IGB International School’s Weekly Newsletter - Issue 155. Week 5. May 2018.

Congratulations!Class of 2018

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Grade 3 Fieldtrip | Pg. 4 + KLeaving Country/School/Home | Pg. 7

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Message from Head of School

Dear IGBIS Parents and Community Members,

What an exciting week!

Our Grade 12 Graduation took place on Friday with all of the pomp and celebration that it deserved. Special recognition was made of the 2018 Valedictorian, Hwei Linn Khoo; the Salutatorian, Wern-Shyn Soon; and the Global Citizen, Rachel Lim. All of these awards were hotly contended and richly deserved. The Grade 12 students have received offers from of the best universities and colleges around the world including the University of Cambridge, Imperial College London, Yale-NUS, University of Toronto, University of British Columbia and The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology.

We are once again thrilled to announce that IGB International School is now fully accredited with the New England Association of Schools and Colleges (NEASC) through its Commission on International Education (CIE). IGBIS is the only school in Malaysia accredited by NEASC, and joins prestigious universities such as Harvard, Yale and Brown universities who are already accredited by NEASC.

Accreditation by NEASC/CIE indicates that a school meets high standards of institutional quality through an ongoing, independent, objective process of peer review. The accreditation

process provides an opportunity for the school to reflect in depth and critically on its programmes, review its Guiding Statements, and assess its alignment with research-based standards of best educational practice. The “Award of Accreditation” recognises the quality of the school, reassures parents, teachers, universities, and governments that the school provides a high quality learning experience, and results in sustained school improvement and a roadmap for transformation (cie.neasc.org, 2018).

This announcement follows on from our recent announcement that the Council of International Schools (CIS) had awarded full international accreditation to IGBIS. These accreditations are wonderful achievements

for such a young school and shows the world that we are a school that shares a desire to provide students with the knowledge, skills and abilities to pursue their lives as global citizens; and that we display a commitment to high quality international Education.

We would like to thank everyone who played a role in helping us to achieve these accreditations, from the Board, parents, students and our dedicated staff (both teachers and administration).

Anne FowlesHead of School

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News from Secondary School

Dear Parents,

We bid farewell to our third graduating class in style, with a wonderful graduation ceremony, followed by our Graduate’s Dinner at Le Meridien. Through speech and performance, the talent and passions of our graduates was on full display.

We are very pleased for our newly minted IGBIS alumni and wish them all the best in the future.

Sincerely yours

Michael ArcidiaconoSecondary School Principal

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News from Elementary School

IThis week saw Mr. Chris facilitate his parent workshop about transition. There were tips about transitioning between grade levels and also countries. These tips can be found later in the newsletter.

There was great excitement today as the Elementary school wished our 2018 graduates good luck on their new journeys as they move to pastures new. They formed a cheer line, waved posters they had created and cheered them on from Level 3 all the way to the Theatre. This community spirit is one of the wonderful

elements of our school.Dates for your diaries:• Monday 28th May: Grade 4 field trip. • Tuesday 29th May: Public holiday - no school. • Friday 1st June: Grade 5 parents transition meeting

8.00am PVO room

Simon MillwardElementary School Principal

Grade 3 Field Trip

Shireen Blakeway and Steve HarveyGrade 3 Teachers....................................................................................................................

After being postponed due to the recent unexpected public holidays, Grade 3 students finally made it to the Botanic Gardens last Friday morning. The trip was inspiration for our unit of inquiry How We Express Ourselves, with a central idea: “Nature can inspire people to express their creativity”.

Although the weather was very hot, the morning was a huge success and the children took many 'artistic' photos of the natural surroundings. We collected many examples of photographs that display detail, a good background, perspective, and the rule of thirds. Since our field trip, we have been creating a photographic portfolio where we selected our favourite photos that showed different perspectives, such as bird’s eye view, worm’s eye view, rule of thirds and detail. We have also been playing with editing some of the photos using filters, cropping and other editing tools. We are looking forward to more nature-inspired creative fun over the coming weeks.

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Rhapsodic Recess

Staff and students were treated to another wonderful Rhapsodic Recess this week. Several performers got up in front of their peers to show their creative side. The audience was captivated, and their enthusiastic support should ensure that these events continue next year. Well done to all performers.

(Photograph courtesy of Hadewych Dujardin)

This semester, secondary students have participated in a number of international math challenges. All students in grades 6 to 10 have competed in a range of the University of Waterloo Mathematics Contests. The grade 6 to 8 students competed in the Gauss Contest, the Grade 9 students in the Pascal Contest and the Grade 10 students in the Cayley Contest. Additionally, 25 students from grades 6 to 10 competed in the Singapore and Asian Schools Math Olympiad.

The Maths Department would like to extend a huge congratulations to all students on their efforts and specifically the following award recipients:

Secondary Maths Competitions

University of Waterloo’s Outstanding Achievement Award/Medal:Woo Jin Seok (G6)Qi Jing Keu (G7)Calan McDermott (G8)

Marvin Chong (G9)Hong Yi Lim (G10)

University of Waterloo’s Certificate of Distinction:Eungi Kim (G6)Mehran Rahman (G6)Gabriel Corbetta (G6)Lok Heng Tan (G7)Chiew Hui Lim (G7)Jun Hyuk Sung (G7)Lara Maccagno (G7)Kyung Taek Oh (G7)

Andrea Mingai Wan (G 7)Yukina Morita (G7)Puteri Hani Mohd Haris (G7)Mako Nitta (G7)Lok Mun Tan (G8)Kyu Jin (Jenny) Ahn (G8)Laurens Veldkamp (G8)Abirrami Gunalan (G8)

Celiné Teh Conconi (G8)Hong Bin Lim (G9)

Hou Kin Wan (G10)

Singapore and Asian Schools Math Olympiad Gold Award:

Woo Jin Seok (Grade 6)Qi Jing Keu (Grade 7)

Marvin Chong (Grade 9)

Singapore and Asian Schools Math Olympiad Silver Award:

Abirrami Gunalan (Grade 8)Hong Bin Lim (Grade 9)

Clarissa Teh (Grade 10)

Singapore and Asian Schools Math Olympiad Bronze Award:

Eungi Kim (Grade 6)Chiew Hui Lim (Grade 7)Calan McDermott (Grade 8)

Sidnee Lim (Grade 10)Hong Yi Lim (Grade 10)

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College Counselling News

Bill MitchellGrades 9-12 School Counsellor....................................................................................................................

Congratulations to the Graduating Class of 2018On May 25, 2018 the Class of 2018 will be joining our Alumni community that is spread around the world. Our third graduating class and their families were a joy and honour to work with. Thank you to families for sharing your children with us, and providing not only IGBIS as an opportunity for them, but further overseas education as well.

The graduates of the Class of 2018 are holding offers for admittance to universities in Ireland, Scotland, England, Canada, the United States, Hong Kong, Singapore, Japan, the Netherlands, and are likely to add South Korea and Australia to that list over the coming months. It is very possible that the newly anointed Phoenix Alumni will be our future engineers, computer scientists, psychologists, designers, doctors, lawyers, business tycoons, scientists, economists or politicians!

The students have done a fantastic job researching and looking at great programmes at schools that fit their ambitions and future motivations. Our graduates hold offers at wonderful places such as:

AsiaHong Kong University of Science & Technology, Hong Kong (World Ranking 44)Keio University, JapanOsaka University, JapanWaseda University, JapanYale-NUS, SingaporeCanadaUniversity of British Columbia (WR 34)University of Toronto (WR 22)United KingdomImperial College London (WR 8)King’s College London (WR 36)University of Cambridge (WR 2)University College London (WR 16)University of Edinburgh (WR 27)

Wishing all our students, and families, the best of luck in the next step of your journey! CIS University Connection Registry

Grade 10 & 11Dear future leaders, innovators, educators and global citizens,

Universities around the world are looking for high school students such as yourself who will contribute an international mindset to their student community. If you are thinking about your next step towards higher education, the CIS University Connection Registry can help you find the best fit—whether that takes you across an ocean or across the street.The CIS University Connection Registry works like this:

1. Fill out the online form, providing information about yourself and your university/post-secondary interests. Ask your College

Counsellor for support if needed.2. Universities will contact you directly when they believe they

have an opportunity that matches what you are looking for.3. Talk to your parents and College Counsellor when you think

you have found the match!

This is a free service for all students who will be graduating in the next three years. CIS has over 500 university members throughout the world, including many in Asia, Australia, USA and Europe who represent top-tier education institutions with an international perspective. You’ve probably heard of a few of them and you may also discover some universities you’ve never heard of that can offer new possibilities for your future. Explore which universities participate in this platform in our membership directory. To get started, visit www.cois.org/ForStudents and take your first step towards an international university experience.

Please use your IGBIS school email address and the following information if you choose to use the Registry:University/Guidance Counsellor Information: Bill Mitchell (bill.mitchell@igbis.edu.my)

AUTHORISED USE OF REGISTRY DATAThe Registry Service is available to CIS Member colleges/universities only. All institutions using the registry agree that they will use the students’ information for the sole purpose of mailing their own materials. Registry data must not be provided to third parties.

IGBIS EventsPractice SAT October 2018The PSAT/NMSQT is tightly aligned with the redesigned SAT and provide educators and students with the chance to check in on student progress. The exams will support all students with a clear focus on the skills and knowledge that matter most for college and career success. Scores from the PSAT/NMSQT are used by several organisations to identify candidates for their awards or recognition programmes if they plan to complete higher education in the USA. Students who take the SAT or the PSAT/NMSQT can opt in to Student Search Services, making their names and information available to scholarship programmes as well as colleges.

It will cost each student $20 USD / MYR80 to sit the test on Wednesday October 25, 2018.

We strongly encourage students in grades 9,10 and 11 to use this as an opportunity to prepare for future applications to the United States.

If you are interested, please email me at bill.mitchell@igbis.edu.

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Upcoming University visitsFollow the Secondary Calendar or see the College Counselling Events calendar for future visits and events.

Kuala Lumpur EventsEVERY TUESDAY AND THURSDAY U.S. University Advising: EducationUSA Advisers provide comprehensive U.S. university advising. Register Here

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Leaving Country/School/Home

Chris KleschEarly Years to Grade 8 Counsellor....................................................................................................................

Many of your will be transitioning your children either through the summer to a new year in school, or to summer school or camp, or to a new school and/or country. There are a few things you can do to help make smooth transitions no matter where the destination may be.

First, explain why you are leaving. It is very important they understand the reasons for the move. It is also important for you to demonstrate decisiveness in the decision, as this helps them feel secure about what is coming. If you have any doubts and worries about the move, it is probably not a good idea to talk about them with your kids, or in front of them.

Creating a positive picture of the journey is important. It helps reduce anxieties and ambiguity children may have as they approach the crucial date. Think about it like selling an adventure or holiday. Showing them pictures and talking about the new place is a great way to create some excitement and anticipation.

Another task for transitioning successfully is maintaining routines and rituals. It is easy to skip common routines for the sake of maintaining a child’s emotional temperament but it can be then difficult to reestablish those routines later on. The loss of routine can be insidious. It starts innocently enough with some screen time on an airplane. Then it is easier to let your child be on a screen during mealtimes and right before bed. You feel guilty about the move and you want to keep your child from becoming upset because they have the challenge of acclimating to school, making new friends and getting used to the new climate and weather. Before you know it, one hour of screens a week becomes one hour a day and one hour a day can become one hour every other hour. Maybe it is not screens, but it can be any other challenge to routine like too much candy, not enough dinner at the table, missing school, etc.

Keeping routines is the best way for your child to keep up her or his momentum and stamina when adjusting to a new life situation and it helps you as a parent to keep your cool. Maintaining simple routines like brushing teeth, taking the trash to the bin and taking a walk to the park can make an enormous difference when moving houses, schools or even moving into the summer holiday (more on that later).

Rituals like holidays and festivals are important. What you celebrated as a family before should be continued in your new home, but also do not be afraid of creating new rituals and traditions. In my family we celebrate Christmas and Chinese New Year because I am from the US and my wife is from China. We have created a fusion of traditions that also includes some of the traditions from other cultures like Navruz in Azerbaijan.

Focusing on relationships in the family is extremely important. Making sure that each member of the family is recognised and acknowledged is key to a successful transition. Your children need to know that their concerns and questions are validated and answered.

The up and down emotions you may all be experiencing are a normal part of transition. The ups and downs will pass. Instead of a U-shape of a downward slope followed by a gradual incline upward, transition looks more like a W. Continued ups and downs with a gradual overall upward climb will eventually happen but this takes some time. Most importantly, keep adult conversations away from your child. If you and your spouse or partner have concerns or second thoughts, children are quick to pick up these conversations without understanding the context and can develop a negative view of the move even though that may not have been the intention.

RAFT is a process proposed by the authors Dave Pollock and Ruth Van Reken. It consists of four concepts. ReconciliationAffirmationFarewellThink Destination

Reconciliation is important because it is easy to disregard any personal difficulties we may be having, yet these challenges do not go away when we leave and this mental baggage may even have an effect on our interpersonal relations.

Affirmation involves letting the people that we care about and love know that we will miss them. It is important to recognise this time as a chance to acknowledge the importance of others because you may not see them again.

Farewell is the action of making time to say goodbye. Children should try to say goodbye in person and some have even felt that a note has helped them say that. Others have had a farewell party but it is important that the farewell comes from the child. If they do not want a farewell party, however, do not force them.

Finally, thinking about the destination and preparing for it in the most profound ways like securing a new apartment or finding a new place of worship, to the mundane like checking the weather and packing the sunscreen or the thermal gloves or both depending on the weather.

I will close the moving segment with Tips to Help Your Child

Transition to a New School. You do not need to use all of these items nor do you need to use them in a particular order.

1. Talk it out: Ask your child questions like what are you most excited about for your first day of school? What are you worried about? The way you talk about going to a new school will shape how your child views it.

2. Replicate first day of school traditions: Continue on with former traditions like making a special breakfast for the first day, or planning a stop at the library, or a visit to grandma’s house after school. Offer your child a little extra TLC and minimise changes within the home.

3. Make new friends early: Take advantage of the time before school starts. If possible let your child join a sports team or attend a day camp where they can make friends that go to their new school, and have these friends over for a play date.

4. Take a test run: Do a practice first day of school and take

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your child to their bus stop or drive them to school. If possible arrange to meet their teachers before school starts and have a tour of the new school. Make teachers and administrators aware of the last school your child went to and ask if they have any helpful suggestions.

5. Stock up on school supplies: Choosing their own backpack, lunchbox, binder or clothes might help your child feel more confident and in control on their first day.

6. Be involved: If possible volunteer at your child’s school or help out with a school sport or club. Try to take an active role in their school environment and get to know your child’s friends and the other parents.

7. Be patient: During a transition phase, your child may be quieter than ever, or begin to question everything. They might have more attitude than they normally do. Remember they’re reacting to a new environment, and you shouldn’t change your standards for how they’re expected to behave, but they will need time to adjust.

8. Play school: Try role playing with your child before school starts. They can be the teacher and you can be the student. This helps them think about what these respective roles mean, and they’ll get to play with the concept of school, and see it as a fun scenario.

9. Don’t miss out on ZZZs: During a stressful time, anxiety can make sleep difficult. Sleep deprivation can adversely affect mood and academic performance. Routine is really important during a high stress time of change. Make sure your child is getting enough sleep!

Summer breakDuring summer break, it is important to maintain routines even if your are just heading up to Ipoh for a week, but summer break has a lot of fun amenities like road trips, ferry and plane rides and the occasional museum or theme park or national park.

Summer break also provides a great opportunity to get outside more with camping, trips to the beach, hiking, backpacking, etc. It is important that when kids and adults are outside it is not a simple change of venue but an opportunity. Outside play is important and children in the USA, on average only receive seven minutes a day.

Road Trips are a hallmark of summer and time in the car can also offer great opportunities for connecting with each other - telling stories, reading books aloud, playing an audio book or audio play or playing free children’s podcasts from Wow in the World, Barefoot Books Podcast or Storynory through the stereo and playing car travel games. The websites Minitime: Bring the Kids

and Kids are a Trip have some great travel and road trip ideas for children and adults.

Resources“25 Favorite Read Aloud Books for a Road Trip.” Kids Are a Trip, 6 Feb. 2017, 10:43, kidsareatrip.com/best-read-aloud-books-for-a-road-trip/.

Marilyn. “Transition – Building a RAFT.” Marilyn R. Gardner, Gardner, 22 May 2015, 8:01, communicatingacrossboundariesblog.com/2014/06/12/transition-building-a-raft/.

Kelleher, Suzanne R. “10 Best Car Games for Kids | Road Trips.” MiniTime, Minitime: Bring the Kids, 23 May 2018, 10:16, www.

minitime.com/trip-tips/10-Best-Car-Games-for-Kids-article.

“Tips to Help Your Child Transition to a New School.” Pathways, 23 May 2018, 11:13, pathways.org/blog/tips-to-help-your-child-transition-to-a-new-school/.

Performing Arts News

Jon SuffolkPerforming Arts Teacher....................................................................................................................

IGBIS Instrumental Music Academy - Finale Series ConcertsThere is only a couple of weeks before the Finale Series Concerts will highlight the progress and learning of students who have participated in the Instrumental Music Academy this semester. A reminder to parents to help their children prepare by listening to them during their home practice and encouraging them to practice daily in the lead up to their performance.

The Finale Series Concerts on the 5th and 7th of June will be held in the Senior School Drama Studio commencing at 1.45pm each day. I look forward to seeing and hearing the student performances.

MYP Performing Arts ShowcaseThe rehearsals are in full swing, the students are excited and are almost ready for this new event on the IGBIS calendar on Thursday 7th June commencing at 11am in the IGBIS Theatre.

The showcase will include performances from each class in the MYP and the work they have developed in their current units

of work as part of the MYP Arts curriculum. A Concert Band performance, Commedia plays, comedies, film music and original compositions will be some of the highlights on the programme.

The Performing Arts staff hope that parents are able to come along to this event to observe the learning that has taken place throughout this year and the progress that the students have made.

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Teacher Appreciation Lunch

From all of us at IGBIS - Thank you

parents, for the incredible lunch you provided to

us on Teacher Appreciation Day!

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Conversational Malay (Grade 9 to 11)Teacher: Rashid Amin

This course encourages students to develop lifelong language skills. The class will aim to develop proficiency in reading, writing, speaking and listening. Since this is a Mother Tongue class, there will be an emphasis on grammatical aspects of the language. The class will use authentic materials such as videos, newspaper articles, blogs, etc.

Robotics (Grade 3 to 10)Teacher: Geoffrey Derry

Get a hands-on experience building and programming robots. We will be using Lego robots (Wedo, EV3), as well a few other toys and bits & pieces to create robots that will do whatever you tell them to do. Build a soccer playing robot to score a goal or a robot that can solve a Rubik’s cube. Let your imagination and creativity run wild in this fun week-long robot experience.

IT Tools at IGBIS (Grade 5 to 11)Teacher: Geoffrey Derry

We use a lot of technology at IGBIS. Get ahead (or refresh your skills) on lots of the technology, apps and techniques we use at school. Explore how to get the most out of Google Docs, Sheets, Drawings and Slides. Explore not just how to make a movie, but how to make a good movie. We will also be looking at ways to become smarter with technology. You might even learn how to make your very own computer game.

Junior Sports Programme (Kindergarten to Grade 5)Teacher: Kevin Lawson

This course introduces students to football (soccer), touch rugby, tennis, badminton, and athletics. Students will learn the basics of each sport and play games and team building activities. The emphasis is on having fun, whilst developing confidence, independence and teamwork. A fun swim activity is also included in the programme, subject to assistant availability.

Art Camp (Kindergarten to Grade 5)Teacher: Elli Lawson

Art Camp allows students to explore creatively whilst building on drawing, painting and craft techniques. Artwork is created from both imagination and inspiration from other artists. Working in a specialised art studio, students build a portfolio of individual artwork over the week and also work together to make a collaborative artwork.

The course runs for two weeks, however each week has different outcomes, therefore children may choose to do one week or two.

English Language Learning (Grade 6 to 11)Teacher: Sean McDermott

In English Language Learning students will engage with and use the English language in a way that is relevant and purposeful. The activities are designed around a series of thought-provoking and challenging English learning activities that stimulate conversation, collaboration and problem solving in groups using critical thinking. Activities include designing and building pinhole cameras and explaining how they work, critically examining and responding to modern English texts and movies, bridge building and testing, and exploring how things fly.

Students will communicate and present their work in English using a variety of different methods. This programme is designed so students develop a high level of confidence in using English authentically at school to communicate and share their learning to a high standard.

IGB International SchoolJalan Sierramas Utama, Sierramas, 47000 Sungai Buloh, Selangor Darul Ehsan.Owned by Detik Harapan Sdn. Bhd. (790342-W)

16th July - 27th July 2018

Register Now@ bit.ly/igbissummerschoolOpen to all studentsFee: RM800 (one week) | RM1500 (two weeks)

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