IGB International School Newsletter, Issue 42, Week 2, June 2015

IGB International School’s Weekly Newsletter - Issue 42, Week 2, June 2015

Elementary School students performing the “Rats” Musical

Inside this week’s Newsletter Message from Head of School Mrs. Anne Fowles, Head of School

News from Elementary School Mrs. Claire McLeod, Elementary School Principal

News from Secondary School

Upcoming Events Tuesday, 16th June 2015 Class Parties Thursday, 18th June 2015 Elementary School Final Assembly and Grade 5 Recognition, 8.20am, Theatre Secondary School Final Assembly, 11.00am - 12.30pm, Theatre School Finish, 12.45pm

Mr. Lennox Meldrum, Secondary School Principal

Saturday, 20th June 2015 Open Day, 11.00am - 1.00pm

Updates from Academic and Support Services

20th - 24th July 2015 Summer School Programme

Mr. Peter Syme, Director of Academic and Support Services

27th - 31st July 2015 Summer School Programme Friday, 14th August 2015 Student Registration and Orientation Monday, 17th August 2015 First Day of School

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Message from Head of School Mrs. Anne Fowles Head of School Dear IGBIS Parents and Community Members, A full house watched the Elementary School performance of ‘Rats’ last Tuesday. What a fabulous performance!

Many parents afterwards were commenting on the show and saying just how professional it was and how much their children enjoyed performing in it. I am sure that many homes are still resounding with some of the songs!

Most of our teachers for next year were hired many months ago and we just have a few more positions to fill, depending on student numbers.

Most likely our parents and students alike are interested to see who is joining us next year. Teachers confirmed at present are: Andy Mullin Qualification: M. Ed. (Educational Leadership), BPE (Bachelor of Physical Education) Nationality: Canada and New Zealand Position: PYP and MYP Physical Education teacher Mr. Mullin has worked in schools in New Zealand, Canada, Ireland, the UK, Qatar and Sudan. An avid sportsman, he has been lucky enough to travel the globe playing sport and is now enjoying sharing his love of being active with students from around the world. Mr. Mullin enjoys seeing all his students being creative and excited about how they move and is looking forward to joining the IGBIS community with his wife, Ms. Mullin and their two boys, Will and Ben. Anthony Spivey-Jones Qualification: B.A. (Modern Asian Studies), Grad Dip (Secondary Teaching) Nationality: United Kingdom and Australia Position: DP Economics, Business & Management; MYP Individuals & Societies Teacher Mr Spivey-Jones has worked at schools in New Zealand, Australia, Japan, China and SAR Hong Kong with extensive teaching experience of the IB curriculum at MYP and DP levels, including moderating and curriculum creation. He loves music, cinema and outdoor pursuits, such as surfing, golf, and hiking. Along with his wife, Mrs. SpiveyJones, he is excited to become a member of IGBIS family.

Beth Mullin Qualification: M.A (Leadership Studies), Bachelor of Education (Language Arts) Nationality: Canada Position: MYP and DP Language and Literature teacher Ms. Mullin has worked in schools in Canada, New Zealand, Qatar and Sudan. Throughout her 15 years of teaching, she has been involved in debate, drama, student leadership, outdoor education and coaching sports. She enjoys teaching in a dynamic and lively environment, where students feel confident to explore and express new ideas. She is excited about joining IGBIS with her husband, Mr. Mullin and their two boys, Will and Ben. Deborah Tobin Qualification: MEd. Nationality: Canada Position: Elementary ESOL teacher Prior to joining IGBIS, Deborah Tobin taught in China and the east coast of Canada. She also worked as a school principal above the Arctic Circle in the Canadian high arctic. She holds Bachelor degrees in Arts and Education and a Master’s degree in Education as well as the Cambridge University EAL certification. She is a writer and a photographer and enjoys outdoor activities and encounters with nature.

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Dean Watters Qualification: B. Engineering, Dip. Ed. Nationality: Australia Position: MYP and DP Mathematics teacher Mr. Watters has previously worked at schools in Australia, Colombia, Egypt and China. He is experienced in both the MYP and DP and enjoys the openness the IB curriculum offers. He is an experienced swim coach and enjoys playing squash, golf, football and soccer. Mr. Watters will be joining IGBIS with his wife Sally and his lovely two girls Isla and Zoe. Darren Aherne Qualification: M.Ed. (Secondary Education), B.Sc. (Aquatic Biology) Nationality: USA Position: MYP Science, DP Biology, DP Environmental Systems & Societies teacher Mr. Aherne has previously taught in schools in Indonesia and Taiwan, with IB training and experience in MYP and DP sciences.

He enjoys playing sports, eating delicious food, and traveling. He has experience coaching teams in basketball, volleyball, and softball.

When not teaching, Mr. Aherne can usually be found together with his wife and two young children. He is looking forward to joining the IGBIS team.

Emily Heys Qualification: MEd Nationality: Australia Position: DP Psychology, MYP Individuals and Societies teacher Miss Heys has worked in two large secondary schools in Australia.

She has specialized in Senior School Psychology and worked in cross-curricular programs teaching Maths, English, Science, Humanities and Health at a Middle School level. Her passion for lifelong learning inspired her to work internationally. She is very much looking forward to joining the passionate staff and students at IGBIS. Glen Fleury Qualification: B.Ed, Diploma of Teaching, Grad. Cert. Music Technology Nationality: New Zealand Position: MYP Performing Arts teacher Mr Fleury has previously taught in schools in New Zealand, Tanzania, Thailand and Vietnam. His 25 years of teaching experience includes 10 years working in IB schools. He is passionate about the performing arts and enjoys directing school productions and working with instrumental groups. Mr Fleury has had extensive training in the MYP programme and represents the IB as a workshop leader and school visit team member. He is very much looking forward to joining the IGBIS community.

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Gustav Helman Qualification: MTchg Nationality: Poland / Germany Position: MYP & DP Languages Teacher A TCK who grew up overseas due to his father’s job, Mr. Helman has been teaching in international schools since 1990, in Japan, Argentina, Malaysia, China, Zambia, Indonesia, and the USA. He is an IB Examiner, an AP Reader, an IB DP Workshop Leader, and an Online Facilitator for PYP and MYP. During his free time, he enjoys traveling, cooking, reading, and trying “all-things-technology”. He also writes travel blogs and restaurant reviews.

Jane Cheu Qualification: M.A. (Chinese Language and Literature), B.A. (Mass Communication) Nationality: Singapore Position: MYP and DP (Chinese B and ab initio) Teacher Ms Cheu has previously worked at schools in Singapore, Indonesia, Dubai and many other countries. She also has experience with online teaching. She has extensive training and teaching experience with IB curriculum in MYP and DP. Ms. Cheu enjoys reading, cooking, yoga, movies and all things technological. She is looking forward to joining IGBIS. Jo Spivey-Jones Qualification: B. Ed (Secondary), Secondary Teaching Diploma Nationality: United Kingdom MYP Design Technology teacher Ms Spivey-Jones has previously worked in schools in New Zealand, China and Hong Kong. She is an experienced IB MYP Design teacher. Ms Spivey-Jones loves to travel and meet new people from different cultures. When not working or travelling she loves to walk on the beach, read books and likes to cook. Ms Spivey-Jones looking forward to moving to Malaysia and joining the IGBIS team.

Kathy McKenzie Qualification: MEd Nationality: New Zealand Position: PYP Teacher Ms McKenzie comes to Malaysia after teaching in New Zealand, England, Vietnam, Switzerland and Japan. She enjoys the diversity found in international schools, classroom teaching and her students, and has particular interests in literacy and inquiry learning. She has considerable experience with the PYP curriculum, and is looking forward to joining the IGBIS community.

Lara Skadsen Qualifications: B.A Nationality: USA Art Teacher Lara Skadsen has previously worked at schools in South Africa, Qatar, Morocco and China and has extensive training and teaching experience with IB curriculum in MYP. Her husband Mr Skadsen is working in the school now as a maths teacher and her younger daughter, Kira is in secondary school. Mrs Skadsen enjoys art and yoga and is looking forward to joining IGBIS. Lisa McClurg Qualification: BEd. Nationality: New Zealand Position: PYP Teacher Miss McClurg has previously worked at schools in New Zealand, the

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UK and Australia as a classroom teacher, grade level coordinator and Reading Recovery specialist. She has always enjoyed teaching using an inquiry approach and has training and experience teaching with IB Currciulum in PYP. Swimming, health and fitness, travel and arts and crafts are are a few of her interests. Lisa is very excited for her move to Malaysia and is really looking forward to joining the team at IGBIS. Lizzie Hudson Qualification: MA Inclusive and Special Education Nationality: US/UK Position: Learning Support teacher Mrs Hudson has worked supporting and advocating for students in the US, Hong Kong, South Korea and Thailand. She enjoys collaborating with others to ensure the best learning environments for the students. She is excited about the opportunities awaiting her and her family at IGB. Marshall Hudson Qualification: MA (Elementary Education) Nationality: USA Position: PYP Teacher Mr Hudson has taught upper elementary at international schools in Honduras, Colombia, South Korea and Hong Kong. He has extensive experience in the PYP setting and as a team leader. He will be moving to Malaysia with his wife and two young children. Mr Hudson is looking forward to joining the IGB family and continuing the inquiry based learning experience.

Michael Smith Qualification: B.Sc (Earth Sciences), B.Ed (Mathematics), M.Ed (Teacher Librarianship) Nationality: Australia Position: MYP and DP Mathematics teacher Mr. Smith has been teaching in international schools for twenty years and has previously worked in schools in Singapore, Sri Lanka, Vietnam, China and Tanzania. He has experience in IB Middle Years and Diploma Mathematics and Information Literacy and has held positions in both areas of the curriculum. Mr. Smith is also a visiting team member for the Council of International Schools. He is an authorised Emergency First Response first aid instructor and Austswim instructor. He enjoys swimming, cycling and SCUBA diving in his spare time.

Nancy Fu Qualification: M.S., B.Ed. (Primary), B.A. (English Literature and Language), Nationality: Chinese Citizen & Canadian Permanent Resident Position: PYP Chinese Teacher Mrs. Fu has lived outside of China for more than 10 years. Previously she has worked at schools in Mexico and Indonesia and has extensive training and teaching experience with IB curriculum in PreElementary and PYP. Mrs. Fu loves travelling and enjoys coaching drama and badminton. Along with her husband, Mr. Brothers and her son, Rhys, she is looking forward to joining IGBIS. Natalie Fabian Qualification: Ed. S. (School Psychology), M.A. (Educational Psychology), B.A. (Psychology) Nationality: USA School Counselor and Educational Psychologist (Elementary and Middle School)

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Ms. Fabian has previously worked at schools in Germany, Thailand, South Korea, and the United States and is familiar with the IB curriculum. Outside of school, she enjoys teaching yoga, coaching cheerleading, and running. She is very excited to move to Malaysia and join the IGBIS community!

Nathalie Chotard Qualification: BA , PGCE (Secondary modern foreign languages) Nationality France Position: Language acquisition teacher; French, English, Spanish Teacher Ms Chotard has previously worked in International schools in the Bahamas, Japan and Turkey. She has extensive experience and training in the DP IB program. Ms Chotard has experience coaching cross country and facilitating dancing and cooking. She is looking forward to joining the IGBIS family.

Rachel Fleury Qualification: B.Ed (Education), Diploma of Teaching Nationality: New Zealand Position: MYP Generalist Mrs Fleury has previously taught in schools in New Zealand, Tanzania, Thailand and Vietnam. She has been teaching for over 20 years including both Middle School generalist positions as well as PYP and MYP music positions. She has been involved in many music productions and lead has various choirs, bands and orchestras. Mrs Fleury is very excited to be living in KL and looking forward to being a part of the IGBIS community.

Marcus Wetherell Qualification: BSc., QTS Nationality: United Kingdom Position: MYP Generalist Mr. Wetherell has previously taught at schools in England, Dubai, Thailand and Singapore. He has been a head of technology, ICT coordinator and digital coach with training and experience across IB PYP, MYP and DP. Mr. Wetherell is certified as an Apple Foundations Trainer and Google Education Trainer, and he has been recognised

by Google as a Google Certified Teacher. His interests include technology, movies and reading.

Sally Watters Qualification: B.Ed Nationality: Australia Position: PYP Teacher Mrs Watters is an experienced IB PYP teacher who has spent the past 12 years working in schools in Australia, Colombia, Egypt and China. She has taught both Secondary and Elementary students and has worked as a classroom teacher, student support teacher, Grade Level coordinator and Elementary Math Coach. Mrs Watters is moving to Malaysia with her husband and two young daughters.

She is excited about being a part of the IGBIS community.

Tim Bartle Qualification: B.Ed (Physical Education), Grad. Dip. (Outdoor and Environmental Education) Nationality: Australian Position: MYP PHE Teacher Mr. Bartle has been teaching Health and Physical Education and Outdoor Education in Australia for 6 years. His passion lies in positively impacting the lives of his students by fostering a love of physical activity and promoting a lifelong commitment to being active. He enjoys coaching a variety of sports, specialising in Track and Field and Cross Country. He is excited about joining the IGBIS team in 2015.

Kari Twedt Qualification: M.Ed (Teaching), B.A. (Elementary Education) Nationality: USA Position: PYP Teacher Originally from the United States, Kari Twedt has been working and living overseas since 2001. She has spent the majority of that time teaching in SE Asia in Thailand and Singapore. Ms Tewdt is excited to be moving back to SE Asia after being in Portugal for the past three years. She has a wide variety of PYP experience and is looking forward to joining the IGBIS team. Ms Twedt is accompanied by her husband, James, and her two young children Landen and Finian.

We look forward to seeing our parents at the final assemblies on Thursday June 18th, the last day of school. School will finish at 12:45pm.

Elementary School Musical “Rats�

On Tuesday, the whole of Elementary School was involved in the Rats! performance. The show was fabulous and although some of you may be relieved that your child will no longer be singing Rats tunes in the car and acting them out over dinner, it was an outstanding performance by the young actors. Special thank you to all the IGBIS staff who brought this performance to fruition.

Ms Hadewych Dujardin Elementary School Music

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News from Elementary School Mrs. Claire McLeod Elementary School Principal Thinking back on this week I feel as though everyone is still on a high after the highly successful and enjoyable Rats performance last Tuesday morning. Our students felt the excitement and did not let it affect their nerves. They sang beautifully, remembered their lines and had great expression and character throughout.

Congratulations to all students from Early Years 1 through to Grade 5 and most importantly to Ms Hadewych Dujardin our talented Elementary Music teacher and the Elementary staff who provided wonderful back up support.

and piano. We also had many happy students who received their Certificate of Learning this week.

We are approaching our last week of school so I have listed some reminders for parents.

Monday: Student reports will be sent home.

Tuesday: Class parties Thursday: Final Elementary Assembly and Grade 5 Recognition at 8.20am in the Theatre, all parents are invited.

Thursday: School finishes at 12.45pm, students will not have lunch at school.

It is hard to believe we only have four days of school, what an amazing year we have all had!

Friday was our last general Elementary Assembly and we were entertained by Grade 1 and Grade 3 students who showed us their musical talents when playing the African drums, xylophones

Until next time.

News from Secondary School Mr. Lennox Meldrum Secondary School Principal

Have you ever wondered how concentrated lemon juice needs to be to so it can be used as invisible ink?

Or what is involved with building your own computer using a Raspberry Pi? Or perhaps you are wondering whether the Stroop effect is stronger when using lower-case or capital letters*.

These are only a few of the dozens of investigations researched by our MYP Sciences students over the past few weeks as they have applied their knowledge and skills in their Science Fair project.

A cornerstone of an IB education is the inquiry process.

We know from the first time a young child asks “why?” that natural curiosity and inquiry is how we learn about the world.

Sometimes we hear parents who have come from other education systems say that their child loved being in Elementary School because it was fun, but Secondary School doesn’t interest them and the classes are dull. Unfortunately, we have seen classrooms like these that lack an inquiry focus and, to be honest, I don’t know how the teacher stays interested when the “learning” is so one directional! Luckily at IGBIS, your children get to continue the fun, inquiry-based approach to education as

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they continue from PYP into MYP and beyond.

Part of being an IB educator is finding as many opportunities for students to be involved in the inquiry process. If you visit our classrooms you can see it happen as part of the Design cycle, through development of artistic processes, in investigations about the world around them in Individuals and Societies, and by relating themes in literature to their own experiences, to give a few examples. It becomes such a natural part of the education in IB schools that if you stop and ask a student about how they use inquiry they sometimes stumble in their explanation because they can’t think of a time when it isn’t used!

Being an inquirer is a fundamental part of life and encourages people to be lifelong learners. If you have the chance to visit the school in the next week, come and see the Science Fair presentations on display in the Sciences corridor on Level 6. I am sure that you will learn something new about your world - I know I did!

I look forward to seeing you all at the Final Assembly next Thursday at 11.00am. Keep an eye on your inbox for details of other events taking place next week, or ask your child to tell you about them! * well done if you didn’t have to Google “Stroop effect” :-)

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Updates from Academic and Support Services Mr. Peter Syme Director of Academic and Support Services School Holiday Notices Whilst everyone is gearing up for school holidays and enjoying a well-earned break, it is important to occassionally refer to the website or our emails that may be coming your way. There may be a need to update your data, phone numbers, financial information that you will need to be aware of. When school resumes in August therefore, you will not get surprised if there have been any changes to a process or a development.

now suddenly they have deducted in one big swipe, the amounts owing for January.

This is a great inconvenience to all of us, including the staff, and I apologise for the way this has been handled and activated.

It was certainly not the intention. Sometimes the external forces just go against you. We have already expressed our displeasure to the company on your behalf.

Part of being in a new school is the review process after the first twelve months and even twenty-four months. Greater clarity comes about and sensible changes can occur that have either been suggested by our community or that we have noticed ourselves. So do check occassionally over the next eight weeks for any updates or new information.

Summer School We have had to review our Summer School Programme and unfortunately, the first week of Summer School, Monday 22nd June till Friday 26th June 2015, has had to be cancelled. In the first month of the school holidays, there will be much rennovation and expansion work taking place and also the wayfinding team that will add colour and signage to the school will be working from Monday the 22nd.

Parent Café We now have confirmation that Russell and Jenny Dabbs, who currently operate out of Valencia, will be running the parent café starting in August. This is very exciting news. The café plans to sell fresh juices and smoothies, Lavazza coffee, teas, housebaked pastries and possibly a selection of sandwiches and ciabattas. A price list will be coming out before school starts in August so watch this space.

Cafeteria Payment Updates Information was published back in April and May about the cafeteria payment updates for the first two weeks in January, when there was a delay in the electronic card and bracelet system.

The best laid plans often go awry as they say. Unfortunately, when dealing with outside services, in this case the access card providers, they did not exactly follow our instructions on time and

We hope the students who did register for the first week of Summer School can look at Programmes B and C for late July and if they find something that interests them, we can make a direct swap to that particular group. If the timing for late July does not suit your family, then you of course will be refunded in full.

At the moment, we have kept the bookings open for Summer School programmes for 20th July 2015 and for 27th July 2015.

These will close by the end of next week and we will inform you of what courses will be running and which ones will be cancelled.

The programmes for the younger students have been very popular. There are vacancies for all of the courses that have an MYP or IB Diploma focus.

IGBIS Instrumental Music Academy I am excited to announce that next year we will be offering drum lessons as part of the Academy. Mr Andy Chia has experience in playing all sorts of drum and percussion instruments as well as piano. He also spent some years with the Malaysian Philharmonic Youth Orchestra. Drum lessons will only be available to students in Grade 3 and above.

Communication for the Academy in the next academic will be mainly through email and the IGBIS Portal. All schedules will be

shared via the portal for staff, students and parents to view.

Registration for next year will open in the first week of the new academic year. Parents will be able to download and print the application form.

Mr. Jon Suffolk, Performing Arts Teacher

IGBIS Instrumental Music Ensemble The IGB Instrumental Ensemble will be performing a number of times this week. Students are reminded to bring their instruments and music to school Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. These performances will highlight the tremendous talents of members of the group and be a fitting way to celebrate their success.

Mr. Jon Suffolk, Performing Arts Teacher

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