International School of Bremen Parent Bulletin 4 2017/18 ISA Testing Each year at ISB, students from Grades 3 to 10 participate in ISA tests in the areas of Mathematics, Reading, Writing and Comprehension. These are standard tests that benchmark your child s abilities and skills within an international context. This year, the ISA Testing will take place on Wednesday, 27 September and Thursday, 28 September 2017 here at ISB. The individual results take some time to be processed and will not be available until January. New Choir - Reminder! Do remember that our new choir under the direction of Janine Smith will be starting on Monday, 18 September 2017 The choir will meet every Monday from 3.15-4.30pm in the Malcolm Davis Hall. For students, parents and staff! Bring water or tea with you to protect your voice, and an open mind to be filled with song! DATES Grade 6 Information Evening, Malcolm Davis Hall, 6.30pm Grade 1 Parents Bake Sale, Ground Floor Foyer, 2.30pm September 22 Secondary Sports Day 8.30am September 27 + 28 Gr. 3-10 ISA Testing October 4 Grade 6 Boat Race Main Corridor, 2.00pm Grade 10 PSAT/NMSQT Tests, Exam Room October 26 Concert of Colombian Music, Malcolm Davis Hall, 6.00pm November 15 IGCSE Certificate Presentation Evening incl. Presentation of DofE Bronze Certificates Malcolm Davis Hall, 6.30pm November 24 Children s Winter Party, Cinemaxx Bremen, 1.40-5.00pm December 11 Grade 10 Step One Tests, Exam Room, 8.00am Dec 21 - Jan 7 Winter Holiday Grade 6 Information Evening Thursday, 21 September 2017 6.30pm Malcolm Davis Hall Introduction of the International Middle Years Curriculum (IMYC) For Parents and Students For our detailed Calendar of Events, turn to back pages www.isbremen.de 15 September 2017
Extra-Curricular Activities We are now pleased to be able to share with you our list of extra-curricular activities for the new school year 2017/18, being sent to you as an attachment with this Parent Bulletin. All clubs/activities will be taking place as of next week, though some have already begun. In most cases, preregistration is not necessary - students may turn up personally at the appropriate time and with the appropriate clothing (in the case of sport activities). However, those attending Mrs Evans Maths Club/IB Standard Level Support, Thursdays at 3.00pm in Rm 219 are asked to inform her beforehand that they will be coming to the session. The list may still be amended to accommodate new activities, however we will inform you of these as and when they have been finalised. Thai Dance starting soon! Our Library assistant, Mrs Apadsara Hankrotha, was born and bred in Thailand. She would now like to share her experience of Thai dancing with the ISB Community. The activity is open to students, parents and staff members of all ages and will take place after school on Thursdays. If you are interested in taking part, please contact Mrs Dodds at ddodds@isbremen.de by next Friday, 22 September 2017. Further information will then follow. ISB Spirit Week! October 23-27 EL1 - Grade 5 Monday Pyjama Day Tuesday Wild Hair Day Wednesday Hat Day Thursday Storybook Character/ Halloween Costume Day Friday Twin Day - dress up the same as your friend(s) Milei.vencel INTRODUCING... Ms Anne Symank Secondary Maths As a German who has been living outside of Germany until May of this year, Ms Symank considers herself a true global citizen and greatly appreciates the uniqueness of different cultures and languages. While most of her work experience has been in the field of education (Europe, Middle East and North Africa), she has also gained insight into humanitarian aid through various volunteer positions (Central and East Africa). Music is one of her biggest passions and throughout her travels, she has cherished opportunities to play with different local groups. Besides her PGCSE, she has a Masters in Mathematics and particularly enjoys teaching within the IB DP programme for which she also works as an examiner. She looks forward to this new chapter in her life at ISB - and who knows? She might end up settling down after all these years! 2 Parent Bulletin 15 September 2017
DofE Taster Hike Last Friday, 20 Grade 9 students set off on a short 2- day Taster Hike to the campsite Am Hexenberg in Bremen-Borgfeld. The Taster Hike - as the name implies - gives them a taste of what it is like to participate in the Bronze level hike and be walking for some hours, carrying tents, sleeping bags, cooking stoves and other kit needed for an overnight camp. The DofE team at ISB offers this each year to help students decide if it is what they like doing or not, before committing themselves to the year-long Bronze programme and training. The weather this year couldn t have been worse, with constant rain and a high wind chill factor, but even their lack of appropriate clothing certainly didn t seem to curb their enthusiasm. Accompanied by four of last year s Bronze students, Varia, Noah, Will and Daniel, as well as four DofE team members, they knuckled down to their task and there was no time for long faces. The team was delighted that all 20 students have chosen to continue the programme. For more information about the Duke of Edinburgh s Award here at ISB, contact dofe@isbremen.de. Meet Our CAS Students... Paul, Grade 11 For CAS, I decided to start a company of my own. Build-yours.de http://build-yours.de/ is an online-shop that sells so-called builder's-kits. These contain all the parts required for the construction of our products. Now, let's say you visit the shop and decide to buy one of our precisely engineered products (highly recommendable). Once the order has been completed, it will be shipped to you in pieces. For example the wordclock, which tells the time by displaying it in its written form, for example: "It is ten past two", will consist of four wooden boards, an LED strip, a small computer-chip and some paper to diffuse the light emitted by the individual LEDs. You will then have to do some basic soldering and putting together, so that in the end you not only have a great wordclock but also something which you connect with on a personal level. You might even have customised it by, for example, painting it in your favourite colour, to adapt it to your needs and wishes. They are not only suitable for yourself but also an ideal choice as a gift for Christmas, a birthday that's drawing close or just for the sake of it. Though most of our products are still being manufactured as you read this, some are already in store and can be ordered from 16 September onwards. If further questions arise, please don't hesitate to approach me in school or send an email to paul@buildyours.de 15 September 2017 Parent Bulletin 3
University and Career Guidance Counselling (Grades 9-12) SAT Testing Job4u Fair This will be taking place this weekend, on Friday and Saturday in the Weser-Ems-Halle in Oldenburg. For more information, go to: https://job4u-ev.de/messe/ messe-oldenburg/ If your child is taking part in the SAT testing on 7 October, please ensure they use the online revision aids to help them succeed. Additional papers are available from Mrs Evans in Rm 144a. International College Fair, Hamburg This is your final chance to take part in the International College Fair in Hamburg on 27 September. You must leave school at 12.20pm and will return to Bremen at around 7.00pm. Travel costs are to be borne by the students and permission is to be sought from Mr Walton and your subject teachers. DEADLINES, FAIRS + TESTS September 27 Welt der Logistik Job Fair 9.00am - 2.00pm, BLG- Forum, Am Speicher 11, Bremen www.via-bremen.com International College Fair, International College Hamburg, 2.30-5.30pm What Should Grade 12 Be Doing This Week? Getting your UCAS and college online app applications in order Requesting references from teachers through those apps or through Mrs Evans. You cannot request references at a late stage from teachers as they may simply not have the time Looking at your courses to see if there are any additional exams you must take or whether you need additional items such as a portfolio. October 15 December 11 January 15 February 19-23 May + June PSAT Tests for all Grade 10 students Deadline for Oxford and Cambridge Universities along with applications for medicine, veterinary science and dentistry Grade 10 Step One testing, 8.00am - 12.20pm, Exam Room Application deadline for most UK universities Grade 10 Step One interviews Grade 12 receive offers and replies from universities Contacting the Admissions Director of an institution if you have any questions specific to the course (Mrs Evans cannot help you here as she can only access the same information as you). July 5 IB results published If you have questions on any of the above, please contact Mrs Evans on: cevans@isbremen.de 4 Parent Bulletin 15 September 2017
House News House Points Here are this week s results as per the end of Thursday, 14 September 2017. The Results of This Week There has been a huge jump in points thanks to the Jog-a-Thon and the Elementary Floorball tournament. The Floorball tournament was extremely competitive, with only a single goal separating the teams in most of the games, but in the end there could only be one winner. Here are the results: 1. Schnoor 100pts 2. Lloyd 65pts (-10 for late team sheet) 3. Hanse 50pts 4. Roland 25pts Well done Schnoor House!! House Clothes House t-shirts (and other good quality house clothing items) can be ordered from the company Meinecke Promotion, situated just north of Bremen. Please go to their website http://www.isbremenshop.de/shop/ to place your order. Once you have placed the t-shirt in the basket online, please be aware that you need to go back out of the basket to the article you require on the main homepage and click on the button Add Your House Print otherwise your t-shirt will only have the school logo on the front, but no house logo on the back! 15 September 2017 Parent Bulletin 5
Inter-House Competition Dates To keep you informed about all Inter-House Competitions, we will be publishing the dates and events in this column week by week, as soon as new dates become known to us. INTER-HOUSE COMPETITIONS September 2017 22 September Secondary Sports Day 8.15am - 12.20pm October 2017 11 October 11 October Elementary Dodgeball Tournament November 2017 6 November Secondary Floorball Competition 15 November Elementary Capture-the-Flag Tournament,, Part 1 22 November Elementary Capture-the-Flag Tournament,, Part 2 December 2017 13 December 13 December Elementary Handball Tournament 19 December Secondary Volleyball Tournament January 2018 17 January Elementary Kickball Tournament, Part 1 24 January Elementary Kickball Tournament, Part 2 February 2018 7 February March 2018 8 March Secondary Basketball Tournament 14 March Elementary Basketball Tournament 21 March April 2018 16 April Secondary Tchoukball Tournament 18 April Elementary Indoor Rowing Competition, May 2018 9 May 16 May Elementary Soccer Tournament June 2018 5 June Secondary Soccer Tournament 7 June Elementary Sports Day 9.00am - 11.30pm 20 June 24 January Secondary Handball Tournament 6 Parent Bulletin 15 September 2017
ISB Calendar at a Glance Early Learning Centre September 28 October 23-27 October 26 November 24 November 30 December 13 Dec. 21 - Jan. 7 February 7, 2018 March 9 March 21 May 9 June 20 EL1 and 2 visit the market in Bremen City Centre 9.30-11.30am Grade 1 Parents Charity Bake Sale Ground Floor Foyer, 2.30pm EL3 visits the Magic Park in Verden 9.30am - 2.30pm ISB Spirit Week Concert of Columbian Music Malcolm Davis Hall, 6.00pm Children s Winter Party (EL1 - Grade 5) Cinemaxx Bremen, 1.40-5.00pm EL 1-3 go to the Mensch, Puppe! Puppet Theatre 9.45am - 12.45pm Winter Break - School Closed EL1 - Grade 5 Elementary International Festival 15 September 2017 Parent Bulletin 7
Elementary Gr. 1 5 Grade 5 Team-Building Sleepover In School, 1.40pm - 8.30am Grade 1 Parents Charity Bake Sale Ground Floor Foyer, 2.30pm Grade 4 visits the Human Neurobiology Department at Bremen University Grade 5 enjoys a French breakfast to celebrate European Day of Languages, ISB Dining Hall, 8.10-9.00am Grade 5 visits Airbus, 9.00am - 1.00pm Grade 3-10 ISA Testing Inter-House Dodgeball Tournament (for selected Elementary students) ISB Main Gym, ISB Spirit Week Concert of Columbian Music Malcolm Davis Hall, 6.00pm Inter-House Capture-the-Flag Tournament, Part 1 (for selected Elementary students) ISB Main Gym, Inter-House Capture-the-Flag Tournament, Part 2 (for selected Elementary students) ISB Main Gym, Children s Winter Party (EL1 - Grade 5) Cinemaxx Bremen, 1.40-5.00pm Inter-House Handball Tournament (for selected Elementary students) ISB Main Gym, September 15-16 September 22 September 26 September 26 September 27 + 28 October 23-27 October 26 November 15 November 22 November 24 December 13 December 13 ISB Calendar at a Glance 8 Parent Bulletin 15 September 2017
ISB Calendar at a Glance Secondary September 1-29 September 20 September 20 September 22 September 27 + 28 October 4 October 6-7 October 7 October 9 October 26 November 6 November 15 Outdoor Chess Tournament ISB Courtyard, 12.40-1.00pm Grades 7-10 German First Language Students visit the Bremische Bürgerschaft 8.50am - 12.20pm Grade 9 Solar Car Race Courtyard or Main Corridor, 2.20-4.00pm Grade 1 Parents Charity Bake Sale Ground Floor Foyer, 2.30pm Grade 6 Information Evening Malcolm Davis Hall, 6.30-8.00pm Secondary Sports Day 8.15am - 12.20pm Grade 3-10 ISA Testing Grade 6 IMYC Boat Race Main Corridor, 12.30-3.30pm Bronze DofE Final (from SY 2016/17) Lüneburger Heide dept. 8.00am (6.10.), arr. 5.00pm (7.10.) SAT Testing Exam Room, 8.00am - 12.30/1.00pm Grade 7 visits the Klimahaus Bremerhaven 9.00am - 3.00pm Grade 10 PSAT/NMSQT Tests, Rm. 229 Concert of Columbian Music Malcolm Davis Hall, 6.00pm Inter-House Floorball Tournament ISB Main Gym, IGCSE Certificate Presentation Evening 15 September 2017 Parent Bulletin 9