ISB is actively assessing and addressing concerns about Air Quality in Bangkok and at ISB. We remain in regular contact with air quality experts, colleagues at other schools, equipment providers, and ISB community members.

In the past weeks we have taken some additional measures to help us better understand the air quality situation:

Readings on campus

• We have purchased a number of indoor air quality monitors so we can accurately measure and track the indoor air quality in classrooms and buildings. This testing will allow us to gauge the indoor air quality and enable us to compare indoor air quality to outdoor air quality
• We continue to work closely with our Air Quality Monitor provider to ensure we increase data analytics and continue to collect reliable data on campus

Next Steps

• The indoor air quality data will help us make informed decisions going forward on how to best ensure that our students and community are in the healthiest environments possible.

We will keep the ISB community updated with further developments.

We hope that you are able to join our seminar on Bangkok Air Quality (Wednesday 13th February at 6:30pm in the MPB) which will provide insightful expert information on the topic of air quality, and specifically, the situation in Bangkok. The seminar will help us gain a better understanding of our context and inform future actions.

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. We’re still urgently looking for more families to host our delegates. 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)

Please help support our High School Service Clubs by advertising in next years “ISB MINI” calendar! The High School Service Fun Club, is a service club that provides funding to other ISB clubs through the provision of interest-free loans and grants. Their revenue comes from sponsorships of local businesses, who advertise in mini ISB calendars that we produce and distribute every year.

This year, they are looking to expand the number of businesses who sponsor or advertise in the calendar by reaching out to our ISB parents who may have home-based business and would like to advertise in the ISB mini calendar.

If you would like to help support some of the great work our students are doing and promote your business please contact Sajid Omar FAROOK, HS Student
18945@students.isb.ac.th for more information.

Contact:
Sajid Omar FAROOK, HS Student
18945@students.isb.ac.th

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 last month that His Majesty’s Coronation Ceremonies will take place on May 4-6, 2019. This means that ISB will be closed on Monday 6th May. (Please note that IB exams scheduled for this day will still take place).

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

We’ll have overflowing raffle tables and gorgeous country baskets ready for bidding – and you’ll love how easy it is to enter with your wristband!

With SO many countries represented at ISB, you’ll get to taste your way around the world! See some of the amazing menu options here!

Get your wristbands now!

Sales Thursday and Friday are 7-8 in front of ES. Students are welcome to stop by and get their bracelets if parents want to trust them with some cash for top ups. After 8 the bracelets are sold in the PTA Welcome Lounge for the rest of the day and in the HS cafeteria during HS lunch.

“We had a few kids happily buying themselves this morning and they are proudly wearing the bracelets as a fashion item. They can slap it on and shower with it, it’ll still be good to use on Saturday!”

Want to be a part of the MOST EXCITING school-wide event OF THE YEAR?

Our Raffle at IFF this year is poised to be one of the best ever! Lots of great prizes! Hotel stays, sporting events tickets, electronics, restaurant vouchers, and much more! Raffle pre-sales are already underway! To purchase your tickets, get in touch with your country rep or contact Natalie Cox at lollbackng@gmail.com  For more information on IFF in general reach out to Marla Groves at pta-iff@isb.ac.th

Thank you!
Marla Groves, Second VP IFF

Please join the 163 IASAS Art, Dance, Drama, Tech, and Film Delegates, ISB hosting of the 2019 ADDTF Cultural Convention February 28 through March 2. Come see the seventeen drama, dance, and film presentations throughout the convention as well as the Visual Art Exhibition featuring 150 pieces of student artwork on display. More information can be found at the event website HERE including a detailed schedule. Hope to see you there but if you are unable to make it, please tune into the live streamed ISB presentations on Thursday, February 28 starting at 1:00pm and for the Visual Art Exhibition Opening again at 5:00pm.  Enjoy!

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

From time to time parents have questions or concerns about their child’s learning or progress at school. Please know that at ISB we are all here to help and our team has a range of expertise as teachers, as counselors, as school psychologists and as administrators.

When a concern does arise, we ask that you reach out to us as soon as you can. There is no need to wait for parent conferences. Start with an email if necessary and set up an appointment to come in and talk to someone.

We always recommend working directly with the ISB adult most connected with your child or the area about which you have a concern.

If you have a question or concern about your child’s learning or anything classroom related, please contact the teacher(s) directly. Our teachers will be happy to meet with you, speak on the phone, or communicate by email. Teachers know your children the best and since they work most closely with your children they speak from a position of knowledge and can address any issues as soon as they arise. It also helps them know if your child has concerns they aren’t sharing. Our teachers welcome the opportunity to talk to you about  any concerns you may have. Teachers and parents alike, want students to be learning and successful.

If you have a broader concern about your child’s learning in general, or their social or emotional well-being, please contact your child’s counselor directly. Counselors are skilled at working with students to overcome challenges they may be facing, helping provide them with a listening ear and strategies to get started or make small steps. When conflicts arise between students, counselors can often work with children to find solutions to  the situation and help students feel heard and cared for. Counselors can also support academic struggles by contacting teachers and getting a bigger picture of a student’s learning experience. Counselors help students develop self-advocacy skills. Students are encouraged to see their counselor when something is bothering them. Parents may wish to contact the counselor if they have concerns about their child’s wider experience at school.

If you have a concern about the academic program, disciplinary issues, or your child’s safety, please contact one of the school division administrators. Administrators oversee the broader school curricular program, as well as handle all safety concerns and some student behavioral issues. When these issues arise, contact a school administrator right away

If you feel that a concern has not been sufficiently addressed, please approach a counselor or administrator, who will help direct you to the right person to address your concern or help facilitate a solution.

Debi CASKEY, Deputy Head of School for Learning
debic@isb.ac.th

The next “First Friday with Andy” will take place on Friday 1st March 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

Dear ISB Community, 

NBBL Community Basketball registrations remain open for one more week with the late registration fee waived for those who sign up prior to Wednesday March 6.

The North Bangkok Basketball League (NBBL) runs at ISB from February 24 – May 18 with players coached by the professional coaching team at Top Flight Basketball Co. All information about the league can be viewed on the ISB website at Community Activities  – Basketball (NBBL).

ISB is also offering a reduced rate of 5,000 Baht to Minis (Pre K and Kindergarten). Those pre-registered will be sent a refund for the difference.

Please contact Kevin Sypolt if you have any questions – ksypolt@gmail.com

Elementary Art welcomes you to our annual March Expo: “A Celebration of Learning.” The work on display will be in clay, collage, construction, sculpture, pastels, paint, printmaking, and more!

Every K-5 artist is exhibiting and looking forward to sharing their wonderful work. The Student Led Conferences on March 7 & 8 will be a wonderful opportunity for your child to show you their work and discuss the learning involved to create it!  The artwork will be displayed in the Chevron Theatre Foyer (grade 2-5), ES Office (Grade K), and the Central Administration Office (Grade 1). We hope you can make it.

Over the past few weeks, ISB has been monitoring the air quality  on campus through our outdoor pollutant sensor, as well as testing the indoor air quality in a number of learning spaces.

Outdoor Monitor
There were questions raised about why we were seeing variations in readings between different monitors. To ensure that our readings are valid and reliable, we worked with Stefan Berder from GAMS and Charlie Thomson from Environment Assured to account for these differences.

Firstly we would like to mention that the data on our website comparing ISB with Sukhumvit is based on the readings from similar model monitors which allows us to make reliable comparisons. Since we started collecting this data, we see that the PM2.5 in Nichada Thani is consistently lower than in downtown Bangkok.

With regards to the differences in readings between our outdoor monitor and other common monitors there is an expected difference in measurements due to the technology used and expected reliability of the units.  The outdoor air monitor located on our campus is a quality device and is expected to be reliable. This device has been benchmarked with five other monitoring devices and while the data is comparable, we have found that high humidity levels could have an impact on our readings. Going into the warm season, we want to be absolutely sure that we have the best equipment on the market and with guidance from GAMS, have therefore decided to purchase a Thermo Fisher 1500 ADR sensor.  Similarly to our existing monitor, it is self contained and designed to be outdoors and exposed to the elements. However, it is designed to be more robust in Thailand’s extreme weather conditions.

Elevation of the Outdoor Monitor
In regard to the placement of the monitors on our campus, there was only a minimal difference between PM2.5 readings when placed in lower, key traffic areas and in the elevated location. The elevated location, however, will reduce the possibility of unrelated contamination impacting the reading and the device. It is also protected from interference with network and power connections. The experts reaffirmed that the current location is the most suitable placement for our purpose of making activity-related decisions

Indoor Air Quality Testing
We currently have 8 individual air quality sensors distributed in many indoor areas in the school.  Each unit is capturing PM2.5, PM10, CO2, TVOC, temperature and humidity levels 24/7. The data is being compared to data collected by our outdoor monitor in order to determine reduction rates (how much lower it is inside in comparison to what it is outside) and to identify any unexpected changes that occur in our learning spaces over the course of a day.

Thus far, we have been able to see that PM 2.5 levels in classrooms are, on average, 40% lower than outdoors. Please keep in mind that this varies by learning space and we have only been testing for two weeks. The testing thus far has shown that PM2.5 levels vary between 3.2 and 16, few of these being over 10. Of course, PM2.5 levels outdoors have been lower than they were in previous months but our testing at this time is helping us to assess the next action to take in ensuring PM2.5 levels remain continually low in our learning spaces throughout the year.

Indoor Air Purification Testing
As we are measuring air quality in our classrooms, we are also testing different types of in-room air purifiers. As expected, these units are showing detectable, yet minimal reductions. Major factors that are affecting these results are the large sizes of our classrooms, most of which are an average of 60-65 square meters, and students moving in and out of the classrooms multiple times during the day. Therefore in order for us to make significant improvements to the indoor air quality, we are going to evaluate alternative methods such as positive pressure systems. These systems filter outside air and blow it directly into the indoor space. Besides offering lower particle counts because of filtration, they are also meant to lower CO2 and provide a generally better air quality. The positive pressure ensures that the risk of unfiltered outside air entering the room is limited which will keep the air quality stable.  We will be working with Environment Assured to test these systems in the next few weeks.

Spaces Ready to Go
ISB already has a number of spaces with positive pressure systems. These include:

Rajendra Gym
Elementary Indoor Gym
ES Hub and the Middle School/High School Library
Cultural Center
MPB 1, 2 and 3

We are currently working with the system providers to modify the air handling units so that we can improve their filtration capacity.

ISB Air Quality Seminar
On February 13th, ISB hosted an Air Quality Seminar, inviting varied speakers and experts to share information on the current situation in Greater Bangkok. Thank you to those that attended and sent questions during and prior to the event. The questions and answers are being added to our FAQ section on the website. Should you have missed the event, you can watch the video recordings, which will be live on our website on by Monday here.

We want to thank our community for your continued input, shared resources and expertise that have allowed us to address this key concern and plan for even greater improvements in the future that will benefit our students and community.

March 13th, 6:30 – 8:00pm

Please join this student and parent session on Cyber Security, which will be presented by the U.S. Embassy Bangkok at ISB. 

It will be based on the STOP. THINK. CONNECT. campaign put out by the US Department of Homeland Security. More information will be provided next week.

Date:
March 13th
Time:
6:30pm – 7:00pm Kids Presentation
7:00pm – 7:30pm Parents Presentation
Venue:
Literary Lounge, Middle School/High School Library

Some key topics covered will be on mobile phones, video games, and social media.

Panther Paws Track and Field is back by popular demand.

One of our favorite Community Activities, Panther Paws opens for registration today, March 1, 2019.

There is a maximum of 160 openings, so please register quickly as places will fill quickly on a first come first serve basis.

For more information and registration, please visit the webpage.

Panther Paws Track and Field is open to any child (ISB and non-ISB), Pre-K through Grade 5.

The meets will take place on Fridays  – April 26 and May 3, 10 and 24 from 5 – 6:30pm for Pre K  – 2 and 5 – 7pm for Grades 3 – 5.

(Participants must have turned 4 before September 1, 2018)

On May 24, the meet will culminate with a tug-of-war and BBQ (German sausage and lemonade) for each participant. Additional BBQ meals can be purchased for family members upon registration.

Cost – THB 1,100 which includes a t-shirt and BBQ.

As this is a community run activity, parents (not helpers) are asked to volunteer for each session.

For more information, please see the Panther Paws webpage or contact the Panther Paws team on cao.pantherpaws@isb.ac.th

We are pleased to be trialling a shuttle service between ISB and downtown for our parents. On account of feedback received through the PTA from our parent community in town, we have chosen times which seem to work for the majority and one central stop of Emporium Suites, near the Phrom Phong BTS.

We will be assessing the frequency of use and also the convenience of the times over the next month, to determine the viability of this service.

At this stage, we are using a 13-seater van, as we do not anticipate great numbers at this stage. There is no need to book, you can simply meet at the ISB Panther, or the Emporium Suites Lobby 5 minutes before the van departure time to join the shuttle.

Should you have any questions or suggestions, please feel free to email shelleyb@isb.ac.th.

Monday – Saturday (exclude public holidays, Professional days-no school for students)

ISB To Emporium Suites  6.00am
Emporium Suites to ISB  8.00am
ISB To Emporium suites  2.00pm
Emporium Suites to ISB  4.00pm