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

2

2

4

2 Igniting Minds Impacting Lives

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

4 Igniting Minds Impacting Lives

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.

6 Igniting Minds Impacting Lives

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