05 DECEMBER 2016
VOLUME 7 ISSUE 8
ISG Jubail School Administration Newsletter
JAGUAR
JUNCTION 2016-2017
Principal’s Corner Dear Families and ISGJ community, We usher in the month of December and welcome cooler temperatures bringing us down to a daily average of about 21C or 71F; it is good to be in Jubail! We have just completed a week with the globally renowned EAL and differentiation specialist, Dr. Virginia Rojas. She was able to spend most of the week working in classrooms with the faculty to improve our instructional practices for nonnative English speaking students. Please keep in mind that the methods she subscribes to are based on a great deal of research and tried and tested practices. If employed effectively not only increase to opportunity for nonnative English speakers, but all of our students in classrooms; a fact sometimes forgotten about. We are thrilled to have had this opportunity and will take these understandings and apply them to our site here in Jubail so that we can improve our methods for meeting the needs of all students in our classrooms. I would like to share some new, positive news on our HS building project in Jalmudah. It has been quite some time
since we have been able to share anything positive. In short, the original company that was contracted to complete the HS building was instructed to leave the site in order for ISG to tender other bids from local contractors to complete the job. That process has taken place and new bids are being received by our project manager. All indications are that the construction of Jubail MS/HS will commence shortly and the initial indications for timeline are predicting a July 2018 completion date. This is only one year after the originally planned date and will allow us to move into the building at the end of next school year. This is fantastic news and can be celebrated as a triumph after some very uncertain times. With this plan taking shape, Jubail will be able to expand appropriately and allow much needed learning spaces for those families who have children on waiting lists to get into classrooms. I will keep the community up to date on these developments. Don’t miss out of upcoming chorus and band performances this and next week. Dan Mock, Principal Follow me on Twitter
Quick Notes December 6: Chorus Concert @ 6:00 PM December 7: PTO Meeting @ 8:00 AM December 7: KG2 Grade 1 Culture Day @ 11:15 AM December 8-9: U-16 Football Boys & Girls in ISG Dhahran & DHA Aramco December 11-13: ES Pop 4 Peace (details on page 2) December 12: Band Concert @ 6:00 PM December 14: MS Afternoon Movies @ 3:00 PM December 18 January 7: Winter Break Websites Dr. Rojas suggested that parents check out: Multilingual
Matters Caslon Publishing
Follow us on Instagram Stay tuned with our Events Calendar
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Announcements MS/HS Students in the Library MS/HS students should have their IDs when they come to the library to check out any materials. Starting in January, if students do not have their IDs, they will not be allowed to check out any materials. If you have any questions, please email our Librarian, Phelia Weir, at weir.p.05@isg.edu.sa. Thank you in advance for your support!
AP Exams Payment Payment for AP exams is due on Thursday, March 23, 2017. The cost is SAR 450 for each AP subject, including Studio Art. Please arrange payment with Ms. Angela Jucal, the school accountant.
Pop 4 Peace - Me 2 We Fundraising Event ISG Jubail elementary school - we need you! Me 2 We is having a fundraising event next week. From Sunday, December 11, to Tuesday, December 13, Me 2 We leaders will be selling popcorn to raise money for our Buddy Benches program and Me 2 We organization. Popcorn will be sold during lunchtime from 12:00 - 12:45 in the MPR. Come out and buy a
bag for a friend, too! Read below to find out when to bring in your money. Creche, Pre-K & KG1: Sunday KG2 - G2: Monday G3-5: Tuesday Cost: 10 SAR per bag Help Me to We make a difference this holiday season!
Chorus and Band Performances
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Library News Book Check out If your child will be leaving on vacation/holiday before December 8th, please note that all library books should be returned prior to leaving. Library book check out will stop on December 8th. Students may resume checking out books in January. Students may use Destiny (school's online catalog) to check out eBooks during their vacation/ holiday. Destiny can be accessed via the school's homepage.
Reading Promotion Starting in January, the 4th/5th grade Newbery Challenge begins. Students are encouraged to read as many Newbery Award winning books from January 8th through March 8th. One 4th and one 5th grade class will be rewarded with a pizza party during their lunch time. More information will be shared via Class Dojo, Google Classroom and during library class.
Charity Drive!
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Why our Jubail PE Program Works?
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he Physical Education department at ISGJubail is a fitness-based PE program. This means there is less emphasis on team or individual sports, though it doesn’t mean we don’t practice sport in class. The emphasis is placed on fitness because it is central to the overall well-being of our students - both physical and mental. For example, ‘aerobic’ or cardiovascular exercise is key to building stamina, avoiding illness, and being mentally strong. Furthermore, when a student graduates, one can’t be sure if they will play basketball, or soccer, but physical health will always be a necessity.
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he good news is there is actual evidence that our PE program works. In a recent study published by the British Journal of Sports Medicine, 50 countries were ranked based on the results of the Pacer or ‘Beep’ Test, which is a 20 meter shuttle run. The top 5 countries in order were Tanzania, Iceland, Estonia, Norway, and Japan. The United States ranked 47 out of 50, and Canada ranked 19. The average Tanzanian child completed 42 laps, whereas the average American
completed 26 laps.
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o where does the average ISG-Jubail student fit in? Based on our school average (grades 6-12), our students finished with an average of 40 laps, which puts us in the top percentile. If grade 6 were omitted, our students would finish with an average of 43. This distinction is made because this data was taken from the beginning of the year, and there is a big jump from 5th grade PE to 6th grade PE, where the students go from 80 minutes of PE in 6 day cycle to 210 minutes of PE in a 5 day cycle.
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ltimately, while this is great news, there is always room for improvement. It is important to remind our community that exercise is a never-ending journey. It is recommended that adults do 150 minutes of exercise weekly, and children do 60 minutes of exercise per day. This is especially true over school vacations and holidays, when there is no physical education class. Nevertheless, ISG-Jubail students have a strong foundation to build for a healthy future. Wyatt Franz, Athletic Director
Jubail Karate Academy at ISG Jubail We are very excited to start a new chapter of Jubail Karate Academy (JKA) in out school. JKA will be run by Marwan Al-Kahwaji, 4th degree black belt instructor. Mr. Marwan has experience for more than 35 years in Canada, Lebanon, and KSA. His karate training runs in accordance with international standards, and any experience your child may have will be considered for belt placement. This program is for students (boys and girls) aged 10 and above. The cost is 200 SAR per month with training for one hour each session, twice per week. Dates and time (will be run in the evenings - after 5 pm) will be determined once a minimum student enrollment is met. If interested please fill out this form.