10/14/2008

GOALS by Ethan



I am sure that we all have goals that we are working hard at pursuing. For those who don’t have goals they will probably have goals later on in their lives. We should all work hard towards our goals so we can attempt and fulfill them. WE all have different goals than other people have but we should always pursue them. WE can have more than one goal that fits into different categories such as social goals, personal goals, and educational goals.

ISB is very supportive of students reaching for their goals and helping the individual students take progressing steps towards their personal goals. In middle school, our humanities, math/science, and elective teachers teach us the basics of what may soon be our future careers. Our learning from our humanities teachers may have us thinking about later being a historian, author, or maybe even and editor. Our learning from our math/science teachers may have us pondering on a career such as a scientist or maybe even a mathematician. An elective such as art may bring about the idea of being an artist later on.

We may have social goals such as getting a group of friends that have an international background and different cultures. This gives us a more vast friendship around the world where we can rely on our friends anywhere at any time.

Goals are a good way to motivate ourselves. We should always stick to one goal but at the same time it is possible to have many goals at once. A good way to start pursuing a goal is to master the basics and then move forward. For soccer, you could probably learn first how to play soccer and then move forward to skills. Here is a really helpful saying for those who are pursuing goals.

“A journey of a thousand miles begins with a first step.” By Lao Tzu, Chinese philosopher.

10/07/2008

Locker Stickers Steven C

If you read the MS Notices for today, some of you probably are wondering what locker stickers are. There are some locker stickers on the lockers, if you can notice. When you do activities afterschool (most of the time) other than school work, you can get these stickers. Locker stickers are the proof that you are doing or did that activity and you can stick it on your locker. Some of the activities are Jazz Band, BISAC, Cross Country, and MUN; however, there are more.

Here are some of the

stickers:


Panther Pops- By Oda


Don’t you feel disappointed when you have waited one month to buy a panther pop, and when you get down to the booster hut they’re all sold out, and you have to wait one more month until you can buy one again? And during that month you miss the taste of a perfect cookie, and you miss the way the chocolate chips melt in your mouth, and how you are slowly digging your way into the middle to reach the creamy caramel? Last time they sold panther pops this happened to me. I was only two minutes late for lunch, and all the panther pops were sold out. I want more panther pops, and I want them to be sold more often! And I know that some teachers have bought them for four years, and they would also love to have more panther pops at ISB. Is there anyone else here who would like ISB to sell more panther pops please leave a comment.

Parent Teacher Conferences=4 day Weekend!

Parent teacher conferences are here! Which also means, 4-day weekend! Well, at least 3 days since you have conferences on either Thursday or Friday. Good thing is, it’s only 15 minutes long. You can get the day off after that. Here are some good ideas to help you have fun in the 4-day weekend.

· Go biking – if you live in Nichada, it’s easy to bike around the lake, right? If not, find a place.

· Have a sleepover marathon – ever heard of it? It’s when you have three sleepovers in a row. Sounds like fun!

· Go bowling or watch a movie with your friends – socialize! Everyone loves popcorn.

· Have a relaxed vacation to… - anywhere you like! Preferably in Thailand, since 4 days is not long enough to travel somewhere else.

· Watch T.V – grab a bowl of your favorite snack, cozy up on the couch, and turn the volume up high!

· Clean out your room – crank the music, it will get you in the mood for cleaning up!

With these ideas, I guarantee you a great 4-day weekend!

Be a Princess for One Day and Ten Thousand Dollars- By Grace

Being a princess is something almost every little girl dreams of. Movies like The Princess Diaries and The Cinderella Story, as well as other forms of princess-y merchandise that companies like Toys R’ Us delight in selling, further feed the tiara dream. Now, I’ve added one more tantalizing gem to the collection: Kate Brian’s novel, The Princess and the Pauper.

I’ll readily admit that when I was young, being a princess wasn’t my ultimate goal, but when I saw this book in the ISB main library, I was still interested in checking it out. (After all, who doesn’t want to read about riches and glamour?) It turned out being a great decision, as this book is definitely rated one of my favorites.

The Princess and the Pauper revolves around two girls, whose only similarity is their appearance (they look like peas in a pod). Princess Carina of Vineland is going to LA for a goodwill tour, but all she really wants to do is sneak out to meet her rock star pen-pal Ribbit at his concert. Julia Johnson is a true-blue LA girl who attends a prestigious school filled with rich kids, but at home she’s just trying to find ways to get her and her mother out of being evicted from their run-down apartment for not paying the rent.

Needless to say these two meet, and Julia finds herself irresistibly attracted to Carina’s ten-thousand dollar offer to replace her for a day so that Carina can go to her concert. (It will pay more than her rent…) Complications arise (hint: ‘complications’ include a rich guy’s son, a rock band’s tour bus, the desert- and a flight back to Vineland) and Julia’s ten-thousand dollar dream turns out to be much, much more.

This book is very interesting and is written a la Meg Cabot in a cheery, upbeat fashion. Excellent writing and awesome characterization make up for the slight predictability of the book, and makes it a book you won’t want to put down. I’ll give this book a five out of five- as will you when you read this book! Pick it up especially if you love Meg Cabot, Shannon Hale, Gail Carson Levine and other teen-romance writers.

The image (hardcover version’s jacket design) was taken from http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/edition/?isbn=0689861737.

Long Weekends- by Oda Spross


Don’t you like the feeling of waking up early to go to school, but then you remember you have a long weekend and you fall back into bed, and go to sleep again? Don’t you like having three or four or five days out of school instead of two so that you can go to the beach or do something else fun instead of just staying home for two days because you don’t have time for anything else? Don’t you feel like you need some more time to rest? Well I do, and I’ve asked ten ISB students if they would like to have more long weekends nine out of nine students, and one out of one teachers at ISB said Yes. Let’s see what they said.
“I think we should have more long weekends to just relax and socialize without the worry of going to school and having to do homework.” – Raimy, 6th grade
“We need more long weekends. School can be a real problem when it comes to fatigue. So I think it is really unfair how long weekends aren’t applied so much.” – Sasha, 7th grade
“Yes, because we have five school days and only two free days, so I think we should have more long weekends.” – Shawnie, 7th grade
“Yes, because they allow us more time to have fun, and do our homework.” – Grace, 8th grade
“Yes, because children should have more time to rest.” – Margaret, 6th grade
“Yes, because we have more time to express ourselves.”-Afek, 8th grade
“Yes, because we get more time to finish our homework.” – Nino, 8th grade
“Yes, because I need a rest sometime, no because I like school.” – Lee, 6th grade
“Yes, because I get really frustrated at school sometimes, but on long weekends, I can cool off.”-Benedict, 7th grade
“Yes, I want one every week, because you will have more time to do your homework, and I can sleep, go biking, go sailing and prepare for class.” – Dr. Everett
In conclusion, most of the students, and teachers, at ISB want more long weekends. Please leave a comment, and give your opinion about long weekends.

10/06/2008

Second Quarter Preview By Steven C

As you guys can notice, the first quarter is almost at an end! However, the second quarter is coming up. There will be many changes and events in this next quarter. Oct. 9th, we will start differently. Let’s preview this upcoming quarter.
Just right after Oct.9th, there will be MS Parent Teacher Conferences; however, there will be long break after this. And just a few days later, there will be Halloween Social as well! - October
November is the month filled with the variety of events. NBSL (Northern Bangkok Soccer League) Opening Day starts (Nov.1st), MS soccer open play, MS Soccer (U15/U13) and BISAC U-15/U-13 Cross Country Invitational Meet at ISB, follow next. MS Honor band concert in Jakarta, MS Jazz Band Concert, MS theater sport, Red Carpet Events became our musical events. Any other events? MS Operation Smile weeks, MS Operation Smile Assembly, MS Ex-Celebration, SPIRIT NIGHT– Soccer, all of these are waiting! It seems like there are a variety of events in November- Sports, Music, Drama, Assembly, and many more!
The last month of the second quarter, December, has many events as well. MS Instrumental Concert, MS Instrumental Assembly and Kids in Motion performance are coming up. Also, many students are waiting for H.M. KING'S BIRTHDAY (HOLIDAY) and Constitution Day. Gr. 7 Ellis Island Immigration Simulation, MS Dance/Drama Assembly, MS Semester End Assembly and semester 1 end in December, are you ready for these events?
http://www.isb.ac.th/Calendar/Default.asp?Month=10&Year=2008&cMonth=10&cYear=2008&FullMonth=Yes October
http://www.isb.ac.th/Calendar/Default.asp?Month=10&Year=2008&cMonth=11&cYear=2008&FullMonth=Yes November
http://www.isb.ac.th/Calendar/Default.asp?Month=10&Year=2008&cMonth=12&cYear=2008&FullMonth=Yes December

9/30/2008

Anti-Cyberbullying Wallpaper Design Competition!

“Cyberbullying isn’t cool, but a new ipod is! Help fight cyberbullying at ISB and win a new iPod shuffle!”


THE COMPETITION
Design a Wallpaper (desktop image) for the MS Computer Lab computers using whatever software you prefer (MS Paint, MS Word, InDesign, PowerPoint, PhotoShop etc.). You can use images from online, however the bulk of the design should be your own work. Any images must not infringe copyright, you can tag “creative commons” when you do your online image search. The theme of your design should be centered around ISB being against cyberbullying.

PRIZE
One winner will receive a 1GB Apple iPod shuffle 3G (3rd Generation)
Additional selected entries will be used as the desktop wallpaper in the MS Labs for a couple of weeks.


RULES

1. Competition ends Monday, October 6th

2. Your Wallpaper must be 1280x1024 pixels in JPG format. Need help, then you can see Khun Eed or Khun Apple in the MS Computer Labs.

3. All entries should be dropped in the StuShare>MS>CyberSafety Wallpaper folder, no later than the evening of Monday, October 6th. This will give the judges time to compile all entries and award the winners during the next day’s Synergy.

4. Save your design as your student number eg.2054333.jpg You can enter as many times as you like, if you submit a second entry ad and an ‘a’ on the end eg. 2054333a.jpg. Subsequent entries should have b, c, d etc.

5. Criteria used to judge the work includes artistic design, visual effect and clear message. The winner will be judged by individual faculty members - their decision is final.

6. Any questions should be directed to Mr Bates in person or e-mail (
cybersafety@isb.ac.th).

8. The winner will be announced during Synergy on Tuesday, October 6th.

Good luck, I look forward to seeing the designs.

Chad Bates

Transfer from Word Document to Notebook Software - Anurag & Vignesh

Whenever you work on Microsoft Word do you feel like putting cool looking stars, smiley faces, and flowers? I will tell you how you can do that! You have to open a Notebook File on a computer/laptop. After that you go to the magical marker and click it. Afterwards, you just scribble around and then when you are finished scribbling. You just take the black pointer and you select the part where you scribbled. Then you right click or press “CTRL+C”. That will allow you to copy and then you open a Microsoft Word document. You press “CTRL+V” to paste or right click and “Paste”. It will show you the same thing as what you did in Notebook File.

Let’s put the transfer aside for a while. If you didn’t know you know you can actually put a background like “Snowflakes, Sunrays, and Rainy days”. Instead of just putting normal colors you put backgrounds, which is awesome because you can put it on an occasion. So make your essays and/or Narratives more attractive by putting slimy Magic Maker and achieve an A+.

Popcorn by Margaret and Shawnie



A lot of people enjoy eating popcorn because it is yummy and people like the crunchy sound of it. I’ll tell you the history of the popcorn.

Popcorn (also known as popping corn) is a type of corn which explodes from the kernel (baked corn) and puffs up when heated. Special varieties are grown to give improved popping yield. Some wild types will pop, but the cultivated strain is Zea mays averta, which is a special kind of flint corn. The process of making popcorn was first discovered by the Native Americans thousands of years ago who believed that the popping noise was that of an angry god who escaped the kernel. Popcorn was very popular during the 1890s but at the World War 1, they started to eat nuts instead of corn but during the World War 2, the Americans ate three times more popcorn than before because of the sugar that was going overseas.

The popcorn pops because the outer part of the kernel is both moisturized and strong. The popcorn pops as the oil and the water are heated past the boiling point, they turn the moisture in the kernel into a superheated pressurized steam, contained within the moisture-proof hull. Under these conditions, the starch inside the kernel gelatinizes, softening and becoming pliable. The pressure continues to increase until the breaking point of the hull is reached. The pressure is about 180 degrees Celsius. The hull ruptures rapidly, causing a sudden drop in pressure inside the kernel and a corresponding rapid expansion of the steam, which expands the starch and proteins of the endosperm into airy foam. As the foam rapidly cools, the starch and protein polymers set into the familiar crispy puff.

Every Wednesday and Friday the school will be selling popcorn. We interviewed Ms. Virginia and Ms. Noriko on why they’re selling popcorn. This is what they said:

Why are you selling popcorn?’

Ms. Virginia and Ms. Noriko, “Well, we are selling popcorn because we want to raise money for the PTA (Parent Teacher Association).

Information and pictures from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Popcorn

Meg Cabot Visits Bangkok! By Grace

Get this- Meg Cabot is visiting Bangkok soon!

That’s right; the author of the bestseller Princess Diaries series and several other popular teen romances (like Guy Next Door and All-American Girl) is visiting us here in Thailand. I can’t wait; she’s one of my favourite authors!

On the 8th of October, she’ll be at the B2S bookstore in Central World shopping mall, from 1500 (3.00 pm) to 1700 (5.00 pm); and on the 10th of October, she’ll be signing books at Kinokuniya bookstore in Siam Paragon, from 1630 (4.30 pm) to 1800 (6.00 pm). For enquiries on these visits, email sw@deliveringasia.com.

More information about Meg Cabot, her achievements, and her Asia tour can be found at http://www.prlog.org/10109581-bestselling-author-meg-cabot-to-tour-asia-october-2008-hong-kong-singapore-bangkok.html and her website, http://www.megcabot.com/tourinformation.php.

The image (Princess Diaries: Take Two jacket cover) was taken from http://www.macmillan.com.hk/pma/english/02a.jpg.

The 2nd Quarter by Matt & Robbie


The first quarter is coming to an end which means the 2nd quarter is coming up with new electives for everybody. Some people may be disappointed to have a class end or some people will be happy to leave their current classes. We asked some of our classmates on whether they want the quarter to end or not.

Tim said, “I don't want the quarter to end because I have good classes like life in the middle and drama.”

“No, I don’t want the quarter to end because I like my electives”, said Ethan.

Pranav said, “I want the quarter to end because I want to experience new classes.”

Afek stated, “I don't want the 2nd quarter to come because I have life in the middle and woodworking and those classes are enjoyable.”

Win said, “I don’t care if the quarter ends or not.”

Sasha said, “I want this quarter to end only because I don’t like photography class.”

We want to stay in life in the middle because it’s a fun class and not the hardest class out there. If you don’t want the quarter to end just look at it this way, the 2nd quarter starting means it’s one step closer to winter break.

Chiang Mai- Sara


Every year, there are overnight trips for every grade level. Each of them go to different places. Sixth grade is going to Kanchanaburi, seventh is going to Korat and eight grade is going to Chiang Mai! People who are in ninth grade now and that have been here since sixth grade have said that Chiang- Mai was the best trip they had ever had. There are many fun activities to do there. Some of them are rock climbing, white water rafting, and kayaking. The Eight grade is going to have a chance to get to choose the activities they want to do this week. The reason that they are picking so early is because it takes a lot of preparation and time to arrange it all. The students are going to get to Chiang Mai by train and in total of the four nights of the trip they spend half on the train, one in Prem Tinsulanonda International School and then another night in another place. We get three trains, and there will be about 40 students per section of the train. You can choose who you would like to be near in the train. It’s going to be an awesome trip because you will basically have 4 days off from school away from the city and you get to spend time with your friends and even get a chance to make new ones. The plus’ and minus’ of the trip are that there are that on Monday we will still have school and leave straight after, and then when we get back Friday morning, we get no school for the rest of the day while the rest of the Middle Schoolers will be getting back from their trips early afternoon. One thing that everyone should be aware of is that there are bugs, so you may want to bring a lot of bug repellent. All I know is that everyone is extremely excited for this trip and that it will be a blast!

ISB SPIRIT NIGHT BY TIM



LAST WEEK WAS SPIRIT NIGHT. AND AS WE ALL KNOW, IT’S A CHANCE TO GET TOGETHER AND HAVE FUN WITH FRIENDS OR YOU COULD COME TO CHEER FOR YOU PANTHERS. ONE OF THE REASONS MOST PEOPLE GO IS FOR THE FOOD, THE DRINKS, AND THE CANDY! THE BOYS AND GIRLS WERE BOTH AMAZING, MAKING IT INTO THE FINALS. UNFORTUNATELY FOR ALL PANTHER FANS, THEY WERE VERSING THE BEST, THE BADDEST, THE UNDEFEATED THAI TEAM. BOTH TEAMS GOT CRUSHED AND WERE BEAT OUT TWO GAMES TO NOTHING. MOST OF THE FANS WERE DISSAPOINTED BUT STILL THEY HAD TO BE PRETTY PUMPED TO SEE THEM MAKE IT INTO THE FINALS. I TALKED TO SOME OF THE PEOPLE WHO WERE WATCHING THE GAME AND HERE’S WHAT THEY SAID.

ETHAN SAID, “ISB WAS AWESOME, MY SISTER WAS ON THE TEAM AND ACED SO MANY PEOPLE.”

ROBBIE STATED, “MY BROTHER WAS THE LIBRERO, HE’S THE GUY THAT HAS TO DIVE FOR THE BALL. IN MY OWN WORDS I HAVE TO SAY HE WAS A BEST!”

MATT SAID, “I COULDN’T TAKE MY EYES AWAY FOR A SECOND”

NOLAN SAID, “ISB! ISB! ISB!”

AS YOU CAN SEE, MANY PEOPLE LOVED SPIRIT NIGHT BY THE WAY THERE’S A SPIRIT NIGHT THIS FRIDAY FROM FOUR THIRTY TO SEVEN THIRTY FOR THE ISB SOCCER TEAM. SO GRAB A POM POM AND START CHEERING.

Chewing Gum! By Grace

A lot of middle school students like chewing gum. In fact, you may like chewing it yourself (even though it is banned during school hours). Here is a bit about the history of chewing gum that maybe you didn’t know before, as well as some ISB MS students’ opinions to ‘chew’ on!
Researchers discovered that Mayans who lived in Central America chewed chicle, a natural gum that comes from the latex of the Sapodilla tree and later went on to become one of the main ingredients in chewing gum.

Thomas Adams, a New York inventor, has to be credited for the first creation of the official chewing gum. He was hired by a Mexican General in 1869 to invent a new kind of rubber using chicle. Admittedly, he failed at creating a new kind of rubber, but what he did do was produce the first modern chewing gum ever. He named it Adams New York No. 1 (kind of like Chanel No. 5, isn’t it?).

Now, there’re more than a thousand types of gum manufactured and sold in the U.S., and they come in all kinds of crazy shapes and flavors. What do the middle school students here in ISB feel about this ‘phenomena’, then? Let’s check it out.

“It’s good stuff, it makes me happy,” 6th grader Margaret said, joking that it ‘made her feel like a gangster’. 7th grader Shawnie said that some flavors, like lemon, are so nice that it makes her want to swallow the gum. Khun E said that gum’s good to chew when you’re in an airplane and the pressure’s just getting to your head (I so agree! Ever been on a super-long flight and your head’s just killing you- then you remember chewing gum?). 6th grader Raimy said, “I like chewing gum because it comes in many flavors. I would just say it’s awesome!” Oda, who’s also in 6th grade, agreed about the ‘awesome’ bit. “It’s good and fresh!” she said.

I myself like chewing gum- especially Wrigley’s spearmint flavor. The flavor always feels so fresh and it’s as good as any other candy you pop into your mouth. It’s also very convenient to just pop a few sticks of gum in your bag to pull out and chew occasionally.
What do you feel about chewing gum?

The history of chewing gum was taken from http://www.nacgm.org/consumer/storyof.html, while the image was taken from http://www.buzzle.com/img/articleImages/121225-5med.jpg.

9/26/2008

Anti-Cyberbullying Wallpaper Design Competition!

“Cyberbullying isn’t cool, but a new ipod is! Help fight cyberbullying at ISB and win a new iPod shuffle!”


THE COMPETITION
Design a Wallpaper (desktop image) for the MS Computer Lab computers using whatever software you prefer (MS Paint, MS Word, InDesign, PowerPoint, PhotoShop etc.). You can use images from online, however the bulk of the design should be your own work. Any images must not infringe copyright, you can tag “creative commons” when you do your online image search. The theme of your design should be centered around ISB being against cyberbullying.

PRIZE
One winner will receive a 1GB Apple iPod shuffle 3G (3rd Generation)
Additional selected entries will be used as the desktop wallpaper in the MS Labs for a couple of weeks.


RULES

1. Competition ends Monday, October 6th

2. Your Wallpaper must be 1280x1024 pixels in JPG format. Need help, then you can see Khun Eed or Khun Apple in the MS Computer Labs.

3. All entries should be dropped in the StuShare>MS>CyberSafety Wallpaper folder, no later than the evening of Monday, October 6th. This will give the judges time to compile all entries and award the winners during the next day’s Synergy.

4. Save your design as your student number eg.2054333.jpg You can enter as many times as you like, if you submit a second entry ad and an ‘a’ on the end eg. 2054333a.jpg. Subsequent entries should have b, c, d etc.

5. Criteria used to judge the work includes artistic design, visual effect and clear message. The winner will be judged by individual faculty members - their decision is final.

6. Any questions should be directed to Mr Bates in person or e-mail (
cybersafety@isb.ac.th).

8. The winner will be announced during Synergy on Tuesday, October 6th.

Good luck, I look forward to seeing the designs.

Chad Bates