IGB International School’s Weekly Newsletter - Issue 7, Week 4, August 2014
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 Monday, 1st September 2014
Merdeka Replacement Holiday Wednesday, 3rd September 2014 Meet the Teacher Afternoon
Tuesday, 16th September 2014 Malaysia Day
News from Secondary School Mr. Lennox Meldrum, Secondary School Principal
Updates from Student Sevices Mr. Peter Fowles, Head of Student Services
Updates from Academics and Support Services
Mr. Peter Syme, Director of Academic and Support Services
Updates from Admissions Mrs. Bronwyn Thorburn, Admissions Director
An aerial view of IGBIS and its surrounding areas.
Igniting Minds
Impacting Lives
Page 1
Message from Head of School Mrs. Anne Fowles Head of School Dear IGBIS Parents and Community Members, This has been a week of establishing routines for our students as they find their way around the school and adjust to their timetables. As I have visited classrooms I have found students and teachers actively engaged in lessons. In the newsletter this week, you will find information about arrangements for meals in the cafeteria in the next two weeks as well as the uniform shop.
We are looking forward to seeing all of our parent community at the Meet the Teacher afternoon next Wednesday beginning at 3.30pm. The Elementary and Secondary School Principals will write to you with details of the programme. This will be an opportunity for you to find out more about the subjects and classes that your children attending as well as meeting the teachers. Do enjoy the long weekend with your families, I am sure that they will enjoy a rest after the first two busy weeks of school!
The Activities Programme will commence next week. Students should have received information by now of the activities that they have been accepted to attend. Mr Faizol Musa, IB Regional Development Manager South East Asia & Pakistan came to visit the school this Friday and co-hosted a visit of 40 Educational Leaders from India who were sponsored by the XSEED Foundation.
News from Elementary School Mrs. Claire McLeod Elementary School Principal Over the last few days I have been in classrooms talking with students to hear their thoughts and gauge how they have settled in to their new school. I thought I would hear more academic responses; however it seems food was on their minds. Many students pointed out that whilst it looked delicious they were surprised to find that it actually was delicious and many told me they had requested a second helping. This week you will have received a new menu to consider with a choice of ordering snacks for Elementary students at morning tea. A number of the choices are easy for students to eat in their classrooms before recess and there will be more of these snacks available in the next menu. It has been good to see our students in their new PE uniform; it looks great and seems to be very comfortable. Please be aware that on PE and swimming days Elementary students should wear their PE uniform all day as there is no expectation they should change. This week students received training in how to use and store their class iPads and laptops from Mr Derry our IT Integration teacher. Learning how to move around safely and store devices is an important skill all students need to learn.
Next Tuesday 2nd September our activities programme will start. Mr Fowles will provide you with confirmation of the activities for your child/children and the times for collection. Please note that Wednesday’s activities have been cancelled as we have our Parent Information session scheduled at that time. On Wednesday 3rd September we will have our first Meet the Teacher afternoon starting at 3.30pm. Teachers will welcome you into their classroom, share some of the everyday routines and expectations and explain elements of the curriculum. For further information please refer to the hard copy letter and email sent home on Thursday. I hope everyone has an enjoyable and relaxing long weekend as Monday 1st September is a holiday in Malaysia and the school will be closed. Until next time.
Art in the IGBIS Elementary School – Our experiences Hi everyone, our journey into art has begun. Early years to Grade 5 have thought about and proposed Essential Agreements for Art. The students came up with their own ideas as to how we need to work, move around, and use the tools and equipment. The students decided that they needed to be kind, caring, and reflective as well as risk-takers. They were concerned that scissors should be handled carefully and that people need to walk in the art room. Each student had a chance to say what he or she would like to make or do, in art this year. We have all made a happy start and produced some wonderful self-portraits, done without teacher instruction to find out prior knowledge of skill. I am very keen to see what the students will produce as we step into our first trans-disciplinary themes and make links with the classroom programmes. Nan Parker, Art Teacher
Page 2
Igniting Minds
Impacting Lives
News from Secondary School Mr. Lennox R. Meldrum Secondary School Principal We have completed our second successful week at IGBIS and it has been a week where homework has become more regular, deeper concepts have been explored in classes, and the typical structure of an IB school have been more evident. Students and teachers thoroughly enjoyed the spirit building activities of our opening week but are happy to have the opportunity now to progress through their first units. Next Wednesday, September 3, is our Meet The Teacher afternoon. Starting at 3.30pm and lasting approximately 2 hours, it will be an opportunity for you to learn more about how our teachers are delivering their curriculum to your children. Teachers in the Middle School will explain how our units are delivered through the conceptual and contextual framework upon which they are constructed, while our Diploma Programme teachers will include details on assessment items. We will begin the afternoon in the theatre before moving into the Secondary
School classrooms where groups will rotate on a regular schedule. One of the sessions will include an outline of our online portal ManageBac, demonstrating what teachers and students see when they are using it and what the parent access will allow you to do when it is launched. In each of the sessions your children will be with you, and this will be especially helpful in the ManageBac session as they will have their MacBooks and will be able to log into their own site. I hope you can all make it next week to this important afternoon. Further details will come home with your children next Tuesday. Thank you for your continuing communication with our teachers and I encourage you to always ask any questions when you are not sure of our procedures. Don’t forget that school is closed on Monday (I’m sure your children will remember!). I look forward to seeing you all on Wednesday.
News from the Humanities Department
Grade 11 Economics Ms Seehaus “The Apple Project” - Scarcity The students identified the economic theory of scarcity and the aspects of sustainability and resources by dividing an apple (representing our planet) into the water on the Earth’s surface, the uninhabited deserts, swamps and the Arctic and Antarctic areas and land that is too rocky, wet, hot or poor for crop production. They peeled what was left, split it half and realized how little space is left to grow our food and we discussed how we can use this part effectively. Students also researched about how much water they use and what all of us can do to reduce the amount of water wasted. Stephanie Seehaus, Secondary Teacher
Concepts and Contexts - What are we talking about? When we talk about learning and teaching in Grades 6 to 10 at IGBIS, we talk about a middle years curriculum that is conceptual and connected. When you meet with your child’s teachers at the Meet the Teacher afternoon next week, you will hear them refer to concepts, contexts, statements of inquiry and inquiry questions. But what do we mean when we use these terms? Concepts Concepts are powerful, big ideas that are as important at school as they are in life beyond school. Concepts that we regularly explore with students include aesthetics, change, communication, communities, connections, creativity, culture, development, form, global interactions, identity, logic, perspective, relationships, systems, and time, place and space. Learning about concepts requires students to demonstrate deep levels of thinking that reach beyond traditional facts, topics and skills. Concepts are used to formulate the understandings that students should retain in the future. The exploration of concepts leads students towards: • • • •
deeper understanding of individual school subjects; appreciation of ideas that cross over traditional school subject boundaries; appreciation of ideas that cross over national and cultural boundaries; engagement with complex ideas that allow transfer of learning to new contexts.
Contexts Teachers help students to understand these broad, complex and often abstract concepts by connecting them through familiar contexts. Teachers identify specific settings, events or circumstances that provide concrete examples and perspectives of the concepts. Providing a context for learning addresses such questions as Why are we engaged in this inquiry? Why are these concepts important? Why is it important for me to understand? Why do people care about this topic? Learning in context helps students to: • explore concrete examples of conceptual ideas; • develop critical and creative thinking skills; • consider multiple, and sometimes conflicting, perspectives; • develop inquiry and problem-solving strategies; • connect and transfer learning from one context to another. Statement of Inquiry Every unit of study is defined by a statement of inquiry which explains clearly what students should understand and why that understanding is meaningful. The statement of inquiry connects the concepts and context that will be explored through the unit of study. Inquiry Questions Each unit of study includes a series of inquiry questions. Some inquiry questions will be factual in nature, others conceptual and some debatable or provocative. The inquiry questions guide the students as they explore the statement of inquiry in greater detail, making connections, developing curiosity and deepening understanding. Phil Clark, Middle Years Curriculum Coordinator
Igniting Minds
Impacting Lives
Page 3
Updates from Student Services Activities Programme Dear School community, Welcome to the Activities Programme at IGBIS. We thank staff for offering such a wide range of activities and we congratulate your child for taking up the challenge and participating. Due to smaller student interest in some activities, not all activities will run this session, so where possible students have been placed in their second or third choice. There will be no activities on Wednesday, 3rd of September due to the Meet the Teacher afternoon. Elementary school Parents will be sent an e-mail and a letter to confirm enrolment of their children, no later than Friday, 29th August. Session 1 (2nd September to 10th October 2014) Activity
Day
Supervisor
Clay making
Tuesday
Nan Parker
Tennis
Tuesday
Yolaine Johansen
Swim Squad
Tuesday
Danny & team
Bags and Boxes
Tuesday
Kath Kummerow
Computer programming
Wednesday (not Sept 3)
Steve Harvey
Kids taking action
Wednesday (not Sept 3)
Leanne Harvey
Swimming (beginners)
Thursday
Deborah King
Football
Thursday
Shireen Blakeway
German
Thursday
Stephanie Seehaus
Session 2 (28th October to 5th December 2014) Activity
Day
Supervisor
Shadow puppet making
Tuesday
Mary Richards
Tennis
Tuesday
Yolaine Johanson
Swim squad
Tuesday
Danny
Computer programming
Wednesday (not Sept 3)
Steve Harvey
Kids taking action
Wednesday (not Sept 3)
Leanne Harvey
Football
Thursday
Shireen Blakeway
German
Thursday
Stephanie Seehaus
Commence and Dismissal At 3.10pm all students will assemble in the K.G. I. Learning lounge on level 3 to meet their supervisor, who will take them to their activity. Supervisors will walk students to the turnstile area at the completion of activities to ensure handover. Buses are only available for those students already enroled in the school bus system. All students must be picked up in a timely manner by 4.10pm Cancellation Should it be necessary to cancel the activity due to unforeseen circumstances the activity supervisor or Activities Coordinator will contact you. Unfortunately this may mean your child/children will need to be picked up from school at the normal time of 3.00pm. Secondary Activities Students have enrolled electronically using their IGBIS student email account, these are being collated and students will receive an e-mail response notifying them of their success, starting date and supervisor by Friday, 29th August. The variety of activities will increase for the next session, with notification and sign up completed before the December holiday. Special thanks to Mr. Geoff Derry for his assistance and to all staff, as without their support the programme would not be possible. For any issues, concerns or inquiries, please contact Mr. Peter Fowles at e-mail: peter.fowles@igbis.edu.my tel: +60 3 6145 4660 Mr. Peter Fowles, Head of Student Services
Page 4
Igniting Minds
Impacting Lives
Updates from Academic and Support Services Mr Peter Syme Director of Academic and Support Services Lunches Just a reminder to all about the updated lunch information. Please have your payment in as soon as you are able. Whilst we can be flexible to a certain extent, the Kitchen Operator will need to know exact numbers for ordering, purchasing and their own internal organisation. Bus Travel The two buses operating at the moment have now got into their routine, and the system is working well. Whilst we still do not have an Ampang service, one family is using the Mont Kiara service which does save them a bit of time in the morning. Please contact Peter Cheong directly for advice and information he can provide to assist you with your planning. On Tuesday, the after school activity programme commences and there will be a normal drop off time as well as a drop off time after activities conclude. Car Stickers There are still a significant number of families who have not collected their car stickers yet. I will set up a distribution desk on Wednesday afternoon during the Meet the Teacher afternoon so that you are able to collect them.
Updates from Admissions Mrs. Bronwyn Thorburn Admissions Director Uniform Shop The Uniform shop will continue to be open from Monday to Friday, 7.45am to 8.45am and 2.30pm 3.30pm on the Lower Ground area (Level 3) until further notice. Contact Details We are continuing to update the online system with family contact information. Please forward any changes and emergency contact information for the students. The Admissions Office is also reviewing the medical information held on the students and will contact the families to make sure we have all the necessary information. If you have any questions about the above information, please do contact the Admissions Office at admissions@igbis.edu.my.
Thrilled Helicopter Ride It was a great experience for me as a photographer to have the opportunity of a lifetime to ride on a helicopter, courtesy of Cliff Fournier. At first I was nervous about going on the helicopter, but Cliff was very good at calming my nerves and explained to me what was about to happen. The smooth ride took about 5 minutes from Subang Airport to IGBIS. We circled the school four times to take some great aerial shots of the entire school landscape. Harman Harison, Marketing
Igniting Minds
Impacting Lives
Page 5