April 30, 2018

Dear Parents,

This week our Middle School and High School band students will be gearing up for the spring concert which will take place on Friday, May 4, 2018, in the Gym from 6:00PM to 8:00PM. We look forward to sharing with you the talent and growth that your child has made this school year.

The Month of May is always a busy one with exams, projects, and end of the year activities. Below are a few Highlighted events for you to be aware of:

Exams in High School: 
Not only do our Seniors being their IB exams this week, our High School students will also be taking their May exams. We encourage all our students to take care of themselves during this exam period. Gets lots of rest and eat well.

IB Exams: IB exams are standardized and therefore have specific rules around the start and end time, what can enter the exam room, and overall test protocols which will be reviewed at the beginning of each exam. Please help ensure your child is prompt to his/her exams. Extra time will not be allowed if a student is late, and makeup exams are not easily obtained and require documentation and a petition to the IBO in hopes that a remedy is available. ISY is not permitted to provide alliterative times for exams.

IB Exam Schedule 
Start and End Times for IB Exams

High School Exams: 

• Students in high school will need to be on campus only when they have an exam
• The morning exam begins at 8:00 AM and the afternoon exam begins at 12:00 PM
• Students who are late to the exam will not be given extra time
• Students in grades 9 and 10 may not leave the exam room early. Students in grade 11 will follow IB rules, which state that they cannot leave an exam during the first hour of the exam, or during the last 15 minutes
• Students are not allowed to bring bags, mobiles, food or personal items into the exam room. Only a transparent pencil case, pen or pencil, water bottle, a book to read, and sweater are allowed
• Students who miss an exam are required to bring a doctors note in order to take the make-up exam 

Grade 9-11 Exam Schedule

Secondary MAP Assessment: 
Grade 6-9 MAP assessing begins on Tuesday, May 1, students in grades 6-9 will take the MAP assessments in the areas of math, reading, language, and science to track growth for the school year 2017-2018. The best preparation for these assessments is plenty of sleep and a well-nourished body. For more information about the MAP assessment and what it measures, please navigate to the ISY website and scroll down the page to the "MAP Growth" drop-down menu: http://www.isyedu.org/learning/assessment.

Given the adaptive nature of the MAP Growth assessment, students may be exposed to questions containing concepts or skills they have never seen before or have never received instruction on in order to find out what they can and cannot do. When this happens, students are guided to make an initial effort to answer these questions, but if they do not know the answer within a few minutes, they should make the best guess and move on. The MAP assessment is not intended to measure students spending large amounts of time on questions trying to “teach” themselves. Therefore, ISY will continue to limit MAP assessment sessions to 90 minutes which is beyond the average suggested allotted time for students to complete each session as published by NWEA.
*Students with an Individual Education Plan (IEP) may have extra time to complete assessments.
Reference: NWEA (Northwest Evaluation Association)

Climate Survey: 
We are conducting a climate survey. The purpose of this process is to help us determine our strengths and areas for improvement. The survey will take approximately 15 minutes to complete.We are very interested in what you think of your son or daughter’s school experience. Your responses will be recorded anonymously. To complete the survey, please go to the website www.endicottresearchcenter.net  On that page you will see a request for a survey code. Enter the following survey code: CNP2017340 and click GO.

Follow the instructions. Every question on the survey must be answered in order for your answers to be recorded. Skipped questions will be presented again until they are answered. Please complete the survey by the end of the day on Monday, 7 May.

Social Events in Secondary School: 

Middle School Pool and Game Party: On May 11, 2018, from 6:00PM to 8:00PM. The ISY Middle School Student Council will be hosting a team building event in the pool and open court area. All Middle School students are welcome to attend.

High School Prom will take place at the Melia Hotel on May 19, 2018, from 6:00-9:00PM 
Tickets are on sale now. Cost for students in grades 9-11 is 32,00 Kyats. Seniors have a special rate. All guests need to be approved by administration May 16, 2018. Once students enter the dance they must remain until 9:00PM or until a parent picks them up. Students will not be permitted to come and go throughout the evening.

This Week in Secondary School 

Monday

• IB exams begin at 1:00 PM 

Wednesday

• Grade 11 Students : IB group 4 project introduction 12:30pm – 1:30pm 

Thursday 

• Grade 9-11 Exams 

Friday

• Grade 9-11 Exams 
• Spring Music Concert 6:00- 8:00 PM in the SAS Gym

Saturday

• SAT Testing

April 23, 2018

Dear Parents,

Welcome back from the holiday. I would like to once again express appreciation to our parents who provided lunch and snacks to our students and staff prior to the start of the holiday. Your time, commitment, and care were greatly appreciated. 

Just a few things as we begin the week. 

• This is a study week for grade 12 students as IB Exams are only one week away. Although attendance is optional, please know that teachers have organized study sessions to take place during the normal class hours. 
• IB exams start on Wednesday of next week and will take place on level 4 of the SAS building.

High School exams (Grades 9-11) start next week. 
The end of the year exam is a summative assessment where students have an opportunity to demonstrate what they have learned throughout the school year. The exams are at the beginning of May to allow teachers the opportunity to assess students’ long-term learning and provide feedback to the students. The timing of the exam allows teachers time to introduce a final unit before the end of the year which will be assessed and included in the quarter four report card. This allows for teaching and learning to occur until the final day of school. As high school students progress through the years, learning how to study for cumulative exams is imperative as, at the end of grade 12, all students take IB exams which assess two years of academic content.

Please encourage your children to lock up their valuables:
ISY security encourages you to use the lockers provided on campus when using the fitness center, gym or pool in the SAS building. All personal items (i.e. mobile phones, jewelry, clothing, wallets, headsets, etc.) are the responsibility of the individual to whom they belong; ISY is not responsible for any personal materials; nor liable for any lost materials while any person is using the campus facilities.

This Week In Secondary School 

Wednesday

• ISY PA General Meeting (8:00 AM)
• Blood drive ( Grade 12 CAS project).  The blood drive will take place at the school clinic from 3-5 PM. Please stop in and help by donating blood. This will take place in conjunction with the Myanmar Blood Centre, who is partnered with the Red Cross Society.

Saturday 

• YAC Badminton Invitational in the ISY Gym form 9:00 AM to 2:00 PM.

April 9, 2018

Dear Parents,

This week will be quick as we only have three school days before the water festival. I hope you all have a restful holiday. 

Just a few things as we begin our holiday.

• Theft and lost items continue to be an issue on the ISY campus. ISY students have been encouraged to lock up their items, but students continue to leave them in open locations. Leaving phones, wallets or computers in the locker room unattended and not secure is unwise. When this happens, items are more likely to go missing. Please encourage your child to lock up their items especially when using the locker rooms. 

•  Please Update Your Contact Information by following the link sent to you on March 30, 2018. If you have any questions, please contact Mr. Anshu Verma at averma@isyedu.org

• Farewell assembly to our Grade 12 students: On Wednesday April 11, 2018 at 1:35 PM the high school students and faculty will be sending off our grade 12 students, as Wednesday is their last official day where they must attend school. We wish our grade 12 students the best for their upcoming IB exams. 

• Thingyan Celebration at School On Wednesday, April 11, 2018: ISY students will have a special celebration of Thingyan with a chance to participate in getting each other wet. We will provide small pails for collecting the water to throw. You may want to prepare your child for this day by having them dress in appropriate clothes (clothes that can get wet – t-shirt and shorts – No bathing suits allowed). Additionally, it would be important to have a towel upon pick up so you can protect your car seats. Students who do not want to participate in the throwing of water can opt out of the experience. Water throwing will begin at 2:15 PM.

Please note: water cannons, pistols, or any other water squirting devices are not allowed.


• EARTH and SPIRIT WEEK - The week of April 23-27, the ISY will have earth and spirit week. Th ISY community will participate Elementary, Middle and High schools. Each day will have a theme that will bring attention to a different environmental issue. Students are asked to wear a different color outfit to participate in the awareness of these global issues. 


• Monday, 4/23 - WHITE color - to bring awareness to plastic pollution 
• Tuesday, 4/24 - YELLOW color - to bring awareness to how much energy we consume 
• Wednesday, 4/25 - BLUE color - to bring awareness to the water
• Thursday, 4/26 - GREEN color - to bring awareness to the trees and what they do for us
• Friday, 4/27 - RED color - to bring awareness to all environmental issues