Message from HS Principal

Dear Parents,

What a wonderful way to finish the week and to start a break with the Battle of Bangkok tournaments taking place across the city. There was great excitement and energy in the Rajendra gym today as our boys and girls Varsity basketball teams kicked off the tournament with stunning victories over our traditional rival NIST. There were cheering crowds of students and teachers (and parents of players) sitting in the stands willing the ISB Panthers onto victory.

Whilst the result of these games went in our favor, the real win for today was being able to come together safely and to show that Panther spirit once more whether that was in the Rajendra gym or over at our excellent pool facilities watching our Panthers Swim team perform and compete. Touch, Rugby, and Tennis teams competed at NIST and Patana respectively and we look forward to hearing the news about their days once they return later this afternoon.

The February break starts this weekend and when we return we will be hosting a HS PTA meeting on Tuesday (see registration details below) and IASAS showcase events in Forensics and Debate, Music, Dance, Drama and Tech. Once again look for more details in the remainder of the ENews.

Have a wonderful break.
Regards
Justin Alexander
HS Principal

HS PTA meeting (webinar)

Justin Alexander
justina@isb.ac.th

All HS parents are invited to register and attend the HS PTA meeting scheduled for Tuesday, February 22nd (the first Tuesday after the break). This will be a zoom webinar and you will need to register on the link below.

Agenda items include

Updates on being back in school
College and School counselor news
Athletics/Activities updates (what’s on at school)
DELVE
Dates – reports/parent conferences etc

Topic: HS PTA Meeting

https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_svEJ90l7SjKbxDUnjpoaBA

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

HAL Progress and Grade Up Date available on Monday 14th by 3PM

Justyna McMillan
justynam@isb.ac.th

Teachers are updating Habits and Attitudes to Learning progress (HAL) for all courses along with a Grade-Up-Date for yearlong courses. Both will be visible to students and parents on PowerSchool by Monday 14th February, 3PM.

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

To access please see the following guide to help you: –

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 remember this update is a snapshot in time of where your child is ‘at’ based on academic performance so far. For semester courses that just started this semester, assessment data will not yet be available to fully determine academic progress 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.

Mock Exams for Gr12 Students

Justyna McMillan
justynam@isb.ac.th

IB Mock exams will be held between March 9th – 17th. We have now finalised the IB Mock Exam schedule which is visible HERE. Individual student schedules are already posted on Powerschool.

Please note that the Mock exams will start at 7:30 AM for the morning session and 12:00 PM for the afternoon session.

More details about the logistics for each exam will be shared with students after February Break. In the meantime teachers will communicate with students areas for review as well as tips for studying for the mocks.

DELVE iFair is here!
Peter Assimakopoulos
petera@isb.ac.th

DELVE iFair
We opened the CAS website for all students on Thursday night. The website includes all the trips on offer for this year’s DELVE. Students have the entire February break to familiarise themselves with the courses and trips offered this May 30, 31, June 1, and 2. Parents can have a look at the DELVE Handbook to learn more about the trips and courses offered this year.

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.

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 8th: Registration opens for Grade 9.

DELVE Q&A
Students will have an opportunity to ask questions specific to the teacher chaperones on February 22, 25, 28. Students can attend one DELVE Q&A session per advisory. A total of three over the three days. These sessions can help students make their decisions and be better prepared to sign up for the DELVE course that is right for them.

Below you can find the registration instructions shared with students.

Students should follow this checklist to ensure that they are well prepared for DELVE Registration

Students will register online via an online form sent directly to their email. The form has a unique password that will be shared via email prior to registration.
Students will be asked to place four trips of equal weight on the form. The order of selection will have no value or weight and students can be placed in any of their four choices.
All our trips have a limited number of spaces for each grade level. Some trips can be quite popular and fill up quickly. Therefore, it is really important that you select a variety of trips you are interested in.
Students that duplicate their selection by choosing the same trip are placing themselves at a disadvantage. By not providing a second, third and fourth choice to choose from, the student will be placed where spots are available after placing their entire grade level first.
Students are no longer ranked first-come first-served.
Students may not select a course that they have already participated in during previous years.
Students are not assigned to courses “so that they can be with their friends”.
Get familiar with all the courses on offer and the videos found on the CAS website (cas.isb.ac.th) and in the DELVE Handbook to know the safety procedures, requirements, expectations, and to help make considered choices.
Discuss with your parents how much cost your parents are willing to cover.
Choose your top courses taking into consideration DELVE requirements and past choices.
Sign up on the appropriate night for registration.
Obtain parental approval BEFORE registering for any course.

Lucky Number Draw

Student registrations will be sorted by choosing a number from 1-500. When registering for DELVE, students will be asked to choose and add a number from 1-500.
After all the students in that grade level have registered, a number from that range will be randomly selected. That number is where the first placement will begin. For example, if the randomly selected number is 378, the student that selected a number of equal or greater value will be the first one in their grade level placed on their DELVE trip. The rest of the placements will follow in sequential order. And numbers not selected will be skipped.
If multiple students choose the same number, students will be sorted by birth date.
After placing number 500, the next student to be placed will be number 1. The numbers will follow in order until we reach the starting number.
Students will be given a registration time window of 30 minutes. Students unable to register in that window will be placed after all the HS students are placed on DELVE. Their number will not rank when placing them on DELVE. In other words, students that submit their registration form late will be placed after all the high school students are placed.

News from University Counselors

Debbie McDowell
debbiem@isb.ac.th

SAT registration deadline for the 12 March test is today! Any grade 11 student wanting to take the SAT on 12 March must register on the College Board website by 11 February. Instructions on how to register for the test and to be able to take it at ISB can be found on the university counseling website on the testing tab.

Grade 10: University counselors completed their scheduled meetings with grade 10 students this week. The sophomores have been very engaged with great questions and the counselors have had many productive discussions with parents via zoom as well.

Junior Led Conferences are underway! The first two weeks of February have had a few juniors getting their Family Conferences completed. Good job and congratulations to those students!

All grade 11 students are required to schedule a Junior Led Conference before the end of March with their university counselor and their parents. The meeting will be the starting point for the university research and selection process for each student and family. 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.) For those students who have yet to set their appointments, they (and their parents) can expect to hear from the university counselor about a designated time for their appointment. The counselors look forward to hearing from the students about what their plans are for life after ISB!

The next Junior Seminar will be the week after break on Friday, 25 February. Students will be signing on to Maia Learning which is an online platform that will facilitate university research and be the mechanism for submitting application documents for students next year.

Grade 12 students will be meeting with their university counselor the week after February break for Senior Seminar on Wednesday, 23 Feb. The topics for discussion on that day will include: update on university decisions, how/when to make deposits, the Double Deposit No-No, appointments for those applying this semester, choosing a UCAS firm and insurance choice, and updating Cialfo. The counselors look forward to reconnecting with the seniors.

Parent Coffees: Thanks to those parents who joined our Parent Coffee on Monday that focused on Higher Education in the UK and the UCAS system. The recording is posted on the university counseling website on the recordings tab. Check it out if you missed it!

The upcoming Parent Coffees will be focusing on the application process in different countries and in supporting our different communities within the ISB student body.

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!

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.

Best wishes to all our students and families for next week’s break. We all look forward to the rest and relaxation that everyone deserves. University counselors will not be available during the break but will be back in the office and ready to meet with families and students on 21 February.

Ms. Debbie McDowell (she, her, hers)

News from HS Counselors
Jackie Valenzuela
jackiev@isb.ac.th

This week in Advisory, we discussed Student Safeguarding specifically as it relates to Teen Dating Violence. Please ask your student about the video and conversation their advisory had regarding this important topic.

Yesterday, students completed their course registration for the 22/23 school year.

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 Panther Activities

Anthony Giles
anthonyg@isb.ac.th

Updated: Campus Closed During February Break

Campus will be closed for all access Monday, February 14 – Sunday, February 20, 2022.

Panther Activities: Week 2

With week 2 of the new session of Panther Activities wrapping up we wanted to share some updates and reminders for participation after the February break. Please see the summary of activities HERE as a quick reminder of the what, where, and when for each program. First, as a reminder, please contact us if your student will be missing an activity after school so that we know they are safe and accounted for. Second, assume activities are on as scheduled unless you hear from us that there has been a cancellation. In addition, the payment window has once again been postponed to allow us time to provide multiple payment options. Finally, thanks for signing up. We love working with your kids!

Payment Window Postponed until after the February Break

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

SWIM, BIKE, & RUN FOR EVELYN!
Anthony Giles
anthonyg@isb.ac.th

Tri Kids Triathlon @ ISB

Click here for single page view

HS PTA meeting (webinar)

HAL Progress and Grade Up Date available on Monday 14th by 3PM

News from Panther Activities

Updated: Campus Closed During February Break