IGB International School’s Weekly Newsletter - Issue 93, Week 2, November 2016
• Our Phoenix runners at the KLISS Cross Country Competition (Nexus International School) - November 4th 2016
MYP Community Project. ~ Pg. 3
Inside This Week Message from Head of School Mrs. Anne Fowles 2 Head of School .............................................................. News from Elementary School Mrs. Claire McLeod 2 Elementary School Principal .............................................................. News from Secondary School Mr. Michael Arcidiacono 3 Secondary School Principal
University Information. ~ Pg. 4 Senior School Production “Living with Lady Macbeth”.
~ Pg. 5
Secondary School Non-Uniform Day.
~ Pg. 6
Viper Challenge 2016. ~ Pg. 7 Athletic News. ~ Pg. 8 Cross Country Results. ~ Pg. 8
Happening.
Wed, November 9 ++ 2nd Annual Sports Day 8:00am – 12:00am IGBIS ++ U9 Girls Benchball Plate Finals 3:10pm – 6:15pm Taylor’s International School ++ U9 Boys Benchball Plate Final 4:00pm – 5:15pm Indoor Sports Hall
MILLIONS OF YOUNG PEOPLE. 24 HOURS. the END OF SLAVERY. SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 19 TH - SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 20TH, 2016 24hourrace.org | https://sites.google.com/igbis.edu.my/pvo
Message from Head of School Dear IGBIS Parents and Community Members, IGB International School has received notification that it has been authorised for the IB Primary Years Programme (PYP). The authorisation report was very complimentary about the quality of teaching and learning in the school. Congratulations to Mrs Claire McLeod, Mr Simon Millward and all of the Elementary School team for this achievement. This means that IGBIS is now authorised for the three IB Programmes that we offer: Primary Years Programme, Middle Years Programme and Diploma Programme! Mrs McLeod has been our founding Elementary School Principal and has done a fantastic job of setting up the Elementary School at IGBIS over the last four years. She has informed us that she would like to return to Australia next July so that she can spend more time with her husband, daughters
and elderly parents. We are commencing a search for Mrs McLeod’s replacement to begin next August. IGBIS has an EduBooth in the Gardens Mall, Mid-Valley this weekend. If you are at the mall, please call by and say hello to our team outside TGIF Friday. Our major event in school over the weekend is the annual conference for the Special Education Network in Malaysia (SENIM). This will draw teachers from throughout Malaysia to hear leaders in their field including some of our own IGBIS faculty.
Mrs. Anne Fowles Head of School
News from Elementary School Although our Sports Day was cut short due to lightning and rain, students had the opportunity to enjoy a few rotations of activities. An important aspect of the event was participation, building of team spirit and with the multi-aged grouping of students, the building of school spirit. Thank you to the PE team for their planning and set up, it was a big task for such a short experience!
Our after school Activities and Athletics programme involves most of our kindergarten to Grade 5 students throughout the week. A very popular activity is the Lego Club. They recently finished a project building a farm and as I admired the many different elements of the farm, the students proudly explained how they planned, organised and worked cooperatively with their friends to complete each part.
Our Elementary Student Council has planned a very special day next Friday 18th November; please see the email sent home a few days ago. Friendship Day will mean no school uniform for Elementary School students on that day, but most importantly, it will focus on thinking about how you can maintain friendships and how you can reach out to someone who may be feeling a little lonely at times. Until next time,
Mrs. Claire McLeod Elementary School Principal
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News from Secondary School This Friday, Mrs. Fowles, Mr Clark, and I attended the Light For Freedom gala, an event to raise awareness and contributions towards combating the problem of human trafficking; a critically important issue on the global level as well as here in Malaysia. Also in attendance were many parents from our PVO to support this cause. The gala is connected to the 24 Hour Race this Saturday, an event organised and led by IGBIS students, which truly represents the three strands of the IB Diploma Core element CAS - Creativity, Activity and Service. Parents and members of our community can still support this initiative by attending the 24 Hour Race or by contributing to the Suka Society (http://www.sukasociety.org/), the organisation that will receive the proceeds of this weekend’s event. We are a month away from the December break and entering into a time in school that can be quite stressful. As we near the end of the grading period, student stress levels can creep up as summative assessments come due and students (and teachers!) grow tired from the long semester. During these times parents can help support their children by ensuring they
maintain a good sense of balance. A step parents can take is to be mindful of, and limit as necessary, the amount of “screen time” children have. Doing so usually encourages children to get more exercise, the right amount of sleep (10 hours for teenagers!), and generally exhibit more healthy behaviours that will keep them balanced. Here is a nice resource to read more about this: https://drive.google.com/a/igbis.edu.my/file/ d/0By9YOJwliLtBaWZVdUtfbGJpUGs/view?usp=sharing Looking forward to seeing everyone at the 24 Hour Race this Saturday!
Michael Arcidiacono Secondary School Principal
MYP Community Project Phil Clark MYP Coordinator
.................................................................................................................................................................................................... Our Grade 8 and Grade 10 students have been working on their MYP Projects for the past few months. The Grade 8 Community Project is completed during Semester 1, while the Grade 10 Personal Project is completed during Semesters 1 and 2. Our current Grade 8 cohort includes many students who joined IGBIS in Grade 6 when our school first opened, while our current Grade 10 cohort includes students who engaged with our first Community Project when they were in Grade 8. It has been encouraging to observe each year how students are increasingly able to make connections between the learning in their MYP subjects and to apply this in their MYP Projects. This has led to increasingly complex and engaging Community and Personal Projects. The MYP Community Project focuses on community action and service. Students inquire into needs within communities and take
action to address those needs through service learning. The Grade 8 students have chosen their communities, completed their investigations and planning, and are currently in the “Taking Action” stage. Their projects are wide ranging and reflect the varied interests of our students. Projects include working with a local aged-care facility and with a school for refugee children, volunteering at an animal shelter, preparing and distributing food for the homeless at local “soup-kitchens”, helping sort food that has been donated by local shops (which is close to the date of expiry for sale) and donating it to a local organisation to feed the hungry in KL, and raising awareness about common mental health issues among teenagers.
The Community Project group that is raising awareness about teenage mental health issues will lead an interactive assembly for grades 6-8 students next week. Their goal is to help remove the stigma around mental health and help students understand that physical and mental health are equally important; that most people experience some mental health issues during their lives just as they experience physical health issues; and to inform about how we can find help and support for ourselves and others when we experience mental health issues.
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This Community Project group will also organise a non-uniform day for secondary school students on Friday 18 November in support of mental health awareness. Students will be encouraged to wear clothes in the following colours - BLUE to represent depression, TEAL/GREEN to represent general anxiety disorder and PURPLE to represent eating disorders.
I will keep you updated in the coming months as the Grade 10 students continue their Personal Projects and as the Grade 8 Community Projects come to an end. We look forward to the students presenting their projects at their exhibitions later in the year.
University Information Ms. Pauline Davidson Grade 9-12 School Counsellor ............................................................................................... In the busy days and weeks of the Diploma Student, it can be difficult to get to every college fair and speak to every school that visits. Even though universities may be eager to share their information, sometimes it’s just not the right time for students to listen. It was with these thoughts that I have prepared for students and parents a recap of the colleges that visited our school recently. I asked each representative to share with our school community the benefits of an education at their university. This is something we hope to continue in the future to ensure the school community, particularly graduating students and their parents, can obtain as much information as possible in the lead up to the university application season. If you would like more information about these universities, please contact me. Full Sail University Full Sail University is located in Winter Park, Florida, not far from Orlando, home to many of Florida’s theme parks. Supporting over 16,000 students, the school specialises in game design and game development, with degrees in entertainment, media, arts and technology. Students can accelerate their degree programs and graduate with a bachelor degree in 20 months to 3 years. A range of scholarships are offered to students, including a Global Achievement Scholarship offered to nonUS residents. Famous alumni include Gary Rizzo, who won and Academy Award for Inception; and Sebastian Krys and Phil Tan, who are both Grammy Award winners. Concordia University Concordia University is a private liberal arts university in Mequon, Wisconsin, just north of Milwaukee. The region boasts four distinct seasons and many outdoor recreation areas suitable for all seasons. The 78ha campus supports almost 8,000 students and offers 70 undergraduate majors. Several scholarships are offered for international students, some worth $20,000. The university boasts a small student to faculty ratio of 13:1, and average class sizes are just 18 students. Famous alumni include Andre Carson, the second Muslim person elected to US Congress; Walter Wangerin Jr, an award-winning author and educator; and Norman Wengert, a political scientist. La Sierre-Riverside California University This Seventh Day Adventist university boasts a perfect location on the US west coast, near both the beach and the mountains, so it’s perfect for outdoor enthusiasts. The small school of just over 2,000 students has its own observatory with two telescopes. It offers courses in arts & sciences, business,
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divinity, and education, and offers good scholarship programs, including a $5,000 merit scholarship. Wisconsin La Crosse University This university, near the Mississippi River is great for those who love the outdoors. The relatively compact 48ha campus supports over 10,000 students, including 400 international students. The school is strong in computer science, business, physics, and mathematics, and even has its own planetarium. Other courses include liberal studies, arts & communication, education, science & health, and engineering. While the school offers low tuition rates of around $18,000 per year, there are also great scholarships on offer to students with an IBDP score of 32. Many American politicians and athletes have attended the school, as well as Gaetano Kagwa, a famous Ugandan actor and broadcaster. Gonzaga University Located in the regional city of Spokane, Washington, Gonzaga University is central to numerous outdoor activities offered year-round. The Roman Catholic University seeks to educate the whole person in body, mind and spirit, while integrating their liberal arts tradition with philosophy, religious studies, mathematics, literature, natural & social sciences, and extensive writing in each major discipline. While the school is very strong in engineering and business, other degrees include arts & sciences, education, law, and nursing & human physiology. Classes are small, with 21 students per class and a student faculty ratio of 11.5:1. There are approximately 250 international students, all of whom are eligible for merit scholarships, and are encouraged to apply for other scholarships. Famous alumni include Bing Crosby (actor and singer), and Sherman Alexie (writer). Penn State University - Behrend Penn State Behrend, located on Lake Erie, Pennsylvania, in the northwest of the state, offers a plethora of outdoor activities throughout the year. The 4,000 students studying 35 bachelor degrees at this campus pay $10,000 less than if they were to study at Penn State’s main campus at University Park. The small campus has a student faculty ratio of 16:1 in a very supportive environment. The school has a very strong business and engineering program, and offers lucrative meritbased scholarships for international students. Grand Valley State University This public liberal arts university is located in northeast Chicago. It supports roughly 25,000 students with up to 26 students in each class and a student faculty ratio of 17:1. The most popular majors include business, management, marketing & related support services, health professions & related programs, education, psychology & social sciences.
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Each student receives personal attention and there are excellent opportunities for internships and other employment. Notable alumni include Erion Veliaj, an Albanian minister, and Tommy Remengesau, President of the Republic of Palau. University of Toledo Toledo, Ohio touts itself as a city of art, nature, culture, history and fun; so this STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) research university should be an ideal place to study. The university supports 23,000 students in 250 academic programs with a student faculty ratio of 19:1 and a median class size of 25. Colleges include business & innovation, engineering, nursing, visual & performing arts, and natural sciences & mathematics. International students are automatically made eligible for merit-based scholarships. Past students include Bob Dempsey, NASA flight director; Fredric J. Bauer, inventor of the Pringles can; Christi Paul, CNN News Anchor; and Michael Sallah, Washington Post investigative reporter Pulitzer Prize winner. New York Institute of Technology This school of 12,000 students has a range of scholarships available to its 3,000 international students. With a student faculty ratio of 14:1 this award winning university is a great choice for prospective international students, especially those interested in computer science degrees. Bill Gates is an honorary degree recipient and alumni such as Vincent Connare, creator of Comic Sans font, and architect Peter Ruggiero have all graduated from NYIT.
SP Jain Sp Jain is a business school that has campuses in Singapore, Mumbai, Dubai and Sydney and allows students to graduate with an Australian degree. Specialising in business administration, economics, and business communication, students have the option of completing their degrees at the different campuses around the world. Prospective students with an IBDP score of 38 and above are encouraged to apply for scholarships, which are also offered to applicants from underrepresented countries. Transylvania Located in Lexington, Kentucky, Transylvania University offers a number of advantages that bigger universities ignore, including small class sizes (average 14), a low student faculty ratio of 11:1, and personalised mentoring. This is a liberal arts institute that offers exceptional 4-year fine and performing arts programs with great scholarship programs offered to IBDP graduates. The alumni includes two US vice-presidents and two supreme court justices. Illinois State University More than 20,000 students attend Illinois State University in Normal, in central Illinois. Over 350 international students hail from 66 countries, with a student faculty ratio of 18:1. The school boasts 165 bachelor degree options with a particularly strong mathematics programme. A range of scholarships are available, including scholarships for students who have completed IBDP. Past alumni include actors John Malkovich and Gary Sinise, and former US ambassador to the UN Donald McHenry.
Senior School Production — Living With Lady Macbeth Sidnee Lim, Grade 9 Senior Production Publicity Team ................................................................................................................ “You’re not thinking about Lady Macbeth, are you?”
performances. Everybody’s pumping with anticipation and as the costumes twirl on stage and words are pontificated, knives are rising, blood is dripping and hearts are thumping. The production of Living With Lady Macbeth will be full of surprises.
“All the time. I think about her all the time.” Living With Lady Macbeth is currently underway and the entire crew is working together to bring the production to the stage. As songs and screams echo through the theatre, the sounds of paintbrushes scratching canvases and collaborative discussions become common to the ears of many. We’ve already moved into the theatre, familiarising ourselves with the grand stage and exercising our vocal chords. The art room has been buzzing with the backstage crew preparing the props, and we’ve finally decided on the dramatic backgrounds that will be used in the
Put the dates in your diary and come along to see IGBIS thespians at their best. Performances: • 6th December, 2.00pm - matinee performance for parents and grades 4-8. IGBIS Theatre • 7th December, 7.30pm - evening performance for parents and students. IGBIS Theatre
Call for Costumes The Performing Arts Department is seeking donations of clothes for their Secondary School Production, Living With Lady Macbeth. If you have any unwanted and unneeded clothes that might fit our secondary school students, we will gladly accept them. Donations should not have any writing (advertising or labels) printed on them. We are specifically on the hunt for: • Hats • Gloves • Handbags
• Handkerchiefs, ties and cravats • Skirts, blouses, shawls, mens suits, shirts, jackets • Cloaks
Donations can be delivered directly to Jon Suffolk (office adjacent to the elementary music room), or Julie Arcidiacono (office near the Finance Booth).
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Secondary School Non-Uniform Day - Friday 18 November - Mental Health Awareness Ro Xzi, Izzy and Serene Grade 8 .............................................................................................. Our MYP Community Project group is focusing on mental health in teenagers. We want to raise awareness about mental health and about why it is so important. As part of our project, we are organising a non-uniform day on Friday 18th
November for Secondary School students. The colours that are to be worn on that day are blue, teal (green) and purple. These colours represent depression, general anxiety disorder, and eating disorders. Secondary school students will wear these colours to raise awareness around the school about these specific teenage mental health issues. We want to raise awareness about this serious topic because these disorders are commonly found in secondary schools around the world.
PVO News Julie Chen Arcidiacono Community Support & Services Coordinator ............................................................................................... 24 Hour Race Final preparations for the 24 Hour Race next weekend are in full swing. We are excited to again host the event, with many members of the IGBIS community pitching in to help our student organisers. For those planning to attend the Race, please be aware that parking will be limited so drop-offs or carpooling are strongly encouraged. The Race will begin at 9:00am on Saturday 19th November and finish 24 hours later, at 9:00am on Sunday. The PVOorganised bake sale will run from 8:00 - 11:00am on Saturday. Proceeds will go to the Suka Society, the 24 Hour Race beneficiary. Generous donations from the school community have allowed the PVO to not only sponsor dinner for runners and marshals on Saturday, but to also provide breakfast for
them on Sunday. Well done PVO 24 Hour Race Event Committee, and a big thank you to everyone who dedicated their time and contributed to the cause. PVO Meeting Our monthly PVO meeting will be next Thursday 17th November from 8:00-9:00am in the Level 2 PVO Room. The agenda will include updates regarding: • Edubooth • 24 Hour Race • Open Day • Holiday Bazaar • Parent volunteers for CIS/NEASC committees I hope to see you there, but if you can’t attend, I will post meeting minutes on the PVO website, on the IGBIS Splash Page.I hope you enjoy a relaxing break and will return ready for more PVO fun.
Please Invite Your Friends! Wayne Demnar Admissions & Marketing Director ............................................................................................... IGBIS Open Days IGBIS is proud to once again open the school to potential future students and their parents on Thursday 24th and Friday 25th November between 9:00am and 12:30pm. We would be thrilled if the school community could spread the word to anyone that might be interested in exploring an
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education at IGBIS. As the Open Days will occur during school hours and we do not wish to disrupt classes, visitors will be escorted by staff eager to share the wonders of our school. Further information and online registration can be found on our website at http://igbis.edu.my/admissions/open-day/. You can also contact admissions on +60 3 6145 4688 or email enquiries@igbis.edu.my to register.
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Viper Challenge 2016: No More Excuses! Ernest Ng Grade 11 ............................................................................................... It seems absurd to wake up at 4:00am on a Saturday - that’s such a crazy hour to get out of bed! But it is even crazier when you’re getting out of bed to run 20 kilometres with more than a dozen obstacles in your way. Well, that’s exactly what we did. On the 5th of November, 21 students in grades 11 and 12 took part in the Great Eastern Viper Challenge 2016, which was held in Sepang. Proudly dressed in IGBIS colours, we were geared up and ready to give the Viper Challenge our best shot. For more than 4 hours, we took on challenge after challenge. From mud that had us bogged down to plunging into cold water after failing an obstacle, we persevered and kept going. Even when we started to falter, we never gave up and we pushed on. Despite numerous cramps and cuts and bruises, we crossed the finish line and
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we all became “Viper Challenge Survivors”. In the end, Viper Challenge proved that we are far better than we expected to be, and that we could reach new heights by taking risks and by pushing ourselves. It showed that the possibilities are endless when you’re willing to step outside your comfort zone. We realised that teamwork is essential for success, be it a collective success or a personal success. We remained caring throughout the Viper Challenge, constantly looking out for one another. A big shoutout to Mr Cameron and the rest of the Cheery Capybaras who helped guide the 21 of us throughout the day whenever we got stuck. And a huge thank you to Ms Douglas for helping set us up, assisting us with the registration process and helping us through this gruelling yet worthwhile experience. All this would not have been possible without her. So, Viper Challenge 2017 anyone?
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Athletics News
by Tim Bartle (Athletics & Activities Coordinator)
U9 Benchball The U9 Benchball teams played their plate finals this week. The girls team travelled to Taylor’s International School and the boys team played at home. With both our teams made up of inexperienced benchball players this season has been a
fantastic opportunity for our students to learn a new game and have lots of fun! They have demonstrated enormous progress throughout the season with the boys team collecting their first benchball win at the plate finals. Both teams finished the season 1-5.
Ms Heys, Mr Andy and Mr Marshall joined in for a very special benchball training session.
U18 Girls Football On Thursday 10th November, we welcomed teams from HELP and Tenby International Schools for an U18 Girls Football tournament.
played as stand in goalkeeper and demonstrated enormous courage as she threw her body at the ball saving many goals. The Tenby attack eventually broke through when a cracking shot from out wide sailed into our goal.
The IGBIS girls started slowly in their opening match and were left stunned after a fast counter attack from HELP resulted in the first goal of the contest. To our credit, we regrouped quickly and worked tirelessly to try and balance the scoreboard. Yin Xzi, Aria and Natasha with solid support from Zoe and Maryam, pushed to every contest in defence whilst Vanessa and Axelle tried to manufacture a goal up front. Shots on goal were limited as a midfield arm wrestle took place. A period of nice team play resulted in a few half chances for IGBIS but tidy goalkeeping by HELP kept us scoreless. Some clean attacking play by HELP resulted in a second goal just before the final whistle. It was always going to be difficult to overcome the initial goal but to our girls’ credit, they never gave up!
With time running out, IGBIS were awarded an indirect free kick. A well struck kick from Axelle went agonisingly close to the top right corner of the goal, missing by only an inch or two. It was our best chance for the game that ended 1-0.
Our second round match was against Tenby and it proved to be another close encounter. We were lucky not to concede another early goal after Tenby missed a penalty in the opening minute. Our defence was causing headaches for the Tenby strikers as Maryam, Yin Xzi and Natasha cleared the ball time and time again. Promoted from the U15 team, Jesse Murison
Upcoming Events • Tuesday 15th November - U18 Boys Football vs IGBIS Staff Team • Wednesday 16th November - U11 Boys and Girls Basketball Finals at KTJ • Thursday 17th November - U13 Boys Football Finals at IGBIS • Tuesday 22nd November - U18 Boys Football vs HELP at IGBIS • Thursday 24th November - U18 Boys Football Finals at IGBIS • Saturday 26th November - Ultimate Frisbee Tournament at IGBIS
Cross Country Results On Friday 4th November, our biggest sporting team of 47 students from grades 3 to 10 ventured out to Nexus International School in Putrajaya for the KLISS Cross Country competition. Our Phoenix runners demonstrated
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outstanding determination and sportsmanship, running hard and cheering on their teammates and other competitors. Congratulations to all our competitors on making the event a memorable one.
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IGBIS INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL
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