MS Schedule Next Week – Thursday Holiday
Next week, ISB joins Thailand in recognizing Coronation Day with a holiday on Thursday, May 4th. Please also note that the school “Days” reflect that HS has school these past two days, while MS hosted Student-Led Conferences.
Here’s the schedule for next week:
- Monday, May 1st – Day 5
- Tuesday, May 2nd – Day 6
- Wednesday, May 3rd – Day 7
- Thursday, May 4th – NO SCHOOL
- Friday, May 5th – Day 8
Students sharing their learning and progress
Middle School has had two productive days of Student-Led Conferences. Around the school, students presented on their learning progress through the year, describing their celebrations and challenges in each class, along with other areas like extra-curricular activities, outdoor education, and their Habits and Attitudes for Learning. We have received wonderful feedback from parents and teachers alike, sharing how meaningful it is to see students own their learning, reflect on their successes and challenges, and set goals for improvement moving forward.
Here are some quotes we have received in the past couple of days:
“I love SLC presentations. I learn so much more about my students.” – MS Advisor
“We were very happy to hear about —-‘s achievements, as well as her ability to know the areas needed for improvement. —- is eager to learn new things. And we’re very happy that she has a plan to work on to achieve more step by step. Great job —-!” – MS Parent
“I love that it pushes students to analyze and reflect upon their learning, strengths, and areas for improvement. Developing that thought process will go a long way toward their learning in school and becoming happy and productive members of society in general.” – MS Parent
“I love this format. It’s really great to see my child be able to reflect and share his learning. He did such a great job verbally presenting. Great job —!” – MS Parent
We also received feedback about ways to improve our students’ presentations and make adjustments to the process. We appreciate this feedback and will consider it as we move into the new school year.
Individual Teacher Feedback
Parents also asked about getting direct individual feedback from teachers about how their child is doing. For this, we remind parents that individual narrative comments for each student, by each teacher, were written and shared on PowerSchool a few weeks ago. Teachers also worked with students in their classes, as they prepared the slides, offering input, suggestions, and feedback, to ensure their own thinking aligned with what the student was sharing.
Thank you to all the parents who came into school to attend their child’s Student-Led Conference. There is real power in both the reflection process and the act of presenting to an important audience. Our experience shows us that doing this in the school environment furthers the student’s ownership of their learning. In the classroom environment, the student is the “host”, which feels different when students are at home where parents are “in charge.” All of these factors contribute to a rich learning exercise for students and a great chance to share that with parents.
Recent Celebrations in the MS
We’ve had some wonderful highlights in recent weeks and we wanted to share some of them with our parent community.
Grade 5s Join our MS Assembly
We were excited to welcome our grade 5 students to their first MS Assembly last Friday. The theme was belonging and it provided us a great chance to help our new MS students for 2023-24 feel a sense of connection and belonging with the middle school as they’ll be with us soon. The assembly featured instrumental performances by our Symphonic Band, a singing teaser for this year’s “Peanuts Musical”, performed by the actors playing Charlie Brown and Lucy, and celebratory videos from our Grade 6 outdoor education experience at the EWC. This was a first taste of the MS for our Grade 5 students. Our current Grade 6s will host them all in late May for Bridge Day, engaging students in MS activities and class visits.
Grade 7 Class Trips
Back at the start of March our Grade 7 students traveled to different parts of Thailand to look at the tension between human and environmental need. Each trip worked with organizations tackling important issues and together we participated in: shark conservation, human-elephant coexistence, supporting local regenerative farming practices, understanding different biomes, addressing hunger and poverty, and reducing plastic waste and promoting sustainable living. Students partnered with experts in each field, and are developing sustainable action plans to support their work to be shared on May 19th.
Grade 8s Engage with Peace Day Art Installation
Grade 8 Advisories spent time reflecting on the Middle School art installation located in the main corridor spine of ISB. Students reflected on questions like:
- Does this match the expectations you may have had while you were creating your piece of bamboo?
- Why might this way of presenting the work have been chosen? What message might it send?
- How might the presence of this installation influence and shape our ideas and beliefs and that of our wider ISB community?
- Do you think this installation is successful in communicating its intent to celebrate ISB’s commitment to ending racism and building peace?
MS Counselor Zoom Connection and Session on Parenting Adolescents
Dear Middle School Parents,
As we head into the final stretch of the 2022-2023 school year, we are frequently reminded that an essential part of any school year is the home-school partnership. We understand that navigating the middle school years, especially in the age of social media, can present challenges for families. Parents want to help their students be successful academically, while also supporting their social and emotional development during this crucial period of adolescence. This isn’t easy.
It’s helpful to be reminded that parents are not alone in experiencing these challenges. The MS Counseling team would like to help by hosting an online parent coffee and connection opportunity on ZOOM on May 9 at 08:00 AM.
The counseling team will share some information around adolescent development and the teenage brain and we will talk through some strategies parents can use to engage their teens in conversations and set boundaries to keep their teens healthy and safe. There will also be an opportunity for parents to connect with each other and share challenges and ideas around supporting children during this tricky time.
In order for us to plan for numbers, please register your interest in attending at this link. We will send you an email with the zoom link and password ahead of the session.
We look forward to the parent interaction and sharing about parenting.
The MS Counseling Team
Grade 8 to Grade 9 Parent Zoom Session on DELVE
Dear Grade 8 Parents,
We would like to invite you to an important meeting regarding the DELVE trips offered to your children next year. The meeting will take place on May 2nd at 6.30 pm via Zoom webinar. Please use the link below to register for the webinar meeting. This is a great opportunity for you to learn more about the upcoming trips and ask any questions you may have.
Zoom webinar link: https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_u85jzqzPQiquEPIl11WyPQ
The timeline for DELVE signups this year is May 2023. This means your child will be asked to signup for a DELVE in the coming few weeks. This meeting will address the signup process and the importance of DELVE for all our high school students.
DELVE stands for “Discover, Explore, Learn, Volunteer, Enrich,” and it is an experiential learning program offered to high school students. The DELVE program provides students with a unique opportunity to explore new cultures, develop personal skills, and gain valuable knowledge outside of the traditional classroom setting.
DELVE is a credited course and compulsory for all high school students to take part in every year throughout their high school careers at ISB.
Participating in DELVE is essential to the high school experience because it provides students with a chance to develop important life skills, broaden their perspectives, and discover new passions. Additionally, the program encourages students to form strong relationships with their peers and teachers, helping to create a sense of community and fostering a love of learning.
Through DELVE trips, students can participate in activities such as outdoor adventures, cultural immersion experiences, and service projects. The program is designed to challenge students and push them outside of their comfort zones, fostering personal growth and encouraging them to become more independent and responsible.
Overall, DELVE is an incredibly valuable program that provides high school students with a unique opportunity to learn, grow, and challenge themselves in ways that are impossible to achieve in a traditional classroom setting.
During the meeting, I will discuss sign-ups and registration, which will take place at the end of this school year. We encourage you to attend the meeting to receive all the necessary information about the trips and the registration process.
We look forward to seeing you soon!
Best regards,
Peter Assimakopoulos
MS Art Exhibition – “Reified”
This week, the ISB MS Art Exhibition “Reified” opened in the Chevron Theater foyer. The theme speaks to taking abstract ideas and making them concrete, which are student artists have tried to do in their art pieces. We invite you to visit the exhibition, next time you are on campus. Please take the time to look at the descriptions on each piece, as students describe their intention behind the work. There is also an emphasis on the artistic process which you will see through photos of students at work and at galleries and museums learning from the work of other artists.
There are also MS Art pieces outside the MS/HS Library and on the corner of the cafeteria.
“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.
MS Athletics Update
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!
Season 4 Tryouts Location Information
Season 4 Team Shirt Order Form: If your child is playing a season 4 sport, please check your email for a link to the form to order their Team Shirt. If you did not receive the email, please reach out to the MS Booster Club at booster-ms@isb.ac.th.
Season 3 Uniform Return- If your child has not yet returned their uniform from Season 3, please do so as soon as possible. If a uniform is not returned, there will be a fee. Uniforms can be brought to the Athletics Office, located in the Breezeway between Rajendra Gym and the ES Gym.
Auxi 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.
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.
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.
Repeat Announcement: 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