FRIDAY NEWSLETTER from Secondary – 18th Aug 2017
Full Steam Ahead!-Week 2 Underway
We have now been in school for nine days and the school is already roaring on all engines. The IISSAC and BSSA Football programs are all in full swing, and the ASA’s are gaining a great deal of momentum. The teams are all keen and excited and now the real work now begins. I have visited every classroom in the school and I can tell you, the learning going on in these rooms is extraordinary. Your children are engaged and focused. They are learning new skills and consolidating old ones. They are pushing teachers on difficult and complicated topics in a way that challenge the faculty. They are truly a pleasure to work with and I look forward to another fantastic year.
As I walk around the classrooms, I have been very impressed with the continued impact the laptops have had on teaching and learning. Students are truly using them in the ways we envisioned when we introduced the 1:1 computers to the secondary school. The major difference this year is that all students are being assisted/reminded in homeroom how to use and access their calendars. This means teachers can finally plan for all students in the same way. All teachers are using Google Classroom. This was implemented to help with the organization of our students and to give them easy accessibility to their class notes, assignments, and materials without having to keep track of hundreds of pieces paper. It proves to be a huge difference maker, especially for our younger students that are just developing these organizational skills.
I want to acknowledge the amazing effort of our teachers. This is truly a 21st Century learning environment, and with teachers who are so competent and focused on not only a student’s intellectual, but personal development as well, it truly meets these wonderful words in our mission statement.
Year One Diploma Retreat
Today Mr. Would led a retreat for our year 1 DP students. Mr. Delhommeau introduced the key components to CAS and TOK with Mr. Brown and Ms. McClay. Ms. Holley provided some lively team building exercises. The students were very engaged and came away from the experience more connected and with a better sense of the important tasks ahead.
Reporting Achievement at BIS
One of the things that makes BIS such a special place is the collaborative spirit between the school and the community. We recognize that we are only one component to the success of our students and that parental support is vital. To help develop that support and better communicate about student progress throughout the year we will be opening ManageBac’s gradebook feature to all parents and students at the start of the third week of school, in order to ensure that schedules are finalized and we have actual achievement to report on. This will allow students and parents to see in real time where they are in relation to their learning in each class.
Teachers will be providing a numeric indicator of growth for each assessment as well as a brief description of the assignment. This numeric indicator allows us to present the clearest picture of growth via ManageBac as possible.
Teachers will be updating their gradebooks every two weeks and will be including both formative and summative work. This will highlight students progress throughout the term.
Here is the link for the instructional video to help sign-in as a parent on to ManageBac. I want to thank our IT department for all of their help. Please feel free to contact us with any questions or concerns regarding access to ManageBac.
https://drive.google.com/file/
Back To School Night at BIS
This coming Thursday our BIS parents will get to be students again! This year our Back to School evening, provided an overview of the year and our program in the MPR and from there parents were able to follow a student schedule to see each of their child’s teachers and hear what enriching learning experiences will be forthcoming this year. You will be receiving an email outlining the evening and schedule for your student(s). We look forward to a great turnout, it is one of the things that I truly enjoy about working at BIS-the partnership that exists between the parent community and the school. Our students are the true beneficiaries of this partnership.
Independence Day Celebrations
Today we celebrated Indonesian Independence Day here at BIS. Our homerooms have already set up their door decorating competition. All students and faculty members wore either Indonesian National Dress or Red and White. We were able to start the day with our flag ceremony, National anthem and remembrance of fallen heroes from the Independence Struggle. This was followed by games and activities and a sharing of national snacks. It was wonderful to see all of our students and teachers in action! A huge thank you to our Indonesian teaching staff and parent community for making this such a special event.
SS Incomplete Homework Procedure
A reminder that it is our belief that all students are required to do all of the assignments and projects that are assigned to them. As an outcome based school, we cannot evaluate a student on their learning if the work has not been submitted. Additionally, we want to impress upon our students the importance of growth within the work that is assigned. Our teachers need to see where a student is in order to help get to where they can go. To that end, we have established a procedure, in consultation with the students, the faculty, and from the basis of best practice to try and give students every opportunity possible to show what they have learned and improve upon that learning.
All students that do not submit work will be referred to the secondary office the following day after school for one hour or until the work is done. Myself or a designated teacher will supervise the room for the first quarter. Students will continue to come in after school every day until their assignment is complete. If the assignment is not passed into the teacher within three days, parents will receive an email from the Secondary School Office. Students who are regularly referred for not meeting their academic responsibilities will be required to meet with school administration and will include a meeting with parents as this is a requirement of all students that attend our school.
Pick Up and Drop Off
I want to thank everyone for a successful and smooth opening to the school year. It is been so nice to see our secondary students model respectful behavior as they come onto campus. Each morning I walk onto campus, showing my ID and opening my bag, as does every parent that comes on. It is very reassuring to know that our children get to learn in such a safe and secure environment. Thank you again for modelling this behavior to our entire community.
Kind Regards,
Justin Walsh
secondaryschoolprincipal@
Secondary School Principal
