Secondary Newsletter 4 – August 27, 2021
Let’s Get Moving, BIS!
A Dip Into Grade 11 DP English
Counselor Corner
From The Service As Action Coordinator
Let’s Get Moving, BIS!
This term across all grade levels, BIS kids are moving and getting FIT! Mr. Javi (our new PHE teacher and Athletic Director) and I decided that with everyone being online so much our priority was to get our students out of their chairs and their heart rates up. (Good for us too!)
Each grade level is focusing on a different aspect of physical fitness, and for Grade 6, it’s cardiovascular fitness. In the last few weeks we’ve done workouts every day and also learned how to check our resting and active heart rates, resting and active respiratory rates, AND most of all, how to use that information to gauge how intensely we are working while we exercise.
Now it’s YOUR turn! Take a minute and see what YOUR resting heart rate is – put two fingers under your chin, or on your wrist, and count your heart beats for 15 seconds and multiply that number by 4 – and that’s your resting heart rate.
Now GET UP! Do 25 jumping jacks and then perform the formula again – what is your active heart rate?
How INTENSELY were you working? Check the chart – were you working hard? Moderately?
The Grade 6 are now going to create a 3 week fitness program for themselves using what we have learned in the past month. I encourage you to join your child and work out with them twice a week. It’ll be fun, and it’ll get you both out of your seats and MOVING!
If you have any questions or concerns, please email me at aerickson@baliis.net
A Dip Into Grade 11 DP English
Grade 11 has been working hard in the first few weeks of the term. We’ve started our first literary unit The Boat by Nam Le, which looks at the refugee experience of the boat people from Vietnam in the 1970s/80s. We also have begun reviewing the techniques and strategies we use to analyze various text types, beginning with advertisements.
Take a look at the ketchup ads that Grade 11 analyzed this week (see below). Their task was to try to sequence them correctly from 1910-2000s (one for each decade) – CAN YOU DO IT? Once finished, we discussed what structural and visual features were used in each decade, what elements of culture we could see in each ad, and how advertisements change and progress over time. From here we’ll move on to magazine covers, political cartoons, and essays.
Grade 11 also completed their first benchmark timed essay, which is not marked summatively, but received feedback on where they need to improve for the next assessed timed essay. Some great essays were written and everyone knows where they need to improve and grow. So, let’s get started on that!
Counselor Corner
Visit this Counseling Corner at BIS website weekly for new information.
I have updated the The Social and Emotional page this week with Digital Citizenship resources for families. There are links for different age groups. Starting from Kindergarten to G12.
All these resources are from CommonSense Media.
On the College Counseling page I added great resources from ‘College Essay Guy’ Ethan Sawyer. A Step-by-Step Video Guide to Writing an Outstanding “Why us” Essay, A step-to-step guide on how to create a great college list. And How to research Colleges without visiting their Campus. These are great resources from G12 students and parents who are in their admissions process now. When you are on the website scroll down to see the other resources that are there.
On the University update page, I have added Upcoming webinars and courses for all students and parents who are interested.
Examples:
- Becoming a Dentist course
- Want to study in Canada?
- A 6-month experiential learning fellowship with Harvard HPAIR,
- Information sessions from Emory University.
- Mock Admissions Workshop 2.0
- Syracuse University Admissions Workshop 2021 for Students from South-East Asia
- Innovation Fellows in Training Invite October 2021
For G11 and 12 students and parents, put the University updates page on your favorite bookmark list, so you can view it a few times a week. We update this page daily with all upcoming events, and sometimes we get registration information at the last minute and there might be a short notice for a webinar. Sometimes I get a recording of a webinar that I attend, I will upload these recordings on the Webinar page.
From The Service As Action Coordinator
Edward Andrews
Dear BIS Community,
I am not a new face at BIS; however, I am excited to announce that I have taken on a new and exciting role as Service as Action Coordinator for the MYP program. I have always been passionate about global issues and stepping into this position is very exciting on a personal and professional level. As we are all well aware, connecting with the community and providing support and compassion is always powerful, but given the moment we currently find ourselves in, it is more relevant than ever.
My mission and vision is as follows:
“Students will actively engage in meaningful collaborative global projects locally.
The Service as Action program will be vibrant and impactful, allowing the entire BIS learning community to enhance and collectively celebrate our sense of International mindedness”.
We had our first session yesterday, which involved an assembly-like meeting focused on gaining a common understanding of the program followed by brainstorming sessions relating to potential meaningful activities. Next Thursday, we will conclude our sharing of ideas and form Service as Action groups for Semester 1.
Please do feel free to have conversations with your children and suggest ideas for service and action between now and next Thursday. We have such a rich and diverse community with a collective understanding of international mindedness. I am confident that Service as Action will be an asset to our wonderful school. My email is eandrews@baliis.net, should anyone wish to contact me directly.
