After a break full of relaxation and family time, SIS Secondary got back into learning very quickly this week and plenty has been happening around campus. Our Grade 10 students published their SIS Stories podcasts and the Grade 12's are engaged in a number of IB Diploma Internal Assessments.
The grade 6 students looked at one of their Approaches to Learning - Self-Management - as they considered how do they organise themselves for home learning (homework). As you can see, their Social skill, collaboration, was being utilised to document the many different ways they can remember what homework needs to be done, when.
We have a group of High School students currently in the Phillippines on a Housebuilding project. Over three days, they will successfully (we hope) complete the slab floor, for 6 houses. This is an authentic learning experience that will require plenty of determination, teamwork, and planning. There will be some tired students returning home on Sunday.
Thank you to everyone who has signed up for the Parent, Student, Teacher Conferences next Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday. It is great to see so many parents supporting and connecting with their child(ren) through these important conversations. If you still have not signed up there are some spots left - SIGN UP HERE. See you all next week.
Yesterday, we practiced an Evacuation Drill which was very successful. Students were respectful of the seriousness of the situation and we can report that everyone was successfully evacuated from the building. I would suggest that parents also spend time with their families talking about how you would evacuate your apartment or house in the case of an emergency.
This week at Bayside, we have begun a new 6-week parenting course called Compassionate Parenting. This course uses many different approaches parenting techniques to help you understand yourself as a parent, uses neuroscience to better understand the teenage brain and implements strategies from the Virtues Project, to help us use our words differently, to get different results. This dynamic course is built around sharing and we are having a great time enjoying each other and learning from each other. This parenting course is full and Ms Stafford is hopeful we will get another group of interested parents, next Semester.
Parents and students may request recommendations or references for a variety of reasons during the school year. Should parents wish to request a recommendation or reference, please ask your child to see their counselor. That is Ms Stafford for grades 6-8 and Ms Brunning for grades 9-12. Parents or students should not go directly to teachers for these recommendations. This helps us to coordinate these requests and tailor them to the individual need. Thank you for your support in this area.
Next week our Grade 10 students are undertaking the PSAT which is a standardised test and assessment that is a preliminary test to the SAT. Our HS Counselor, Ms Brunning explains below a little about standardised tests.
Sometimes, ‘Standardised Tests’ are used in the application process for university admissions. These vary from country to country. Here we will describe two standardised tests and how they are used.
What is the SAT?
The SAT (Scholastic Aptitude Test) is a standardized test developed by The CollegeBoard in the USA. This test is widely used across the USA and has been adopted by some other university systems to help measure basic academic skills in reading, writing and mathematics. It is common for universities in the USA, Hong Kong and Korea to require SAT as part of the admissions process, although there is a recent movement in many USA universities to make it optional because some students have less access to these tests to make it a fair measure for all applicants. Most universities in Europe, Canada, Australia and Singapore do not require the SAT test for students taking the IB Diploma.
The SAT is a timed, multiple-choice format test that takes approximately four hours to complete; there is an additional Writing test that can be taken as well. To know if you might need to take the SAT for your university applications, it is important to plan ahead by thinking about the countries to which you are likely to apply, then looking closely at the admissions requirements for at least four different universities. Is the SAT required? Recommended? Optional? Once you have a score, it is then important to check if it is within the band that your target universities publish is looking for. It is possible to take the SAT up to three times to improve a score. Since SAT scores are only one component of an application, they should not become the focus. School grades and the final results of the IB courses and whatever other required materials such as essays and recommendations will combine to determine which students receive an offer.
SIS is an official test center that enables SIS students to register and take the SAT and SAT Subject tests at Bayside campus.
What is the PSAT?
PSAT is the Preliminary SAT; this is a preparation test that provides detailed feedback on the skills and test questions to help students prepare for the SAT.
The PSAT has four sections: Reading; Writing and Language; Math - No Calculator; Math - Calculator. PSAT can be taken in Grade 10 or the beginning of Grade 11; for US citizens, this test is also used as an entry point to the National Merit Scholarship Program. PSAT results are used to help students prepare for one component of some university admissions processes; the scores for PSAT are never submitted to universities for admissions purposes.
Yesterday was World Mental Health Day which highlighted the significant increase in mental health issues globally and in particular focussed on anxiety and stress amongst the 15-25 year olds. We appreciate that our SIS students are experiencing similar issues and therefore we would like to share with you some of the commons signs of stress in students. Please remember that if you see these signs our Counseling team or any teacher is more than happy to provide support.
"10 Visible Signs of Stress in Students
As you watch your young people live their pressurized lives, here are some common signs to look for that signal they may be dealing with disproportionate stress:
1. Withdrawal from family or friends
Often, out of the need to survive their pressure, stressed students may withdraw from normal activities, even social time with family and peers.
2. Emotional changes: short temper, low patience, or irritability
Teens frequently react to stress by becoming emotionally volatile—either displaying a short fuse, running out of patience quickly, or being irritable.
3. The inability to make decisions
It is not uncommon for a teen to react to stress by becoming internally paralyzed. They just shut down, become overwhelmed, and freeze.
4. Increased drama, emotion, and exaggeration
Another symptom of teen stress is demonstrated by an extra dose of drama or hyperbole, disproportionate to the context. Emotion outweighs the situation.
5. Quitting commitments and irresponsibility
A natural signal of adolescent stress is to stop the bleeding. Teens simply quit some of the sources of their stress. Sadly, this can lead to irresponsibility.
6. Physical signs: they get sick often, complaining about aches or bowel issues
Signs of stress can be physical. Teens get headaches or stomach aches; they can become constipated or become sick more often. Their immune system drops.
7. Eating or sleeping habits change
Teens can lose their appetites, or they can eat too much due to stress. They can be unable to fall asleep due to stress, unable to turn their brains off at night.
8. Coping mechanisms like pot, alcohol, or vaping
When teens haven’t developed coping skills, they use coping mechanisms. These are artificial and inadequate ways of reducing stress. Unhealthy habits surface like vaping or drinking.
9. Cognitive changes—decreased focus, forgetfulness, or carelessness
Sometimes stress symptoms can manifest as the inability to concentrate or study. Other times, teens become forgetful or careless about things that used to matter to them.
10. Negative self-talk
Finally, students who are stressed may begin patterns of negative attitudes and vocabulary that’s unlike their previous norm. The glass is constantly half empty.
If you see any of these symptoms, watch for patterns. If they persist beyond a few weeks, talk to one of our counselors or any teacher. Stress is becoming chronic for too many teens." (Growing Leaders, Tim Elmore, 10th October 2019).
Have a wonderful weekend and congratulations to our MS Girls Football team who became SISAC Champions on Thursday evening under the watchful eye of coaches Laird and Moffat - Well done GECKOS!
