The most fun and festive event of the year is coming to ISB! The International Family Fair will be held on 23 February from 3-7:30 pm. What you can expect at IFF 2019? Fabulous food booths featuring food from over 30 countries around the globe, brought to you by our wonderful ISB country groups, games, bouncy houses, entertainment, and fun for kids and adults of all ages. Mark your calendar for an afternoon and evening of great food and fun for everyone!

PTA – IFF
pta-iff@isb.ac.th

Dozens of new communications platforms have entered our culture over the past few decades, with mixed results. TED – an acronym for Technology, Entertainment, and Design – stands virtually alone in its ability to genuinely advance the public conversation in a positive and enlightening direction.

Taking the format of a short lecture series by experts in their fields, TED offers audiences the ability to follow intellectual leaders as they tell the stories behind the headlines. Some speakers talk about projects they were currently working on, giving a preview of exciting projects and innovations to come.

Founded in the 1980s, TED began reaching a wide audience only after the internet developed the ability to archive videos efficiently. It then became a hugely influential source of ideas for a generation full of intellectual curiosity.

In 2009, the organization introduced TEDx as a major expansion of the original TED format and events. TEDx events differ in that they are local and independently organized – but they still reflect TED’s vision and goal to cover ‘ideas worth spreading’. Thousands of TEDx events are currently held all around the world each year, providing speakers and audiences alike with excellent opportunities to engage in the important issues of the day.

TEDxYouth at ISB

As the content and design of each TEDx event is developed by the independent organizers, TEDx allows for organizers to place their own values into events, covering topics the speakers and members in their community care about and can relate to.

International School Bangkok (ISB) has proudly held TEDxYouth talks each year since 2013. In the spirit of ideas worth spreading, TEDx is a program of local, self-organized events that bring people together to share a TED-like experience. At a TEDx event, TED Talks video and live speakers combine to spark deep discussion and connection.

These local, self-organized events are branded TEDx, where x = independently organized TED event. The TED Conference provides general guidance for the TEDx program, but individual TEDx events are self-organized. (Subject to certain rules and regulations.)

TEDxYouth@ISBangkok consists of a series of short talks covering a wide range of subjects. These are intended to foster learning, while also provoking conversation around the subject of the talk.

Every TEDxYouth@ISBangkok is fully developed, organized, and hosted by ISB. All of the speakers are ISB students, who come onstage to share their thoughts on the topics and stories they are passionate about.

Each of our TEDx speakers teaches us something new and valuable about the world, while also growing immeasurably through the experience. The theme for this year’s event, “Catalyst for Change”, focuses on how each of us can interact positively with the world around us. A great deal of work goes into the research and preparation process, and each presenter gains valuable knowledge and experience as a result.

ISB encourages a distinct set of values – courage, respect, responsibility, and more – along with attributes such as being creative, value-driven, socially intelligent and globally minded. Each of these qualities is nurtured and reinforced through the experience of writing and delivering talks in the TEDx format. As a project for student growth, TEDx is the perfect fit for the skills and ideals we hope to instill in our students.

Leadership in a Communications-Driven World

Public speaking is an effective tool in life, made all the more valuable by the fact that so many of us are either afraid of it or never learn the skills needed to deliver an effective speech. A good public speaking ability can be a great help throughout a person’s life and career, while also improving one’s self-esteem, critical thinking skills, and leadership capability. A Washington Post article argues:

For the sake of social equality, all schools should teach children the public speaking skills they need for educational progress, for work and for full participation in democracy. Our research is beginning to show that children who are taught these skills, perform better in maths, science and reasoning tests.

The content of each of their TEDx talks is crucially important. The long-time TED slogan, “ideas worth spreading”, itself suggests the power of the human voice to help shape society. By encouraging participants to pick topics and causes they are passionate about, we help to develop students who strive to enrich their communities through intellectual, humanitarian, and creative thoughts and actions.

For many, at TEDxYouth@ISBangkok 2019, it will be their first time presenting their ideas to the wider world. This interaction will be valuable for them in so many ways, helping them grow into more capable adults. Every speech is an act of giving – in which the speaker, the audience, and the wider culture are all greatly enriched by the experience.

IMP opens registration for instrumental and voice lessons first day after the holiday break. Please contact the coordinator Angela Kohl (angelak@isb.ac.th) for more information with the program and how to register. 

Contact:

Host Families Needed for 113 IASAS ADDTF CC Delegates – February 27 through Mach 3, 2019: As you know, IASAS events depend upon the goodwill and generosity of our ISB families to host visiting delegates and teams. This reciprocal exchange adds immense value to our programs and provides a unique opportunity to develop new friendships and strengthen connections across international communities. The IASAS Art, Dance, Drama, Tech, and Film Cultural Convention held Wednesday, February 27, 2019 and depart Sunday, March 3, 2019 is a huge event involving nearly one hundred and fifty delegates from all six IASAS schools. Please sign up HERE  immediately to host. As a reminder, all IASAS athletes and delegates are required to host at least once per season. Participants in supporting programs like MUN and FAD clubs, or Junior Varsity teams are also asked to help. Thank you in advance for opening up your homes to our IASAS guests. (Mr A. Giles)

Survey from The Rink: The Rink has approached ISB seeking feedback about the interest in on-ice sports. They have a view to build a temporary facility nearby if there is enough interest from the local community. Please click on the link if you would like to assist “The Rink” with feedback.

As we approach the time of year again when the air quality in Bangkok deteriorates a bit, I wanted to share some updates and publicly accessible information.  

At the end of last school year, ISB installed a calibrated air quality monitor on campus.  It is located on the roof next to the 25m pool.  This monitor is provided by a company that works extensively with schools in China.  The monitor checks PM2.5, PM10, Humidity and Temperature.  There are two other schools in Thailand, ELC Sukhumvit and Harrow, who also have this system installed.

Our vendor has created a live display page that calculates the AQI and Heat Index in real time, based on US EPA and NOAA standards. You can access the data here https://views.measureofquality.com/isb.  It is also displaced on the bottom of our school website, www.isb.ac.th

There are many different websites, apps, and links that provide air quality readings around Thailand.  Unfortunately, none of these sites provide a reading close to ISB, and all only provide hourly updates.  Therefore, the ISB monitor will be the official reading for all school activities and guidelines.

We have set up the system to send out email alerts to ISB staff, when the AQI or Heat Index, reach our threshold limits, based on the current policies as listed below.

Please remember, the live data is updated every minute and environmental readings can fluctuate from minute to minute.  We do store all the data points so we can look back at the historical information if need be.

Since the time the system was installed, we are showing a substantially lower AQI than downtown areas during higher polluted days. 

Related to this, we have also purchased an AirVisual Pro desktop unit.  This is the same devise that many other Bangkok schools are using.  We have this as a back up unit.  Unfortunately, it has limitations on where it can be installed and what data it can provide.  It is located just outside the Safety and Security office and provides a live display monitor.  This data is available on the AirVisual app, but isn’t used to determine outdoor restrictions, it is merely for comparison with other similar units in the area.  

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me directly.

Contact: 
Mark Hevland, Director of Risk Management
markh@isb.ac.th

Air Quality Guidelines
ISB Heat Management Guidelines

The next “First Friday with Andy” will take place on Friday 11th January at 8:00am in the Orange Room (near the admissions office).

“First Friday with Andy” is an open forum for parents to meet informally with the Head of School and address any topics of interest or concern. No signing up is necessary; simply come and participate if you are free and interested.

Dr. Andrew Davies, Head of School
andrewd@isb.ac.th

Parents expect their childrens’ school to give them the academic skills to succeed in university and life, but what about the skills to manage the social demands that they face in feeling good about themselves and making smart decisions about friends and relationships?  ISB strives to impart the additional skills our students need to survive “life beyond ISB” from PreK to Grade 12 – setting boundaries and fully understanding consent. We feel that learning these skills is every bit as important to a healthy, fulfilling future.  So how do we promote learning about safety, consent and boundaries at ISB?  Come find out!  We’ll have two sessions (same content, repeated) on Wednesday, January 23rd, in the MPB 1, 8:00-9:00 AM or 6:00-7:00 PM.

Contact:
Kevin Callahan, High School School Counselor
kevinc@isb.ac.th

The most fun and festive event of the year is coming back to ISB! The International Family Fair (IFF) will be held on 23 February from 3-7:30 pm. What you can expect at IFF 2019? Fabulous food booths featuring food from over 30 countries around the globe brought to you by our wonderful ISB country groups, games, bouncy houses, entertainment, and fun for kids and adults of all ages. Mark your calendar for an afternoon and evening of great food and fun for everyone!

PTA – IFF
pta-iff@isb.ac.th

On Thursday, January 24, 2019, from 7:45 to 9:15 a.m. in MPB 1, ISB EAL and Native Language faculty will offer a workshop for parents from all divisions (ES, MS, HS) about maintaining students’ native languages while they also study in English at ISB. This will be similar to the Raising Multilinguals workshop offered last year, and is especially useful for new families.

At this workshop faculty will:

• Present reasons to maintain native language, based on research
• Describe native language classes and resources available at ISB
• Discuss the importance of making a family language plan

Faculty will also lead small group discussions of how to nurture particular languages, how to support native language development at home, and how to make a language plan work.

Please join us! Parents of students in PreK through Grade 12 are welcome. For further information, please email: nativelanguage@isb.ac.th

BSS Soccer Coaching at ISB
by Bangkok Soccer School
contact: coaching@bangkoksoccerschools.com

Happy New Year!

Welcome to a new ISB Term. This Spring Term BSS will be offering weekly soccer coaching clinics at ISB. All clinics will be ran by our professional coaching staff and be open to players of all abilities.

Sessions are open to both boys and girls.

Players of all age and abilities are welcome to join.

Please find the attached file for more information.

SOCCER COACHNG AT ISB_2019

Dear ISB Community,

When setting the calendar for this school year in October 2017, we made a provision for an extra school day on June 12 in the event that the future announcement of Coronation Day occurred on a school day.

The Royal Palace announced early this month that His Majesty’s Coronation Ceremonies will take place on May 4-6, 2019.

No government decision has yet been made regarding school closures. However, we are anticipating that ISB will be closed on Monday 6th May. (Please note that IB exams scheduled for this day will still take place).  We will be in touch again when we have clarity.

Knowing that a number of ISB community members will already have made plans to leave Bangkok on 11th June,  ISB will not be adding an extra school day to compensate for any possible additional holiday. The last day of school will be June 11.

We hope that this clarification will help with making holiday arrangements for the summer.

I know we are all looking forward to this most auspicious occasion and to witnessing an historical coronation ceremony for HM King Maha Vajiralongkorn Bodindradebayavarangkun.

Sincerely,

Dr. Andrew Davies
Head of School
andrewd@isb.ac.th

The ISB Invention Center hosts…SCRIMMAGE IN SIAM Saturday, January 26, 2019

WHAT: Infinity – A HS Robotics Scrimmage where high school robotics teams battle to make it to the next round at the Battle in Bangkok, and ultimately to Worlds. 

WHERE: ISB Invention Center

WHEN: Open at 8:00am with matches from 9:00am to 12:00pm Saturday, January 26  

Contact:

Anthony A. Giles, Director of Arts & Activities 
anthonyg@isb.ac.th

This tennis program is for ISB parents, combining some tennis-specific conditioning with doubles strategies, along with playing games with the coaches. This is mainly a program for experienced players of various levels, not for beginners. The focus will be on playing doubles, including a variety of tactics and formations.

There will be an initial limit of 15 people, as the format will have three players with one coach on each court. The first 45 minutes will include warm-up exercises-movements, followed by a number of doubles drills. With only three players on each court with a coach, the drills move quickly as the players learn to execute various shots, while improving their conditioning also.

During the second half of each session, the three players will play doubles points/games with the coaches leading and instructing during the games. The coaches will play four games with each of the players as their partner, as the pairings switch after every four games. 

This program will be held on six Wednesday mornings on the following dates:

Feb. 6, 20; Mar. 6, 20; Apr. 3; May 1 (7:45 – 9:15am) at covered courts # 8 – 12.

(May 15 will be a make-up day in case of rainout)

Total Fee:  4,000 baht per person (600 baht per session, plus 400 CAO fee)

To sign up, please fill in your info at this link:

https://goo.gl/forms/17PrWExj6VzJS0zh2

AND then make payment in the CAO office. First 15 to sign up and pay will be registered to participate.

We look forward to some great fun together on the courts!!

Contact:
by Panther Tennis
Contact: panther@isb.ac.th

February 27 through March 3, 2019: As you know, IASAS events depend upon the goodwill and generosity of our ISB families to host visiting delegates and teams. This reciprocal exchange adds immense value to our programs and provides a unique opportunity to develop new friendships and strengthen connections across international communities. The IASAS Art, Dance, Drama, Tech, and Film Cultural Convention held Wednesday, February 27, 2019 and depart Sunday, March 3, 2019 is a huge event involving nearly one hundred and fifty delegates from all six IASAS schools. Please sign up HERE  immediately to host. As a reminder, all IASAS athletes and delegates are required to host at least once per season. Participants in supporting programs like MUN and FAD clubs, or Junior Varsity teams are also asked to help. Thank you in advance for opening up your homes to our IASAS guests. (Mr A. Giles)

Dear Parents,

Understandably, the rising pollution in Bangkok this season has sparked concern, discussions and many questions among ISB community members. We take the situation very seriously and the health and safety of our students and our community is our highest priority. We have been monitoring the pollution closely and have taken steps to ensure we have the best equipment in place and that our policies are thorough and in line with best practice and research.

We have taken a leading role in this area among schools in Bangkok and are fortunate to have many experienced staff on campus – and expert advisors – to address this issue. We are also fortunate to be less impacted than the inner city areas. This being said, the impact is not negligible and we have policies and procedures in place to ensure we can safeguard our students.

Helpful Resources
On our website, you will find a number of helpful resources that explain the guidelines that ISB has in place, the way our GAMS Air Monitor on campus works, and articles that discuss the specifics of particles and measurements in AQI readings, health impacts and the balance of physical activity versus prolonged exposure to Air Pollution.

Removal of the Air Visual App
This week we removed the Air Visual App because the reading is a misleading representation of the current conditions on campus and was causing confusion within the community when comparisons were made with our GAMS air quality monitor.

The desktop style Air Visual unit had to be installed in a location protected from the outdoor elements and covered.  This limited it’s access to the outdoor environment and shielded it from wind, rain, and sun.  Data provided to the public was a two-hour rolling average that only updated on the top of the hour. Importantly, the Air Visual monitor did not provide real-time data.

GAMS Unit and Placement
The GAMS unit, which we have placed by the 25m pool, is elevated to ensure accuracy. As explained by the GAMS team: “Proper outdoor PM2.5 monitoring needs to take into account several parameters to provide reliable data. One of this parameters is height of measurement. To avoid ground level dust and particles to impact the reliability of measurement, outdoor monitors are usually measuring between 3m and 7m from ground level.” Stefan Berder, CEO and Co-founder, GAMS.

Please refer to the information on our website for more information about the GAMS unit and our Air Quality Guidelines: https://www.isb.ac.th/about/safety-and-security/.

Updates to the ISB Air Quality Website
The ISB Air Quality website has also been updated to show a 1-hour average of PM2.5 and a 24 hour comparison to Sukhumvit. This will provide you with readily available and accurate information about the trends in the pollution levels in the local area.

A meeting for interested parents was held last Friday. Thank you to the parents that participated and offered your concerns and feedback. We will be hosting another open forum, with visiting experts, in February. The date will be announced soon.

We hope the information provided here will be helpful to you and address some key concerns. For any questions, please feel free to contact our Director of Risk Management, Mark Hevland.

Mark Hevland, Director of Risk Management
Dr Andrew Davies, Head of School

Join Andy Marshall and Matt Enders on Wednesday, February 20th at 7:00pm as they lead the first rehearsal of the 2019 Spring semester for the ISB Community Choir, Choral Union. We invite all past Choral Union singers, as well as any new singers. This semester’s concert will be in middle/end of May (TBA).  Interested? Click here to sign up! 

Contact:
Matt ENDERS
matte@isb.ac.th