IGB International School Newsletter - March 2014
Inside Newsletter Message from Head of School Anne Fowles, Head of School News from Elementary School Transdisciplinary Learning and Traditional Subjects Claire McLeod, Elementary School Principal News from Secondary School Secondary Matters Lennox Meldrum, Secondary School Principal
Upcoming Events 5th, 19th & 26th April, 2014 Parent Information Sessions May, 2014 Open Days & Tours 7th - 25th July, 2014 Summer School 18th August, 2014 Start of School For more information please contact Admissions at 03-6730 7788
School Updates Peter Syme, Director of Academic and Support Services Updates from Admissions Michelle Ostiguy, Admissions Manager
Igniting Minds
Impacting Lives
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Message from Head of School Mrs Anne Fowles, Head of School Dear Parents and Community Members, The month has sped by since writing our February newsletter. Those of you who are living nearby will have seen that progress on our school building has really moved along as well. The internal fit out has commenced and we plan to move our administration office at the end of April. The delivery of furniture, books and resources will closely follow and we will have key areas of the school set up ready for tours at the end of May and early June. Currently on site are our five senior administrators; Mr Peter Syme, (Director of Academic and Support Services), Mrs Claire McLeod (Elementary Principal), Mr Lennox Meldrum (Secondary Principal), Ms Gigi Lim (Business Manager) along with Ms Michelle Ostiguy (Admissions Manager), Teresa (Finance Manager) and Nurlina (Marketing Manager).
Our incoming teachers form a highly experienced team who have worked in international schools all over the world. Apart from the range of nationalities that they represent (Australia, Belgium, Canada, Chile, China, Germany, Ireland, Korea, Malaysia, New Zealand, UK, and USA), what really stands out is the depth of their IB and accreditation experience. Many of our teachers are workshop leaders, examiners, moderators, visiting team members and programme consultants for one or more of the IB programmes, for the Council of International Schools (CIS) and for the New England Association of Schools and Colleges (NEASC). Two of our expatriate teachers are already in Kuala Lumpur as their spouses teach at other international schools in the city, so we plan to introduce them at upcoming information sessions on April 5, 19 and 26. A number of other teachers will be arriving in late June so that they may teach in the July summer school (further details enclosed) while the rest will come in the last week of July.
Our information sessions at the Park Manor Sales Gallery, Sierramas, will focus on aspects of the IGBIS Elementary and Secondary School programmes. We strongly encourage prospective parents to come along to one of the sessions if you haven’t done so already. I look forward to meeting more of our new parents and students as they come into the office over the coming weeks.
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Igniting Minds
Impacting Lives
News from Elementary School Transdisciplinary Learning and Traditional Subjects
Mrs Claire McLeod, Elementary School Principal When a parent new to IBPYP views a typical Elementary school timetable they often look for the blocks for Maths, English, Science, Social Studies and Health. They have either read or heard about transdisciplinary learning but they were still expecting to see the normal timetable blocks for all the different subjects within the curriculum. Understandably they fall back on their own experiences where subjects were taught independently of each other, rarely was there overlap or connections, in fact subjects were usually taught in isolation. The PYP endorses a belief that students learn best when the learning is authentic and transdisciplinary - relevant to the real world - where the learning is not confined within the boundaries of traditional subject areas but is supported and enriched by them. We recognize the need to acquire skills in context, and to explore content that is relevant to students. “To be truly educated a student must also make connections across the disciplines, discover ways to integrate the separate subjects and ultimately relate what they learn to life” (Boyer 1995:82).
Our curriculum from Early Years 1 to Grade 5 includes the subjects of Language, Mathematics, Social Studies, Science, Personal and Social Education, Art, Music and Physical Education. These subject areas are documented in detailed frameworks that set out the overall expectations for each subject within age ranges or as a developmental continuum. Rather than single subject lessons, we teach most of our curriculum through the Units of Inquiry. The inquiries allow students to acquire and apply a set of transdisciplinary skills: social, communication, thinking, research and self-management skills. As an example within a unit of inquiry that may have a social studies focus students will have the opportunity to expand their reading and writing skills by using related texts and writing narratives, reports, poems or persuasive texts related to the unit and explore connections to mathematics. Where possible students and teachers will explore authentic connections to music, art and physical education; hence the transdisciplinary nature of the programme. Language • Oral language • Visual language • Written language
Maths • Data handling • Measurement • Shape and space • Pattern and function • Number
Bahasa Malaysia & Mandarin • Oral and written language Social Studies • Human systems and economic activities • Social organization and structure • Continuity and change through time • Human and natural environments • Resources and the environment
Science • Living things • Earth and space • Materials and matter • Forces and energy
Personal and Social Education • Identity • Active life • Interactions
Physical Education • Individual pursuits • Movement composition • Games • Adventure challenge • Health-related fitness
Music • Responding • Creating
Art • Responding • Creating
Igniting Minds
Impacting Lives
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News from Secondary School Secondary Matters Mr Lennox R. Meldrum Secondary School Principal In March, the Leadership Team from IGBIS attended the annual regional conference for the IB Asia-Pacific region with over 1000 other IB educators. Being able to meet administrators, teachers, and school staff from many of the 600+ schools that offer IB programmes across Asia-Pacific gave an insight into the approaches being taken in delivering the courses of study. This regional conference is one of three held each year, the other two being in the Africa, Europe and Middle East (AEM) region and the Americas region. With nearly 900 IB schools in AEM and over 2200 schools in the Americas, these conferences highlight how diverse and widely accepted the IB programmes are across the globe. The most common question we receive about the IB programmes is what country it is from. This is understandable as there are many established programmes of study based on the education systems from the UK, USA, Canada, Australia, and so forth, and a number of international schools that offer these programmes. IB schools benefit from programmes of study that are truly global in nature. As the programmes are taught in over 140 countries and are recognised by many as equivalent to the local curriculum (including Malaysia), they are carefully constructed to maximise student learning based on research from educational systems around the world. For two years prior to coming to Malaysia, I worked in the IB Global Centre in The Hague as part of the curriculum development team for both the Diploma Programme and the Middle Years Programme. Each course is reviewed on a five to seven year cycle to ensure both subject knowledge and teaching strategies embrace the latest pedagogical research. As well as extensive studies into the success or struggles of educational programmes in various countries, experts from universities, industry, and research organisations are consulted to offer their views on the direction of education and changes that may be considered. During the review process, IB educators from a variety of backgrounds – national/private/international schools, language of instruction, multiple country experience – contribute to the development of course content, assessment strategies, integration with other teaching areas, and many other factors. This stage takes three to four years with continual consultation and review by external bodies including educational authorisation departments from countries such as the UK, USA, and Australia. Prior to schools teaching the newly reviewed courses, extensive teacher training is provided across the globe in online forums, face-to-face workshops, and detailed support material. The final result is a programme of education that has been globally developed to cater for the one million plus students who are studying in IB schools with teachers who have been specifically trained for these courses.
Our programmes are like our teachers and our families – asking where we are from is not a simple question to answer! At IGBIS we support and promote our host nation culture and language, as we are fortunate to be part of Malaysian society in the 21st century. But we are also constantly aware of the global opportunities our students will have so are delivering the best international education available, taught by an experienced team of outstanding educators.
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Igniting Minds
Impacting Lives
Building Updates Mr Peter Syme, Director of Academic and Support Services In the coming months, I will be detailing the breadth of our facilities at IGBIS. In keeping with the IB’s commitment to a balanced curriculum, IGBIS is building facilities that will enhance and showcase a host of learning areas, giving students opportunities to excel and experiment in many areas across their school life. Performing Arts A modern, state-of-the-art theatre which seats 540 people is one of the outstanding features of IGBIS. The stage area itself is impressive with a width of 25m and a depth of 15m, allowing orchestral, dance performances, school productions and by using the curtains, it can also house debating competitions, public speaking and other seminar presentations. There is wheelchair access to the theatre as well as removable seating to accommodate wheelchairs. Directly off the stage area are dressing rooms and make-up rooms for the students.
There are two dance studios and two drama studios, one of which can easily convert into a Black Box Theatre. All four studios have sprung flooring and are very impressive in size, each studio being 208m² and double volume in height.
The music department will be well-serviced with 19 music practice rooms of various sizes, catering for individuals and small ensemble rehearsals. There are 4 music classrooms, two of these being 160m² to house a full orchestra or concert band. There will also be a recording studio to complement the music programmes and allow the students opportunities not only to perform, but also to evaluate and analyse their own work or compositions.
Igniting Minds
Impacting Lives
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Updates from Admissions Ms Michelle Ostiguy, Admissions Manager Admissions is getting busier, meeting with families, assessing and welcoming new students to the school now on a daily basis. We will be moving into our offices in the new school at the end of April. We will be sure to notify you so that you will always know how to reach us. We are planning for our open days in May. More details to come. We are very excited to announce the first IGBIS Summer School that will run from 7th to 25th July, 2014. The Summer school programmes will be taught by IGBIS teachers.
The following programmes will be offered: Grade 3-5 (Ages 8 - 11) Mixed Media Visual and Performing Arts and Technology This programme will focus on drawing, painting ceramics, singing and group instrumental ensembles. New areas of digital technology will also be explored. Grade 6- 10 (Ages 11 - 16) IB Middle Years Programme - Mixed Classes A fun introduction to the IB Middle Years Programme including a mixture of technology, design, visual and performing arts, English, science, mathematics, language learning (French/Chinese) and sports. Mixed Media Visual and Performing Arts and English Students will participate in Visual Arts, Drama, Music (ensembles), digital photography and aspects of academic English. Design with Food, Macbooks and Robotics! The focus for this programme is to explore your Macbook and get the best from it and to introduce the design cycle and its problem solving potential , robotics and culinary arts. Grade 10 or 11 (Ages 16-17) Introduction to the IB Diploma Programme Students new to the IB Diploma Programme will be introduced to the essentials of the programme including examples of work from the subject groups: Group 1 English, Group 2 World Languages, Group 3 Individuals and Societies, Group 4 Experimental Sciences, Group 5 Mathematics, Group 6 The Arts and Electives as well as Theory of Knowledge. In order to accommodate family schedules, IGBIS will be hosting three Parent Information Sessions on Saturday April 5, 19 and 26. Please contact me if you have any questions or if you would like to reserve a place.
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Igniting Minds
Impacting Lives