From the Head of Secondary 02.04.2022
Book Week has come and gone for 2022 and it has been a huge success. Many thanks to everybody involved, especially Mrs Colbeck, who created and directed all the proceedings.
We held our Celebration Assembly yesterday and it was amazing to see how many students have been awarded Merit Certificates for all their efforts during the term. We even had some Principal’s Awards, quite rare at this relatively early stage in the academic year. Well done to all of those students and a message to others who have not yet managed to gain an award: Keep trying and it will happen!
Also in the assembly Ms Young awarded certificates to a respectable number of Key Stage 3 students who have been developing their creative writing skills throughout the term, with some extremely impressive results.
When one term comes to a close, we are of course already thinking ahead to the next. Term 3 is a vital one for our Cambridge examination students in Years 11, 12 and 13. With exams starting with language orals and ICT in the week beginning 18th April and running until June 10th, I know that those students will ensure that they are fully prepared and will be working hard over the Easter break on their revision. The weeks ahead will be intense and unavoidable a little stressful for them, but I know they will face the challenge head-on. Study leave will start for those students in the week beginning 25th April, and I will be leading an assembly for them on Tuesday 26th April to make sure they understand the structured support that their teachers will be offering in the weeks ahead. I will also be writing to parents with the same information, so that everything is clear.
On the 23rd April we have the Beach Clean Up….another sign that we are gradually returning to normal. In the past these events have been well attended by members of our community and I am sure that this one will be no exception. Read on to find out more, and put that date into your diaries!
Have a wonderful Easter break!
Kind regards
Margaret Renshaw
Deputy Principal / Head of Secondary
The Year 13’s Wetland Trip: How Did It Go and What Did They Learn?
Alex
Mangroves are a group of tropical trees that form a marginal ecosystem which is well defined in space with boundaries marked by high and low tides. Their ability to tolerate extreme environmental conditions allow them to keep out by competitive exclusion from other plants and animals that can’t tolerate such conditions. The extreme environments have induced evolutionary adaptations in morphological and physiological features, such as peculiar branching and rooting systems, special reproductive methods such as viviparity and dispersal of seeds by water currents.
Mangroves are an important habitat as they offer a nursery to many different species of fish. They are also beneficial to humans by providing protection from storm surges and tidal erosion. We are lucky to have an example of this environment to visit that is being protected here so close to the centre of Kota Kinabalu.
Celeste
My head still swims with images of mangroves silhouetted against the fading light as mudskippers swiftly moved from one buttress root to the other. While walking down the green thoroughfare, we spotted several Egrets and this inevitably led onto the discussion of whether it was a Great Egret far away or a Little Egret close to us, (though I still don’t think I can differentiate between them.) Admiring the wilderness of the primordial nature, countless pictures of spider’s webs were taken as I experimented with a range of different light settings, enabling me to spend no less than five minutes on one web. My amusement and exploration of discovering more spider’s web soared as each picture taken told a different story. From that day onwards, I continued my journey of cultivating this euphoric feeling of emerging out of my personal shell and seeking into the unknown. And as we stared at the birds and they stared at us, we deeply reflected on the importance of sustainably protecting and conserving this ecosystem that not only acts as a natural barrier for us but also a home to many.
Qawiemah
“Oh, look it’s another crab” – This was the repetitive statement we muttered over and over and over again during our 2 hour trip to the Sabah Wetlands. But this comment is not reflective of our insightful journey there. In fact, it was the complete opposite: the mangrove forest was thriving with biodiversity both up in the trees and among the salty, murky waters. There was much to be impressed about, especially the skillful camouflage of the mudskipper that we had to squint to see. The difficulty of spotting creatures throughout the forest made each animal we saw extra special. For instance, even though the area was filled with the twittering of a variety of birds, it seemed only our ears could pick up on them as we couldn’t quite spot them easily. Or maybe I didn’t spot any because I was too busy looking out for the next spider web to avoid. But, of course, I just had to marvel at how one area could be home to a range of different species that have adapted to their environmental niches.
Ramadan Kareem!
Ramadan is the ninth month of the Islamic Calendar. It is a special month for Muslims as during this time, the Holy Quran was first revealed to the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH).
During the month of Ramadan, Muslims fast from dawn to sunset. It allows Muslims to learn self-discipline and to become a better practising Muslim. Other than abstaining from food and drinks, Muslims are encouraged to practise more acts of kindness and give up bad habits.
At the end of Ramadan, Muslims will celebrate Hari Raya Aidilfitri. At this time, they celebrate the end of fasting where they will dress in their finest clothes and spend time with their family and friends.
In this spirit of kindness and charity, this year we will continue the KIS Rice Donation Drive. We will be collecting packets of rice to be donated to the needy with the help of Masjid Nurul Hikmah, which is the mosque next to our school, who will be distributing the rice on our behalf. The school will start accepting donations on the 18th of April until the 28th of April 2022.
