IGB International School’s Weekly Newsletter - Issue 135. Week 1. December 2017.
Secondary School Drama Production “Do We Ever See Grace?” on 29th November 2017 ~ (Page. 7) 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 2
Mon, Dec 4
Elementary Library News
~ Pg. 3
Grade 3 field trip to Museum Negara
~ Pg. 4
PYP Reading Workshop
~ Pg. 5
Tue, Dec 5
IGBIS Students Continue to Provide Services to the Community
~ Pg. 6
Wed, Dec 6
Do We Ever See Grace?
~ Pg. 7
College Counselling
~ Pg. 8
News Christmas around IGBIS
~ Pg. 9
PVO News
pm • University Visit: Ritsumeikan University @ DP Lounge | 12:15 pm – 1:30 pm
~ Pg. 10
Update from Uniform Shop PE t-shirt stock has now been replenished Please bring any colour-defective PE t-shirts to exchange at the Uniform Shop during the following times: Tuesday morning 7.45-8.30am Tuesday afternoon 2.45-3.30pm Friday morning 7.45-9.00am Kindly return all uniforms on short-term loan by 8 December, before the Christmas break. Thank you.
• Condensed MUN Conference @ IGBIS | 3:30 pm - 6:30
• Christmas Assembly @ Theatre | 8:00 am – 9:00 am • Holiday Bazaar @ Level 3 Performing Arts Foyer | 9:00 am – 3:00 pm Thu, Dec 7 • I&S Field Trip: “Dreams” Theatre Production @ Empire Damansara | 10:30 am – 12:45 pm Fri, Dec 8 • Last day of school before holidays
Message from Head of School Dear IGBIS Parents and Community Members, I hope that you were able to make it to the Secondary School Production ‘Do we ever see Grace?’. The actors obviously enjoyed themselves and the audience were entranced by the combination of drama, comedy, music and satire. Most importantly, the production gave insights and comments on the plight of those ‘that have not’ compared to those ‘that have’ in society. Though based in London, UK, the message could be applied to many places still today.
We look forward to seeing our school community joining us once again on December 6th for the Christmas Assembly at 8 am followed by the Holiday Bazaar. Both occasions are not to be missed!
Anne Fowles Head of School
From the Elementary Principal Whilst this week was only short there are always many things going on. Monday saw some parents, students and board members listen and contribute their thoughts to the work that various teams had been working on for the CIS/NEASC accreditation process. As I walked around listening to everyone’s contribution I was certainly pleased that our Elementary students were able to communicate their thoughts and offer opinions. Grade 3 visited Museum Negara on Wednesday and it certainly stimulated their thinking for their new ‘Where we are in place and time’ unit. Wednesday also saw the Elementary School swim team compete against other schools. This was a great way to gauge where they are as competitors and assist them in setting further goals to improve their individual times. As we move into the last week before our winter break as an Elementary school we are still working on our communication skills. Last week in assembly I reminded students that if they feel
that they are going to say something unkind to another student they need to STOP, THINK- would I like this said to me? If the answer is no, then they should CHOOSE more positive words. We want to have a caring community and if we all use these three simple steps then everyone has a chance to enjoy school.
Dates for your diaries: • Wednesday 6th December: Christmas assembly 8.00am 9.00am followed by the Christmas bazaar 9.00am - 3.00pm. **Please refer to the email I sent this week for further details about the Christmas bazaar. • Friday 8th December: Last day of school before the winter break. Normal school day.
Simon Millward
Elementary School Principal
News from Secondary School It was wonderful to see our students, parents, board members and staff interact with each other this past Monday, as they learned more about our accreditation process for CIS and NEASC, and provided us with feedback on the direction of the school in the future. I was particularly proud of our Elementary and Secondary Student Council students, who were actively contributing to the discussion and playing a meaningful role in providing feedback. Thank you to the parent representatives and board members who took time out of their schedules to also be a part of this process.
I look forward to seeing everyone at our Christmas assembly next week!
Michael Arcidiacono Secondary School Principal
Congratulations to the cast of “Do We Ever See Grace?” and Mr Suffolk and Ms Dujardin for their amazing performances this week. Wednesday night’s performance capped off a very busy week with an excellent show, which was enjoyed by a large crowd of the IGBIS community. The theme of the production was thought-provoking, the cast was confident in their performance, and the set design, make up and music were well done; all leading to a wonderful performance. We have a budding group of performers at IGBIS and I look forward to seeing what they will do in the future! The link for sign ups for Season 2 athletics and activities has been sent home. I would like to remind you that in Secondary it is the students who sign up for their activities, planning their schedules with their parents.
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Elementary Library News Amanda Clark Whole School Teacher Librarian ............................................................................................... How do we know we are entering the last few weeks of school before the December break? As has become tradition, the Library is decorated to celebrate some of the most significant festivals and celebrations that take place in our community. This means the Library Christmas Tree is now in place, along with a display of books that contain stories and information about this holiday season. These celebrations took place for Malaysia Day and Deepavali and will also happen to acknowledge and celebrate Chinese New Year and Ramadan/Eid. Your children are welcome to choose and enjoy any of the books from the display to take home over the holidays. We are reminding our borrowers that it is a good idea to keep water bottles and wet swimming clothing/towels away from library books in their school bags, to prevent damage to the books. If your family is travelling this holiday, we recommend that library books stay at home, ready to be enjoyed on your return. The library is open every day from 7:30am and after school until 4:30pm Monday to Thursday, and 4:00pm on Fridays. Happy holiday reading!
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Grade 3 field trip to Museum Negara
Rhys Brothers Grade 3 ............................................................................................... In our unit of inquiry, Where We Are In Place And Time, we have been looking into ‘People research and analyse evidence to make judgements about the past, present and future’. We have been looking at artefacts and investigating - What is in the museum? How is it displayed? What does it tell us about the past? We followed this up with a trip to Museum Negara, as reported by Rhys, below. On this field trip Grade 3 went to Muzium Negara. Muzium Negara is a museum which tells people about Malaysia’s history. The museum has four exhibits. 1 - What life was like thousands of years ago. 2 - What life was like a few hundred years ago. 3 - What life was like during the war between the Portuguese, some Dutch people and Malaysia. 4 - What Malaysia is like presently. Some things we learnt are: cavemen used charcoal to write; Malaysians sometimes used canoes as coffins; a 10,000 year old skull can still exist; and Malaysians used many tools such as axes, swords and daggers.
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PYP Reading Workshop Yolaine Johanson Elementary School Language Coordinator ............................................................................................... “Defining reading is no easier than defining literacy. What counts as effective reading varies from context to context according to what the reader wants and needs to achieve, what texts are being encountered, and what the dominant culture expects. Onedimensional definitions have an appeal of simplicity, but they ignore the complexity of the reading process and can often lead to narrow or skewed teaching.” - First Steps Reading Map of Development
On Thursday morning we had a great turnout for our Reading Workshop. Parents delved into the different phases of reading development and identified what phase their own children were in. We discussed what the major indicators of each reading phase were and how parents could help develop reading skills and strategies at home in a fun way. There was a Q & A session afterwards where parents were able to ask questions and share observations about their own children, with regards to reading.
IGBIS Students Continue to Provide Services to the Community Nathalie Chotard Service and CAS Coordinator ...............................................................................................
1) Nadia is the youngest of our Achievers Academy volunteer students and has already spent two of her Saturday at school, welcoming students from our refugee partner school, Top Achievers Academy. 2) Desmond joined the Sierramas community to help sort recyclable items before donating them to charities in need of them.
First Aid Certified! Back in September, in Issue 125 of the newsletter, Justin and Jordan shared Grade 9 students’ experiences participating in a first aid course they attended in Puchong. During this week’s Secondary School Assembly, the participating students received their certificates. Additionally, Tosh from Grade 8, Harrison from Grade 10, and Charise, Tsiu Thien, Ernest and Joshua (all from Grade 12) also completed this course some time ago and were awarded their Emergency First Response Card.
Volunteering Beyond the School Community Back in September, in Issue 125 of the newsletter, Justin and One of the ways to build a strong community beyond school is to selflessly donate time and resources to those in need. Several MYP students have been doing good deeds for others outside of their school community. 1)
These students should be encouraged to assist Ms Azilah during school events to practise, if they wish. This would enable them to, when required, practice the skills of life support, the Heimlich maneuver as well as dressing and bandaging. Congratulations to all!
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3) Zi Yu, Mehran, Thesya, Ray, Hungi, Calvin and Niels spent their lunch break unpacking boxes and organising books for Top Achievers Academy. They also took the time to play with young students on the field during their visit last Tuesday.
Igniting Minds
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4) & 5) Working from home in their own time, Marvin & Adriana planned engaging activities and welcomed students when they visited from a nearby Malaysian secondary school.
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All of these students initiated, committed, and collaborated in these endeavours, and had a fun learning experience in the process!
I encourage all MYP students to join in, igniting minds and impacting lives!
Grades 11 and 12 support their community During the recent Secondary School Assembly, we celebrated Grade 12 students’ successful projects and experiences outside the school community. Here is the video: https://youtu.be/U6PjJBlXNxU Grade 11 students have also shared their plans to make a positive impact in their community. Their ideas include: • Help and coach children with Pan disability • Entertain an orphanage through the Glee Club • Work with Gelandangan Soup Kitchen • Organise a blood drive • Promote the 24 hour race taking place from December 9th to 10th at Epsom College. Take a look at their presentation to find out more about these initiatives.
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Do We Ever See Grace?
Jon Suffolk Performing Arts Teacher ............................................................................................... This week the Senior Drama Company 2017 staged their production of “Do We Ever See Grace?� by Noel Grieg. What a joy it was to see this wonderful group of students work collaboratively to bring this beautiful piece of writing to the stage. Full of deep commentary on the state of British society and governance in the 1980s, the play still resonates today with the issues of war, homelessness, inequality and unstable governance in many parts of the world. I would like to congratulate all the performers, the design and stage team, the lighting operator, and the musicians for their invaluable contributions. This production was the first time students from IGBIS composed the musical score and what a thrill it was for it to be performed live along with the play. After just 13 rehearsals this production was a great success and I would like to thank those who came along in support. Special thanks to my colleague, Ms Hadewych Dujardin, for working alongside me and, in particular, for her work with the composers and musicians. Thank you everyone.
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College Counselling News Bill Mitchell Grades 9-12 School Counsellor ............................................................................................... IGBIS Events Upcoming University visits Ritsumeikan University - Japan December 5, 2017 12:45 pm to 1:30 pm
Princeton Review - SAT/ACT Prep Classes The Princeton Review is a renowned test preparation agency. They have a facility in Kuala Lumpur, but have also offered to have test preparation sessions after school at IGBIS if we can get enough students interested. A proposed schedule for the test preparation classes at IGBIS is below. If you would like further details, please contact me at bill.mitchell@igbis.edu.my. IGBIS Career Fair - February 14, 2018 Call For Volunteers The Secondary School will once again be hosting a Career Fair for the first half of the morning on February 14, 2018. If you are able to assist with informing and inspiring our Grade 6 to 11 students in finding their career pathway, please let us know.
Follow the Secondary Calendar or see the College Counselling Events calendar for future visits and events. College Counselling Events Princeton Review Assessment - January 2018 I have arranged for The Princeton Review to run their Princeton Review Assessment (PRA) in January 2018. The PRA is a four hour test that measures/ predicts which of the ACT or SAT works to your strengths. This test will be held, free of charge, in January. The date will be determined subject to the number of people interested. If you are in Grade 10 or Grade 11 and are interested, please email me your stated interest. Once I know how many people are interested, I will send further details out to interested students. If you have any questions about the PRA or test-preparation, please don’t hesitate to contact me at bill.mitchell@igbis.edu.my.
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The 20-minute motivational and informative presentations are aimed at providing detail about yourself and how you entered your field, a “day in the life” in that area, the educational pathway required and then open the floor to questions. One session will be aimed at 11-14 years old, and one session will be with students aged 15-18 years. Kuala Lumpur Events U.S University Advising EducationUSA Advisers provide comprehensive U.S. university advising every Tuesday and Thursday. Register Here Educanada Study In Canada Fairs 2018 Undergraduate Education Fair Kuala Lumpur Saturday 10 February 2018 10am to 6pm Further details to follow. http://studyincanadafair.com/
Igniting Minds
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Christmas around IGBIS With just a week left before we all take a break for the Christmas holiday, the school is lighting up, with lights twinkling and tinsel sparkling in many and varied places. We are all excited for the Christmas assembly next Wednesday morning from 8.00am. Don’t forget to wear your Christmas-inspired clothes (or just something in red, green or white) on the day. After the assembly, head over to the Holiday Bazaar to find some holiday gifts and treats to purchase.
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PVO News Julie Arcidiacono Community & Events Coordinator ............................................................................................... The Holiday Bazaar is just a few days away! Join us right after the Christmas Assembly near the performing arts rooms on Level 3. Family and friends are welcome - Visitor Passes are available on the Holiday Bazaar noticeboard near the turnstiles on Level 2. We will have 50 vendors selling their wares, as well as a range of activities at the Holiday Bazaar - PVO Cafe in room 3-38, next to the Bazaar: 9:30 - 10:30 am : Japanese tea session 10:30 - 11:00 am : Mung bean dessert cooking class 11:00 - 11:30 am : Kung Fu Cha ceremony 11:30 - 12:00 pm : Tomyam meehoon cooking class 12:30 - 1:00 pm : Chinese tea ceremony 1:00 - 1:30 pm : Essential oils workshop 2:00 - 3:00 pm : Tiramisu demo class Visit our Holiday Bazaar website for more details and to view the entire list of vendors at https://sites.google.com/igbis.edu.my/ holiday-bazaar-2017/home
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