Secondary Newsletter on Friday, 25th Nov 2016
Week 17-Acknowledging
Every fourth Tuesday BIS teachers meet in grade level teams to speak about issues that they see arising. This conversation generally looks at ways to support our students that may be struggling with their learning. We also want to remember that there is also a time for acknowledging the hard work of our students. I had the opportunity to call down a number of students yesterday to congratulate and acknowledge all of their hard work. Sometimes we need to step back and remember all of the effort that our students are putting in and that learning is hard work. Please join me in taking some time to recognize the hard work of our students and encourage them as they prepare for the end of the term.
Semester Exams
Our DP students are preparing to write their semester exams. These will take place on the first three days of next week. Students will be writing two exams per day with a long rest/study break built into the middle of the day. Students are expected to be in school and ready for their exams at 7:45. Below is a schedule for the exams.
End of Semester Reports
The semester reports will be delivered via email once again this year. Reports will go home on Thursday the 15th of December. These reports will highlight the progress of each student for the entire semester, indicating achievement on the different criteria of each course as well as the progress of each student’s Approaches Towards Learning (ATLs).
Reporting in the Second Semester
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 second semester. 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.
We will also be having an information session on December 5th highlighting the use of ManageBac and what it will look like for both parents and students. Below is an example of what the information that parents and students would see when ManageBac is open.
Reflection and Growth
BIS has partnered with CIS(Council of International Schools) to participate in a self administered survey aimed at identifying the culture of our school. This relates primarily to the way our students view the school; as participating members and their relationships with the student body, faculty, administration and their learning. By administering this survey we will be able to reflect on data that speaks to how our students feel when on our campus and how this affects their ability to learn. We will also receive data from other international schools that are participating in this survey. We will use part of our MYP/DP hour next week to administer this survey, so to not impact instructional time.
BSSA Schedule and Procedures
We are well underway for the BSSA Volleyball season. The schedule has round robin games on the 16th, 23rd, and 30th of November with finals on the 7th of December. The Senior Volleyball competition will be held here at BIS on the 6th of December. For all away games students will check with their coach before leaving campus for attendance/safety purposes. Coaches will then recheck their roster list once they have arrived at the site. The coach will report any missing student to Mr. Sutherland so we can confirm the safety of all of our student athletes.
Regarding transport to away games, from the Parent Student Handbook: ‘Teams are managed/coached by BIS staff but the responsibility for transportation to away games is on the parents (no taxis, bemos, or Go-Jek).’ We highly recommend car pooling and, by checking the schedule, you will be able to plan well ahead if your child has an away game.
The schedule for this season as well as the roster lists have been sent via email to parents and are also posted below.
Thank you for your continued support of our students and their activities. Go Dragons!
BIS Assembly/BIS Live
This Friday we came together as a whole secondary school to acknowledge some of the talents that we have on this campus. This was our first opportunity to acknowledge our 1st and 2nd place IISSAC Soccer teams. We were also fortunate enough to use our performance space for what it is intended-liver performance! Mr. Andrews had some of his music class students showcasing what they have learned thus far in the semester.
Fridays also highlight our students passions and talents with BIS Live. This student led program gives our students a chance to perform and share their talents with the rest of the student body. It is wonderful to see so many talented and confident students on display.
Thank you for your continued interest and support of BIS and our students.
Kind Regards,
Justin Walsh
secondaryschoolprincipal@
Secondary School Principal