Elementary Principal’s Blog

March, 1st
Blog Post

Sandy Sheppard, Elementary School Principal

 Dear all,

This week, we have been busy with MAP (Measures of Academic Progress)testing in our classes.

After-school activities continue, and students are engaged in all kinds of fun activities. Our Chinthe Fund service group is congratulated on their work supporting our visitors at the Family Fun Fair, along with the Grade 4 students who also supported them. 

Have you purchased your ticket for the Gala yet? See more information below.

Take care,

Ms. Sheppard

 

This weeks group of Monday Math participants having lunch in Ms Sheppard’s office.

Exciting news from our Library: Introducing PressReader

To access some excellent magazine and newspaper articles then please check out ISY’s new subscription to PressReader. ISY is an official Press Reader hotspot enabling login-free access on our wifi network. Please follow the instructions below to access from home:

At home, click the sign in button, enter your ISY email address and password.

Click the “library or group” access button. Type in “Yangon” to locate our school and select it.

Click sign up, enter your ISY email address. A link is now sent to your email which allows you full remote access.

Parents can get 7-day access by linking a device while on campus. For longer term access parents should login through their child’s account, allowing 5 devices.

TEACHERS, TEACHING, TEACHERS (TTT)

Last Monday, our teaching staff and faculty participated in a Teachers, Teaching, Teachers event with two other schools in Yangon. The event was hosted by ISY and was very successful, with lots of learning opportunities for everyone. Workshops offered allowed colleagues to collaborate on a variety of educational topics and trends. This sharing of ideas will ultimately benefit our students. We are proud to be an educational leader in the South East Asian region.

MAP TESTING

Over the next two weeks, we will be MAP (Measures of Academic Progress) testing students in Grades 2 to 9. MAP assessments are online adaptive assessments that provide useful data in developing a fair and accurate assessment of a student’s academic achievement and growth. Students will sit MAP assessments in Math, English, and Language Usage. Students in Grades 4 to 9 will also sit a Science assessment.

To ensure a fair and accurate assessment of a student’s academic growth and achievement, teachers combine MAP assessment data with all other student data that they have collected in the classroom. This combination of data informs teacher instruction in meeting the needs of each child. 

Click here for more details about the what, why, and how of MAP testing at ISY.

FUNDRAISING GALA

The 5th Annual ISY Fundraising Gala is scheduled to take place on Saturday, March 30, 2024, at the PARKROYAL Hotel Yangon and will be in their Yadanar Ballroom starting from 6:00 pm. The theme will be The Garden of Hope. The Gala supports and links to ISY’s strategic theme of Sustainability. If you are interested in becoming a sponsor of the event, please see this linked sponsorship document with the sponsorship packages and form. Any questions regarding sponsorship should be directed towards our Advancement Associate, May Su Yadana Bo (mbo@isyedu.org) or +95 9 880 441 040, +95 9 964 210 248. You can also see further details about ticket purchases for the event on our ISY Gala webpage and Facebook Event page.

Chinthe Cubs

For 2024-25, we will be offering a 3-year-old program. The current 4-year-old program and the new 3-year-old program will be called Chinthe Cubs. Please complete this sign-up form to register your interest in finding out more information about the new Chinthe Cubs classes. As a reminder, admissions for the next academic year, 2024-25, will be accepted from 15th February 2024. The information session has been completed, but you can get information at any time by contacting our ISY Admissions Office.

Dates to Remember

25th March – No School (Tabaung Holiday)

30th March – Annual Gala – 6 PM

6th April – 22nd April – Thingyan Holiday

Developing Healthy Relationships with Food

Over the past several months we have been exploring and learning how to support our children’s growth regarding executive functioning.  With 3 skills left, we will pause in order to talk about another important topic, healthy relationships with food, in honor of Eating Disorders Awareness Week, February 26-March 1st.  

Children interact with food every day.  A healthy relationship with food allows a child to eat without fear or guilt.  Be able to listen to their body’s signals for hunger and fullness and enjoy eating with others.  As a parent, you can influence your child’s relationship in the following ways:

  • Use Neutral Language: Try not to label foods as good or bad, but rather by their names.  
  • Describe foods with sensory words: How do they smell, taste, texture, color or shape.
  • Avoid Judgment: subtle comments about using food to change weight or body size.  Instead, talk about how food fuels the body and mind.
  • Celebrate foods by welcoming a variety of meals.
  • Provide opportunities in which your children can interact with the growth and development of food, like in a garden or on a farm.
  • Enjoy family meal times.  Share traditions and cultural influences around the table.
  • Avoid using food and snacks as rewards or to coax your child to do something.
  • Support healthy routines like regular sleep and exercise.

This message relied heavily on a recent publication from Marble Psychological Services.  This local agency supports the mental health of Myanmar nationals and expat families.  You can find out about their services at www.marble-psychology.com.

The next article will return to our discussion about executive functioning. 

If you have any questions or concerns about healthy habits or executive function, please contact me at escounselor@isyedu.org