Weekly Roar

16 March 2020

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GENERAL

*New*  COVID-19 Family Resources | dsa.office@gisthailand.org

Parents, here are some resource links for helping to manage your students’ feelings, fears, and worries about COVID-19.

• ISCA Coronavirus Resources to Parents
• Helping Kids Who Worry: Solutions from the Bible
• Five Ways to Help Children Fight Fear
• Should Christians Be Anxious About the Coronavirus? 

Our school wide counselor is available to help your family/student navigate this process. Please feel free to email: schoolwidecounselor@gisthailand.org

CANCELED – PARENT EQUIPPING EVENT (AM & PM). March 17, 2020: Ever wonder what the Spiritual Life Office is all about?   

• Join Jeff Kamphausen, GIS Spiritual Life Director, to find out how his work at GIS is to come alongside you as parents. We can work together to lay the foundation for a habit-fueled faith in Jesus in your son or daughter that can last a lifetime. 
• Jeff will also share some excellent material from axis.org on how to help your teen or pre-teen manage GENDER issues in modern youth culture (watch the preview of the session by clicking the link!). Jeff will also share the vision and work of the Spiritual Life Office in both morning (9:30-11:00am) and evening (7:00-8:30pm) sessions. We’ll meet at the classroom at the back of the GIS Library on the 2nd floor of the Foltz Admin Building on campus.

Vaccine Clinic | nurse@gisthailand.org.
This month’s vaccination clinic will be on Tuesday, March 31 3:15-4pm. For more information, including online registration, visit Health Services on the GIS Parent Portal.

Calendar Update | dsa.office@gisthailand.org
There will be NO SCHOOL for staff and students on Monday, April 6th. It is Chakri Memorial Day, a national Thai Holiday. We apologize for not getting this on the calendar sooner.

This Week in Advisory | mrandolph@gisthailand.org 

• Grade 12 – Grade 12 will be led through a Transition Seminar Series by The Well International. Note: Days B and E will continue the series during Tutorial, with an optional seminar on Wednesday morning from 8:30-9:30 in the cafeteria.
• Grades 9-11 – discussing online learning and having an Individual Advisory Meeting (parents will receive an email update from their child).

CANCELED – Rose Banquet | joshmckeown@gisthailand.org
The GIS Student Council is proud to host its first secondary banquet.  Enjoy both dinner and dance in the beautifully transformed banquet hall (GIS Cafeteria). Here is a video that explains it all!

• When: Saturday, March 21st from 5:30 pm – 11:00pm
• Location: GIS Cafeteria/Auditorium
• Cost: 390 baht per person
• The banquet reception will begin at 5:30pm followed by dinner from 6:00pm – 8:00pm.  The dance will last from 8:00pm – 11:00pm.
• The GIS dress code for formal events still applies.  Students who do not follow the GIS Secondary PSMO dress code will be turned away at the entrance.
• GIS students may ask another GIS secondary student to the banquet.  Non-GIS students are unable to attend.
• There WILL be a health check at the banquet entrance.  Due to COVID-19, students who are sick or have a fever will NOT be allowed to attend. 

GIS Secondary Yearbooks | ccummings@gisthailand.org
Reserve your 2019-2020 Secondary Yearbook before Friday, March 20th by filling out the following form. 

CANCELED – GIS Theater Production of Pygmalion | lholley@gisthailand.org

• Written by George Bernard Shaw, Pygmalion is the script that inspired the musical “My Fair Lady.” It is a theater classic you don’t want to miss! 
• Showtimes: April 2 – 4 at 7 p.m. 
• Location: GIS Cafeteria
• Tickets will be 200 baht each and will be available for reservation/purchase on March 16. Here is the link to the online ticket reservation form.
• Note: All tickets will be reserved online and payments will be taken at the door on the day of the show. Due to MOE directives, ONLY GIS community members may attend the show. (GIS Community = Students + Immediate Family living at home + Staff) If you have questions regarding the parameters of this, please email secondary.office@gisthailand.org 

Mark your Calendars- Upcoming Secondary Events | secondary.office@gisthailand.org

• CANCELED REMAINING – March 16-20 – Transition Seminar Series for Grade 12
• CANCELED – March 21 – Formal Dance (Grades 9-12) @ GIS 
• March 27 – End of 3rd Quarter
• March 30 – VIRTUAL Parent Equipping Night for Parents of Sixth Grade Students

Contacting the Secondary School | secprincipal@gisthailand.org
We have a few emails that are useful for the GIS community and with some upcoming transitions, we wanted to share them with you again:

• Attendance (reporting an absence, attendance questions, etc.) – attendance@gisthailand.org
• NEW! General Inquiries (General questions, procedures, etc.) – secondary.office@gisthailand.org
• Principal (Ms. Randolph) – secprincipal@gisthailand.org
• Academic Counseling Team – counselor@gisthailand.org

ELEMENTARY

*New*  Elementary Wacky Socks Day  | mkennedy@gisthailand.org
In honor of World Down Syndrome Day on Saturday, March 21, elementary staff and students will be wearing our Wacky Socks on Friday, March 20.  (Normal school uniform will be required)

RISING SEVENTH GRADERS (Message from Secondary Principal Ms. Randolph)
As your soon-to-be seventh grader makes plans to register for his/her 2020-21 classes, our Secondary staff would like to assist in equipping them for this exciting and important transition from Elementary to Secondary.  Our GIS Philosophy of Equipping states, “Our desire is that students leave GIS having the understanding (head) to evaluate life from a Christ-centered worldview, the ability to move toward Christ-centered truth in their relationships (heart), and the skills to serve (hands) within the communities or vocation in which God places them.” We believe equipping them to transition well is vital to their success in the GIS Secondary.

Important Dates – one for students and one for parents:

• Sixth Grade Students – On Wednesday, March 25 during the final bit of the day, our Secondary staff will introduce the current sixth graders to academic life on the Secondary side of our new GIS campus.
• Sixth Grade Parents – Please join me and other key Secondary staff on Monday, March 30, from 7:00pm-8:30pm in the GIS cafeteria for an overview of academic life in the Secondary School.  Please RSVP here to assist in meeting preparation, and include any specific questions you may have about this transition.  It is my desire that you and your students be well-informed in this exciting transition.

Elementary Personal Electronic Device Policy Change | wwood@gisthailad.org.
Smart watches have been added to the list of personal electronic devices not allowed to be used during the school day.  They must be kept in backpacks or in the teacher’s care. This new policy will officially be added to the Elementary PSMO for the 2020-2021 school year but will be put into effect on Wednesday, March 11.  You can read this article regarding the use of smart watches in schools if you’d like more information.

ATHLETICS

Where to Get Sports Updates
We know practice and game changes have a great impact on everyone involved in sports. The best ways to know about these changes are on the Athletic website and Grace Athletics Facebook Page.

This week in Athletics | athletics@gisthailand.org

Volleyball practices Monday – Wednesday (March 16 – 18) have been CANCELLED due to construction on the courts.

For more information, please visit our website athletics.gisthailand.org