IGB International School’s Weekly Newsletter - Issue 108, Week 4, March 2017
Mr. Arcidiacono welcome the guests and introducing the artists ~ Diploma Art Exhibition | 23rd March 2017
Inside This Week Message from Head of School Mrs. Anne Fowles 2 Head of School .............................................................. News from Elementary School Mrs. Claire McLeod 2 Elementary School Principal .............................................................. News from Secondary School Mr. Michael Arcidiacono 4 Secondary School Principal
Elementary Art with Miss Elli and Miss Jade.
~ Pg. 3 Global Citizens. ~ Pg. 4 Visit from MRCEC Refugee School, Part 2.
~ Pg. 5
G12 IBDP Mock Examinations are Underway!. ~ Pg. 6 Performing Arts. ~ Pg. 7 The Flying Phoenix. ~ Pg. 8 Athletics and Activities. ~ Pg. 8 Friends of the Phoenix. ~ Pg. 9 Cafeteria Committee. ~ Pg. 9 E-Purse Update. ~ Pg. 9
Happening.
++ Saturday 25 March ~ International Day (8:30 am – 11:00 am) ++ Tuesday, 28 March ~ Francophonie Day 2017 @ HELP College of Arts & Technology (7:45 am – 5:00 pm) ++ Friday, 31 March ~ KLISS Secondary Swimming Competition @ KTJ (6:15 am – 3:00 pm) ~ ES Assembly (G2) @ L3 ES Music Classroom (8:00 am – 8:30 am)
Message from Head of School Dear IGBIS Parents and Community Members, This week the IB Diploma Art Exhibition opened in the exhibition space on Level 2. The evening was a signature event with some of Malaysia’s best young musicians performing while members of the IGBIS community browsed the outstanding art works on display. A wide range of media were used by the students in their culminating pieces to create an exciting cross-section of contemporary art works.
for our community to celebrate its diversity as well as areas of connection. Please come along and join us on the school field for the Parade of Nations at 8:30 am. Representatives of each country have brought together a tapestry of food, information and activities. Performances will take place concurrently in the Sports Hall. It’s going to be a fun event that is not to be missed!
Mrs. Anne Fowles Head of School
This weekend, on Saturday, March 25th, IGBIS will hold its third International Day. This will be an excellent opportunity
News from Elementary School Friday’s Elementary KLISS Athletics event here at school had excellent planning and enthusiastic participants; however, the weather was not cooperative and we had to cancel due to rain and lightning. Positivity and bucket loads of encouragement could not save the event! Thank you to Mr Tim Bartle, our PE staff and support staff for the pre-planning and set up and to the visiting coaches, students and parents for understanding that safety has to take priority. Don’t forget the Elementary Book Day is scheduled for next Thursday and all students are expected to wear a costume reflecting their favourite book. Dear Parents, Until next time. On Thursday we had an evacuation drill for the whole school, with Fireflies students participating for the first time. The evacuation was orderly and students waited quietly as all students, teachers, administration, support staff, parents and visitors were accounted for.
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Mrs. Claire McLeod Elementary School Principal
Igniting Minds
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Elementary Art with Miss Elli and Miss Jade
Eliane Lawson and Jade Saba Elementary Student Council ...............................................................................................
“Hello everyone from very busy, messy and creative art rooms!” This busy time of year is when the art students are working on finishing units, choosing artwork for their next portfolio page and working out which artwork they would like to include in a possible upcoming PYP Art exhibition. The Early Years students have been inquiring into light looking at shadows, how light works with colour and observing silhouettes. Kindergarten students have been working on themselves, wondering why we painted portraits and how to show that we are important in Art. Grade 1 students have worked on a collaborative piece, wondering where and why we move so much and how we can show movement using lines. Grade 2 students explored texture and pattern, how they are interlinked, and how Van Gogh was a master at this effect. Grade 3 students were wowed by Pop Art and animation and have discovered why movies like Shaun the Sheep are so awe-inspiring. Grade 4 students have been playing hide and seek with animals, exploring the work of Henri Rousseau and working on observational drawing. Finally, Grade 5 students have been workshopping discovering statement and graffiti art; considering why ‘audience’ is important to how we make art. Well done to all the students who have worked so hard this semester.
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News from Secondary School The month of March is coming to a close in the same fashion that it started - full speed with many events happening. Our DP Art Exhibition was a wonderful event this past Thursday, highlighting the creative talents of this year’s Grade 12 class. As I look around the school, it is clear to me the impact that art — and student-created art — has had on how our school environment has developed over our first few years. I look forward to seeing how art will continue to have an impact in creating a school that is rich in culture. IGBIS Board member Mr Tawfik Ismail spoke at the opening of our MUN Conference last weekend, helping to set the context for an engaging weekend where students researched,
debated and presented resolutions affecting nations and the world. The conference was a tremendously successful event, and I am thankful to Mr Tawfik Ismail for his words and to our student MUN leaders for their tremendous organisation during the three day event. I look forward to seeing our community in action this weekend at International Day.
Michael Arcidiacono Secondary School Principal
Global Citizens Phil Clark MYP Coordinator ...............................................................................................
of a large-scale collaborative art project, a mosaic that will symbolise our IGBIS community. International Day will start with a parade of nations to acknowledge the many nationalities that are represented at IGBIS. For some of us, it is easy to identify with a single culture or nation where we have been born and raised. For others this is more complex, if our parents are of different nationalities, or we were born or have lived in different countries, or we simply feel a connection to more than one country or culture. We acknowledge that this is common in international schools, and recognise this intercultural aspect of our community under a “Global Citizens” flag.
As members of the IGB International School community, we welcome students and families from a wide range of nationalities and cultural backgrounds. Our IGBIS mission is: “To provide an inclusive learning community, embracing diversity by offering a challenging IB education which empowers its members to be caring, global citizens.” The IB mission states: “The International Baccalaureate aims to develop inquiring, knowledgeable and caring young people who help to create a better and more peaceful world through intercultural understanding and respect.” Yet it seems that every time I read or watch the news these days, I see stories of acts of terror, of fear and intolerance; with countries becoming apparently more restrictive and less inclusive, more nationally focused and less internationally focused, more closed-minded and less open-minded. In such times, it is particularly important that we remind ourselves of these mission statements, and that we have all chosen to be part of an international community.
As part of the service and action components in MYP and DP, many of our students regularly work with our partner schools to support migrant children by playing together and teaching them English. This weekend, we extend a warm welcome to some of these refugee students by inviting them and their families to join us on International Day. One of our DP students, Sumire, has also organised a book drive to collect book donations for one of these schools. A key goal for International Day is to celebrate the similarities that connect the nations and cultures that are represented in our IGBIS community, not just to see the differences. We thank everybody who has spent a considerable amount of time preparing for and organising International Day. We hope it is a day filled with fun, where we enjoy spending time together, getting to know each other a little better, and feeling proud to be global citizens.
This weekend we host our annual International Day, with the theme “The Mosaic - Celebrating our Cultural Connections”. A mosaic is a picture that is made of many different, smaller pieces, and is a perfect metaphor for our IGBIS community. On International Day, every community member will have the opportunity to contribute to the creation
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Visit from MRCEC Refugee School, Part 2 Nathalie Chotard Service Coordinator ............................................................................................... As Ms Heys explained in last week’s newsletter, grade 6 and 7 ambassadors had planned a fun filled hour of play and learning for their peers and the students from Myanmar Refugee Children’s Education Center when they visited IGBIS last week. Today, I’d like to share comments from the students about this learning experience. From this activity. I have learnt from my buddy that he and I have many things in common, such as we both can speak Chinese and a little bit of Korean and that he likes BTS, a South Korean boy band. ~ Sophie
I took the risk because I am an English learner but I tried. ~ Mako
I was running the dodgeball game activity. Although the beginning was a little rushed and not perfect, the second section of time was much better and we got through it and by the looks of it, everyone had fun. ~ Charisse
My partner was 3 years old, and it made me think how being a refugee must’ve affected his life, especially at such a young age. When visiting these kids, i just have many thoughts in my mind, for example, how do they survive without their parents and, especially, how they cherish every single thing. ~ Venessa It was a bit hard to communicate but I found it was easier to communicate with gestures and first showing her how to do things. ~ Ruby
The collaboration with MRCEC is part of the school-organised service opportunities for grade 6 and 7. But you might be wondering what the students learnt. Find out by matching each learning outcome with the relevant comment: ++ ++ ++ ++
To work collaboratively with others. To undertake challenges that develop new skills To become more aware of strengths and areas for growth To develop international mindedness through global engagement, multilingualism and intercultural understanding ++ To persevere in action Check your answers on the next page!
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G12 IBDP Mock Examinations are Underway!
Mary Boyd Diploma Programme Coordinator ............................................................................................... Well done to our second cohort of DP students, who started their mock examinations this week, the first being English for everyone. With the full experience of all DP examinations under their belts by next Friday, our Grade 12 students should have a very realistic idea of what they know and what they need to concentrate on for improvement.
at this busy and important time. To all the G12 DP Art students - Afifah, Anna, Yin Xzi, Zoe, Jeffrey, Hayato and Yuto - and Ms Kelly, huge congratulations on a magnificent DP art exhibition opening last night. So much talent showcased beautifully, representing months of hard work, years of imagination and oodles of potential was a joy to see. Thank you too to all the fantastic G11 musicians for adding that extra dimension to our senses. Well done all.
When the mock examinations are done, students will have a full week to go through their papers with their teachers, before the week-long break. Just under a fortnight after their return from that, the real DP examinations will begin. The first real DP examination, on Friday 28 April, will be Business Management and the last examination, on Friday 19 May, will be French B. With this in mind, in two months from now, all of our students will have completed their DP examinations. For the remainder of their mocks this week, we extend our warmest wishes to all our Grade 12 students and their families
Answers:
from the article “Visit from MRCEC Refugee School, Part 2�, Pg.5. ++ To work collaboratively with others ~ Sophie ++ To undertake challenges that develop new skills ~ Mako ++ To become more aware of strengths and areas for growth ~ Charise ++ To develop international-mindedness through global engagement, multilingualism and intercultural understanding ~ Venessa ++ To persevere in action ~ Ruby
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Performing Arts IGBIS Instrumental Music Academy Semester 2 has started off with students continuing to improve and develop their skills on their chosen instruments under the guidance of our excellent tutors. There have also been a number of new registrations in the past week which is very encouraging. For this reason we will be increasing the number of concerts. The concerts will be moving to Drama Room 3-72 as this provides a more intimate performance space. The dates for the End of Semester 2 Concerts have been set for: ++ Tuesday 6th June Piano (Ms Iko), Drums (Mr Andy), Strings (Ms Iko) ++ Wednesday 7th June Voice (Ms Irma) ++ Thursday 8th June Piano (Ms Wong) and Guitar (Mr Adil) Each concert will commence at 2pm. I will send out invitations to parents for the appropriate date for their child’s performance closer to the time of the concerts.
Jon Suffolk Performing Arts Teacher / IGBIS Instrumental Music Academy Program Coordinator ............................................................................................... Grade 10 Drama Shadow Puppetry Grade 10 Drama have been inquiring into different forms of Asian Theatre. They completed a research presentation comparing forms like Bunraku Puppetry from Japan, Wayang Kulit Shadow Puppetry from Indonesia and Malaysia, Sanskrit Theatre (Kuttiyatam) from India, and Noh Theatre from Japan. They were then set the task of creating an original Shadow Puppet show for a target audience. The two groups targeted grades 4 and 5 as their audiences and went about making the puppets, designing their stages, writing the scripts and finally performing their shows. Interestingly, both groups chose stories from other cultures and transferred their knowledge of the shadow puppet form to a Greek Myth and a Norse Legend.
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The Flying Phoenix Tim Bartle Athletics Director ............................................................................................... In preparation for the KLISS Secondary School Swimming Championships, we hosted HELP International School for a swim friendly on Monday. Our students performed well and are looking forward to hosting Nexus International School this coming Monday. On Wednesday the Under 9 boys football team travelled to Tenby International School for their season finale. They signed off on a great season, winning 7-5 in a high scoring thriller! Go Phoenix!
Athletics and Activities Scott Ngatai Activities Director ............................................................................................... Today officially marks the end of another successful season of athletics and activities*. Once again our students have enjoyed a plethora of interesting activities that all contribute to enriching their school experience at IGBIS. Our athletics calendar has also been very busy with our secondary school basketball teams, elementary school football teams, swim squads and ultimate frisbee team all taking part in sporting competitions over the past nine weeks. Huge thanks are owed to the amazing staff team at IGBIS for their contribution as
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activity supervisors and coaches. Students and parents will be able to make selections for Season 3 when the sign-up period begins on Monday 27th March. Please use the “Activities� button on the school Splash page to register for Season 3 athletics and activities. The registration period will close on Wednesday 5th April. Please complete the form during this time as late submission may lead to students missing out on activities. *Please note - some paid activities will still run next week due to cancelled sessions throughout the season.
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Alumnus
Seongjin Bien (Class of 2016) Knoops Park, Bremen
“Jacobs University Rocks!”
Cafeteria Committee Julie Chen Arcidiacono Community Support & Services Coordinator ...............................................................................................
to provide feedback, which will be collected and reported back to this committee weekly for immediate action. -- Introduction of a wider range of healthier desserts and pastries.
Cafeteria Committee Update The IGBIS Cafeteria Committee is comprised of a representing member of each segment of our community - staff, students, caterers and parents - who has been meeting regularly to discuss improvements in relation to the schools’ cafeterias. Some of the changes that have already been implemented since the committee was created: -- 50% reduction of sugar content in pastries -- Removal of carbonated drinks for sale -- Menu changes: increased variety of fruit and desserts for elementary school (homemade cake approximately two times a week), introduction of a wider variety of noodle dishes. As of April, these are the improvements that will be implemented: -- Substitution of drinks in secondary school cafeteria: only 100% juices with no added sugar, milk and coconut water will be available for sale. Iced water will also be available. -- Display signs for daily dishes communicating their health and nutritional aspects. -- Signs in both cafeterias informing students that second ‘helpings’ are available free-of-charge. -- Suggestion/comment boxes placed in elementary school and secondary school cafeterias for students and teachers
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At the request of the Cafeteria Committee, the school will conduct a student survey to assess the quality and variety of food being served. Please contact Gabe Evans with any suggestions, questions or concerns related to the cafeteria (gabriel.evans@igbis. edu.my). As well as promptly addressing queries, Gabe will bring relevant comments to the monthly Cafeteria Committee meetings. Please remember to top up your children’s access/swipe card regularly.
E-Purse Update Dear Parents, Starting Monday, 27th March we will send you regular notifications on your child’s e-purse balance. Whenever your child’s e-purse reaches a minimum of RM30, you will receive an email notification to your parent email account to please top up. Thank you for your attention in this matter.
~Finance Office
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