Grade 9s enjoyed a recent field trip to explore the themes of sustainability and change in Singapore, supporting them in their units of study for English Acquisition and Individuals & Societies. The Singapore City Gallery at the Urban Redevelopment Authority showed them Singapore's physical transformation over the past 50 years, their innovative ways for dealing with wastage, and also their commitment to keeping Singapore a garden city. This was complimented with a visit to the National Museum to visit permanent exhibits that focus on Singapore's changes from Kampung to the modern cosmopolitan city it is today. It was a great way to end a busy week of exams! (Fiona Edwards, LGL)
University Evening for Grade 11 students
With grade 11 well underway, it is time to start thinking about colleges and universities that students may be considering after graduation from ISS. The University Advising Office at ISS is happy to help students to navigate the college application maze. We will be holding a University Night for all our grade 11 students and parents to give an overview of the application process, application timeline and costs of studying in different countries.The University Night will be held on 1st December, from 6:30-8:00pm at the Main Hall at Preston Campus, ISS. Attendance is compulsory for all grade 11 students.
Students will then be invited for individual meetings with the university advisor, after the Christmas break to discuss university options. Parents are most welcome to join these meetings. We look forward to seeing you all at the University Night.
Festival of Lights
This Wednesday evening our high school students will be performing in the evening at our annual Festival of Lights. The evening will begin at 6:15pm with snacks and drinks with the board, and then the performance kicks off at 7pm. We llok forward to seeing you all at this wonderful event.
CIS student Cultural Dispositions and Learning Preferences Survey
One of the joys and challenges of being a truly diverse international community is to try to understand the complex cultural expectations that students have of learning. The better we understand this the more effective the school can be at optimising learning to allow every student to achieve their potential.
To help us with this over the next two weeks ISS is going to be one of 20 pilot international schools taking part in the Council of International Schools (CIS) Student Cultural Dispositions & Learning Preferences Survey. This survey will be taken online by students from grades 4-12 and will take about 30 minutes to complete.
We believe the survey has great potential to investigate some important questions on students, culture and learning, and to positively influence teaching and learning at ISS.
The survey yields valuable insights that will help ISS answer the following questions:
How can we better support students in adjusting to the culture of ISS?
How can teachers appreciate and understand an individual’s culture and its influence on learning?
How do we manage transitions, both inward and outward from ISS?
The survey was developed by International School Helsinki to address a dilemma common to international schools. As Peter Welch, the Director of IS Helsinki, states, “each new international student who enrols arrives with distinct, values, assumptions and approaches to learning. Yet generalising teaching strategies to address culture based on points of origin is problematic.” This survey is a practical tool that helps teachers leverage the rich cultural diversity of ISS towards better teaching and learning.
Click here to watch a short video explaining the survey.
As part of this survey students will be asked to fill in some brief demographic data. One of these questions asks students the nationality of the passport (s) held by their parents. If you think your student might not know the nationality of the passport(s) you hold, or indeed the passport(s) they hold, please could you inform them of this so that they can complete this question.
Upcoming Events:
Wednesday 30th November - Festival of Lights - Preston Campus at 6:15pm in the Hall.
Thursday 1st December - University Evening for Grade 11 students and parents at 6:30pm, Preston Campus, Hall
Thursday 1st December - Grade 10 up day (students in grade 10 will experience DP classes for a day)
University Evening for Grade 11 students
With grade 11 well underway, it is time to start thinking about colleges and universities that students may be considering after graduation from ISS. The University Advising Office at ISS is happy to help students to navigate the college application maze. We will be holding a University Night for all our grade 11 students and parents to give an overview of the application process, application timeline and costs of studying in different countries.The University Night will be held on 1st December, from 6:30-8:00pm at the Main Hall at Preston Campus, ISS. Attendance is compulsory for all grade 11 students.
Students will then be invited for individual meetings with the university advisor, after the Christmas break to discuss university options. Parents are most welcome to join these meetings. We look forward to seeing you all at the University Night.
Festival of Lights
This Wednesday evening our high school students will be performing in the evening at our annual Festival of Lights. The evening will begin at 6:15pm with snacks and drinks with the board, and then the performance kicks off at 7pm. We llok forward to seeing you all at this wonderful event.
CIS student Cultural Dispositions and Learning Preferences Survey
One of the joys and challenges of being a truly diverse international community is to try to understand the complex cultural expectations that students have of learning. The better we understand this the more effective the school can be at optimising learning to allow every student to achieve their potential.
To help us with this over the next two weeks ISS is going to be one of 20 pilot international schools taking part in the Council of International Schools (CIS) Student Cultural Dispositions & Learning Preferences Survey. This survey will be taken online by students from grades 4-12 and will take about 30 minutes to complete.
We believe the survey has great potential to investigate some important questions on students, culture and learning, and to positively influence teaching and learning at ISS.
The survey yields valuable insights that will help ISS answer the following questions:
How can we better support students in adjusting to the culture of ISS?
How can teachers appreciate and understand an individual’s culture and its influence on learning?
How do we manage transitions, both inward and outward from ISS?
The survey was developed by International School Helsinki to address a dilemma common to international schools. As Peter Welch, the Director of IS Helsinki, states, “each new international student who enrols arrives with distinct, values, assumptions and approaches to learning. Yet generalising teaching strategies to address culture based on points of origin is problematic.” This survey is a practical tool that helps teachers leverage the rich cultural diversity of ISS towards better teaching and learning.
Click here to watch a short video explaining the survey.
As part of this survey students will be asked to fill in some brief demographic data. One of these questions asks students the nationality of the passport (s) held by their parents. If you think your student might not know the nationality of the passport(s) you hold, or indeed the passport(s) they hold, please could you inform them of this so that they can complete this question.
Upcoming Events:
Wednesday 30th November - Festival of Lights - Preston Campus at 6:15pm in the Hall.
Thursday 1st December - University Evening for Grade 11 students and parents at 6:30pm, Preston Campus, Hall
Thursday 1st December - Grade 10 up day (students in grade 10 will experience DP classes for a day)