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Message from the HoS

Jason McBride, Head of School

Dear IGBIS Community,

Last week we introduced the “Ask me anything!” segment to encourage students to ask whatever they were curious about from their new Head of School. Thank you to all the students who submitted a question, I did my best to answer them all in the video including Yushi and Will’s invitations to play at their houses!

This week, I am inviting parents to follow their children’s lead and ask me whatever is on their mind and I will do my best to answer the questions in another video next Friday. Next week also gives me the chance to speak with both school divisions as I accompany Mrs. Sandy and Mr. Simon to kickoff the Elementary and Secondary Virtual Back to School events. I’m looking forward to creating a space online for us to get to know a bit more about one another as we continue to work from our kitchens and living rooms for a little while longer.

For this week, if you are age 19 and above, just click to ask me anything!

Be well,

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ES News

Simon Millward, Elementary School Principal

I always enjoy joining student meets and this week I got into nearly everyone’s class, this is certainly a benefit of using Toddle! However, on Monday the Grade 1 teachers invited me to join their maths game. The students had beaten the teachers previously so I was asked to join to see if I would make a difference.

We played a game called ‘Bubble Bump’. The object of the game is to secure numbers by placing two rings on it. You can add or split numbers so you can play tactically. In the first picture, Ms. Ada had to decide where she was going to place the 5 and the 1. She thought about whether to add or split them. As the students had only one ring on the number 1, Ms. Ada split her numbers and bumped the students out from the number 1.

In the second picture, Teeya had to decide where to place her 3 and 4. To split or add, She split them to cover the 3 and the 4 with a blue ring.

The game continued with everyone having at least one turn. However as we can see from the 3^rd picture the blue rings of the students outnumbered the red rings of the teachers. The students in the end won the game. Everything hinged on the roll of the dice and the students rolled doubles for example two 3’s which meant they could secure their number and have a second throw. There was a lot of thinking happening, it was exciting as people talked out loud to decide what they were going to do and it was lots of fun.

Back to School afternoon: Friday 3^rd September

You will have received an email from Ms. Ruba, our Elementary Secretary about our ‘Back to School’ afternoon that is happening on Friday, 3^rd September. We hope that you can join us at that time and we are looking forward to a two way interaction where you can ask lots of questions about our curriculum.

On Monday, you will receive a grade level recording all about the curriculum and a slide show from our single subject teachers like Music and Art. It would be great if you could watch and read all about our curriculum and then fill out the google form that will be sent to you to ask any questions you may have about anything you have watched or read. The teachers will then respond to any of these curriculum questions during the Friday, 3^rd September’s Town Hall Grade level and Single subject meetings.

Dates for your diary

• Tuesday, August 31^st: Public holiday no school
• Friday, 3^rd September: Back to School afternoon
• Wednesday, 15^th September: Malaysia Day assembly (Virtual)
• Thursday, 16^th September: Malaysia Day holiday no school
• Friday, 17^th September: No school for students

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SS News

Sandy van Nooten

Finding Our Groove!

Now that we’re at the end of week 3, teachers and students are starting to find some rhythm in the madness. I had the pleasure of joining a few classes this week and it was lovely to see students dealing so incredibly well with learning in the online environment. 

Pretzel-level flexibility – I’m amazed with everyone’s resilience, and I’m in awe at the flexibility and creativity of teachers who have had to totally re-imagine their units and activities. Ask your kids what they are working on in PHE, the Arts and Design for example. They have no gym, no bats or balls, no art room or paints, no drama studio, saws or drills… all those units have been re-written to use simple resources that all students are likely to have at home while still meeting rigorous IB criteria and objectives. Students share their work using an array of different technologies. Here for example, is a preliminary animation activity in Grade 6 Design. , , , . By the end of the unit, students will create their own stop-motion animation using leggo, cut paper, whiteboard… Whatever they have on hand. They will write the story, characters, setting, take the photos and edit the video. Hopefully I will be able to share some of them in a future newsletter. Cool huh! 

Virtual Back to School Afternoon (VBTSA) – A reminder that all secondary parents are invited to our ‘Virtual Back to School Afternoon’ on Monday (30^th Aug) from 1:30 to 4:30pm. We’ll run a short day with three regular online classes ending at lunchtime. VBTSA will start with a 30 minute meet for all secondary parents followed by a rotation through departments. Parents will have the opportunity to meet all their child’s teachers.  The main purpose of this event is to put a face to the name of your child’s teachers and to get some information about the courses. (Note: It is not a parent-teacher conference, please avoid questions about your individual child’s progress. If you have pressing questions about your child, please contact the teacher before or after this event.)

• Here’s a link to the for secondary.
• Your homework, (before Monday) is to make sure that you know which teachers teach your child. You can find that information from ManageBac, or better still, ask your child. 
• The GoogleMeet links will be active during the time slots shown on the schedule.
• Teachers will record their sessions so that we can share them with absent parents. 

(To make it easier for parents with students in both divisions, Elementary School is having their VBTSA on Friday 3^rd Sep).

I hope you have a lovely weekend.

Stay safe.

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Toddle Teachers Weekly Newspaper – 1^st issue

Hello we will be sharing what Toddle Teachers are about. We will be helping younger grades how to use toddle and understand the toddle platform. 

Toddle teachers is a squad where we teach younger grades more about toddle and how to use it. If a younger student needs our help he/she can message one of the toddle squad teachers and we will organise a meeting with you. 

You will explain what needs to be solved and we will try to find a solution to your problem. We will keep you up to date on what our toddle teachers are finding out and every 2 weeks on the daily notices we will be writing a newspaper. These are the roles of the team:

Newspaper: the newspaper writers are the people who write part of school newsletters and promote our squad.

Individual Teachers: These are the people that come into meetings to teach you and fix your problems.

Team-Manager: The team-managers are the people who are responsible of reminding the squad and time-keeping

Partnership:These are the people who are responsible for helping you in pairs.

During Back to School Night you will learn more about who we are and how to best contact us.

Wrote By Téa, Isla, Suhaan and Jake

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Thank You!

Allison Parratt, CAS/Service Learning Coordinator

Our ZEC Drive has successfully gathered RM 5001 as of today! We would like to thank everyone that have provided the refugee children and their families support in these difficult times. The raised funds will be used to buy food and basic necessities for the kids who seek refuge in Malaysia with Zomi Education Center.

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Digital Detox

John Schuster, Elementary School Counsellor

Here we are again, still doing distance learning and keeping the screen time going, losing out on social interaction/play time.  With increased screen time, we need to look for a balance in our lives.  How many hours a day are you on a device?  The answer is probably too many!  So, let’s take a look at doing a digital detox!

Kendra Cherry defines it well. 

“A digital detox refers to a period of time when a person refrains from using tech devices such as smartphones, televisions, computers, tablets, and social media sites. “Detoxing” from digital devices is often seen as a way to focus on real-life social interactions without distractions. By forgoing digital devices, at least temporarily, people can let go of the stress that stems from constant connectivity.”

Being on devices too much can cause stress, disrupt our sleep, and decrease our well-being.  There is also an increased risk for mental health problems among adolescents.  We also compare ourselves to others and see what they are doing, seeing they may have a better life than us.  

What are the benefits of a digital detox?  The first, and probably the biggest is it reduces stress.  Notice how you feel when away from screens.  Being off screen helps us maintain a better life balance and a more positive life perspective.  It also improves sleep habits.  Do not let your child have electronics in their room at least an hour before bedtime. As adults, we should do the same, setting a good example.  Detoxing from screens also reduces FOMO (Fear Of Missing Out) which is anxiety that an exciting or interesting event may currently be happening elsewhere, usually caused by posts seen on social media.

The Challenge:  Detox Saturday.  Try to have your child (and you) go for the day without screen time.  If you are unable to do this, set some time limits and boundaries.  You want to be sure you benefit your emotional and physical health. 

Here are some ideas on what to do instead of screen time.  Spend more time with your family.  Play board games or other games, have meaningful conversations.  Spend more time in nature.  Get lost in the beauty of it.  Engage in physical activities.  Exercise, go for a walk or bike ride.  Do some mindful activities such as yoga, mediation, gardening, yard-work, or cooking.  Take time for yourself – sleep, take a bath, relax, colour, journal.

Your counsellors are here for you…

• John Schuster – Elementary School Counsellor (john.schuster@igbis.edu.my)
• Leanne Harvey – Middle School Counsellor (leanne.harvey@igbis.edu.my)
• Tim Howe – High School Counsellor (tim.howe@igbis.edu.my)

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Student Information Gathering for Vaccination of Pupils

The Ministry of Education Malaysia is gathering information of all Grade 6 (age 12) to Grade 12 (age 18) students to see if parents prefer their child to be vaccinated or not.

Therefore, parents, please complete with details of your child by FRIDAY, 3 SEPTEMBER 2021, 5:00 pm.

Please fill the multiple times, if you have more than one child at IGBIS.