24 OCTOBER 2016
VOLUME 7 ISSUE 5
ISG Jubail School Administration Newsletter
JAGUAR
JUNCTION 2016-2017
Principal’s Corner
In this Issue
Dear ISG Jubail Community,
Nurse’s Office
2
Code Avengers
2
ES Spirit Week
2
Reading at ISGJ
3
Library News
4
MS Monster Mash
4
WWW Nepal Trip
5
ASAs/After School Sports - Why Try?
6
Spirit T-shirt Design Contest
6
Vocal Music
7
Welcome to this edition of the ISGJ Jaguar Junction.
plan to develop the program will take 2-3 years. We have taken the first step with our team working in collaboration with Dr. Ralph Pruitt, our Assistant Superintendent for Student Services.
I hope everyone enjoyed Parent Teacher Conferences. I know speaking as a parent myself I welcome the opportunity to speak In reference to my email last week, with children's teachers to get an I would like to inform all parents of a schedule change in November indication of how I and December. We have been can further support forced to move our student minitheir progress mum day from at home. There November 2nd to is always a bit of December 1st. Our school nervous energy This is due to the when anticipatmust embrace this fact that we have ing a conferopportunity to expand been able to obence with my tain the visa of our horizons and seek children's teachlearning specialers as the news to meet the needs of ist, Virginia Rosometimes is diverse learners. jas. She is a difficult to work world renowned through. Please specialist in two keep in mind key areas for our teachers will be willing to meet school-wide focus, with you regarding any questions EAL instruction and or concerns you might have about differentiated instruction. We will your child’s growth and developneed December 1st to be the miniment within the school. mum day for our faculty to dediLast week we had a team visit Do- cate a long period of time with her ha to meet with specialist in the as we refine our understandings field of Learning Support or some- and learn about key instructional thing known as Response to Inter- strategies. vention. Our team is dedicated to establishing a school wide focus Please note the ES parent morning on responding to students who coffee and MS/HS evening forum may have outlying learning needs. that are coming up on Sunday, OcOur school must embrace this op- tober 30th. portunity to expand our horizons I wish you all a wonderful week! and seek to meet the needs of di- Dan Mock, verse learners. This is our greatest opportunity and is better for our Principal community. However, there is Follow me on Twitter much to learn and develop so the
Quick Notes October 27-28: SAIKAC U19 Volleyball Boys in Dhahran & Girls in TKS October 27: HS Social @ 6:30 PM October 30: ES Parent Morning Coffee @ 10 AM October 30: MS/HS Parent Evening Forum @ 6 PM October 30 November 2: ES Spirit Week November 3: No School for Students November 6: Virtual School (Students work from home) Events Calendar
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Important Announcements Nurse’s Office Please note that we have two registered nurses now: Ms. Louw and Ms. Jayme-Ladsak. Ms. Louw's working hours are from 7:30 AM to 3:30 PM, and Ms. Jayme-Ladsak's - from 8:30 AM to 4:30 PM. If you have any inquiries, do not hesitate to contact them: extension - 499, email - jubailnurse@isg.edu.sa. Take a look at the Required Inoculations Document. If you have any vaccinations pending, to keep abreast and updated with mandatory vaccinations required for school. We also strongly insist that you should not send your children to school if they are sick especially as seasonal change may cause cold and flu.
Code Avengers Camp Space is still available for the Code Avengers Code Camp Nov. 4-6 for Grades 6-12 and Nov. 10-12 for Grades 3-5 Registration link. Transportation will be organized for ISG Jubail to Dhahran Main Campus. Resources: This ambitious online resource, Digital Public Library of America, contains an incredible wealth of information that kids can access safely. The Digital Public Library of America's mission: to make cultural and scientific works more accessible to the public. With a database searchable by map, timeline, format, and topic, they're hosting well over two million separate records, including text, images, and video. Older kids will find the site pretty intuitive, but younger researchers may need a helping hand. Article Worth Reading: How to Raise a Good Human in a Digital World.
No School for Students There will be no school for students on Thursday, November 3. All the faculty will be attending a conference in the District.
Student Minimum Day Moved Please note that the Student Minimum Day has been moved from Wednesday, November 2nd, to Thursday, December 1st. Dismissal on December 1st will be at 11:15 AM. If plans have already been made to leave on early on the afternoon of November 2nd, students will be marked as an excused absence.
SAT Testing Attention: 11th and 12th Grade Parents We will be giving the SAT at ISG Jubail on December 3. If you would like your 11th or 12th grade student to sign up please have them speak with Mrs. Brooks (Counselor) for instructions.
ES Spirit Week by Me to We Club Sunday, October 30 - ISG Wear a Hijab and Thawb day. Better Awareness. Greater Understanding. A peaceful world. The event encourages everyone to walk in the shoes of others. The powerful lesson here is compassion, accepting individual differences and embracing our differences. Monday, October 31 - DRESS UP DAY - a general wear a culturally aware costume of your choice (not scary). Tuesday, November 1 - Twin day. Can you and your friend dress up exactly alike. You can wear anything but make sure it's the same! Wednesday, November 2 - Book character. We love to read! Dress up as one of your favorite book characters.
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Reading at ISG Jubail
W
e have recently held our third reading evening with Grades KG2 to Grade 3 parents and pupils. This year the evening was hosted by Miss Weir, our librarian. We will be working together again to present a library /reading at home evening for Grades 4 and 5 on November 9th from 6:00 pm to 7:30 pm. I hope to see you there. s a parent you have the power to boost your child’s learning potential by making books an integral part of their lives. e all know that reading to our children is a good thing and we have to admit that we can find the fifteen minutes needed each day to sit with them and share their reading. Your child will reap the benefits of this experience. They will build up a stronger relationship with you if you add this to their and your daily routine, snuggling up with a book, instead of reading being seen as a chore. tudies have shown that their academic excellence in all facets of education will improve when a child is exposed to reading. Reading builds up communication skills, so important I feel in the world of “Glow Kids” (Ref. Glow Kids: How Screen Addiction Is Hijacking Our Kids-and How to Break the Trance by Nicholas Kardaras) sitting in isolation staring at a screen. When reading they witness the in-
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teractions between the characters in a book as well as the contact and conversations that they can share with you during that story time. nother illustration of the imp orta nce of reading especially to younger children but does apply to all children, even preschoolers, is their ability to grasp abstract concepts, apply logic in various scenarios, recognise cause and effect, and utilise good judgement. Young children begin to relate the scenarios in books to what’s happening in their own world. eading brings enhanced concentration, an acclimation to new experiences, sharing a story is sometimes a great help when dealing with transitions, upsets and life as they grow up. ach grade level at ISG Jubail sends books home for reading. Clearly the expectations are different with each grade level. Alongside the readers from their class teachers, are books from the library on a weekly basis. Library books are great for sharing and for you to read to your children. inally I want to reinforce my message that books have the power to benefit your children in a myriad of ways. As a parent reading to, listening to, sharing a book, are some of the most important things you can do to prepare them with a foundation for academic excellence and help them build on that foundation throughout their school life and beyond. Kathleen Stott, ES Learning Support / LLI
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Library News October Mystery Readers KG2A - Ms. Cabbie - The Animal Boogie by Debbie Harter KG1B - Mrs. Wingers - Interrupting Chicken by David Ezra Stein 4A - Mrs. Gorneau - The Little Boy Who Lost His Name by David CadjiNewby and Pedro Serapicos Reader of the Week Program Opened to all students in grades KG2 through 12th grade. Please stop by the library for a 12" X 18" construction paper. Poster requirements: Photo of reader Picture of the book Why is this book your favorite? Favorite line or word from book? Why should others read this book? What rating or grade would you give this book and why? Each week, starting in November, a poster will be displayed on the bulletin board outside of the library. Miss Weir, PreK-12 Librarian
Upcoming Events Family Reading Night Date: Wednesday, November 9th Time: 6:00 PM Grades: 4th & 5th Please join the librarian, literacy coordinator, and classroom teachers for an evening filled with a fun reading skit performance, exciting stories, and quiet family reading time.
Middle School Monster Mash October 31st What: Costume Social with pizza for sale, raffle prizes, games, music, and a costume contest. When: Monday, Oct. 31st, 3:15-5:30. Who: Grades 6-8 Where: MPR Why: To have a good time with friends at ISG Jubail How: Wear a costume and get permission from parents to attend. Bring money for food and raffle tickets. All students must leave the school grounds by 5:40 p.m. The normal 4:30 p.m. late buses will be running. If you want to stay until 5:30 p.m., you must arrange private transportation. Costumes: Please choose costumes acceptable in Saudi Arabia and at ISG Jubail, where we have small children. Costume ideas: characters (books, TV, movies), superheroes, celebrities, foods, animals. Avoid costumes with death, gore, violence, witchcraft, and spirits. Behavior expectations: Students must sign in when they arrive. Students should sign out if they leave to go to the bathroom. Students will remain in the MPR the entire time.
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Nepal WWoW 2016
SUPPORTING THE CDCA Last year Mr. Bondurant and Mrs. Ahmed ran a WWoW trip to Nepal, spending time visiting the CDCA (Centre for Disabled Children Assistance) in Kathmandu, visiting earthquake affected areas and exploring the unique culture and UNESCO world heritage sites. Before the trip, money raised by Meg Porter and student council was used to buy Chromebooks as donations for the CDCA and donated items were collected to distribute to the local community. Following the trip over $2000 was raised to provide Bumika with new, lightweight artificial legs.
2016 - WE NEED YOU! This year the Nepal WWoW trip will run again and we need
your help! Please bring donations of unwanted children’s clothes, books, toys or sports equipment. Additionally, we are looking to support provision of medical equipment such as crutches and wheelchairs and help build a playground.
WHAT CAN I DO TO HELP? Please bring any items for donation to Mr. Bondurant’s classroom. Additionally, support our fundraising by purchasing snacks from our food stand on the 1st and 8th of November (MS/HS watering hole) or donate money to building a disabled-friendly playground. Thank you for all your support and watch this space for updates! Emma Ahmed, Tech Coach
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2016-2017
After School Sports/Activities - Why Try? As the U16 and U19 and volleyball seasons have come to a close (thanks to all students and coaches who have committed), as well as our Open and U14 table tennis teams, that means we have begun the U14 volleyball and U16/19 Football seasons this week. Academics is and always will be a central priority to being a student at ISG Jubail. However, as our school mission statement reads, “The ISG Jubail student is inspired to strive for academic excellence, a balanced life and service to others,” where it says ‘a balanced life’ is an important point to remember. ASAs are a key component to having a balanced life. With regards to after school sports, we’ll have a motto of
‘sport for all.’ What does ‘sport for all’ mean? It means that everyone deserves the right to participate in practice, and furthermore, have an opportunity to compete against other schools. While this does not mean you will participate in the SAIKAC tournament, it does mean you will have the opportunity to participate in friendly games/matches, and as you continue to participate you hopefully will become a key member of the team. Keep in mind, learning a new sport can be a challenge, but as the director of our sporting programs, I wholeheartedly encourage you come to practice. Our coaches are committed to not only coach, but to teach as well. Many of our students have started their
sports as timid, young 6th grad- Upcoming ers, and then Events have gone on to be the leaders of October 27-28: our U19 teams in SAIKAC U19 high school. ExVolleyball Boys in cellence comes with practice and Dhahran and Girls preparation. All in TKS of you have it in you. So if you have a desire to try and/or you are worried you have too much going on to participate - whether it is a sport, art, or MUN, come on out. If you have a test or assignment to prepare for, we understand. Just don’t forget about what a balanced life means. Go Jaguars! Mr. Franz, Athletic Director
Spirit T-Shirt Design Contest from PTO Design a shirt that could be printed and worn by the whole school this year! YOUR TO GET STARTED: DESIGN Use a regular 8 1/2 ” x HERE 11” printer paper, design with the page turned like a tall rectangle (portrait), not a wide rectangle (landscape). Middle School/High School students: You have the option to design art for a black shirt if you choose. Please hand-draw your design with pen or marker (not pencil or crayon). Your design may be created using 4 or
more colors – but remember that if your design wins, only 4 colors will be used to print it onto the t-shirt. T-shirt colors will be white (or black for MS/HS), please take this into consideration when designing your shirt! HERE ARE SOME IDEAS TO GET STARTED: The school mascot is: Jaguars The school initials are: ISG The school colors are: Gold and Black The school motto is: ROAR
Make sure all the work is yours and not a copy of something. We can’t wait to see your designs!
Who? All students When? Designs must be submitted by December 1st Why? Show your school pride and artistic ability How? Email image file (in jpeg format) jubail.pto.president @isg.edu.sa or drop sealed envelope in PTO drop box in the blue room. Don’t forget your full name, grade, class on the back.
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Vocal Music Program From the classic New Year’s Eve anthem “Auld Lang Syne” to the catchy Bruno Mars pop song “Count On Me” students in vocal music have been excited by the addition of keyboarding to the classroom. On any given week you can find students hard at work mastering their scales and chord progression in the vocal music room. It will soon even be offered as an after school activity to those currently not in a vocal music class. Despite the addition of these new and exciting instruments to our weekly learning we continue to focus on mastering the skills and techniques of group vocals and multi-part harmonies. We have been hard at work on Mozart’s “Lacrymosa” as well as some very challenging art songs. We have also added more composition projects to challenge students to write their own songs and begin using the new recording studio to see just how good they sound! Composing is the hardest task any musician can engage in and it will take a lot of practice and effort to acquire the skills necessary to make meaningful composition. Students in vocal music can combine their keyboard and vocal skills to help them in those endeavors. We at ISG Jubail do not subscribe to 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, but rather how specifically we practice. Please continue to follow the progress and evolution of vocal music at ISG Jubail, we will have our first concert on December 6th at 6pm in the MPR. Chris Proulx, Chorus Teacher