As an IB World School, we offer students opportunities to design investigations, develop skills, collaborate with peers, and to communicate their findings. This, of course, includes our Science classes.

Yesterday, our Science teachers conducted a small Science demo. Science demonstrations are one way to provide students with hands-on experiences of real-world events, phenomena, and processes, which aids learning, increases student interest and motivation, and allows them to concentrate. How cool the demo was!

In Indonesian Studies Class, Grade 12 students are learning about Gastrodiplomacy. This is the use of traditional food in diplomacy to raise nation branding. This meant not only learning about gastrodiplomacy in theory but the students also experienced cooking an Indonesian dish called “Nasi Goreng Nusantara”. Sean, Grade 12 student, took ownership of the learning: did the preparation independently and cooked the delicious dish skillfully.

As an IB World School, YIS always takes part in international celebrations. This is to show our open-mindedness as one of the IB learner profiles, that we understand and appreciate culture from all around the world and show that we are open to the perspectives, values and traditions of other individuals and communities. We held a Halloween Costume Parade for the PYP, MYP and DP students yesterday at the YIS Campus. The students were very enthusiastic in dressing up for Halloween! Their creativity was highly appreciated.

But anyway, did you know that Halloween most likely originated from a Celtic festival native to Ireland and Scotland? The festival was called Samhain, pronounced in Irish like "Sow-ihn". Historians believed that in the 9th century, the Celtic festival became associated with the Christian holiday All Saints' Day. Around this time, the title Samhain was changed to All-Hallows Eve. Then eventually Hallowe’en! (https://www.twinkl.co.id/teaching-wiki/history-of-halloween-for-children)

Indonesia commemorates Youth Pledge Day on October 28th every year. The Youth Pledge is an independence movement carried out by Indonesian youth by declaring the promise of one homeland, one nation, and one language.

As an IB World School and an SPK in Yogyakarta, YIS students are proud to celebrate the Youth Pledge (Sumpah Pemuda). During the Bahasa Indonesia Class, the students in Grade 10 created some quotes that are related to Sumpah Pemuda. They hope that those quotes can inspire them in their involvement, together with their generation, in developing Indonesia and to make Indonesia an even greater place to live.

On 27 October 2021 the Covid-19 Task Force Kapanewon Mlati, Sleman, Yogyakarta, visited the Yogyakarta Independent School (YIS) campus with the aim of monitoring the implementation of the hybrid learning activity program for the Covid-19 transition period at YIS.

The conclusion is that YIS, as an SPK school in Yogyakarta, has carried out the hybrid learning during the transition period very well, in accordance with the health protocol determined by the Covid-19 Task Force team and also the Indonesian Ministry of Education.

Professional Development Day (PD Day) is a day when teachers sit together to expand their abilities and to learn new skills for their classes. At YIS, PD Day is held during the school holiday and requires teachers to work in collaboration. During a YIS PD Day, teachers have to work together to grow their skills. Having half a day to collaborate is also beneficial to teachers, who are hard-pressed to find that time to work together during the school year.

Today, 25 October 2021, the YIS teachers had a PD Day at the YIS campus. Today’s Professional Development Day centered around the preparation of hybrid learning at YIS. The YIS teachers are professional teachers who are trained as IB educators and consolidate these skills in various IB workshops held around the world. This shows that the IB curriculum is well-implemented at YIS, where students are highly prepared for their journey to their future life.

At YIS, we aim high, we are relevant and we make a difference!