Message from HS Principal
Justin Alexander
justina@isb.ac.th
Dear Parents,
It was great to meet and see some of our HS parents at the PTA community meeting held on Tuesday morning and also catch up with some of our ‘Senior’ Parents (parents of Seniors) this morning as we start to look ahead to our Grade 12 students’ final year in High School. For parents of Grade 12 students, please keep a lookout for an email soon that will share some details about who you can help volunteer and be part of celebrating your child’s last year in school with the rest of the ‘Senior Parents’.
Looking ahead we have a few opportunities coming up in the next few weeks for parents to come together at some specific meetings at the High School. In next week’s Enews we will share registration details and more information about the following meetings which are coming up soon.
- Wednesday, September 6th, 10 am – HS Academics for new parents
- Friday, September 8th, 10 am – HS IB Matters (for Grade 12 parents)
- Wednesday, September 13th, 6 pm – HS Open house
Have a wonderful weekend, and I look forward to seeing you on campus soon.
Justin Alexander
High School Principal
Regular Links
HS Parent meeting schedule Semester 1
HS QUESTION LINK 2023-24 – If you have a question relating to the High School and you are not too sure to ask you can click on the link or email me (justina@isb.ac.th) and we will get back to you on the following Monday.
Temporary Guardianship Form
Andy Vaughan
andyv@isb.ac.th
ISB requires all students to be in full-time residence with at least one of their parents while attending ISB.
ISB understands that parents may need to leave town on a short term basis for a variety of reasons. In these situations parents must appoint a temporary guardian to supervise their child. Please note that household help (i.e. maebann or driver) and school aged siblings are not suitable guardians.
Parents are required to inform the divisional office if they will be leaving their child with a guardian. If you are ever away from home, please complete the form in your Operoo account through the Form Library or via these links:
PowerSchool Info Update
Andy Vaughan
andyv@isb.ac.th
As we start the year and prepare for upcoming trips, it is essential we have the most accurate contact information for your child. We ask that parents please take a few minutes to login to the Powerschool Parent Portal to update your information so that we can ensure we have your latest contact information correct.
Instructions:
Step 1. Login to Powerschool
- If you are new, you should have received an email with your login details, if not please contact help@isb.ac.th
- If you have forgotten your password, please contact arisap@isb.ac.th,
Step 2. Please click “Personal Information Update” on the left hand side.
Review your information that ISB has on record and please update if necessary. It is really important this information is accurate, as we use this in emergency situations. This information will then take a day or two to be updated.
If you have any questions or queries, contact arisap@isb.ac.th
Habits and Attitudes Towards Learning progress available on PowerSchool from Monday
Justyna McMillan
justyna@isb.ac.th
At ISB we report separately on achievement in individual subjects (Grades) and Habits and Attitudes Towards Learning (HAL rubric HERE). At this early stage in the semester, we find it useful to report a HAL progress update to show us how students have settled into the academic year. The first HAL progress report will be available on Monday 28th August on PowerSchool. To view please do the following:
- Log into PowerSchool Parent Portal.
- Select ‘Grades and Attendance’
- To view current HAL performance, select ‘Standards Grades’
The first Grade Update will be available on September 29th.
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.
Upcoming Focus Meetings for HS parents
Justyna McMillan
justyna@isb.ac.th
A quick heads up to save the date, for informational meetings, focused on different groups in the High School.:
Informational Meeting for parents new to the High School – September 6th at 10:00
This meeting is aimed at new HS parents (Gr9-12) who would like to know more about academics in the HS and how you can best support your child in this journey as a new student. If you are not a new parent, you are of course also welcome to attend! More details about the venue and agenda will be shared in the coming weeks.
IB Matters for Gr12 – September 8th at 10:00 AM
This meeting is aimed at current Gr12 parents of students taking either the full IB Diploma or IB Yr2 courses leading to certificates. We will provide an overview of the year ahead, with tips of how you can support your child through this year in preparation for the IB exams in May 2024.
IB Matters for Gr11 ‘Welcome to the IB’ – September 19th at 10:00
This meeting is aimed at current Gr11 parents of students who have just begun their 2 year IB journey. We will provide an overview of the program, including focus on IB assessment, academic honesty, and your role as a parent of an IB student.
Further details and agendas will be published closer to the date. Later on this semester, we will hold an ‘IB Basics’ meeting as well as other meetings focused on academics, pathways and student life in the HS. Watch this space for further details.
News from the University Counselors
Debbie McDowell
debbiem@isb.ac.th
Thanks to everyone who joined the university counselors for the Senior Family University Night on Thursday. We are excited about kicking off the university application season with the Class of 2024. Please be sure to go here to see a copy of the presentation. Senior Family Conferences should be scheduled and completed before the end of September. This is an important meeting to make sure all parties are on the same page and prepared for all steps in the university application process.
Grade 12 students attended their first Senior Seminar on Thursday this week. Attendance at Senior Seminar is mandatory for all grade 12 students. This gives the counselor and students the best opportunity to be prepared for their university planning. This week many important topics were covered in Sr Sem #1: Counselor expectations, Dates & Deadlines, Senior Survey (for counselor recommendation), application types and timing, Common Application set up, and a reminder about Concourse. Ask your child about what was covered that was most important to them. The next Senior Seminar will be on Thursday, 7 September. Individual meetings are necessary as well. Encourage your child to set appointments with their counselor frequently!
Grade 11
PSAT
All Grade 11 ISB students are scheduled to take the PSAT at no cost to the family on the morning of Wednesday, October 4. The PSAT serves as practice for the SAT and is also the National Merit Qualifying Test for American citizens. For some ISB students, the PSAT may not be relevant to their university applications/planning, and therefore they do not need to take the exam. Please complete this OPT-OUT FORM by Friday, August 25 if you DO NOT want your child to take the PSAT.
On the day of the test, students will report directly to the MPB at 7:30 AM. This year, the PSAT will be digital; students will take the exam on their own school provided devices. Here is a slide presentation on the PSAT/NMSQT and how the test will be different in its new digital format. Here is a SHORT VIDEO that explains the changes. Students taking the PSAT must download the Bluebook app where they can practice test questions and the new digital format. All test takers will go through a digital readiness check in school on September 12.
If you’re unsure if your student should take the exam, please contact your student’s counselor. If you have general PSAT questions, please email Curt Nichols at curtn@isb.ac.th.
Parent University Coffees
The university counselors will host the first Parent University Coffee on Friday, September 8 @ 9:00 AM in the MPB 1. The topic will be “Introduction to ISB University Counselors and the University Counseling Program” and is open to all parents of students in grades 9 through 12. Mark your calendars and join us to find out more about university counseling at ISB!
University Visits
There are no university visits scheduled for August but there are virtual events that students can join. Virtual events can be found here.
Future University Visits:
- Thursday, 7 September @ 11:00: Miami University, Oxford, HS Conference Room
- Thursday, 7 September @ 3:00: Yamanashi Gakuin University, HS Conference Room
- Tuesday, 12 September @ 3:00: Lawrence Technological University, Counseling Conference Room
- Monday, 18 September @ 11:00: City University of Hong Kong, HS Conference Room
- Monday, 18 September @ 3:00: McGill University, MPB 3
- Wednesday, 20 September @ 2:00: Greater Bangkok Fair, HS Gym(Rajendra) & ES Gym
- Monday, 25 September @ 11:00: Indiana University-Bloomington, HS Conference Room
- Monday, 25 September @ 11:00: University of San Diego, TBD
- Thursday, 28 September @ 11:00: Hult International Business School, HS Conference Room
- Thursday, 28 September @ 3:00: University of British Columbia, MPB 1
Watch for future visits from: University of Boston, Berklee College of Music, and others
For more university counseling information, please check the ISB University Counseling website. There you’ll find university research tools, transition resources, recordings and slide shows from Parent Coffees and other presentations, virtual and off campus university visits, information about testing and how to sign up for the SAT at ISB, a database of summer programs, and the ISB School Profile.
Kindly,
Debbie
New from School Counselors
Jackie Valenzuela
jackiev@isb.ac.th
The HS students have settled into their classes and their schedules are now set for the semester.
We are looking forward to launching a new HS parent book club this year. All high school parents are invited to join us for a discussion about Thrivers: The Surprising Reasons Why Some Kids Struggle and Others Shine by Michele Borba, Ed. D. The book club will meet in the MPB3 at 8am on Thursday, October 12, Thursday, October 19, Thursday, November 9 and Thursday, November 16. Please sign up HERE if you are interested in joining us.
Please reach out to us anytime if you want to discuss your student’s academic life and/or social/emotional wellbeing. We are happy to meet and can be reached at: Shannon Leoni (shannonl@isb.ac.th), Frank Sambula Jr. (franks@isb.ac.th) and Jackie Valenzuela (jackiev@isb.ac.th).
News from HS Library
Christopher Bell
christob@isb.ac.th
Please click High School Library
Peace Day Community Song
Anthony Giles
anthonyg@isb.ac.th
This year, the theme of the United Nations International Day of Peace is “Actions for Peace”. One of the themes of our ISB Peace Day Assembly on September 20th will be the concept of sustainability as an action for peace. To that in mind, the elementary students will lead the singing of “The Three R’s” by Jack Johnson. They have been working on it in music class and would love for all ISB students, staff and faculty to learn the three movements for “Reduce, Reuse, Recycle” so that they can sing along. Give it a go!!!
ISB Family Field Trip to see West Side Story – 2:30pm Sunday, October 8th
Anthony Giles
anthonyg@isb.ac.th
Join us for an ISB Family Field Trip to attend the Bangkok International Festival of Dance and Music’s 2:30pm Sunday, October 8th, 2023 matinee performance of West Side Story at the Thai Cultural Centre. Space is limited so sign-ups HERE will be honored on a first come first served basis through 12:00 noon on Tuesday, August 29th. Note that parents are required to attend with their children – no exceptions. Look for transportation and payment details once the roster has been confirmed. Questions? Contact Anthony Giles, Director of Arts, Activities & Community Engagement, at anthonyg@isb.ac.th.
WHAT: West Side Story the Musical
WHERE: Thai Cultural Centre
WHEN: 2:30pm Sunday, October 8, 2023
WHO: ISB Families Only
TRANSPORTATION: Included
TICKETS: 3,500THB per person
https://www.bangkokfestivals.com/program/west-side-story-6/
ISB’s Art Studio Saturday – September 9th, 2023
Anthony Giles
anthonyg@isb.ac.th
Art Studio Saturdays are designed to enrich the ISB community through the intellectual and creative thoughts and actions of its participants. The format of this particular Art Studio Saturday is structured so that participants (parents and students grade 4 and above) are involved in one of three focus workshops in which they will learn specific skills, have the opportunity for individual exploration, and participate in creative challenges. As the day progresses, participants will be invited to visit other workshops and with the possibility of engaging in collaborative works. See more information below and then join us on Saturday, 9 September for one of three amazing workshops by paying HERE. Space is limited to the first fifteen parents or students G4 and above per workshop and workshops run simultaneously so sign up for only one.
Permission to Leave Campus Early during a free last block (Repeat)
Andy Vaughan
andyv@isb.ac.th
Students in High School may apply for the privilege of leaving school early on days that they have the last block free. Instead of parents sending an email to the High School office, parents can complete an online form through Operoo to approve this standing agreement for the remainder of the school year. This permission may only be used in the last block of the school day where the student has a free block. If a student ends up having the final two blocks free they are expected to remain in school until 1.20pm and use their free block as a study/work block.
All students who are approved with this status will be able to leave campus at 1.20pm without a pass.
Please note that students who leave campus are not covered by the school’s insurance policy since they are unsupervised during this time. While off campus, the Parent assumes responsibility for their child. Please also note that if a student leaves campus at 1.20pm on a day they have class and they skip the last block, this permission to leave campus will be lost for the remainder of the school year.
For information on how to access Operoo, please refer to this video.
To complete this form for your child, please follow this link.
Please note that ISB Bus travelers are not able to be issued this agreement as they are not traveling home on school sponsored transport
Andy Vaughan
HS Dean of Students
Senior Gate Passes (Repeat)
Andy Vaughan
andyv@isb.ac.th
On September 13, Seniors who are eligible to receive a Senior Gate Passes will be informed of this privilege. A Senior Gate Pass allows a senior to come and go from campus in any free block or at lunch.
Eligibility for the pass is based on a Grade 12 student completing the following criteria:
- Have all CAS requirements up to date.
- Not have had excessive amounts of MSH (<4).
- Not more than 4 absences in any one class at this point in the semester.
- Had no more than four tardies.
- Have turned in their draft EE (only for full IB students).
- Be in good behavioral standing.
If a student fulfills all the above criteria, one of the key steps to receive a Senior Gate Pass involves parents completing the Senior Gate Pass Authorisation form on Operoo via this link. Your Grade 12 child will need to sign this form together with you to be eligible to have the pass.
Please note that you can fill out the above form even if your child is not yet eligible, hence we are sending this form out early this year so that when your child has met the conditions for a Senior Gate Pass they can be granted this immediately. Once they have met the requirements their card will be activated to allow them to come on and off campus at any time during the school day.
For the full expectations of the Senior Gate Pass, please see the details listed in the form linked above.