“Music is Magic!” – An ES Ensemble Spring Concert
Join us on Monday, May 1st, at 6:30 p.m. in Chevron Theatre for an evening of magical music-making with our ES Panther String Ensemble, Orff Ensemble & Choir! In their final performance of the year, these grade 3-5 ensembles will be sharing music, dance and stories from a variety of styles and cultures, including jazz, square dance, and a trickster story from West African folklore.
No School on May 4
Thursday, May 4, 2023 IS a public holiday for the Coronation of H.M. King Maha Vajiralongkorn. There is no school for students on Thursday, May 4th.
ES Parent Engage Session! – Supporting Summer Learning on May 11 @7:45 MS Skybox
Please join us for our last Parent Engage of the 2022-23 school year! The session will focus on your child’s transition to the 2023-24 school year and summer learning resources. Come find out about all the resources available to keep your child engaged and learning during the break. We will share tips on fun and educational activities, online learning platforms, and ways to incorporate learning into everyday routines. Plus, you’ll have the opportunity to connect with other parents in your community and share ideas. Don’t let the summer slide happen to your child – attend our Parent Engage event and ensure they continue to thrive academically all year round!
Weekly Message from Principal Allen
I recently submitted an article to the PTS Touchstone Magazine that will be shared with the ISB community in the coming weeks. Writing the article gave me the opportunity to pause and reflect on how the ongoing collaboration of teachers impacts each child’s learning. Here’s a brief summary of the article…be sure sure to watch for the next edition of the ISB PTA Touchstone Magazine to catch up on the variety of things happening at ISB to support your child!
ISB is a school committed to ongoing and continuous improvement. Simply put, we’re always looking for ways to ensure our students receive the best education possible! One of the most important factors in achieving this goal is to ensure that our teachers work together in high-functioning collaborative teams and engage in practices aligned with the Professional Learning Communities.
Research has shown that when teachers work together as a team, it has a significant positive impact on student achievement. When teachers work in high functioning collaborative teams, they are able to share their knowledge and skills, collaborate on lesson planning, and support each other in implementing effective teaching strategies. This, in turn, leads to improved student learning outcomes for ALL students.
Every day in the elementary school teachers are working in their collaborative teams to design engaging and challenging lessons that inspire students to learn and create a culture of high expectations where all students are encouraged to achieve their full potential. Teachers who are part of a team also benefit from the support and mentorship of their colleagues, which helps to reduce stress and ensures that they are able to provide their students with the best possible education.
Be sure to ask your child’s teacher more about their collaborative teamwork, and how their work benefits your child everyday at ISB.
Your partner in education,
Michael Allen
MichaelA@isb.ac.th
May 11 and 12, 2023 are Character Dress-Up Days!
Students are invited to be out of uniform on their non PE-Day and come to school for Character Dress-Up Day.
The ES HUB will be hosting character dress up days during free dress days on May 11 and 12. The theme of our dress up days this year will be The Enchanted HUB. As part of this celebration, the HUB will be transformed into an enchanted castle. Students are encouraged to dress up as a character who makes positive choices in our world. Students can have their pictures in the HUB and we will display their pictures on our monitors.
Third Culture Kids – A Parent Conversation
Monday, May 15th- 9:30-10:45am
One of our ES Counselor’s, Kathy Manu, will be hosting a parent conversation about TCK’s (Third Culture Kids), CCK’s (Cross-Cultural Kids) and the impact of an internationally mobile lifestyle on young people. Following many informal conversations with different families, it seems that this topic is one of tremendous interest for our international (and often transient) community.
While not a book club in terms of needing to do any reading ahead of time, we will be looking at excerpts of books including “Third Culture Kids: Growing Up Among Worlds”, “Misunderstood: The Impact of Growing Up Overseas in the 21st Century”, “Arrivals, Departures, and the Adventures In-Between” and “Raising Global Nomads”. The discussion promises to be lively and important!
Kathy does ask that parents indicate their interest ahead of time through the sign up link, just for planning purposes. If you are not able to attend, you can indicate on the form if you are interested in future conversations about this topic.
ES Music Shares are Coming!
This year, Music Shares will take place May 29-June 15! This is an opportunity for students to prepare music, drama, or dance performances to share with an audience of parents and their peers. Students are invited to perform a 2 to 3 minute piece that they have prepared outside of music class to share with their class. All Music Shares will be held in Mrs. Wong’s ES Music room, 4-115.
For more information, you can find the full schedule and sign-up form HERE!
Grades 2-5 MAP Assessment: April 24-May 12
Please refer to this short update from Debi Caskey about MAP assessments at ISB: https://inside.isb.ac.th/parentportal/2022/04/07/map-test-grade/
Students in Grades 2-5 will take the reading and math MAP tests between April 24-May 12. On February 24, 2023 ES Principals hosted a MAP information session for ES parents. If you were unable to attend, please enjoy this 35-minute recording of the MAP webinar.
Updated Recess Guidelines
We have created an updated supplement recess guideline when the heat index reaches between 41-44.9°C. To ensure the health and safety of our students, we have introduced a curriculum in the classroom regarding hydration and sun safety. This includes topics such as the importance of water, using sunscreen, knowing when it’s too hot, identifying dehydration, and how much water students should drink per day.
We have designated shaded areas in Panther Park, Sky Park, Parkour Park, and Prek Patio for students to play. Students will not be able to access the field or other unshaded areas.
To ensure that students have access to sufficient hydration during recess, we ask that you send your student to school with a full water bottle, labeled with their name. Students will refill their water bottles prior to the start of recess and be encouraged to drink at least four cups of water per day. Additionally, a mandatory structured hydration break will be implemented after 15 minutes of outside play. We will also monitor students who are at high risk due to a medical condition and provide accommodations.
Students who have clinically diagnosed high sensitivity to heat and air pollution need to contact the Health Center in order to request an official accommodation to support a healthy alternative.
We hope that with these measures in place, we can ensure the safety and well-being of our students during recess. Thank you for your cooperation and support.
ES PE Swimming Continues
Our swimming units in Physical Education (PE) have begun! We have a total of three sessions of swimming dates for Elementary School. Please see the full ES swim schedule for all classes and sessions. We will send a reminder to families on Seesaw when the time gets closer for that particular class to swim. When students are not swimming, they will continue with their regular PE lessons in the gym. More details about the swimming unit can be found here.
PANTHER FAMILIES LEAVING
We cordially invite you to join us on Thursday, May 25th for an interactive discussion about transitions and how to leave Thailand well. We’ll also discuss how to arrive at your next destination well, whether it be a return home or another chapter in your international life and travels. It’s such a complicated time in your students’ (and probably your) lives, and we have a few ideas to share. We will also make space for our parent participants to share their own experience and to help each other make the transition a healthy one for you and yours.
We hope that you can make it on the 25th at 1:00 p.m. in MPB3 for an hour of learning and sharing positive transition next steps. The session will be facilitated by Shannon Leoni and Frank Sambula. Thanks again, and we look forward to seeing you on the 26th!
Panther Explore (ES After School Activities)
All ES Explore activities are well underway.
Please note that May 4th is a school holiday – no ES Explore session.
The following is Season 4 – ES Explore calendar:
* Early Dismissal – Classes will run as Usual at 2:40
ES Cafeteria Menu
Please find the Pre-K – G5 ES Cafeteria menu for next week linked here, and here is the menu for Allergy Free.
Beginning Band Drive is back on Saturday, May 6
Date: Saturday, May 6, 2023
Time: 9:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m.
Location: MS Band Room (4-107) on the first floor of the Cultural Center (CC)
On Saturday, May 6, ISB will hold its annual Beginning Band Drive for current grade 4, 5 and MS students that would like to try different band instruments like the trumpet, saxophone, flute, etc. During this time, students can try out the many different band instruments with the help of experts to find out which instrument they may enjoy and which instrument best suits them. All of the possible band instruments include: flute, oboe, clarinet, saxophone, trumpet, French horn, trombone, euphonium, tuba and percussion (drums and mallets).
The ISB Middle School Band program has a reputation as being one of the finest in international schools. This year for the 11th year in a row, and for the 15th out of the past 16 years, ISB has sent more students than any other school to the prestigious AMIS Asian Middle School Honor Band Festival. Student musicians audition for this festival through a rigorous blind audition process, competing with all other IASAS schools as well as international schools in South Korea, China and Japan.
To take part in the Beginning Band Drive on May 6, please sign up using the Google form that can be found linked here. It includes specific time/sign-up information. Finding the right instrument that best suits your child is a very important process.
If you have questions, please feel free to email Brent Poling <brentp@isb.ac.th>.
Best regards,
Brent Poling and Kentaro Udagawa
MS Bands
ISB Music Department Presents: A Faculty Recital – 6:30 May 3rd
Join members of the ISB Music Department Faculty and Friends at 6:30pm in the CC Theater for an evening filled with music. Donations go to benefit the Immanuel Orchestra. Cake reception to follow.
“You’re a Good Man Charlie Brown” May 11th-13th CC Theater
Join Charlie Brown, Snoopy, and the whole Peanuts gang for the Middle School musical production, “You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown” May 11th-13th in the the CC Theater! Come see the characters step out of the comics and onto the stage on Thursday, May 11th (3:30pm afterschool), Friday, May 12th (6:00pm evening), and Saturday, May 13th (2:00pm matinee). Seating is limited so pick up your tickets (students 100฿, adults 200฿) at the Panther Den during regular business hours anytime this week, or from May 1st through 12th out in front of the Panther from 6:45 AM to 7:45 AM or in the main cafeteria during MS and HS lunch 10:45 AM -1:45 PM.
Panther Dance Photo Day Is Coming Up!
Saturday 29th April, 9:30 am – 6:00 pm in CC Building 2nd Floor
We are very excited to see our dancers in their costumes!
Yoona: pantherdance@isb.ac.th
We’re Back, Again!
Panther Dance Performances
May 19-20, 2022-23
ES Performance Friday 19th May 4:00pm
MS/HS Performance Friday 19th May 6:30pm
MS/HS Performance Saturday 20th May 10:00am
ES Performance Saturday 20th May 1:00pm
Legs 4 Legs 2023 – Join us! Tues, May 23rd
Now accepting all performance styles to be part of this annual charity showcase to raise money and awareness for the Thailand Prosthesis Foundation. All interested performers are welcome to apply HERE or using the QR code on the poster.
Athletics News
NO After School Sports on May 4th: As school will be closed for the holiday, we will not have practice on Thursday, May 4th. Enjoy the day off!
ES Gym Update
Dear ISB Community.
During the construction period of the Auxi Gym, the Elementary Gym will be offered as an alternative space for students and families during the weekend hours. Much like the Auxi the ES Gym will be a shared space and cannot be booked at certain times for a group.
The ES Gym will be available for use between 12:00pm – 6:00pm on both Saturday and Sunday. Students and parents will be able to access the ES gym using their campus card via the doors in the breezeway. ES students need to be accompanied by an adult with an ISB campus card.
The ES gym can be used for indoor sports i.e. basketball, volleyball etc… All outdoor sports should remain on the sports fields.
A small selection of equipment will be available for use. It is recommended that students/families bring their own equipment.
The lights and AC will be switched on by the security guards with the first user and left on between the hours of 12:00pm – 6:00pm.