From the Head of Secondary 02.03.2024
Monday: Hail the Vipers!
We were delighted to welcome our U13 FOBISIA team back into school on Monday. This was a joyously chaotic celebration in the Hall, with background music supplied by Queen’s ‘We are the Champions’ [what else could it have been??]. The loud cheers from Secondary students and staff literally ‘burned’ our eardrums and there was a genuinely warm feeling of support and camaraderie. Ms Watt and Mr Gipson each made a short speech emphasizing how impressive this team had been.
I later heard from Ms Beresford that there was no doubt at all in her mind, from what she observed last week, that the KIS team conducted themselves to the highest of standards, not just when they were competing, but between those times, when they were waiting for events to start, or back at the accommodation, or when travelling. Her perception was that our students, your children, superseded all of the other teams in this respect, and that was wonderful to hear. We have every reason to be very proud of them!
Tuesday: Year 11 and A Level Option Choices
Tuesday afternoon saw our Year 11 students conversing with Heads of Departments and subject teachers about the A Levels that we offer in our Sixth Form to Years 12 and 13. This was the final such session of a series designed to ensure that the students have all the information that they need to make sensible and personalized decisions about the next stage of their secondary education. Moving forward, they will be making initial choices and these will be organized into ‘option blocks’ designed to give as many students as possible their favoured choices. Once we have final decisions we can make sure that the information is added to the school timetable for 2024 – 2025, with teachers allocated to classes.
Wednesday: Coffee Morning ‘Supporting Your Child Through Difficulty’
It was wonderful to see so many parents come to the multi-purpose room to attend the latest in our series of Safeguarding and Child Protection coffee mornings. This session was led by Datin Siti, our school counsellor, who led the group through a serious of typical scenarios which parents might have to manage at home when their child is struggling. Whilst the subject matter was serious by nature, there were moments of humour, in particular when Mr Beresford role-played a recalcitrant teenager, and Ms Siti played his mother, showing first of all how NOT to manage the sulky teenager, followed by HOW TO do it. None of us knew that Mr Beresford had such finely tuned dramatic talents and I think I speak for the group when I say that we’re looking forward to seeing him perform again.
There were some clear messages that emerged from the presentation and the discussions which followed. First of all, it is inevitable that children will go through difficult times, it is part of growing up, and that the people they will turn to for help are their parents. Parenting is a very difficult job, and nothing really prepares you for it, particularly the first time around. Really listening to the child is crucial. It can’t be rushed and time has to be created so that it can happen properly. Encouraging the child to explain and give some detail about what is upsetting them, keeping a calm and supportive demeanour, is essential. As one parent pointed out, this is when a hug comes in handy, and we all agreed with that wholeheartedly. Ms Siti explained the lines of communication in school, how we work as a Safeguarding Team to support children and parents. We hope that parents left the coffee morning with at least this take-away: ‘Ask for Help’. We need to work together, parents and school, to build the most efficient support network for the children as they navigate their way through difficult situations.
Many thanks to all who attended. We will continue to run these coffee morning and we are always open to suggestions for topics that we can cover. Just email any one of us with your suggestions:
Roberta Young, Designated Safeguarding Lead ryoung@kis.edu.my
Siti Naim, School Counsellor snaim@kis.edu.my
Margaret Renshaw, Head of Secondary margaretrenshaw@kis.edu.my
Mark Beresford, Head of Primary mberesford@kis.edu.my
Ellis Denyer, PE Teacher edenyer@kis.edu.my.
Next week I will report back on an important topic which was discussed at the Secondary Meeting this week, the use of artificial intelligence in school. As part of the review into our AI policy, Mr Ghanbari, Chair of the original AI Working Party, conducted some research into how students and staff were using it, and there were some very interesting findings. One of the main ones is that our students take a very sensible and measured approach to AI.
More on that next week!
Have a lovely weekend!
Mrs Margaret Renshaw
Deputy Principal / Head of Secondary
The KIS Secondary Music Department would like to invite you to attend our IGCSE Music Recital. This concert will showcase the Cambridge performance portfolios from our Year 11 IGCSE Musicians, and performance progress of our Year 10 Musicians. The recital is on Friday, March 8th at 7:00pm and will be held in the Kinabalu International School Music Room. Due to the limited seating we ask that you only reserve tickets for the exact number of people that will attend. We would be honoured if you can share in this celebration with us.
Please reserve a ticket by emailing Ms. Tretter: ktretter@kis.edu.my
Duke of Edinburgh Update
This week’s Bronze Duke of Edinburgh groups put their cooking skills to the test, during their weekly ECA. Our three Year 9 groups have been covering the basic elements of their Duke of Edinburgh award over the past 6 weeks; from learning how to pitch a tent, understanding what their expedition kit list might look like; to getting themselves set up on the online system to track and log their activities to contribute to their participation in Service, Physical and Skill elements for their qualification – all of which the students are responsible for committing to, each week over the next 10 months.
