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Schedule Next Week

On Monday, Thailand observes Chulalongkorn Day (actually on Sunday) with a substitute holiday. Students do not have school on Monday and teachers will be engaging in professional development that day, working with outside experts and consultants.

We are also excited that this week, our Grade 6 students and teachers head west to Kanchanaburi for their class trip over 3 days and 2 nights. The campus here will feel different without the grade 6s in place, but we know they will have a terrific trip connecting with each other, growing in independence, and overcoming challenges within the safety of teacher supervision. 

Finally, our Grade 8s have their last trip to the EWC this coming week, with the final group participating in their Outdoor Education experience. After this, we get started with the grade 7 students.

Please see the schedule of days for the week below.

• Monday, Oct. 24th – NO SCHOOL, Professional Development Day
• Tuesday, Oct. 25th – Day 4, Special Assembly with Dr. Michael Thompson for G7 & G8 students
• Wednesday, Oct. 26th – Day 5, Grade 6 depart for Kanchanaburi trip
• Thursday, Oct. 27th – Day 6
• Friday, Oct. 28th – Day 7, Grade 6 return from Kanchanaburi trip

 

MS Olympics is Coming: December 15

The MS Olympics is a special day at ISB and one of the highlights of the Middle School year and our host country will be South Korea! This year with the lifting of co-vid restrictions we are looking forward to full return to business for this amazing day. This is fantastic news for us as we couldn’t run it without our fantastic parent volunteers. There are lots of things we need help with, from helping with the opening ceremony, measuring and timing the track and field events, running the cultural games or scoring the team games. Please fill out the form below if you are interested in joining us December 15th

https://forms.gle/zAvDmTnQAVNKqH9d9

 

Playground Access and MS Students 

We are very excited to have terrific facilities at ISB and our playgrounds are no exception. Of course, we built them for student use, so we want students using them. As our MS students know, currently they do not have access to the playgrounds during the school day (and in particular, MS lunchtime, when MS students have free time to play).

This is a current, temporary, and necessary measure as Elementary School continues to need to stagger their lunch and recess times due to their adjusted cafeteria lunch schedule. With this staggered schedule, ES students have more time slots for lunch and recess (with fewer numbers of students) to match the lower-capacity needs of the cafeteria. As such, they need the access to the playground spaces. 

MS students have access to these spaces after school, to use the equipment and enjoy the activities. During lunch we have open field space outdoors and gym space for basketball and ping pong for students to be active and have fun together. When the playground(s) are available during the school day again for MS students, we will let them know.

 

Building Leadership skills in Grade 8 

In the weeks preceding the October break, grade 8 students were engaging in their Advisory classes with the question of what it means to be a grade 8 leader.

Students discussed and agreed on attributes of a leader and used a full body outline to highlight and house these points.

Students highlighted attributes and behaviors of a leader like:

• Listen to others
• Empathetic
• Balanced
• Voice

 

Building Digital Citizenship Skills in Grade 7 

Before the October break, our Grade 7 Advisory program was working on important digital citizenship skills with students. Students focused on and discussed topics like staying organized with online tools, email etiquette, online safety, overseeing their digital footprint, and of course, balancing screen time and healthy lives.

For all of us, these are ongoing areas to be mindful of, but we are glad to be activating this thinking and these practices with our grade 7 students.

 

Building Belonging in Grade 6 

In MS, building community is a big part of who we are. Recently in the G6, Advisory groups have worked on their “piece of the puzzle” celebrating their group’s uniqueness and how they “fit” into the whole of the Grade 6. 

Each Grade 6 advisory created a puzzle piece that represented the Advisory’s identity with their chosen color, individual student logos, and the creative Advisory name. The final pieces of the puzzle were created this week, put together in the grade 6 quad area, and were celebrated with the whole grade cheering on as each advisory’s name was announced.

Advisory Group Names:

• Marwaha Metallicas
• Kehe Kangaroos
• Pook Potatoes
• Ekstran Electric Eagles
• BT’s BLTs
• Barnes’s Crazy Kids
• The Hot Waters
• Vogt and Mark’s Vegan Mountain Gorillas
• Rimbey Recce’s Cups
• Przybylski Pancakes
• Mr. Plantecoste’s Papayas
• Meisner’s Mega Meerkats
  

 

Parent Presentation on MS Mathematics 

This past Thursday, we were excited to host our first on-campus parent information session in several years. Our topic was the MS Mathematics program with particular focus on our Grade 6 class. We also shared information regarding the math pathways in MS and onto HS at ISB. Math teachers David Waters & Jen Du Bois, along with support co-teacher Amarit Marwaha, VP Cindy Plantecoste, and Dennis Harter presented on this topic.

We appreciate the parents who attended the session and the questions that they brought to our attention. We were pleased that we were able to share the thinking and highlight the research points that informed our decisions and plan around grade 6 math and the middle school math program as a whole.

While we have shared the slides from the presentation below, it is important to note that each point was accompanied with talking points, further expansion on ideas, and in-depth explanation of examples and experience with these changes. Some of the dialogue is summarized in the content of this article, but it is not a complete transcript of the presentation. As always, please contact your child’s teacher if you want to know more about their experience in math class.

We shared how and why our mathematics program may look different than the learning experiences of the parents. Current research and best practice emphasize the importance of developing conceptual understanding in mathematics, rather than memorization of algorithms. When students (and people, in general) understand “why” mathematical relationships or systems work, then they are able to problem solve and synthesize even when an algorithm may have been forgotten or several are required in a new situation. We emphasize a problem-based learning environment so that students communicate, collaborate, and justify their mathematical thinking and solutions. In our presentation to parents, we shared examples of what that looks like in classrooms.

We also shared the reasons and process behind our decision to have a single Math 6 course for all grade 6 students, rather than separate Core and Extended classes. Recognizing many of the pitfalls of “tracked” classes, we felt that having ES teachers placing students on a track so early in their schooling did more damage to learners than good. Additionally, research indicates that students in mixed ability classes perform higher than tracked ones. While our current program still has a “split” in G7, we implemented a mixed level class in G6 to allow for developmental differences. We differentiate within the class using unit specific pre-assessments (add s to assessment?) to ensure students are challenged and exposed to extended material based on demonstrated readiness. We do this by topic and unit now, rather than excluding students from all extended material by virtue of an initial placement.

The pathways shared require a lot more unpacking and explanation, but the diagrams in the slideshow give a general overview of the MS/HS program. Most importantly, we shared that it is critical for middle school math students to have a solid foundation in mathematics, strong conceptual understanding of ideas, and confidence in their skills and capability. We caution against forcing acceleration if students are not ready for the challenge, because they frequently end up playing catch up and thus missing foundational instruction that they may need. As we shared in the presentation, most students end up in the same courses at the end of HS. We do students a disservice when they’ve been accelerated too quickly and then find that they lack the solid foundation (and confidence) that they would have acquired had they stayed on the Core path. While there are students who need to be on an extended path and challenged extensively, even many of these students choose to study Mathematics at the IB Standard Level (SL). When students who should be in the Core program prematurely accelerate to Extended, they miss key math understandings and learning opportunities and often make the same resulting choice to take Math SL at the end of high school.

Finally, in our presentation we shared some ways that parents can support children’s development of mathematical thinking and enjoyment at home. Links within the presentation connect to resources that make math challenging and fun, requiring synthesis of knowledge and skills, out-of-the-box thinking, and conceptual connections. Over-practice of algorithms and skills has not proven to grow understanding or problem solving.

Here are the slides from the presentation:

 

As shared, we were excited to have parents on campus for this information session. We continue to appreciate parent ideas for topics that you would like us to cover. 

 

MS Biking Adventure in the Bangkok Jungle! 

Saturday, November 26th, 2022

Would your child(ren) like to join us on our first biking adventure of this school year?  We will travel by bus from ISB to the Suan Plearn Market in downtown Bangkok (or you can meet us there) where we will meet our guides from SPICEROADS, an established biking tour company, who will take us across the river to the Bangkok Jungle! Total bike ride is approximately 20km. First 20 students to sign up by 3:00pm on Tuesday, October 25th get to go! For more information about the trip and how to sign up, please click HERE.

 

Panther Run #3- raising money for iCare 

iCare has sent out some photos of the floods in Ubon added below. Tens of thousands of people have yet to receive any aid, with aid distribution being ineffective in reaching the people on the ground. With the water level in Ayuthaya, Angthong, and Singburi being from 1.5 to 2.5 meters above normal, more than 140,000 people currently are homeless or living on the second floor of their houses. Food, drinking water, and household supplies are in short supply. iCare aims to provide food for the next month, in addition to helping in the recovery efforts, after the water has receded. This includes replacing school supplies for children who lost everything in the floods, including shoes, backpacks, and stationery supplies. 

Every little bit of help! 

 

Music for Meals Evening

Music4Opportunity & Share The Meal invites your child to Music for Meals evening next Tuesday, October 25, 5:00 pm – 7:00 pm at the Amphitheater (near the Grind). The first people to arrive get FREE PIZZA!! Join us for an evening full of games, food stalls, live performances, and a special guest speaker.

This event is a collaboration between ShareTheMeal & Music for Opportunity clubs. Share the Meal’s primary goal is to help those affected by global crises from our international community to create a nurturing support system. The Share the Meal app allows us to donate food to any part of the world facing famine, where The United Nations World Food Programme will deliver. As a community at ISB, we will be running many fun campaigns and events to work toward this goal. Come join us, and let’s be the generation to reach zero hunger! Music 4 Opportunity is a club that focuses on teaching English through song at temple schools in Thailand. 

 

Mathematics, Science and Language Pathways in the HS – Informational Session for Parents 

Friday October 28th from  9:00 – 10:30 MPB1&2

Dear Parents,

We would like to invite you to an informational session on pathways for mathematics, science and languages, in the high school. We often get questions about the different pathways in these subject areas, particularly in how choices students make in Grades 9 & 10 align with pathways into Grades 11 &12.  

This session will be focused on progression in the High School in these subject areas, and provide an opportunity for parents to ask questions. We encourage any parents of students currently enrolled in Grades 8, 9 and 10 to attend this meeting. 

Please register for the meeting using THIS LINK. 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 next week!

 

REGISTRATION FOR SEASON 2 CLOSES OCTOBER 26 at 3:00pm

This is just a reminder that registration for Season 2 after school programs closes at 3:00pm on Wednesday, October 26th. See details about who to contact with questions and how to sign up through CCA HERE. 

 

Arts & Activities @ ISB 

OCTOBER

17-22  Dana Lawton Dances Residency – (various times) CC Theater and Dance Studios

21  MS/HS/IB Dance Showcase, “Fall & Recover” – (3:30pm) CC Theater (tickets @ lunch)

22  The Farallonites – (7pm) 4th Floor Studio BACC (tickets online)

22  Invention Center Saturday – (9am-12pm) ISB Invention Center

27  ES Art Exhibition “Cardboardia” Opening – (2pm) Chevron Theater Gallery 

27  HS Drama, “Museum” – (6:30pm) CC Theater (tickets @ lunch) 

28  HS Drama, “Museum” – (3:30pm) CC Theater (tickets @ lunch) 

28  HS ArtsCo’s Halloween Movie Night 13+ – (7pm) CC Theater 

29  Invention Center Saturday – (9am-12pm) ISB Invention Center

29  Psychic Fever at En Nichi Japanese Community Event (12-3pm) Outdoor Stage

29  Trio Senza Fretta with Mia-Rong Wang – (6pm) Chaengwattana Community Church