Today we will open The Hub at lunch for quiet activities for G2-5 students (this is a slight change from the plan communicated on Tuesday).  The Hutong will not be open (we have had very few students choosing this option).

Green Gym will remain open for sports/games for G2-5

Please inform students

Every month the East Asia Regional Council of Schools (EARCOS for short) offers a range of excellent free and paid short courses.

For more information on coming events check out this link. There is also a great library of past events in the form of free webinars which you can find here.

Here are just some of the great free events coming in September:

Saturday, September 7 & 21, 2024
A Common Vision of Instructional Excellence: The Danielson Framework for Teaching Virtual Institute
Presented by Dr. Lindsay Pendergast

Build a shared vision of instructional excellence & student success grounded in the underlying philosophies and intent of the Danielson Framework for Teaching. Explore how the components of instructional excellence in the Danielson Framework contribute to a culture of learning and trust in classrooms and schools that allow teachers and students to flourish. Examine important shifts from the 2013 FFT to the newly-released 2022 FFT.

Saturday, September 14, 2024
The Entry Plan: Beneath the Surface of Board Cultures
(Session 1 of 3 | Planning your Headship Webinar Series)
Presented by John Littleford

• Know the influential players on the board and on the administrative team and how to get them on your side.
• Know the history, i.e., “where the bodies are buried”.
• Know how the channels of communication work (or do not).
• Board authority vs. your authority; is there a pattern of micromanagement?

Saturday, September 21, 2024
MicroInterventions: The Antidote to Identity-Based Harm
Presented by Jessica Wei Huang

Educators committed to DEIBJ know that addressing identity-based harm is an important aspect of setting a culture and climate that is safe and where all community members feel like they belong. This session calls-in all educators in international schools in Asia, from classroom aids, to teachers, to school leaders, we are all responsible for setting the container for inclusion and belonging in our communities. We will engage in dialogue around the impact of identity-based harm, the different ways identity-harm can manifest in a community, and small steps (microinterventions) that we can all take in order to address them.

In this session, we will:
– Reflect on the impact of identity-based harm and our own ability to recognize harm through personal reflection and empathetic listening.
– Examine the root of discomfort that causes us to ignore or dismiss identity-based harm in our environment and connect to our personal why as to how we can start to call-in others (and ourselves) to step in/speak up.
– Learn the skill of microinterventions in order to stop identity-harm in the moment and be able to connect to larger cultural shifts to make positive changes in school climate and culture.

Saturday, September 28, 2024
Understanding Instructional Coherence
(Session 1 of 4 | Bridging the Gap: Enhancing Instructional Coherence Webinar Series)
Presented by Erma Anderson

“Understanding Instructional Coherence,” will introduce the concept of instructional coherence, emphasizing the significance of well-structured lessons. Additionally, this session will explore the role of AI in planning and implementing core instruction that effectively reaches all students.

The 54th EARCOS Leadership Conference 2024

Belonging & Becoming
It is with happiness and great expectations that we invite you to join us at the 54th Annual EARCOS Leadership Conference. This very special event will be held in Bangkok from October 24 through October 26 at the Shangri-la Hotel.

Visit the website here

In addition to the courses on offer, this year EARCOS has assembled a number of powerful institutes that will surely impact the quality of teaching and learning in schools across Asia.

These include:

1. The New Generation of Science Standards (NGSS) with Britta McCarthy and Heather Rich
2. The EARCOS Teacher Leadership Institute led by James H. Stronge and Leslie Grant
3. The International Literacy Coach Cohort with Monica Medina and Shannon Hobbs-Beckley
4. Toward A Common Vision of Instructional Excellence with the Danielson Framework for Teaching, with Lindsay
Prendergast
5. Peer Learning Communities with Michael Iannini and PeerSphere
6. And, for History and Social Science teachers and curriculum leaders, Brown University’s Choices Program
invites you to explore their recently developed Vietnam War Curriculum.

Opportunities are also available to submit articles to the EARCOS Journal. Get in touch with me if this is something you are interested in.

For more info on everything EARCOS visit https://earcos.org

Registration is now open for both the ISS DEIJ Learning to Action Foundational and the L2A Advanced program! The Foundational Institute offers a yearlong, flexible learning experience designed to equip international school educators with the tools to drive equitable change.

Starts: October 28. Find out more about it here: https://eduplatform.iss.edu/s/external-courses/details?courseId=a0xQm000002yddFIAQ

For those ready to dive deeper, the L2A Advanced program builds on this foundation with more in-depth learning. Both programs are designed to accommodate various learning modes incorporating case studies and research to demonstrate best practices in fostering equitable and inclusive learning environments.

Starts: October 1st. Find out more about it here: https://eduplatform.iss.edu/s/external-courses/details?courseId=a0xQm000002yrZlIAI

If you have questions about the courses, please talk to Iryna or Tríona.

Today (August 15^th Day 3) please come to PAC foyer to collect the house T-shirts, schedule as below.

Good morning all,

Thanks for a great first day! The students looked happy and engaged throughout.

In advisory, please continue moving through all the information from Scott, and also let students know that they should leave their bags in the cubbies on the second floor before going to the hub or lunch. We will keep the hub bag free for now.

The new cafeteria system worked well, so thank you for that communciation with all students. We will all get more efficient at the clean up of plates over time. When you are on BTT in the cafeteria, please remind students not to move tables, but to sit at the established layout.

Thank you!

For the special welcome back assembly on Friday, please bring your Block 5 class to the PAC in time for the assembly to start right at 2:30. Prior to the assembly, please remind students of good audience expectations.

The PAC seats will be labled by grade level, so please bring your students to the appropriate seats and sit near/with them. Thank you!

We are continuing to update the parent pick-up responses and will close the form at 4pm today. Zoe has also added the student bus numbers for all students taking the bus.  These lists are editable so please change/update/add if a parent speaks to you directly. Tomorrow, please contact any parents who have not provided pick-up information.

Thank you to everyone who supported students in understanding and managing our new cafeteria space and procedures. The tray-clearing took quite a long time yesterday – with practice and familiarity we will see things move much quicker over the weeks.

HR teachers – please inform children that the plates/bowls etc are tough – they do not need to be delicately placed in the buckets (this slowed down the process). Students can lightly “drop” these items into the bucket without them breaking.  Thanks!

As a follow-up to the training on the new ticketing system.  If you haven’t yet been able to login, please come by the IT help area in the HUB.  We will be more than happy to help you get in.  We also wanted to provide helpful links to training on the system if you want to review in your spare time 😁.

Thanks

The IT Support Team

Good morning secondary teachers,

Today at 2:45, please have a short meeting with your departments in a location of your choice. Ensure everyone has resources they need, classes are reasonably balanced, and follow up on your common expectations discussion as needed, thinking especially about the balance of languages (English/target language and mother tongue) for learning and strategies for incoporating reading and writing by hand regularly as practice for the students and also as quick formative assessment of language and content comprehension.

Also, please find linked a ppt prepared by Admissions with information about all (or most of) the new students that can help you plan.

Thank you! Sara

Please copy this link and follow the instructions below.

webcal://www.nischina.org/cf_calendar/feed.cfm?type=ical&feedID=816EF81278F5421085C1B30E9B336F5E

Navigate to https://outlook.office.com/mail/

Click the calendar icon / Click the Add calendar option.

Then click “Subscribe from web” / paste the link / name the calendar / choose a color / choose where you want the imported calendar / click “import.”

You will now have the whole school calendar available in your Outlook.

Hi secondary teachers,

For advisory this morning, please email missing names of missing students to Zoe (cc me) so that we can take enter attendance. Then, for every block after that, please take each class’s attendance in ManageBac.

Thank you! Sara

For this week

Morning Break is outdoor only play (no indoor spaces available)

Lunch Break

• Green Gym is open for G2 -5 students every day this week for sports and games
• Hub is open for G5s today for quiet activities (reading, board games, drawing, origami etc)
• Hutong is open for G2-4s today for quiet activities (reading, board games, drawing, origami etc)

Wed

• Hub will be open for G4- 5s for quiet activities
• Hutong will be open for G2-3s for quiet activities

Thurs

• Hub will be open for G3- 5s for quiet activities
• Hutong will be open for G2s for quiet activities

Friday

• Hub will be open for G2- 5s today for quiet activities