Secondary Newsletter No. 23 – February 8, 2019

BIS Events Calendar

Dear Parents, 

Students and teachers have been busy with teaching and learning as well as many activities and events that are either happening or being planned for the near future. Please note that on Monday, February 18 we will celebrate International Mother Language Day with more details to come in next week’s edition.

ISA Testing – Grade 6-10

Students completed the trial tests on Thursday. All went well and we are ready for the tests to take place on Tuesday 12th and Wednesday 13th and it is essential that all students attend school on these two days. Please remind your child of the following:

• Bring a fully charged laptop and their charger with the spell checker disabled
• Bring a calculator
• Bring a pencil, eraser and ruler
• Bring a book to read should they finish any tests early
• Leave backpacks and mobile phones outside of the testing room
• Go to the bathroom prior to the test.

Grade 12 Mock Examinations

Grade 12 students will sit their Mock Exams next week. This is a great opportunity for the students and their teachers to identify what they know and can do well and also areas where they need to focus their efforts leading up to the final exams in May. Please ensure the students look after themselves at this time by getting plenty of sleep, eating healthy meals and taking study breaks.

Grade 6 Mock National Exams

The trial exam for Grade 6 which was supposed to be held on the 18th, 19th and 20th of February has been changed to:

Wednesday, 20th Feb   08.00-10.00 Bahasa Indonesia

Thursday, 21st Feb  08.00-10.00 Math

Friday, 22nd Feb    08.00-10.00 Science

Attendance

A reminder of the BIS Attendance expectations from the BIS Student & Parent Handbook, p.21.

5.5 Attendance and Absence

Each student is expected to be present every day for each class/activity. Regular attendance during each class maximizes the opportunity for quality learning. The school requires students to be responsible for their own learning and to ensure that poor attendance does not have an impact on their learning. We expect parents to support this principle and minimize absences so that it does not have a detrimental effect on their child.

• The school calendar is published well in advance and placed on the website so that parents can plan their holidays around this and avoid infringements of the Attendance Policy. Please do not extend school holidays by taking extra days at the beginning or end of terms; children will miss out on important events and information.
• If a child needs to miss school please inform the respective Principal’s Office in advance. If a child is ill please inform the section office by email or phone.
• Parents are encouraged to ensure that their children do not incur more than 20 days of absence during a school year as this has a detrimental impact on their child’s learning and progress. Therefore, in the above-cited cases, a student may be retained in his/her grade level. If a student is away from school on a school event, such as Model United Nations (MUN) or sports, this is an excused absence and does not contribute to their total absences.
• If there are unique or special circumstances parents are requested to communicate with the divisional Principal as early as possible.
• Any student present in school, but absent from class without permission is considered to be truant.
• Students must attend classes on time. Tardiness disrupts the instruction and learning process.

Absence in Secondary

• If a secondary student misses classes for any reason then it is their responsibility to see the teacher(s) concerned about how to make up for missed learning.
• A Secondary Student may not be eligible for credit in any subject after incurring the following absences:
  • 10 days of continuous or successive absences.
  • 20 days of absences during the entire school year.

• Ross Ferris (Secondary Principal)

 

Applause for a Cause

Students and staff from both Primary and Secondary have been very busy rehearsing for the BIS charity fundraising evening! There will be performances of songs by The Beatles, Queen, Adele, from the world of musical theatre and much much more! Tickets go on sale on Wednesday 13th Feb!

It will be a fabulous opportunity for our school to come together to share a special evening raising essential funds for the children in Lombok. There will be refreshments in the interval, plus chances to win prizes in our prize draw! If any parents have prizes they are willing to donate please email salborn@baliis.net or chat with Samantha Walther-Jones!

There will be a ‘movie chill out zone’ to supervise students not in ASA’s between 3pm – 5pm. If you would like to register your child to be supervised during this time prior to the performance please email salborn@baliis.net

– Sarah Alborn (Drama and Theatre) and Ed Andrews (Music)

MYP Corner

Individuals and Societies – Grade 9

Presently our students are working on Part 2 of our unit called ‘Imperialism: the master and the servant’. During Part 1 they learned about Imperialism and the rise and fall of Empires around the world. They were tasked to do an essay on the British Empire and whether they should be proud or ashamed of their Empire legacy using a country of their choice as a case study.

Part 2 now discusses the slave trade. Presently we are beginning with the Transatlantic trade, what it was and how unequal the trade was when humans were used as a commodity in this exchange. We further explore the Middle Passage which relates to the slave ships and their journey from Africa to the colonies in the Americas. Students cannot relate to the atrocities, conditions and abuse the African slaves endured along the way, with many not surviving. Next week, students will try to re-enact what it feels like to be on a slave ship… watch this space……

CAS Corner

Jae Yeon Lee

2019.01.05: Demonstrate how to initiate and plan a CAS experience and demonstrate the skills and recognize the benefits of working collaboratively
In StuCo we have been working towards organizing a Valentine’s Dance outside of school. For the past 12 years we have hosted the dance inside school with only the students from our school in the MPR. However, we have realized that the students wanted something new so we decided to host the dance in Sanur Prime Plaza Hotel and invite other students from other schools too. Because this is a new and big event we have divided ourselves up into different groups. Most of the executive members are in charge of the ticket sales and communication with the hotel while other student representatives are in charge of promotion. Amongst the executives, the sports and socials are in charge of decoration and layouts while the communications officer takes charge of the ticket sales with treasurer in charge of the money. I am in charge of overall management and I support wherever support is needed. We also meet up once a week for the executives to make sure that everything is on track and to let others aware of what other groups have done. By dividing up the task, we were able to organize such a big event in an efficient manner.

Last week, some of the executives visited the hotel room to make sure that we know where to set up the lights and decorations. We have talked with the lady in charge to make sure everything was finalized before the event.

Counselor’s Corner

Grade 10 Career Investigation Week, April 8-12

Exciting things are happening on the career front at BIS!  Last week our students were treated to an amazing Career Day with over 24 professionals visiting our beautiful campus and speaking to our students about the ins and outs of their various career backgrounds and diverse professions.  Students in grades 6-12 got the chance to research their favorite careers in BridgeU, our online college and career search platform, and discuss these choices in homerooms, thus beginning their college planning portfolios early on.

This week we announced the Grade 10 Career Investigation Week.  All students in Grade 10 will secure a week-long internship following our April break in the career area of their choice  and will be overseen by on an-site supervisor. These dates were selected so that students have the opportunity to get placements outside of Bali as well and extend their work experience to two weeks. This is an excellent opportunity for our students to get real-life, hands-on work experience and make important connections for future jobs, a skill they learned from our Career Day keynote speaker, Christine Bader, is one of the key aspects to getting job offers down the line.

Grade 10 Students have until March 11th to inform us of their placement selection. If you are or know of someone who is open to having a student intern for a week or two, please be in touch with us in the Counseling Center at ext: 116 or by email:  counselor@baliis.net, or counselorsecretary@baliis.net.  Thanks, Rachael Gerbic, BIS Counselor

A few favorite student quotes from Career Day

I feel like from each panel, one person at least had an impact on me. I think it was their resilience, to keep doing what they love and have a passion for, even though there were difficult times. I really admired that.

I learned that in life you never stop learning. I also learned that it is fine if you don’t know what to do or what career you are going to take at this age (before I was a little scared but now I find it ok). In addition to that, I learned that failure is also important in your life because through failing you learn and grow.

Sometimes you need to give up on a path which might earn you more money in order to achieve what you want.

I learned that it takes time to figure out exactly what you want to do.

It made me think that I can do whatever makes me happy, and not necessarily follow the things that people tell me I should do or the things I shouldn’t do.

Career Interest Inventory

If you would like an in-depth assessment of your son’s or daughter’s aptitudes and career interests, please review this information about Interquest and complete and return the registration form to the Counseling Center.

Summer Program Visit

Monday, March 4th from 12:30-1:10 in the College Counseling Center (CCC)

A representative from Future Paths will visit BIS on Monday, March 4th from 12:30-1:10. Future Paths runs pre-college summer programs in the United States for international students in Southeast Asia. For a quick rundown on the programs they will offer in June and July, please visit their website: www.myfuturepaths.com   Secondary students and parents are invited to attend this session, which will take place in the new College Counseling Center (CCC) by the Staff Lounge.

Upcoming College Visits  

Dear Secondary Parents and Students, Please continue to check the Opportunities for Students to view the college visits calendar and learn about upcoming college fairs, summer opportunities, and scholarships for BIS students.

February 14th from 12:30 – 1:10 PM in CCC

Swiss Education Expert

A representative from Swiss Education Expert will be visiting BIS on Thursday, February 14th during lunch from 12:30 – 1:10 pm in the College Counseling Center. The representative will speak about:

“Mentoring for Your Future Study and Career in the Hospitality Business”

Students should sign up here for the Swiss Education Expert Visit. The student who asks the best question will win a prize so sign up now and think of a good question to ask the rep!

Here are the Top 3 Things you should know about Swiss Education Expert:

1. Has 5 Schools in different specializations but based on Hospitality,

• Bachelor Degree only 3 Years length of study and Get Double Degree
• Or Swiss Education Academy /Summer Program (during 1-4 weeks )

1. Has International Recruitment Forum where students attend presentations, meet with industry representatives and have the opportunity to be interviewed and recruited for full-time employment or internship positions.
2. Has a Mentoring Program to prepare students before the start of study until they are finished and plan their career together with our professional alumni as professional mentors.

College Fair March 13th  from 2:30-3:30 PM in the Library

We are excited to announce that BIS will host a (not so) mini College Fair on Weds., March 13th from 2:30-3:30 PM in the Library. The Fair will be organized by the International Student Network (ISN),  a Philadelphia-based company that provides North American colleges and universities the opportunity to connect with students abroad.

ISN will be visiting  Bali for the first time with a group of approximately 10 universities. The Fair is open to secondary students and parents and this is a wonderful opportunity to talk to the university representatives one-on-one, ask questions, and learn about college majors, scholarships, and special programs.

Here is the list of the universities attending the Fair on March 13th:

University of Central Missouri, Concordia University, Palomar College, Illinois College, Ferris State University, Full Sail University, Stony Brook University, University of Wisconsin-La Crosse, California State University, San Marcos

College Visit March 25th from 2:45-4PM in the Library

The Ohio State University, University of Wisconsin – La Crosse and Webster University (US and The Netherlands) will visit Bali Island School on Monday, March 25th from 2:45-4PM in the Library and we would like to meet with our students.  Parents and secondary students are invited to attend this event and learn about their great opportunities, academic and summer programs, and scholarships.