ISY Elementary School Blog - January 14, 2022

ISY Elementary Blog

Welcome Back

Mike Simpson, Elementary School Principal

January 14, 2022

Welcome to 2022 everyone! I wish you all the very best for a prosperous and peaceful year.

2022 is off to a good start here at ISY. It was such a lift to have our returning teachers arrive in Yangon last Saturday. They will soon be out of quarantine and be back at school to prepare rooms and get everything ready for your children when we are able to welcome them back on campus. I would say that they are easily just as excited as your children!

As I shared earlier in the week, I am very happy to have Ms. Sandy Sheppard return to us. Many of you will remember Ms. Sheppard as our Elementary School Principal in 2018-2019 and 2019-2020. Ms. Sheppard and I will be co-principals of the Elementary School for the remainder of the school year.

As I also shared earlier in the week, due to some health complications I am unable to return to Yangon to finish the school year in-person. I will continue to work from New Zealand to provide uninterrupted leadership and teach online classes as I have been this year. Ms. Sheppard will be able to provide important in-person leadership for our community and will also be teaching some in-person classes. We are very fortunate to have a school leader of Ms. Sheppard’s expertise and experience to help us finish this school year strongly.

On Monday, you will receive an email outlining how Semester 2 will work for your child(ren)’s grade level along with some general information about how we will manage a transition to in-person learning.

COUNSELOR’S CORNER with Ms. Patty:

Reflection as we move forward with new challenges

As we draw close to the end of the semester, it is important to reflect and take inventory of what we have achieved and what we wish to further accomplish. In the coming weeks, ISY hopes to begin in-person learning again. As we prepare for this possibility, it is necessary to review and reflect with our children on what they have learned and accomplished through online learning. Reflecting requires a minimum of 3 important steps: Reflecting, Analyzing and Taking Action.

Take Notice & Describe: With your child reflect on their learning this past school year, perhaps throughout their online experience. What activities did they enjoy? How did they feel throughout the experience? Did their emotions change? What skills did they acquire?

Analyze: Think through their experiences. What actions did they take? How can the skills they acquired help them in future situations? What assumptions, beliefs or values were made?

Take Action: Create a plan. How can your child use these experiences in their future learning journey? How can acquired skills benefit other areas of learning? What have they learned from the emotional experience and can it support them for future challenges?

Reflection helps your child develop critical thinking skills. It provides a space for celebrating accomplishments while considering challenges and experiences. In reflecting, students can find moments of gratitude while defining future actions which to aspire to as they move forward.

Warmly, Ms. Patty

Ms. Patty is available to support all ISY families. If you have any questions or concerns please contact me at escounselor@isyedu.org.

Patty Amundson-Geisel

Pre-K to Grade 6 Counselor

It’s great to be back!

It is wonderful to be back in Yangon. I have spent the last 18 months back in New Zealand setting up a home there and spending time with my daughter.

I am happy to now be back to support the school as we work towards resuming in-person learning; it is an exciting time. I look forward to working with Mr Simpson as co-principal and to seeing you all soon.

Ms. Sandy Sheppard

Internet Issues

Offline Learning Activities

Every Friday, your child’s homeroom teacher will email you a PDF of offline learning activities that your child will be able to do if they lose access to the internet.

Please only use these plans if your child is unable to access the internet. If you have the internet, your child will be able to attend online classes as usual.

To make sure the offline learning activities stay connected to what is happening in class, our teachers will review and, if necessary, update the offline learning activities each week. Please download the PDF document attached to the email as soon as you receive it on Friday. The email will also have a link to this instructional video:

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