10 OCTOBER 2016
VOLUME 7 ISSUE 4
ISG Jubail School Administration Newsletter
JAGUAR
JUNCTION 2016-2017
Principal’s Corner
In this Issue
Dear Parents and members of the ISGJ community,
the European Space station orbiting the Earth.
Parent Teacher Conferences
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It is a pleasure to update you on the state of affairs and through provoking understandings that I have been challenged with over the past few days. I have just returned from a conference on the IB program and was able to hear specialists in the field help us define our direction regarding the implementation of IB in 2018. It was very rewarding to take part in dialogue that challenged notions around the globe about how to build schools that will foster international mindedness and how to live out the dream of creating an ethos of global progress through positive citizenship. Doing this on the foundations of knowledge and synthesis of ideas.
As we think about sustainable circular economies and how that correlates to education, it is clear that innovation and creation is at the epicenter of sustainability. Our economy which has been developed as a linear one, is based on a finite amount of material and eventually will be depleted. In other words, products can no longer be built from raw materials that will live a shelf life, then be discarded. In order to create a circular economy innovation will push individuals and companies to seek biological combinations of material that is created with components that all can be reused or redefined. The good things is, it is already happening around the world.
Questions about MAP?
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MS Costume Social
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Tech Update Online Resources
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Library News
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Notes from the Band Room
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Me 2 We Day Celebration
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One major aspect of my learning that really struck a chord, was the notion of sustainability and circular economies vs linear economies that were born out of the industrial age. As we all know the earth provides a finite supply of resources meaning that there is a limit to them; they don’t reproduce quickly enough to keep up with our global consumption. At this conference we heard from Dame Ellen Macarthur on her organization's development and notion of a circular economy; one that depends on products that are designed to be recreated with reusable materials and resources. Dame Ellen Macarthur is well known for her record breaking solo sailing journeys around the world. She explained the intricate details needed to go into solo sailing; as on many occasions you may be in the middle of the Indian ocean, 8 days from the nearest hospital with the closest human being stationed on
Our responsibility as educators to form positive stewards of our world should factor in aspects of innovation that lead to a circular economy. We should consider this as we move to create meaningful relevant activities for our students to work on and problem solve. Here is the link to her organization's website: Ellen Macarthur Foundation, as well as her Ted Talk. She provides a much more comprehensive explanation than I and has mastered the understandings.
Quick Notes October 13: Student Minimum Day; students dismissed @ 11:30 AM October 13 & 15: Parent Teacher Conferences October 14: U16 Volleyball Boys in DHS & Girls in Jubail October 15: SAIKAC Table Tennis in Dhahran
Please note the events coming up at ISG Jubail. We look forward to hosting Parent Teacher Conferences this coming weekend. Please sign up for a time to come in and meet with your child’s teachers.
October 20-21: SAIKAC U16 Volleyball Boys in Ras Tanura & Girls in Dhahran Aramco
Take care, Dan Mock, Principal Follow me on Twitter
Events Calendar
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Important Announcements Parent Teacher Conferences Parent Teacher Conferences will be held this week: on Thursday, October 13th, from 12:10 to 3:30 PM, and on Saturday, October 15th, from 7:40 AM to 3:30 PM. As usual, each conference will be 20 minutes in length for ES; and 10 minutes for MS/HS. Please pick a date that is convenient for you to meet your teacher and follow this link to sign up. This website lets you sign up for all the children you have enrolled at ISG Jubail; you may also schedule conferences with homeroom and specialist teachers. Please note that some teachers will be absent on these days due to professional conference they have to attend, thus their names will not be listed for sign up. They should have contacted you and given alternative date for PTC. Follow this link to get directions to guide you through the sign up process. If you have any questions or difficulties, please contact us at 341 7550: Fiona Davison - ext. 410, Elena Khramova - ext. 406, Valentina Craucamp - ext. 481. Please also look through the 'PTC hints and tips for Parents' document as well to aid you for the upcoming PTC's.
Student Minimum Day Please note that Thursday, October 13th, is a Student Minimum Day. Students will be dismissed at 11:30 AM. If your child is using private transportation, please arrange accordingly. If your child is riding a school bus, make sure to meet him or her at home earlier.
College Counseling Attention Gr 11-12 parents, parent teacher conferences with Mrs. Brooks, our College Counselor, are available through the link for PTC sign-ups.
Questions about MAP? Our Instructional Coach, Beverly Giacobbe Larson, will be holding a few informational sessions to help parents and students better understand the NWEA MAP tests, their results, and how to use the scores to encourage growth. The sessions are scheduled during PTCs in the conference room (room #407). Choose one of the following dates and times that work for you!
Thursday, 13 October @ 11:30-12:15 Thursday, 13 October @ 13:15-14:00 Thursday, 13 October @ 14:30-15:15 Saturday, 15 October @ 8:00-8:45 Saturday, 15 October @ 10:00-10:45 Saturday, 15 October @ 12:00-12:45 Saturday, 15 October @ 14:00-14:45
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MS Monster Mash Costume Social The Monster Mash costume social sponsored by the Middle School Student Council is Monday, October 31st from 3:00 - 4:30 PM in the MPR. Only grades 6-8 may attend this free event. Be sure to dress up and be ready for a costume contest, games, raffles, and music. The 4:30 PM buses will be available. If you get private transportation, you will have to arrange this yourself. Wear a costume and get permission from your parents to attend. Bring money in case you want to purchase food or raffle tickets. Costumes: Please choose costumes acceptable in Saudi Arabia and at ISG Jubail (where we have small children). Costume ideas: characters (books, TV, movies, animated), superheroes, celebrities, foods, animals. Please try to avoid costumes with death, gore, violence, witchcraft, and spirits.
MS/HS Spirit Week - Twin Day
Behavior expectations: Students must sign in when then arrive. Students should sign out if they leave to go to the bathroom. Students will remain in the MPR the entire time. Follow the Middle School Student Council on social media to see fun pictures and get updates about events relevant to grades 6-8. Instagram: StuCoJubailMS; Twitter: @StuCoJubailMS. Thanks to everyone for showing your spirit during the MS/ HS Spirit Week!
Traditional Day
Black & Gold Day
Technology Update: Online Resources I would like to share a few resources that I believe are educational, safe, and fun for students. The first one, Youngzine, I learned about recently from a fourth grade student. Youngzine is a site where children can learn about current news and events shaping their world - in a simple, engaging and interactive manner. It is not just for kids, parents can learn too, check out this article, Is Your WebCam Safe? In classrooms, on mobile devices, and at home, BrainPOP Jr. (K-3),BrainPOP (Grades 4 & up), and BrainPOP Español engages students through animated movies, learning games, interactive quizzes, primary source activities, concept mapping, and more. They
cover topics within Science, Math, Social Studies, English Language Arts, Technology, Engineering, Arts, Music, Health, Spanish, Reading, and Writing. The content is carefully mapped to the Common Core. ISG Jubail has purchased this resource to assist your children, please ask their teacher for the username and password. Here are several resources that help parents talk with their children about their online lives and use of technologies: YouTube Safety Mode, Parental Controls, Child Safety Online, Creating a Cybersafe Home, Common Sense Media and Kids.gov Online Safety. Nancy Gorneau, Technology Coordinator
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Library News Thank you to all the parents who helped to make the first Family Reading Night of the school year a success. A very special thank you to Mrs. Stott, Mrs. Mock, Mr. Lynn, Miss Kottmann, Mrs. Dobbs, and Mrs. Luppe for their time and support. The next Family Reading Night event for students in grades 3-4th will be Wednesday, November 9th, from 6:00 - 7:30 p.m.
Upcoming Events Reader of the Week Students in Grades KG25th will have the opportunity to make a poster to share their favorite book. One poster will be displayed weekly from November through May. This will be an optional activity for students. More details will be forthcoming on Class Dojo. Mystery Reader If you are interested in being a mystery reader in the Library, please contact Miss Weir (weir.p.05@isg.edu.sa).
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Notes from the Band Room
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tudents entering the gymnasium for the MS/HS Spirit Week assembly on October 5 walked into the sounds of the perennial Michael Jackson favorite, “Thriller.” As various Spirit Week games unfolded, band members in grades 9 through 12 also played Walk The Moon’s “Shut up and Dance,” and Katy Perry’s “Dark Horse.” Jubail’s new school mascot JJ was even spotted busting a move to the band tunes! hile the assembly performance represents a fun way to display our learning that happens in the High School band room, focused music study and application happens as well. In addition to learning new music in a variety of styles, students in grades 9 through 12 are also doing a book study, where they are reading about the physical processes of learning a new skill and growth of myelin in the brain in Daniel Coyle’s, “The Talent Code.” After reading the introduction to the book, students posed questions that will help guide our conversations and learning throughout the semester. Teja B. posed these questions in a Google Classroom post, “Is the Talent Code only applicable to physical things [such as] playing a sport/ playing an instrument, or is tapping into the Talent Code possible to learn subjects such as math and history?” and Ahmed A. summed up his thoughts on the passage, stating “The Clarissa story [from “The Talent Code”] is a story everyone should know about; it speaks volumes about human ability and it refutes the belief that some people are more 'naturally gifted' or suited to a skill. When it comes to practice and development, it's not about how much - it's about how.” rade 6 students have been working hard to develop correct introductory playing techniques on their instruments. Someone walking into the band room can easily expect to hear students discussing specific instrument performing skills, such as breath support, embouchure, articulations, or tone. 7th and 8th grade students have been using their experience to explore new areas of music making, such as learning new time signatures. Mayuri T. compares and contrasts 2/4 time signature to the newly learned “cut time” signature, “Cut time signature is much easier to read. In cut time, the notes that are played as one beat are written as twice their original value, while in 4/4 time, the notes that are played as one beat are written as one beat as well.” s you can see, many exciting things in addition to music making are happening in the band room that are challenging our students to think deeper, apply previous learning, and make new connections to the world around them. Be sure to pop into the band room next time you are in the Performing Arts wing of the school to check out the music and learning in real time. he Jubail Bands are scheduled to perform their semester concert on Thursday, December 12 at 6:00pm in the MPR. If you’d like to see and hear the bands before then, the grades 9-12 bands will be performing at the Ventura Village Food Festival on October 20th from 5-9pm. We hope to see you there! Leif Larson, Director of Bands
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Me 2 We Day Celebration! On October 4th, a song played louder than ever inside the MPR! The Me 2 We club leaders feel really happy, and really amazed about what happened inside the MPR that day. The MPR was full of decorations, full of teachers and students, the Me 2 We leaders, school leaders, our District Superintendent Dr. Richards, and JJ, the new Jaguar mascot. Videos were watched and speeches and poems read about changing the world. We loved it! We are excited and energized from WE Day and ready to put our words into ACTION!
Good afternoon I need to say, And welcome to our We Day, ME 2 WE Day, Is a special day, Which everyone can celebrate, Even if they are late, We are going to have those great banners, But you still need to keep your manners. Now, here are my poem, That I always want to aim, If someday I sit on the top of this world, Bring on changes with a single word, Throw away hatred; spread only love, Turn a vulture into a peaceful dove, Make a beauty out of the beast, That won’t be the last or the least, I’ll delete discrimination, Human humiliation, Make a rivalry people shaking hands, Apologize for their shameful demands, Open the gates of this big prison, Let there be light; based on reason, Money just a way to buy our needs, Not a motive for bloody deeds, Nations hailing through borders, No barbed-wires for keeping orders, We Day for today, Are gonna be great, Changing our school, To a better place, We hope you enjoy our We Day, Have fun go home and lay, Thank you for everyone here, That are always ready to hear. Poem by Nik Mardhiah
Most of you have been asking yourselves, what is We Day? We Day is a day when we thank YOU for supporting last year’s local and international events (for example the Fall Fundraiser and Movie Night) and for helping us raise money to help people from all around the world. Since 2012, we have raised $15,600 US dollars! Thank you! Continue to page 7...
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...WE day is also a day when we as a school commit to a year of changing lives at our school, in our community and abroad. How do we plan to help others this year? This year the Me 2 We leaders plan to help our school by creating a peacemaker program that will help students who are new to our school or need a friend and will help kids in conflict. This includes our buddy benches. We are also planning events that will help people in Saudi Arabia and a country in need. Stay tuned for our Culture & Me Fall Fundraiser in November (date TBA). What is the Me 2 We Club? Me 2 We is a group of members that work together to help people at our school, in our community and from around the world. Me 2 We Club is only for 3-5 grade students, there are about 40 students in the Me 2 We Club. We meet after school twice a week, and do a lot of work at lunchtime. Written by Arina Anwar & Nik Ainul Mardhiah