IGBIS Newsletter, Issue 233

Message from the Head of School

Mrs Anne Fowles, Head of School

Dear IGBIS Families,

It is hard to believe that we have already completed 3 weeks of school. Everyone has settled into the new way of doing things exceedingly well. The students are absolutely amazing! They have adapted to wearing a mask and or shield, sanitising and social distancing. I have been observing them coming into school in the mornings and in their classrooms during the day and they are all so very good at this already. Our teachers have also been fantastic. Everyone has taken on extra responsibilities with classes to teach and additional supervision duties. Some days they barely get a break, but rather than complaining they have said how positive it has been as everyone has pulled their weight, done their part and made it work well.

I noticed that this week one of the government officials said that it is alright for children 12 and under to wear a shield or a mask, they don’t need to wear both. So this is now an option to consider.

Next week we will move to having most classes eating lunches in the cafeteria and we hope that we will be able to have some activities outside so that students are not in their classrooms as long as they are at present.

I joined in many of the sessions for ‘Back to School – Meet the teacher’ yesterday. It was excellent to see so many of our parents joining the sessions and asking some very good questions. If your questions have not been answered already, we will get back to you soon.

Please enjoy the long weekend ahead and Happy Merdeka Day!

From the Elementary School Principal

Simon Millward, Elementary School Principal

Thank you to all the parents who attended the Back to School curriculum afternoon on Thursday 27th August. As I dropped into the google meet sessions I was pleased to see the depth of information that was being shared by our Elementary teachers. If you missed any sessions or you were feeling a little overwhelmed with all of the information, we recorded the sessions and the presentation slides so you can refer back to them. These will be shared via a ‘google classroom’ by Ms. Aga our PYP Coordinator. If you have any further questions after viewing these curriculum resources please contact the teacher so they may assist you further.

I always enjoy moving around the school and dropping into classes and talking with students about what they are engaged in. This week I spent time in the Grade 4 classes. They were finding out about the approaches to learning skills. They had talked to and sent emails to different people around the school trying to find out about their focus skill. For example I had a group that wanted to know how I use communication skills in my role as the ES Principal but also outside of school. Likewise a group wondered about how research skills have changed over time and how I use research skills in and outside of school. The stage the students were at when I was in their classes was sorting through all of the information and extracting the most important points so that they could include elements in their presentation. I look forward to seeing how these presentations are shared.

This week you will have received an email about ‘Class parents.’ A google form was sent to you in that email. You only need to fill it out if you would like to be a class parent. Class Parents 2020/21 Sign-up More information will be sent out next week about meeting with the Principal’s.

Dates for your diaries

• 31st August: Public holiday: National Day holiday
• 15th September: Virtual Malaysia Day assembly
• 16th September: Holiday: Malaysia Day

Student Council (StuCo) Update

Gabriel Corbetta on behalf of StuCo

Dear members of Secondary School,

The student council is proud to announce the upcoming executive member elections, but this year we included a few changes. We have made efforts to reform the StuCo system for the better, and we hope that this system will create a more centralized, productive, and fun student council. With that said please watch this informative StuCo update with everything you need to know about the new StuCo (and yes, my cat is in it too):

If you wish to sign up as an exec, you can get an application form from either Mr. Green (6-20a) or Mr. Adam (room near the Level 6 lounge). For those who want to sign up, I wish you the best of luck and remember that the voting will happen next week on Tuesday during AMP. You’ll be expected to go to each homeroom class and deliver your speech before the voting. Have a great rest of your day everyone!

Great Regards (for the last time)

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 program at IGBIS and I look forward to its continued success and expansion this year.