IGBIS Newsletter, Issue 217
Message from HoS
Dear Parents, Guardians and Community,
Now that school has commenced again after the lunar new year break, we like to give you an update on health and safety at IGBIS
Thank you for promptly completing the travel record that was sent out to the community last week. By Monday morning we knew the movements of all of our students, staff and outsourced workers. Consequently, there has been a small number that has been observing the home quarantine but everyone else has come into school. The temperature checking has taken place without any issues and has allowed us to monitor all students, staff, parents and visitors to make sure that everyone stays healthy when in school premises. We are happy to announce that we have not had anyone recording a high temperature or in need of medical attention thus far and that school is still going on as usual.
We realise that our safety precautions may have inconvenienced you. However, while education is our primary focus, the health and safety of each student remain a top priority.
We will continue with our safety precautions next week, therefore, temperature checks, deep cleaning, air purifying, checking on the travel plans of our community members and other procedures will take place until we know that the Novel Coronavirus is no longer a threat. We will update parents and guardians by email on a regular basis. So, please do check your emails to be updated on the latest situation at the school. Should there be any change at short notice, the SMS service will be used to send out an alert.
Thank you again for your tolerance and your support of the school as we all work together to keep our community safe and healthy.
UWC
After I was in London attending the recruitment fair, I went to visit the first UWC to open its doors in Cardiff Wales to gain a further impression of a UWC college and to meet with leadership, admissions, boarding parents, and staff overseeing service. I learnt a lot from the visit including the important part that the UWC National Committees play in student recruitment and the range of service activities that students are engaged in. UWC Atlantic is in a unique setting in Saint Donat’s castle with the sea on the edge of the campus.
We were very pleased to welcome Julian Whiteley (former head of UWCSEA and UWCT) to visit our school and talk to us all about the benefits of joining the UWC movement and the steps the school would need to take for this process to be successful. Along the way, Julian met with our staff, parents, students, leadership and board. He has gained a very favourable impression of the school and has left us with many suggestions for us to work on.
Alumni Dinner in London
I was absolutely delighted to meet more than twenty of our alumni at the Phoenix Dinner in London before the lunar new year holiday. What an extraordinary group of young people they are and a huge credit to our school and their parents. They are poised, confident and balanced individuals, capably facing the challenges of university and life outside of Malaysia and the family home – though they all missed their mother’s cooking and their favourite restaurants in KL!
It was wonderful to see that they all keep in touch with each other and the school and we hope that this will continue in the future with our annual alumni dinners.
From the Elementary Principal
Simon Millward, Elementary School Principal
Our first week back after the holiday has certainly been an interesting one with the school taking precautions to ensure our community is safe from the coronavirus. We are all concerned and we want to make sure everyone is aware of what they need to be doing to remain safe. It is heartening to know that since we have been conducting temperature checks, no one has been sent home for having a fever.
The students have been fantastic and have responded in responsible ways making sure that they are washing their hands thoroughly with soap and water, as well as using hand sanitiser. They are also ensuring that they are not touching their faces with their hands and covering their mouths/noses if they sneeze or cough (although few students have been sneezing or coughing).
I recently read an interesting piece online and I think it is worth sharing.
“People get sick, but please don’t isolate Chinese people or anyone who is connected to China. You shouldn’t discriminate against the patients (they don’t want to be sick either). If you do discriminate, this behaviour may make those patients feel ashamed of themselves, so as to hide the illness, and reject protecting others. We are against the virus, not the Chinese. The more emergencies that arise, the more there is a need for calm, humanity and unity”.
On Wednesday our staff hosted other teachers from KL and beyond who teach the PYP. This was a great opportunity to network and many of our staff facilitated these valuable professional sharing and dialogue sessions. A big thanks to all of those teachers for their commitment and willingness to showcase and share what we do at IGBIS.
The students have continued with their learning this week, the older students having trial tests to prepare them for the upcoming ISA tests next week. The younger students have been engaged with a variety of learning engagements, with the grade 1 students delving deeper into simple machines and the grade 3 students continuing their exploration into art.
Dates for your diaries
- Monday 10th – Wednesday 12th Feb: ISA assessments G3 – G10
- Monday 17th – Wednesday 19th Feb: G4 Camp
- Wednesday 19th – Friday 21st Feb: G5 Camp
- Thursday 20th- G3 Art Exhibition
From the Secondary School Principal
Michael Arcidiacono, Secondary School Principal
Dear parents/guardians,
The secondary school began the period after the Lunar New Year holiday with a very busy first week of school. On Wednesday a wonderful Grade 8 Community Project took place, as over 20 students headed to the Kuala Selangor Nature Park for a day of planting and tending to the Mangrove forest, on World Wetlands Day. The trip was very well organized and students (and teachers) got their hands dirty during a busy day of hard work. Several other Grade 8 groups announced their service projects as well during our Student Council assembly on Friday. Following on from our successful Service Day in January and coupled with Ms Chotard’s workshop on CAS, we continue to strengthen our focus on service as a critical element of our school mission, and in our belief that we all benefit when we are actively involved in serving those around us.
Next week will be equally busy beginning with our MYP students take part in the ACER ISA testing on Monday and Wednesday. We continue to attract universities to our campus to meet our students. Next week we are fortunate to host Cambridge University on Monday and a Canadian University Fair on Thursday, February 13th. Last but certainly not least, next week will also see the beginning of sporting fixtures, as our teams for semester two get their training and matches underway.
Enjoy your weekend!
PVO News
Julie Arcidiacono, Community Support and Services Coordinator
International Day Logistics Briefing
Looking forward to meeting with booth representatives on Monday, 10 February at 8:00 am in the PVO Room. Below is the updated list of countries/regions with a booth during the event. There should be at least one representative per booth attending this briefing. If you cannot attend, please email julie.arcidiacono@igbis.edu.my and information will be sent via email.
| Australia | Japan |
| Bangladesh | Malaysia |
| Brazil | Mexico |
| Canada | New Zealand |
| China | Poland |
| Cuba | South Korea |
| Denmark | Spain |
| Germany | Sri Lanka |
| Global Citizens | Switzerland |
| Hong Kong | United Kingdom |
| India | USA |
| Ireland | Venezuela |
| Italy | Vietnam |
February Parent Workshops
- 11, 20, 27 Community Choir
- 14, 17, 25, 26 Community Music Band
- 12 Moving towards Zero Waste living
- 18 DP/CP/HSD Options Fair (G10 parents)
- 21 Raising Global Citizens***
- Thursdays Unleash your Creativity through Drawing and Painting techniques
March Parent Workshops
- 2 Community Choir
- 3 Extended Essay (G9, 10, 11 parents)
- 5, 6 Community Music Band
- 11 Literacy
- 31 Learner Agency – Voice, Choice, Ownership***
- Thursdays Unleash your Creativity through Drawing and Painting techniques
April Parent Workshops
- 1 What is the IB Philosophy and How Does This Impact My Child? (G9, 10, 11 parents)
- 20 Autism Awareness
- Thursdays Unleash your Creativity through Drawing and Painting techniques
May Parent Workshops
- 18 General Introduction of IGBIS Curriculum and IGBIS Life (Mandarin-speaking parents)
- Thursdays Unleash your Creativity through Drawing and Painting techniques
June Parent Workshops
College Counselling News
Bill Mitchell, Secondary School Counsellor
IGBIS Events
The University of Cambridge visits IGB
Ms Claire Canning, the Deputy Student Recruitment Manager (International) from the Cambridge Admissions Office will be visiting IGB in February. She will be giving a presentation to families and students to answer their questions about their prestigious university.
- Date: Monday, February 10, 2020
- Time: 12:50-2:00pm
- Venue: 6th Floor Multipurpose Room
For the purposes of planning this event, please RSVP and let us know if you will be attending by answering this survey/form.
Upcoming University visits. Parents and students are encouraged to attend!!
- WEDNESDAY February 13 @ 9:00-10:00 (DP Lounge, 6th Floor)
- Think Education – Canadian University Fair
A dozen universities will be visiting IGB on this day, supported by the High Commission of Canada. A confirmed list of participants will be available closer to the date.
- WEDNESDAY March 4 @ 9:30 – 10:00 (Secondary Library, 6th Floor)
- University Visit: Carleton University (CANADA)
Carleton University is located in Canada’s capital city of Ottawa. The university provides an excellent education and experience to its more than 24,000 full- and part-time students at the undergraduate and graduate levels. Its more than 875 academic staff are recognized internationally for their scholarship and cutting-edge research in more than 50 disciplines.
- THURSDAY March 19 @ 9:30 (Secondary Library, 6th Floor)
- University Visit: University of Westminster – UK
The University of Westminster is a public research university based in London, United Kingdom. Founded in 1838 as the Royal Polytechnic Institution, it is one of Britain’s oldest higher education institutions and was the first polytechnic to open in the UK.
https://www.westminster.ac.uk/
- FRIDAY March 20 @ 9:00 (Multi Purpose Room, 6th Floor)
- AEO University Fair (USA)
AEO Tours will once again be visiting us and always bring a diverse representation of universities in the United States. When universities have been confirmed, they will be shared. Look forward to seeing you there!
https://www.aeotour.com/home.html
Follow the Secondary Calendar or see the College Counselling Events calendar for future visits and events.
Kuala Lumpur Events
WORKSHOP ON “THE LIFE SCIENCES FOR BEGINNERS”
- Date: 18 March 2020 (Wednesday)
- Time: 8:30 am – 5:00 pm
- Venue: Anatomy Laboratory, Perdana University, Serdang, Selangor
- Fees: RM 450 (HRDF claimable)
About the workshop
Is biology your favourite subject? Are you continuously curious about how biology works at the molecular level? Or perhaps considering a career as a life scientist? Join Workshop on “The Life Sciences for Beginners”! The workshop is designed to facilitate the learning and retention of basic principles of molecular biology including DNA extraction procedure. This activity also provides in-depth explanations about how restriction enzymes cut DNA and how electrophoresis is used to separate and visualize DNA fragments.
Who should attend?
This workshop is intended for high school students, primary school students, school teachers, academics, and researchers.
REGISTER NOW. SEATS ARE LIMITED TO ONLY 25 PARTICIPANTS!
+603 – 8941 8646 Ms Illya or Ms Nadea
Email: conference_secretariat@perdanauniversity.edu.my
DEADLINE FOR REGISTRATION: 4 FEBRUARY 2020
University of Cambridge visits KL
University of Cambridge will be running a couple of public information sessions – at Sunway College on Friday 7 February and at The Alice Smith School on Tuesday 11 February. Thank you to both schools for hosting.
Please pass on the information to any interested students and ask them to sign up to either session –all of the venue and timing information is available through the registration link. Parents and counsellors are welcome to attend as well.
Registration for Sunway College
Finally I will also be holding a Postgraduate information evening on Tuesday 11 February. Please pass this information to anyone who may be interested in finding out more about Postgraduate study at Cambridge.
Claire Canning
Deputy Student Recruitment Manager (International)
Cambridge Admissions Office, University of Cambridge, Student Service Centre, New Museums Site, Cambridge CB2 3PT
Study In France
The Malaysia-France University Centre (MFUC) is organising a talk on “Study in France” on :
- Date: Wednesday 12th February 2020
- Time: from 2:00pm to 4:00pm
- Venue: French School of Kuala Lumpur (LFKL)
- Address: Lycée Français de Kuala Lumpur, 34, Jalan Dutamas Raya 51200 Kuala Lumpur
As an international school, you are kindly invited to join the talk with your students who might consider France as a study destination. This talk is a good opportunity for secondary school students to find out more about the study opportunities in France. In France, there are more than 3,500 public and private institutes of higher education. Universities, Engineering Schools, Business Schools, Grandes Ecoles, and schools of art or architecture: there is a wide choice for students who want to study in France!
Everyone who has a high school diploma or equivalent can enrol in first year. Science, literature, languages, arts, humanities, medicine and sport: university programmes cover all of the areas of higher education and research!
Tentative programme of the event:
- 2:00pm – 2:15pm : Arrival and registration
- 2:15pm – 2:45pm : Presentation on Study in France, by the representative of Campus France in Malaysia.
- 2:45pm – 3:15pm : Presentation of undergraduate programmes by French higher education institutions (+programmes taught in English)
- 3:15pm – 3:45pm : Sharing session from Alumni who graduated from French higher education.
- 3:45pm – 4:00pm : Q&A session.
We would be grateful if you could RSVP to me (helene@mfuc.org) before 4th February 2020 by informing us the number of students from your school who will join this event. Students’ parents are also welcome to join this event.
Requirements for the Study in France Talk :
- 10 students maximum per international school.
- Age of secondary school students should be between 14-17 year old.
EVERY TUESDAY AND THURSDAY U.S. University Advising: EducationUSA Advisers provide comprehensive U.S. university advising Register Here
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