IGBIS Newsletter, Issue 232

Message from HOS

Mrs Anne Fowles, Head of School

Dear IGBIS Families,

Happy Muharram, Islamic New Year. I hope that you had a chance to celebrate or to enjoy the break on Thursday this week.

IGBIS had another reason to celebrate this week:

IB Diploma Final Results Released

In last week’s newsletter I gave an update of our school IB Diploma and Career-related Certificate results. Since then, due to the many requests for a review of the DP results for individuals, subject areas and cohorts from hundreds of schools and IB Associations around the world, the IB decided to review all of the results and their algorithm for calculating the final result. This had a significant and positive impact on the results for many IGBIS graduates. 

IGBIS had a one hundred percent (100%) pass rate, our average result was 35 points and our top score was 45/45! 

Congratulations to one of our IGBIS Scholars and last year’s valedictorian, Clarissa Teh, who achieved 100% in all aspects of the IB Diploma and is the first student at IGBIS to achieve 45 points.

With this result, Clarissa’s place at University of Cambridge has also been confirmed.

Back to School Night

A reminder that our Back to School night will take place next Thursday (August 27th). The principals will send you more information about this virtual event. 

We look forward to seeing you all in attendance. It is fine for your children to take part along with you.

From the Elementary Principal

Simon Millward, Elementary School Principal

It was great to see so many parents at the Virtual coffee morning this week. We hope that you are supporting each other and especially the new members of our community to navigate their way around not only IGBIS but Kuala Lumpur as well.

As we have been monitoring students over the last two weeks we have noticed that they are becoming much more independent. They are appearing confident and know the routines. For example, as I have been on the Level 1 turnstiles in the morning, the students know they extend their wrist to me so that I can take their temperature and then they wait to have their hands sanitised, they then stand on the ‘feet’ spots and wait to be guided to class. Whilst this may appear to be a small development, for our Early Years and Fireflies students this is pleasing progress, as we are seeing this independence transfer to the classroom setting as well. 

Safety driving through school:

Thank you for travelling at a safe speed through the school, it is imperative that we continue to do so with student safety a priority. I do need your help though with students wearing seat belts whilst they are travelling in the car. I have noticed at times some students hanging out windows or jumping around in the back of the car. If for any reason you do need to brake suddenly your children could be injured.

In the first year of opening at IGBIS, the Grade 2 students wrote and performed a safety seat belt song. I have included this below. There is also a video that shows this in action from 6 years ago. Seat belt song

We can sing the seat belt song,
Join with us and sing along
Find a seat belt, pull it down
Hold it tightly and pull it round
We all know this safety trick
Do it up and make it click

Virtual Back to School curriculum information afternoon. 27th August

You will have received an email about the Back to School curriculum information afternoon on 27th August. There will be recorded elements to this afternoon so that if you miss a session you can easily return to it later as they will be made available to you. The curriculum information slides will also be made available so that once again you can return to these at a later date. Should you have any questions for any of the classroom teachers or single subject teachers please feel free to drop into their sessions and ask them any curriculum based questions. Please do not feel that you need to be in every session, choose those that you have questions about.

Dates for your diaries

• 27th August: Back to School curriculum information event
• 31st August: Public holiday: National Day holiday
• 15th September: Virtual Malaysia Day assembly
• 16th September: Holiday: Malaysia Day

IGBIS Instrumental Music Academy

Hadewych Dujardin, Music Academy Coordinator

The IGBIS Instrumental Music Academy provides the opportunity for students to have individual or small group lessons with a professional tutor to foster the development of skills and a love for playing music. Students who participate in the program will be encouraged to use these skills as a member of an IGBIS Music Orchestra and become a lifetime participant in music making.

IGBIS Instrumental Music Academy is acting as an agent between the parents and tutors, providing the services of enrolling students, arranging schedules, invoicing and collection of payments.

Our tutors are all experienced musicians and teachers who work at other International Schools or other reputable Music Academies in Kuala Lumpur. This year the instruments available for learning are Piano, Violin, Viola, Guitar (Electric, classical and bass guitar) Ukulele, Voice and Drums. 

Our Tutors

• Ms Puisim Wong – Piano. 
• Ms Iko Chia – Piano. 
• Mr Yew Chee Chew – Violin and Viola. 
• Mr Adil Rahim – Guitar/Ukulele 
• Ms Irma Lailatul – Voice. 
• Mr Joshua – Drum/Ukulele/Guitar

All schedules will be made once registration is finished. Special requests for times will not be considered except for after school lessons depending on the availability of the tutor and student transport needs.

The relevant information, hand booklet and registration form can be found on the School’s website. All communication for the Academy will be via Parent IGBIS email accounts. 

To find the Music Academy website go to the IGBIS splash page and click on the login button on the top right hand corner. Search for the Music Academy logo to find all the administration, scheduling and online registration documents. https://sites.google.com/igbis.edu.my/music-academy-igbis/home

Students may have individual lessons (preferred) or small group lessons (Maximum of 3 students per group). Piano lessons are only available as individual lessons. Lessons will cost RM70 for an individual lesson (preferred) and RM50 for a group lesson (max. 3 students per group). There will be around 15 lessons in each semester, depending on holidays. Invoices will be emailed to Parent IGBIS email accounts. 

At the conclusion of each Semester students will perform in concerts to demonstrate their progress and to develop performance skills. 

Registration will start from Thursday 6th of August. This is an exciting add on the program at IGBIS and I look forward to its continued success and expansion this year. 

Uniform Drive

Michael Leh, Communications & Parent Liaison

• Buy – Gently Used Uniforms for RM10/pc.
• Swap – Bring your own items to Swap.
• Donate – Unwanted uniforms are kindly appreciated.

*All proceeds will go towards the PVO (Parent Volunteer Organisation) Fund.

In adherence to the Reopening of School SOP, the customary IGBIS ‘Uniform Drive’ held at the start of the school year (usually in conjunction to ‘Parent Welcome Coffee Morning’) will not be taking place this time around in efforts to contain incoming and outgoing movements within school premises. However, for Parents and Caregivers who wish to Buy, Swap or Donate gently used uniforms may still do so by appointment basis via email to michael.leh@igbis.edu.my hence to make arrangements.