mr. arcidiacono - igb international...

IGB International School’s Weekly Newsletter - Issue 108, Week 4, March 2017

Mr. Arcidiacono welcome the guests and introducing the artists ~ Diploma Art Exhibition | 23rd March 2017

Happening. + Saturday 25 March

~ International Day (8:30 am – 11:00 am)

+ Tuesday, 28 March ~ Francophonie Day 2017 @ HELP College of Arts & Technology (7:45 am – 5:00 pm)

+ Friday, 31 March ~ KLISS Secondary Swimming Competition @ KTJ (6:15 am – 3:00 pm) ~ ES Assembly (G2) @ L3 ES Music Classroom (8:00 am – 8:30 am)

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2

Elementary Art with Miss Elli and Miss Jade.

~ Pg. 3

Global Citizens. ~ Pg. 4

Visit from MRCEC Refugee School, Part 2.~ Pg. 5

G12 IBDP Mock Examinations are

Underway!. ~ Pg. 6

Performing Arts. ~ Pg. 7

The Flying Phoenix. ~ Pg. 8

Athletics and Activities. ~ Pg. 8

Friends of the Phoenix. ~ Pg. 9

Cafeteria Committee. ~ Pg. 9

E-Purse Update. ~ Pg. 9

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Inside This Week

Message from Head of SchoolMrs. Anne FowlesHead of School..............................................................News from Elementary SchoolMrs. Claire McLeodElementary School Principal..............................................................News from Secondary SchoolMr. Michael ArcidiaconoSecondary School Principal

2 Igniting Minds Impacting Lives

Message from Head of School

Dear IGBIS Parents and Community Members,

This week the IB Diploma Art Exhibition opened in the exhibition

space on Level 2. The evening was a signature event with

some of Malaysia’s best young musicians performing while

members of the IGBIS community browsed the outstanding

art works on display. A wide range of media were used by

the students in their culminating pieces to create an exciting

cross-section of contemporary art works.

This weekend, on Saturday, March 25th, IGBIS will hold its

third International Day. This will be an excellent opportunity

for our community to celebrate its diversity as well as areas of

connection. Please come along and join us on the school field

for the Parade of Nations at 8:30 am. Representatives of each

country have brought together a tapestry of food, information

and activities. Performances will take place concurrently in the

Sports Hall. It’s going to be a fun event that is not to be missed!

Mrs. Anne FowlesHead of School

News from Elementary School

Dear Parents,

On Thursday we had an evacuation drill for the whole school,

with Fireflies students participating for the first time. The

evacuation was orderly and students waited quietly as all

students, teachers, administration, support staff, parents and

visitors were accounted for.

Friday’s Elementary KLISS Athletics event here at school had

excellent planning and enthusiastic participants; however, the

weather was not cooperative and we had to cancel due to rain

and lightning. Positivity and bucket loads of encouragement

could not save the event! Thank you to Mr Tim Bartle, our PE

staff and support staff for the pre-planning and set up and to

the visiting coaches, students and parents for understanding

that safety has to take priority.

Don’t forget the Elementary Book Day is scheduled for next

Thursday and all students are expected to wear a costume

reflecting their favourite book.

Until next time.

Mrs. Claire McLeodElementary School Principal

Igniting Minds Impacting Lives 3

Eliane Lawson and Jade SabaElementary Student Council...............................................................................................

“Hello everyonefrom very

busy, messy and creativeart rooms!”

This busy time of year is when the art students are working on

finishing units, choosing artwork for their next portfolio page

and working out which artwork they would like to include in a

possible upcoming PYP Art exhibition.

The Early Years students have been inquiring into light -

looking at shadows, how light works with colour and observing

silhouettes. Kindergarten students have been working on

themselves, wondering why we painted portraits and how to

show that we are important in Art. Grade 1 students have

worked on a collaborative piece, wondering where and why we

move so much and how we can show movement using lines.

Grade 2 students explored texture and pattern, how they are

interlinked, and how Van Gogh was a master at this effect.

Grade 3 students were wowed by Pop Art and animation and

have discovered why movies like Shaun the Sheep are so

awe-inspiring. Grade 4 students have been playing hide and

seek with animals, exploring the work of Henri Rousseau and

working on observational drawing.

Finally, Grade 5 students have been workshopping discovering

statement and graffiti art; considering why ‘audience’ is

important to how we make art.

Well done to all the students who have worked so hard this

semester.

Elementary Art with Miss Elli and Miss Jade


News from Secondary School

The month of March is coming to a close in the same fashion

that it started - full speed with many events happening. Our

DP Art Exhibition was a wonderful event this past Thursday,

highlighting the creative talents of this year’s Grade 12 class.

As I look around the school, it is clear to me the impact that

art — and student-created art — has had on how our school

environment has developed over our first few years. I look

forward to seeing how art will continue to have an impact in

creating a school that is rich in culture.

IGBIS Board member Mr Tawfik Ismail spoke at the opening

of our MUN Conference last weekend, helping to set the

context for an engaging weekend where students researched,

debated and presented resolutions affecting nations and the

world. The conference was a tremendously successful event,

and I am thankful to Mr Tawfik Ismail for his words and to our

student MUN leaders for their tremendous organisation during

the three day event.

I look forward to seeing our community in action this weekend

at International Day.

Michael ArcidiaconoSecondary School Principal

Global Citizens

Phil ClarkMYP Coordinator...............................................................................................

As members of the IGB International School community,

we welcome students and families from a wide range of

nationalities and cultural backgrounds.

Our IGBIS mission is: “To provide an inclusive learning

community, embracing diversity by offering a challenging

IB education which empowers its members to be caring, global citizens.”

The IB mission states: “The International Baccalaureate aims

to develop inquiring, knowledgeable and caring young people

who help to create a better and more peaceful world through intercultural understanding and respect.”

Yet it seems that every time I read or watch the news these

days, I see stories of acts of terror, of fear and intolerance;

with countries becoming apparently more restrictive and less

inclusive, more nationally focused and less internationally

focused, more closed-minded and less open-minded. In such

times, it is particularly important that we remind ourselves of

these mission statements, and that we have all chosen to be

part of an international community.

This weekend we host our annual International Day, with

the theme “The Mosaic - Celebrating our Cultural Connections”. A mosaic is a picture that is made of many

different, smaller pieces, and is a perfect metaphor for our

IGBIS community. On International Day, every community

member will have the opportunity to contribute to the creation

of a large-scale collaborative art project, a mosaic that will

symbolise our IGBIS community.

International Day will start with a parade of nations to

acknowledge the many nationalities that are represented at

IGBIS. For some of us, it is easy to identify with a single culture

or nation where we have been born and raised. For others this

is more complex, if our parents are of different nationalities, or

we were born or have lived in different countries, or we simply

feel a connection to more than one country or culture. We

acknowledge that this is common in international schools, and

recognise this intercultural aspect of our community under a

“Global Citizens” flag.

As part of the service and action components in MYP and

DP, many of our students regularly work with our partner

schools to support migrant children by playing together and

teaching them English. This weekend, we extend a warm

welcome to some of these refugee students by inviting them

and their families to join us on International Day. One of our DP

students, Sumire, has also organised a book drive to collect

book donations for one of these schools.

A key goal for International Day is to celebrate the similarities

that connect the nations and cultures that are represented in

our IGBIS community, not just to see the differences. We thank

everybody who has spent a considerable amount of time

preparing for and organising International Day. We hope it is

a day filled with fun, where we enjoy spending time together,

getting to know each other a little better, and feeling proud to

be global citizens.


Nathalie ChotardService Coordinator...............................................................................................

As Ms Heys explained in last week’s newsletter, grade 6

and 7 ambassadors had planned a fun filled hour of play

and learning for their peers and the students from Myanmar

Refugee Children’s Education Center when they visited IGBIS

last week.

Today, I’d like to share comments from the students about this

learning experience.

Visit from MRCEC Refugee School, Part 2

From this activity. I have learnt from my buddy that he and I have many things in common, such as we both can speak Chinese and a little bit of Korean and that he likes BTS, a South Korean boy band. ~ Sophie

I took the risk because I am an English learner but I tried. ~ Mako

I was running the dodgeball game activity. Although the beginning was a little rushed and not perfect, the second section of time was much better and we got through it and by the looks of it, everyone had fun. ~ Charisse

My partner was 3 years old, and it made me think how being a refugee must’ve affected his life, especially at such a young age. When visiting these kids, i just have many thoughts in my mind, for example, how do they survive without their parents and, especially, how they cherish every single thing. ~ Venessa

It was a bit hard to communicate but I found it was easier to communicate with gestures and first showing her how to do things.~ Ruby

The collaboration with MRCEC is part of the school-organised

service opportunities for grade 6 and 7. But you might be

wondering what the students learnt. Find out by matching

each learning outcome with the relevant comment:

+ To work collaboratively with others.

+ To undertake challenges that develop new skills

+ To become more aware of strengths and areas for growth

+ To develop international mindedness through global

engagement, multilingualism and intercultural

understanding

+ To persevere in action

Check your answers on the next page!


G12 IBDP Mock Examinations are Underway!

Mary BoydDiploma Programme Coordinator...............................................................................................

Well done to our second cohort of DP students, who started

their mock examinations this week, the first being English for

everyone.

With the full experience of all DP examinations under their

belts by next Friday, our Grade 12 students should have a

very realistic idea of what they know and what they need to

concentrate on for improvement.

When the mock examinations are done, students will have a

full week to go through their papers with their teachers, before

the week-long break. Just under a fortnight after their return

from that, the real DP examinations will begin.

The first real DP examination, on Friday 28 April, will be

Business Management and the last examination, on Friday

19 May, will be French B. With this in mind, in two months

from now, all of our students will have completed their DP

examinations.

For the remainder of their mocks this week, we extend our

warmest wishes to all our Grade 12 students and their families

at this busy and important time.

To all the G12 DP Art students - Afifah, Anna, Yin Xzi, Zoe,

Jeffrey, Hayato and Yuto - and Ms Kelly, huge congratulations

on a magnificent DP art exhibition opening last night. So much

talent showcased beautifully, representing months of hard

work, years of imagination and oodles of potential was a joy

to see. Thank you too to all the fantastic G11 musicians for

adding that extra dimension to our senses. Well done all.

Answers:from the article “Visit from MRCEC Refugee School, Part 2”, Pg.5.

+ To work collaboratively with others ~ Sophie + To undertake challenges that develop new skills ~ Mako + To become more aware of strengths and areas for growth ~ Charise + To develop international-mindedness through global engagement,

multilingualism and intercultural understanding ~ Venessa + To persevere in action ~ Ruby


Performing Arts

Jon SuffolkPerforming Arts Teacher /IGBIS Instrumental Music Academy Program Coordinator...............................................................................................

Grade 10 Drama Shadow PuppetryGrade 10 Drama have been inquiring into different forms

of Asian Theatre. They completed a research presentation

comparing forms like Bunraku Puppetry from Japan, Wayang

Kulit Shadow Puppetry from Indonesia and Malaysia, Sanskrit

Theatre (Kuttiyatam) from India, and Noh Theatre from Japan.

They were then set the task of creating an original Shadow

Puppet show for a target audience. The two groups targeted

grades 4 and 5 as their audiences and went about making

the puppets, designing their stages, writing the scripts and

finally performing their shows. Interestingly, both groups chose

stories from other cultures and transferred their knowledge of

the shadow puppet form to a Greek Myth and a Norse Legend.

IGBIS Instrumental Music AcademySemester 2 has started off with students continuing to improve

and develop their skills on their chosen instruments under

the guidance of our excellent tutors. There have also been a

number of new registrations in the past week which is very

encouraging. For this reason we will be increasing the number

of concerts. The concerts will be moving to Drama Room 3-72

as this provides a more intimate performance space.

The dates for the End of Semester 2 Concerts have been set

for:

+ Tuesday 6th June Piano (Ms Iko), Drums (Mr Andy),

Strings (Ms Iko)

+ Wednesday 7th June Voice (Ms Irma)

+ Thursday 8th June Piano (Ms Wong) and Guitar (Mr Adil)

Each concert will commence at 2pm. I will send out invitations

to parents for the appropriate date for their child’s performance

closer to the time of the concerts.


Athletics and Activities

Scott NgataiActivities Director...............................................................................................

Today officially marks the end of another successful season

of athletics and activities*. Once again our students have

enjoyed a plethora of interesting activities that all contribute

to enriching their school experience at IGBIS. Our athletics

calendar has also been very busy with our secondary school

basketball teams, elementary school football teams, swim

squads and ultimate frisbee team all taking part in sporting

competitions over the past nine weeks. Huge thanks are owed

to the amazing staff team at IGBIS for their contribution as

activity supervisors and coaches.

Students and parents will be able to make selections for

Season 3 when the sign-up period begins on Monday 27th

March. Please use the “Activities” button on the school Splash

page to register for Season 3 athletics and activities. The

registration period will close on Wednesday 5th April. Please

complete the form during this time as late submission may

lead to students missing out on activities.

*Please note - some paid activities will still run next week due to cancelled sessions throughout the season.

The Flying Phoenix

Tim BartleAthletics Director...............................................................................................

In preparation for the KLISS Secondary School Swimming

Championships, we hosted HELP International School for a

swim friendly on Monday. Our students performed well and

are looking forward to hosting Nexus International School this

coming Monday.

On Wednesday the Under 9 boys football team travelled to

Tenby International School for their season finale. They signed

off on a great season, winning 7-5 in a high scoring thriller!

Go Phoenix!


Cafeteria Committee

Julie Chen ArcidiaconoCommunity Support & Services Coordinator...............................................................................................

Cafeteria Committee UpdateThe IGBIS Cafeteria Committee is comprised of a representing

member of each segment of our community - staff, students,

caterers and parents - who has been meeting regularly to

discuss improvements in relation to the schools’ cafeterias.

Some of the changes that have already been implemented

since the committee was created:

- 50% reduction of sugar content in pastries

- Removal of carbonated drinks for sale

- Menu changes: increased variety of fruit and desserts for

elementary school (homemade cake approximately two

times a week), introduction of a wider variety of noodle

dishes.

As of April, these are the improvements that will be

implemented:

- Substitution of drinks in secondary school cafeteria: only

100% juices with no added sugar, milk and coconut water

will be available for sale. Iced water will also be available.

- Display signs for daily dishes communicating their health

and nutritional aspects.

- Signs in both cafeterias informing students that second

‘helpings’ are available free-of-charge.

- Suggestion/comment boxes placed in elementary school

and secondary school cafeterias for students and teachers

to provide feedback, which will be collected and reported

back to this committee weekly for immediate action.

- Introduction of a wider range of healthier desserts and

pastries.

At the request of the Cafeteria Committee, the school will

conduct a student survey to assess the quality and variety of

food being served.

Please contact Gabe Evans with any suggestions, questions

or concerns related to the cafeteria (gabriel.evans@igbis.

edu.my). As well as promptly addressing queries, Gabe will

bring relevant comments to the monthly Cafeteria Committee

meetings.

Please remember to top up your children’s access/swipe card

regularly.

E-Purse Update

Dear Parents,

Starting Monday, 27th March we will send you regular

notifications on your child’s e-purse balance. Whenever your

child’s e-purse reaches a minimum of RM30, you will receive

an email notification to your parent email account to please top

up. Thank you for your attention in this matter.

~Finance Office

Alumnus

Seongjin Bien (Class of 2016)

Knoops Park, Bremen

“Jacobs University Rocks!”

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