IGB International School’s Weekly Newsletter - Issue 11, Week 4, September 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
News from Secondary School Mr. Lennox Meldrum, Secondary School Principal
Updates from Student Services Mr. Peter Fowles, Head of Student Services
Upcoming Events October 6th October 2014 Public Holiday - Hari Raya Haji (Replacement) 7th - 10th October 2014 Secondary School Camp (Grades 6 - 11) Wednesday, 15th October 2014 Whole School Assembly - Deepavali Celebration 18th - 26th October 2014 School Holidays Wednesday, 22nd October 2014 Public Holiday - Deepavali
Updates from Academic and Support Services
Mr. Peter Syme, Director of Academic and Support Services
Wednesday, 29th October 2014 Parent Teacher Interviews
Updates from Admissions Mrs. Bronwyn Thorburn, Admissions Director
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Impacting Lives
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Message from Head of School Mrs. Anne Fowles Head of School Dear IGBIS Parents and Community Members, By the time that you read this newsletter, I will be on my way to Washington DC to Chair the IB Heads Council Meeting. The IB Heads Council is made up of twelve Heads of IB Schools, four are elected from each of the three IB regions. The Heads Council is an advisory committee for the Director General of the IB and her Senior Leadership Team. The Research division of the IB have released some recent studies of students who have undertaken the MYP and Early Years students who have been in a PYP programme. These studies will be available on our website for your viewing as well as in these links:
New Research Finds IB Middle Years Students to be Self-Aware, Resilient, and Engaged in School http://bit.ly/researchmiddleyears As you can see, in both studies the IB programmes have had a significant impact. Last Friday when I attended the Elementary Assembly, I spoke to the children about safety in their cars as I had noticed that some drivers left the car park while children were standing up or moving around inside the car. I am pleased to see that they are now putting on their seat belts before the car moves off. We do want them to keep safe. Have a good weekend.
Students enrolled in IB early education receive strong academic foundation that supports school ‘readiness’ http://bit.ly/researchprimaryyears
News from Elementary School Mrs. Claire McLeod Elementary School Principal On Wednesday this week I joined the Grade 1 students on a field trip to a large shopping centre where students, in groups of four with either Ms Blakeway or myself, used their recently learned map reading skills to find their way around. Of course the excitement started with travelling on the bus; all the way there was chatter although the trip back was a little quieter. Many students knew their parents used WAZE or a GPS to help find their way around KL, although one student bravely told me their mum knew every street in the city! Using hard copy maps and the centre’s interactive maps the students found their way to Timberland, Baskin and Robbins, MOG and the North and South entrances. At times there was confusion with left and right, but we found the shops on our list and we all enjoyed the experience. Providing opportunities to put learning into real life practice is essential in helping to secure long-term retention of skills.
It was quite interesting to see how many students did not know how to buckle up their own seat belts; perhaps parents could raise the awareness of safety in cars and help their children be responsible by reminding them to buckle up. Medical Information Yesterday you will have received a request from Admissions for medical information. Although we have some information, it seems there are gaps in the documentation or some details have been changed since the application stage. Please review the information we have, make changes and return the forms to your child’s class teacher by Monday, 29th September. If it is easier to start the documentation again, please use the blank forms provided. Until next week.
Elementary School Library Our Elementary Library is a warm, welcoming place where students and teachers are spending time enjoying reading and choosing books, and where teachers are also finding resources to support their classroom programmes. The Elementary Library is open from 8:00am until 4:00pm Monday to Friday and parents are welcome to pay a visit with their children. We now have 2 librarians working in the school, Mrs. Amanda Clark is the Whole School Teacher Librarian and she works together with Mrs. Naimah Arashid, our Librarian, to help our students find just-right books to read and enjoy. The library team looks forward to seeing you in the Elementary library soon! Mrs. Amanda Clark, Teacher Librarian
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Impacting Lives
The Curriculum in the Elementary School
One of the features that I really like about the IGBIS inquiry based curriculum is the use of collaborative learning. There are many ways that students collaborate. I have seen students working on maths problems, getting excited about their work and ‘feeding’ off each other, challenging each others thoughts and having to explain and justify their position. This takes their understanding to a new and deeper level. Grade 5 students have also started to use the google platform to collaborate on tasks. By sharing a google document, students can work simultaneously on a task, a group will then support, challenge and improve the work they are producing.
Aside from the homeroom environment students are also asked to collaborate on tasks in single subject classes. For example the Grade 2 students in PE were asked to collaborate in order to explain what they thought a striking and fielding game was and offer an example of such a game. These three examples demonstrate that at IGBIS we believe that being active learners is very important. Students aren’t vessels to be filled with knowledge, they generate questions and actively seek answers. Students can take ownership of their learning and they are being taught which tools can be used to find the answers and how they can use them. Learning does not have to be done on your own, the journey can and is often more fun when it is done with others. These are exciting times at IGB International School and it is great that students are responding positively to what we are doing. Mr. Simon Millward, Elementary Curriculum Coordinator
News from Secondary School Mr. Lennox R. Meldrum Secondary School Principal Six weeks of school have now passed since we opened our classes and our students are entrenched in so many different activities, both in and out of the classroom. In one afternoon this week I was able to see students conducting online chemistry experiments and recording their observations to share, while across the hall in the physics lab students were collaborating online on their experiment design with the restriction of not being able to physically talk to each other; language students were practicing new vocabulary in small groups while English language students were discussing the positive and negative power of language choices; the touch football students were calling to their teammates to set up plays while the drama students were developing new ways of presenting a play by offering their thoughts and advice. The key ingredient that tied each of these activities together was Communication, one of the most important of the IB Learner Profile traits. Many students have mentioned that the difference in the learning style at IGBIS from their previous school is that the communication is two-way, not just from the teacher. IB educators encourage student contributions to their learning in every lesson we conduct. It is important for us to also offer a variety of communication options for students, from the traditional in-class discussion through to online backchannels, reflective journals, and student-led learning groups.
Our activities promote our students to have a voice in our community as well, from Student Council to Model United Nations and Global Issues Network. Our upcoming camps are another exciting way for students to “find their voice” and practice communication strategies in a different context. Both team and individual challenges on the camps will give plenty of opportunities to be both a participant and a leader and use the language appropriate to each role. On Thursday you should have received a package of paperwork from your child containing camp information, consent forms, and medical information updates. It is essential we have all of these forms signed and returned by early next week. Contact our Secondary School Secretary, Ms Usha Rani Krishnan, by email to usha.ranikrishnan@igbis.edu.my if you require additional copies. If you have further questions about the camps, I will be hosting an open-question forum on Monday, 29th September at 9.00am. Please email me if you wish to attend and I will send on more details. Thank you for your continued support.
Grade 9 to 11 Camp Week The Grade 11 students will be participating in the IGBIS Camps Weeks from October 7 - 10, along with the students from Grade 9 to 10. The Camp Week is a great opportunity for the Grade 11 students to engage in the CAS program, which is a vital aspect of the IB Diploma and is part of the IB Diploma Core. CAS stands for Creativity, Action and Service, and the students need to participate in activities that encompass these CAS goals. The Camps Week provides a great opportunity to participate in the Service aspect of CAS, and to take part in activities that help the local community. Also, the Grade 11 students will take on a leadership role during
Igniting Minds
the Camps Week, and mentor the younger students in Grade 9 to 10 who will also be attending the camp. School camps provide a great opportunity for the Grade 11 students to learn important leadership skills, provide service to the local community and have a wonderful time in the beautiful natural setting of Malaysia. If there are any questions regarding the IBDP at IGBIS, please email me at matthew.marshall@igbis.edu.my. Mr. Matthew Marshall, Diploma Programme Coordinator
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Assessment in the Middle Years at IGBIS Assessment in the middle years of Secondary School at IGBIS looks very different to the type of assessment that is familiar to many of our families. In Grades 6-10 we do not measure success in terms of percentages or A to F grades, we do not talk about passing and failing grades and we do not compare students with each other to decide who is top or bottom of the class. Assessment is a very important part of the teaching and learning process at IGBIS. Teachers use regular, ongoing assessment to build a picture of a student’s progress, achievements, skills, knowledge and understanding. A range of assessment strategies and tools are used which allow students with different competencies, learning needs and styles to succeed. All assessments are based on criteria for success which are shared with the students in an age appropriate manner. Assessments focus on what a student can do and inform the teaching and learning experience. The primary purpose of assessment is to support and encourage effective teaching and learning. Assessment includes: • • • •
Pre-assessment: identifying what students already know in order to clarify the starting point for teaching and learning experiences. Formative assessment: ongoing assessment which helps the teacher plan for the ongoing needs of the students and to help plan the next steps for teaching and learning. Summative assessment: finding out how far students have progressed during and at the end of a unit of study. Self and peer assessment: students are involved in making assessments about their own progress and that of their peers.
Teachers may use some or all of the following assessment strategies and tools: rubrics; observations; quizzes, tests or examinations; performance assessments; investigations; checklists; process-focused assessments; essays; anecdotal notes; laboratory reports; continuums; open-ended tasks and presentations. As students progress through Grades 6-10, they complete many units of study in each subject area. The length of units varies from unit to unit and between subjects. Teachers plan a variety of formative and summative assessment tasks and the students receive individual feedback that guides them towards improvement. Students complete summative assessment tasks which are evaluated against four criteria in each subject. The four criteria are broadly similar across all subjects, although they vary slightly according to the specific requirements of individual subjects. In general terms, the criteria are used to assess the following areas: • • • •
Criterion A: a student’s knowledge, understanding and ability to analyse ideas in a subject. Criterion B: a student’s ability to investigate, organise and develop ideas in a subject. Criterion C: a student’s ability to effectively communicate ideas in a subject. Criterion D: a student’s ability to use, apply, evaluate and reflect upon ideas in a subject.
Each criterion is divided into eight achievement levels with clear descriptions of what is required in order to achieve at each level. The achievement levels and descriptions are presented in a tabular format (or rubric) so that teachers and students can easily match achievement on a task with the criterion level descriptions. While this process is complex, it sounds more complicated than it actually is in practice. Students quickly become proficient at reading and understanding assessment rubrics and use them before submitting an assessment task. Students also use the assessment rubrics to identify their areas of success and what they need to do in order to improve. Our Secondary School teachers plan their units of study using ManageBac, our online learning platform and information management system. The unit planning details exactly how and when the learning will be assessed, including which criteria are to be assessed and the assessment rubrics that are to be used. Secondary School students have their own ManageBac accounts and log-in to access unit overviews and assessment details. After student learning has been assessed, students can access personalised feedback from their teacher and their levels of achievement on ManageBac. On Wednesday, 1st October we will provide ManageBac accounts for our Secondary School parents. Parents will have similar levels of access to information as their children and will be able to see overviews of their children’s current units of study, assessment tasks, personalised feedback from teachers to their children and their children’s levels of achievement. Next week Secondary School parents will receive further details about ManageBac and will receive an email from ManageBac on Wednesday with their account details. In the meantime, we encourage parents to ask their children to give them a guided tour of the student view of Managebac. On Friday, 17th October mid-semester progress reports will be issued and on Wednesday 29 October we will host Parent-StudentTeacher Conferences when parents and students can meet together with teachers to discuss progress. Mr. Phil Clark, Middle Years Curriculum Coordinator
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Impacting Lives
Updates from Student Services Mr. Peter Fowles Head of Student Services Activities at IGBIS Dear community, as facilities come on line the planned implementation of programme continues. Basketball, Floor Hockey, Volleyball and Badminton will all meet next week for the first time. Students need to read the notices to ensure they are aware of their coaches information. Jon Suffolk’s Instrumental programme is advertised again this week and we thank him for his dedication to this project. Another exciting addition comes with our first parent activity, the ‘Energy Rising classes’ with Lara Skasden, which will commence after the October holiday. Details of costs will be published next week. Once again I thank all staff for their commitment to activities, without whom we would not be able to run such a diverse and meaningful programme for the benefit of students and our community. Best wishes.
Energy Rising Classes with Lara Energy Rising workshops with Lara - connects mind and body through expressive movement and other forms of art and energy work. Lara is a Reiki Master, Yoga instructor, Art teacher and Journey Dance Practitioner. All of the above in encompassed into these wonderful classes that she calls “Energy Rising”. Join Lara after the October holiday on Tuesday the 28th and Thursday, 30th October. The first two classes will be free, so you can come see what they are all about. You will need to sign in as a visitor at the turnstiles in the car park entrance. The Dance Studio door will be open at 7:30 am. Drop off the kids and get there as soon as you can. The Energy will really begin to start rising at 8.00am. So you must be there for that! Come get an awesome workout and feel the stress and any other negativity that you have been holding….melt away, become re-energized and start manifesting all good things! You’ll walk out of class (at 9:30ish) glowing, glistening, at home in your own skin… inhabiting every inch of your life. Come home to your body, to your senses, to inhabiting every inch of your life! For more information: Email: EnergyRisingwithLara@gmail.com Website: http://EnergyRising.zohosites.com Phone: 012-970-8664
IGBIS Instrumental Music Academy The IGBIS Instrumental Academy will be launched very soon. This programme offers students the opportunity to have individual and small group lessons on a range of musical instruments with specialist tutors. The classes are conducted on a weekly basis and students are withdrawn from class. Each week they will be withdrawn from different classes to avoid excessive interruption with their curriculum studies. Lessons in String, Woodwind, Brass, Piano, Guitar, Bass Guitar and Drums will be offered. There will be parent information sessions on Tuesday morning (September 29th) from 7.45am - 8.30am and Thursday afternoon (October 2nd) from 2.45pm - 3.30pm in the Music Room located on the Lower Ground Floor. A brochure and registration form will be distributed next week. If you require any more information or would like to discussion the programme, please contact me at jon.suffolk@igbis.edu.my. Mr. Jon Suffolk, Performing Arts Teacher
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Updates from Academic and Support Services Mr. Peter Syme Director of Academic and Support Services School Lunches The new October menu will be available on the school website from Monday afternoon. For quick reference, the prices for the different options are as follows: Lunch Only
Snack and Lunch
B’fast and Lunch
Grades 1-5
RM153.00
RM204.00
N/A
Grades 6-11
RM117.00
RM156.00
RM188.50
Early Years 1 and 2, Kindergarten
RM136.00
RM187.00
N/A
Please note the following: 1. Early Years 1 & 2 and Kindergarten lunch has been reduced to RM8 per meal. 2. Grades 6 to 11 will be attending camp from 7th to 10th October 2014. 3. School Holiday break 20th to 24th October 2014. Early Years 1 and 2, and Kindergarten parents are requested to print off the menu from the website and pre-select the meal for your children so that you can be sure they are eating what it is you want them to eat. Parent Identification and Access Card The Parent Identification Access cards will be ready for collection from Monday, 29 September 2014, from the front reception counter. These cards will allow you access through the main entry gate after the boom gate has been activated and also through the turnstiles located at Level 2 (from the main car park). These entry points are not operational yet as they are still undergoing testing. We will let you know when they are operational, once all the cards have been collected. At the very least, the cards will provide us with another means of parent identification. These cards will become important in the future as we expand their purpose, such as small payments and access to public sections of the school. The whole point behind these cards is to increase IGBIS’s commitment to security and as such, there will be a RM50.00 penalty attached to any lost or stolen cards. Spouses may collect cards for each other.
Updates from Admissions Mrs. Bronwyn Thorburn Admissions Director Medical Information Update The health and well-being of our students is a priority for IGBIS. In order to protect their welfare, it is crucial that IGBIS has accurate medical information for all of its students. Many of you will have filled out an IGBIS Medical Form for your child during the application process; however, there can be new details. We are therefore seeking to ensure that we hold complete and current medical information for each student, and would greatly appreciate your assistance in this regard. We have sent home with every student: (a) a print out of the Medical Information held at IGBIS in relation to your child (b) a blank IGBIS Medical Form. We would be very grateful if you could review the Medical Information. If any of the fields have missing or incomplete information, or if any of the information is incorrect, then please fill in the missing details and/or the new Medical Form. The
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Medical Form and copy of the print out should then be signed on the last page and returned to the Reception/ Admissions Office at IGBIS by Monday, September 29. Uniform Shop As the demand for uniforms has slowed, we are going to change our opening hours to Tuesday, September 30 and Thursday, October 2, from 3:00pm to 4:00pm. If you need to purchase uniform items outside of these times, please call Admissions and/or Reception to schedule an appointment and we will open the shop for you. During the camp week from Tuesday, October 7 to Friday, October 10, the school uniform shop will be closed as it will be relocating to the school shop just outside Reception (Level 5/ Ground Floor).
Impacting Lives