IGB International School’s Weekly Newsletter - Issue 162. Week 1. September 2018.
Grade 1 students take a break from navigating around The Curve during their field trip last week.
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Message from Head of School Dear IGBIS Parents and Community Members,
an Orang Asli village where they had been working with young children. I was sorry to miss the raft
Dr Arcidiacono and I had quite a road trip as we travelled out to visit our secondary school camps located at different places around Malaysia. We certainly came to appreciate the beautiful countryside in Malaysia and it was great to see the camps ourselves. The students and teachers were all very enthusiastic about their activities. We saw the Grade 6 and 7 students abseiling, and the Grade 10 and 11 students coming in from their visit to
building activity and look forward to seeing photos of the students on their rafts. The Grade 8 and 9 students had the most challenging campsite, as they were staying in tents, but this is all a part of the outdoor education experience. I am sure that all of the students and teachers will return to school talking about experiences that they will remember for some time to come. Most importantly they will know that they have had a positive impact on the people and the environment with which they interacted during the week. Our next major event is our whole school assembly for Malaysia Day next Friday, September 14th. We look forward to seeing you there. Have a wonderful rest over the coming long weekend!
Anne Fowles Head of School
News from Secondary School Mrs. Fowles and I had a great time visiting the camps on Wednesday and Thursday. We drove to Ipoh to join the Grade 6 & 7 students for lunch and abseiling, and then headed up to visit the Grade 10 & 11 students for dinner and stayed the night in Belum. On the return, we stopped by the campsite of the Grade 8 & 9 students at Merapoh, who were out on their caving/abseiling expeditions. We then returned to IGBIS - whew! We estimated our total driving distance to be 700-800 km over the two days. It was so exciting to see our students in these different environments. We observed Grade 6 students facing a real challenge in abseiling down a waterfall. We spoke with the older students about their experiences in doing service work with the Orang Asli village near Belum. The skills developed and the experiences truly did impact and ignite our students. What a wonderful experience! An unexpected result of the trip was how much we enjoyed seeing parts of Malaysia. For example, some of the geographical formations we observed from Belum to Merapoh were quite spectacular. We are fortunate to live in such a beautiful country.
I look forward to seeing parents at our Parent Coffee on September 13th at 8am (on the topic of Malaysian language offerings) and also at the Malaysia Day Assembly on September 14th at 2pm.
Michael Arcidiacono Secondary School Principal
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News from Elementary School The development of a learning lounge. At IGB International School we are fortunate to have not only classroom areas but the learning lounges as well. These break out spaces, often created/designed by our students, give them a sense of ownership over their areas and encourage them to enjoy and focus on their learning. These spaces are very different between grade levels as student needs are very different. As I was walking around school this week I saw a hive of activity in the Grade 2 learning lounge as parents had been invited in to assist the foundational work started by the students. The structures were being reinforced to stand the test of time. It was great to see so many parents lending a hand, interacting and being an active part of our community of learners. The students had designed a language area, a construction area, a quiet chill out area and much more. Ask a Grade 2 student about their learning lounge. Thank you to all those who helped: it was wonderful to see.
After-school Activities This week saw the start of the after-school activities and athletics programme. Students were happy to interact with students from other grades as they engaged with their ‘new’ activities. On Tuesday morning I was greeted by about 16 eager Elementary students who had made their way to school early to start in the IGBIS swim squad. The session started around 6.45am when it was beginning to get light and the students were put through their paces. I even scored a lane to myself to have a sneaky swim before school! Thank you to the coaches, PE staff and parents for being supportive of this early morning initiative.
Dates for your diaries
Parent reps We hosted our first Class Parent Representative meeting on Monday morning. At this meeting we shared what the role of the ‘class rep’ is and were able to field questions that they may have had. Hopefully you have heard from your class rep by now, as their role is to assist parents at IGBIS. They want you to feel a part of our community and they will work closely with the classroom teachers to keep you informed and updated on anything happening at school. They also need your support and help at times so don’t be afraid to get involved, as we are a TEAM (Together, Everyone, Achieves, More).
Simon Millward
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Monday 10th and Tuesday 11th September: Holiday Friday 14th September: Malaysia Day Assembly, 2pm, Theatre Thursday 13th September: Coffee with the Principals-Topic: Malay Language offerings 8am, Level 6 Multi-purpose room Friday 21st & Saturday 22nd September: School Open Days Saturday 22nd September: Imagination Foundation Day of Play, 9am-12pm Monday 8th - Friday 12th October: School Holiday Saturday 20th October: Google Apps For Education (GAFE) Summit: Parent workshops
Elementary School Principal
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Grade 1 Field Trip
Mary Richards Grade 1 Teacher
.................................................................................................................... In Grade One we are very excited about our new Unit of Inquiry, “Maps are used to navigate known and unknown places�. Last Thursday we went to the Curve to begin our inquiry, where we5 tried to find different shops. At first we did not use a map at all, then we tried using the interactive map at the Curve and finally we used a paper map. We found out that maps can be very useful in helping us navigate around the Curve more easily. Over the next few weeks we will be looking at lots of different kinds of maps and thinking about the characteristics of them. In Math we will be working on position and direction which integrates well into this UOI. A great time was had by all at the Curve and we would like to thank all the parents who helped with the activities. We finished the morning with a picnic snack which was attended by many of the other Grade One parents.
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Elementary Art News Ms. Elli and Mr. Pendlebury Elementary Art Teachers
.................................................................................................................... ‘Individuality of expression is the beginning and end of all art.’ Johannes Wolfgang von Goethe (1749-1832)
Welcome back all artists! We begin by welcoming Mr. Pendlebury into the art team, where he will be guiding Grade 5 students in their artistic endeavours. We start the year with a vertical unit that all students from Kindergarten to Grade 5 undertake. The central idea, ‘Artists react and respond differently to the same subject’, has raised many questions, discussion points and debate amongst our artists. “What is the difference between a reaction and a response?” was one. “What is a subject? Like chemistry?” says another. “We create differently because we are different people” states a Grade 3 student. Hmmmmm, there is much to explore and contemplate. These questions have led to the students studying flora and fauna and examining how different artists and designers have tackled the subject across many different eras, media choices and styles. They have reacted by sharing their initial thoughts of the artwork through discussion. Carrying out critiques, art history research, studying pages in sketchbooks and sketching to improve observational drawing skills, began the process of linking their reaction to a response. The students now begin to explore how they wish to respond to what they have seen by creating their own, highly individual outcomes to the same subject. Watch this space for news of their upcoming exhibition.
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READING Kerri Chan
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Whole School Teacher Librarian
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What is Reading Bingo? Reading Bingo is an optional reading incentive programme designed to motivate and reward students for reading a variety of books in English or their home language. Students will not receive a grade for participating, and participation is not required.
How does it work?
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Over the next week, students will be given their first Reading Bingo card. Each time the student reads a book in one of the categories, they should write the title and author of the book in that space. They need to meet with a librarian or teacher to answer a few questions about their book. When the entire card is filled out, a parent, guardian, or teacher needs to sign the bottom and return the card to the library. Each time the student completes a book, they will earn house points. When they finish a card, they will advance to the next level. Completed cards will be kept in a binder in the library.
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Each grade will have different book categories on their Bingo cards. There are six card levels (red, orange, yellow, green, blue, purple) for each grade. Students may not skip levels. Any book read by or to a student between September 2018 and May 2019 may count. (Even older students like to be read to every now and then!) Books read in class, by teachers, by a librarian, for class assignments, or in a book club may also count. The programme ends on Thursday, May 16, 2019. No new books or cards will be accepted after May 16. Your card must be completely full and contain a parent or guardian’s signature before you can turn it in. Partiallycompleted or unsigned cards will not count. Turn in your card to the Library. You will get a new card (colour-coded for the next level) when you turn in your completed card. Each book counts only once. You may not repeat the same book on two separate cards.
What can you earn? HOUSE POINTS FOR COMPLETED LEVEL
Why are there specific reading categories on the card?
LEVEL
HOUSE POINTS FOR EACH BOOK
Listing reading categories serves two purposes: it encourages students to use the DESTINY catalogue to find different kinds of books, and it encourages them to read books about a wide variety of topics.
RED
1 point
5 points
ORANGE
2 points
10 points
YELLOW
3 points
20 points
GREEN
4 points
30 points
BLUE
5 points
40 points
PURPLE
6 points
50 points
Other important information •
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Students may read the books in any order on their card and choose any titles that fit the categories. The books may come from any source (IGBIS Library, online resources, book fair, classroom, friends, home, etc.). The cards should be signed only when they are completely filled in (before they are turned in to the library). Please do not sign cards until all the spaces on the card are completely filled in.
If you have any questions about Reading Bingo, please contact Ms. Chan @ kerri.chan@igbis.edu.my. Happy Reading!
e-waste and battery collection E-waste is any electronics equipment that is no longer useful, either because it is damaged or has been replaced. Often this consists of phones, computers, household appliances, etc. Rather than let these items accumulate around your home, or throw them into landfill (where they should not go), IGBIS has established an e-waste collection point near the turnstiles on Level 2. Simply drop off any e-waste or batteries and we will discard them correctly for you.
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IGBIS INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL
Igniting Minds
Impacting Lives