IGB International School’s Weekly Newsletter - Issue 115. Week 3. April 2017.

The PVO at the Staff Appreciation Lunch ~ May 16th 2017

Happening. + Tues, 23 May

~ Chemistry Olympiads G8/G9 @ Epsom College 8:00 am - 3:00 pm ~ First Aid Workshop - Bone, Muscle and Extremity Injuries @ PVO Room 8:00 am - 8:30 am ~ G3 Field Trip: Secret Garden Photography Trip 9:30 am - 12:00 pm

+ Wed, 24 May ~ Graduation @ Theatre | 11:00 am - 1:00 pm ~ Zomi & G9 Performing Arts Project @IGBIS 1:30 pm - 3:00 pm ~ Graduation Dinner @ Majestic Hotel 6:30 pm - 11:00 pm

+ Thurs, 25 May ~ PVO Brunch @ Classroom 3-38 11:00 am - 2:00 pm ~ Summer Bazaar @ L3 Performing Arts Foyer 12:00 pm - 4:00 pm

+ Fri, 26 May ~ Elementary Assembly (Fireflies) @ ES Music Room | 8:00 am - 8:40 am

+ All Week ~ PYP Art Exhibition @ Visual Arts Studio ~ G11 Exams (Mon-Fri) @ L7 MPR ~ G10 Exams (Tues-Fri) @ L6 MPR

Grade 4 field trip to places of worship ~ Pg. 3MYP Personal Project Exhibition ~ Pg. 5Grade 7 visit to Jadi Batek ~ Pg. 6Gr 10 Drama Performance - “The Little Prince” ~ Pg. 7Diploma Programme News ~ Pg. 7Student-led conferences ~ Pg. 8Rhapsodic Recess ~ Pg. 10IGBIS Instrumental Music Academy ~ Pg. 11Distraction, Screens and Finding Balance ~ Pg. 11Open Day ~ Pg. 12PVO News ~ Pg. 13Flying Phoenix ~ Pg.15

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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News from Elementary School

It was lovely to take a group of very interested parents around

our school on Open Day and share why we are so passionate

about inquiry learning in the IB PYP and how our facilities

support teaching and learning.

I hope everyone had an opportunity to visit our Elementary

School Art Exhibition during Student Led Conferences last

weekend. The display of artwork highlights the diversity of the

art experiences from Fireflies to Grade 5.

This week is Allergy Awareness week and an ideal time to

remind parents that our school:

• does not use nuts or nut products in the food available at

the Cafeteria

• asks parents to not send food containing nuts or nut

products in their child’s snacks, lunches or special

celebration food

• alerts teachers when a child in their class has a food

allergy and provides emergency plans

• trains teachers how to use EpiPens.

If your child has a food allergy it is important to inform class

teachers and our school nurse.

Until next time,

Mrs. Claire McLeodElementary School Principal

Message from Head of School

Dear IGBIS Parents and Community Members,

This week all of the teachers and staff of IGBIS were treated

to a wonderful feast of home-cooked food on Teachers’ Day.

Thanks are extended to our Parent Volunteer Organisation and

Julie for organising the lunch and to all the other parents who

brought in food. This was greatly appreciated by everyone!!

Our in-school Open Day was very well attended this Friday

with more than double the number of families attending than

had earlier registered. We are looking forward to some of

these families joining us in the new school year.

There has been an enthusiastic response to the news that our

Fireflies (2 year old) programme will be a whole day next year

and numbers are filling up fast. If you are interested to enrol in

this programme, please contact the Admissions Department

soon.

With the end of the school year not too far off now, there will be

a whole range of events taking place. The first and

most important of these is the Grade 12 Graduation next

Wednesday, 24th May. Please mark this in your calendar.

Mrs. Anne FowlesHead of School

Igniting Minds Impacting Lives 3

Grade 4 field trip to places of worship

Mathilda Thomsen & Sophie JosenGrade 4...............................................................................................On the 18th of May, the Grade 4 students traveled to places

of worship around Kuala Lumpur for our current unit of inquiry,

‘Who We Are”. We learnt about the ceremonies, relics and the

traditions of four different religions. We first visited a Muslim

Mosque, where we spent about 45 minutes with a guide. We

then visited a Hindu Temple and a Taoist Temple which were

both close by. We were lucky enough to see a wedding in the

Hindu Temple! We were dazzled by the colour and the interior.

After that we went to a Christian church where two guides

explained Christianity to us, which was very interesting. After

that we were all tired and made our way back to school where

we reflected on our trip.

Igniting Minds Impacting Lives 5

News from Secondary School

Thank you very much to our supportive parents who put on a

tremendous Staff Appreciation Day lunch this past Tuesday.

The secondary staff enjoyed sampling from the wide diversity

of options available for the meal. Our parents are a tremendous

part of our community and their support has been fantastic this

year.

Our IB exams concluded this week and we are very proud of

the efforts of our students. This means that Graduation is right

around the corner - we will celebrate the achievements of our

Grade 12 students on Wednesday, May 24th at 11:00 am.

This week we welcomed back Cindy Leow, a 2016 IGBIS

graduate who is currently studying at Minerva. It was great to

see our alumni already giving back to the school and sharing

their knowledge with our younger students.

I looking forward to seeing parents at next week’s PVO events!

Sincerely yours,

Michael ArcidiaconoSecondary School Principal

MYP Personal Project Exhibition

Phil ClarkMiddle Years Programme Coordinator...............................................................................................

Congratulations to our Grade 10 students who presented

their MYP Personal Projects to an audience of parents and

invited guests at the official opening of the Personal Project

Exhibition last Friday afternoon. Students continued to exhibit

their projects during Student Led Conferences on Saturday

morning.

The Personal Project is an important culminating self-directed

project in the MYP which connects student personal interests

with school learning. This year our Grade 10 students worked

on a variety of projects which included creating a fitness

training website; exploring the inspiration behind artwork;

creating a video to raise awareness about mental health;

learning musical instruments; teaching someone how to swim;

creating a documentary about refugees in Malaysia; designing

and building a dog house; creating a basketball training video;

creating healthy dog food recipes; and many other interesting

topics.

The Grade 10 students engaged with their Personal Projects

over a period of nine months. They first selected a topic that

was of personal interest to them, investigated and researched

it further, and planned what they would do before taking action

by creating a product or outcome. Throughout the entire

project, the students documented their progress in a process

journal and met regularly with their project supervisor. At the

end of the project they reflected on the process, the things

they had learnt about their chosen topic and about themselves

as learners. Each student then submitted a report on their

Personal Project which is formally assessed by the IB. They

will receive their assessment results in August.

The students created display boards and showcased their

Personal Projects at the exhibition last week. They spoke

to visitors with confidence and enthusiasm, explaining the

inspiration behind their projects, the process they went

through and the things they learnt along the way. The MYP

Personal Project is a valuable learning experience and

provides excellent preparation for the Extended Essay in the

IB Diploma Programme. Well done, Grade 10.

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Grade 7 visit to Jadi Batek

Abirrami Gunalan & Tamanna AilGrade 7...............................................................................................The Grade 7 students had been learning about batik in Host Nations. So on 18th

May, we visited a batik and handicraft centre called ‘Jadi batek’, supervised by our

teachers, Ms. Douglas, Ms. Dianti and Ms. Jade. We visited the gallery and watched

a demonstration of the process of making batik.

We then started making our own batik paintings. We were provided designs that we

had to trace onto the cloth using a pencil. There were a variety of beautiful designs

that we could choose. Next, we had to use a tool called the ‘canting’ which was filled

with hot wax, to draw over the lines we had made. Using the ‘canting’ was a learning

experience as it needed a lot of skill and preciseness.

After using the ‘canting’ we started painting the design. This was fun and interesting

because we could use a variety of colours and there were different types of

techniques that we could use to create

a personalised piece. We were shown

how to use graduated colours to make

the design, which we had practiced

when painting the pre-drawn Batik

design at school a few lessons ago. We

had to add water on the cloth to create

a lighter colour.

After finishing colouring the main

design, we coloured the background

(mainly because a lot of us had errors

that we wanted to clear out but also for

the sake of aesthetics). Some people

created a very detailed piece with their

own add-ons, while others took the

more abstract route. When finished, we

were given time to relax and eat before

heading back to school.

This trip was fun and a good learning

experience. It has taught us that the

previous generations living in Malaysia

have created a wonderful tradition and it

is our duty to follow to keep the tradition

and culture alive.

Demonstration on how to use a canting

Painting a batik cloth

Examples of the colouring in of a batik cloth

Painting our designs

Using the canting carefully to avoid spill-age and ruining the design

Igniting Minds Impacting Lives 7

Gr 10 Drama Performance - “The Little Prince”

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

On Friday 19th May the Grade 10 Drama students performed

for the final time as MYP students. The adaptation of “The

Little Prince” by Beata Hennig, based on the novel by A. De

Saint Exupery, was staged ‘in the round’ on the stage in the

theatre. This was their final assessment task in which they had

to demonstrate their learning as Drama students over the two

years of the elective Drama course. They began the process

by each choosing a scene from the play and conducting a

workshop in the role of the director and then collaboratively

worked on the overall performance including the costume, set

and audio design.

The audience enjoyed the performance and the originality

of the production that the students had produced. A number

of parents also attended to celebrate their achievements as

Drama students.

Diploma Programme News

Mary BoydDiploma Programme Coordinator..............................................................................................

G12 IB Diploma Exams Are Over!

Huge congratulations to our Grade 12 students who have

completed all of their IBDP exams, a snapshot of years of hard

work, study and support from schools, family and friends. The

next big date is results day, 6th July, for which PINs have been

issued.

Next week, the exam room welcomes our Grade 11 students

through its doors, for a week of End of Year exams.

ICAEW CFAB is the first CRS for the IBCP at IGBIS

As many of you will be aware, IGBIS is a Candidate School

for the IB Career-related Programme (IBCP). We aim to be

fully authorised by August 2017, making us one of the first

Schools in Malaysia to offer the full IB continuum. We had the

pleasure of welcoming Evelyn Lee, the Business Development

Manager for ICAEW in Malaysia, to collaborate in our Open

Day presentation for the IBCP.

Evelyn Lee, Business Development Manager for

Malaysia, Institute of Chartered

Accountants for England and Wales, with our own Mary

Boyd

Continue next page ...

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Continued from previous page ...

ICAEW is the Institute of Chartered for England and Wales and

is a world leading professional membership organisation that

promotes knowledge and expertise in the financial profession.

Its Certificate in Finance, Accounting and Business (ICAEW

CFAB) is an internationally recognised certificate that teaches

essential knowledge in business, finance and accounting.

The IBCP is made up of at least two Diploma Programme

subjects, a Core of four elements - Language Development,

Service Learning, Personal and Professional Skills and the

Reflective Project - and a Career-related study (CRS). The

newest and fastest growing IB Programme, fully recognised

by Universities, it has its own uniqueness in that it offers

many awards: the IBCP award, Diploma Programme course

certificates and the ICAEW CFAB award.

Further information about the IBCP can be obtained at ibo.org,

under Programmes.

Image from ibo.org, IB Programmes

Student-led conferences Saturday 13th May, 2017

It was a very productive day

last Saturday when students

from Fireflies all the way up

to DP brought their parents

and loved ones to school

and proudly showed off their

learning. The conversations

within and among families

showed just how much

students at IGBIS live and

breathe the IB Learner

Profile, and we a very proud

of all our students.

Igniting Minds Impacting Lives 9

Student-led conferencesSaturday 13th May, 2017

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Rhapsodic Recess : May 5th

Glen FleuryPerforming Arts Teacher...............................................................................................On Friday 5th May the Secondary Performing Arts Committee

held their first event: Rhapsodic Recess. This was where

students volunteered to share their musical talents non-

competitively during lunchtime, raising awareness of music

and giving students a chance to perform in front of a small

audience with low stress. The 6th floor MYP learning lounge

was set up to allow other students to watch the informal

performances, with comfortable couches, amplifiers and

instruments. This round showcased the skills of five students

from various grades. First up was Zulaikah from Grade 11

who sang ‘Passionfruit’ by Drake, and Vanessa from Grade 7

who performed ‘Somebody Else’ by The 1975 on the ukulele.

Next was Kitty from Grade 10 on the piano and Grade 7’s

Celine playing the violin. Finally Tsiu Thien from Grade 11

displayed his beatboxing skills. Overall, the event was a great

success, with about 30 students coming to watch and enjoy

the performances, support their friends and relax after lunch.

The Secondary Performing Arts Committee is

a newly created group led by Hou Wai and Wern Shynn.

Our main goal is to promote the sharing of music and the

Performing Arts amongst the Secondary community by

organising and hosting a range of events. In the future, we

plan to hold more Rhapsodic Recesses on Fridays, as well

as days where musicians can teach their peers how to play

an instrument, or just days where the music rooms on the 3rd

floor are open to anyone that wants to come in and play.

Igniting Minds Impacting Lives 11

IGBIS Instrumental Music Academy

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

It is only a few more weeks until our end of semester concerts

to celebrate the learning of students under the guidance of our

instrumental tutors. It is a very important time for us to support

the students in their final weeks of preparation and encourage

them to reach their best possible standards.

Remember that the concerts this semester will be held in

the Drama Studio (Rm 3 - 72) which is the room next to the

Elementary Music Room. I look forward to meeting many of

you there once again.

Distraction, Screens and Finding Balance

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

At the beginning of the year, I posted a piece that discussed

certain guidelines to implement when using technology at

home. I would like to return somewhat to technology but to deal

more specifically with striking a balance between screen use

and everything else. With all of the obligations and distractions

that phones and screen technology provides, how do parents

balance screen obligations and recreation with attentiveness

toward their children? The literature and media do not help with

this because contradictory advice is given within the space of

days. The best course is probably somewhere in between.

The New York Times has recently

published two articles that lend some

basic common sense to the hysteria

that you might hear about regarding

the dangers of mobile phones. The

first article, “5 No-Phone Zones for

Parents and Kids Alike,” by Perri Klass

M.D. highlights five rules that families can institute at home

that will help them lead a less distracted life. Sherry Turkle in

her book, “Reclaiming Conversation: The Power of Talk in the

Digital Age” also recommends the use of “sacred spaces,” to

help limit our access to screens, and Klass presents some of

these basic spaces in the New York Times Article.

The author stipulates that there are five places where a mobile

phone should be limited.

1. In the bed: This piece of advice stems from older wisdom

that finds its roots in removing televisions from a child’s

room. There are two basic reasons for this. The first is

that recent research presented in WIRED has shown

that light emitting devices can negatively impact sleep.

The second reason is that, from a parental point of view,

having a device in a child’s bed or even unsupervised

in a bedroom may not only affect the child’s sleep but

increase their vulnerability to inappropriate images,

videos, etc.

2. At the table: It is important to have time at the dinner table

that is unimpeded by screens. This allows time to have

discussions about everyone’s day, parental expectations

and whatever else needs to be talked about. The table

can be seen as an informal debriefing

session.

3. Reading a book: This main

one may be a bit difficult given the

prevalence of ebooks and book and

magazine access on phones and

tablets. It is recommended that if screen reading does

occur it happens with an e-reader which is designed

specifically for books.

4. The outdoors: It is important that when kids and adults are

outside it is not a simple change of venue where a screen

that is used inside is then used outside on a balcony or

playground. Outside play is important and children in the

US, on average, only receive seven minutes a day.

12 Igniting Minds Impacting Lives

5. The car: It is understood that on long trips screens are

used to break the tedium and boredom of travel and

as summer approaches and road and aeroplane trips

become more of a reality it is important to keep these

things in mind. It might be worth while having some

screen free miles while in transit to a destination. Time in

the car can also offer great opportunities for connecting

with each other by telling stories, reading books aloud,

playing an audio book or audio

play, or playing free children’s

podcasts from 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.

This balance can be difficult but it is important that a balanced

lifestyle includes time for screens. Perry Klass wrote another

article for the New York Times entitled, The Guilty Secret of

Distracted Parenting. In this article Klass states that, while

managing and modelling proper screen time is crucial as a

parent, parents also need the downtime

and relaxation that screens provide. The

key is finding the right mix of screens

and conversations and real world

activities.

Open Day

Wayne DemnarAdmissions and Marketing Director...............................................................................................Our doors were thrown wide open on Friday as we welcomed

over thirty people to our Open Day. Open Days during school

hours are a valuable opportunity for visitors to see the type

of learning that takes place in our school. Visitors were

impressed as much with the style of learning as they were

with the outstanding facilities. A big thank you goes not only to

the staff who helped introduce our visitors to the school, but

also to our recent Diploma Programme graduates who shared

with prospective families their experiences of an IB education

at IGBIS. We are all tremendously proud and grateful for your

continuing contribution to our school.

Summer SchoolWe have a limited Summer School programme scheduled for

July. If you are interested in enrolling your child in Robotics

with Mr Derry, please let us know by next Wednesday 3rd May.

The programme is open to students in grades 5 to 11.

Date : Monday 24 July to Friday 28 July

Time : 8:30am to 12:30pm

Cost : RM800

Please contact me at wayne.demnar@igbis.edu.my if you

would like to enrol your child.

Igniting Minds Impacting Lives 13

Staff Appreciation Lunch

PVO BrunchAll parents are cordially invited to attend the PVO Brunch

on 25 May from 11:00 - 2:00 pm in Room 3-38 on Level 3,

preceding the Summer Bazaar. Stop by for nibbles and a chat

with fellow parents before your shopping spree!

“From all of us at IGBIS - Thank You PVO!”

Julie Chen ArcidiaconoCommunity Support & Services Coordinator...............................................................................................

Igniting Minds Impacting Lives 15

Flying Phoenix

Tim BartleAthletics Director.................................................................................................................................

It’s been an incredibly busy time over the past few weeks for our sports teams

with Season 3 KLISS finals taking place in Tee-Ball and Volleyball as well as the

Elementary Swim Carnival!

On Friday 12th May, the Elementary Swim team competed at the KLISS

Championships. Our small but dynamic team were fantastic ambassadors for our

school as they tried their best and demonstrated great spirit towards their opponents.

IGBIS is proud of all our students who have helped us gain a reputation amongst our

KLISS league for displaying fairness and respect in any sporting contest.

Our O15 boys and girls Volleyball teams

were in action on Saturday at their

KLISS Finals. Our teams demonstrated

great skills on the court and proved to be

a difficult opponent for the other schools.

The O15 boys finished up claiming the

Plate Championship whilst the O15

girls claimed the bronze medal in a very

close play-off match.

U9 Tee Ball wrapped up this week with the KLISS finals hosted

by KTJ. Our team enjoyed the competition and demonstrated

some improved teamwork and communication.

The U11 Tee Ball team travelled to HELP International School

on Wednesday for the KLISS Finals. The team have improved

with every session under the guidance of Mr Hudson and Ms

Deb. After some extremely close matches they finished in 4th

place.

The U13 boys and girls competed in their Volleyball finals on

Thursday. The boys travelled to BSKL where they contested

the plate championship. The team has been working on their

court movement and communication at training and it showed

with a much improved performance. They even managed to

win a set off the eventual plate champions!

Whilst the boys were away, the U13 girls Volleyball Cup

Final was hosted at IGBIS. The girls enjoyed the home-team

support as they accounted for BSKL and ISP in straight sets

in the opening two games. Trailing 1 set to 0 against Tenby in

the gold medal match, the team showed plenty of fighting spirit

and levelled the game with a blistering 2nd set. In a tense final

set, the girls managed to hold sway winning 9-7 and clinching

the KLISS Championship!

IGBISINTERNATIONAL SCHOOL Igniting Minds Impacting Lives