IGB International School Newsletter, Issue 19, Week 4, November 2014

IGB International School’s Weekly Newsletter - Issue 19, Week 4, November 2014

Secondary School Principal, Mr. Lennox Meldrum showing visitors IGBIS’s 2-Star FIFA certified football field at the recent Open Day.

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

Upcoming Events December Wednesday, 10th December 2014

Whole School Christmas Assembly, 2.00pm (Red and Green Day, school uniform is not required.)

Last day of School

Thursday, 11th December 2014

News from Secondary School Mr. Lennox Meldrum, Secondary School Principal

Public Holiday - Sultan Selangor’s Birthday

11th December - 2nd January 2015 December School Holidays

Updates from Student Services Mr. Peter Fowles, Head of Student Services

January 5th January 2015 School Resumes

Updates from Academic and Support Services

Mr. Peter Syme, Director of Academic and Support Services

Updates from Admissions Mrs. Bronwyn Thorburn, Admissions Director

Igniting Minds

Impacting Lives

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Message from Head of School Mrs. Anne Fowles Head of School Dear IGBIS Parents and Community Members, Open Day Open Day was a great success last Saturday.

Over one hundred and twenty people visited the school and quite a number have submitted enrolment applications.

Once again our students and staff were wonderful ambassadors for the school. Thank you to everyone who came to support IGBIS. Parent Volunteer Organisation (PVO) Close to forty parents attended our first Parent Coffee on Wednesday afternoon. This was an excellent opportunity for parents to meet each other and engage in discussions about the school. We were particularly interested to hear parents’ suggestions for getting to know each other more through social networking and communications, areas in which they would appreciate having focus discussions and ways in which they could support the school through class parents, new parent welcomers, setting up a Parent Volunteer Organisation and International Day. It is only two weeks until the holidays. A reminder to our parent community that there will be a Christmas Assembly on Wednesday, 10th December.

Have a good weekend.

The Power of Reflection Many classes are finishing their current units of inquiry and students are completing end of unit assessments. One component of these has been the use of reflection. The Grade 5 students researched historical figures who have been agents of change for a variety of reasons for example Nelson Mandela, Thomas Edison and The Wright Brothers to name a few.

They were required to produce an oral presentation and display to highlight some of what they had found out. For a number of students this was a challenging task as they had to work independently, consider how they were going to display their work and organise their own time. The physical displays were then reflected upon.

How much adult help had they received?

How visually appealing it was.

How well did they manage their time? Etc

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Igniting Minds

Students then placed themselves on a continuum and gave reasons why they placed themselves there.

The learning that the students came out with was more than just pass and fail. The power was in reflecting upon what worked?

What didn’t work? What would they do differently next time?

These presentation and display skills will be encountered throughout the school year and I am sure the students will learn from this current experience and consider how and what they will do next time.

Whilst this example is from Grade 5 all the classes in the Elementary school are reflecting on what they have done? And how they can learn from it.

Mr. Simon Millward, Elementary Curriculum Coordinator

Impacting Lives

News from Elementary School Mrs. Claire McLeod Elementary School Principal Open Day Last Saturday’s Open Day tours were very successful and from these tours we have received a number of applications. Feedback from parents visiting our school on Saturday and on other occasions has found students and teachers across the school to be very open, welcoming and informative. Displays clearly show the skills and type of learning that is occurring and wonderful conversations have developed about teaching strategies, differentiation, assessment and the implementation of the IB Learner Profile. A number of our Secondary School students have impressed parents and their teachers on Open Day and at the recent Private and International Schools Fair with their confidence, ability to clearly communicate in English, Chinese or Bahasa Melayu what they have learnt, how learning is different here at IGBIS and their understanding of the IB Learner Profile. They are wonderful ambassadors for our school.

The Student Council (SC) The Student Council (SC) is an organisation that represents and promotes student welfare.

The SC has been established to plan and coordinate student activities as well as maintain a high level of cooperation and school spirit. The SC will also encourage a sense of responsibility, leadership and service amongst students.

IGBIS has an Elementary and Secondary SC that consists of two executive committees with elected representatives from Grade 2-5 and from Grade 6-12.

Students in our SC are aware that commitment and dedication is required to carry out each role successfully. Members of the Student Council will have the following roles and responsibilities: • • • • • •

Promote School spirit Arrange social, cultural and recreational events for its members Provide links between the students and faculty Provide links between Elementary and Secondary Act as role models for the student body Assist in the orientation and welcoming of new students into the Elementary and Secondary School.

It is with great pleasure that I congratulate our first Elementary Student Council representatives. We are delighted to have such independent and confident students be part of our student voice in Elementary. There is one representative from Grade 2 and 3 and two representatives from Grades 4 and 5, with our Grade 4 and 5 students leading many of our future activities and events.

Grade 2: Addameir Badlisyah Grade 3: Gabriel Corbetta Grade 4: Reeti Malhotra and Reza Shahabudin Grade 5: Charisse Chai and Sasha Fournier Our first event for Elementary SC will be the Christmas Assembly on Wednesday, 10th December. Together with the SC teachers Mr Harvey and Mrs Harvey, they are currently planning how they will lead the assembly and provide some interesting information. In the future information about Elementary SC events will be shared by representatives in class meetings, at assemblies and via letters to parents.

Until next week.

Igniting Minds

Impacting Lives

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News from Secondary School Mr. Lennox Meldrum Secondary School Principal It is another week of “firsts� in the Secondary School. One that all of our students were excited about is our first Student Council event of a dress-down day followed by a movie afternoon. There are some fantastic costumes on show in the school today and I am sure you will see many photos over the next few days. The Student Council is to be commended for their organisation and preparation for the movie event that has students from across the school attending.

Another great event this week was our first competitive inter-school basketball game with a friendly against ISKL. These will grow to become regular games in a range of sports, but for the first one I was happy to be an active supporter as our students travelled to Ampang to compete. There were three stand-out moments for me.

The first was the tip-off, which was a very proud moment. As a new school, we have tried to predict the full talents of our incoming students and how they may commit to their studies and activities. We have been fortunate to have some gifted basketball players come to IGBIS and their dedication in getting a team up to competition standard within the first semester has been impressive. To see them leap so high at the start of this inaugural game was inspiring.

The game was a tough one for our team as ISKL had double the number of students on the bench so they could bring out fresh players regularly. Our eight players pushed themselves to exhaustion and played some excellent basketball right up to the final buzzer. The second stand-out moment was the outstanding sportsmanship and camaraderie that our team showed, setting a high standard that we will always strive to live up to. They demonstrated the respect that we would expect of a team that wears the IGBIS uniform.

The final stand-out moment was the joy on the faces of the team members (and the coach) after the match. Win, lose, or draw, there are so many other important aspects to being part of a team. The leadership opportunities, being able to learn from your peers, the importance of working as a team for a common purpose, how to control and focus your emotions in difficult situations, and how to support your team members even when they make mistakes. Our team showed how they are developing these qualities and I could not be prouder of a team to represent us in our first IGBIS sporting fixture. Well done to: (standing, left to right) Coach Skadsen, Abdallah, Leon, Lloyd, Sandile, Ken, Yong You, (front) Zai Chern, and Wade.

Have a wonderful weekend.

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Igniting Minds

Impacting Lives

College Counselling News Last week I was lucky enough to attend the Council of International Schools (CIS) College and Admissions Forum in Amsterdam.

The opportunity to meet with school and university representatives from all over the globe reminded me of the range of higher education opportunities that our students have open to them. It also confirmed that the IB education they are receiving here at IGBIS gives them a competitive edge. University representatives were impressed when I talked about our students and school and a few told me they had heard of us and came to find me and learn more; a wonderful sign that IGBIS has its place firmly in the global market of International Education.

This week the students met with Tina Yeung, a representative from the University of Sheffield UK. Tina gave a presentation to our 11th grade students about studying in the UK in addition to asking students to strongly consider their subject choices in relation to interest and strengths. Student need to have a clear

idea of the subject area to study when headed to the UK, as opposed to some other countries where their options are left open for the first year of study. Over the next few weeks the students will be continuing to research their college choices and adding to their prospective university lists in Family Connection Naviance. Parents are welcome to add to their sons or daughters lists using their own family connection accounts, http://connection.naviance.com/igbintsch. In the coming weeks we will start to plan out the 2015 year in terms of testing and application deadlines, to give families a clear idea of the application process ahead. On January 29th at 6pm I will host a university information session to discuss this further. In the meantime keep communicating as a family and research options available to you. The world truly is their oyster!

Mrs. Pauline Davidson, School Counselor

Updates from Student Services Mr. Peter Fowles Head of Student Services Dear Parents and Students, Welcome to the Student Services page, the Activities Session One ends on Thursday the 4th December 2014, my congratulations and thanks to staff without whom the programme would not have been a success.

We now offer over forty activities for Session Two which will commence on January the 12th 2015 and end on March the 20th 2015, the deadline for enrollment is Friday the 5th December.

You are able to sign up for your children by clicking on the link below. Students should aim to have a balance of cultural, service, skills and sports activities. Discuss the choice with your children as they need to have a genuine interest and appreciate the need to make a commitment. The ‘user pays’ activities have

an associated cost paid at the schools finance office, which cannot be refunded and changing activities is not encouraged and in most cases will not be possible.

Secondary students and Elementary parents will be informed of the confirmed choices by Wednesday the 10th December at which time details of the schools finance hours will be given.

Students can use this opportunity to widen their experiences and extend their learning and most importnatly of all to have FUN! Please go to this link: https://sites.google.com/a/igbis.edu. my/igbis-activities/home.

Instrumental Music Academy As we head towards our holiday break I would like to take this opportunity to inform the community that after the holidays enrolment in the Instrumental Music Academy for Semester 2 will be opening. In Semester Two we will be expanding the instrumental tuition program. The instruments that will be offered are Violin, Viola, Piano, Flute, Clarinet, Saxophone, Trumpet, Guitar and Voice. The Semester Two registration form will be available in January.

Performing Arts Centre (DPAC) all have regular concert programs suitable for all ages. Check out their websites for more information. If travelling abroad then there will be similar opportunities in your home countries or holiday destinations.

Mr. Jon Suffolk, Performing Arts Teacher

One of the best ways to motivate your children when learning a musical instrument is to take them to see and hear music performances. There are many opportunities in KL. Performance venues such as the Malaysian Philharmonic Orchestra (MPO), Kuala Lumpur Performing Arts Centre (klpac) and Damansara

Igniting Minds

Impacting Lives

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Updates from Academic and Support Services Mr. Peter Syme Director of Academic and Support Services School Lunches The December lunch orders are now being received by Ms Yuly who will coordinate with the homeroom teachers on payments. The menu and information can be found on the website under Student Services.

Early next week you will be receiving the information about the January menu and payment procedures.

Granted, these will be quite rushed but we would like to be able to have the card system activated when the students return on 5th January 2015 and the IT department will be working throughout the holiday period to ensure that this happens.

Valencia and Sierramas School Van As the school closes from Wednesday, 10th December 2014, the November invoice for bussing for our Valencia and Sierramas students will include November and December (1 week only). These invoices will be sent home through Mr Anba by Tuesday, 2nd December. We would appreciate payment or notification of payment via a debit transaction by 10th December 2014 as this would greatly assist the Finance Department as they finalise 2014 financial statements.

Updates from Admissions Mrs. Bronwyn Thorburn Admissions Director Dear Parents, Students and Guardians, The Open Day was a great success. Thank you to everyone who helped. Around 140 people came to visit the campus, and they all had the opportunity to speak with students, parents, teachers and administration about the IB and IGBIS. On Wednesday, we also hosted the first IGBIS Parent Coffee Afternoon. 40 parents came to meet each other and learn more about parent support in the school. For those of you who were unable to attend but are interested in being part of the IGB Parent Volunteer Organisation, please complete the short online registration form at: http://bit.ly/igbis-pvo.

We will then be hosting another meeting for parents who are able to help us establish a Parent Volunteer Organisation (PVO) on Monday, 8th December at 2.00pm in the Parent Meeting Room. This is such a critical element of any school community, and we are looking forward to getting some fun events arranged in the coming months.

If you have any questions about the PVO, please do contact us in Admissions at enquiries@igbis.edu.my.

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Igniting Minds

Impacting Lives