IB Asia Pacific Newsletter
Quarter Four, 2006
Networks and Associations
International School Library Day
International School Library day was celebrated around the world on 23 October. Many of the IB Asia-Pacific teacher librarians joined in and posted their school students’ email contributions which included lists of favourite books, student book reviews and other items which can now be viewed at the School Library Association of Queensland website. Log onto the website and view contributions from a variety of school libraries worldwide. http://www.slaq.org.au
Committee Update
The IB Asia-Pacific LIS committee has a new committee member Sasi Antony from India. Sasi is Head of Library Resource Center, Sharad Pawar International School, Pune, India.
Some of the committee and other interested teacher librarians have submitted proposals for the upcoming IB Asia-Pacific Teacher Convention in Singapore 2007. Keep reading the OCC, post your input to the OCC and read the IB Asia-Pacific LIS Newsletter for the latest in regards to this valuable professional development activity.
Thanks to the committee for their continued support of trying to increase communication between teacher librarians in International Baccalaureate schools across the Asia Pacific region.
Regional group reports
Regional groups within areas across Asia Pacific continue to meet and hold worthwhile discussions. We would welcome their input in the quarterly newsletter. These reports can be sent to Jane Viner at vinermj@mlc.vic.edu.au
Australia - South Australia report
The IBSAT Network in South Australia meets each term to provide professional development for PYP and MYP teacher librarians. It is also an avenue for communicating information from the IB Asia-Pacific LIS committee and for discussing issues pertinent to school libraries. The term 3 meeting at Linden Park Primary School focused on sharing fiction used in transdisciplinary units and in supporting the Learner Profile. The following are some suggestions offered by participants.
Microcredit unit
Silk umbrellas – Carolyn Marsden
The Caged birds of Phnom Penh – Frederick Lipp
Human rights
Ruby’s wish – Shirim Yim Bridges
Migration Unit
When Jessie came across the sea – Amy Hest
The Day of Ahmed’s secret – Florence Parry Heide
Sami and the time of the troubles - Florence Parry Heide
How people adapt their needs and wants according to resources
Fish – L.S. Matthews
Kensuke’s kingdom – Michael Morpurgo
How the world is made up of living and non living things
Oscar and the frogs: A Book about growing – Geoff Waring
My Light –NF
The Drop in my drink
The Pebble in my pocket
Disabilities
The Race - Christobel Mattingley
Where you live influences your way of life
Monsoon – Uma Krishnaswami
My Map book – Sara Fanelli
Highway – Nadia Wheatley
Are we there yet? – Alison Lester
Movement of people throughout the world and its impact
The Whispering cloth – Pegi Deitz Shea
Learner Profile and attitudes
Dragonkeeper – Carole Wilkinson
How people use the arts to discover and communicate
Where in the world –Simon French
How cultures of the world are changing natural and man made phenomena
The Burnt stick – Anthony Hill
Resilience
The Short and incredibly happy life of Riley – Colin Thompson
The Term 4 meeting will be held on 8 November at Burnside Primary School and will explore supporting the PYP Exhibition and the MYP Personal Project from a teacher-librarian perspective.
Alison Hicks, IBSAT Network representative, IB Asia-Pacific LIS Committee
Contact us - IB Asia-Pacific LIS
Interested teacher librarians and library staff can contact us via email at vinermj@mlc.vic.edu.au
The email will be forwarded to the relevant committee member or contact person. We look forward to hearing from you either by email or on the OCC.
Jane Viner
Chairperson IB Asia-Pacific LIS
Association of IB Schools in Japan and Korea Update
The Association of IB Schools in Japan and Korea (AIBSJK) is a sub-regional group comprised of seventeen schools offering a total of eleven diploma programmes, three middle years programmes, and six primary year programmes. In order to support the objectives of the IB and the IB Asia-Pacific regional office, the AIBSJK promotes communication amongst IB schools in Japan and Korea, assists the regional office in liaison with these countries’ education ministries, works cooperatively in matters of admission to universities in Japan and Korea, organizes workshops and other professional development opportunities in the sub-region, and coordinates activities among students of IB schools in Japan and Korea.
The AIBSJK held DP and MYP group meetings and its annual general meeting (AGM) at St. Mary’s International School, Tokyo, on 14 September 2006. As the number of IB schools and programmes in the sub-region continues to grow, we need to adapt to satisfy our association’s purposes. The growth of the PYP and MYP network groups has been of great help, and the DP group is well established; the AIBSJK is now in the process of clarifying aspects of its organisation to best support the needs of all member schools in efficient ways.
One difficulty has been getting all member heads together at one time; not enough member heads were able to attend the association’s AGM, the IB Asia-Pacific regional conference or the EARCOS conference to deal with a number of issues requiring attention. Thus, in order to move forward and prepare for next year’s AGM, member heads have been asked to respond to a questionnaire to determine the AGM meeting format, time and location for next year, and to vote on a request by IB schools in Taiwan to join our association. (Heads, please note the deadline for voting is 30 November.)
The next programme group meetings times and contacts are as follows:
PYP Network Group Meeting – 30 November 2007 at Tokyo International School
(Terry Tiplady, pyp_co@kist.ed.jp, PYP Network Group Chair)
MYP East Asia Network Group Meeting – 13 March 2007 at Osaka International School
(Gwyn Underwood, gunderwood@senri.ed.jp, MYP EA Network Group Chair)
DP Coordinators Group Meeting – 4 June 2007 at Osaka International School
(Peter Heimer, pheimer@senri.ed.jp, AIBSJK Vice-Chair)
AIBSJK 2007 AGM – September/October 2007, day and location TBA
Finally, we would like to thank Kyoko Bernard for her great efforts to promote the IB in our sub-region.
Honto ni otsukaresama deshita! (‘Truly, thank you very much for your hard work’.)
Gwyn Underwood Peter Heimer
AIBSJK Chair Vice-Chair
Networks and Associations in the region
AAIBS
The AAIBS was established specifically to assist schools in Australasia, providing a network of professional support, information and service. The AAIBS has information on entrance requirements for universities throughout the region.
SAIBSA
SAIBSA members are authorized or implementing schools and its education practicioners. SAIBSA aims to facilitate communication with authorized and implementing IB schools in the South Asia sub-region and with the South Asia sub-regional office.
AIBSIJK
The AIBSIJK started by the heads and coordinators of the Diploma programmes meets twice a year. The September meeting is an AGM for heads and co-ordinators of all three programmes of IB World Schools. The May meeting attended by DP coordinators is devoted to discussions pertaining to the Diploma examinations.
Contact gunderwood@senri.ed.jp

