D.E.A.R
Mike Simpson
Secondary School Principal
September 6, 2024
D.E.A.R. stands for ‘Drop Everything and Read.’
Yesterday, during our Chinthe Community time, Secondary School students from all grades came together to read. All students (and teachers) brought their own book. This will become a regular feature of our weekly Chinthe Communities rotation. We are nurturing our students’ love of books and making time for them to read just for fun. A love of reading can have so many benefits – both academically and for our sense of wellbeing. And it is a very enjoyable way to spend 20 minutes in the middle of the school day.
Wednesday’s Back-to-School Night was very well attended and a great community event. We hope you found the course presentations useful and enjoyed connecting with our teachers. Our first set of Parent-Student-Teacher Conferences will be on Wednesday, October 30. These conferences are an opportunity to meet with teachers specifically about your child’s progress. In the meantime, please always feel free to contact your child’s teachers. We are always happy to hear from our families.
Kind regards,
Mike
Secondary School Events
This week:
Monday, September 9:
- Chinthe Connections: The Use of Digital Devices from 8:00am to 9:30am in the Multi-Purpose Room (see details below).
Tuesday, September 10: Buddhist Lent Day – no classes
Wednesday, September 11:
- MAP Testing from Wednesday, September 11 to Friday, September 20
- Grade 9 Parent Evening from 5:30pm in the the Multi-Purpose Room. Mr. Amundson-Geisel, our Secondary School Counselor will provide information about how to help your child successfully navigate the high school experience. The presentation is titled “Setting the Stage” and will ask for parent participation as we gain insight as to how ISY can partner with parents to support the efforts of current 9th graders as they journey through High School.
Thursday, September 12:
- Parent Association (PA) Annual General Meeting at 8:00 a.m. in the Multi-Purpose Room. The PA fosters community by connecting parents with the school, other parents, and their children through various committees, fundraising, and events (see poster below)
- Grade 12 Parent University Evening from 5:30pm in the Multi-Purpose Room. Seniors are currently planning for the final stretch of university admissions. What are the main pieces they need to manage to successfully apply and gain acceptance? How can we as parents support them? Come and find out as Mr. Amundson-Geisel will help point you in the right direction.
Upcoming Events:
MAP Testing: Wednesday, September 11 to Friday, September 20.
Myanmar International School Counselors Association (MISCA) Virtual University Fair: Tuesday, October 1 from 8:30am to 11am online (student join from school)
Junior (Grade 11) University Night (Students & Parents): Thursday, October 3 from 5:30pm in MPR
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. Last week we had a fire drill on Wednesday and a Lock Down Drill today. This week we practiced our 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.
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!
MAP Testing
For two weeks from Wednesday, October 11, we will be MAP (Measures of Academic Progress) testing students in Grade 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.
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 detail about the what, why, and how of MAP testing at ISY.
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