IGBIS Newsletter | Issue 196 – IGB International School

The last few days of school this week have been an excellent way to end the school year with community events in both elementary and secondary schools, then assemblies, performances and awards on Thursday.

Congratulations to all of the secondary school students who were recognised for their achievement or improvement and the two students (Clarissa Teh and Gabriel Corbetta) who were selected by their peers for the Learner Profile Awards.

A new award introduced at IGBIS this year is the EARCOS Global Citizen Award. This award is presented to a student who embraces the qualities of a global citizen. This student is a proud representative of his/her nation while respectful of the diversity of other nations, has an open mind, is well informed, aware and empathetic, concerned and caring for others, encouraging a sense of community and strongly committed to engagement and action to make the world a better place. Finally, this student is able to interact and communicate effectively with people from all walks of life while having a sense of collective responsibility for all who inhabit the globe. Clarissa Teh (Grade 11) was selected for the award.

We have said farewell to several staff members who joined the school in our early days. Special thank yous are extended to Mr Geoff Derry who has been our Technology Integration Specialist and ICT Coordinator, and his wife Tanya Cornish who has assisted in the Marketing team and as a Learning Support Assistant since the school began. We wish Geoff, Tanya, Arlo and Galen the very best as they set off on their new adventure exploring Australia by road.

Ms Mary Richards also joined us in 2014. With her dedication and care, she has impacted the lives of nearly all of our young learners after working in both Early Years and Grade 1. Ms Richards is moving to India to take up a new post.

Mr Anthony Spivey-Jones and Ms Jo Spivey-Jones joined IGBIS in 2015 and have contributed hugely to our secondary school departments of Design, English support, Economics and Business Studies, as well as being fantastic home room teachers. They are retiring from teaching and starting a new life in Australia.

Mrs Clare Demnar is also retiring from full time teaching and returning to Australia to help support and care for her family there.

Mr Sean McDermott has been our Head of Student Support Services these past two years. Before joining IGBIS, Mr McDermott was a Principal in New Zealand. He has been head-hunted for a new leadership position in one of Hong Kong’s leading international Schools.

Dr Andrew Blumbergs and Ms Greta Corney joined us in 2017 to work in our Individuals & Societies, History and English departments. We wish them the very best in their move to Germany.

Ms Nadia joined us this year to work with our youngest children in Fireflies. She is moving on to another school within Malaysia.

Our school yearbook was distributed on the last day of school. This was compiled by our student Yearbook team and their supervisor Mr Matthew Marshall, along with Mr Adi in the Marketing team. Please enjoy the yearbook, they have done an excellent job.

Wishing all of our community a restful and safe summer holiday. We look forward to seeing you back for Orientation Day on August 3.

Mrs Anne Fowles, Head of School

Dear parents and guardians,

In the final week of school we spent time in community with each other, through a variety of different activities, and celebrated the strength of our community as a result. The initiatives that took place this week, mostly led by students, made for a fitting close to a year which saw so many student-led initiatives this week.

We closed with two assemblies on the last two days of school. The first, the IGB Recap, celebrated the talents of our community through numerous performances by staff and students. As well, the grade levels shared their recaps of a very busy year. Our final assembly recognised the academic achievements of our students inside and beyond the classroom. As well, we marked the passage of Grade 5 students from the PYP to the MYP, and the Grade 10 students in their completion of the MYP, as they head into the Diploma Programme, Career-related Programme, or IGBIS High School Diploma. Lastly, we bid farewell to Mr Blumbergs, Ms Greta, Mr and Mrs Spivey-Jones, Mr McDermott and Mr Derry. We wish them the best in the next stage of their lives.

I encourage everyone to have a restful and rejuvenating summer, and look forward to seeing our students and families back for Orientation on August 3rd!

Best regards,

Michael Arcidiacono, Secondary School Principal

It is hard to believe that another academic year has come to an end. So many great things have happened over the course of the year and during the Grade 5 celebration assembly we were reminded of some of the events that stood out in students’ minds, the significant ones being on their camp (climbing, rafting, and river swimming), and the PYP exhibition. These were dear to them, however all students would have been able to reflect on the year as they received their yearbooks on Thursday.

This week saw the students from Early Years to Grade 5 engaged in a STEAM morning. This is where students were given tasks related to Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Maths. Students rotated around different activities in multi age groups and it was wonderful to see the older students caring for and supporting the younger age students.

On Wednesday afternoon we had our class parties where students could have freeflow play and appreciate their classmates, whilst having the opportunity to play once more with their friends that were leaving IGBIS this year.

Finally on Thursday we had our final ES assembly for the year, a ‘shareathon’. There were dances, singing, role plays and of course a few speeches. All this was a fitting end to our year as the atmosphere was one of celebration. Naturally it was tinged with sadness as we said farewell to the students and the teachers that are moving on to other adventures next year.

From everyone at IGB International School we hope that you have a safe and enjoyable summer and we wish you all happiness and success whether you are returning next year or whether you are moving further afield.

Au revoir- goodbye until we meet again!

Simon Millward, Elementary School Principal

Preparations are underway for our inaugural Phoenix Makan at IGB International School on Saturday, 3 August 2019. This event will be our first annual ‘Friend of the Phoenix’ social of the upcoming academic year. All ‘Friends of the Phoenix’ will have a chance to mingle with current staff members and former IGBIS friends over a typical Malaysian hawker stall-style luncheon sponsored by the school.

For the past couple of months, our current Grade 10 design tech students have been proposing, prototyping, building and now, painting the final touches of the hawker stalls that will house the scrumptious Malaysian delicacies to be served at the event. Our sincere appreciation is extended to the Secondary Design Tech teachers, Mr Marcus Wetherell, Mr Ian Ellston, and Mr Yoges Muniandi, in addition to all of the students who have poured their energy and talent into the task during these final days of school.

Please feel free to share this invitation to fellow ‘Friends of the Phoenix,’ and remember to RSVP by 28 July 2019.

Who are the ‘Friends of the Phoenix’? Find out more here.

Julie Arcidiacono, Community and Events Coordinator

Even though it has been a short week, it has been a busy week for secondary school students. The week began with an excursion to Sunway Lagoon, where students formed groups and explored everything the theme park had to offer. The weather cooperated to ensure a fun day was had by everyone.

The next day saw students head off campus again, this time for Service Day. Students travelled in groups to one of several locations where they learnt about ways they could contribute to their community: SPCA, where students learnt about caring for animals; Free Tree Society, where students got their hands dirty with some gardening; Hopeww, which is an organisation that contributes to a food distribution programme; Some students had lunch with a refugee family and worked at a community garden; Tzu Chi Foundation, where students contributed to a recycling programme and learnt about volunteering with Tzu Chi; and Think City, where students got to explore the historic birthplace of KL and received tips on improving their own neighbourhood through creative problem-solving. Some students stayed at school and welcomed children from Yayasan Chow Kit for some fun and games at IGBIS. Check out photos from the day here.

On Wednesday it was a day full of fun as all of Secondary School got into the last mix-it-up day of the school year. Students and teachers were dressed in one of four different styles: Hawaiian, country, 80s aerobic junkie or edge teen. It was hilarious (and occasionally a little frightening) to see how students and staff interpreted this dress code. Take a look here. The day ended with an enjoyable assembly for all of secondary school.

Thursday saw the much anticipated arrival of the yearbook. What a wonderful way to sum up a great year. Once everyone had their books in their hands, the top priority was getting autographs from friends, particularly for those students who would not be returning next year.

It’s fair to say that this week was a fun way to end a memorable year, and a HUGE thank you to the ambassadors who did a splendid job of organising the activities in this last week. It wasn’t an easy task, but it was a rewarding one.

In preparation for the start of school in August 2019, we would like to provide you with the following information:

Reception Day

Reception Day for parents and students from Kindergarten to Grade 12 will take place on Saturday, 3rd August commencing at 10.15am and concluding at 11.30am. This will be an opportunity to meet your child’s homeroom teacher and find out where their room is located. When you arrive on Saturday morning, please go directly to Level 3 where you will find notice boards showing the new class and staff information.

Programme for Saturday August 3rd:

10.15am Students and parents to arrive and move to Level 3 Performing Arts Foyer to view new classlists.
10.25am Students move to their respective classrooms, accompanied by their parents.
10.30am New students introduced to classmates. Returning parents welcome new parents into our IGBIS community. Admissions and Finance staff will be available at the Reception area in Level 5 to assist with outstanding logistics (car stickers, transportation, ID tags, etc.)
11.30am Finish

** Please note that the Orientation/Reception for Fireflies and Early Years 1 and 2 students will occur on Friday 2nd August.

Fireflies Session: 9.15am—10.15am
Early Years Session: 10.30am—11.30am

Uniforms

Uniforms can be purchased from The Uniform Shop near reception on Level 5. The Uniform Shop will have extended opening hours from Monday 15th July.:

15th July (Mon)—2nd Aug (Fri) 2019 :
Morning 10.00am—12.00pm | Afternoon 1.30pm—3.30pm
3rd Aug (Sat) – Orientation Day : Morning & Afternoon
5th Aug (Mon) – First day of School:
Morning 7.30am – 8.30am | Afternoon 2.45pm—3.30pm
6th Aug (Tues) – School Day :
Morning 7.30am—8.30am | Afternoon 2.45pm—3.45pm
9th Aug (Fri) – School Day : Morning 7.30am—8.30am

You are welcome to make an earlier appointment to purchase uniforms via the Admissions Office.

Online Purchase of Macbook Computers

Please find the online purchasing procedures and the discounted price list for Macbook Computers at: MacDirection igbis.macdirection.com and Valuetech Solutions ben@myvaluetech.com.

We have already contacted the parents of students going into Grade 6 as to the purchase and imaging of their children’s Macbooks. We have been pleased to see that so many people are doing this now so that they are ready for use in August.

Car Stickers

The new car stickers for the 2019-2020 academic year are now available at Reception. It is very important for security that these are replaced each year. We ask that you place these stickers where they are easily visible on the upper left hand side of your windscreen for our security team to easily identify you.

We look forward to welcoming all of you back to IGBIS on Saturday, August 3rd, 2019 at 10.15am. Please let us know if we can assist in any way in the meantime.

Wayne Demnar | Director of Admissions and Public Relations

Dear parents,

Students and parents who wish to replace the IGBIS Lanyard and the ID Card holder may now proceed to the School Shop for the purchase.

However, for replacement of the student ID Card, students are required to make the payment at the Finance counter and proceed to the ICT Department with the payment receipt as proof of payment to get their student ID card reconfigured and replaced.

The School will continue to provide the lanyards for parents (grey) and students (red) on a one time basis at the start of the enrolment. Bracelet for Elementary School will not be sold at the School Shop and remains available at the Elementary Office.

Please also be reminded the School do not usually require students to wear the lanyard as the ID card can be kept in the pocket or clip on to the uniform, however, if a lanyard is worn, students are required to wear the IGBIS lanyard only.

The costs for the replacement are as follows:-

Elementary School
Bracelet and lanyard	RM 50.00
Lanyard	RM10.00
Secondary School students and all parents
Full ID tag	RM50.00
Lanyard	RM10.00
Plastic cover	RM5.00

Wayne Demnar | Director of Admissions and Public Relations