Elementary Principal’s Blog

August 18th
Blog Post

Sandy Sheppard, Elementary School Principal

Dear all,

Hooray! We are back at school. We were so excited to welcome all the children back to school on Wednesday. Their smiles and their excitement to be back at school made the day extra special.

A big welcome to all our new families; it is wonderful to have you as part of our ISY family.

Please check out our ISY new strategic themes on the website here.

All school year, but especially at the beginning, we want to ensure our students feel like ISY is a place they belong. Our strategic theme of belonging has been driving much of the work this week.

Belonging  – At the International School Yangon (ISY), students thrive in a community that embraces their individuality. ISY raises awareness of diversity to create an inclusive environment for all.

We are a busy school, and as always there are many upcoming events, please read this blog every week to find out more information on these events.

Have a wonderful weekend, and we will see you on Monday.

Ms. Sheppard

 

Dates to Remember

21st August – After School Activities sign up 7pm

28th August – After School Activities Grades 1-5 begin

31st August – Back to School parent event 5:30 PM (more information to come)

LIBRARY

Over the summer our Library was upgraded to include a new Elementary Library space. Please feel free to visit this fantastic new space. You can also meet our new Librarian Mrs. Kris Feller, and our new Librarian Assistant Mrs. Sandhya. They are ready to welcome you into the Library.

Elementary Library Photos

The ISY Parent Association (PA)

You will see information regarding our Parent Association in the Friday Notices today. The first step each school year is to elect new offices for the board of the PA. If you are interested in being part of the PA, please check the Friday Notices for how you can put your name forward. The next step will be a meeting to form the 23-24 ISY Parent Association. The involvement of parents on the ISY campus plays a major role in the success of school events, teacher appreciation, and community building. The Parent Association is made up of a parent board to provide leadership and then a series of committees to lead parent involvement in a number of areas. These include our International Day event and other events, a ‘connecting parents’ group, a group that awards service learning grants, and a group for teacher appreciation at the end of the year. If you would like to know more about the Parent Association, please get in touch with the school office.

LUNCHES

Starting from Monday, 21st August we are excited to announce that one of our vegetarian outlets, Nourish will be piloting a set meal plan for lunch.  The meals are created to appeal to students whilst also providing healthy, nutritional and attractive dishes at very reasonable prices.

The food on offer at ISY at both Nourish and Gusto plays a crucial role in students’ overall health, well-being, and academic performance. We want to create a healthy eating culture that promotes nutritious food choices, provides access to balanced meals, and aligns food and nutrition practices with classroom education. Here are a few key points to consider why we are doing this:

One of our Strategic Themes at The International School Yangon is ‘Sustainability’, where students cultivate sustainability through a focus on Service Learning and The United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).  At ISY we want to be part of the environmental drive to offer students a healthy, nutritious, plant-based diet that contributes towards lower greenhouse gas emissions.  

Please view our latest blog post on the impact of food on the environment and the Nourish Ordering Procedures guide which shows you more information about how to order from Nourish.

The first Nourish meal plan of the Semester will start on Monday, 21st August and will end on Friday, 15th September. The current Nourish meal plan items will then change after each four weekly cycle with a new set meal plan in place from Monday, 18th September.

Parents must order meals weekly in advance, by 5pm every Thursday. Parents should order meals, as an example, before Thursday, 17th August at 5 pm for the week beginning Monday, 21st August.  

PreK to Grade 2 students will have their lunch meals delivered to the Elementary cafeteria.  Grade 3 to Grade 12 students will get their lunch meals themselves at the Building ‘C’ Kitchen window.

Prices per meal are Kyats 10,000 for PreK to Grade 2 and Kyats 15,000 for Grades 3 to 12.

 

ASSEMBLY

We had our first assembly today in Elementary School. Dr. Hedger visited and told us all about the Mission of ISY. We sang our ‘Once a Chinthe’ song and participated in activities related to the ISY learner profile. Ask your child/ren if they can tell you what our learner profile words are.

MORE ASSEMBLY PHOTOS

AFTER SCHOOL ACTIVITIES (ASAs)
After-School Activities (ASA) will start on Monday the 28th of August. ASA signups will open on Monday the 21st of August. Please refer to Mr. O’Sullivan’s Athletics and Activities blog using this link to find out all the  information regarding ASAs.

SWIM TRIALS

Swim team trials will start next week at ISY. If you would like your child to try out, please fill in this form.

Please note the ISY swim team is for students that want to be on the swim team. The swim team is a commitment of time and responsibility. Practice sessions are for training only and not a time for play. Elementary swimmers are to attend a minimum of two training sessions a week.

ES swim team tryout time and date  – 2:30 to 4 PM, August 22nd, 2023

The trial distances and strokes are:

(i) 25m Freestyle (front crawl)

After the freestyle trial, rest time and

(ii) 25m backstroke or breaststroke (nonstop swim)

On trail day: 

Please bring your own swimsuit, goggles, and swim cap (if your hair is longer than the mouth swim cap must be worn).

Optional – Bring a big towel or warm clothes (when they have rest time, they can wear them).

Parents are welcome to come and watch.

Practice times will be:

Elementary School: Every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday – 2:20 to 3:20 pm (students must attend at least 2 days practice)

Beautiful environments in PreK

Watch this space in future blogs for announcements from our wonderful school counselor Ms Patty.