write about the various activities and events that are taking place on campus for our HS students. Last weekend we successfully hosted athletic games on Friday and Saturday at ISB and hosted 120 students from other Bangkok schools at our ServICE conference which took place on Saturday and Sunday. There are once again more athletic events and programs taking place after school and through the weekend and into next week.
We will celebrate the last day before the February break by hosting the ‘Battle of Bangkok’ basketball tournament here at ISB whilst our other sporting teams travel to compete in day-long tournaments around Bangkok.
Parents of students in Grade 9, 10, and 11 all had opportunities to hear from the HS counselors and HS admin team over the past two weeks about course selections and programs for the coming academic year. Please be sure to check in with your children and complete the subject selections on PowerSchool before the published deadlines.
HS PTA meeting
Please mark your calendar for an upcoming HS PTA meeting scheduled for Tuesday, February 22nd at 9am. This is the first Tuesday after the break and the agenda will include updates on Athletics/Activities, DELVE trips in May, Student Parent conference details, Exam updates, Counselor updates, and maybe a student performance or two. At this stage we anticipate that this meeting will be a zoom webinar (registration details will be in next week’s Enews)
Attendance
Once again we have great attendance at school with 97% of HS students on campus this week and only a few students away for covid related reasons. If your child does test positive or a family member tests positive please be sure to let our Health team (isbnurse@isb.ac.th) and me (jusytina@isb.com.au know as soon as practical so we can keep everyone safe and healthy.
Regards
Justin Alexander
HS Principal
Supplies of ATK
Andy Vaughan
andyv@isb.ac.th
Students will receive two ATK boxes (8 kits total) in advisory next week on Monday/Tuesday. Please be sure to check with your child early next week so that you have enough ATK kits for the weeks after the break. These should be enough to last until Sunday 20 March.
The last kits were distributed in early December and the supplies were based on their use only at the scheduled and required ISB times (Sun/Wed). For the week of January 17-21, we required daily ATK testing which used 3 tests per child more than our original count. As such, each student should have enough ATKs for testing this Sunday, next Wednesday and for the final testing on Sunday 20 February.
If ATK’s provided by the school have been used by families for additional testing purposes, then we ask for you to replenish them yourself by purchasing ATK’s from a local pharmacy (Abbott or similar).
Course Registration Information for rising Grade 9 and Grade 10 students
Justyna McMillan
justynam@isb.ac.th
Dear Parents,
Thank you to those parents who were able to join us for the Webinar on Thursday February 3rd. We hope the information provided was clear and helped to answer any questions you may have had, about your child moving forward into either Grade 9 or Grade10.
We are now happy to share all resources, including a link to the recorded Webinar, for all rising Grade 9 and Grade 10 parents. Just so parents are aware, students have also received information about the course registration process and all the opportunities on offer in the High School, through presentations and dedicated Q&A sessions with the HS counselors and the Dean of Academics.
If however, you have any further questions, please feel free to contact us and we will be happy to help.
Course registrations are open and will remain open on PowerSchool until Thursday 10th February.
LINK to video Webinar
LINK to presentation slides
LINK to the HS Course Guide
Course Registration for 2022-2023 is open – take a look at our new HS Course Guide
Justyna McMillan
justynam@isb.ac.th
Dear Parents,
It is a busy and exciting time in the High School as students are in the throes of registering their course choices through PowerSchool, for next academic year. We are very fortunate at ISB to have a wide variety of different course choices for our students, especially in our Elective program schoolwide and IB program for Grades 11 and 12. A welcome addition this year is a small number of Advanced Placement courses, which are open to students in Grades 10 and above. We also have a number of new courses on offer including Introduction to Networks and Network Security, Future Proof Your Life and Math in Motion, to name a few. For more information about our program of studies and all the different choices on offer, please take a look at our brand new HS Course Guide
Webinar for Gr12 Parents – IB Exams in May 2022
Justyna McMillan
justynam@isb.ac.th
Dear Gr 12 Parents,
I hope this email finds you well. As promised, we would like to host a webinar next week to discuss the ongoing concerns expressed by some students and parents around IB exams and provide an update for you, as parents of IB Seniors.
From the onset, I would like to reiterate that it looks like the most probable path forward will be that the IB exams will go ahead in May. That being said, the IB is listening to feedback from schools surrounding their own particular context. We have, and will continue to share concerns brought forward with IB. We just met today with the Senior class to talk about IB exams and to gather feedback from students.
We are happy to share all of the updates from recent meetings with the IB and the IB schools in Thailand network group.
If you would like to attend, please register using the link below:
When: Feb 10, 2022 10:30 AM Bangkok
Topic: Grade 12 Parents – IB Exams
Register in advance for this webinar:
https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_CUgsg0rkQwiOPE5U4nFexg
DELVE iFair & Registration Coming Soon!
Peter Assiamkapoulos
petera@isb.ac.th
DELVE iFair
On February 10th, we will be opening the DELVE page on the CAS website (cas.isb.ac.th) for all students. The website will include all the trips on offer for this year’s DELVE. Students will have until February 22nd to familiarise themselves with the courses and trips offered this May 30, 31, June 1, and 2.
DELVE Timeline 2022
February 10th: iFair opens on cas.isb.ac.th
(this is a closed website – only those with an @isb email address can access).
February 22, 25, 28: DELVE Q & A in advisory with teacher trip leaders.
February 28th: Registration opens for Grade 11.
March 3rd: Registration opens for Grade 10.
March 3rd: Registration opens for Grade 10.
March 8th: Registration opens for Grade 9.
It is very important that during this time and prior to your child registering, you have conversations with them that clearly limit the cost of trips you are willing to pay.
For any questions, please email Mr. Assimakopoulos directly at: petera@isb.ac.th
News from University Counselors
Debbie McDowell
debbiem@isb.ac.th
Aussie, Aussie, Aussie!!
Is your child thinking of applying to university in Australia? There will be a special session exclusively for ISB students on Wednesday, 9 February at 2:50 -3:50 pm. There will be a brief overview about higher education in Australia followed by the opportunity to connect with the university representatives from: University Western Australia, University of New South Wales, Griffith University, University of Canberra. The event will be virtual. Just click on the link to join and use the following to connect: Meeting ID: 851 4203 4379 and Passcode: 979720
Spread the word! Let your friends know about this opportunity!
Grade 10
University counselors have been meeting with grade 10 students this week in small groups to discuss their course selections for next year. Most will have met with a university counselor by Friday and the rest will meet on Monday or Tuesday next week. Students are completing an online form during the meetings. Ask your child to share with you the notes they took on the form during the meeting. Course registration is open until Thursday, 10 February. The keys to picking the right classes for next year are to listen to teacher recommendations, be self-reflective about skills and interests, and do the research necessary in order to understand university requirements for those who are planning on attending particular universities in the future.
Junior Led Conferences: February and March
Grade 11 students should be working on the Junior Led Conferences that will be taking place during the next two months (please see below). Many juniors have started making their appointment with their counselor but please remind your child to do so if he/she has not done so yet.
Junior Led Conferences begin 1 Feb through 31 March (University Counselor office and/or Zoom). All grade 11 students are required to schedule a Junior Led Conference with their university counselor and their parents during the months of February and March. The meeting will be the starting point for the university research and selection process for each student and family. Please work with your child to set that appointment well in advance during the student’s free period or if the student doesn’t have a free, after school. This is a mandatory meeting and both parents are expected to attend, in person or via zoom. If a parent wants to attend the meeting in person, please let the counselor know and an invitation to come on campus can be arranged (with proper Covid protocols.) The counselors look forward to hearing from the students about what their plans are for after ISB!
Class of 2022!
Seniors are getting results from their university applications. Encourage your child to come speak to their university counselor when they find out their decisions. The next Senior Seminar will be 23 February where the topics of discussion will include: Acceptances/Denials/Waitlists, Firm and Insurance Choices in UCAS, Depositing at university of choice, Double Deposit No-No!, and much more!
Now’s the time to encourage your child to send a thank you note to the teachers who wrote a letter of recommendation for her/him. Please remind your child to do so!
Future Parent Coffees:
The next two months of Parent Coffees will be focusing on the application process in different countries. This is a great introduction for grade 9 to 11 parents about what is coming in the next few years for your child. So, mark your calendars! The dates that are set so far are:
February 7: United Kingdom and the UCAS Application @ 9:00 AM Join here.
February 21: Applying to Canada @ 9:00 AM. Join here.
February 28: Applying to the Netherlands @ 9:00 AM
March 7: Applying to Hong Kong @ 9:00 AM
March 14: Applying to Australia @ 9:00 AM
March 21: Japanese Community Meeting @ 10:00 AM
March 23: Korean Community Meeting @ 9:00 AM
March 28: Thai Community Meeting @ 9:00 AM
March 31: Chinese Community Meeting @ 9:00 AM
Watch this space for the links and details! As we get closer to the dates we will announce if these meetings will be virtual or on campus.
Virtual university visits: Be sure to check the Virtual University Visit list for university presentations that are available for students and families to join.
Please check the ISB University/College Counseling website for loads of information. You will find university research tools, transition resources for students and parents, recordings of Parent Coffees and family presentations, virtual university visits, information about testing and how to sign up for the SAT at ISB, a list of summer programs about which the counselors have been informed, and the ISB School Profile.
News from School Counselors
Jackie Valenzuela
jackiev@isb.ac.th
Course registration has opened for the 21/22 school year. Please remind your student to go into their PowerSchool account and register for next school year’s courses. Registration closes on Thursday, February 10.
The remainder of this semester schedule changes can only be made for the following reasons and by the following dates:
- If a teacher recommends a level change due to misplacement (i.e. Math HL to Math SL, Extended Math to Core Math, Spanish III to Spanish II), a change can be made with counselor, parent and administrative approval. The original class will not appear on your transcript. Deadline is Friday, February 11.
- Between the sixth and tenth week of a course, if a student needs to move down a level, the dropped course will be listed on the transcript with a WP (Withdraw Pass) or WF (Withdraw Fail). WP or WF grades are not included in the calculation of GPA nor is credit granted. The grade calculated in the new course will start fresh and only include work completed for the new course. Deadline is Friday, March 18.
- No level changes after March 18.
Please speak with your student’s counselor if you have any questions.
News from HS Library
Christopher Bell
christob@isb.ac.th
Please click News from HS Library
News from Athletics
Chris Mott
chrism@isb.ac.th
ISB Athletics season 3 registration is now open for Grade 9-12
Tryouts for Baseball, Softball, Track & Field and Golf start on Monday 21st February. Please register on the ISB Athletics website https://inside.isb.ac.th/isbathletics/.
Season 2 game schedules can be viewed on www.isbathletics.com.
Varsity Boys Tennis: Champions of BMAC singles tournament 2022
We would like to congratulate the 8 Varsity boys tennis players (photo attached), who participated in the BMAC singles tournament at BPS on Saturday, January 29. They all played hard on a hot sunny day. Also, it was a very competitive tournament; there were numerous close games, and many matches went to the final set. We were all proud of the athletes’ tenacity!
Special recognition goes to the following players:
Palm Punnaket (grade 11) – champion of draw A
Nathan Chan (grade 9) – champion of draw B
Jerry Zhang (grade 11) – 3rd place in draw A
Kris Pornsirikul (grade 9) – 3rd place in draw B
As BISAC has just changed to BMAC, the above champions are the first-ever BMAC boys’ singles champions.
by Kentaro Udagawa, Varsity boys tennis assistant coach
Varsity Girls Tennis: Champions of BMAC singles tournament 2022
We would like to congratulate the 9 Varsity girls tennis players, who participated in the BMAC singles tournament at home ISB on Saturday, January 29. Our girls dedication and commitment to improvement was on display throughout the tournament. We are very proud of our all our team and we continue to prepare the upcoming Battle of Bangkok @ BPS on Fri 11th of February.
Special recognition goes to the following players:
Pimpitchaya (Or) (grade 9) – Runner up A Draw
Minin < Grade 11> – 3rd place A draw
Best regard
Coach Noop Head coach of Varsity girl tennis
Upcoming events :
Saturday 5th February
BMAC U14 Volleyball @ ISB
BMAC U12 Volleyball @ BPS
BMAC U14 Softball @ BPS
Week 1 of Panther Activities Done & Dusted
Anthony Giles
anthonyg@isb.ac.th
As we wrap up week 1 of the new session of Panther Activities, we wanted to say thank you for your patience as we continue work through some of the kinks with our new sign up platform and reconcile the details of the more than two thousand registrations. Please see the summary of activities HERE as a quick reminder of the what, where, and when for each program.
Payment Window Postponed: February 11th-25th, 2022
For general questions contact Anthony or Lucas at PantherActivities@isb.ac.th. Or, for program specific questions, please contact our Panther Activities Coordinators at the email addresses listed below.
PantherArts@isb.ac.th, PantherBaseballandSoftball@isb.ac.th, PantherBasketball@isb.ac.th, PantherDance@isb.ac.th, PantherExplore@isb.ac.th, PantherFitness@isb.ac.th, PantherGolf@isb.ac.th, PantherGymnastics@isb.ac.th, PantherMusic@isb.ac.th, PantherNativeLanguageAcademy@isb.ac.th, PantherRugby@isb.ac.th, PantherSoccer@isb.ac.th, PantherSwim@isb.ac.th, PantherTennis@isb.ac.th, and new this semester… PantherXtreme@isb.ac.th
VALENTINE-GRAMS FOR VALENTINE’S DAY
Anthony Giles
anthonyg@isb.ac.th
As Valentine’s Day is coming up, help spread the love by sending a rose and a song to a friend/lover <3. Because Valentine’s is during February break we will be sending them the week before Valentine’s day from the 7th to 11th of February. Please fill out the form HERE if you want to send a Valentine-gram to someone. You will need to know the class they have during period 8 as that is the only period we will be delivering this year. Sending just a rose and chocolate costs 50 baht, just a song costs 60, and a song, rose, and chocolate costs 80. Orders are due by Sunday, the 6th of February. Payments to seal the deal are due in the cafeteria during lunch on Monday the 7th.
SWIM, BIKE, & RUN FOR EVELYN!
Anthony Giles
anthonyg@isb.ac.th
Tri Kids Triathlon @ ISB
Sponsored by Amorn Group
February 27th, 2022
All registration fees collected for this year’s event will go to help Evelyn and her family.
Tri Kids Triathlon info:
- Ages 4-18, ISB students only
- Try a Tri – 50m swim, 600m bike, 200m run (Prek 2, KG, 1st, 2nd )
- Standard – 200m swim, 5.5km bike, 1.1km run (Grades 3rd, 4th, 5th, 6th, 7th, 8th, 9th, 10th, 11th, 12th)
- Do the Double – 400m swim, 11km bike, 2.2km run (Grades 3rd, 4th, 5th, 6th, 7th, 8th, 9th, 10th, 11th, 12th)
Or, if you don’t want to race alone:
- Relay Team of 2 Standard – 200m swim, 5.5km bike, 1.1km run (Grades 3rd, 4th, 5th, 6th, 7th, 8th, 9th, 10th, 11th, 12th)
- Relay Team of 3 Standard – 200m swim, 5.5km bike, 1.1km run (Grades 3rd, 4th, 5th, 6th, 7th, 8th, 9th, 10th, 11th, 12th)
- Relay Team of 2 Do the Double – 400m swim, 11km bike, 2.2km run (Grades 3rd, 4th, 5th, 6th, 7th, 8th, 9th, 10th, 11th, 12th)
- Relay Team of 3 Do the Double – 400m swim, 11km bike, 2.2km run (Grades 3rd, 4th, 5th, 6th, 7th, 8th, 9th, 10th, 11th, 12th)
Hanuman Film Festival
Anthony Giles
anthonyg@isb.ac.th
Postponed to March 24, 2022
We invite you to participate in the Hanuman Film Festival happening on March 24th! This is open to all grade levels and we are currently accepting entries until March 17. Any creative original film is welcomed!
Please sign up using the link HERE (or using the QR code), and send your film or any questions to hanumanfilmfestival@isb.ac.th!
SPRING 2022 – HS Principal’s Forum – Now inviting all questions from parents
– Link for Intake Form
We are inviting questions from parents for the next Principal’s Forum. The HS Principal’s Forum (PF) is a channel of communication between parents and the administration. It is a platform to allow all parents to bring forward any questions, suggestions, or concerns to the Committee composed of parents representing grades 9-12 and EAL language communities.
All HS parents are welcome to attend PF scheduled 9am on March 24th (location and format TBC by the school administration). The meeting will be led by Principal Alexander with Dean of Academics, Justyna McMillan, Dean of Students, Andy Vaughan and HS Team members. There is one HS PF each semester, two per academic year.
All questions are shared with the administration anonymously: only the content is presented. The topics are addressed and discussed in an open meeting between administration and HS parents. Parents are invited to send their questions/suggestions/concerns to us before March 8th via: HS Principal’s Forum- Questions from Parents- Intake Form. We review, organize, and submit all queries to the administration. The administration organizes the presentation to parents. Your specific question may not be addressed during the public forum meeting as the topics covered during the meeting depend on the number of queries received on the topic.
As always, if there are time sensitive questions and individual concerns, please reach out directly to the teachers, The HS Principal’s office, counselors and Admin team. They are always your first port of call and will be happy to assist and support you.
Please feel free to be in touch with us if you have any questions, or would like to understand more about the HS PF: hsppforum@isb.ac.th
On behalf of our Principal’s Forum Parents’ Committee, we look forward to seeing you on March 24th,
Debbie Gundenson (Grade 9, Co-Chair 2021-2023)
Sibylle Newman (Grade 9, incoming Co-Chair 2022-2023)
Dhooleka Raj (Grade 11, Co-Chair 2020-2022)