IGB International School’s Weekly Newsletter - Issue 128. Week 1. October 2017.
StuCo Spirit Week (Twins Day). ~ 5th October, 2017.
Message from Head of School Mrs. Anne Fowles Head of School 2 .................................................... News from Elementary School Mr. Simon Millward Elementary School Principal 2 .................................................... News from Secondary School Mr. Michael Arcidiacono Secondary School Principal 4 ....................................................
Host Nation News
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Grade 12 and Grade 2, Working Together
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Music and Arts
~ Pg. 6
PVO News
~ Pg. 6
++ Wed, Oct 11 - Grade 4 Field Trip: Aquaria KLCC 8:30 am – 1:30 pm - University Visit: King’s College @ Secondary Library 8:30 am – 1:30 pm ++ Thu, Oct 12 - Grades 9-12 Visual Arts Field Trip: MATRADE Exhibition and Convention Centre @ 10:30 am – 12:45 pm - Deepavali Assembly @ Theatre 2:00 pm – 3:00 pm ++ School holidays - Oct 16 – Oct 20
Message from Head of School Dear IGBIS Parents and Community Members,
spires learners to make a positive impact on the world.’
This weekend, IGB International School will be hosting the Google Applications for Educators (GAFE) conference with over 150 educators from Malaysia and beyond in attendance. Presenters for the conference are travelling from the USA, Canada and countries in the Asia Pacific region. We are very proud to have been selected to host the conference and to have the opportunity to showcase our school. Additionally IGBIS teachers and administrators attending the conference will learn about the latest tools and applications to ensure that our teaching and learning is cutting edge. This is turn fits with our vision ‘to provide an innovative international education that in-
Students and staff have been preparing for the Deepavali Assembly that is taking place next Thursday, October 12 starting at 2pm. All of our community is invited to attend the assembly. We look forward to seeing our staff and students dressed in their colourful Deepavali clothes on the day. Parents are welcome to join in as well!
Anne Fowles Head of School
News From the Elementary Principal This week has seen IGBIS come together to build community spirit. Our Secondary Student Council arranged a ‘Spirit Week’ and our Elåementary students and staff showed their spirit on Tuesday dressing backwards and inside out. There was a lot of laughter and excited students. Thursday saw our students and staff eagerly take part in ‘Twins Day’ - there were even some ‘triplets’. As you can see in the photos everyone had a good time.
ganised by our Elementary Student Council so I hope lots of people will be at school to join in the designing and making challenges. Look for the email next week which will outline the arrange ments and booking procedures for the upcoming 3 Way Parent-Teacher Conferences. Dates for your diaries: • Thursday 12th October: Deepavali Assembly, Theatre 2pm • 16th - 20th October: School Holiday • Saturday 28th October: PYP Parent University: Learner Agency 8.30 - 11.30am • Monday 30th October: 3 Way Parent-Teacher Conferences: 3.00pm - 4.30pm • Tuesday 31st October: 3 Way Parent-Teacher Conferences: (early dismissal of students) 1.00pm - 7.00pm
Simon Millward
Elementary School Principal
Thursday also saw the KG - Grade 2 students preparing for the Deepavali assembly in the theatre. This was their first practice on stage and they took it in their stride. We still need to fine tune some of the performances but as a first attempt, the signs were positive. Don’t forget Thursday 12th October 2pm in the theatre is our Deepavali assembly. To round off our week I am looking forward to the Cardboard Challenge happening this Saturday 9am - 12 midday in the Level 1 playground. This is the first major event this year or-
Host Nation News Ms Meena, Ms Xu Xuan, Ms Jas, Ms Carol, Ms Sarah, Ms Dash, Ms Huei Yin, Ms Ada The Host Nation Team ...............................................................................................
greetings in Malay. Grade 2 students learnt about ‘Jalur Gemilang’ and the importance of the Malaysian flag. Grade 3 students have learnt some local folktales and Grade 4 have been investigating the different cultures that make up Malaysia. Grade 5 students are looking at the history of Malaysia and how the British government and past colonisers have impacted the Malaysia of today. All elementary students have been learning about Deepavali lately, including decorating diyas (oil lamps) and rangolis (designs made from coloured sand), learning about Ramayana (a poem that tells the story behind Deepavali). The Deepavali assembly will be held next Wednesday 12th October at 2.00pm. Students are encouraged to wear a traditional Indian outfit such as saree, jippa, dhoti or punjabi suit.
Elementary students have been having a lot of fun learning about Malaysia this year and many classes have put a lot of effort into preparing for the Malaysia Day Assembly on 13 September, as well as the upcoming Deepavali Assembly on 12 October. Play is important in Host Nation classes and many students have learnt traditional games such as Batu Seremban, Wau and Congkak. Students are discovering a variety of things about Malaysia with both Early Years and Grade 5 students learning simple
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From the Secondary Principal enjoyment of music in a comfortable setting (the Level 6 Learning Lounge). This group is led by some of our senior students and, along with StuCo, these are good examples of student-led initiatives. Different from times when staff organise activities, in student-led initiatives it is the students who are the driving force in bringing an event to fruition. We are fortunate to have students who regularly step forward to provide leadership and organisation for events, and it is part of our mission to promote these opportunities for them, so they can develop themselves in the process. Next week I will be sharing out some information with parents about our upcoming Parent-Student-Teacher Conferences. A very big thank you to our Secondary Student Council for organising a fun Spirit Week this week! Students and staff participated in great numbers in each of the themed days, and it was fun to see the spirit extend across to the whole school. The week also culminated in a social activity on Friday afternoon - well done to our StuCo Executive Team! Next Tuesday our Performing Arts Committee is putting on a Rhapsodic Recess at lunchtime - an opportunity for student musicians to perform in front of their peers and share the
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I look forward to seeing parents at our Deepavali assembly next Thursday, at 2 pm. Sincerely yours,
Michael Arcidiacono Secondary School Principal
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Grade 12 and Grade 2, Working Together Brenda Knowles and Leanne Harvey Head of Science and Grade 2 Teacher ...............................................................................................
Groups of students chopped and cooked, researched and gathered data, ran experiments in the labs and then thought long and hard about how they could best communicate their findings to the Grade 2 students at IGBIS. The Grade 2 students were learning about sustainability and so were an excellent audience for the Food in a Global context presentations. On Friday afternoon, the Grade 12 scientists met with the Grade 2 students to share with them the nature of science in investigations and the findings of their research. We saw Grade 2 students: • Listening carefully • Tasting gingerly • Answering enthusiastically • Inquiring thoughtfully • Laughing loudly It was an energetic afternoon of learning and collaboration between our young learners at IGBIS and our most senior learners. We greatly appreciate the efforts put in by all the students, as well as the IBDP Group 4 team: Mrs Brenda Knowles, Mr Darren Aherne, Ms Princess Barcega, and Mr Gabriel Evans; and the Grade 2 teachers: Mrs Clare Demnar and Mrs Leanne Harvey.
The IBDP Group 4 project is aimed at developing student collaborative skill through a process of sharing expertise in science. The theme for this year’s Group 4 project was “Food in a Global Context” with students free to choose the way in which they investigated this important aspect of the modern world. So what do Grade 12 students view as important? What did they choose to spend their time investigating? • Are silkworms and crickets a viable source of protein in the human diet? • Nose to tail eating - how much animal energy do we throw away? Can we make delicious meals from the parts we normally throw away? • Pasta, ramen, udon soba - are all starches equal? • Flavours of the world - can ice cream flavours truly represent the culture of a country? • In a world of food allergies, how is it possible to make a truly allergen-free chocolate cake? • Traditional food is often oily, but can we make modifications to keep the taste and reduce obesity problems? • Fish is delicious but what of the head? Can it be used as an alternate food source?
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Music and Arts John Suffolk Instrumental Music Academy Coordinator Performing Arts Teacher ............................................................................................... IGBIS Instrumental Music Academy Semester 1 is off to a great start and it is pleasing to see students attending their lessons. Thank you to the parents who have currently paid their Semester 1 fees. I would like to remind those that have not to please make the payment as soon as possible. I would like to encourage parents to look for opportunities to take their children along to concerts and performances. This is a great way to encourage them to continue and strive to improve. The Malaysian Philharmonic Orchestra (MPO) , Bentley Music Academy (BMA), Damansara Performing Arts Centre (DPAC) and Kuala Lumpur Performing Arts Centre (KLPAC) are just a few organisations and venues that have extensive music concert programmes.
for the Festival is Ms Keriann O’Rourke. Keriann is guiding us through the process of all the complex administrative and organisational needs of this festival. Sixty students will attend the festival with 20 places available for IGBIS students in grades 6, 7 and 8. The remaining 40 students will come from the International School of Kuala Lumpur, the Canadian International School of Hong Kong, and the French International School of Hong Kong. I will shortly be providing the registration information to all grade 6, 7 and 8 students and registrations will be allocated to the first 20 students who return their forms and payments. Please look out for the information and read it carefully in making your decision to allow your child to register. This is an outstanding opportunity. More news to come on the ISTA Festival in coming newsletters.
ISTA Middle School Festival As I have previously mentioned, IGBIS will be hosting an ISTA (International Schools Theatre Association) Middle School Festival in March 2018. The organisation is well under way thanks to the support of Mrs Julie Arcidiacono, our wonderful Community and Events Coordinator. Our Executive Officer
PVO News Julie Arcidiacono Community & Events Coordinator ...............................................................................................
teachers and staff. We hope that you will embrace the theme and dress code of “White with a Touch of Gold” and join us on Friday, 3rd November at 7:30 pm.
The IGBIS PVO is pleased to announce that due to the overwhelming positive response to the survey that was sent out last week, our first IGBIS Social is confirmed!
If there are any questions, please do not hesitate to contact me, your parent class representative or any one of the PVO event organisers: Fathima Azaha Hamza, Felicier Suppiah, Karishma McDonald, Marissa Sin, Mei Ping Lai, Meng Meng Liew, Nina Nordin, Pappu Sruthi, Rozita Mat Shah, Sheau Ming Wang, Sujatha Josen and Wei Ling Poon.
The event will include a sumptuous buffet dinner, followed by dancing and entertainment, in the Level 3 Drama Room. Tickets are RM90 each and can be purchased via our school’s Finance Booth by Wednesday, 25th October. All adults within our community are invited - parents, caregivers, friends,
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Igniting Minds
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IGBIS INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL
Igniting Minds
Impacting Lives