This will be the my last blog for ISS and the academic year and we can reflect upon a wonderful year that has been filled with great achievements and expectations. We say goodbye to some of our students as they head back home, and we look forward to welcoming many new students to the ISS family in August.
This week we have seen our Grade 10 students take on the challenge of Pre-IB and Pre-HSD and learning about the new courses they will study in the new academic year. We have also enjoyed Spirit Week organised by the Student Council who have worked all year to bring new opportunities and events for the High School students to participate in. Well done to the Student Council Executive and Class Representatives on a successful year. Grade 9 ISA Results Parents and Grade 9 students now have access to the results from the ISA testing completed back in February. To access the results: Login to Managebac Click on the Portfolio option Download the 2019 ISA results IB Learner Profile Last month we celebrated the IB Learner Profile Risk-Taker: We approach uncertainty with forethought and determination; we work independently and cooperatively to explore new ideas and innovative strategies. We are resourceful and resilient in the face of challenges and change. Grade 9: Aixon Akari Jeslyn Julie William Grade 10: Neo Hongye Tony Andy Grade 11: Matt David Fehmina Ruby Mai and this month we celebrated the learner profile "Reflective". We thoughtfully consider the world and our own ideas and experience. We work to understand our strengths and weaknesses in order to support our learning and personal development. Congratulations to the following students: Grade 9: Julie Ryo Candy Seungho Chanwoo x 2 Kako Mingjie (Jay) Yui x 2 Jeslyn Mari Nanako Grade 10: Kaho Tiantian (Lily) Jiamin (Erin) Grade 11: Kwan Woo (james) Hyo Jun Farewell teachers We say goodbye to some of our High School teachers this year. I am sure you would like to join me in wishing them all the very best and a heartfelt thank you for what they have achieved at ISS. Steven Bushong - Moving to India to an international school Michelle Lee - Working in Singapore as a Korean counsellor and tutor Judith Larue - Moving to China to an international school Melissa Sit - Moving to an international school in Singapore Christopher Hoddinott - Moving to an international school in Singapore Lisa Missen - Relocating to New Zealand Peter Russell - Relocating to New Zealand Alythea Bleyberg - Moving to Hong Kong As we say goodbye to our talented teachers, we Welcome new teachers in August: Christopher Garden - Chris joins us as the IB DP Coordinator and TOK coordinator. He is Australian and currently based in China and will be teaching ToK and Music. Kristen Higgins - Kristen is American and joins us to teach Economics, Humanities and Business. Matthew Schmidt - Matthew is American and joins us to teach Drama and English Acquisition. Philip Miscovich - Philip is American and joins us to teach Music and Mathematics. David Gill - Dave is from Australia and joins us to teach Mathematics and ToK. Brian Kim - Brian is returning to ISS to teach Korean, PE and will be Grade Level Leader for Grade 9. Blanche Venter - Blanche is from South Africa will be teaching Visual Art. As my time comes to a close at ISS, I would like to thank all of the teachers, students and parents for making ISS a special place and I will treasure the memories of my time here for many years. I will be taking up the position of Secondary Principal in an international school in Denmark. Final Week Monday 3 June is the ISS Sports Day. All the school will head to the Physical Education and Teachers College 2 Malan Road; Singapore 109433. Tuesday 4 June our Grade 9 are students will be involved in our second ISSMUN event. Grade 10 and 11 - normal lessons. Wednesday 5 June - NO SCHOOL - Hari Raya Puasa Thursday 6 June - Normal school day Friday 7 June will be our final day of school this academic year. From 8:15 - 9:25 we will have a final assembly to recognise the wonderful achievements of our students followed by three learning activities. All students are expected to attend school on Friday. Please remember that school ends at 12:00 noon on Friday 7th June. Reports On Friday, school reports are posted on ManageBac. Please log into ManageBac to read and download your child's report card. To see the reports: Log onto ManageBac Click on the Academics button at the top of the screen Click on the Reports tab on the right hand side NB. For those of you leaving ISS this year it is important that you download your child's report as you will not have access to ManageBac in the new school year. First day back at school will be Tuesday 13th August. On Friday evening I was a proud High School Principal as we bid farewell to our Class of 2019 at their graduation ceremony. It was a wonderful event and would not have been possible without Ms. Pat, who spent many hours helping to coordinate the event along with Ms Mala. It was also a sad time as not only was it my last Graduation Ceremony at ISS, but we also we said goodbye to the students who will venture to new pastures and new challenges, whether at University, a gap year or into business. We wish them all the very best and look forward to hearing their news as they take their place in the world.
We ended our exam week on Friday, and our students were exemplary in their conduct and approaches towards the whole examination process. We look forward to some excellent results from our Grade 12 and Grade 10 students in July and August respectfully. Our Grade 9 and Grade 11 students will receive their results in the coming week from their internal examinations. Pre-IBDP and Pre-HSD at ISS Our grade 10 students will be back into school on Monday to begin their week of introductory units in the IBDP and HSD subjects they have selected for grade 11. The purpose is that over the week students will be provided with: - a detailed, subject-specific overview of the courses that they will take in Grade 11 & 12, including learning expectations in terms of prior knowledge, learning skills, subject-specific content, homework and independent study. - an introduction to subject-specific command terms and terminology through relevant examples. - a detailed list of tasks (which may include reading subject-related articles, books, accessing websites, watching TED talks etc.) that will provide them with a ‘grounding’ in that particular course. We are confident that this provides our students with a foundation that will support their transition into our DP and HSD programmes, ensuring they are informed and familiar with the subjects they have chosen to pursue. If you have any questions, please contact Ms. Bleyberg, our IB coordinator, [email protected] or Ms Edwards, our HSD coordinator, [email protected]. Sports Day Monday 3 June is the ISS Sports Day. All the school will head to the Physical Education and Teachers College 2 Malan Road; Singapore 109433. Students will be dismissed from the venue. A note from the school detailing the event was sent to all parents and guardians via ManageBac. G9ISSMUN On Tuesday 4 June our Grade 9 students will participate in our 2nd ISS MUN Conference. The objective of the MUN conference is a simulation of the United Nations. The purpose of MUN is to provide a venue in which students of diverse backgrounds can hone the skills of research, public speaking and negotiation while cultivating the virtues of active global citizenship and principal-centred leadership. We look forward to another excellent conference. A reminder that the last day of school is June 7th and all students are expected to attend. Dismissal from school will be 12 noon. Next week all students in the High School will be involved in examinations. Our Grade 9 and 11 students begin a week of internal assessments and our Grade 10 and 12 students will finish their external examinations on Friday 24th May.
This week we have celebrated the results of the ISA, an external assessment tool that we use once a year to measure our students’ achievement compared to similar schools around the world. It is important for us, as a school, to know that our programmes are meeting the needs of our students and world standards. Students in grade 9, who sat the assessment in February, will receive their individual results via ManageBac in the coming week. Please be reminded that this is just one assessment tool that we use and depends on how the student feels on that particular day. It is not the only indicator of success at ISS. Next week is Vesak Day (Monday 20 May) This public holiday, in Singapore, marks the birth of Gautama Buddha. He was the father of Buddhism, who is responsible for Buddhism's core teachings. We will have no school for students that day, although some of our Grade 12 students will be coming into school to sit their external IB DP examinations. Talented Teachers Throughout this year our teachers have been meeting regularly as a part of a Professional Learning Community to review and discuss latest research around teaching and learning. Teachers shared their findings on feedback and using an improved model for feedback form students on ATL’s. We also heard about the use of examination and daily planners for our Grade 9 students and how these support their time management and organisational skills. Our teachers this year attended IB Workshops, Job-A-Like’s (with teachers that teach the same subject in other schools) the EARCOS teacher conference, Leadership conferences, Language workshops and a range of TeachMeets and Leadership workshops. Many of our teachers are workshop leaders for the IB and spend time supporting the development of curriculum and resources. A reminder no school on Monday 20 May. We had a wonderful afternoon of awareness through the Arts by our MYP students on Thursday. This year the MYP Arts Showcase focused on ‘Our Future’ and through Music, Visual Art, Drama and Design our students collaborated and created a wonderful afternoon of thoughtful and compelling performances that combined together, brought the reality of ‘Our Future’ to the forefront of all that we do. Congratulations to all of the students involved, we enjoyed the fashion show and seeing the dresses that had been designed and made from recycled material. Thank you Ms Missen, Ms Larue, Ms Vlad and Mr Hoddinott once again for supporting our students.
Examinations Our Grade 10 students have now gone on Examination Leave and we see them back into school next week for the start of their MYP examinations. If you have any questions about the examination weeks, please contact Chris Hayward our MYP coordinator. We wish them all the very best. Our Grade 11 begin their internal examinations on Thursday 16th May and our Grade 9 students will begin their internal examinations on Tuesday 21st May. All exams for the High School will end on May 24th. Examinations are one of many methods that are used to gather data and provide students with information to help them assess their own performance, and gain a better understanding of their strengths and weaknesses. They also provide critical data for our teachers to use to enhance their teaching and learning practice to better meet all our students needs. Graduation We are in full swing with the preparations for our upcoming Graduation ceremony on Friday 24 May 2019. This year we will be at Singapore University of Social Sciences (SUSS), Performing Arts Theatre (Block D), 463 Clementi Road, Singapore 599494 and the event will begin at 7:00pm (Doors open @ 6.30pm). All of our graduates have invitation cards to bring along four guests (more can be requested). Please add this date to your diary as it is a wonderful event of celebration. We would also like to remind parents/guardians to share their intentions of whether they plan to continue at ISS next year. Class sizes and resourcing are important considerations for a successful start for next academic year. This week our Grade 12 students began their IB DP Examinations, we wish them all the very best for the next three weeks of finals. Invitations for our 2019 Graduation Ceremony have been sent to families and the community and we are in our final preparations for a wonderful celebration.
We celebrate the IB Learner Profile ‘Reflective’ this month. ‘We thoughtfully consider the world and our own ideas and experience. We work to understand our strengths and weaknesses in order to support our learning and personal development.’ (IBO, 2006) Students will have time throughout the day to reflect on their learning and how to develop individual skills. We look forward to welcoming parents to the Paterson campus for our Parent Focus group feedback session. This will be on Wednesday 8th May at 8am in the Changi Hall in the Elementary School, everyone is welcome to attend. An invitation has been sent from the Head of School’s office, please do contact the school if you need another copy. Service Learning This past week our Grade 9 students have been busy identifying a ‘Community Cause’ that they would like to focus on this semester. We hope the students will identify a passion they are interested to complete as their Service As Action in the MYP and possibly continue into Grade 11 and Grade 12 as their CAS project. They will complete a series of sessions through the Pastoral Care curriculum to support the chosen cause and develop personal skills from time management, organisational and working on building their personal strengths. We look forward to seeing their Service As Action projects and over the coming weeks. We welcome the whole community to our MYP Arts Showcase on Thursday 9th May 4pm at the Preston campus. It will be a wonderful celebration presented by our MYP students. |
Christopher Hayward: High School Principal
Fiona Edwards: High School Assistant Principal
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