Message from the Head of School
Jason McBride
Hello IGBIS Community,
A big thank you to everyone who made today’s Malaysia Day Celebration a success; from those who dressed in traditional attire, to those who were on stage or organizing the assembly to finish the day. Days like today are a powerful reminder that Malaysia stands out as a great example of how many different cultures can come together in a harmonious way to coexist in a country. Nowhere in the world is perfect, and there is an incredible need to elevate the level of equity, inclusion and justice here and globally, but IGBIS — and Malaysia in many ways — has a “special ingredient” that many other places struggle to include to the same extent. That special ingredient is … open-mindedness.
You often hear that diversity is a key to increasing a sense of equality or inclusion, but that’s not the whole story. In fact, diversity in and of itself can cause problems if we bring together different perspectives without an underlying commitment to being open-minded. As one of the IB Learner Profile attributes, open-mindedness can be a key in turning diversity into belonging; a recipe that Malaysia has been building upon for the past 59 years as a nation.
Being open-minded does not mean that you do not hold strong beliefs yourself, but that you remain open to others’ perspectives. As the IB Mission Statement states, if we want to promote intercultural understanding and respect, we must act in such a way that allows other people, with their differences, to also be right. Open-mindedness is the attribute that keeps our emotional and intellectual doors open, keeps us humble and invites us to be curious about the “other” so that we have the potential to include, rather than exclude.
Our celebration of Malaysia Day comes two weeks before our Inclusive Schools Week from September 26 – 30, a time when we will be diving into all the wonderful, complex, sometimes frustrating, but always interesting facets of what it means to be a school that prioritizes inclusion. Today, however, we celebrate IGBIS’ and Malaysia’s desire to create an environment in which everyone belongs.
My question to our community this weekend is how can your open-mindedness help someone around you feel even more included?
Yours in building belonging,
Jason
From the SS Principal
Sandy van Nooten
It has been a short, but busy week in Secondary and student leadership has been a focus. Here is a summary of what has been happening.
Student Council Executives
Congratulations to our newly elected Student Council executives for 22-23.
- Yeji Seo
- Daniel Ocando
- YoonSeo Kong
- Brinda Gunalan
HoCo (House Council) Executives
- HoCo (House Council) Executives – We are pleased to announce that we are looking for house council applicants (from Gr. 9 – 11). Two execs per house. Interested candidates need to fill this google form before Tue 20th Sep. (Speeches and election will be held on 30th Sep).
- Calls for Middle School House Reps
(3 per house) will follow the HoCo exec election.
- Homeroom Representatives – One representative/homeroom (elected by the homeroom students). Students who are interested in being a Homeroom rep need to let their homeroom teacher know. Speeches and voting will happen next Fri 23rd Sep (during an extended homeroom session). Homeroom Reps join with StuCo execs to form our extended StuCo.
Phoenix Talks
Next Wednesday we are holding our annual Phoenix Talks. This is when our Gr.12 students showcase their work from the IBDP and IBCP Core. The event consists of three distinct sessions. Parents are invited to the first two sessions. Thanks to Mr Drechsler for organising this fantastic event.
- Here is information about the event, including some recordings from last year.
- We would love to see parents at this event. If you plan to attend, can you please fill in this Parent sign-up sheet (by Monday if possible) so we know how many to expect.
| Phoenix Talks Wed 21st Sep | Program | Target Audience |
 | Session 1 – 8:15 to 9:35 am (In the Theatre) – In the first session, some of our seniors will treat us to short talks on a selected element from the IB Core DP: Extended Essay & CAS CP: Reflective Project & Service Learning | Presented by Gr.12 students. Students from Gr.9 to 12 will be in the audience. Parents are welcome. |
| Session 2 – 10:00 to 11:20 am (In the Level 6 Library, DP & MYP lounges) In this session, our DP students will show us their Theory of Knowledge (TOK) exhibitions. Our CP students will showcase their work from their Personal & Professional Skills (PPS) course. | Presented by Gr. 12 students. Students from Gr. 10 to 12 will be in attendance. Parents are welcome. | |
| Session 3 – 11:25 to 12:45 pm (in various classrooms) In these sessions, students are running a series of workshops for a smaller audience. | Presented by Gr.12 students. Students from Gr. 10 – 12 are in attendance. Sorry, no space for parents at this session! | |
Parent Workshops
It has been years since we have been able to invite parents into school and so it has been wonderful to have so many parents at our recent workshops. Here is an overview of our plans for parent workshops in secondary for the year (The image is below with a link to the document here for easier reading).
The columns on the left show who the target audience is although anyone is welcome to attend. The title tells you what it is about and you can see who is delivering the workshop (shown in the right column) so you don’t get bored! Most of the workshops are face-to-face and most (though not all) will be recorded. The staff running the session whose name is in bold will email the target audience about a week before the workshop. Please RSVP using the link on this document (shown in the ‘title’ column), or using the link that will be included in the email invitation. After the workshop, if it was recorded, that same staff member will link the recording to this document in the ‘location’ column.
In an effort to get and keep our community updated with what they need to know, we are quite sure that we’ve gone overboard. Please don’t feel like you need to come to all events, but find the events most important to you and your family.
Here are some photos from this morning’s ‘Introduction to MYP’ workshop led by Mr MacDonald.
Happy Malaysia Day and have a great long weekend.
Regards,
Sandy
Grade 8 Performing Arts
Rob Pendlebury
The Grade 8 Performing Arts Class finished their ‘Improvisation Unit’ in which they collaborated in groups to create a short play through improvisation. The students did a tremendous job working through the creative process to invent and perform unique stories and characters. Enjoy their video below!
Digital Intelligence
Steven Harvey
How to Build Digital Intelligence (Part 2)
Last week we began looking at strategies to help build digital intelligence in our children: promote respectful communication, encourage empathy, and teach children to question. By developing positive digital habits from a young age, we help to strengthen the social, emotional and practical skills children need to navigate the digital world. Let’s look at some other things we can try when helping to build digital intelligence.
Encourage Safe and Responsible Behaviour
- Work on achieving a healthy balance in your child’s online and offline activities and set boundaries for digital device use in your home.
- Remind your child of the importance of safeguarding the personal information that can be used to identify or locate them.
- Explain why they should be suspicious of unsolicited messages and emails, and avoid clicking on pop-up ads on websites. Some pop-ups that seem safe can lead to inappropriate sites or ask for personal or financial information.
- Help them configure the strongest privacy settings on all the social media apps and sites they use. It is best that only their circle of friends can view their information, tag them in a photo or share posts. And get them to check their settings regularly as updates can sometimes change them back to the default.
- Ensure your child uses strong passwords on devices and accounts, and explain the importance of not sharing passwords, even with friends.
Help Them Build Resilience
- Keep your cool if your child experiences a negative experience online. Remember, the choices they make as they navigate difficult situations can help them learn.
- Remind your child that they can screen who they accept as online ‘friends’.
- Make sure they know how to block and report users or pages on the sites they use.
- If they have a negative online experience, find out how they are feeling about it, offer support and encourage them to keep things in perspective at the same time.
- For example, you might say: ‘What that person has done is not OK. They must be feeling pretty bad about themselves to treat you like this. How are you feeling? Let’s block them to stop their messages coming through.’
- Build your child’s confidence and encourage positive ways of thinking — looking on the bright side, thinking rationally, and understanding that difficult times are a part of life but there is help and support available.
For further information, ideas and suggestions about building digital resilience, please see the associated links and resources HERE.
Coffee with the Counsellors
The Counselling Team
Dear Parents and Guardians,
In exactly one week, your school counsellors will hold our first Coffee with the Counsellors Session and you are invited to attend! The session is called Success for All, hosted on Thursday, September 22 at 8:15am.
The purpose of the session is to introduce you to the systems of support that are available to all students. We will discuss academic pathways, academic support, and mental health support systems here at IGB. Parents from Firefly to Grade 12 are invited.
Please fill out the RSVP FORM if you plan to attend the meeting. For parents who are unable to attend, the session will be recorded and shared. Thank you, and we look forward to seeing you next Thursday morning!
Your School Counsellors:
- John Schuster (ES) john.schuster@igbis.edu.my
- Leanne Harvey (MS) leanne.harvey@igbis.edu.my
- Amanda Lopez (HS) amanda.lopez@igbis.edu.my
