IGB International School’s Weekly Newsletter - Issue 89, Week 1, October 2016
• Fireflies Programme is now open for enrollment.
Inside This Week’s Newsletter
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Message from Head of School Mrs. Anne Fowles ............................................................................................... News from Elementary School Mrs. Claire McLeod ............................................................................................... Grade 3 FRIM Excursion Lisa McClurg ............................................................................................... Host Nation News: Malaysian Study Ms. Dianti Ranofla ............................................................................................... News from Secondary School Mr. Michael Arcidiacono ............................................................................................... Volunteer Work at SPCA Lucas Waechter ............................................................................................... Launch of IGNITE Restaurant Mr. Gabriel Evans ............................................................................................... Career and University News Ms. Pauline Davidson ............................................................................................... Athletics News Mr. Tim Bartle
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Performing Arts Mr. Jon Suffolk ............................................................................................... Parent Workshop Introduction to MYP Assessment Mr. Phil Clark ............................................................................................... PVO News Ms. Julie Arcidiacono
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Message from Head of School I write to you from Seoul, South Korea, where I have had the privilege of leading a team of 11 educators conducting the accreditation visit of Seoul Foreign School on behalf of the Council of International Schools and Western Association of Schools and Colleges. This has been a wonderful opportunity to see a well established school with a history of over 100 years on a day-to-day basis, and at the same time look deeply at its systems and practices compared with those of the accreditation standards. IGBIS will embark on the accreditation process shortly, beginning with a preliminary
visit from CIS and New England Association of Schools and Colleges in early November. Next week Parent-Teacher Conferences are taking place at IGBIS. We look forward to seeing all of our parents in school.
Mrs. Anne Fowles Head of School
News from Elementary School Fireflies Our Fireflies programme started on Monday last week and we are all delighted to have our first 2 year olds join our school community. We were all excited to see them confidently arrive with their parents and start exploring their new classroom, playing with the different resources and toys and mixing with their Early Years 1 & 2 friends in the adjoining room. During their first week at school they had fun in the big outside playground, they explored different areas of the school and they visited the library. They are now waiting for more friends to join their class. So please let your family and friends know that our Fireflies programme is ready to accept new students who have already turned 2 years of age and who would like to be part of a wonderfully caring, stimulating, play based learning environment.
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P/T Conferences Our October Parent/Teacher Conferences are scheduled for next week. • Monday and Tuesday - Conferences are from 3.20 4.30pm; school finishes at 3pm. • Wednesday - Conferences are from 12.30 - 7pm; school finishes at 12 o’clock. Parents are reminded that paid after school activities on Monday will still run; however, all activities on Tuesday and Wednesday are cancelled. Until next time,
Mrs. Claire McLeod Elementary School Principal
Igniting Minds
Impacting Lives
Grade 3 FRIM Excursion Ms. Lisa McClurg PYP Teacher
............................................................................................... On Tuesday the Grade 3 classes visited the Forest Research Institute of Malaysia (FRIM). The excursion was part of our current Unit of Inquiry - Sharing the Planet. During this unit, our Central Idea is ‘People can conserve the world’s resources through responsible behaviours’. We are inquiring into renewable and non-renewable resources, how people impact the environment through their use of resources, and
behaviours that help to conserve resources. We were led around FRIM by our guide, Afif. Afif taught us about how the large forest area FRIM covers was once destroyed, as the forest was depleted due to tin mining. He explained how FRIM is a regenerated forest and encouraged children to notice the difference between these forests and plantations. The children all noticed how plant and animal life can thrive in regenerated forests. We enjoyed a fantastic walk through a Nature Trail and all arrived back at school bursting with new ideas. We look forward to continuing extending our knowledge and further developing our inquiry.
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Impacting Lives
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Host Nation News: Malaysian Study Ms. Dianti Ranofla All School Host Nation & Malay Language Teacher ............................................................................................... Selamat Sejahtera. All grades have been learning their first unit in Host Nation lessons, under the transdisciplinary themes of Who We Are (Early Years and KIndergarten), How We Express Ourselves (Grades One to Four), and How We Organise Ourselves (Grade Five). Early Years One and Two focussed on games and pastimes. Students learnt to play four different Malaysian traditional games and count from one to ten in Malay. Students did their best in each activity prepared for them. Kindergarten students learnt about Malaysian food, fruits and vegetables. They learnt to identify seasonal fruits and the names of species commonly used by Malaysian people. They also enjoyed some tasting sessions during the lessons. Grade One students focussed on Art. They learnt about Muslim art found in mosques and the names of geometric shapes in Malay. They worked in teams to make their own building by using blocks.
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Grade Two students have been looking at Malay storytelling. They learnt the animals’ character names and enjoyed making their own shadow puppets. It was exciting work and the students showed great interest, passion and effort. The different ways to communicate with others was investigated by Grade Three students. In groups, they presented the importance of good communication skills and how non-verbal communication skills affect their overall communication in the classroom and at work. Grade Four students have been inquiring into Malaysian media. Students have been researching how media works and the many forms of media such as TV, movies, radio, magazines and the internet. They also learnt the power media has in our lives in selling a product and selling a point of view. Grade Five inquired into the past and present Malaysian governance systems. Students worked in teams to produce a presentation about the feudal system and the influences on education, organisation and economic systems from the British occupation in Malaysia. Students showed their interest by exploring and using the correct Malay vocabulary to describe the key features of a feudal system.
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Impacting Lives
News from Secondary School Classes and activities resumed and things have quickly returned to normal in the secondary school. However, “normal� at IGBIS means a lot happening all the time! In addition to normal lessons, Grade 9 made quite an impression on Friday at the opening of the restaurant Ignite! and served up some delicious meals as part of their Design Unit. The Student Council was in action with their Fall Festival, a very successful event, as they continue to play a major role in developing our sense of community in secondary. I had a few meetings with parents, where I continue to be impressed with their level of commitment towards our community as well. Besides the sporting matches and the ongoing planning for the 24 Hour Race and MUN, it has been a very busy week.
a reminder, here is the web address: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1zEQD9vdvZ6oZT4zdU qVhdcLNR0j0011zx6mSL3VX1Ew/pub
Michael Arcidiacono Secondary School Principal
Next week is more of the same and I look forward to seeing parents and students at our PST Conferences next week. If you have not booked your appointments yet, please do so. As
Volunteer Work at SPCA Lucas Waechter Grade 9
............................................................................................... After going on a Grade 7-9 field trip last month, two IGBIS students, Jay Sansom and Lucas Waechter, have begun visiting the SPCA to participate in Community Service on a weekly basis. To become a volunteer you have to do a 4-hour course to make sure you know how to approach and look after animals. The volunteer work involves cleaning out cages, putting new
newspaper in the kennels, taking the dogs to a running area and playing with animals. Some of the dogs have been there for the whole of their lives. All dogs there are neutered and are kept in group kennels. The SPCA used to have their own vet but are now not permitted to provide vet care on the premises, so all animals have to go outside of the SPCA property for care, and this makes it costly and raises problems for transport. If you love animals the Ampang SPCA would love money or food donations.
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Launch of IGNITE Restaurant Mr. Gabriel Evans Design Teacher ............................................................................................... Grade 9 students were given a challenge during their first unit in Product Design to design and create food products which capture the influence of a designer. They were also challenged to launch their designs in a lunch menu in our new training restaurant ‘Ignite’. Staff and students were eager to try the offerings from these young food designers and look forward to more meals at this great new location. In the future, students from all grades will be able to use Ignite in lessons and after school activities, as well as to host events.
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Igniting Minds
Impacting Lives
Career and University News Ms. Pauline Davidson Grade 9-12 School Counsellor ............................................................................................... We will have representatives from a number of universities visiting IGBIS on Monday lunchtime for the USA Mini-College Fair. This is a wonderful opportunity to see what types of programs are on offer in the USA. Ask them about their courses! Ask them about scholarship opportunities! Ask them about what it is like living in the USA! Ask them what they think you need to do to maximise your chances of getting an offer at their university! You may just discover a university that is the perfect fit for you! So be brave and venture to the Student Lounge on Monday at lunchtime. The schools attending will be: • • • • •
New York Institute of Technology La Sierra University Full Sail University Transylvania University Concordia University Wisconsin
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Eastern Kentucky University University of Wisconsin, La-Crosse Illinois State University Gonzaga University University of La Verne Penn State Erie, The Behrend College S P Jain School of Global Management Grand Valley State University Saint Joseph’s University Chemeketa Community College Drury University University of Toledo
This past week we had representatives from King’s College London, University of British Columbia, Univeristy of Boston, Goldsmiths University, and University of Westminster all talk to our students about the benefits of an education with their schools and locations. The events were well supported by students, and we continue to encourage parents to come and join in!
Upcoming Event:
University
Date
Time
Location
University of Sheffield - Lecture on Engineering
Monday 24th October
10.30 - 11.30 Science Lab
Jacobs University, Germany
Friday 28th October
12.30 - 1.30
6th Floor Student Lounge
King’s College, London - Lecture on Neuroscience
Thursday 3rd November
12.30 - 1.30
Science Lab
Australian University Mini Fair
Friday 4th November
12.30 - 1.30
6th Floor Student Lounge
UK University Mini Fair
Monday 7th November
12.30 - 1.30
6th Floor Student Lounge
Finally, good luck to all the G11 students who are taking their PSAT exam this Wednesday!
Igniting Minds
Impacting Lives
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Athletics News Mr. Tim Bartle Athletics and Activities Coordinator ............................................................................................... This week was a busy one for the IGBIS Athletics Teams, and the Phoenix was flying all over town! We had a series of home and away fixtures and some friendly competition to help students prepare for upcoming tournaments. U11 Basketball: On Wednesday 12th October, the U11 Girls hosted the KLISS (Kuala Lumpur International School Sport) preliminary tournament with Ms J at the helm. Our girls are showing outstanding improvement this year and managed to compete well, playing in three very close games. While the girls were busy at IGBIS, the U11 Boys ventured to ISP with Mr Hawkes. They got off to a slow start in game one but progressed in leaps and bounds by their final game. Spectators, parents and other schools have commented on the significant improvement in our U11 teams and the students and coaches should be very proud of themselves! Both teams will be competing in the Plate Finals on Wednesday 16th November at IGBIS. We hope to see plenty of students and parents there supporting Team Phoenix. U13 Boys Football: Thursday 13th October was looking very gloomy at 3:00pm with dark clouds on the horizon, but
they managed to move around IGBIS and allow our U13 Boys to play in a friendly match against students from HELP International School, with coach Mr Rizal leading the way. The boys played a competitive game and kept their defense strong to finish with a 0-1 loss. It was great to see some of the practice sessions in action! The boys will be playing their KLISS preliminaries on Thursday 20th October at home. O15 Volleyball: While the Football was going on at IGBIS, Mr Bartle and Mr Woon bussed down to Tenby with the O15 Boys and Girls Volleyball teams for some friendly matches. Both teams have been training hard on Mondays after school and at lunchtimes to get themselves game-ready. Unfortunately, our girls had a loss but the boys team managed a 2-0 win over the Tenby Eagles. Cross Country: Friday 4th November will be the KLISS Whole School Cross Country event. Students from grades 2-12 are encouraged to take part. Secondary students who are participating in this event or the 24 Hour Race are encouraged to join Mr Bartle and Ms Chotard on Monday and Wednesday mornings 6:45am-7:30am to train! It might be early but it is the coolest and best time to be exercising. Plus, it switches on students’ brains for the school day ahead. Any students wanting to increase their fitness or get involved should email or see Mr Bartle.
• Our 15 Girls enjoying the friendly fixture against Tenby
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Igniting Minds
Impacting Lives
Performing Arts Mr. Jon Suffolk Performing Arts Teacher ...............................................................................................
of the MPYO tackled this difficult work demonstrating great skill and incredible musicianship. Then they were joined on stage by the Malaysian Philharmonic Orchestra to perform Tchaikovsky’s “Romeo and Juliet Overture Fantasy”.
“Celebrating Shakespeare” Malaysian Philharmonic Orchestra and Malaysian Philharmonic Youth Orchestra
Ms Boyd, Ms Chotard and myself had the pleasure of meeting Wern-Shynn and her very proud parents at the conclusion of the concert.
It was a great pleasure to attend this concert at the Dewan Filharmonik Petronas last Saturday night. Grade 11 student, Soon Wern-Shynn, has been a violinist with the Malaysian Philharmonic Youth Orchestra for a number of years and it was wonderful to see and hear her perform as part of Malaysia’s premier youth music ensemble.
Aiming high, taking risks and working hard have certainly paid off for Wern-Shynn and I hope more of our community can get along and hear her play in the Malaysian Philharmonic Youth Orchestra in the future.
The MPYO performed the ‘Prelude’ and ‘Wedding March’ from Mendelssohn’s “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” under the direction of international conductor Naohisa Furusawa, as part of the MPO’s Celebrating Shakespeare concert. The members
Parent Workshop - Introduction to MYP Assessment We invite parents of Grade 6 students, and parents of students new to the IB Middle Years Programme (MYP) at IGBIS this year, to join us for an introductory workshop about assessment in the Middle Years Programme. Thursday 27 October (8:00-9:00am) in the PVO room on Level 2.
To register for this workshop, please login to this form using your IGBIS parent email https://goo.gl/forms/n7MCyTyArzn3H09z2
NOTE: This is a repeat of the workshop that we offered last year and is a general introduction to MYP assessment. We will offer a another workshop later this year that explores MYP assessment in greater depth. Phil Clark Middle Years Programme Coordinator
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Impacting Lives
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PVO News Julie Chen Arcidiacono Community Support & Services Coordinator ............................................................................................... Two PVO event committee meetings were held this week, for the 24 Hour Race and the Holiday Bazaar. 24 Hour Race There will be more than 1700 people involved in the 24 Hour Race and the PVO will fund dinner for the participants during the event. The PVO will soon be asking for donations to fund the dinner, and a flyer will follow shortly with more information on how all parents can support this wonderful studentled cause. Special thanks to Michelle Lee for taking on the leadership role with the 24 Hour Race event committee. Holiday Bazaar The date for our first Holiday Bazaar has been set for Thursday 1st December, from 12:00 - 4:00 pm. Stalls will be set up in the Music Foyer on Level 3. If you know of any vendors that may
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be interested in participating, please contact Sujatha Josen at sujathabhaskaran.josen.parent@igbis.edu.my. There will be no table charge for vendors. Monthly PVO meeting On Thursday 20th October we will hold our monthly PVO meeting, from 8:00 - 9:00 am, in the PVO Room on Level 2. The agenda will include: • An overview of upcoming events, • Development of marketing focus groups, • Determining interest in talks sponsored by Ramsay Sime Darby, • Determining interest in a PVO workshop run by IGBIS staff: First Aid for families / households, • IT tutorial with Geoff Derry: logging into and managing multiple email accounts. More information can be found on the PVO website. I hope you enjoy a relaxing break and will return ready for more PVO fun.
Igniting Minds
Impacting Lives
IGBIS INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL
Igniting Minds
Impacting Lives