Dear Parents
Welcome to our first newsletter not only of the new Chinese Lunar New Year but also of 2012! Whilst the Year 11 mock exams dominated the first fortnight for many staff and students, the term has, nonetheless, got off to an exciting, fun-filled and busy start across the board.
Challenge Week
Sometimes, the very best learning takes place outside the classroom, when students have no choice but to take risks and push themselves outside of their comfort zone. With this in mind, and in the true spirit both of CAS (Creativity, Action and Service) and of the IB Learner Profile, we will be holding a “Challenge Week” during the last few days of this academic year. Normal lessons will be suspended, with students participating instead in a variety of exciting trips focused fully on developing the ‘whole child’. If your child is in Years 7, 8, 9, 10 or 12, they should have brought you home a letter about the trips on offer – and we are confident that, be it in terms of location, price or activity, there is something for absolutely everyone!
Please discuss with your child, and ensure that they bring back a reply slip as soon as possible. Places will be allocated on a first come, first served basis, and it is important that initial deposits are received by Friday 10th February, in order to safeguard flight bookings and accommodation reservations.
2nd FOBISSEA Model United Nations Conference 19 – 21 January 2012
Nineteen students from Years 10 and 12 participated in the 2nd FOBISSEA Model United Nations Conference 2012 hosted by Bangkok Patana School. The conference hosted 270 students from eleven schools attending from Thailand, Vietnam, Indonesia and Brunei Darussalam. The ISB students were accompanied by Mr. Savage and Ms. Fiona Wong. It was an exciting first-time conference experience overseas for our students who developed crucial skills in research, negotiation, communication and public speaking. The students were very privileged to be provided with special home-stay arrangements due to ISB’s long-standing friendship with Bangkok Patana School who has attended our annual ISB Borneo Global Issues (Model United National) Conference since its inception in 2003.
Georgetown University Model United Nations Conference Qatar 1- 4 February 2012
ISB received an invitation to send a delegation to the prestigious Georgetown University School of Foreign Service in Qatar Annual Model United Nations Conference 2012. Six IB students were accompanied by Mr. Holmes and Mrs. Haas, proudly representing Brunei Darussalam in this invitation-only international conference which selects 350 participants from around the world. Hosted at the Marriott Hotel in Doha from Wednesday 1st to Saturday 4th February 2012, this conference presented a dynamic forum for young adults to debate current global issues and to gain insight into the world of international politics and decision-making. The programme included opening and closing ceremonies, five committee sessions, expert debriefs, a diplomatic lunch and special cultural activities.
Special Chinese New Year assemblies 2 -3 February 2012
In line with International School Brunei’s annual celebration and recognition of its multicultural community, special Chinese New Year Assemblies were held on 2nd and 3rd February 2012 to usher in the prosperous Lunar New Year of the Dragon. All staff and students were encouraged to wear traditional Chinese costumes or auspicious red attire to celebrate this festivity together. The assembly programme included a traditional Chinese dance, a modern dance, a Chinese lantern dance and a spectacular Lion Dance performance. A power-point presentation outlined customary Chinese New Year practices, including the significance of traditional delicacies such as glutinous rice balls, mandarins and dumplings. At the end of the assemblies, students and staff were given mandarins to wish them prosperity and good health. A special lion dance performance was also held at the ISB Residence on the evening of the 2nd February 2012 to promote unity and cultural appreciation.
10th ISB Borneo Global Issues Conference 9 – 12 March 2012
Training sessions for over two hundred local school participants began on Saturday 28 January 2012 in preparation for the 10th ISB BGIC, run by the ISB BGIC Secretariat. Our high profile annual student-run conference is organised by ISB in collaboration with HSBC Brunei, supported by the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sports (MCYS) and BLNG. The theme for this year’s 10th celebratory conference is “Seven billion people; one planet”. We are expecting three hundred secondary from 18 local schools in Brunei Darussalam and 3 schools from Malaysia, Thailand and Hong Kong. The special guest speaker is 2004 Young Australian of the Year, Hugh Evans, Co-founder and CEO of the Global Poverty Project. We are also excited to be welcoming back former ISB teacher and founder of ISB BGIC, Mr. Richard Parker, Secondary Principal, Victoria Shanghai Academy, Hong Kong. All parents are cordially welcomed to attend the Opening Ceremony at the Main Hall, The International Convention Centre (ICC) at 7.00am on Saturday 10 March 2012. Please visit: www.isb.edu.bn for more information.
What A Wonderful Wall!
Rakshana in Year 10 reached the final in BEDB’s art competition “What a Wonderful Wall” competition (http://immerse.icentre.biz). She was awarded a certificate and goody bag on Thursday 2nd February at 3.00p.m at BEDB’S Knowledge Hub in Berakas. Rakshana was the youngest artist to reach the final and we are very proud of her amazing achievement.
Year 7 Homework Project
This Monday saw the start of the Year 7 Homework Project which students are undertaking until the 22nd February. The project title is “Getting to know the animals and habitats of Borneo” and will include work across the subject areas of English, Science and Languages.
Year 7 students have undertaken preparation work for this project during ELL lessons and so we hope that they feel confident and ready to take on the challenge of this longer term piece of work. Projects of this nature are difficult to complete successfully and I know that parents and staff alike wish them well with their new challenge.
Parents Evenings
This week sees our annual IB Options Information evening, which will take place in the Drama Studio from 6pm on Tuesday 7th February. This is a vital opportunity for Year 11 students and their parents to learn all about the IB Diploma at ISB and how to make the right subject choices for Year 12. This year, some current IB students will also be on hand to give advice and their own perspective on their IB journey. In addition, all Year 11 and 13 parents are reminded that Wednesday evening sees their final opportunity to interface in detail with their child’s teachers, at the Year 11 and 13 Parents’ evening: 5pm-7pm in the school hall. We look forward to seeing you all there.
News from the Residence
We now have an active Residence Student Committee who meet with the Mr Tyler at regular intervals throughout the term to give feedback and support student voice. A student survey was completed and, alongside feedback from the committee, a serious of priorities were identified to improve the facilities and life at Residence. The students felt the dining hall was too white with no colour on the walls. Under the artistic eye of Mr Hoddinott, a group of residents are in the process of designing a mural for both inside the dining area and outside walls near the main entrance. Painting by students will start in February. The need for additional shelves and pin boards in students rooms will be implemented and we continue to get good feedback on menu and food choices. Another suggestion was the need for more activities at the Residence, and, as a result, board games and a table football machine have been purchased and have been a great success. Student Voice continues to go from strength to strength at the Residence!
Careers Presentations
Careers presentations from outside speakers have been held in the IB Work Room for the past few weeks during lunch times on Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays. These are intended for students in years 10 to 13 to give them an overview from the point of view of some locally employed experts and professionals in their specialised career areas. A diverse range of careers is being represented, and so far the presentations have dealt with careers in Civil Engineering, Psychology and the Hotel and Catering trade. Other presentations will cover such fields as Town Planning, ICT, Entrepreneurship, Teaching, Landscaping, Health and Safety and Oil and Gas, among others. Please see this link on our school website for further details: http://www.isb.edu.bn/index.php/secondary/-guidance-/careers-guidance/itemlist/category/210-event-deadlines
Brunei Sports League Athletic Day
Sujith, Hakim, Aisyah, Natasha, Jeremy, Hyuk Soo, and Junior (Year 12) volunteered to assist at the Brunei Sports League Athletic Day, held at JIS on 26th January. Before the event itself, the students were involved in two practice sessions with Mr Moss in Primary. Ms Rowe (Head of Year 5) writes, “The students were divided between two events – long jump and push pass. They assisted the teacher who was in charge, measured and recorded each competitors attempts, and made ready the pit/balls for each competitor. They cheered on all the competitors. They were invaluable. It was also great for the Primary children to have their Big Bros and Sis’ there in support.”
Next week we will find out how our students fared at the Senior Games in Pattaya, Bangkok, with Ms Ross, Ms Hancox and Mr Miller. In the meantime, I wish you all a lovely, long weekend.
Matthew Savage
Secondary Principal
