Students in the STEM Robotics After School Activity (ASA) have been participating in activities that are specifically designed around problem-based learning. Picture students taking on intricate challenges, from designing robots that expertly navigate mazes to conquering specific tasks. This approach is not just about finding answers; it’s about nurturing critical thinking and encouraging hands-on experimentation in a relaxed, collaborative environment.
ISD’s partnership with Carnegie Mellon Robotics Academy has allowed our students to benefit from the LEGO and VEX robotics kits in the classroom as a part of the MYP curriculum, during ASAs, and during specialized campus.
Our STEM program is not only focused on robotics; it aligns seamlessly with the IB’s service learning outcomes. Here, students grasp the importance of acquiring new skills that not only enhance their abilities but also empower them with skills that they can apply directly to their own learning.
– George Carrington, Whole School Head of Design Department
We’re excited to announce that the Green Committee is back in full swing this year, passionately advocating for and promoting sustainable practices at ISD and beyond. We are on a mission to make sustainability a part of everyday life at our school. From filling all classrooms with proper paper recycling bins to sharing weekly sustainability tips, creating eco-friendly notebooks, composting cafeteria waste, and even crafting art from recycled materials to decorate our campus, we’re dedicated to making a positive environmental impact. We are thrilled to continue our partnership with Bashundhara Paper Mills, ensuring that all our paper goods are collected and recycled responsibly. Join us in our journey towards a greener, brighter future!
– Presleigh Keplinger, Green Committee Service Group Leader
The pursuit of knowledge in the field of education is an adventure filled with inquiry and discovery. This trip is especially vivid in the Bengali language classes, where students are not only exposed to Bengali culture’s rich literary legacy but also pushed to become inquisitive learners. The Bengali Language class has transformed students into eager seekers of knowledge over the years, building a strong connection between them and the literary gems of Bengali.
Bengali Literature is a cultural, historical, and literary treasure trove. From Rabindranath Tagore’s ageless poetry to Sharatchandra Chattopadhyay’s vivid narratives, the Bengali language has given birth to some of the most profound and significant works in world literature. Students are introduced to these luminaries and their masterpieces in the classroom, piquing their interest in the rich tapestry of Bengali culture. The study of classical texts is one of the most efficient approaches to increasing knowledge and inquisitiveness in Bengali Literature. Manik Bandopadhyay’s, and Kazi Nazrul Islam’s writings serve as windows into their own sociopolitical landscapes. Students learn not just the nuances of language and style, but also historical context, making connections between literature and the real world through these writings.
While classic texts form the basis of Bengali Literature, the curriculum also includes works by contemporary authors. This allows pupils to connect the past with the present and see how Bengali literature has evolved. Exploring these modern voices not only broadens their literary horizons but also inspires them to interact with contemporary socio-cultural challenges. Bengali Literature study extends beyond language and literature. It also gives pupils a glimpse into the rich culture, history, and traditions of Bengal. They learn about the festivals, rituals, and customs that have defined Bengali-speaking people’s lives for generations. This cross-cultural understanding builds empathy and broadens their perspectives.
In the Bengali Language classroom, students are encouraged to think critically and evaluate literature from many perspectives. They are trained to explore past the words and into the subtext, revealing hidden meanings, metaphors, and allegories. This analytical approach not only improves their comprehension of the text but also hones their analytical and critical thinking skills. Students in Bengali class are encouraged to express themselves artistically in addition to analyzing and evaluating literature. They compose essays, poems, and short tales in Bengali, influenced by the authors they have read. This creative component of the curriculum not only improves their language abilities but also pushes children to become authors themselves.
Perhaps the most significant achievement of Bengali language classes is the nurturing of a true love of reading. Students are exposed to a variety of literary forms, ranging from poetry and short stories to novels and plays. This exposure instills in them a lifetime love of reading, broadening their horizons beyond the classroom. Students in the Bengali Literature class are active participants in a voyage of discovery, rather than passive recipients of knowledge. They become inquisitive learners who are deeply enlightened about the literature and culture of the Bengali-speaking world through the study of classical and modern texts, critical analysis, interactive conversations, creative expression, and cultural exploration. This classroom experience not only enhances their academic lives but also provides them with the skills and perspectives required to manage an increasingly linked and diverse global landscape. As a result, Bengali Literature is a tribute to the power of education to inspire and enlighten young minds.
On the 19th of September, 2023, grade 11 (DP1) students had the opportunity to play sports again during a school day. After the first few months of continuous studying, the DP1s jumped ecstatically at the idea of being able to play volleyball or even work out at the fitness center. The opportunity to experience the bliss and nostalgia of Physical Education again and simultaneously contribute to the activity strand in CAS was a jackpot for them.
We hope to petition to have such opportunities more often than once a month where we get to maintain our physical health while bringing back childhood memories.
Moreover, studies have shown that physical activity can be a great way to unwind for the academic rigour of IBDP.
This activity targets the Learning Outcomes collaboration and strengths/growth.
Especially during the hard times of DP, having fun with friends playing sports and working out is relaxing.
The beginning of the academic year is often a frantic time of kickstarts, deep dives and readied launchpads. Having a new grade’s worth of content to dig one’s teeth into and projects to roll out to students, all bright-eyed and bushy-tailed, can also cloud visions and stop us from giving learning engagements the space to breathe. It can seem like everyone is solely tasked to “start as we mean to go on” and “hit the ground running.”
The attribute of Knowledgeable is not only concerned with the recall of facts. It’s an ability to place new learning alongside prior, to synthesize incoming information and to know that what’s challenging today becomes easier to tomorrow. Because, after all, that’s what learning is.
Pertaining to learners and educators alike, this Learner Profile attribute is key as schools and classrooms around the world throw open their doors. As students gear up for new concepts, new groupings and new experiences, educators draw upon their knowledge from each year of their time in our profession.
My argument is that if we throw ourselves headlong into curricula, we may forget to lay the foundations for a year all the more meaningful. Knowledge, again, is centre stage. Grade 5 spent the first few days scratching the surface of what was to come, piquing interests and putting down markers. We spoke, listened and got to know our new space. Our group had only just formed and really had no business in hitting the ground running. Slowly, we built trust. We needed efficacy. The lye in which to laminate relationships.
We have to know them before we teach them. Maslow’s Heirarchy of Needs, all the way to self-actualization, enters the learning equation before Bloom’s Taxonomy, a well-known framework of educational objectives.
Grade 5 is a phase as pivotal as they come. It’s a peculiar hybrid of PYP and MYP. Not really aligning itself to either, but finding a spot somewhere in between. Expectations grow. There are wider responsibilities around school. The PYP Exhibition looms, for some reason, large on students’ horizons. Entire visual thinking routines reveals stress related to something which should be the celebration which puts the icing on the Primary Years cake. The strategy? Relationships. The tool? Know each other as learners.
I’m writing this piece from Departures, about to spend my weekend growing my Knowledgable attribute at an IB Workshop in Bangkok which is geared towards supporting our learners through the Exhibition.
So far, we have been front-loading the tech skills, unpacking the Approaches to Learning and allowing seeds of action to authentically grow. It’s a year-long harvest. Grade 5 embraced and empowered their identity and those of others in our first Unit of Inquiry and have showed more ownership of the learning journey than I could have imagined them to. Our Knowledgable attribute lets us look back to what experiences can help us today and to where our next steps are for tomorrow.
This is Grade 5 2.0 and where intentional starts make for inspiring ends.
The ISD swim team participated in a swim meet at the American International School Dhaka (AISD) on September 22nd and 23rd and we congratulate our middle and high school swimmers on their successes. This dedicated team was amazing and swam to the best of their abilities. Below are the attached final results of the ISD […]
The ISD secondary school is excited to build off of the successes of the March 2023 Week Without Walls experiential learning trips where students performed meaningful service, grew in their confidence and leadership, and built lasting memories.
This academic year, the Week Without Walls trips will occur in late November. Parent information sessions were held on Sunday September 24th and trip leaders will continue to provide parents and students with important information as we lead up to trip departures.
This year we have many exciting destinations:
Grade 6- Saraburi, Thailand
Grade 7- Chiang Mai, Thailand
Grade 8-Mai Chau, Vietnam
Grade 9-Siem Reap, Cambodia
Grade 10-Bintan, Indonesia
Grade 11- Mirissa, Sri Lanka
ISD is fortunate to have experienced, caring educators to lead these impactful experiential learning trips. We thank our secondary families for the trust and support in our Week Without Walls experiences.
The beginning of the academic year is often a frantic time of kickstarts, deep dives and readied launchpads. Having a new grade’s worth of content to dig one’s teeth into and projects to roll out to students, all bright-eyed and bushy-tailed, can also cloud visions and stop us from giving learning engagements the space to breathe. It can seem like everyone is solely tasked to “start as we mean to go on” and “hit the ground running.”
The attribute of Knowledgeable is not only concerned with the recall of facts. It’s an ability to place new learning alongside prior, to synthesize incoming information and to know that what’s challenging today becomes easier to tomorrow. Because, after all, that’s what learning is.
Pertaining to learners and educators alike, this Learner Profile attribute is key as schools and classrooms around the world throw open their doors. As students gear up for new concepts, new groupings and new experiences, educators draw upon their knowledge from each year of their time in our profession.
My argument is that if we throw ourselves headlong into curricula, we may forget to lay the foundations for a year all the more meaningful. Knowledge, again, is centre stage. Grade 5 spent the first few days scratching the surface of what was to come, piquing interests and putting down markers. We spoke, listened and got to know our new space. Our group had only just formed and really had no business in hitting the ground running. Slowly, we built trust. We needed efficacy. The lye in which to laminate relationships.
We have to know them before we teach them. Maslow’s Heirarchy of Needs, all the way to self-actualization, enters the learning equation before Bloom’s Taxonomy, a well-known framework of educational objectives.
Grade 5 is a phase as pivotal as they come. It’s a peculiar hybrid of PYP and MYP. Not really aligning itself to either, but finding a spot somewhere in between. Expectations grow. There are wider responsibilities around school. The PYP Exhibition looms, for some reason, large on students’ horizons. Entire visual thinking routines reveals stress related to something which should be the celebration which puts the icing on the Primary Years cake. The strategy? Relationships. The tool? Know each other as learners.
I’m writing this piece from Departures, about to spend my weekend growing my Knowledgable attribute at an IB Workshop in Bangkok which is geared towards supporting our learners through the Exhibition.
So far, we have been front-loading the tech skills, unpacking the Approaches to Learning and allowing seeds of action to authentically grow. It’s a year-long harvest. Grade 5 embraced and empowered their identity and those of others in our first Unit of Inquiry and have showed more ownership of the learning journey than I could have imagined them to. Our Knowledgable attribute lets us look back to what experiences can help us today and to where our next steps are for tomorrow.
This is Grade 5 2.0 and where intentional starts make for inspiring ends.
Hawk Express is an extracurricular activity ISD Secondary students may join, allowing them to brainstorm and write about topics of interest ISD students share. For the first assignment, Grade 10s Shamsunnahar Binte Mohiuddin, known at school as Masuma and Aditya Varshney, wrote survey questions to gain perspective on the 2.0 renovations and athletics at ISD from students and faculty. Masuma and Aditaya created a Google Form Survey in the fifth week of school and collected 57 responses. This activity shows inquiry by writing questions and surveying to gain knowledge about the school community—other writers of this article were Lubaba Musharrat Amrin and Ahmed Khan Araf.
Question 1: The word cloud represents the most frequently used words in response to the question, “What 1 word describes ISD 2.0?”
Question 2: When asked to list the best updates on campus, respondents mentioned the following:
Cafeteria
25 of the responses spoke about updates to the cafeteria.
One response added the new cafeteria routines hold students responsible for clearing their trays, which teaches them the importance of food and the global issue of food wastage.
UN Sustainable Development Goals adorn the walls, reminding students, staff, and visitors of the initiatives concerning the environment.
New chairs with padded seating were reported to be comfortable, and the decorations use the new ISD logo’s color scheme.
Science Classrooms
25 responses mentioned new tables, chairs, and smart boards.
One response added,” The improved seating in the science rooms has made it a lot more comfortable to sit and maintain focus.”
Other responses mentioned that the smart boards make it easier to understand what the teachers are writing and to focus, allowing teachers to write more and annotate images
Cricket
New extracurricular space with the cricket coaching net, giving the previously unused patch of grass a new and improved area for practice.
One faculty response noted they, as a coach, feel proud when visiting teams come to the ISD campus.
Signage
3 of the responses noticed maps and signs around campus, paintings on the field, hardcourt, and gym walls with the “GO HAWKS” slogan, encouraging a boosted ISD school spirit.
In the words of a Grade 6 student, “The signs on each class help me since I am not familiar with the secondary building because I am in 6th grade. The class name and the room number helps me locate my classes.”
Question 3: How have the 2.0 features improved your school/work experience?
Respondents shared that the 2.0 renovations resulted in a modernized campus. Students reported feeling motivated by a recharged ISD school spirit.
Comments can be summarized as the ISD 2.0 improvements have united the ISD community.
“It feels great to have new paintings, renovations, a new logo and feel like we are all together. Good for school spirit.”
Question 4: On a scale of 1 to 5, how inspired, embraced, and/or empowered do you feel to learn/work in the newly renovated spaces?
57 responses showed the average response was a 3 out of 5. On our scale, a 3 out of 5 means respondents feel excited about the updates at ISD.
Question 5: Explain why you have chosen that particular number (optional).
Some impactful quotes from most respondents were:
“The colorful branding gives the school more life and energy.”
“I feel motivated every day that I am surrounded by ambitious people here wanting to learn and become better.”
Question 6: The second part of the survey asked which sport the Secondary School students would watch at ISD during tournaments or in-house events.
Question 7: Which sports would students like to be added to ISD’s sports offerings?
Analyzing Respondents’ Choice of Sports:
The survey showed that 23 out of the 57 respondents, or 40%, either responded with a sport that exists or a response such as ‘I don’t know.’ The survey informs us that the ISD Secondary Community may not know the various sports they can participate in. The writers evaluated that many ISD students want to see more diversified athletics, which can lead to more experience and fun on campus. Additional sports students wish to participate in.
Lacrosse
Dance
Karate
Golf
Rugby
Question 8: Asked respondents why they selected the sports in Question 7.
Analyzing the Sports Choice:
The writers assumed the most popular sport would be football; however, responses showed volleyball is the most favorable sport at ISD, surprising the writers. This year, the combined boys and girls volleyball team is massive in terms of players. ISD football consists of women’s and men’s teams, and the immediate popularity of the football team at ISD shows that students are looking forward to joining the football team, especially with the new Barca Academy.
Question 9: Asked students what days of the week they would prefer to attend sports practices.
Responses from students showed that most students would prefer to practice on Tuesdays.
Our Primary Robotics Cub launched with great excitement as the students were introduced to the more advanced Lego Spike Prime robots. The first challenge had the students building and programming a dancing robot. The students will continue to complete various challenges and code their robots. These activities help develop their foundational skills, knowledge and understanding of programming and basic algorithms.
We are looking forward to further exploring these robot kits at the Carnegie Mellon VEX and LEGO Autumn Camp this October during our midterm break (22-26 Oct).
