This Coming Week at BIFS Whole School: United in Our Diversity, Thriving in Our Individuality

BIFS NEWSLETTER
United in our Diversity, Thriving in our Individuality
Contents
ISSUE 38, December 18, 2015
(Click to jump straight to the article home icon brings you back to Contents)
This Coming Week at BIFS
1. Thu, Jan 14: Grade 4 Field Trip to Ulsan

2. Fri, Jan 15: Report Cards Distributed
Whole School
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2.
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13.
Happy Holidays! See You in the New Year!

Final Day Buses & Office Hours, and School Close Schedule
Adjustments to the School Calendar
PTA News
Leaving BIFS?
2015-16 Second Semester School Fee Invoice
PE Uniform Shop
Image Rights Permission
BIFS Angel Tree Wish Gifts
Old Dolls Needed
What are You Planning to Read During the Winter Vacation?
Cafeteria Menu: January 11-15
Turkeys Available from Chef Kim
Elementary School
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
Three-Way Conferences
Field Trips
ELC Parent Coffee
Korean Language Acquisition - End of Term Assessment
Upcoming Elementary Events
Assessing Foundational Reading Skills @ BIFS
Middle School and High School
1. Happy Holidays from the MHS

2. Volunteers Needed in Korean Class for Foreigners
For Your Diary

BIFS Annual Calendar 2015-2016
School & Community Links
www.bifskorea.org | enquiries@bifskorea.org | T. 82 51 742 3332
Busan International Foreign School
BIFS NEWSLETTER
Whole School
Happy Holidays! See You in the New Year!

Welcome to the Winter Holiday Break! Today we celebrated winter traditions and celebrations from around the
world. What a special way to start the winter break! May your holiday be a time of safe travel and many
wonderful memories!
I am so amazed at the incredible learning progress our students have made during this first half of the school
year! Everyone has earned a well-deserved break! This is also a time of the year we bid a fond farewell to several
families who will be relocating over the holiday. Thank you for being such a special part of the BIFS family. We
wish you all the very best as you move on.
In closing, we wish you the warmest seasons greetings! See you in the New Year!
Kevin Baker
Head of School
Final Day Buses & Office Hours, and School Close Schedule
A reminder that the whole school will finish at noon on Friday, December 18. All buses will depart soon
afterwards and the offices will be closed at 2:00PM. During the holiday, the offices will be open from 9AM to
4PM, and the whole school will be closed from December 22 until January 4, 2016, when the business staff
return. All students will return to the school on Monday, January 11, 2016.
BIFS NEWSLETTER
Adjustments to the School Calendar

Please note a few adjustments to our school calendar for the second half of the year:
Wednesday, February 10 will now be a regular day of school for students
The teacher professional development day that was originally scheduled for this day has been cancelled. This
will also enable us to make up the instructional day that was missed from the fall parent teacher conferences.
Thursday, Jan 21 will be a half day of school with a 12 noon dismissal
The Elementary School will have 3-Way Parent Teacher Student Conferences on Thursday, Jan 21 from 12:406:20. They will also continue conferences after school on Friday, Jan 22 3:40-4:20 (as needed).
The High School will be undertaking inservice training and professional development work in the afternoon.
Tuesday, Apr 12 will be a half day of school with a 12 noon dismissal
The Middle School and High School will have 3-Way Parent Teacher Student Conferences from 12:30 to 8:00
pm.
The Elementary School will be undertaking inservice training and professional development work in the
afternoon.
We apologize for any inconvenience from these minor adjustments.
PTA News
Last weekend was the BIFS staff holiday party. PTA donated two turkeys for the event. We
hope everyone had a nice time. We LOVE our teachers and supporting staff. Thank you for all
of your hard work in behalf of our children. You are wonderful! Enjoy your well-deserved
holiday!
To our BIFSs families, have a wonderful winter holiday! Be safe and make happy memories with your family and
friends. Look forward working with you in the New Year!
Remember, if you are going home for the winter holidays to bring back items for International Day such as
decorations or small items to give away. The World Wheel of Fortune will be in need of international baskets to
be donated. The small or large baskets can consist of items from your country like food and/or souvenirs.
Sign up for our BIFS PTA Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/groups/bifsssg/
Joy Priedeman
PTA President
BIFS NEWSLETTER
Leaving BIFS?
If you and your family will be leaving BIFS, parents are obliged to officially inform the Admissions Office through
a withdrawal form at least fourteen days prior to your child's last day of school. You may either complete the
online withdrawal form or contact the Admissions office at admissions@bifskorea.org or 051-742-3332 (Ext. 100).
Questions regarding fees and refunds should be addressed to finance@bifskorea.org.
2015-16 Second Semester School Fee Invoice

The 2015-16 second semester school fee invoice will be sent by email and post on November 30th. If you don`t
receive the invoice, please contact the Finance Office.
Please refer to the schedule below for the 2015-16 second semester invoice.
Nov 30, 2015: Invoice sent out
Dec 1-8, 2015: Correction period for invoice
Jan 15, 2016: Payment due
For further information, please contact the Finance Office (Tel: 051.743.3332 Email: finance@bifskorea.org).
PE Uniform Shop
THE PE UNIFORM SHOP is now open Monday thru Thursday! Please check the calendar on the BIFS website for
actual shop hours each week. Note: Shop hours are determined by the availability of our volunteers!
The weather is starting to cool off so it is a great time to consider your cool weather PE Uniform options!! Stop
by the PE Uniform Shop and let us help you!!
Also available: BIFS blankets, coffee mugs and Eco-bags!!
Our vendor has indicated that he is changing factories because of quality issues. If you are having difficulty with the quality of your
uniform, please be sure to let us know! In most cases, we will not be able to replace it but we can ask the vendor to repair it.
Image Rights Permission

Our assumption is that by joining the school parents give us their permission for any photos, videos, and audio
files featuring their child or themselves to be published on the school's website, blogs, and in other marketing
materials belonging to the school. Please notify Miyoung Kim at miyoungkim@bifskorea.org if you do not wish
photos, videos and audio files featuring your child or yourselves to be used.
BIFS NEWSLETTER
BIFS Angel Tree Wish Gifts

We would like to thank our parents, students, teachers and staff for
their generous sponsorship of Angel Tree wish gifts for children from
Park Ae Won, Issac House, and Hee Rak Won childrens homes and
also our Grandmother's project. We made a lot of wishes come true
this year.
What a great way to end the year!
Mary ONeill
Community Resource Teacher
Old Dolls Needed

Hello, my name is Emma Ling and I am in the Grade 11 IB art class. For my project I am manipulating dolls to
create new artworks. It would be very helpful for me if people could drop off their dolls that are old, broken, or
no longer needed at the ES office if they are in elementary school, or in C4.1 if they are in middle or high school.
They can be delivered any time, but preferably the first week after the winter break. I will pick them up by the
end of the week if they are in the ES office. Thank you!
BIFS NEWSLETTER
What are You Planning to Read During the Winter Vacation?

BIFS students and parents are welcome to borrow books during the upcoming vacation, but please return or
renew all overdue books before then. We all know its important to continue reading during the holidays, not
just because its good for our reading practice, but also because its just so fun!
A lifelong love of reading is the most important aspect of literacy that we can instill in our children. Here at BIFS
we follow a balanced literacy approach to teaching and promoting reading. We emphasize that it is important
to have a balanced diet of story genres so that we get to know the wide variety of books we have available in
our three libraries. At BIFS we encourage our students to follow their passions, which also includes giving
students free choice in what they read. However, following a balanced literacy approach, we also know it is
sometimes necessary to be courageous and try new genres that may, at first, be out of our comfort zone.
If you are traveling home for the holidays, we highly recommend you become members of your home libraries,
or go to the local library with your relatives, if you are staying with them. Most public libraries also provide
access to downloadable e-books or audiobooks that can be downloaded when you are away from your home
country.
If you are trying to find ideas for what to read next, you might also find these websites helpful:
A Literature Map that suggests similar authors to any that you input;
A site called "What Should I Read Next?" that provides titles depending on the books or authors you have
previously enjoyed.
Each year the American Library Association publishes a list of recommended reading for a variety of age groups.
This summer reading list can also be read during the colder months!
Watch the video below to see what BIFS elementary students like about reading:
Sue Toms
Head of Libraries
BIFS NEWSLETTER
Cafeteria Menu: January 11-15
Lunch Menu
Sandwich Bar
We serve brunch buffet or international buffet every 3rd Thursday of a month.

BIFS NEWSLETTER
Turkeys Available from Chef Kim

Chef Kim has kindly offered again to make turkeys available to our BIFS
faculty and parents.
Availability: from Oct 28th to Dec 31st
Menu:
One uncooked whole turkey (5kg) with cranberry sauce: 65,000 won
One whole cooked turkey (5kg) with stuffing, giblet sauce and cranberry
sauce: 90,000 won
How to order: contact Chef Kim, either by
Mobile Phone: 010-2583-6545 (with a text message), or
Email: khkim6543@hanmail.net
Delivery: please pick up your order from the cafeteria on an arranged
date
Payment: at your convenience upon placing the order, or collecting your
order
BIFS NEWSLETTER
Elementary School
Three-Way Conferences
We invite parents and students to meet with teachers on January 21, between 12:40-6:40. There will be a noon
dismissal (half day) on the 21st to accommodate conferences. Some conferences will also be held after the full
day of school on January 22 between 3:40-4:40 as needed. Please note that electives will be cancelled on both
Jan 21 and 22.
Families will receive the first semester report card on January 15. The conferences allow us to collaboratively
clarify any questions from the report, set goals for the second semester, and celebrate your childs progress.
Children are welcome to bus home and return with parents for the conference. Alternately children can be
collected by parents and supervised until the time of the conference. Children on campus are to be supervised
directly by a parent, as our faculty will all be occupied in conferences. Thank you for keeping your child safe
after school.
Jan 21
Jan 22
Bus Schedule
Regular service after school at 12:00 (noon dismissal)
Ulsan and Geoje families only -- buses from BIFS at 5:00 PM on January 21.
Regular service departing at 3:40 and 4:40 (no electives for ES).
Please contact the bus coordinator to make arrangements if you (adults) wish to ride the bus, or if your child will
not be riding the bus as usual.
To book your conferences: Please click here for directions in English, and here for Korean. The event code is
URFXC. We will keep the sign up form open until January 19 at 3:30.
Please note that you can select meetings with the homeroom teacher as well as all specialist teachers as
desired.
BIFS NEWSLETTER
10
Field Trips
The Kindergarten class went on a Nature Walk at Dongbaek Island and then played in the playground at the
Zenith. This field trip related to two of our units of inquiry; in one unit we are inquiring into how the Earth
changes through the seasons, and in the other unit we looked at how being healthy and active promotes overall
wellness.
11
BIFS NEWSLETTER
ELC Parent Coffee

Thank you to the parents who attended the Parent Coffee on Thursday. Please check the ELC blog for details:
http://bifsearlyyears.weebly.com.
Korean Language Acquisition - End of Term Assessment

At the end of every term, selected students in Korean Language Acquisition classes (Gr 2-5) are provided exit
assessments. This is to determine which of the students are ready to move from Foundation class to Standard
class. Selection is currently based on teachers assessment of their readiness for the next language level.
The exit assessment involves the following areas:
Speaking and Listening: ability to respond classroom instructions; ask and answer simple questions during
conversations; knowledge and use of language in everyday routines, such as greetings
Reading and Writing: knowledge of Korean alphabet; decode texts when reading independently, such as
combining consonants and vowels
Parents will be notified if their child is taking the assessment, and then informed of the outcome prior to January
15, 2016.
Upcoming Elementary Events

Date/Time
Event
Details
Jan 11
School resumes
Jan 15
Report Cards
Semester 1 report cards distributed to families
Jan 15
Elementary Assembly
Mr. Lea will be sharing his experiences from

TEDxYouth@BIFS that was held in September. This talk
will feature a special presentation by one of the student
speakers.
Jan 21
Half day of school

(conference)
Noon dismissal for students to attend 3-way

conferences. Parents are to pick their children up and
supervise until conferences begin at 12:40.
Jan 21
Elementary 3-Way
Conferences 12:40-6:40
Jan 21 and 22
No electives
We invite parents and students to conferences in order

to discuss student progress and next steps for learning.
Additional conferences will be held after school on Jan
22 as needed for larger classes.
Electives cancelled due to conferences
12
BIFS NEWSLETTER
Happy Holidays, safe travels! See you in the New Year!

Anne Sweet
Elementary School Principal
Leda Cedo
PYP Coordinator
Assessing Foundational Reading Skills @ BIFS

In 2000, the National reading Panel (USA) published its findings after evaluating existing research and evidence
to find the best ways of teaching children to read. The analysis made it clear that the best approach to reading
instruction is one that incorporates phonemic awareness.
Phonemic awareness is the knowledge that spoken words can be broken apart into smaller segments of sound
known as phonemes. Specifically, it is the ability to tune into the separate single sounds, to be able to play with
them, blend them together, segment them, swap them around and so on. Identifying the separate sounds
provides the foundation for reading.
Children differ in their phonemic awareness and some will need more instruction than others. The best
approach is for teachers to assess phonemic awareness and then plan instruction accordingly.
The Learning Support teachers will be conducting Phonological Awareness testing with all students in
Kindergarten, Grade 1, Grade 2 and selectively for some Grade 3 students. We will use the Sutherland
Phonological Awareness Test. Each child will be assessed individually for approximately 20 minutes and results
will be shared with classroom teachers in order to inform teaching.
Please contact Michelle Roland, the Head of Special Educational Needs mroland@bifskorea.org if you would like
any further information.
References:
National Institute of Child Health and Development (NICHD) (2000). Report of the National Reading Panel:
Teaching children to read: An evidence-based assessment of the scientific research literature on reading and its
implications for reading instruction (NIH Publication No. 00-4769). Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing
Office.
Phonological Awareness. Understanding the Reading Process. Web. June 2011.
http://www.decs.sa.gov.au/literacy
Michelle Roland
Head of SEN
13
BIFS NEWSLETTER
Middle School and High School

Happy Holidays from the MHS
It is hard to believe that the first semester is coming to a close

and we are heading into our winter break. Holidays are a time
to be with family, getting together to spend much needed
quality time with friends and family. Often, during our busy
schedules and hectic work weeks we dont have the time to
relax, reflect and remember what is important. We would like
to take the time to thank you for welcoming us into your
community. Your support, kind words and regular
communication has made the transition to a new school and
country an extremely positive experience. We look forward to
continuing to build relationships and establish positive
community connections in the new year.
https://goo.gl/LoJV6V
Have a safe and relaxing break, enjoy time with family and friends and see you in the new year!
Nate Swenson
Middle School Principal
Jamie Robb
High School Principal
Volunteers Needed in Korean Class for Foreigners

The Korean class needs Korean native speakers help. We would like to offer students various experiences in
learning Korean. Our students require opportunities to communicate with native speakers.
If you want to work together and support the students in Mrs. Lee's class please email to slee@bifskorea.org
with your available time and day to make a timetable. Your help can make a significant difference to a student's
progress. Thanks in advance.
Seunghee Lee
MYP Language Acquisition Korean & IB Korean B Teacher
14
BIFS NEWSLETTER
For Your Diary

December 2015
January 2016
18th
Winter Holiday Assembly
11th
Start of Term 2
End of Term 1 Noon Dismissal
14th
Grade 4 Field Trip to Ulsan (HHI/Whale

Museum)
15th
End of Semester 1
Report Cards Distributed
ES Assembly
New Parent Coffee
PTA Meeting
ES-Conferences / MHS-PD
Noon Dismissal
ES Assembly
ES-Conferences (as needed)
27th-31st
ISCMS Music Festival Trip
27th
ES Parent Coffee (Exhibition)
28th
KIMEA Middle School Choir Festival
28th-31st
MS Ski Trip 2016
29th
ES Assembly
20th
21th
22th
BIFS NEWSLETTER
16
School & Community Links
Please contact Miyoung Kim if you wish to inquire about

promoting your company in the BIFS Newsletter.
miyoungkim@bifskorea.org | 051-742-3332 (#114)

This Coming Week at BIFS Whole School: United in Our Diversity, Thriving in Our Individuality

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BIFS NEWSLETTER

United in our Diversity, Thriving in our Individuality

ISSUE 38, December 18, 2015