by Dennis Harter, MS Principal
dennish@isb.ac.th
Welcome to the 2023-24 school year. We are excited to welcome back our returning grade 7 and grade 8 families to the coming MS year. A special welcome to our new to ISB MS families, including our grade 5 to grade 6 students transitioning from Elementary School and our new families joining ISB. We are excited to introduce your children to our Middle School community and program.
As we get close to the first day of school on Wednesday, August 9th, we wanted to communicate some important information for your preparation.
Orientation
For families NEW to our Middle School, we have an orientation program on Tuesday, August 8th. This includes both families that are new to ISB and parents of Grade 6 students (who are new to middle school). Please note that if your child is both NEW to ISB and going to be in grade 6, then that child should attend the Grade 6 orientation below. In this orientation they can meet other grade 6 students and they will meet their advisor and get a more specific introduction to the MS. Parents and students are invited to the orientation and sign in at the front of school near the Panther Statue.We will also run a parent session for grade 6 parents, though we know many parents have experience with our MS already.
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- Tuesday, August 8th:
- 8:45 AM – 12:00 PM: New Grade 7 & Grade 8 Orientation (New families only)
- 12:30 PM – 1:45 PM: Grade 6 Orientation (all Grade 6 students, parents welcome)
- Tuesday, August 8th:
Bookstore opens Monday
Starting on Monday, August 7th, the ISB Bookstore will be selling school supplies and school uniforms. This will be set up in the ES Gymnasium to allow for large crowds. Sigs will direct you to this part of campus. Please see information below about requirements.
Uniforms/Dress Code
All students are required to be in school uniform. Uniforms can be purchased from our school bookstore, which will open for sales starting Monday, August 7th. This year, ISB will have new uniform shirts for sale. The older versions will no longer be sold, however students may wear either the new or older versions throughout this school year.
MS students must wear the ISB uniform shorts / skirt / pants, but this also includes the ISB PE short in MS as well. We have learned that there may be a delay on the new uniform shorts being delivered by the supplier. The PE shorts are for sale.
For PE, students must wear the ISB PE shirt and shorts, but change into the uniform shirt for other classes that day.
For footwear, please note, as announced before the end of last year, that Crocs-style footwear may not be worn by MS students during the school day. Students must wear shoes throughout the day and sandals/birkenstock-style/flip flops are not permitted.
School Supplies
During the first week of classes, teachers will inform students about what supplies are needed for the specific classes. To start with a basic “grade level set” may be purchased from our ISB bookstore. This will include the basics needed for a specific grade level. Students should come to school with backpacks and writing instruments (and their school laptop if they have it already) to start the week.
First Day of School & Class Schedules
Wednesday, August 9th is the first day of school for MS students. On this day students will start in Advisory. Advisory lists and locations will be posted near the MS Office and students will see what room to go to posted next to their name. Students will receive their full class schedules on the first day of school.
Please note that earlier in the summer, some students reported accessing PowerSchool and seeing a schedule. The master schedule was still being finalized at that time and there have been many changes since. Official student schedules will be the ones distributed on the first day of school.
eNews for School to Home Communication
For all families, we remind you that our school to home communication will center around the Friday, eNews (this one is coming out a bit early). In the eNews we will share celebrations, important upcoming events, and information about our learning program. Please make sure you give these eNews emails a read each week.
We are excited to start the 2023-24 school year with this cohort of students. We are pleased to welcome some new faculty members to our wonderful staff. As a community we want all students to feel belonging and care. We recognize the challenging and exciting times that this age group experiences and we look forward to collaborating together to ensure a positive and productive year in MS for your child.
We look forward to getting started!