Volume 1, AugustâOctober 2011 - International School Bangkok
Volume 1, AugustâOctober 2011 - International School Bangkok
Volume 1, AugustâOctober 2011 - International School Bangkok
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A publication by the Parent Teacher Auxiliary of the <strong>International</strong> <strong>School</strong> <strong>Bangkok</strong>.<strong>Volume</strong> 1, August—October <strong>2011</strong>
<strong>Volume</strong> 1, August—October <strong>2011</strong>They say, “It takes a village to raise a child”. Isn’t that the truth? I feel fortunate to be a part of such a wonderful community atISB. To all the new families I would like to wish you a warm welcome to our ISB “village”. And to all the returning families,welcome back! This year is the 60 th anniversary of our school and it is indeed historic with a record number of new familiesjoining us. Throughout the year there will be many opportunities for our children to learn about the history of our school, in ameaningful way…through music, through pictures, through culture and through celebrations.For those of you that are new to ISB, I encourage you to get involved. We are fortunate to have a leadership team at ISB thatwelcomes and embraces a culture of parent involvement. There are so many ways to get involved, from being a room parent, tohelping with college fairs, to selling popcorn or selling ISB items at the Booster Hut, to helping with middle school socials. Youcan get involved in small ways or big ways…really it is up to you. But being involved can make all the difference, especially if youare living far away from family. It offers you an opportunity to contribute to your children’s learning and experiences and, evenmore importantly, it is a way to meet people and to build your support network. The friends you make living overseas become asurrogate family and the support network needed to live happy and fulfilling lives. Some say that the friendships you makeoverseas are the strongest you’ll ever have because of this “expat” bond you share. I have to agree. And I am so happy that mychildren are being raised in this ISB “village”!I look forward to sharing a great year ahead with all of you.Best Regards,Darcy EidPTA PresidentPage 3Last year the PTA Executive Board brought parents up to date with the PTA’s financial position andspending each quarter. In addition to the donations we summarized in previous Touchstone” editions,the PTA provided funding for 3 new projects before school ended in June <strong>2011</strong>.They were: Ipads for Pre-K and KG – THB 100,000 Kindles for the MS & HS library – THB 75,000 BBSA – Lights for Field B – THB 100,000Our total spend towards donations last year stood at THB 812,022. It is the PTA Board’s intention to have available funding forsponsored school projects up to the value of 1 million THB again this year.As of the beginning of September, the PTA had THB 1.1 million in available cash. The budget for the <strong>2011</strong>-2012 school year waspresented in October at the PTA General meeting. We will publish the details in the next “Touchstone” issue.We can report that our main sources of income for this year will be: <strong>International</strong> Food Fair Adult Education classes Mini Calendar Sales and Sponsorship MS Dance Fees Popcorn and Hot Dog SalesWe are projecting an income of just over THB 2 million. Please come and support these events when you can!PTA donations are made after requests are presented to the PTA Board and due consideration given. The ideas for projects thatwill benefit learning at ISB come from parents, students and teachers. For further information on how to request funding or if youhave any other questions relating to PTA finances please contact any PTA board member or send an email to: pta@isb.ac.thHeather PowellPTA Treasurer
<strong>Volume</strong> 1, August—October <strong>2011</strong>What are Community Activities?Community Activities are those activities that are run and operatedby members of the ISB Community for the ISB Community. Volunteerswho give their time in order to offer activities to the ISB Communityrun most of the Activities on offer. These activities carry afee; this fee is used to cover the cost of running the activity, includingpayment to instructors. For example, if your child takes guitarlessons, your fee will go towards paying the guitar instructors fees.Some activities run year long, some semester long and others arebased on a 2-3 month season.What does the Community Activities Office (CAO) do and why?WHAT…The CAO provides assistance and support to the CommunityActivities. This includes handling registration, payments, bookingof facilities, general finances, payroll, handling of accounts, andbeing a central location for parents and kids to get informationregarding their activities.WHY…Running a community activity is a huge task. The CAO ishere to take some of the burden off the volunteers who run theactivities. We are here to enable volunteers to focus on running aquality activity and not having to worry about some of the moremundane tasks involved.Another function of the CAO is to bring cohesiveness to all theorganizations by streamlining and standardizing some of the processesthat they use.WHO Works in the CAO?Justin Wah is the CAO coordinator. He has over 10 years experienceas an Athletic Director and Physical Education teacher, andarrives here after spending the last 5 years working in Rotterdam,The Netherlands.Page 6PTA Food Committee members’ first day offood tasting was conducted on the cafeteria’skitchen floor. Not really, but we got yourattention! We were so pleased with the cleanlinessand organization of the kitchens. Fourmembers conducted a kitchen inspection andoverall, rating was 9 out of 10. Epicure’s lastHealth Inspection was performed in May <strong>2011</strong>where they received the highest score of 88.This is a huge improvement from past years.Our first day of food tasting was performed atboth cafeterias. Overall, the first day’s resultswere satisfactory. If you would like to find outmore information, please feel free to contactNancy Tang at: mihwatang@yahoo.comKun Fon is the CAO Secretary. She also has extensive experience inthe education field, which includes working as an education counselorand a coordinator for after school programs at asmaller <strong>International</strong> <strong>School</strong> in <strong>Bangkok</strong>. Between thetwo of them they run the CAO.What’s the difference between Community Activities and ISBAthletics?The Community activities operate within the ISB community. Inother words, the BYS (<strong>Bangkok</strong> Youth Soccer) doesn’t go and playagainst other schools. Kids from ISB sign up and then are separatedinto teams. These teams will then play a season of gamesagainst each other.ISB Athletics teams are made up of ISB students; these teams willplay games and tournaments against other schools in <strong>Bangkok</strong> andSoutheast Asia region. ISB Athletics competes in two differentconferences: IASAS and BISAC. IASAS consists of other schools inthe Southeast Asia region, BISAC consists of schools in the <strong>Bangkok</strong>area.However, there are a few Community Activities who also representISB against other schools. These activities are Gymnastics, PantherSwim Team, Panther Tennis and BBSA. The ISB Athletics teams willdraw from these Activities to compete against other schools.What about Elementary After <strong>School</strong> Activities, Middle <strong>School</strong>After <strong>School</strong> Activities, and High <strong>School</strong> Clubs/Activities?These activities are separate from Community Activities and ISBAthletics. They are offered on a semester-to-semester basis andcan change from year to year depending on who is available andwilling to offer the activities. These activities normally run directlyafter school. In the middle school and high school teachers sponsorclubs and activities, and there is no participation fee. In theelementary school, activities may be run by teachers or outsideorganizations and there is a cost normally associated with takingthe activity.ISB PROUDLY PRESENTSJULIA SIMENS, AUTHOR OF"EMOTIONAL RESILIENCE AND THE EXPAT CHILD"Wednesday, November 10 at 8:00 a.m. in MPB 1For every parent with expat childrenTips to help strengthen global familiesDon't miss this opportunity to hear Julia speak about giving your child whathe/she needs to understand and express today in order to grow into a caring,emotional intelligent adult tomorrow.Questions about the presentation? - letsafrica@yahoo.com
<strong>Volume</strong> 1, August—October <strong>2011</strong>The Panther Swim Team is off to another great start!! Thissemester, we have made some squad structure changes that webelieve will benefit all swimmers. In order for the team to do this,we have added two highly qualified coaches to the team – AmyLobner and Khun Golf. The addition of these two coaches allowedthe team to reduce squad sizes and improve the coach to swimmerratio, while still keeping the team open to a larger number ofswimmers—a record 158 students this semester!We hit the ground quickly this year with our first intra-squad meeton September 10 th . This was a great opportunity for all of the newswimmers to experience the feel of a swim meet at a much slowerpace. On September 23 rd we held our annual Swim-A-Thon. Over100 swimmers took part in this very important and challengingevent. The Swim-A-Thon is a fun activity where swimmers collectpledges based on the number of lengths they swim or a set amountis pledged for participating in the event. A portion of the fundscollected are then given back to the Thailand community bycontributing scholarship money for victims of the 2004 tsunami.Over the past several years, the team has been able to contributenearly 400,000 baht to the Job and Maria Scholarship Fund. As ofOctober 3rd, the team had collected over 360,000 baht from theevent! The Swim-A-Thon also allows the swimmers to demonstratetheir increased ability in swimming. The youngest swimmers had agoal of swimming 400 meters in 30 minutes while our Platinum levelswimmers had a goal of 8 km in 2 hours. A tremendous amount ofteam building occurred at the event too. It was exciting to see all ofthe swimmers cheering on those in the pool as we did the finalcountdown ending their Swim-A-Thon time. What a huge successin so many ways!!!Starting in October, the Panthers gear up for a series of dual meetsagainst our BISAC rivals. All these meets and hours in the pool leadup to the annual ISB Swimfest taking place on November 12 th and13 th . We expect to have over 400 students from all over Thailandcompete in the event. If you are around ISB, stop by and join in theexcitement!Connie SchottlerPhotos from the <strong>2011</strong> Swim-A-ThonPage 7
<strong>Volume</strong> 1, August—October <strong>2011</strong>Thank you to everyone that registered for the <strong>2011</strong>-2012 school year.We had over 86 girls join the scouting program ranging from Kindergarten – Seniors in high school!That is an amazing number and we are so excited for all the adventure, fun and friendships we will have this year.Upcoming Events:Brownie Bingo Night January 20, 2012World Thinking Day February 18, 2012Father—Daughter Dance May 12, 2012 Location TBDSpring Campout March 2012 Date and Location TBDContact Linda Stuckey- lindastuckey@midcircle.comMore info available at www.isb.ac.th under Activities tabThe <strong>Bangkok</strong> Baseball &Softball Association(BBSA) would like toexpress its gratitude tothe PTA for its assistancein purchasing additionallights for B field at ISB.BBSA added nine lights toan existing light tower toprovide additionallighting for B field. Bfield is the smaller baseballfield across from theISB track. It is used for girls’ softball and U-13 baseball.Last school year, the BBSA had determined the B field was notsufficiently lit to safely play baseball. The total cost to add nineadditional lights was THB 450,000, so BBSA was enormouslygrateful for the PTA’s THB 100,000 contribution to the project.The addition of these lights allowed BBSA to successfully hostthe SEA tournament last March and will allow BBSA to safelyschedule night games on both B field and the adjacent B1 field.This will benefit countless ISB children for years to come.Thanks again from the BBSA board, parents and players!Page 8
<strong>Volume</strong> 1, August—October <strong>2011</strong>ISB’s 60th AnniversaryISB’s 60th Anniversary Celebration 1951-1952 ~ <strong>2011</strong>-2012Dr. Gerritz asked a group of us to think back to what year it was when we were ten years old. Now goto the year sixty years before that! Think about our students aged 5-19, that was a long time ago forthem. ISB has quite a history, and we are all a part of it. We will share with you the different era’s usingsources such as “A Thai Tapestry” which is a Memory Book prepared by Freda Britt Williams and DonnaDauenhauer for ISB’s 50th Anniversary, ten years ago. By the end of the academic school year, we willbring you forward to the <strong>2011</strong>-12 Academic Year.Rufie Harr and Kim de Keijzer, 60th Anniversary CoordinatorsBeginnings: 1950-1951Moments in history when foundations are laid can shapegenerations for years to come. So it was on October 27, 1950,when a courageous group of parents joined together to lay outthe plans for a school that would serve a growing internationalfabric of expatriate students, whose lives wove and meshedwithin the unique setting of <strong>Bangkok</strong>, Thailand. They called thisschool The <strong>International</strong> Children’s Center; now know as<strong>International</strong> <strong>School</strong> <strong>Bangkok</strong>. But this project would becomemore than bricks and mortar, more than a school. Thisdecision would be the beginning of the passion and mystique ofISB. This school would represent timeless quality, and thepower to withstand immense changes; a school that couldnever afford to stand still. For over 60 years, ISB has been aplace where friendships were made and never forgotten.Prior to 1951, a small English language school was operated inthe rectory of Christ Church on Convent Road. Mrs. RubyEagling, wife of the church rector, taught children up to tenyears of age. When they were ready for secondary educationthe students were sent abroad to continue their studies. Thisfledgling school’s curriculum and enrollment were limited bythe facilities available in the parsonage. On October 27, 1950, agroup of parents, under the direction of Mrs. W.T. Turner,made plans for opening a school that would accommodateabout 70 students.Thus, on May 14, 1951, the <strong>International</strong> Children’s Center(ICC) opened with an enrollment of 50 students from the firstto the fourth grade, with additional grades to be added eachyear thereafter. The parents decided to use the CalvertSystem, a correspondence course for elementary schools basedin Baltimore, Maryland. All the teachers at ICC were volunteermothers who received a small stipend for teaching. The wholeenterprise was cooperative by nature—one of the mostenduring qualities that shaped the future of ISB.Page 10
Page 12<strong>Volume</strong> 1, August—October <strong>2011</strong>
<strong>Volume</strong> 1, August—October <strong>2011</strong>Elementary <strong>School</strong> NewsDear Parents,It has been an exciting start to the <strong>2011</strong>-12 school year!We have welcomed more than 200 new students andfamilies to our Elementary <strong>School</strong>. We have witnessedgreat learning, new friendships and lots of fun. We havealso welcomed 18 new ES teachers to ISB from the USA,New Zealand, Canada, Chile, Australia, Israel, China andThailand. Last year we had more than 3,000 teacherapplications to work at ISB, so we feel very lucky to haveattracted such talented people to enhance our school.Coming up is our amazing<strong>International</strong> Day –November 23 rd . It is a daywhere we celebrate ourinternationalism and inviteall our parents to getinvolved in the school. Wewill transform many of ourclassrooms into countries to celebrate their culture, food,dress, stories, language, art, music, geography and muchmore. All parents are encouraged to take part in creatingan amazing learning experience for our students. We willbegin the day with a school-wide international paradedown “main street” to the Chevron Theater where we willhave our <strong>International</strong> Assembly. From there, our childrenwill return to their grade level classrooms where parentshave prepared wonderful country celebrations. We needyour help – even if you don’t have many other friendsfrom the same country, we can get you involved in otherways. Thank you in advance for supporting our learningand ES <strong>International</strong> Day. If you would like to get involved,please email ES PTA coordinators Amy Lobner and NishaWesterman at escoord@isb.ac.th.Struan RobertsonES PrincipalPhotos are from the 2010<strong>International</strong> Day CelebrationsPage 13
<strong>Volume</strong> 1, August—October <strong>2011</strong>We would like to introduce ourselves -- we are Amy Lobner andNisha Westerman, and we are this year's Elementary <strong>School</strong>(ES) Coordinators for the PTA. In this role, we are the liaisonbetween you, the ES parents, and the ES Administration. Youcan contact us with any issues that may come up throughoutthe school year. In addition, you will be hearing from us asmeetings and events come up, and when there are volunteeropportunities. We both have children in ES, so we are trulyrepresenting you!<strong>International</strong> Day is November 23!As Struan’s article mentioned, one of the biggest events wehave during the year in the Elementary <strong>School</strong> is <strong>International</strong>Week. The highlight of the week is <strong>International</strong> Day. This yearthe theme is "One World One Day." This is a day when ourchildren can dress in their national costumes, learn about othercountries and celebrate their own cultures. To make this dayeducational and enjoyable for our children, we need your help!The day consists of parents transforming each classroom, fromgrades 1-5, into a country. During the day, students will rotatethrough each classroom (country) in their own grade, andenjoy hands-on activities to experience the culture, music, art,games, language, food, folk tales, geography, dress, etc. Thestudents really look forward to and enjoy this day!Please let us know if you or your country group are interestedin representing a country by setting up a classroom! We alsohave lots of countries that need additional help, so please let usknow if you would like to help in any other way!You may contact us via our joint email or mobile phone:email escoord@isb.ac.thAmy Lobner 083 490 7700Nisha Westerman 085 236 0035We would like to encourage you to get involved! Volunteeringat school is a great way to meet people and to stay in touchwith what your kids are doing. Thanks, and we look forward toworking with you this year!Nisha and Amy“Do Your Best” is the Cub Scouts’ motto. Cub Scouts givesyoung boys in the first through fifth grades the opportunity todo their best by participating in fun and educational activitiesthat teach them lifetime values and skills. ISB has an active CubScout program open to young boys and their parents. We inviteyou to join the fun!Tigers (grade 1), Wolves (grade 2), Bears (grade 3), Webelos I(grade 4) and Webelos II (grade 5) and their parents meet weeklyor bi-weekly in dens to do group activities. Once a month,Cub Scouts gather as a Pack for fun and entertaining activitiesand to recognize fellow scouts who have earned badges. Scoutsalso meet monthly for day camps and adventurous outings. InSeptember, scouts gathered at an ISB gym for fun and creativefitness exercises led by the My Active Lifestyle(www.activelifebkk.com).Page 14The next Packmeeting will beon November 2ndat 6 p.m. in theISB MultipurposeBuilding (MPB).The Pack is alsoplanning the firstweekend campevent of theschool yearon November18-20 atDolphin BayResort(http://www.dolphinbayresort.com/) near Hua Hin.Scouting is a great opportunity for young boys and their parentsto spend time together. Most of all, Scouting is fun! For moreinformation about how you can get involved with Cub Scouts,visit http://www.isb.ac.th/Cub_Scouts_of_America/default.aspxor contact cubmaster701@gmail.com.Mike Edwards
<strong>Volume</strong> 1, August—October <strong>2011</strong>We are off to a wonderful start in Kindergarten so far! With fiveclasses, the Kindergarten community is bigger than in previousyears and we are bustling with exciting events and activities.Students have spent the past couple of weeks learning schoolroutines and diving right into Reading and Writing Workshop.We plan to have a science field trip in the upcoming months andlook forward to participating in <strong>International</strong> Week towards theend of November.We have started to work on personal narratives and studentsare learning to tell and write real stories about themselves asbest as they can. In reading, students are exploring wonderfulbooks and story elements. As the school year progresses, weencourage parents to continue to read to your child and talkabout the books in your home language. This is one of thegreatest gifts a parent can give their child as they continue todevelop as readers and writers!In addition to our academic program, we strongly believe thatthe early childhood years are an important time for children todevelop their social skills. All Kindergarten students share thesame recess times so that they have the opportunity to meetand play with children outside of their class. Students participatein playtime inside the classroom on a daily basis as well.We look forward to an exciting year ahead!Akiko NagamineKindergarten TeacherIn math, students arelearning to usemanipulatives andbuilding on theirunderstanding ofnumber sense. In acouple of weeks, wewill be starting ourscience unit on woodand paper.Page 15
<strong>Volume</strong> 1, August—October <strong>2011</strong>Middle <strong>School</strong> NewsJim SouzaMS PrincipalWith the wonderful addition of almost 90 new to ISB and MS students this year, the need for additional staff always follows.Once again we have been fortunate to have added new MS staff this year, both full and part time, who, I am excited to say,bring with them enthusiasm, expertise and most importantly a strong commitment to working with middle school students. Iam taking this opportunity to share with you a brief introduction of each of these amazing additions to our ISB MS Community.Gary Wood – Math/Science 6 - Gary comes toISB by way of Everett, Washington. His wife,Kristy teaches 2nd grade and he has twodaughters who attend ISB, Ahnika grade 10 andMikayla grade 7. He taught chemistry in hisprevious school and was very excited about the opportunityto teach both math and science in the middle school. He hasa wealth of coaching experience in a variety of sports, and hehas a great sense of humor.Trista Meisner – Art & Photography – Tristaand her husband, Andy, have a 21 month-oldson, Aydan. They are also expecting their 2 ndchild next year! Trista worked at Redeemer<strong>International</strong> <strong>School</strong> prior to moving to ISB.She is originally from the USA. She enjoyscoaching (something we always need in MS) as well asreading and travel.Scott O’Neill – Intro to Spanish - Originally fromMinnesota, Scott is a Penn State graduate alsohaving completed graduate work at theUniversity of Minnesota. He and his wife, Jum,have a 3+ year-old named Eamon. Scott was aUS Peace Corps volunteer in Paraguay. He hasworked at ISB for 7 years, starting out in the HS, moving tothe ES before finally making it to the MS. Prior to ISB hetaught at the Thai-Chinese <strong>International</strong> <strong>School</strong>. He coachessoccer at both the HS and MS level.Christy Loop – Humanities 6 - Christy is a busymother of two boys Ahmi, 8, Rias, 5, and adaughter, Talia, 3. Before ISB, Christy was anIB Middle Years Program District Coordinatorwith Fairfax County Public <strong>School</strong>s in Virginia. Before that sheworked with the Department of Education through GeorgeWashington University to create teaching resources for EALteachers. Christy was also a US Peace Corps volunteer righthere in Thailand (Nakhon Phanom). She is originally fromMaryland. She loves to write poetry and plans to travelthroughout Thailand.David Roberts – Accelerated Geometry –David has been a math and science tutor inthe <strong>Bangkok</strong> area for a number of years, andjust recently completed his teachingcertification. He has been an in-demand tutorfor a long time, and we are happy he wasavailable to teach our MS Accelerated Geometry class thisyear. David is a TCK, growing up in Germany, the US andSaudi Arabia, attending HS in Switzerland. He has a degree incivil engineering and was working as an engineer beforeturning to education. He also can ride a unicycle.Kris Hoover – EAP Humanities 8 & WritingApplications – Kris’ wife, Cholada is the ownerof Gifted Hands shop across from VillaSupermarket. They have a son Tim and adaughter Kim who both graduated from ISBand now live in California. Kris taught EAL inthe high school at ISB until 2006. He returned to <strong>Bangkok</strong>last year, and we appreciate his expertise and commitmentto working with our MS EAL students this year.(“ MS” Continued on page 17)Page 16
<strong>Volume</strong> 1, August—October <strong>2011</strong>(“MS” Continued from page 16)Heather Rielly – Annual Substitute - Heatherstudied at the University of Western Ontario,Canada, where she received her Bachelor inEducation degree. She has already beeninvaluable in supporting learning in a variety ofMS classrooms during teacher absences, and has developeda great rapport with our students. The Rielly name is notnew to ISB, Heather’s sister, was also a fantastic AnnualSubstitute two years ago in the HS. Heather is coaching U11Basketball and U13 Volleyball.Nevdon Jamgochian – Humanities 7 - Nevdoncomes from the great state of (Northern)California. He has the good fortune to bemarried to Mischele, our wonderful new HSLibrarian. Prior to arriving in <strong>Bangkok</strong>, heworked at Frankfurt <strong>International</strong> <strong>School</strong>. Hehas also taught at the American Embassy <strong>School</strong> in Delhi andin Seattle. He is an avid reader and also enjoys painting,bicycling and soul music.Kevin Davy – Counselor (Grades 6 & 7) – Kevinhas made the move to Thailand with his wife,Victoria, who is from New Jersey. They havetwo daughters, Lilah (4) who is enjoying herpre-K class here and Iris (2) who is enjoyingmom time. Before ISB, Kevin was working inLancaster County, Pennsylvania, the heart of Amish country,as a school counselor. Before that, he served as an assistantsoccer coach at the University of Scranton for three years.Kevin originally heralds from Grimsby, a fishing town innortheast England (but you wouldn’t know it from hisaccent). He is a big football (soccer) fan and follows the gamevery closely and likes from time to time to “strap the oldboots on” (I’ve heard he is actually quite skilled).Khun Arisa Wiengperm – Power<strong>School</strong>Technician – Khun Arisa is from a small townnear the Cambodian border. She and herhusband, Pracha, have an 8 year-old son. Herson, PaoPao, is in grade 2 at a Thai school.Because her husband travels so much due tohis work, time at home is heaven for them. Khun Arisa hasworked at ISB for 9 years, most recently in the high schoolwith Power<strong>School</strong>. She is looking forward to meeting andworking with our MS staff, students and parents.So what do you get when you put together a dash of 70 new MSISB students, a sprinkle of 30 terrific Ambassadors, a drop of 13fun loving Chaperones, and several slices of Thai Culture? Youget one great MS Getaway!On Saturday August 27, a group of students and teachers took aday trip to the Rose Garden Thai Cultural Center. The day wasan opportunity for all new students to have fun together, sharetheir stories, while making new friends.Accompanying the new students weremembers of the MS Ambassadors Club. Allthe students involved with the club had gavemany hours of their free time to welcomeand help new students to life at ISB. They didan excellent job! The Rose Garden, situatednorth of <strong>Bangkok</strong>, is ideal for students to geta taste of Thai culture andtraditions. After a friendlywelcome at the Garden, thestudents split into groups towork at different culturalstations. The stations gave thestudents insight of traditionalThai arts, crafts, music, andfood. You can see from thephotos that plenty of funlearning took place! After a tranquil lunch by the NakornchaisriRiver, the students then split into their respective grade levelsand took part in bonding activities. The afternoon also consistedof some free time where students had the chance to share eachother’s company with the likes of paddling boats, bicycles, amini floating market and gift store. There was even a friendlyreptile friend that a lot of students made acquaintances with.The day was topped off by a veryentertaining show that consisted ofwonderful snap shots of traditionalThai cultural events. The day was fullof laughs, smiles, intrigue, andfriendships made. All in all, it was awonderful Getaway!A big welcome to allnew ISB students!Page 17
<strong>Volume</strong> 1, August—October <strong>2011</strong>Change is in the air for middle school science. In an effort toincrease communication with parents, we have held 3 separateinformation meetings for parents concerning all the changes. Theresponse to these meeting was very positive with over 100parents attending the grade level specific evenings to learn moreabout the changes.The biggest change is in response to a request from the highschool to change science offerings to a 4-subject rotation eachyear. That means that during the course of each year, students ineach grade level will have a unit of study that falls within earthscience, chemistry, physics, and biology.Another big change in middle level science comes thanks to theaddition of 1:1 laptops. This year, students have a digital sciencenotebook to store all their work. No more lost papers, no moredisorganized lockers with a mess of papers, it is all stored digitallyand can be accessed easily. As a parent, you should have accessto your student’s notebook. This is a valuable tool for you tokeep up with your student’s learning. Reviewing this notebookperiodically will help you see the work your student is doing aswell as serve as a talking point with your student about theirlearning.While not new to science at ISB, inquiry science continues todrive our instruction and learning at ISB. Hands-on experiencesframe the learning and help students construct new knowledgethat leads to deep understanding. Our students engage inactivities involving 21 st century skills that require not memorizinginformation but understanding how to use and apply knowledge.While the first part of the evening was devoted to explaining thechanges, the bulk of the evening was devoted to hands-onlearning and exploration. Parents in each grade level had achance to explore learning just like their child is experiencing inthe classroom. Sixth grade parents were jumping, hopping, andmoving about to create distance time graphs in an effort to reallyunderstand what “speed” means. They also had a chance toexperience technology in action by using motion detectorshooked to the computers while they tried to “match the graph”shown on the screen. 7th grade parents used a syringe system toexplore what air is and also explored the properties of gases bycreating a chemical reaction. Optical illusions and mirror writingwere just some of the things 8 th grade parents experienced intheir evening. While we use mirrors everyday, using them inunique ways caused everyone to ponder how mirrors really workand how light reflects.Regardless of the grade level, parents were soon fully engaged inscientifically oriented questions, giving priority to evidence,formulating explanations, connecting to scientific knowledge andcommunicating those explanations to one another! Perfectexamples of all the components of inquiry that we feel constitutegreat scientific learning at ISB.Janet StellemaScience CoachThe middle school is a busy place with lots of activities happening. Because of this, wehave three important access points for parents and students.What’s happening @Middle <strong>School</strong>? If you walk the middle school halls, you will notice the What’s happening @Middle<strong>School</strong> bulletin boards around the school. These bulletin boards serve as a physicalaccess point for students to find information about clubs, activities, and sportshappening in the middle school. inside.isb.ac.th/inthemixinthemix blog has been set as the homepage on all the student computers thisyear. This site serves as an electronic access point for information about what’s happening. Daily notices are posted onthe site everyday, so when a student opens their firefox browser, they have up-to-date information. MS Activity Online BookletThis year the MS Activity Booklet is online. Shifting information online ensures that parents and students have the mostcurrent information about clubs and activities throughout the year. Visit the site at http://tinyurl.com/soarcenter.Besides these three, students and parents can always stop by the SOAR Center (by the newly renovated MS Quad), or emailrosst@isb.ac.th.Ross TagueMS Activities Coordinator & Wellness TeacherPage 18
<strong>Volume</strong> 1, August—October <strong>2011</strong>This recent summer ISB implemented a number of major upgrades to the technology infrastructure and school informationsystems. This article will outline some of those changes and how they impact students and families.The most obvious change was the move from laptop carts to each student having their own 13” MacBook Pro in the Middle<strong>School</strong>. Aside from giving the students access to wide ranging resources on the Internet, these machines have been pre-installedwith both the iLife and iWorks Suites, Microsoft Office and Adobe Creative Suite. A combination of powerful learning tools thatallow students to create, communicate and collaborate with peers and their teachers.As a result of the Laptop Initiative, Middle <strong>School</strong> Science students are now keeping an online Science Notebook. ThroughGoogle Apps each student has setup a Google Site, where they keep their notes and labs online. Being online, teachers are nowable to access each student’s work as needed, and give instant feedback with the click of a button. Additionally by using laptop’sbuilt-in camera, science students can record and take photos of experiments; they are then able to publish these through theironline notebook.In the Humanities, students continue to maintain their blog, a fantastic environment for showcasing their writing skills. Whilethere is the obvious benefit of improving writing through practice and feedback, students can comment and offer feedback ontheir classmates writing. Some wonderful reflections and learning conversations are occurring online here.With any new initiatives we are presented with challenges, in the case of the 1-1 Laptops, we are seeing two related issues. Thatis, students distracted by games and those distracted by the attraction of social sites. Students are learning valuable life lessonsin maintaining balance between positive work habits and social time. At school we do maintain a policy of no laptops out duringbreak times, this is a time for face-to-face communication and play.Next year we are looking forward to expanding the 1-1 Laptop Initiative in the High <strong>School</strong>, starting with grades 9 and 10. Inpreparation we acted on some suggestions from the High <strong>School</strong> students:Internet speed/reliabilityStudent access to printersAs a result of this feedback, we have now tripled the school Internet bandwidth, and implemented anew system for printing throughout ISB. Using a technology known as “Follow Me Printing”, eachstudent has been given a print quota where they manage their own printing. Students send a printjob, and using their ID Card tap the printer, and the print job is released. Printers are locatedthroughout ISB. This new system greatly improves the convenience for students and we believe will improve studentaccountability with printing, making us a more environmentally friendly campus.For the technically savvy, one of our major summer projects was to migrate our email system from MS Exchange to Google Mail.A direct benefit to parents is now having access to a school calendar you can manipulate and filter. Browse to the ISB website,http://www.isb.ac.th/Calendar/default.aspx. With this calendaryou can choose to view only the divisions related to you. Also, asa Google calendar you can click the image at the bottom andadd this calendar to your own online calendar (iPhone etc).At ISB we are continually looking at and evaluating technologiesto see how it can be used to improve student learning orimprove the operations of the school. One area identified forimprovement is providing a simplified yet comprehensive parentportal i.e. a place, where parents can get all the informationpertinent to their child’s education, announcements, studentprogress, events etc. Stay tuned, more to come on this…Chad BatesTechnology DirectorPage 19
<strong>Volume</strong> 1, August—October <strong>2011</strong>A very warm welcome to all within ourcommunity at the start of another learningfilled year. The week that has justpassed is a good example of the diversityof our learning. In addition to our OpenHouse event that focused on ouracademic programs, we have hosted aninternational college fair, a strings festival,guest speakers, volleyball, basketball andsoccer games. Many of these activitieswere open to students and teachers fromother schools, both in <strong>Bangkok</strong> and internationally;indeed we have had studentsfrom over ten other schools enriching ourcampus life. And this is still September.ISB has also welcomed many new families,students and teachers to our communitythis year. Embracing and celebrating diversityis certainly a feature of ISB. Beloware some brief biographical details andearly observations from new HS faculty.Tim Pruzinsky—English Tim is comingfrom Lima, Peru where hespent the last five years. Hehas also taught in Istanbul,Turkey and Madrid, Spain. Heoriginally comes from the Detroit,Michigan area and is a big Universitybring.of Michigan supporter. Go Blue!Tim is most struck by the awesomeconversations about reading he is havingwith students. He is pleased to see thatso many students are avid readers whowant to talk about books. Tim just readthe book “Open” by Andre Agassi andrecommends it to those interested insports, memoirs and/or life on the road.Tim is looking forward to getting his divingcertification while living in Thailand. Healso hopes to stay active by hiking andsurfing as much as possible. But, he ismost excited about talking to studentsabout their reading.Nancy Le Nezet—Psychology and SocialStudies Nancy originallycomes from France, but wasteaching in London beforecoming to ISB. She has travelledto Thailand with herPage 20High <strong>School</strong> Newshusband and two children, Selena, 6 andAnton, 3. When she was a student, shelived in Japan, California and Spain. At ISB,Nancy enjoys teaching students whospeak several languages and loves hearingthem switch effortlessly from one languageto another. She also finds ISBstudents particularly kind and respectful,creating an amazing environment to workin. Nancy is trying to learn to speak Thai.She looks forward to exploring Thailandand eating as much Thai food as possible!Richard Harvey—Geography and SocialStudies Originally from NewZealand, Richard spent the lastyear teaching geography andhumanities in Doha, Qatar.Before this he taught inthe UK and New Zealand. Richard has sofar been impressed by the wide variety ofextra curricular and leadership activitiesavailable to students at ISB and the waythe students embrace these opportunitiesand seem to balance them effectively withtheir academic studies. Richard and hiswife, Hannah are expecting their first childat the end of October and are lookingforward to the challenges parenthood willHe is looking forward to gettinginvolved in some sport coaching andgetting to know the students in a settingoutside the classroom.Michael O’Shannassy—TOK and SocialStudies Michael is Australian who, despitethe passport, has never reallylived in his ‘home’ country. Bornin Sri Lanka to diplomat parents,he’s lived in Accra, New York,Pretoria, Port Moresby, Houston,Jakarta, Moscow and Kuala Lumpurprior to arriving in <strong>Bangkok</strong>. Most recently,he has spent four years in that jewel ofthe southern hemisphere, Canberra,undertaking a PhD. He still hopes to finishit.Upon arriving at ISB, he was immediatelystruck by the friendliness of everyonehere, both colleagues and students alike.He’s still waiting for the honeymoon toend but there is little indication of that.Michael is looking forward to exploringThailand and the wider region. Hopefully,some coaching will also be on the cards inthe future as this was probably what hemissed most being away from a schoolenvironment. He enjoys most sports,especially rugby, but fears that he willnow be spectating/coaching more thanplaying.Laura Stewart—Science Laurahas arrived at ISB from ISKL,where she spent the last 3years. She is teaching IB BiologyHL and IB EnvironmentalSystems and Societies, as well as coachingfor IASAS Debating. She is Australian-Canadian, and grew up in Sydney, Australia,playing and watching Softball, Rugbyand Swimming, while learning the art oftravel at a young age, which encouragedher to become an international teacher.Since leaving Australia, she has lived inIndia, Indonesia, and Malaysia, while alsotraveling the region extensively. Havingvisited Thailand a number of times, sheknew that this was both a welcomingcountry with bustling urban areas anduntouched rural regions to explore. Beingfrom another IASAS school, she knew thatthe ISB community would be warm andinspiring, and so chose to move to<strong>Bangkok</strong> to continue the teaching andtravelling lifestyle.Neil Lewin—Science Neil is originally fromFinchley, North London andthis explains his passion forArsenal Football Club. Hecompleted his MechanicalEngineering degree from LiverpoolUniversity and went onto SussexUniversity in Brighton to gain his teachingqualifications. After graduating to teachPhysics, Science & Mathematics he spent“Thirteen years hard labour at the chalkface” in a state school in Sussex beforedoing a one-year teaching exchange toNewcastle, Australia. It was after this he(“HS” Continued on page 21)
(“HS” Continued from page 20)saw the international light and accepted aposition to set up the Physics departmentat the <strong>International</strong> <strong>School</strong> of Florence,Italy. Three years later he moved toUplands <strong>School</strong>, Penang, Malaysia andthen on to <strong>International</strong> <strong>School</strong> ofAmsterdam where he stayed for ten yearsas head of science and grade 11.Since joining ISB he has been veryimpressed with the quality of educationaldiscussions he has had with his colleaguesand the opportunities available to developoneself in all areas. He comes to <strong>Bangkok</strong>with his Italian wife; daughter Greta aged8 and son Luca 4. He is looking forward tosome exciting professional developmentand revisiting some of the great spots inAsia he went many years ago.Daniel Bentley—Math Dan is British/Canadian and taught math inCanada, Guatemala, Kuwait,Dominican Republic and Brazilbefore moving to Thailand. Heis joined by his wife Kim (new3rd Grade teacher to ISB), son Gavin (6)and daughter Zoe (3). This year Daniel willbe teaching IB HL math, Algebra 1 and alsoworking with the ISB track and fieldteam. Dan is an avid runner and has beenenjoying the quiet Nichada streets firstthing in the morning. He also loves to getout windsurfing and kite-boarding whenwater and wind are nearby. The Bentleyfamily has a cabin on a small lake inOntario, Canada, where they enjoy spendingthe holidays catching up with familyand friends.Daniel has been stuck by the incrediblesense of community and plentiful activitiesto get involved in at ISB and surroundingneighborhood. He and is family areexcited to plug in, meet new friends andbegin a new chapter of their lives here.Basil Tahan—Photography He has mostrecently been teaching at the<strong>International</strong> <strong>School</strong> of Aberdeenin Scotland, but he haslived and worked overseas forthe past 20 years.He has been struck by the helpful, friendlyThai staff and the professionalismamongst his colleagues at ISB. Basil andhis wife look forward to enjoying beingsomewhere, rather than always goingPage 21somewhere. They know that Thailand hasa wealth of beauty. There are many calm,relaxing places to visit and enjoy, and theylook forward to staying close to home fora while.Tamara Redmond — Learning Support ISBis Tamara’s third internationalschool. Prior to joining the ISBteam she worked for four yearsas a Learning Support teacherat Western Academy of Beijing.Tamara is one of two new staff membersin the High <strong>School</strong> Learning Support department.She is teaching Intensive Studies,Methods of Communication and 9English. Since joining the ISB team Tamarahas been impressed with the enthusiasmof her students and the professionalismand dedication of her teaching colleagues.She can’t wait to get to know them allbetter as the year progresses and is particularlylooking forward to Global CitizenshipWeek in February 2012.Phil Bowman — Learning Support Philcomes from Atlanta, Georgia,and Thailand is the firstcountry he has lived in outsideof the United States. Phil lovesthe supportive faculty andenthusiastic students at ISB. Since arrivingin Thailand, Phil has developed quite apassion for scuba diving and hopes to divethe Similans over winter break.Andrew Weiser—CounselingAndrew has spent the lastfive years at Cairo AmericanCollege (CAC) as a highschool counselor, head ofdepartment, baseball coachand student council sponsor. Prior to CAC,he worked in Paraguay and El Salvador; healso taught social studies in his hometownof Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.Andrew will also be the lead person forthe SAT/ACT testing and the SophomoreSeminar. After school hours, to find him,you may want to check a baseball/softballfield, golf course or other athletic fields/events.Andrew has been impressed by all theactivity on the ISB campus. It’s been greatto see students, teachers and parentstaking part in the opportunities availablein our ISB community. He is also lookingforward to coaching and getting involvedtoo!<strong>Volume</strong> 1, August—October <strong>2011</strong>Mischele Jamgochian—Librarian Mischelejoins the ISB team with herhusband, Nevdon (MS Humanities).She spent the last fouryears as the Upper <strong>School</strong>Library Director at Frankfurt<strong>International</strong> <strong>School</strong>. ISB is her thirdinternational post; she started her overseasadventure at the American Embassy<strong>School</strong> in Delhi. She is from Seattle andhas also lived in Mexico, San Francisco,and Paris. Mischele is impressed with theubiquitous friendliness at ISB and hasenjoyed the transition to life in NichadaThani. She is looking forward to transformingthe library; building relationshipswith faculty, students, and the widercommunity at ISB; and exploring the magicalKingdom of Thailand.Kerri Fitzgerald—Art & Activities DirectorArriving in Nonthaburi, Thailandhas come as a welcomerespite for Kerri having left the‘Land of the Shaky Isles’ (NewZealand) and in particularChristchurch her hometown, which hasbeen devastated by a series of earthquakesover the last 12 months. The lureof exploring Thailand slowly by foot, bike…or tuk tuk is something she anticipateswith relish.Kerri comes from a strong Arts backgroundand has devoted much of her lifeto parenting two sons and working as aneducator across a number of sectors fromelementary, to high school, to tertiarylevels. She has been involved in the recentNZ curriculum reform enabling her torevisit and explore ideas on the‘knowledge worth knowing’. She believesthis is a time to expand educationalhorizons boldly and with imagination.At ISB Kerri has been struck with the waysstudents engage enthusiastically in a widerange of activities and is keen to ensurethat students find their talents andexplore them to the full. Her aim is to helpothers realize their creative potential andlive full, rich, satisfying lives.Philip BradleyHS Principal
<strong>Volume</strong> 1, August—October <strong>2011</strong>For two weeks in June following the endof the 2010-<strong>2011</strong> school year, 21 ISBstudents decided to check out the “realworld” and tackle an internship throughthe school. 10 companies in <strong>Bangkok</strong>were kind enough to offer our studentsthe opportunity not just to observe theirprofessionals at work, but in most cases(where it was possible) to take part inmaking a contribution to the organization.The places that took our students werethe <strong>Bangkok</strong> Post, Lifestyle magazine,Chevron, Coca-Cola, Operation Smile, theUnited Nations, NaRaYa, SamitivejHospital, the Intercontinental Hotel<strong>Bangkok</strong>, Circuit Electronic Industries, andMedeguide Services.I had the pleasure of visiting the studentsand their managers at their respective jobsites and in the vast majority of cases, thestudents were engaged in learning allabout the obligations of employment ingeneral and the specific requirements ofeach job. Perhaps the best way toillustrate the experience is to quote thestudents on their experience in the field:I could get a better idea of what each fieldof engineering involves and the day to daywork of an engineer. I also learned aboutthe communication betweendepartments. Mick LaksanakornCircuit Electronic IndustriesWe went to a fashion shoot for anupcoming issue. That was very interestingbecause we were able to see what it lookslike from behind the scenes and we had alot of fun with the crew. Joyce ZhouLifestyle MagazineThe whole internship was hard work buthappily I had great team members to helpme out and now I know a lot about thehotel industry.Ali AlmawashIntercontinental Hotel <strong>Bangkok</strong>I personally learned how to act oncamera, how to be punctual at all times,and I definitely learned how to cooperateas part of a team. Furthermore, byinterviewing all the people I was able tolearn more about life. Each person tolddifferent stories and had differentexperiences. They made me realize thatwe, as writers, need to be flexible andresponsible.Jessy Dahl<strong>Bangkok</strong> PostOne of my biggest projects was having totranslate a flyer from English to Korean,and laying it out to eventually distributeto the Korean community. It was a lot ofwork, but after I was done, I actually feltlike I helped contribute to theorganization.Christine HathawayOperation SmileBecause I have a great interest in thedesign field, I really was able to enjoy andlearn a lot in-depth about marketing anddesign products that are market oriented.I am still going to work at NaRaYa for thenext two days because I want to completemy project!Honori YamadaNaRaYaI would recommend this internship toother students because I have gained a lotof experience and knowledge through it. Ihave learned how to work in aprofessional environment where I have toget things done according to deadlines.Anja TiewtranonMedeguideOn some of the days we were actuallygiven tasks/unique-observingopportunities, which were undoubtedlylife changing. After watching a 3-hour gallbladder removal surgery, I was leftawestruck and finally decided thatmedicine is a field that I wish to pursue acareer in.Arthur RempelSamitivej HospitalI was also asked for the rest of myinternship there to complete twoprojects, which relate to media andadvertising for the company. Teens beinga primary target, and being a teen, myviews and ideas were considered seriouslyby the marketing team, to beincorporated in Coke’s future campaignsespecially in the upcoming Coke MusicAwards in Thailand.Joy FaucherCoca-ColaWithout exception, the companies hadnothing but positive feedback about thecomportment, professional attitudes, andastuteness of our ISB interns. Thestudents all felt that they got the mostout of their time when they were workinghard.As Philip Sypolt wrote, “I hope that all thecompanies in this internship programcontinue to participate so that otherstudents can experience what it is like towork in the business world. This is a greatprogram that gives students a taste of theworld outside of school”. I agreecompletely and wish to whole-heartedlythank the companies who took part, andencourage other organizations that areassociated with ISB to take part as well.As the program grows and we fine-tunethe internship, hopefully it will become animportant piece of the education andpreparation of many of our high schoolstudents.Kevin CallahanHigh <strong>School</strong> CounselorPage 22
<strong>Volume</strong> 1, August—October <strong>2011</strong>The Tri-M Music Honor Society is the international music honor society for high schoolstudents. It is designed to recognize students for their academic and musical achievements,reward them for their accomplishments and service activities, and to inspire other students toexcel at music and leadership. Through more than 5,500 chartered chapters, Tri-M has helpedthousands of young people provide years of service through music in schools throughout theworld. Tri-M is a program of the National Association for Music Education which is based inReston, Virginia, USA.Here at <strong>International</strong> <strong>School</strong> <strong>Bangkok</strong>, Tri-M students are members of the choir, string, and band programs. They provide servicein promoting the school music program, promoting interaction between members of the different music disciplines, raiseawareness about musical activities taking on and off campus, participate in charity concerts, raise money through bake sales,usher at musical events, teach music lessons to younger students, and a host of other activities. Members must maintain a highgrade point average, attend all meetings, perform solos and ensembles for other members, attend professional concerts, andcomplete service requirements to remain in good standing. Senior members are recognized at graduation in the program and bywearing the traditional pink cords with their gowns. Most importantly, Tri-M is a student led organization that achieves its goalsthrough the leadership and efforts of its members. Our Tri-M chapter, #601, is in its tenth year at ISB, developing a tradition ofservice and recognition for ISB musicians.Officers:President: Rahul KuchibhatlaVice President: Anish KingTreasurer: Helen LiuSecretary: T. K. LimHistorian: Joyce ZhouAdvisors:Anthony GilesJohn SecombTom MyersFrom Friday afternoon to Sunday noon the weekend ofSeptember 9 – 11, the MPB was a buzz of activity – some loudand vigorous, some quiet and reflective – but alwayspurposeful, as the 4 th annual High <strong>School</strong> Student LeadershipRetreat took place.Forty ISB students participated in the weekend event, includingall of the newly elected Student Council class officers. Theretreat was led by three expert, energetic, and enthusiasticfacilitators from the JUMP foundation, ably assisted by ten ISBstudent facilitators who had attended two previous trainingsessions.During the two days, students explored a number of models,methods and tools for developing leadership. Many of theactivities forced them to get out of their comfort zone and thento reflect on their own habits and behaviors as well as thebehavior of groups.The general consensus of the participants was that it was a fun,though intense weekend and that they learned a lot – bothabout what it means to be a leader and about themselves.Sophomore Benya Kraus summed up the feeling of many bysaying “I really enjoyed the leadership retreat! I'm excited tostart applying some of the strategies, skills, and games welearned into club meetings now.”Programs by Chris TananoneGlobal Citizenship CoordinatorPage 23
<strong>Volume</strong> 1, August—October <strong>2011</strong>ISB has been an IB diploma school for 27 years of its 60-yearhistory and many students have benefitted and been successfulin achieving an IB diploma in addition to their ISB high schooldiploma.During that time the recognition of the IB diploma as a qualitylearning experience that prepares students for the challenges ofcollege and university has grown globally. Our own alumni attestto this preparedness every year.In May <strong>2011</strong>, 204 ISB students tested along with 99, 800 others inover 2,000 mostly public schools worldwide. Over 700 of those IBdiploma schools were public schools in the USA.The ISB class of <strong>2011</strong> included 157 IB test-taking seniors, over 60being IB diploma candidates. All those diploma candidates whocompleted the mandatory requirements achieved an IB diplomaand the average total score was 35 (above the world average of29). Diploma total points ranged from 26 to 43 and the averagesubject score was 5.5. Overall, 96.4% of subject scores were 4(satisfactory) or above!Conversations with many colleges and universities targeted andattended by ISB students indicate that the IB diploma is seen asthe “Gold Standard.” U.S. and U.K university research indicatesthat IB diploma students achieve at a higher level and are morelikely to graduate on time. ISB has low numbers of IB diplomastudents (42%). At many other international schools withstudent bodies similar to ISB, at least 70% of students arediploma participants. This is a matter of concern for the ISBleadership and our community of learners. The current ISBStrategic Learning Plan includes the increase of IB diplomacandidates.Is ISB becoming an IB school?” ISB has been an IB school for 27years. We actively seek out and hire experienced, successful IBteachers from around the world for the benefit of our students.There is open access to the IB diploma program and studentswho ‘step in’ are successful.The achievements of the class of <strong>2011</strong> can only serve toencourage subsequent classes to develop and demonstrate theircapabilities through the IB program. There is significant researchthat suggests taking on challenge and continually buildingcapacity to learn through persistence, practice and resilience(learning from mistakes) are essential for21 st century students to succeed. The IBdiploma provides opportunities to developlearning capacity for post-school success.Jayne LundDean Of AcademicsParents truly want the best for their children. They want above all for their kids to behappy, motivated, curious and productive. One way to help your son or daughter achievehappiness, be motivated, curious and productive is to insure that each night he/she getsenough sleep - that is full, uninterrupted sleep. Research has shown that teenagers need tohave between 8 to 10 hours of sleep every night; that their memory works better, theirability to connect complex ideas and their retention of those ideas is stronger if they havehad enough sleep. Studying for a test is good, studying for a test and getting enough sleep is much better.Most students at ISB admit that they don't get 8 to 10 hours of sleep a night. They say that there is way too much to do; they haveactivities, homework, sports, theatre. When questioned more carefully, though, and when asked to go through their days, hour byhour and activity by activity, it soon becomes clear, that an enormous amount of time is expended not on homework, not on sportsand not on theatre or activities, but rather on "chatting" either by phone, SMS, Facebook or some other type of social media.Socialization is extremely important for human growth and development, important to help with social norms and important just forthe pure enjoyment of being a social creature. Some students are able to keep up with the socialization, the homework and thenecessary number hours of sleep. These students, though, are not in the majority. Many students can only do one or two, othersneed some help and a lot of guidance to be able to do all three - complete homework, be involved in activities and to get enoughsleep each night.After reading this Touchstone article, have a very serious conversation with your son or daughter tonight. The two of you need tofigure out just where the time goes. Be specific and detailed. Your son/daughter needs to figure out times and time management,(multitasking doesn't count), so he/she can have space for 8 to 10 hours of sleep per night.Sleep can't guarantee a better life, success or happiness, but the lack of sleep can hamper all of those goals. Remember, childrenbetween the ages of 12 and 18 need at least 8 to 10 hours of sleep every night to have the best chance of a having fully functioningalert brain. Happiness will follow as a wonderful by-product of feeling so good and well rested.Dr. Curtis - HS CounselingPage 24
<strong>Volume</strong> 1, August—October <strong>2011</strong>Bodies stretched, twisted and twirled whilst other dancers loitered preferring to warm up theirminds in preparation for this four hour long dance event. With pledges from sponsors and parentsignatures collected, the Dance-a-Thon began with a blast at 6 pm on September 14 th .The rules allowed for brief rest periods during which students quickly demolished sandwichesand pizza before moving once again to the dance floor. Enterprising students formed groups anddanced in pairs to keep energy levels buoyant throughout.This was the second annual Dance-a-Thon organized by Jaleea Price and this year attracted about 40students from a dozen clubs. Collectively they raised more than 70, 000 THB. With help from the Boosterclub a number of prizes were awarded including the “Most Club Members Attending” award which went toa new club this year: "Shining Hope" while the “ Most Pledges from an Individual” award went to CourtneyBallard who got over 70 sponsors!Jaleea Price reported that the students had a great time and commented “… it was a nice way to use theirenergy to make a positive impact on their club commitments - while starting off the holiday weekend withsome healthy fun!”Thanks to all involved for building this into such a successful event. It is easy to imagine that next yearthere could be twice as many taking up the challenge of the Dance–a–Thon.Page 25“I don’t like reading electronically.”“Yeah, but with a Kindle it’s different. Just try it.”“Oh. Oh wow! That’s amazing.”-Overheard in the Main LibraryKindles have arrived at the Main Library and we can’t keep them in stock! Our Kindles, generously donated by the PTA, comefully loaded with the books our students want: the latest in young adult literature, the most recent release in a high-demandseries, or the newest book just published by a favorite author. The Kindles come with a lighted cover that enables users tocontinue reading long after lights out. Adjustable text size, line spacing, and page direction are easily manipulated to please eventhe most discerning reader.Kindles are often referred to as the reader’s e-book. When I informally polled students about the Kindle experience, many ofthem emphatically stated that reading on the Kindle was “just like reading a regular book.” Several students bemoaned the factthat they already read too much online, but when given a Kindle to try, they quickly changed their mind. The Kindle is the only e-Reader to use e-Ink, which creates a glare-free experience and even allows users to read on the beach.Kindles often have special appeal for reluctant readers. Students who have negativeassociations with reading frequently react positively to e-books; the Kindle experiencefeels like using an enjoyable gadget rather than completing an assignment. Kindle’s builtinsocial networking tools expand the reading experience and allowstudents to post favorite passages to Facebook and Twitter. Readingwith the Kindle is a transformative experience for many students.Ready to try one yourself? Twelve Kindles are available for check out atthe library thanks to the generosity of our PTA. Stop by and place ahold on one today!
<strong>Volume</strong> 1, August—October <strong>2011</strong>Technology NewsBefore I start, it is important that I provide full disclosure. My wife is the Chief Financial Officer for one ofthe Thai banks. But I am not going to advocate that readers open a bank account at any particular Thaibank. I simply want to provide information about the benefits of having a Thai bank account and thebenefits of online banking in Thailand.Many of the ISB parents only live in Thailand for 3 years or so and often the working spouse is paid in theirhome country currency, not in Thai baht. Therefore, many of the ISB parents never open a bank account in Thailand. But Ibelieve this is a mistake. There are many benefits to opening a bank account in Thailand, even if it only for 2 to 3 years.First, it is not necessary to have a Thai work permit to open a bank account in Thailand. You only need your passport. The bankdoes not need to verify any employment or income for a bank account since you can only withdrawal the money you put into theaccount. The bank does not incur any credit risk for a customer who opens a bank account. In order to open a bank account,you simply need to provide your passport. Make sure the bank is willing to provide you with internet banking access. Iunderstand that some Thai banks will not allow customers who do not have work permits to have internet access to their bankaccount. You might want to avoid these banks since internet access is necessary to get the most benefit from having youraccount.Note that it is not possible to open a joint bank account for married couples in Thailand. Thereason for this is because the legal concept of joint liability does not exist under Thai law. Ifound the best way to get around this issue is either to 1) have the husband or wife open asavings account and a checking account. Each account will come with an ATM card; or2) have both the husband and wife each open a savings account. Both will receive an ATMcard and it is easy to move funds between the two accounts using internet banking. Checksare really not used that widely in Thailand so having a checking account is often notnecessary.The major benefit from having a Thai bank account is you avoid the ATM fees you incur whenyou use your foreign bank ATM card. These fees can really add up as most U.S. banks will charge around $2.00 per foreigncurrency ATM transaction. Another benefit is that True Visions will only return the THB 2,000 cable deposit that must be paid toobtain cable television service to the bank account of the cable subscriber. Thus if you do not have a Thai bank account, you willlose this cable television deposit when you leave Thailand.All Thai banks offer secure internet banking. With this online banking, you can do the following: Make Thai baht account transfers to vendors or others Thai bank account holders. Sometimes vendors requirepayment prior to delivery of an order or before work is begun. For downtown ISB families, this function can alsoprovide an alternative method for making payment for community activities. As long as the vendor or another Thaibank customer provides you with their account number and the name of the Thai bank where their account exists, youcan instantly transfer up to THB 50,000 to any Thai bank account for a fee of THB 25-35. There is no need to know thebranch location of the other account holder, you simply need to know the name of the bank and the account number. Ifyou are transferring funds to another account holder at the same bank where you have your account, there is generallyno charge for this transfer. I have found this to be a very useful feature of Thai banking. Foreign currency transfers can be initiated online. There is generally a US$10,000 maximum for online wire transfers.But I have used this function when I needed to pay for goods from an overseas vendor. As long as you know theaccount number and SWIFT code of the overseas bank, you convert Thai Baht to any major currency and send the fundsinstantly. Bill payment can easily be accomplished online or via ATM machines so payments of electricity, internet service, cabletelevision, Thai credit cards and telephone service can all be done online instead of the need to go to 7-11 with a largePage 26(“Banking” continued on page 27)
<strong>Volume</strong> 1, August—October <strong>2011</strong>(“Banking” Continued from page 26)wad of cash to make the payment. You can also ask your bank for a form which will allow you tocharge your utility bills directly to your credit card or bank account. These two features areparticular helpful during the summer weeks when many of us are away in our home countries. Pay As You Go Mobile phone services from AIS and DTAC/Happy can be topped up via onlinebanking or via an ATM. You do not have to go to 7-11 to purchase additional credit for you oryour children’s mobile phone. So when you run out of credit at 10:00PM, there is no need to waituntil the next morning to top up your phone. You can add money to your phone via onlinebanking and your mobile phone receives the credit immediately.There is also some benefit in obtaining a Thai Baht credit card as you avoid the 3% foreigncurrency charge that most credit card companies charge for credit card transactions outside of your home country. But to obtain aThai credit card you will need to show proof of income and a work permit, so the process is a bit more involved than simplyopening a bank account. One of the other primary advantages of a local Thai credit card is your bank can help you set up autocharges for your electricity, cable and internet bills. Therefore, you only need to make a single credit card monthly payment andyou can pay it via internet banking services. Again, I find this feature helpful in the summer when we are away.My belief is that most ISB parents are not aware how easy it is to open a Thai bank account and the benefits they will receive fromthis account and from having online access to your account. Certainly online banking in Thailand has not reached the technicallevel of online banking in the United States, Europe or other parts of Asia. But I believe you will find some of your frustrations thatnaturally come when you reside in a foreign country will go away if you avail yourself of the online services from a Thai bank.Kevin SypoltThe ES and MS/HS cafeterias at ISB are always a hot buttonissue. We want to provide you with some important informationand resources regarding the cafeteria.Michelle lhrig from Epicure Catering Company runs the ES andMS/HS cafeterias. She is always happy to discuss the food orother cafeteria issues with both students and parents.Michelle can be contacted at cafeteria@isb.ac.th. Her officeis just to the right of the ATM machines at the MS/HS cafeteria.Please feel free to e-mail her or stop by if you have anyquestions or concerns.For the ES Cafeteria, there is a one week menu published at:http://www.isb.ac.th/ES_Cafeteria/default.aspx. Scroll downto select the week from the toolbar on the left. Parents canlook at this menu at anytime to discuss with their kids whatfood is being served during the week.For the MS/HS Cafeteria, information is available at:http://www.isb.ac.th/MS_Cafeteria. Again, scroll down andselect the appropriate week from the left hand toolbar. Somekey things to keep in mind about the MS/HS Cafeteria are:It is completely cashless and will only accept the CampusCard.Students must remember to bring their Campus Cards toschool every day or they will not be able to eat lunch.There is generally a long line at lunch time to top-upCampus Cards at the kiosk because students are onlyadding 100 or 200 baht each time. But, this will be usedup in 1-2 days. It is much better to put 1,000 baht ormore on the Campus Card and then limit how much yourchild can spend on a daily basis.So your next question may be “How do I top-up my children'sCampus Card as well as set daily limits on their use?” TheCampus Card website is a great resource.Go to http://www.isbcard.net/ to access Campus Cardonline. Your user ID is the 5 digit number of your cardbut, you must use the card number from the father’scard. If you have never used Campus Card online, yourpassword will be the same as your 5 digit card number.If you have forgotten your password, you can contacthelp@isb.ac.th or chadb@isb.ac.th at ISB to obtain anew password.In the Reports tab, parents can monitor what their childrenare purchasing.Under the e-Account tab, parents can set daily spendinglimits on a per child basis. You also can top up the CampusCard online with a credit card. Note: there is a 3.4%charge for topping up your Campus Card with a creditcard.Under the Profile Management tab, parents can receivenotification by e-mail and SMS when their children'sCampus Card reaches a certain level set by you. Parentscan then top-up the account.Kevin Sypolt(Article rerun from previous issue.)Page 27
<strong>Volume</strong> 1, August—October <strong>2011</strong>Booster Club NewsRecently I asked ISB HS drama director, Jo Hanson, to describe hercreative process when she directs a new show. In a frank andimaginative interview she compared undertaking a dramaticproduction with a pregnancy. The process of nurturing anddeveloping the show results in the ‘birth’ of a new creation.Jo described the initial excitement andanticipation of thinking through the show,conceiving the visual and soundideas,...wondering if the time and choice isright,...wondering what it is going to be like.Then she described the middle stages of theprocess when ideas are developing, whenobstacles are faced and the excitement felt asthe components come together. The show then gains a life of itsown. She sees her role as a nurturer, to support and continue tofeed in artistic ideas.The technical week, when energy can be low, can be compared tothe final trimester when you wonder how much longer you can goon; when there are the inevitable swollen ankles and back aches.Finally comes the labor of actually pulling everything together tomake the show a reality.She speaks of the first two performances as bringing a rush ofexcitement and also relief that the hard work has come to fruition.Celebration follows as family and friends gather to admire andenjoy the spectacle that has been created. No diapers, no vomit orsleepless nights to contend with, just a sigh and the readiness tostart the whole process all over again!For Jo, the stories from the Arabian Nightshave the lure of fun, adventure and magicand the heart is storytelling—the heart ofdrama. When choosing The Arabian Nights,Jo researched the original translations datingfrom the 1840’s but none included all thestories she wanted to use. She wanted thestories that would be attractive to children ofall ages including Ali Baba and Aladdin.From props to hats – Jo’s ideas came together over the summeras she travelled in England. By chance, she came upon a lampnestling in the corner of the “Bombay Store.” There she alsosourced several sensational outfits that are to influence and betemplates for the costumes created here at ISB. Jo’s stimuliinclude the visual palette she intends drawing upon. In April whilein Melbourne, by chance she came upon a large bolt of fabric thatwas “good enough to eat” with earthy colors evoking the desertsand dunes at night. A Maharajah’s hat completed the triage ofstimuli.Rehearsals are underway for ISB’s “The ArabianNights!” Performance dates are Nov 17th, 18thand 19th. Tickets will be on sale in November atChevron Theater. The Red Carpet Gala sponsoredbe the Booster Club is on Saturday the 19th.Look for more information to come in the HSNewsletter.Photos by Brendan LeeVarsity Council has recently undergone many changes. In previousyears, the council was composed of over 30 Varsity athletes fromgrades 10-12; however, the number has decreased to 14.According to the Athletic Director, Mr. Vaughan, the VarsityCouncil’s obligation is to “allow for student input and leadershipwith the Athletics Program at ISB”. Mr. Vaughan noted that theVarsity Council should not be confused with Panther Pride, which isanother version of the old Athletic Council. The difference is thatPanther Pride will support the Arts and Athletics, unlike in previousyears where the focus was only on the athletic community.In the final meeting of the 2010-<strong>2011</strong> Varsity Council, it wasdecided that the council should be limited to about 12 students.When asked why the decision was made, Mr. Vaughan stated that,“a large group tends to become dependent on [Mr. Albert and I] tolead it and not all members have felt like they have a defined rolein the council. This year, we have members of the council alsoPage 28being nominated into different positions (President, Vice President,Secretary, Treasurer, Media, Panther Pride) and the hope is thatthis [would create] a true, student led council where every memberknows their role on the council.”Mr. Vaughan claims that the selection process of the Council was“very difficult” as there was a formal application process with inputfrom coaches. The members were narrowed down to 14, instead of12 “due to the very high quality of applicants and the need torepresent all sports.”As for the goals for the council, Mr. Vaughan believes that theCouncil is “all about students getting an opportunity to truly lead.The missing element [in the athletic community] has been a realtrue presence of students leading in authentic ways.” Mr. Vaughanwants the voice of students to be expressed, as well as the creationof role models for aspiring ISB athletes.With all the changes and expectations, there is without a doubtthat the Varsity Council of <strong>2011</strong>-2012 will have a positive impact onthe ISB community.Nisha SticklesHS Student
<strong>Volume</strong> 1, August—October <strong>2011</strong>The Dance Exchange was another exciting year of “dancing the whole world” in one weekend! Together with almost 50students from ISB and other IASAS schools, the dancers moved through a cultural and historical milieu of dance styles--old and new, Eastern and Western. At the end of the action-packed exchange, not only were our bodies charged upwith new energy and ideas to share back home, but friendships were developed and renewed throughout the days ofdancing.After our safe arrival on Saturday to Jakarta <strong>International</strong> <strong>School</strong> campus, we went back in time for the first workshop –Old <strong>School</strong> Jazz – to the song “Splanky” on which the Jazz exchange was working. This ‘soft shoe’ style jazz was “… justlike tap class from After <strong>School</strong> Dance (ASD)!” according to Carrie Burke (12) and Coco Indigne (11). The next day welearned: ‘water movement’ in the pool, ‘finger tutting’ (likebreak dancing for the hands), Busby Berkeley 1920’s Dance forthe (aerial) Camera, and ‘acting for dancers’. Then traditionalIndonesian ‘Aceh Dance’ rounded off the workshops before aperformance collaboration with all the Jazz exchange students.It was an unforgettable experience for all! Kendall Kane (11), astudent in both IB Dance and IB Music, said, “I learned so muchabout jazz dance and how it moves with jazz music!” Meanwhile,Kristen Filak (11) from ISB joined Kristen from JIS for aspontaneous Water Movement duet.We came away with fond memories, lifelong learning, andwe’re looking forward to more exchanging with IASAS dancerswhen ISB hosts Cultural Convention in March 2012!Page 29The Jazz and Dance Exchange Sept 10 -11 th“Splanky” is Band Director Thomas Myers’ summation of the highlight of this recent Jazzand Dance exchange. The culminating event of the weekend brought dancers andmusicians together to Count Basie’s beat. “ Splanky” featured big bands, jazz combosand dancers in a 1940’s style number using Swing dance moves.Fifteen ISB Jazz and Dance students travelled to Jakarta <strong>International</strong> <strong>School</strong> to takepart in a one day festival. They work-shopped in big bands, attended individualworkshops with their instruments and got together in combos with students from otherschools focusing on improvisation. Some might question the value of travelling so far totake part in a one-day event, however,evidence from the participants stronglysuggests that this was an invaluableexperience.When reflecting on the exchange,students said:"The best part of jazz exchange was all of it!" - Hannah Warling"It was nice to work with other musicians who take jazz seriously." - Eugene Jang"It was inspirationally jazzy."- Ty and Paddy"When playing rim shots, it's best to turn the stick around." – Sebastian"The jazz exchange was the first day I learned about myself through music." - Rachel Sadoff
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<strong>Volume</strong> 1, August—October <strong>2011</strong>During the week of September 20 - 24 th <strong>2011</strong>, Dr. Cheung Chau worked with students from ISB and participatingschools, to prepare for a Gala Concert held in the New Cultural Centre Theatre at 2.00pm on Saturday, September24 th <strong>2011</strong>. Some 65 students took part in the concert held in the new theatre that utilized the Wenger Sound Shell,which was provided by the ISB Booster Club. It was a unique opportunity to hear young people from schoolsaround <strong>Bangkok</strong> performing together.Dr. Chau is Conductor of University of Connecticut Symphony Orchestra and Director of Central PennsylvaniaOrchestra in USA, General and Artistic director of Sinfonietta Polonia in Poland and Guest Conductor of InnerMongolia Opera Theater Orchestra in China.Since winning a conducting fellowship in 2004 with the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra, Dr. Chau has workedwith the orchestra on many occasions. He conducted the Philharmonic in the 2007 world live broadcast of theopening ceremony of the 10th anniversary celebration of Hong Kong's Handover. Amongst guests and performers,were pianist, Lang Lang and Chinese President Hu Jintao. He was also the conductor for the String Orchestra at theCultural Convention held in Jakarta <strong>International</strong> <strong>School</strong> earlier this year.After the concert, guests enjoyed a reception in the foyer. One parent stated, “ Dr. Cheung Chau, guest conductor,and the students of <strong>Bangkok</strong> <strong>International</strong> Strings festival mesmerized us with an amazing concert. Ourcommunity is so fortunate to be able to enjoy the talents of this world class conductor leading our children. Andthe students from various international schools. The concert was enjoyed by children of all ages and parents.”As a young girl in West Texas, my parents would take us to watch High <strong>School</strong> Football, decked out from head to toe in black andwhite Permian Panther’s attire. And once a year, on a Saturday morning, we would go to the Annual Pancake Breakfast whichraised money for the Football program specifically. I guess you might say, I have always been involved in the Booster Club.Here at ISB, the Booster Club is broader than the one I remember growing up, but the core is the same- supporting the students.It began predominately with the goal to support athletes participating in and traveling to IASAS tournaments. That group of funlovingparents designed tournaments to encourage dedicated play, good-sportsmanship and team spirit. Today, we focus on allstudent accomplishments from Fine and Performing Arts, Academics (MUN, Forensics and Debate) to Athletics. We have slowlymoved into supporting select events in Middle <strong>School</strong> and Elementary <strong>School</strong>. Our goal however is to generate funds thatbenefit the whole school, while encouraging, cheering and spotlighting them during their experience at ISB. Everyone at ISB is amember of the Booster Club, so come to a meeting to find out what we are about. They are held the first Monday of everymonth.With three high schoolers myself, I can’t imagine a better way for me to spend my extra time. After all, when volunteering, youmight as well GO BIG! If you would like to join in the fun, there is information in the PTA office or you can contact me,Dana Whiteley at dana.whiteley@gmail.com.Page 31
<strong>Volume</strong> 1, August—October <strong>2011</strong>Congratulations ISB! Booster Club is proud to honor your “60 Years of Excellence”!The ISB Booster Hut officially launched the 60th Anniversary Apparel September 2nd and the response has been more thanexciting. Even the ISB Alumni Association is placing an order of this new apparel for their reunion this summer in theUnited States.Did you know that the only sweatshirt or hoody the students are allowed to wear with their uniforms is available at theBooster Hut? We know our clientele is very fashion conscious and that is why the selection continues to change from yearto year and even month to month in some cases.The Booster Club celebrates everything, from the theaters or dance rooms to the deep end of the pool, and the baseballdiamonds to the shot put pit. The Hut has something for everyone , even as young as Pre-K, and not just T shirts andsweatshirts. The shelves include shorts, pajamas, sport bags, hats, umbrellas, accessories and many gift ideas. Every Friday,the doors are open for business 8:30 – 14:00 and each month from 10:00 – 13:00 on one or two Saturdays . Look for theannouncements in the weekly emails for the week end dates.Shannon Edwards and Shona Buchan, the Booster Hut Co-coordinators, and a team of very dedicated volunteers areavailable to assist you with a smile and an infectious energy that tends to draw more volunteers to Booster Club activitiesbeyond the Booster Hut. Our Spirit Nights are unique to ISB, within the IASAS schools. The Panther Spirit is the envy of ourcompetition. If you are new to ISB, Spirit Events are a must for all families - evenif you do not have a child competing. The Breezeway, fields and gyms areroaring with cheering crowds. The visiting teams are in awe of the spectacle andlook forward to the American treats and candy available at the Spirit Tent.Thank you, for supporting the Fine and Performing Arts and Athletics of HS, MSand ES. Have a look at the new items for sale at the Hut in the attached photo.Sincerely, The Booster Hut GangWith being a student athlete comes the challenge of balancing sports and academics. The students who play sports at ISB arecalled student-athletes for a reason, being a student is their first and most important priority and being an athlete comes secondon their list. Participating in sports brings many challenges, mainly keeping the balance between schoolwork and sports.There are different ways one can try to keep a balance between the two. First of all, time management becomes very important.The small amounts of time that you might have thought were unusable before participating in sports become valuable slots to dohomework. For instance, afterschool, there is an amount of time before all of the Varsity and Junior Varsity practices start, this isa great time to try and get some of the “easy” homework out of the way.Also, time management is important when dealing with homework procrastination. I find that when I participate in sports I tendto procrastinate less because I really don’t have enough time to procrastinate, and all my time isvaluable. Next, I have found that free periods are not considered “free” periods but merely anotherhour and a half to do homework for the next day. Even being a senior, I usually head to the libraryto get my work done!Page 32Another way I balance academics and athletics is sometimes focusing on the academic part more,because the “student” part comes first. It is important as a student athlete to make sure that you donot neglect your studies, go after school and take a test or quiz if you need to, stay afterschool forhelp in one of your classes. After all, if you are not able to make the grades, you will lose the abilityto be an athlete, by being put on academic probation or not being allowed to go on exchanges orIASAS events.Even though it’s a balancing act, it’s one that’s worth figuring out because you learn valuable thingsfrom sports that can’t be taught in school! For all you student athletes, study hard, play harder. GoPanthers!!Marinda Popp
<strong>Volume</strong> 1, August—October <strong>2011</strong>What a weekend of volleyball! It was a new experience for basically the whole team. We traveled to KL forour exchange - the Twin Towers Tournament was interesting to say the least!After a long of day of traveling, we woke up early to face off against our arch-nemesis the Singapore American<strong>School</strong> Eagles. As fate would have it, we lost our #1 Middle Blocker Adele to a dislocated thumb before thegame even began (she'll be back for IASAS, don't worry!), so we played SAS with Sara and Makoto taking turnsfilling her spot. We played good at times, so-so at others, but eventually fell to the Eagles 0-2. Losing ournext game (kind of a surprise!!!) to NIST, we were in danger to miss out on the finals with a 0-2 start.After some much needed team huddles, the girls rallied and won our next three games: the first against avery scrappy JIS team, the second against ISKL, and finally, our third versus another school from Singapore,United World College. This put us in second place, to compete (again!) against SAS in the gold medal match.Not to be outdone by Adele, Moeka (our other Middle Blocker) decided to sprain her ankle early in the firstgame! Again, with a squad getting shorter on the bench every game, we played SAS very hard, but lost bothgames 25-20, 25-22.This is, however, not necessarily a bad thing. We got some much needed playing time and now know what itfeels like to lose! We learned a lot about the team, they learned a lot about themselves as players, and howwe can only win if we play as a team.The girls played very well. Special mention to Jayna Milan, Leeann Schudel (who were selected as alltournamentplayers) and Marinda Popp, who really carried the team this weekend. But of course, volleyball ishugely a team sport, so Sara, Makoto, Bella, Joan, Moeka, Emi, and Ludo were instrumental as well....andthanks Adele for coming to watch (haha...)!Lots to work on! Wish us luck!Steve PerkinsAll—TournamentJayna Milan, Ethan Fernades, and Leeann SchudelPage 33
<strong>Volume</strong> 1, August—October <strong>2011</strong>While most students feelinclined to vacate the schoolpremises during the weekend,ISB was teeming with life dueto the boys and girls varsitysoccer IASAS exchange.Players took to the field, eagerto compete, as fans filled thebleachers, ready to cheer androuse their team to victory. Thisyear ISB hosted the exchange, atournament unlike most in thatstudent-athletes from opposing schools are housed by ourfellow team members. While teams play competitively for thewin, there is a friendly sort of spirit throughout thetournament, emphasized by the fact that it is an ‘exchange’and that no winner is declared. For our athletes, timebetween games meant loading up on food and electrolyteswhile simultaneously cheering for our boys or girls who wereplaying. This year both boys and girls did exceedinglywell. Girls were 3-1-1 overall, with nail-biting close gamesbetween both Jakarta and Singapore. Our boys also fairedvery well in their first showcase against IASAS teams this yearwith a 2-1-1 record. Both coaches and players alike feel thatthey have come a long way from the beginning of the season and hope the positiveoutcome from this weekend can carry over to Singapore next month.Page 34
<strong>Volume</strong> 1, August—October <strong>2011</strong>The Boys Varsity Soccer team had a weekend packed with football. Games on Friday night,Saturday, and Sunday saw the Panthers finish with a record of 2 wins, 1 draw, and 1 loss. BothPanther wins came against last years IASAS runner-ups, Jakarta <strong>International</strong> <strong>School</strong>, and adraw was earned against last years IASAS Champions, Singapore American <strong>School</strong>.The first game on Friday evening saw the Panthers come from a goal behind, to win the game2-1. It was a hard fought game, but on the run of play the Panthers deserved the victory.During the game the Panthers played some beautiful football and were unlucky not to grab acouple of more goals after hitting the post and the crossbar twice.On Saturday morning, the Panthers took on Singapore American <strong>School</strong>, last years IASASchampions. The game saw the Panthers take the lead in the first half through a wonderful freekick. The Panthers managed to hold onto the lead for most of the game. However, with 10minutes to go Singapore’s persistence paid off and they managed to find an equalizer. It was agame full of great moments; a super human performance from goalkeeper, Arthur, kept thePanthers in the game. However, it wasn’t all defense from the Panthers. At the attacking end,the panthers once again produced some good football and showed great passing andmovement.In the second game of the day, the Panthers took on Jakarta again. The game went much thesame way as the first meeting between the two teams, with the Panthers creating andconverting more opportunities than JIS. Again, some fantastic attacking football saw thePanthers unlucky not to get a couple of more goals. The game ended with the Pantherswinning 3-2.Sunday morning, the Panthers took on Singapore for the second time. The Panthers dealtbetter with Singapore’s long ball tactic, however, it proved difficult to deal with for the wholegame. The game finished 2-1 in Singapore’s favor. Once again the Panthers showed they werecapable of playing some beautiful and good attacking football.Overall, it was a great weekend for the team. Both games were very good learningexperiences. To get results against last years IASAS champions and runners-up has given theteam confidence going into the last month of the season. Most importantly, the team playedwell, demonstrated good sportsmanship, and played with lots of heart! Well donePanthers! And a BIG thanks to all of our supporters that made it to thegame. If you want to be entertained, don’t go to the movies, don’tstay home and watch the television, come on out and watch somePanther Football!Page 35
<strong>Volume</strong> 1, August—October <strong>2011</strong>Touchstone Staff & ContributorsTouchstone, the newsletter published by the ParentTeacher Auxiliary of <strong>International</strong> <strong>School</strong> <strong>Bangkok</strong>, isdelivered free of charge to all ISB families. It iswritten, compiled, edited, and distributed by an allvolunteer staff.Chief EditorSection EditorsElementary <strong>School</strong>Middle <strong>School</strong>High <strong>School</strong>TechnologyISB 60th AnniversaryBooster ClubDistribution ManagerGeetha BalachandranConnie SchottlerRimy DhillonGemma Marolda-GloningerKevin SypoltRufie HarrCarolyn Filak/Meg SineDana WhiteleyJona RitjeContact Touchstone: Touch@isb.ac.thContact Your PTA: pta@isb.ac.thTel: 02-963-5800 (Ext. 1140)Fax: 02-583-5432ISB Website: www.isb.ac.thGet in TOUCH with TOUCHSTONE !TOUCHSTONE welcomes submissions and contributionsfrom everyone in the ISB community. Please contact theappropriate Touchstone Editor for your submissionrequirements and information. Whenever possible,please include relevant photos, graphics, and e-mail.<strong>International</strong> <strong>School</strong> <strong>Bangkok</strong>Parent-Teacher Auxiliary Executive Officers<strong>School</strong> Year <strong>2011</strong>-12President1st Vice President2nd Vice PresidentTreasurerSecretaryES CoordinatorMS CoordinatorHS CoordinatorHospitalityPublicationsAdult Education<strong>International</strong> Food FairWelcome WaiGraduation CoordinatorDarcy EidNancy TangCarla ZeituneHeather PowellConnie SchottlerNisha WestermanAmy LobnerKevin SypoltDuke (Sawapark) IrwinHolly DanielRimy DhillonCathy MillerGeetha BalachandranCarla ZeituneCarla ZeitunePatty McManusHeidi GaileyKarla FernandezKim DavisCountry RepresentativesHost CountryTik KruesoponAustralian/New Zealand Zoe AndersonBritishJulie Wallace-RossCanadianBrandie LazorukChineseHelen HewettDutchJaap BosmaEnglishJulie Wallace-RossFrenchCristina PlatzerIndianAparna RajagopalanNaureen BaiIsraeliLivnat ZiskinderJapaneseHisako FujitaniKoreanSue KimYoungme KwonLatin AmericanDanielle KattanSingaporeJuliana SchottlerINTERNATIONAL SCHOOL BANGKOKPTA ORGANIZATIONP.O. BOX 1015PAKKRETNONTHABURI 11120THAILAND