IGB International School’s Weekly Newsletter - Issue 111, Week 3, April 2017
At our last official PVO meeting for the year we celebrated everyone’s contributions in particular the spectacular success of our International Day. ~ April 20, 2017.
Happening.
+ Mon, Apr 24 ~ (Public Holiday) Sultan Muhammad V Agong Installation)
+ Tue, Apr 25 ~ PYP Workshop: Cyber Safety @ PVO Room | 8:15 am – 9:15 am
+ Wed, Apr 26 ~ IB PYP Exhibition | All day ~ Yoga for parents @ Classroom 3-38 8:00 am – 10:00 am
+ Thu, Apr 27 ~ IB PYP Exhibition | All day ~ G12 Farewell Assembly / Graduate Breakfast (with parents) @ Theatre, L5 Staff Lounge 8:00 am – 10:30 am ~ Dr. Tan Sri Lim Presentation @ TBD | 12:05 pm – 12:45 pm
+ Fri, Apr 28 ~ Grade 5 Exhibition @ L5 Learning Lounge | All day ~ ADE Meet (Apple Distinguished Educators) | 2:30 pm – 4:45 pm
PYP Exhibition. ~ Pg. 3
MYP Student Led Conferences. ~ Pg. 4
Grade 10 Visual Arts Field Trip. ~ Pg. 5
App Guide for Parents and Teachers. ~ Pg. 7
Friends of the Phoenix. ~ Pg. 7
Inside This Week
Message from Head of SchoolMrs. Anne FowlesHead of School....................................................News from Elementary SchoolMrs. Claire McLeodElementary School Principal....................................................News from Secondary SchoolMr. Michael ArcidiaconoSecondary School Principal
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Message from Head of School
Dear IGBIS Parents and Community Members,
The Duathalon held on Wednesday was a fantastic example
of the whole school, teachers and students, participating in
an event. Congratulations to all of those who took part in the
swim and run!
We are looking forward to a whole range of events next week
with the PYP Exhibition, a Board of Governors meeting, an
executive board meeting and the Grade 12 Farewell Assembly.
If you have a chance to come and speak to the Grade 5
students and hear about their PYP exhibition, it will give you a
wonderful insight into the PYP culminating activity.
Mrs. Anne FowlesHead of School
News from Elementary School
Wednesday’s Duathlon for grades 1-12 was successful
because we had almost all students participating, many
teachers joined in and the weather was very kind to us! Thank
you to our PE team for organising this school event that helps
build school spirit.
During Friday’s Elementary Assembly the need to take notice
of our lightning alarm system was highlighted. Students and
teachers should hear the alarm sound, followed by flashing
lights that are positioned in numerous locations around the
building. When the lights are flashing, all students and adults
must move inside and stay inside until the all clear alarm is
sounded and the lights stop flashing. At times the sky may
appear clear, but experience, backed up by science, tells us
that lightning can strike in clear skies.
Parents are asked to remind their children that playing outside
when there is thunder and lightning is extremely dangerous
and that they should move inside. Parents modelling this
behaviour whilst in their own backyard, on the soccer field or
golf course will help.
Mrs. Claire McLeodElementary School Principal
Igniting Minds Impacting Lives 3
PYP Exhibition
Simon MillwardPrimary Years Programme Coordinator...............................................................................................
The IB PYP Exhibition is an exciting and challenging time
in Grade 5. Students have had the opportunity to follow a
personal interest through the inquiry process for the last seven
weeks. They have been working on expressing their learning
creatively and have combined their new understandings about
their interest in a variety of creative ways.
Please see below for times available to view the Grade 5 IB
PYP Exhibition.
• Wednesday 26th April 8:15 am - 10:30 - This time slot is
dedicated to parents and family of the Grade 5 students
only. We ask parents to be seated in the theatre by 8:10
am.
• Friday 28th April 8:15 - 8:30 - The Elementary Assembly
will be held in the theatre. Grade 5 will be performing
their dances, music and singing. You are welcome to
then proceed to the Grade 5 Learning Lounge to see the
students’ inquiries
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News from Secondary School
Students and teachers came back refreshed from the April
break and have quickly engaged with their studies and the
events happening this week. The Duathlon was a big success
this Wednesday, and I am very thankful to Mr Mullin and the
PHE team for organising the event. The event was nicely
structured to allow for all students to participate and challenge
themselves to do their best. As a participant, I enjoyed setting
my own personal goals, swimming and running with the
students and teachers. The Secondary Student Council also
did a great job of providing activities and entertainment, as the
participants finished the event. More broadly, the Secondary
Student Council has been very active in demonstrating
leadership and organisation - putting on several events this
week. One of our greatest strengths at IGBIS is our students
and their dedication to the school. Well done Secondary
Student Council!
Sincerely yours,
Michael ArcidiaconoSecondary School Principal
MYP Student Led Conferences - Saturday 13 May
Phil ClarkMiddle Years Programme Coordinator...............................................................................................
On the morning of Saturday 13 May we will be hosting our
third annual IGBIS Student Led Conferences. All students
are expected to attend school on that morning and we invite
parents, guardians and other family members to join them.
Student Led Conferences (SLCs), as the name suggests,
are conferences that are led by the students themselves.
The purpose of our Middle Years Programme (MYP) SLCs
is for grade 6-10 students to lead a one-hour conference,
where they sit together with their family and show how they
have demonstrated their learning and the attributes of the IB
Learner Profile throughout this school year.
Grade 6-10 students are building a MYP portfolio to share with
their family. They are selecting examples of work from across
the different subject areas that demonstrate growth in learning.
Students are collecting a variety of work samples including
digital files, physical, performance and tactile examples. They
are also selecting an example of something they have learnt
this year that they will teach to their families during SLCs.
In addition to the individual aspects of SLCs, there will also
be opportunities for families to see other things that have
been accomplished at school this year including exhibitions,
demonstrations and displays from both PYP and MYP.
Our Grade 10 students have recently completed their MYP
Personal Projects. The Personal Project is an important
culminating self-directed project in the MYP which connects
student personal interests with school learning. The Grade 10
students engaged with their Personal Projects over a period of
nine months and this year worked on a variety of projects which
include creating a fitness training website; creating a range of
artworks; creating a video to raise awareness about mental
health; learning musical instruments; creating a documentary
about refugees in Malaysia; designing and building a dog
house; and creating a basketball training video. The Personal
Project is formally assessed and prepares students for the
Extended Essay in the IB Diploma Programme. The Grade
10 students will be showcasing their Personal Projects during
SLCs so please take some time to visit and see what they
have been doing.
By the end of the SLCs families should have a clear
understanding about what MYP students have been learning
this year, and how their own child has grown as a learner.
Families should also gain a deeper understanding about how
students are learning and being assessed in the IB Middle
Years Programme. Grade 11 DP students will also be involved
in activities at school on this day but their programme will be
slightly different.
Please mark Saturday morning, 13 May, in your diary. We
hope to see all parents and guardians here to share in the
SLCs. Conferences will be scheduled throughout the morning
between 8:30am and 12:45pm. Please allow 1.5-2 hours so
you can take full advantage of the SLC experience. More
details, including how SLCs are being scheduled, will follow
in the coming weeks.
Igniting Minds Impacting Lives 5
Grade 10 Visual Arts Field Trip
Sheena KellySecondary Art Teacher...............................................................................................
On Thursday April 20th, Grade 10 visual arts students spent
the day discovering the world of sculpture in Malaysia. The
opportunity to experience high quality sculptural artwork in
person will help the students with their next unit which is about
the form in abstraction.
Rimbun Dahan is approximately 20 mins from IGBIS and
houses the best of Malaysia’s artworks and its gardens hold
a variety of sculptures. The ASEAN Sculpture Garden is in
the heart of KL with a multitude of contemporary sculptures of
which the student observed and gathered primary evidence.
Rimbun Dahan - Yit Hao Rimbun Dahan is the home of the famous architect, Hijjas
Kasturi, and his wife, Angela. The 14-acre compound consists
of the beauty of nature and a variety of wildlife. It hosts artists
from around the world developing traditional and contemporary
art forms. Artists’ works are displayed around the specific
areas to correlate between the environment and artwork.
Sculptures in Rimbun Dahan - Max
The first sculpture we looked at was the “Sixty Turns” sculpture.
It was created by architectural student Abdul Multhalib Musa,
who planned a one year residency at Rimbun Dahan, and the
sculpture would prove that he had an artistic side to him as
well. He was very fascinated with how things were angled and
would use construction software to play around with some of
his ideas.
One other
sculpture we
looked at was a
glass sculpture
which was made
entirely out of
broken glass from
construction sites.
The story behind
it was that even
though glass
may looks very
smooth and shiny
from the outside,
on the inside it is
filled with many
sharp and pointy
edges. This shows
the different
perspectives on
something as
simple as glass.
R e s i d e n t Artist Veronika Neukirch - GilVeronika Neukirch
is a German artist
born in 1986 in
Dusseldorf. As
an object-based
artist concerned
with developing
new roles for pre-
designed objects,
she uses a variety
of odd materials that can be seen in many of her pieces. By
visiting her workshop we were able to observe the different
materials she experiments with. She had several works in
progress that consisted of concrete, latex and grout.
Circle and Final Yellow Sculpture - Ryan A resident artist at Rimbun created a circle and pulled out all
the grass. He created a safe zone for lesbian, gay, bisexual,
transgender and queer or questioning people.
Ahmad Osni Peii’s sculpture “Sakiah” is a large, yellow, metal
sculpture that is ugly and I don’t like it. But it shows that it’s a
female form, I don’t know how, or why, and I don’t know which
part of female looks like that.
Gallery - Ting JieThe gallery was a large underground room filled with a variety
of Malaysian and foreign artists’ artwork. There were many
different types of artworks in the gallery.In the gallery there
was a painting titled Night comes suddenly. It looked really
interesting and the dull colour really put into context and
makes sense to the title.
Gallery - KitThere was a sculpture of a penguin made out of Lego blocks
and an Ikea chair with a plant. It was about the way that we can
create the same environment wherever we are with flat pack
furniture. Every place we live in can be the same.
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War Memorial - MaryamWe also visited the National Monument which is known as the
Tugu Negara. The monument commemorates the soldiers who
died in the war against the Japanese occupation. Tugu Negara
is the tallest bronze freestanding sculpture in the world. The
monument was situated very closely to the ASEAN Sculpture
Park where we sat down, observed and drew sculptures.
ASEAN Sculpture Garden - VanessaAfter visiting the National Monument, we went to look at
the ASEAN Sculpture Park just around the corner. All the
sculptures at the park were sculptured by representatives
from all ASEAN countries. The sculptures were all very
abstract. Although they were abstract, the sculptures did have
a meaning to why they were designed the way they were. For
example, one piece, “Barong-Barong” was about a modern
interpretation of old architecture and the artwork is supposed
to function as a bed, toy, table and chair. After taking a quick
look at all the sculptures in the very hot sun, we all sat down on
benches under the shade, drawing one of the sculptures at the
park from two different angles. A lot of us drew the Malaysian
Sculpture, “Growth”, because of the simplicity of it.
Igniting Minds Impacting Lives 7
App Guide for Parents and Teachers
Geoffrey DerryTechnology Integration Specialist...............................................................................................
Kids love socialising; they always have. As a child I used to
love nothing better than playing games with friends, just
hanging out at the playground or even going to someone’s
house to chat. Kids haven’t changed: they still love hanging
out with the friends, playing games and chatting, they just do
them in different ways these days.
Today’s kids love apps, they love social media, they love the
instant response they can get when using a phone, iPad or
computer. When I was a kid I used to have to wait until the next
school day or the end of the holidays to tell my friend a joke or
talk about what I watched on TV.
While social media and apps do have their benefits (see this
article 5 reasons you don’t need to worry about kids and social
media), they can be scary, especially when you don’t know
what the apps or websites are, how safe they are or whether
they are appropriate for your children. When I am asked about
a website or app and how appropriate it is, the first place I
always go is to commonsensemedia.org. This website reviews
other websites and apps (as well as films, books and more),
provides advice for parents, tips and cheat sheets and a
wealth of other resources.
Another useful resource I recently stumbled upon is this
popular app guide for parents and teachers. It classifies
many (20+) popular apps into three categories: Green - apps
considered safe, Grey - apps that should be used with a parent
or under parent supervision, and Red - apps that should not
be used by kids.
With all of this cybersafety stuff, the best approach is to talk to
your kids about it. Maybe show your kids the list and then ask
them what they think? Do they agree or disagree? Will they
change their behaviour because of this list? If you can explain
why you don’t want them to use an app, they are more likely to
buy in and own the decision.
Remember though, you are the parent/guardian, especially
with younger children, sometimes kids just have to do what
their parents say even if “All of their friends are using the app”.
Alumnus
Alumnus Isabelle Nair-Lacheta (Class of 2016)
Izzie: What a gap year should be about @ The Colosseum Rome.
IGBISINTERNATIONAL SCHOOL Igniting Minds Impacting Lives