Secondary Newsletter on This Week, 13th April 2017

Week 31-Welcome Back!

It was so fantastic to see all of our students return with bright, happy and relaxed faces on Monday.  The sign of a welcoming school community is the face of it’s returning children!  Now that we are in the final term things will take on a new pace.  It is important for us to help our students to organize their time and prioritize their events, things will be coming fast and furious for the next weeks.

Use of ManageBac

We will continue to use the open gradebook system within ManageBac for this term.  This has been a tremendous tool as we work together to help our students to continue to grow and progress with their learning.  Teachers will be updating their gradebooks every two weeks, with both formative and summative assessments.  Please take the time to look ManageBac over with your student to better understand what they are doing, while helping them reach their potential.

IB Diploma Exams

We are coming quickly to our IB Exam period.  Students and teachers are busy revising and reviewing all of the material that they have covered for the past two years.  This can be a stressful time.  We do everything that we can to help relieve some of this stress and the more prepared we are the less stress we feel.  I am including a link to the first chapter in a book that we have read as a faculty entitled, Make it Stick.  This book looks at the way we learn and retain information and it provides very concrete methods to help improve retention.  Please take a look at this excerpt with your student and think of ways that you can incorporate some of these study habits into your practice.

Make it Stick Link

ASA’s and Religion Class Begin This Coming Week

Our after school activities will begin this week.  Students have had the opportunity to sign up for activities within their homeroom this week.  Please ask your student what they have gotten involved in.  There is still time to sign up and join, so please help your student find something that they are interested in, being involved helps with attention, learning and growth!

BSSA Althletics

This term we are participating in Athletics for our BSSA Conference.  We have had a large number of secondary students sign up, but there is always room for more.  It is a great way to stay active and be a part of the larger school community. Go Dragons!

IISSAC Swimming

At the end of this month we will be hosting the IISSAC Swimming competition.  Coming off our BSSA Swim Championship victory our students are very excited to compete against other athletes off the island.  Mr. Lennan and Mr. Sutherland have been putting in a great deal of work to organize this event, as it is another highlight of the BIS School year.  Our PTFA is also providing refreshments and concessions throughout the event.  Please contact the PTFA if you would like to help out.  IISSAC Events are a great way to establish long term friendships with different students and when we host it allows us to be ambassadors for BIS and Bali.  I hope to see you there.

Thank you for your continued interest and support of BIS and our students.

Kind Regards,