IGB International School’s Weekly Newsletter - Issue 29, Week 1, March 2015
Discounts available until 30th April 2015 for new students applying for 2015-2016 Academic Year.
Elementary students showing the characters they wrote.
Inside this week’s Newsletter
Upcoming Events 10th March 2015 PYP Parent Information Meeting, 8.10am - 9.15am
Message from Head of School Mrs. Anne Fowles, Head of School
11th - 13th March 2015 Grades 4 and 5 Camp
News from Elementary School Mrs. Claire McLeod, Elementary School Principal Updates from Academic and Support Services Mr. Peter Syme, Director of Academic and Support Services
28th March 2015 Open Day, 10.00am - 1.00pm
News from Secondary School Mr. Lennox Meldrum, Secondary School Principal Updates from Student Services Mr. Peter Fowles, Head of Student Services
Igniting Minds
Impacting Lives
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Message from Head of School Mrs. Anne Fowles Head of School It is good to see the school campus come alive with the activities in and around the school on weekends as well as during the week. Apart from the activities run by our teachers, there are now other providers offering gymnastics, Taekwondo, swimming and soccer amongst others. Other school groups have been invited to join activities at IGBIS so that our students have inter school events taking place. Outside users are also approaching us to hire the facilities and this is now taking place with basketball in the sports hall on the weekends. There has also been approaches from groups who are interested to lease the building outside the north corner of our field. We hope to come to decision about this before too much longer and have another facility that can be used by the larger community as well as IGBIS. Have a good weekend.
News from Elementary School Mrs. Claire McLeod Elementary School Principal Elementary Performance Rehearsals for our Elementary Performance “Rats” is well underway with students in all classes learning the songs and main characters rehearsing after school each week. I am sure you have already heard your child talking about this or singing some of the songs as there is already quite a deal of excitement with our first performance. The performance is scheduled for one evening in May; we will confirm the exact date in a few weeks. Uniform I have noticed a few students are wearing their own sweaters/jumpers/cardigans instead of the school sweater. Please remember we require students to wear our school jumper. If you need to purchase any items of uniform, please note the uniform shop is open on Tuesday and Thursday from 3.00pm till 4.00pm. Hats are also available there for RM20.00. These are required if students are playing sport on the soccer pitch or tennis courts. Grade 5 Field Trip Grade 5 students visited Kidzania this week following their inquiries into their recent Unit of Inquiry under the transdisciplinary theme of ‘How we organise ourselves’. Students were tasked with planning a field trip so they could learn what time management skills were required, what resources they would need, who they would have to liaise with, what forms might be needed and who they should gain permission from. Interestingly they also were asked to list what risks they should consider and what they could put into place to reduce these risks. It was a very enlightening unit, with the trip to Kidzania as final activity to help them reflect on their unit. PYP Parent Information Meeting Parents are reminded that our first PYP Parent Information meeting will be held this Tuesday, 10th March at 8.10am on level 3, opposite the school Clinic. Please refer to the email sent home this week and confirm your attendance.
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Impacting Lives
Elementary School Chinese Dear Parents, Thank you for coming to the Parent Teacher Conferences on 25th February; I enjoyed the valuable discussions about how to collaborate to better help our students and your children. Some parents asked about the links to the songs the young students are learning, so they can help them to review it at home; please find the links here:
and the neatness of their handwriting. Grade 3 students are learning to extend simple sentences to be more informative and varied, and compose short passages using visual stimulus.
The Early Years songs: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OC4_KqT8E60 (三轮车 san lun che) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mWkrNQAdMXM (十二生肖歌 shi er sheng xiao ge) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NcjEoNkt6vI (the first part, 食物宝宝有营养 shi wu baobao you yingyang) The stories we have read and talked about are: “走开，绿脸大怪 兽 (zou kai, green face monster)” and “小马过河”xiao ma guo he” . We have practiced some simple characters related to Chinese New Year, like:羊yang， 龙long, and 春chun. Kindergarten and Grade 1 songs: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OC4_KqT8E60 (三轮车 san lun che)
Grades 4 and 5 (Ms Xiaoping) A main project the students have just finished is “the idioms of the 12 zodiac”. They checked the meaning and the stories of the idioms containing the 12 zodiac animals and made them into Keynote projects and presented their work to the whole class. With this project students have developed their language skills, practiced their research skills and worked on improving their presentation skills. They also found how vivid and concise the Chinese language is.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mWkrNQAdMXM (十二生肖歌 shi er sheng xiao ge) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lf6ugqcBBeQ (小兔子乖乖 xiao tuzi guaigual) The students have learned to say the 12 zodiacs in their proper order, independently and fluently. Hope they have showed some of these to you using their “zodiacs lanterns”. The stories we have read and talked about are: “走开，绿脸大怪兽” (zou kai, lv lian da guai shou), “狼来了”（lang lai le) and “小马过河” (xiao ma guo he). The characters they have mainly practiced are: 羊 yang, 龙 long, 春 chun, 灯笼 denglong. Grades 2 and 3 (Ms Xiaoping and Ms Mu Rong) Students have learned to read and retell the 12 zodiacs and the “Nian” stories using characters. They learned to analyze the details of the stories, can judge correct or incorrect comments according to the meaning of the stories. They practiced reorganizing the stories into beginning, middle and the end. In writing, Grade 2 students are still focusing on the writing of the basic characters, emphasizing the stroke orders
Grades 4 and 5 (Ms Kim) After the Chinese New Year assembly, Grades 4 and 5 students are much more confident with speaking Chinese in class. We’ve been studying expressions of different actions which animals and what people can do in our daily lives. We played action games and made a group video to use the new expressions confidently.
Mrs. Xiaoping Li, Mrs. Yuri Kim and Mrs. Mu Rong, Chinese Teachers
Updates from Academic and Support Services Mr. Peter Syme Director of Academic and Support Services Parent Café The temporary café is open on Level 5 near the Finance Counter. There is tea, coffee and snacks available for RM5.00. The opening times are every Monday, Wednesday and Friday mornings from 7:45am - 9:00am and on the same days in the afternoons from 2:30pm - 4:00pm. Whilst it is very simple at the moment, it does provide a space to relax and catch up with other parents while you wait for your children. The RM5.00 is an honesty system just to cover expenses.
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Impacting Lives
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News from Secondary School Mr. Lennox Meldrum Secondary School Principal We had limited internet on Friday morning at IGBIS as a districtwide issue affected the speed at which we could access the world wide web. For most of us, living in a world of slow or no internet forms a major part of our history. For our students, this can be a rare event restricted to holidays in remote locations or through family choices. There is a lot of research about the benefits of taking a “digital sabbatical” and we always encourage our students and community to ensure there is a balance in all that we do. There is no doubt that digital technology has progressed at an amazing rate in the past two decades, and as educators we are always trying to keep ahead of the movement to ensure that our students are prepared for the world of tomorrow. This can be difficult for teachers as we were trained by educators from a generation before us using technology that pre-dates the current models. With the push into 21st century learning from many schools across the world - especially international schools in Asia - we have the benefit of hindsight from the past decade to help us implement tested practices. One of the models that has consistently proven to be successful is when teachers approach the use of technology using the SAMR model. This involves looking at classroom tasks and trying to take them from using technology for the substitution of a non-digital method, through to redefinition of what can be achieved only by using digital materials. It is an exciting and challenging task for our teachers and our Technology Integration Specialist, Mr Geoff Derry, works across the school to help all teachers progress through the different stages of the model. The image below shows an example of using Google Earth in an Individuals and Societies class across the different SAMR levels.
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Of course, technology in education can sometimes worry people who may think we are becoming too reliant on the new ways of doing things and that we may be losing traditional ways of learning. If we take the broad view of technology as “something new” then this is an issue that has been around for a long time. About 2500 years ago, Socrates, an educator who relied on verbal communication and discussion, would dismiss writing as he claimed it encouraged forgetfulness. Some other quotes from educators over the years about technology: • From a principal’s publication in 1815: “Students today depend on paper too much. They don’t know how to write on a slate without getting chalk dust all over themselves. They can’t clean a slate properly. What will they do when they run out of paper?” • From the journal of the National Association of Teachers, 1907: “Students today depend too much upon ink. They don’t know how to use a pen knife to sharpen a pencil. Pen and ink will never replace the pencil.” • From Rural American Teacher, 1928: “Students today depend upon store bought ink. They don’t know how to make their own. When they run out of ink they will be unable to write words or ciphers until their next trip to the settlement. This is a sad commentary on modern education.” Continues on next page...
Impacting Lives
• From Federal Teachers, 1950: “Ballpoint pens will be the ruin of education in our country. Students use these devices and then throw them away. The American values of thrift and frugality are being discarded. Businesses and banks will never allow such expensive luxuries.” • From a science fair judge in Apple Classroom of Tomorrow chronicles, 1988: “Computers give students an unfair advantage. Therefore, students who used computers to analyze data or create displays will be eliminated from the science fair.” These quotes were compiled by Nick Sauers in his book, “Rethinking Education in the Age of Technology: The Digital Revolution and Schooling in America”. Although it is five years old - almost a lifetime in technology years! - it is book that opens a lot of discussion amongst educators. Another way to understand the impact of technology on students today is through the book “It’s Complicated: The Social Lives of Networked Teens” by Danah Boyd. And of course, you all have a fantastic resource about teenagers and digital literacy living in your house so chat to them about it as well! You might find their worries about technology are similar to yours. Have a wonderful weekend.
Becoming an MYP School In October 2014, we submitted our application to the International Baccalaureate (IB) Asia Pacific Regional Office in Singapore for IGBIS to become a candidate school for the IB Middle Years Programme (MYP). In order to achieve candidate status, we needed to demonstrate that IGBIS is committed to fully implementing all aspects of the MYP in accordance with IB regulations and already had certain things established. In January 2015, we received confirmation that IGBIS had met all the prerequisites and would formally become an MYP candidate school on 1 March 2015. The journey from being an MYP candidate school to becoming a fully authorised MYP school is intensive and can often take two to three years to complete. Schools develop an action plan that focuses on three main areas - school philosophy, school organisation and curriculum. The MYP Coordinator leads the implementation process along with other members of the school leadership team. The IB appoints a consultant for each candidate school who liaises with the MYP Coordinator and gives advice during the MYP candidate stage. Candidate schools must ensure that their school missions and philosophies align with those of the IB and that their school communities (including school boards, leaders, teachers, administrative staff, students and parents) demonstrate understanding of and commitment to the MYP. IGBIS was established with the intention of becoming an MYP school. To help our community develop a deeper understanding of the MYP and of developments in the MYP at IGBIS, we will continue to regularly publish articles in our IGBIS weekly newsletter. Parents can follow what their children are learning and their child’s individual progress and achievement on ManageBac and through conversations with teachers. During our recent Parent-StudentTeacher Conferences we also ran parent information workshops about the MYP and will organise further parent workshops in the months ahead. During the MYP candidate phase, schools must make sure that they have the necessary organizational structures in place. This includes everything from staffing and leadership structures to comprehensive school policies and procedures that will support the effective implementation of the MYP. The IB also emphasises the need to appoint suitably qualified and experienced staff to implement the Middle Years Programme and requires that educators receive ongoing professional development. At IGBIS we are very fortunate to have opened a new school with such a highly qualified and experienced team of IB educators, most with many years of experience with the MYP, including some who are also MYP consultants and lead MYP teacher training workshops
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for the IB. Last weekend a number of our teachers either led or attended professional development workshops in Singapore and Hong Kong and are already implementing their new learning. MYP candidate schools must also develop extensive systems, procedures and documentation of curriculum which includes how the curriculum is planned, documented, taught, learnt and assessed. The IB has recently undertaken a comprehensive global review of the Middle Years Programme and the IB published new MYP curriculum guides for all schools to begin using from September 2014. This means that every MYP school around the world, not just IGBIS and other MYP candidate schools, is currently reviewing and updating all MYP curriculum documentation to reflect the new requirements. This is a major task and the IB recognises that it will take time for schools to fully implement the changes. At IGBIS, we are in the process of updating and reviewing our curriculum and expect our updated MYP curriculum overviews will be ready to publish for the start of school in August 2015. We will continue to review, refine and add further detail to our curriculum overviews during next academic year. The final stage of the candidate process is to apply for MYP authorisation. At that time the IB appoints a team to visit candidate schools to see whether they are meeting all the required MYP standards and practices. The visiting team examines school facilities, meets with a wide range of community members, and analyses school policies, procedures and curriculum documentation. It is a rigorous process that ensures the integrity of the MYP in every school across the globe, providing confidence for parents that their children are receiving a high quality education. This week, IGBIS officially became an MYP candidate school. Most candidate schools have been operating as a school for quite some time albeit using a different curriculum framework. At IGBIS we have taken on the double-challenge of establishing a new school and becoming an MYP candidate school at the same time. We have much to accomplish in the next couple of years. Being a candidate school is a significant step in the journey towards authorization. The process is rigorous, and we have confidence in our excellent team of educators and educational leaders and look forward to the support of the IGBIS community as we continue to move towards our goal of being a fully authorised MYP school. Phil Clark, Middle Years Programme Coordinator
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Updates from Student Services Mr. Peter Fowles Head of Student Services Dear Parents, The ‘Behaviour Philosophy’ at IGBIS seeks to provide an education that values mutual respect, intercultural understanding and the attributes of the IB Learner Profile. In achieving this objective, the IGBIS school community will work together to create and maintain a safe and supportive environment that promotes life-long learning based upon: • Treating each other with respect, care, concern, honesty and fairness. • Learning in a safe and supportive environment.
• Displaying global citizenship and cultural awareness. • Being responsible for our behaviour whether they are acting alone or as part of a group. • Having our opinions heard on matters relating to behaviour in an appropriate forum IGBIS has a Code of Conduct and behaviour expectations to which students are expected to adhere as an IB school these are based on the IB Learner Profile.
Learner Profile Attributes
Principles
Rights
Responsibilities
Inquirer
I use my natural curiosity to learn.
I have the right to learn and enjoy learning.
I have a responsibility to learn and to support the learning of others.
Knowledgeable
I seek knowledge about myself, others and our world.
I have the right to develop knowledge about my behaviour and actions.
I have a responsibility to support the development of a positive learning environment.
Thinkers
I am responsible for solving problems and making reasoned, ethical decisions.
I have the right to opportunities to solve problems and ethical decisions.
I have a responsibility to attempt to solve problems, make reasoned and ethical decisions and to support others to do so.
Communicator
I communicate with others in a positive and supportive way.
I have the right to express my thoughts and feelings.
I have a responsibility to listen to and respect others’ point of views and work together in a positive and constructive way.
Principled
I am responsible for my actions and the consequences that accompany them.
I have the right to be treated with honesty, integrity and fairness and expect that my property will be safe.
I take responsibility for my actions and the consequences that accompany them. I take care of the school’s and other peoples’ property.
Open-minded
I have self-respect and respect the culture, values and traditions of the school and of others in the school community.
I have the right to have my culture, values and traditions treated with respect.
I have a responsibility to respect myself and my culture, values and traditions, as well as those of the school and of others in my school community.
Caring
I care for others, my community and myself and work together with others to create a safe and supportive environment.
I have the right to be treated with compassion and respect and to learn in a safe and positive environment.
I have a responsibility to ensure my actions and attitudes are safe and to try to make a positive difference to the lives of others and the environment.
Risk taker
I welcome opportunities to explore new roles, ideas and strategies.
I have the right to explore new roles, ideas and strategies.
I have a responsibility to try new roles, ideas and strategies and to support others to do the same.
Balanced
I ensure the intellectual, physical and emotional health and well-being of all.
I have the right to intellectual, physical and emotional health and well-being.
I have a responsibility to look after my own and others intellectual, physical and emotional health and well-being.
Reflective
I learn by reflecting on my experience and behaviour.
I have the right to reflect on my behaviour and personal development.
I have a responsibility to reflect on my own behaviour and personal development.
When a student continues to make inappropriate choices there will be an inevitable escalation of consequences. The process of student behaviour management is a shared undertaking between the individual student, their parents and the School. Common to all three IB programmes the Learner Profile attributes facilitate meaningful understanding of how appropriate student behaviour can be guided and celebrated.
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Igniting Minds
Impacting Lives