IGB International School’s Weekly Newsletter - Issue 166. Week 1. October 2018.
Cultural experience in Elementary Chinese ~ Pg. 6
Follow us on
Follow us on
Follow us on
Message from Head of School Dear IGBIS Parents and Community Members, The PVO ‘Aloha’ evening at the Valencia Golfers Terrace last Saturday night was well attended. The food and décor were excellent and everyone joined in the fun during the games and dancing afterwards. Thanks are extended to the organizing committee. Spirit Week has been lots of fun with students and teachers wearing a range of different outfits depending on the daily theme. Check out the photos! I mentioned last week that over the coming weeks we plan to tell you more about the pathways at IGBIS. A parent information session has been planned for 8:00 am to 9:30 am on October 23rd to explain the IGBIS Academic Pathways of IB Diploma Programme, IB Career-related Programme and IGBIS High School Diploma to grade 10 parents. Other interested parents are welcome to attend as well. I hope that you all have the opportunity to spend some time with your families during the mid-term break next week. I will be travelling to Spain for a Council of International Schools Board Meeting taking place at the IE University, Madrid. I look forward to seeing everyone again after the holiday.
Anne Fowles Head of School
News from Secondary School Dear parents, It was a fun-filled week in Secondary, with exciting performances at our "Retro Recess" on Thursday and great themes to the Dress Up Days. My favorite in particular was "Full House Friday" - the Grade 12 performance as tourists was particularly hilarious. My thanks to Students Council and the Performing Arts committee for putting on such a great week. We also had quite a few sporting fixtures and one of the highlights I would like to share is that, beyond the efforts and commitment of our sports teams, we also have a group of students - the Phoenix Squad - who are supporting sports at IGBIS in a variety of ways, as referees, keeping score, etc. Our student participation in all activities and events is continuing to grow and be a highlight of our school. My thanks to the parents who came to the Kopitiam today, I hope to see more join us on November 2nd for our next coffee morning. I wish students and their families a safe and restful October holiday! Sincerely yours,
Michael Arcidiacono Secondary School Principal
2
Igniting Minds
Impacting Lives
News from Elementary School This week saw our U11 Basketball teams travel to BSKL and Tenby. As with any tournament there are ups and downs. The boys fought hard and although the results did not go their way the learning experience was valuable. Each of the girls games were close: so much so that in the final game leading by 1 point with 10 seconds to go we conceded a two pointer to lose 11-10. The girls were not despondent as they gave their all, but we have to analyse the games, and work on the areas that need strengthening. Over the course of last week and this week I have seen a variety of summative assessments taking place in the school. Students have been demonstrating their knowledge, understanding and skills of the units they have been engaged in. Formative assessment (ongoing assessment that analyses where students are in their skills and understanding) is constantly happening at IGBIS. Everyday teachers are assessing where the students are and planning learning engagements to challenge them. As I listen to teachers talk about the progress their students are making, it is heartwarming to know that they care about each and every student and are working to help students progress in their development and build this love of learning. I hope you have a relaxing and safe holiday next week.
Simon Millward
Elementary School Principal
DATES FOR YOUR DIARIES •
Monday 8th - Friday 12th October: School holiday
•
Saturday 20th October: Google Apps For Education (GAFE) Summit- Parent workshops
•
Tuesday 23rd October: PHAD (Phoenix Activity Day)
•
Friday 26th October: PYP Parent University Session 3, PVO room 8.00 - 9.35am
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.
Igniting Minds
Impacting Lives
3
4
Igniting Minds
Impacting Lives
Grade 1 students explore Valencia Mary Richards Grade 1 Teacher
.................................................................................................................... On Monday the Grade One students went on a field trip to Valencia to further inquire into the central idea ‘Maps are used to navigate known and unknown places’. The children worked in groups. They had to use a map and follow directions to find hidden boxes. This involved understanding lots of directional and specialist language relating to maps. Some directions involved them using a compass to work out which way to go. Once the children found and opened the boxes there were more mapping questions. All the staff who went on the trip agreed that it had been a great success. The Grade One students proved themselves to be knowledgeable about the different purposes and characteristics of maps. They were also able to manage themselves well, taking on different roles within their groups, communicating and cooperating well together. Thank you to all the parents who came to help and also to those who later joined us for a picnic snack.
Igniting Minds
Impacting Lives
5
Cultural experiences in Elementary Chinese Elementary Chinese Team .................................................................................................................... This year the Elementary Chinese Team in the Languages Department has focused more directly on the provision of opportunities for more frequent creative language responses to rich cultural experiences. During the Mid-Autumn Festival, Early Years to Grade 5 students engaged in a range of culturally themed activities: making paper lanterns, exploring legends and traditions, designing greeting cards and collaborating to decorate themed display boards as responses to their learning. These rich experiences culminated in a mooncake tasting activity. Some of the students had never tried mooncakes before, but they were eager to demonstrate risk taking and were willing to taste for the first time.
The student’s enjoyment and satisfaction was clearly evident throughout the various activities offered during the whole week’s celebration. This cultural exposure and experience made a significant impact on students’ learning and appreciation of the Chinese language and culture practices. We anticipate that parents might be called upon to provide mooncakes during future Mid-Autumn Festivals, now that their children have acquired a taste for them!
6
Igniting Minds
Impacting Lives
Igniting Minds
Impacting Lives
7
IGBIS shows that Everyone Can Run! Staff and students got motivated early last Sunday morning to participate in Everyone Can Run, a 5km and 10km fun run near 1Utama. The event, run by Dignity and Services (D&S), helps to raise awareness and support for people with learning disabilities. Persons with learning disabilities are amongst those who are disadvantaged in Malaysian society and they receive the least help compared to others who are disabled. D&S aims to be an independent voice to ensure that persons with learning
8
disabilities are offered the basic human right of being treated as full human beings (dignityandservices.org). While the majority of IGBIS representatives participated in the 5km race, a brave few went the extra mile (or 5km) in the 10km event, coming home in very respectable times! Congratulations to all who participated in such a worthwhile event.
Igniting Minds
Impacting Lives
Asia-Pacific Writing Competition 2018 The New York Times invites students across the Asia-Pacific region to participate in the 2018 Asia-Pacific Writing Competition. The theme for this year’s competition is Digital Disruption. Students are asked to submit a 500-word opinion piece responding to the following question: Is digital technology disrupting our life and values, or is it creating new ways of living? The competition is open to all tertiary and secondary school students studying in Asia Pacific, with winners from each category selected by awardwinning journalists from The New York Times, and winning entries published in The New York Times International Edition.
Igniting Minds
The deadline for submissions is Wednesday, 31 October, 2018 by 23:59 Hong Kong Time. Please see inside the entry pack for submission guidelines and suggested materials. If you have any questions, or require further information, please do not hesitate to contact Mr Harding at darryl.harding@igbis.edu.my, or Fern (New York Times Head of Education in the Asia-Pacific region) at eduhk@nytimes.com.
Impacting Lives
9
PVO News Julie Arcidiacono Community and Events Coordinator
.................................................................................................................... Aloha Pineapple fried rice, lychee mojitos, limbo, balloon popping, hula hoops, a conga line, flower leis, grass skirts, sandals, music, photobooth, dancing, fun: a number of words used to describe last week’s social evening at Valencia’s Golfer’s Terrace. Nearly 100 parents attended Aloha, our second annual PVO social. The evening began with a themed buffet dinner, followed by games and prizes. While there were actual winners - Chrissy and Darcy Steinheart for Limbo Rock, Maria Fournier for the Hula competition, Wayne Demnar for Best Dressed Male, and Flavia Labre for Best Dressed Female - we all ‘won’, as it was indeed a fabulous evening where fun was had by all. Many thanks to the PVO Social Organising Committee, without whom Aloha would not have been possible: Shamina Nordin, Wei Ling Poon, Suzana Tan, Flora Remeo, Pappu Sruthi, Aza Hamza, Leanne Harvey, Sandeep Bhasin, Shilpa Shinde, Anita Rao, and Felicier Suppiah. A bigger thank you is extended to Shamina Nordin, our founding parent who tirelessly dedicated her time and knowledge towards this event. I can’t wait to see what next year will hold.
10
24 Hour Race On 24 and 25 November, IGBIS will once again host the 24 Hour Race, a student-led charity movement aiming to combat human trafficking and modern day slavery. Many of our students are actively involved in this event. Parents can find out more about the event including how they can contribute during the fundraising dinner, Light for Freedom, on 27 October. Our IGBIS parent Wei Ling Poon is assisting in sourcing parent in-kind contributions and organising a PVO Booth with food and beverages for sale during the race. If you would like to join the 24 Hour Race PVO Organising Committee, please send her an email (weiling.poon.parent@ igbis.edu.my). Holiday Bazaar This year’s bazaar will be on the last day of school, Friday 14 December, from 9:30 am to 1:30 pm, before the Christmas Assembly. If you are interested in being a vendor or if you have a favourite vendor that you would like to recommend, please contact me (julie.arcidiacono@igbis.edu.my) or visit the Holiday Bazaar website to register. International Day/5 Year Anniversary - Living our Legacy 16 March 2019 at IGBIS’ Sports Hall from 9:00 am to 12:00 noon More details will be shared closer to the date, but please help us spread the word! All current and former IGBIS parents, students and staff members are invited to this event.
Igniting Minds
Impacting Lives
Aloha
IGBIS PVO Social 29 Sept.2018
Igniting Minds
Impacting Lives
11
Aloha IGBIS PVO Social 29 Sept.2018