ISD, June 2013

The Accreditation Self Study questionnaire that so many of you completed has given us encouragement that we are on the right track in the major areas relating to your child’s education – they are enjoying learning, there is mutual respect between teachers and students and parents are made to feel welcome at school. We know that we can always do better on communication, but I am a strong believer that effective communication starts with trust between all concerned, and that the informal is as, if not more, important than the formal channels such as newsletters and emails.

We are now involved in Committees focusing on all areas of the School in preparation for the Visiting Team in April next year. This enables us to review and reflect on what the questionnaire has told us and what we need to improve. Your part in this is far from over!

Those of you who are parents of children in Grades 3/9 will have been given access through ePortal to your child’s results on the International School Assessment that we completed in February. These too have indicated areas where we need to differentiate our teaching styles to reach out to all

those in a class. We will be running these tests every year so that we can then track progress not just for the school as a whole, but for each individual student as they progress through the school.

The last few months have been beset by tragedy and turmoil. While we hope that the tragedies will have been a wake-up call, we have all been very careful to remind our friends and families both in Bangladesh and overseas, that so much in Bangladesh is successful, ethical and colourful. The response to recent tragedies has again demonstrated the recognition that we are privileged, and that with privilege comes the responsibility to help others less able to help themselves. For this I thank you.

Richard Tangye

Message from the CEO

Out of all the extra-curricular activities that I take part in throughout the school year, the Weekend School always seems to be the one that I look forward to most. Although it is only a matter of a few hours on just some Saturdays, I feel that the children we work with are capable of making an equal impact in my life as I can make in theirs. I feel that the Weekend School is a great activity as it provides groups of as many as 75 underprivileged children with opportunities that they would not even dream of otherwise.

This term we organized two fun days for the students where they participated in activities such as dance and music, sports, play area activities and swimming. As the students from the Friends of the Poor People School (FftPP) arrived at the ISD premises each individual was switched on and ready to enjoy. The bright smiles on their faces clearly portrayed the excitement running

through them. Throughout the day, students remained enthusiastic and engaged. The interactive activities allowed us to learn about the hardship of the lives of these children. The children value every minute they spend in the program because they are often deprived of opportunities such as the ones provided by Weekend School.

I believe that the Weekend School is a worthwhile experience for an ISD student since it not only fulfills the service requirements for C&S and CAS but also allows them to consider everyone in society. I urge you current 9th grade students to join the Weekend School in the upcoming year, as it will offer you experiences that you will value for a lifetime.

Tasnia Shahjahan (grade 10)

ISD Weekend School - summer fun days 2013

During the 5th Unit, under the Transdisciplinary theme, ‘How the World Works’, the Bangla students of Grade-5B have inquired about the Solar System. The students have effectively used a variety of information-gathering techniques and sources by independently researching about the “Solar System”. They have successfully made 3D models of their imaginary planet and have used their creativity in writing about their desire to live there. On 21st May, 2013, during the Bangla Science Fair, the students have confidently staged their presentation about their research in front of parents, teachers and students. It was a great learning opportunity for students where they got to use their thinking skills. Well done to all the students!

Grade-5B Bangla Science Fair

Grade: 1A expose,explore and discover!

Compost making with I.S.D. Greenies

Having fun in the new playground

Trip to Independent Television Visiting Sol Maid school

Having fun in the new playground

Making our own structure

Sometimes we have to be made to do something before it we realize the value of it and it becomes a natural habit for us. The supportive cards we have introduced to Middle Years Programme students this year have this aim in mind.

When I began working at ISD in 2010, plays, dances and sports events were very poorly attended, whether the event was at home or away. We struggled to get students to come and support their peers and teams and production groups often felt dispirited at the end of their long weeks of rehearsal and practice as there had been no one to witness their successes or defeats. We also had a problem with Community and Service, in that a lot of students were simply not getting involved in activities outside of the classroom, and we were left wondering where our community was heading.

This was where the idea for the supportive card came into play. By making it a requirement that all MYP students attend nine events over the course of the school year, we hoped to solve both problems at once. Students would have to attend events, and that would mean guaranteed crowds at arts and sports events.

We are very pleased to report that not only has this idea worked, students have already started to understand the real value behind what they have been ‘forced’ to do. Two weeks ago, the Grade 10 Drama class staged two productions after school, to audiences of over a hundred each afternoon. A similar event the year before saw audiences of between ten and twenty people. At the Middle School Boys’ Basketball tournament last weekend, the ISD supporters out-shouted the home crowd, such were their numbers and enthusiasm.

Hopefully next year, students will be filling their cards twice over. ISD hosts a huge range of fantastic opportunities for students to be involved as

participants and as audience. The past week alone saw four sports events, Battle of the Bands and Step it Up dance performance – lots to see and lots to do in our now thriving community.

Here is one Grade 10 student reflecting on his Supportive card:“When the supportive card idea was introduced it seemed like a useless drag that came in the way of usual school work. Very surprisingly I realized it has brought a big change. I realized the importance of supporting events in the last few months only. I realized attending sports events like a volleyball tournament, or a cricket match or a swimming gala really lift the spirits of the team even if they are losing. I myself after playing in a JAAGO tournament realized that the cheering and enthusiasm boost the team’s confidence and even if they lose they still enjoy playing the game. After attending the Middle school play, which had a lot of supporters, and then attending the Savar tragedy Concert, which had a significantly less audience, I believed that the size of the audience affect the performers as well because they realize what a big difference they are making by acting to more people and it really crushes them to see that very few people have showed to support them.

Overall I think this year has been great in terms of learning how supporting my peers is so helpful and realizing how important it is. I believe that I will try to attend more events from now on with or without a supportive card just because of the fun atmosphere and the importance of it.”

Now, parents, what do we need to do to get you to come along and support?!

Jennifer Tickle

From the MYP Coordinator

Over two years ago, former ISD teacher Marc Favre had an idea. It was a crazy idea that at the time seemed impossible in every way, except to him. He convinced Chris Hesse to join him in his quest to raise money for education in Bangladesh. The idea was to raise awareness and money by running from Kolkata, India to Dhaka, Bangladesh with an event called the Bangla-Dash. The two spent the next year researching potential partner organizations and training for the run. When the pair weren’t on the road running all over Dhaka (and in several overseas marathons), they were networking to raise money, organizing the run, and planning for school construction. They eventually decided to work with Shahed Kayes and the Shubornogram Foundation and build schools in Sonargaon.

The process of receiving donations from overseas turned out to be quite a complicated one, so Marc and Chris partnered with Craig and Helen Salmon, who were raising funds to start the Solmaid Community School. Craig and Helen had already worked for two years on establishing an NGO that was registered in Australia and could receive overseas donations in Bangladesh. Although Marc and Chris had originally planned to fund two schools, they expanded their plans to include Solmaid Community School as the third, and all overseas donations went to Solmaid.

On 17 April 2012, Marc and Chris embarked on their journey from Kolkata to Dhaka in what would

be four days of blood, sweat and tears. They ran for anywhere from five to eight hours a day, together covering the equivalent of a full marathon each day. Along with their trusty sidekicks and support team of Tim Koehn, Christine Prioux, and Mofiz, they spent the first night in Jessore, the second in Gopalganj, and the third outside of Dhaka. On the fourth day, they finished the run at ISD, where they were greeted by their cheering families and friends. At that point they had raised around 24,000 USD towards all the projects. Over half of that money went to Solmaid and the remainder was to be put towards the schools in Sonargaon.

Building a school is something that neither Marc nor Chris had ever done, so they needed some help. That help came from a local organization called SAFE (Simple Action for the Environment) and an amazing local architect named Shareq Chowdhury. Chris traveled to Dinajpur to see SAFE’s work and was thoroughly impressed with their impact on the slum areas of Dinajpur with low income housing. SAFE, Shareq and Chris then teamed up to do a community workshop where children gathered to draw pictures of their dream school and village elders discussed what would be best for the community. Shareq and his wife Ananya, who is also an architect, took the feedback from the village, Chris and Marc then put together an amazing design. After SAFE and Chris agreed upon a budget, timeline and a contract, the

The Bangla-Dash: Thank you ISD Community.

Celebration was a new and rewarding experience for Nashitah. She reflected herself to be a risk-taker as she was dancing on the stage wearing a dress made by the Bangladeshi material Gamcha , which is absolutely a cotton material. She thinks she has become more confident as a stage performer and Nashita wrote,” It was fun to perform in front of all the parents as they were cheering us up and few of our peers were really funny while they were performing on the stage, I love the game show Who wants to be a Millionaire, and learnt how materials can be used in different ways!!!!!!”

Reflection by the students of Gr-4 B

Siddhant thinks he has become more cooperative and had to go through lots of hard work to present his experiment in front of the parents. He became more independent and confident as he had to perform a dance and guided Mr.Craig on the stage during the celebration. He reflected that” Unit celebration was a new and good experience for me and I have learnt new things. I got the opportunity to work very closely with my friends from the other class and together we made the event a success!!!!”

Leena Kabir

On a hot and rainy afternoon, ISD, AISD, Grace International School, AusIS and CTS gathered for the ISD Primary Morning Swim Meet. With over 100 competitors and over 55 races it was sure to be an excellent competition. We had representatives from the whole of the primary school of both boys and girls who gave it their all in every single race. This meet gave pupils a chance to practice their races and give them a feel for competition. The ISD pupils not only did themselves proud but the school too and I congratulate them all on their achievements. Thanks to coach Sandijs for his time with the team but also to the ISD staff who helped make this event the huge success it was. These events at ISD cannot take place without their help and support. ISD picked up several medals along the way and have really put the foundations down for future swimming at ISD.

AISD Middle School BasketballMS Boys Basketball team finally had a chance to compete against other MS teams and see where they were in terms of their skills and understanding. ISD did not have any major changes in the roster from last year; the boys were very committed to basketball already from the beginning of year. That definitely paid off in the tournament – we won all 3 games in our group – against Sir John Wilson, AISD 2 and AISD 4 teams, which led us to semi-final against other group’s 2nd team – Pledge Harbor Sports Academy. Complacency saw the team 9 points behind with a lot of work to do. Some inspirational discussions from Coach Sandijs saw the team come a completely different side. Our boys scored just 4 point in first 3 quarters and were struggling. Great link up play between Probhanu Naik and Willie Ming saw the team come from behind to clinch victory by 4 points and on to the final we went. AISD A were waiting for this clash of middle school titans. The tie was going back and forth and ISD opened up a 7-point lead with just one quarter to go, could it be done? The tigers came out with a true roar scoring 8 unanswered points and going into the lead. This became 4 points and proved to be too much for ISD to claw back. A late basket saw the lead cut to two points but it was not enough as the whistle went and AISD crowned champions. A fantastic effort from all the team and I have no doubt next year we will come back better and stronger and be ready to go one step further!

Coach Sandijs

Primary Swim Meet

Middle School Girls Football TournamentAgain, AISD hosted the middle school girls football tournament. The schools that participated were: AISD, ISD, Sir John Wilson and Grace. AISD had 3 teams, so all together there were 6 teams playing.

At first in the group stage, our first match was against Grace in which we lost 2-0. We then made our comeback in our second match and won 2-1 against AISD-B team. After finishing in 2nd position we had a semi-final with eventual winners AISD-A team. We had the advantage in the first half, it was 1-0 ,but in the second half the AISD team proved to be stronger and won 3-1. We had failed to get into the finals but we still had to compete for 3rd position, meanwhile, Grace and AISD-A were playing for the championship on the other field. For the 3rd and 4th position match we were not all that successful and became 4th by losing 2-1.

We all enjoyed the tournament and just about managed to cope with the heat. Our all girls did very well; next year we can do better and learn more about the football rules that they use in tournaments. We will definitely come up stronger for defense and attack next time and get that Championship.

Mohammed Nazim UddinFootball Coach

We had two teams, ISD-A team and ISD-B team. In the tournament CIS, CTS, AISD, Grace and ISD participated. Both ISD teams got past the group stages, ISD- A team won most of their matches in the group stages and ISD B team had a winning streak. The captain of ISD-B team was Azaanullah Sayed and the captain of the ISD-A team was Khandokar Zabir, they both led ISD to many victories. In the semi-finals it was the ISD derby match but ISD-B team proved to be stronger and took their place in the finals. The other semi-finals match was AISD-B vs CIS, CIS pulled off a good win with some great attacking skills. So it came down to the finals, ISD-B team vs CIS. ISD-B team went for glory and won 6-0. They were claimed champions of the Mixed Football tournament. In the 3rd place play-off game, the ISD-A team was fighting against AISD-B team, they also won their match and they came in 3rd place. CIS doing a brilliant job came in second, and AISD-B team also did amazing and came 4th. Congratulations to the ISD team and we look forward to hosting and defending the title next year!

Primary Mixed Football League 2013

It has become somewhat of an annual tradition for the ISD dance CCP to culminate their hard work with an end-of-year dance show. This year’s show took place on Friday, June 7th, and was aptly titled “Step It Up 2”. The dance group was led by grade 12 students Raida Sarwar and brothers, Faiz and Fayaz Yunus. Students from grades 7-12 took to the stage to show the ISD community what they’ve got! The performance showcased a variety of choreography from traditional Malay to Bollywood to hip-hop, and included solos as well as large-group numbers. Two acoustic vocal performances added to the evening’s entertainment. The highlight of the night just might have been when the group’s supervisor, Ms. Raimey Booth, performed the Harlem Shake solo during a whole group mash-up! It was clear that the students poured their hearts and souls into these performances and spent countless hours perfecting the many dance steps that a recital such as this requires. The show was lively and entertaining and was thoroughly enjoyed by a large and equally energized audience.

Lezlie Faber

Step it Up 2Primary Mixed Football League 2013

Battle of the Bands was held in the ISD Auditorium on Thursday 7 June. Judging this year were the Band Indalo, who have now established a friendship with our school. Before announcing the winning group, Indalo treated the audience to a performance of three songs. Joining the judging panel, we also welcomed the manager of Live Square, Nafis. Five bands played in the ISD Battle of the Bands final this year: Pep Zep; Bum Engine; Head Underwater; Card board; and Exit Route.

The winners were Card Board. Members of Card Board are from three different schools, DPS, Play Pen and Sir John Wilson School.

Card Board will now enjoy an array of prizes and performance opportunities. They will feature on the cover of Sonic magazine and be ‘band of the month’ with Live Square. Look out for three gigs that the group will perform, all through organisation by Live Square.

Thanks to the ISD organisation team, with Facebook contacts set up by Junaid Khan and on the night leadership by Mohiuddin Ahmed.

Hugh StevensonCoordinator, Performing Arts Events.

Battle of the BandS