Technology Matters
Mike Simpson
Secondary School Principal
August 30, 2024
Over the first two weeks of school, we have really focused on developing a sense of belonging in our classes, setting up learning processes and routines that will allow all students to thrive this year. Setting up our learning communities and classrooms in this way can take some time and in our experience, it is a very good investment for our students’ future learning outcomes.
In keeping with our theme of belonging, we also started meeting in our Chinthe Communities. Our focus this week was the acceptable student use of technology. It was great to have our younger and older students working and learning together about this topic which is very important to us at ISY.
The ISY faculty has been learning about technology’s impact on our students, particularly the use of phones and devices. Over the summer, we engaged with the latest research on this subject, and since returning, we have held in-depth discussions to determine the best steps forward for our school in this area. As a result, we will be implementing some new initiatives, including when and where the use of devices is appropriate on campus. Please see below for more details on some of our new and exsiting initiatives.
This Wednesday, September 4, we are looking forward to welcoming you all to our Back to School Night. It will begin at 5:30pm in the Multi-Purpose Room with an address from Dr. Hedger. This is a great opportunity for you to meet and learn about our academic program from your child’s teachers. More details can be found below.
Finally, just a reminder that we will be observing Buddhist Lent on Monday and classes will start this week on Tuesday. We will continue to email student schedules to parents and students on Friday afternoons during the Buddhist Lent period.
Kind regards,
Mike
Secondary School Events
This week:
Monday, September 2: Buddhist Lent Day – no classes
Students will be emailed this week’s class schedule on Monday.
Tuesday, September 3: After School Activities (ASAs) start
Wednesday, September 4: Back to School Night from 5:30pm to 7:30pm (see below for details)
Upcoming Events:
Chinthe Connections: Monday, September 9 from 8:00am to 9:30am in the Multi-Purpose Room (see below for more details).
Grade 9 Parent Evening: Wednesday, September 11 from 5:30pm in the the Multi-Purpose Room.
Grade 12 Parent University Evening: Thursday, September 12 from 5:30pm in the Multi-Purpose Room.
MAP Testing: Monday, September 9 to Friday, September 20.
Safety Drills
Practicing our drills to ensure that our students are familiar with them is important for all our community’s safety. At the start of each school year, we go through all our drills with the students. This week we had a fire drill on Wednesday and a Lock Down Drill today. Next week we will practice the earthquake drill.
Activities & Athletics
Here is a link to Ms.Rebekka Jensen’s Athletics and Activities Blog for up-to-date information regarding Activities and Athletics at ISY.
After School Activities (ASAs)
After School Activities (ASAs) – Session 1 ASAs will start this Monday, September 3, and end on November 22.
We are pleased to offer a total of 74 different ASAs this year, with 310 students signed up to participate. We are particularly excited that there 252 service learning bookings! It’s wonderful to see such high engagement, and we’re excited to see our students explore their interests and talents in a variety of activities.
Parent Association
If any parent is interested in joining the Parent Association (PA) in any of the key positions detailed below, please email Gary Owen at communications@isyedu.org by Wednesday, September 4th.
The purpose of the Parents Association is to promote a sense of community by connecting parents with their children’s school, connecting with other parents, and connecting with their children.
Key positions include President, Vice President, Secretary, and Treasurer. General membership is also available at the annual general meeting.
The job descriptions for each of the key positions are summarized as follows:
PA President – overall responsible for overseeing the Parent Association, calling and leading at least four general meetings per year.
PA Vice President – supports the PA President.
Secretary – Handles all PA communication, parent emails, and meeting minutes.
Treasurer – Works closely with the ISY Finance Department to manage the PA finances and budget. Presents in meetings the PA finances.
Student Technology Use
During Chinthe Communities this week, our older and younger students read and signed their Student Agreements of Acceptable Technology Use. this was a great opportunity for our older students to lead and support our younger students in acceptable technology use and for all students and teachers to make a commitment to it. Parents will have receieved an email with the agreement that their child has signed. Please read and sign the agreement to strengthen our communities commitment to acceptable technology use.
Elementary & Secondary School Back to School Night
Wednesday, September 4
5:30pm – 7:35pm
Starting in the Multi Purpose Room (above the Library)
We believe that fostering a strong partnership between parents and teachers is crucial for a successful academic journey. This event is designed to provide you with insights into the broader aspects of our school’s curriculum and educational approach, as well as an opportunity to connect with the teaching staff.
Back to School Night is aimed at sharing information with parents so students need not attend.
We will start at 5:30pm in the Multi Purpose Room (follow the signs) with a welcome from our Director, Dr. Hedger.
A full schedule we be emailed to parents on Monday from the School Office. For ease of reference, these schedules will be specific to parents of just Secondary School students, just Elementary School students, and parents who have both Secondary and Elementary School students.
Chinthe Connections
Monday, September 9
8:00am to 9:30am
Multi-Purpose Room
We will be inviting our ISY community to participate in our new ‘Chinthe Connections’, a series of gatherings led by Dr. Gregory Hedger, Ms. Sandy Sheppard, and Mr. Mike Simpson, where we can meet and learn together on important topics that impact children. Our first meetup will be on Monday, September 9 at 8:00 AM till 9:30 AM in the Multi-Purpose Room. The topic for this meeting will be about the use of digital devices, followed by our counselors providing information about child protection. Please sign up here to attend. We can’t wait to see you there!
Phones in the Secondary School
We are pleased to share some existing and some new initiatives in the Secondary School that reflect our commitment to fostering a healthy, balanced environment and a strong sense of belonging for our students.
Key Classroom Initiatives:
- Phone Free Classrooms: Students must have their phones turned off and in their bags (not in their pockets or desks) during all lessons. This will be monitored and enforced by teachers. The only exceptions to this rule will be if permission is given by a teacher to use it for an educational purpose (e.g. photography).
- No EarPods or Headphones: Students must not wear EarPods or headphones in class.
- Classroom Design: Classrooms will be designed to nurture collaborative learning and monitor appropriate device use.
- Health and Advisory Curriculum: The curriculum in these classes will place more focus on teaching students about the reasons behind these initiatives and the impact phone use can have on our mental health.
Key Campus Initiatives:
- Social Media Blocked: The ISY wi-fi network blocks popular social media and gaming apps and websites.
- Increased supervision: Teacher supervision has been increased across campus to monitor and help students manage their device use. Students who are on their phones during the school day will be asked to put them in their bags.
- No Gaming: Students who are gaming will be asked to put their devices in their bags.
- Phone Free Front Steps: Students who are on their phones on the Front Steps during pick up will be asked to put them in their bags. We encourage students to read during this time and a small library will be set up on the Front Steps to foster this habit. We will continue introducing new reading initiatives throughout the year.
- Middle School Community: Middle School students will be provided with more play equipment to use during their breaks.
Chinthe Expeditions This Year
As Dr. Hedger wrote in his End of Year Message to our community, last year was particularly productive. In his message, Dr. Hedger referred to the return to our Chinthe Expeditions as being a real highlight. These expeditions focused on internationalism, belonging, service, and the Sustainable Development Goals.
Chinthe Expeditions will run again this year. More details will follow later in the school year but we wanted to remind you of the planned dates and locations for each grade level’s expedition:
Sunday, December 1 to Friday, December 6, 2024
- Grade 12: Malacca, Malaysia.
- Grade 11: Ho Chi Minh City and the Mekong Delta, Vietnam
- Grades 9 and 10: Chiang Mai, Thailand
Sunday, January 5* to Friday, January 10, 2025
- Grades 6, 7, and 8: Chiang Mai, Thailand.
*Please note that Sunday, January 5 is the Sunday before school starts back after the December holidays. This fits the direct flight schedule between Yangon and Chiang Mai.
We are really looking forward to another series of enjoyable and meaningful expeditions. Please do not hesitate to contact me should you have any questions.
The International School Yangon
20 Shwe Taungyar Street
Bahan Township
Yangon, Myanmar
+95 (0) 9 880 441 040