Monthly Newsletter
JANUARY 2021 ISSUE
Dear Parents, Caregivers and Students, We have had another challenging month of virtual schooling and the uncertainties continue to occupy our minds on a daily basis. With no clear indication from local authorities about students returning to campus and with ongoing discussions between Inspired Education, Cambridge International and the International Baccalaureate, we are set for another challenging month ahead. Rest assured, we are working hard to provide our students with support, opportunities and continuity in their education journey. Our Year 13 students continue to receive the necessary support and guidance from Mr. Todd and the DP teachers as they finalize internal assessments, university applications and prepare for mock examinations scheduled from 22-26 March. We will be holding an important IBDP Q&A for all parents and students on Tuesday, 9 February and look forward to sharing information about the assessment route available to students this year. Graduation planning is well underway and we look forward to acknowledging and celebrating students achievement on Saturday, 5 June. Our Year 11 students will receive further details about Cambridge examinations along with registration details, examination fee information and important deadlines. Our students will also participate in the mock examination session from 22-26 March and these results will contribute to Semester Two achievement. Students in Years 10, 12 and in the Middle School (Years 7 – 9) continue to do an incredible job of maintaining focus and concentration during online learning. Students are encouraged to reach out to their Advisors if additional support is needed and parents are also encouraged to communicate with Advisors (in the first instance) if their son/ daughter is experiencing academic, social, emotional or psychological challenges during this time.
2 | ACG JKT
January Newsletter
Upcoming Events 1 - 5 February Mental Health Awareness Week
It is so refreshing to observe our students in the Kindergarten and Primary School smiling, laughing and sharing learning experiences online. Our teachers are working tirelessly to provide engaging and dynamic lessons online and maintain strong connections with both students and parents. I was fortunate to work with Year 6 boys over the past two weeks as we discussed health education and I was so impressed with their attitude, maturity and support of each other. I would like to thank everyone who attended the recent Parent Community Group Meeting. We discussed the important question, “How can we help?” It was no surprise that we were collectively able to come up with a number of possible ideas, activities and events that would potentially go a long way to help all of us feel more positive, connected and motivated as we all struggle with the restrictions imposed on all of us by this pandemic. If you were not able to make the meeting and would like to contribute ideas and suggestions that would lead to positive change through this virtual school period, please email shawn.hutchinson@acgedu.com directly and we will look at what can be implemented.
5 February Parents as Learners: Entrepreneurial Skill Sets 6 February Virtual Open Day: Kindergarten & Primary 9 February IBDP Q&A Session 13 February Virtual Open Day: Secondary
Finally, I would like to extend a huge thank you to all of our student leaders who have been working behind the scenes to coordinate Mental Health Awareness Week from 1 – 5 February. Please visit the STUCO Instagram and follow all of the action. Furthermore, the third edition of the student online magazine, SCREAM zine, was released this month and well worth a read.
Shawn Hutchinson Principal
January Newsletter
ACG JKT | 3
Message from the
VICE PRINCIPAL Dear Parents, Caregivers and Students, As a High School Visual Arts teacher, I was always very aware of the bottleneck known as March. Now, as a DP Coordinator and Vice Principal I have become hyper sensitive to the bottleneck known as Semester 2. The craziness begins in November of Semester 1, actually, with early decisions for Year 13, letters for recommendations, Predicted Grades, Extended Essay, ToK and CAS deadlines drawing ever closer. In the old normal, when people actually used to be in the same room as each other, this bottleneck was a high pressure situation So, here we are, almost in February. University places have been offered and are being weighed up. Extended Essays are all done, all the Internal Assessments are all heading towards that final dropbox and we turn our minds to Graduation matters. At the same time as Year 13 get ready for a world without school, Year 9 and 11 are contemplating their preferences for the next stage in their education. This week I will begin conversations with every single student about their ideas about the future, their passions, skills, talents and the possibilities that lay ahead of them. Then we will see how we can best serve them shape the remainder of their Secondary School experience from a totally individualized perspective. Being a father of three, I understand how complex an emotional landscape it is that parents will soon be traversing; we are her to support you in any way we can, all the while reminding ourselves that if we know who are students are and what makes them tick, then we can do our job a whole lot better. Goodbye 2020, you will not be missed, and hello 2021, let’s see what we can make out of you. Richard Todd Vice Principal
4 | ACG JKT
January Newsletter
Learner Profile Attributes Name of student: Maryam
Name of student: Aslan Aslanov
Year level: Kindergarten
Year level: Year 4
Learner Profile: Inquirer
Learner Profile: Reflective
Reason: For being such a great inquirer when exploring our Kindergarten activities.
Reason: For proactively making changes and improvements in his work and productivity, as well as stepping up his leadership skills when leading the student led sharing session.
Name of student: Alex Year level: Year 1 Learner Profile: Principled Reason: For being honest and fair. Alex always leads by example by doing the right thing and displaying excellent manners. He makes admirable choices and shares his thinking and ideas with his classmates. Amazing!
Name of student: Yusuf Hashmi Year level: Year 5 Learner Profile: Thinkers Reason: Using his thinking skills to break down difficult tasks to be successful. Yusuf always makes connections to his prior knowledge to help him undestand comcepts.
Name of student: Naomi Huerlimann Year level: Year 2
Name of student: Rohit Varma
Learner Profile: Knowledable
Year level: Year 6
Reason: Sharing her knowledge of how recycling works in Switzerland. Naomi shared her new learning with the class and showed how she cares for the environment by investigating recycling on her holiday in Switzerland.
Learner Profile: Inquirer Reason: Rohit is curious and inquirers about the world. He asks questions and seeks answers. He loves learning and discovering new things.
Name of student: Inaya Jamal Year level: 3 Learner Profile: Inquirer Reason: Sharing ideas during group work or discussion with her peers. She enjoys asking questions, conducting research on an inquiry topic and presenting it in her own words. This was evident when she presented her report of flooding in Pakistan.
January Newsletter
ACG JKT | 5
Primary Years Programme Update It has certainly been a busy start to Semester 2 for our primary students. I am very proud of their positivity and enthusiasm for learning, during these times of prolonged Virtual School. I have observed happy, excited and eager to learn students, who demonstrate engagement in their learning, both in Zoom classes and through their submissions of high-quality pieces of work, across all subject areas. I know that virtual school presents a range of challenges to all of our families in different ways, but it is clearly evident that our parents and caregivers have continued to work incredibly hard, day after day to ensure their child is best supported and successful in Virtual School. Thank you so much to our ACG School Jakarta families for everything you do.
Year 1 In the Year 1, How We Express Ourselves Unit of Inquiry, students explored poetry and rhyme though the art of ‘Rap’. Inviting our resident rap artist/Design Technology teacher, Mr Mark Ellison was a particular highlight of this unit! We are always keen to collaborate and enrich the students’ learning experiences with all members of our school community, including primary buddy classes, secondary and primary students and guest appearances from our teachers and parents.
Year 2 The philosophy of the PYP is expressed in a series of attributes and traits that create the Learner profile. These are explicitly taught, practiced and reinforced in our Units of Inquiry throughout the year. At the end of their ‘Where We Are in Place and Time’ Unit of Inquiry, Year 2 students spent time reflecting on how they had demonstrated the Learner Profile traits for this unit by giving examples. It is really important that we give students the time to reflect, share and discuss their personal thinking and learning. Students are now busily unpacking their new Unit of Inquiry ‘How The World Works’… watch this space for more work on ‘Machines can make life easier’.
6 | ACG JKT
January Newsletter
Primary Years Programme Update Year 3 Kinesthetic learners need to move while they learn. They might wiggle, tap, swing their legs and often just can’t seem to sit still! Given that the students are learning online, Ms Vinnie and Ms Rosa introduced the game ‘Punctuation Mime’ to explore full stops, capital letters, commas and question marks. This was a fun and physical activity which everyone really enjoyed, including the teachers!
Year 4 In Year 4, students have finished their third Unit of Inquiry under the theme “How We Organise Ourselves”. In this unit, students inquired into the Central Idea “Many products go through a process of change before they are consumed or used.” and had a strong focus on science standards about the states of matter. Under the Key Concept of Change, students participated in a variety of hands-on science experiments, including making homemade ice cream, making “oobleck” from the Dr. Suess book “Bartholomew and the Oobleck”, and the States of Matter Balloon Experiment.
January Newsletter
ACG JKT | 7
Primary Years Programme Update Year 5 In year 5, students have been studying DNA, inheritance, and acquired traits in their “Who We Are Unit.” This led to a seamless transition into the current “How the World Works” unit which focuses on the central idea “Humans use scientific principles to understand the world”. Students have been excited to practice a variety of experiments, some they even researched, planned, and demonstrated independently. In one experiment, Violet demonstrated the chemical reaction of yeast, which releases gases to blow up a balloon!
Year 6 In year 6, students inquired into the central idea Supply and demand drive the production of goods in their “How We Organise Ourselves Unit”. In this unit, they explore market research, advertising techniques, and sustainable business practices. In a STEM activity, students were encouraged to create recipes of their own and survey their family members as a form of market research. Following this activity, they reflected on if they thought they should make changes to their recipe, price, and advertising techniques or if they felt confident that their product would be successful.
8 | ACG JKT
January Newsletter
Learning at ACG School Jakarta Kindergarten This month, we have been busy tuning the Kindergarten students into our new Unit of Inquiry ‘Patterns affect our daily lives’. The students have shown high levels of engagement in this unit already, by exploring patterns all around them. They have identified patterns in their own home, as well as animal patterns and the beauty of natural leaf patterns. This is a fantastic, hands-on unit that really allows the students to explore the world around them, using their five senses. In maths, they have made a range of repeating patterns from color, shape and number patterns, to making their own fruit kebab patterns (which was great fun and very yummy!). We are moving onto the patterns of time, such as seasons, months of the year and days of the week, and their daily routines. The Kindergarten team have lots of wonderful ideas as to where this unit could go, but with student agency at the heart of everything we do, we are excited to see where the students take their learning in this unit.
January Newsletter
ACG JKT | 9
Learning at ACG School Jakarta Year 1 In Maths, the students have been exploring the concept of length by measuring different household objects using non-standard measurements such as handspans, paperclips and cubes. To further develop their measuring skills, students were given the task of measuring a range of items in their home using their centimetre ruler. The students were able to use the ruler accurately, read the numbers and record how long each object was in cms. Well done Year 1s!
10 | ACG JKT
January Newsletter
Learning at ACG School Jakarta Year 2 The students have been presenting their UOI Summative Assessments and doing an amazing job! This month we began our new Unit of Inquiry How the World Works. In Maths we have begun exploring 2D shapes, naming, sorting and exploring symmetry. In Phonics we are beginning to investigate long vowel sounds through digraphs and trigraphs.
January Newsletter
ACG JKT | 11
Learning at ACG School Jakarta Year 3 Year 3 student enthusiastically presented their Summative Assessment on the topic ‘Religion. As an extension and in view of World Religion Day, we also presented this information to the Lower Primary Year 1 and 2, Year 5 students, teachers, and our wonderful Year 3 parents. It was a proud moment to see our students wearing their traditional costumes, prepared with their posters,3D models of places of worship, and other mediums such as holy books, head cover pieces and prayer mats. Each group delivered their presentation clearly even though given only a few minutes and the transition between groups were also smooth. Based on feedback received, parents and teachers were impressed with the content delivered. Students also had the chance to give a short feedback on what they learned and areas they wish to explore more. We wish the YEAR 3 more progress and wonderful sharing of their awesome work and initiative. Thank you parents, students, and teachers who attended. Looking forward to more wonderful presentations by our Year 3.
12 | ACG JKT
January Newsletter
Learning at ACG School Jakarta Year 3
January Newsletter
ACG JKT | 13
Learning at ACG School Jakarta Year 4 Year 4’s enjoyed a Science focused unit of study with ‘How we organize ourselves’. We learned about the origins of products, the process of what products go through before it is consumed or used as well as the responsible choices we can make to reduce our carbon footprint. We linked the science study of matter with the process of change in products. Year 4 performed scientific experiments on the 3 states of matter and learned to complete the scientific method as their procedural text. Here you see the students performing various experiments on the States of Matter.
14 | ACG JKT
January Newsletter
Learning at ACG School Jakarta Year 4 - Music In music, Year 4 students created and performed their own body percussion performances as part of their investigation into how products go through a process of change before they are consumed or used. Before term break, students learned about the four stages of the creative cycle: planning, practicing, polishing, and performing while learning how to perform several body percussion routines. After our return to school in January, Year 4 students put the creative cycle into use by creating their own body percussion routines. They planned their music and body percussion patterns, practiced putting their body percussion patterns with the music, gave one another feedback in order to edit and polish their routines, and finally created a video performance of their composition.
January Newsletter
ACG JKT | 15
Learning at ACG School Jakarta Year 5 In an inquiry to our Who We Are Unit, we explored how people inherit traits through their genes from their ancestors. This was an ambitious unit with a lot of complicated concepts, vocabulary, and required significant background knowledge. As we explored the genetic code, students were asked to create a visual representation of the double helix. For their summative assessments, students created a Student Trait Portfolio to outline their specific inherited traits and acquired traits. They also had the opportunity to research a question of their choice. Arfan did a great job exploring blood typing using Punnett Squares.
16 | ACG JKT
January Newsletter
Learning at ACG School Jakarta Year 6 Students that attend a PYP World school take part in Exhibition in their last year of the programme. Students are required to engage in a collaborative, transdisciplinary inquiry process that involves them in identifying, investigating and offering solutions to real-life issues or problems. Students will be embarking on a journey of inquiry that will enable them to refine their transdisciplinary skills. Students have initiated the selection process of finding the perfect songs that fall in line with Sharing the Planet, where the focus of the inquiry is into rights and responsibilities in the struggle to share finite resources with other people and with other living things; communicate and the relationships within and between them; access to equal opportunities; peace and conflict resolutions. Students were able to use enhanced teamwork skills and collaboration to promote/defend their chosen song selected as they participated in a classroom debate.
January Newsletter
ACG JKT | 17
Learning at ACG School Jakarta Year 11 - Biology Mitosis Videos In Year 11, Biology students have been learning about genetics and variations. As part of this, they produced videos showing the process of Mitosis.
18 | ACG JKT
January Newsletter
Learning at ACG School Jakarta Year 11 - Bahasa Indonesia In Year 11 IGCSE Bahasa Indonesia, students are encouraged to speak their minds, to express their thoughts and to make interpretations. In this unit, students gave their opinions and interpretations of two texts: a poster and a comic strip. They analysed the picture, wrote texts, and messages.
January Newsletter
ACG JKT |19
Library Update With the school’s closure caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, the ACG School Jakarta library launched a “Drive-Thru Library” service to support students in accessing reading materials. This service is to ensure the health and safety of our community while accessing library books. Through The Drive-thru Library, students can pick up reading materials holds through the Library Online Catalogue. The Drive-thru Library is located in the Security Post. When picking up or returning library books, students are helped by security staff while in their car. To further limit the spread of COVID-19, the library also sets aside all returned materials in UV containers before staff checks them back in. The Drive-Thru Library has received positive feedback from the community and will support students’ access to reading materials due to the pandemic.
20 | ACG JKT
January Newsletter
Community Group Update Thank you to all members of our community who attended the recent meeting on Friday, 29 January. You can watch the recording HERE if you were not able to attend. We will have our next meeting on 26 February.
January JanuaryNewsletter Newsletter
K3&K4
Year 6
Erawaty Kriptanto
Vidya Indriani
(Gavin Kriptanto’s Mum)
(Kenneth Adrian’s Mum)
era_777@yahoo.com
indriani.vn@gmail.com
Year 1
Year 7
Vinnie Kaur
Dewi Sumawijaya
(Aheli Dhillon ‘s mum)
(Rafa Wawolumaya’s Mum)
jagsemailadd@gmail.com
dewi.sumawijaya@gmail.com
Year 2
Year 8
Rei Ooka
Leontien van Hekken-Oostrom
(Sana Ooka’s Mum)
(Sofie van Hekken’s Mum)
omaemonya55@gmail.com
leontienoostrom@hotmail.com
Year 3
Year 9
Naomi Phillip
Leah Sudarto
(Austen Philip’s Mum)
(Troy Sudarto’s Mum)
gnomes69@hotmail.com
leah@sudarto.com
Year 4
Year 10-11
Aprilia Linda Rihardini
Meity Tedjowati
(Alexandrica Salim’s Mum)
(Maliek ten Have’s Mum)
apriliazein@gmail.com
meityth@gmail.com
Year 5
Year 12-13
Nazia Saulat
Wina Darwis
(Yusuf Hashmi’s Mum)
(Anya Simanjuntak’s Mum)
naziasaulat@gmail.com
wdarwis@yahoo.com
ACGJKT JKT||21 ACG 21
Mental Health Awareness Week Information: Mental Health Awareness Week Theme: Kindness Date: 1st to 5th February
Created by: Eva Ellison 22 | ACG JKT
January Newsletter
January Newsletter
ACG ACGJKT JKT||23 23
24 | ACG JKT
January Newsletter
Seeing the world through an artist’s lens Artist and visual arts teacher Olivia Owen brings a truly global perspective to her role at ACG School Jakarta. Originally from Ireland, Olivia has spent 12 years living in South East Asia and has taught art and design in the UK, Singapore, Bali, Malaysia and Jakarta (across the American High School Diploma, International Baccalaureate and Cambridge curricula). Passionate about the importance art plays in today’s society, Olivia’s creativity, expertise and international outlook are taking ACG School Jakarta’s visual arts programme to the next level. “We use art to appreciate who we are, our place in the world and the meaning of our lives. It allows us to express ourselves, speak to others across time and place, and see the world in different ways,” says Olivia, who is also a talented painter, creating outstanding compositions inspired by film stills. With BA and MA degrees in Art and Design (specialising in Fine Art) from the University of Portsmouth and a Qualified Teacher Status (QTS) from the University of Reading, Olivia is ideally placed to deliver innovative visual arts programmes that challenge and engage ACG School Jakarta’s aspiring artists. “I work hard to provide students with an environment in which creative thinking is encouraged and developed, while ensuring they have fun in art through learning new skills and techniques. It’s our responsibility as art teachers to help students be imaginative and inventive.” These qualities were certainly showcased by students at the school’s annual art exhibition which took place online from 7th to 11th December and featured a range of artwork from Kindergarten level right up to Year 11, as well as pieces from design and technology students in Years 7 to 11. “The exhibition was designed to be a celebration, allowing students to look and respond to their own work and the work of others. It was a great opportunity for them to show off their work to parents, teachers and friends, and connect with each other.” Compiled by Head of Department and design technology teacher Mark Ellison, with the assistance of Olivia and Tia Kusmugiarti (ACG’s lower school art teacher), the virtual exhibition was showcased on the school’s YouTube channel and website and was warmly received by students and families. Says Mark, “Last semester’s exhibition with the inclusion of the virtual experience was a huge success. Students were given a platform that allowed them to share a vast array of artworks on offer, not only demonstrating their creativity but allowing for expression on a variety of levels. “The exhibition was an excellent example of how we can use technology to help us adapt to everchanging situations while providing a safe and communicative environment for all to enjoy.” With the school’s first-ever virtual exhibition proving to be such a big hit, the arts department has dynamic plans to explore the virtual platform further throughout 2021. A student collaboration event between the art, design technology and music departments in June looks set to be one of the standouts. Adds Mark, “We have some exciting concepts involving interdisciplinary opportunities within departments across the school and look forward to seeing the possibilities and outcomes for what can be achieved using this platform.” Be inspired by a collection of selected artworks from ACG School Jakarta’s first ever virtual exhibition or take a tour of the virtual gallery to view our complete 2020 art exhibition.
January Newsletter
ACG JKT | 25
Building global opportunities at ACG School Jakarta Now a year into her psychology degree at Monash University, Zahra believes she arrived at the Victorian campus better prepared than many of her fellow students. “The International Baccalaureate and Cambridge curricula at ACG Jakarta gave me a head start into writing essays and reports for university. I realised that many people didn’t know how to write essays, but because I was already used to writing, it was easy for me to find the correct resources and use them properly in my papers,” says Zahra. “Being exposed to the university workshops ACG promotes also helped me better prepare for getting into a good university. Plus, taking the career test in Year 10 and talking with the university counsellor was pivotal – otherwise, I would have probably studied something other than psychology.” But ACG School Jakarta equipped Zahra with more than just academic prowess and an exciting career pathway. “Being able to go to a school where I was surrounded by people from different backgrounds and perspectives has helped me develop a more open-minded approach to learning and problem-solving skills. These abilities have not only helped me adapt to university life, but will also be very important for my future.” Now Zahra is forging a career she is passionate about, at a tertiary institution she loves. “I’m very grateful that I am able to attend a university that allows me to express myself and provide me with many opportunities to support my future career.” And she’s making the most of it both inside and outside the lecture hall. “The beauty of university is that you meet people from different age groups and walks of life. Finding connections is very important as it will help you in the future. Currently, I’m part of the Monash Student Association, helping the new students adjust to university in 2021. I am also an Ask Me Ambassador, which allows Monash students from all years of study to communicate with one another and ask questions. “With lockdown being over, I’m hoping that I’ll be able to participate in more volunteering and leadership opportunities, and am also planning on being the moderator for Ask Me, which is a social media platform designed to help new students.” With her first year of university already behind her, Zahra has plenty of practical tips for newcomers. “University is not as scary as you might think! People put too much pressure on themselves to pick a subject and stay with it even if they are not enjoying it, but I’ve discovered that students often change subjects after their first year. “I’ve also learnt that being able to ask questions confidently can get you a long way – asking a silly question that will help you understand something is far better than asking no questions at all out of fear. That gets you nowhere!”
26 | ACG JKT
January Newsletter
Whole School Updates Library To support students’ access to reading materials, ACG School Jakarta will provide a Drive-thru Library Service. This service is to ensure the health and safety of our community while providing access to library books. Easy Steps to follow: •
Visit acgschooljakarta.follettdestiny.com to search the catalogue of books and place a hold on your selected items.
•
Once you receive an email notification to tell you that your items are ready for collection, you will have 6 days to pick them up from school.
•
The Drive-thru Service allows you to drop off and pick up library books Monday to Friday from 7.30am – 4.30pm
•
To further limit the spread of COVID-19, the library sets aside all returned materials in UV containers before staff checking items back in.
Please see our short video for further details about our Drive-thru Library Service. HERE Parent Information Portal Please visit https://jakarta.acgedu.com/school-information/parent-essentials/ for updated information for parents and students. Social Responsibility As a community of learners, we have the responsibility to model behaviours and actions that we want our students to display. We are committed to embracing the energy and events of our time to advance social change in the areas of environmental protection, animal welfare and disaster relief. Parents as Learners Parents are encouraged to visit this section of our Information Portal to learn more about upcoming parent workshops and learning opportunities. Uniforms: We now have an online uniform order system and would like to encourage parents to use this online service. Payment can be made easily by bank transfer, credit card or cash.
January Newsletter
ACG JKT | 27
28 | ACG JKT
January Newsletter
30 | ACG JKT
January Newsletter