Elementary Principal’s Blog

March, 22nd
Blog Post

Sandy Sheppard, Elementary School Principal

Dear all,

Progress reports go home next Friday. Today you will receive an email outlining how to sign up for parent conferences. These conferences will take place on the 23rd of April.

Next Friday is our special Thingyan celebration. At the end of the day, the students will take part in a water-throwing event. This annual event is always a fun time and the students are always excited to take part. Thank you to our Parent Association (PA) for their part in organizing and funding the event. The PA also will be sharing treats with the students during their lunch break.

I hope to see many of you tomorrow at the Gala. 

Take care,

Ms. Sheppard

LEARNING AT ISY

See below for some Grade 1 writing and also our bird box on level 3 has new baby birds that have just hatched.

SUN CARE

It has started to get very hot outdoors. During these warmer periods, to play outdoors, our students are required to wear sun hats and sunscreen. We ask your assistance to apply sunscreen to your child before they come to school and also to send a named sunscreen bottle to school so that sunscreen can be reapplied before break times.

SCHOOL HOURS

As a reminder, we continue to emphasize the importance of students coming to school on time. Our school schedule allows for a short morning meeting every morning in the Elementary School. These meetings are important as they set the stage for the day, and also, it is when the teachers deliver important notices. We feel it is very important for students to be at school for this, these meetings start promptly at 8:30. The school bell rings at 8:20 allowing students to make their way to the rooms and be ready to start the day.

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.

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

30th March – Annual Gala – 6 PM

5th April – Special Thingyan Event

6th April – 22nd April – Thingyan Holiday

23rd April – Parent Conferences – NO SCHOOL

3rd May – Parent’s Connecting Parents, Parent Association event – see more information below

PARENT ASSOCIATION EVENT

The Parent Association invites all parents to an afternoon of relaxed fun, food, and drinks to meet other parents and have a good time. The event will be held at ISY on May 3rd from 5-8 pm. The entry fee gives you access to free flow barbecue, salads and beer. If you would like to pre-book wine this is also available. Please help us to plan by registering using this link.

Perseverance: A skill to meet your goals 

Perseverance is the ability to continue with a task or goal until it is completed.  This means not giving up when the task gets challenging and having the mental discipline to endure the obstacles.  Students with the executive functioning skill of perseverance are able to solve problems, maintain course and successfully complete the goal.  We as parents can help students build stamina and perseverance by:

  • Provide opportunities for manageable but difficult challenges.  Talk with your child to locate a challenge they are interested in but need support to achieve.  Support their efforts.
  • Use positive self talk.  When you hear your child criticize or speak negatively toward themselves, correct them.  
  • Brainstorm to find alternatives.  When your child struggles, avoid stepping in early.  Allow them time to think of their own solutions.  Assist in listing ideas but allow your child to choose their direction.
  • Remind them of the time table.  Review with your child their progress.  Ask them to determine their deadlines.

With just one more skill, we are nearing the end of our series on executive functioning skills.  Please feel free to reach out to Ms. Patty at escounselor@isyedu.org should you have any questions or concerns regarding these skills.

Warm regards, Ms. Patty