From the Head of Secondary 07.03.2020

This week please have a look at what has been happening in Business and in Biology. Our students have the advantage of a very supportive local community which means that they have access to a wide range of resources outside of school. Sometimes it is just an hour or two visiting a local company or a hotel to see how they do things. This can facilitate real-life learning and helps to make learning relatable in an interesting way. You will be hearing more about such trips in future newsletters.

This week in the Key Stage 3 assembly Ms Colley awarded prizes to the winners of the KIS/FOBISIA Short Story Writing Competition 2020. The overall and worthy winner is Diego in Year 8 and you can read his hard-hitting story in this newsletter. Diego’s story has been forwarded to the organisers of the FOBISIA competition [we can only submit one entry every year] and our fingers are crossed for further success for him as his story comes up against those from other international schools.

On Monday, staff, parents, Board members and students came together for their third CIS team meeting. Progress is well under way with different groups considering the protocol standards and finding evidence to support their conclusions. There are two more team meetings this term, with the Steering Committee meeting in the final week of term to report back on progress. Meetings and research will continue in Term 3 with initial of our self-view being completed by the end of June. The CIS Community Survey plays an important part in providing opinion on how we are doing as a school and I would urge all parents to follow the links that Mr Gross has sent out and take 15 minutes or so to complete the survey.

With IGCSE, AS and A Level exams due to start shortly after the Easter break, Mr Barker [Examinations Officer] led the staff through a training session on Wednesday so that we are all thoroughly prepared to act as invigilators throughout the exam period. There are many rules that we need to be aware of and, for obvious reasons, we must ensure that the exams are carried out in scrupulously fair conditions. The Cambridge Examination Board have very clear procedures and we must adhere to them. Every two or three years we can expect an unannounced visit from a Cambridge assessor and he/she comes in to check that we are doing everything correctly, from the way we securely store the exam papers to how far apart the desks and chairs are in the exam room. We are very lucky to have Mr Barker in control of all of this as with his fine eye for detail we are unlikely to make any mistakes!

A reminder that all Secondary students must arrive by 7.40am every day. We still have some who are frequently late and I would ask for parental support in ensuring that students follow the rules on this.

Mrs Margaret Renshaw

Deputy Principal and Head of Secondary

The Year 13 Business students met recently with Mr Sangmookda, General Manager of Le Meridien Hotel. We have been learning about corporate culture and this is a difficult topic to understand.  Listening to Mr Sangmookda talk about the values that all employees of the hotel chain adhere to, and how this is instilled in them through training, it really helped the students to see how this creates a culture in the business. We also spoke about how the hotel manages change which is particularly relevant in the current climate. One of the things the hotel is doing is promoting staycations and they currently have a special rate for residents and work pass holders (see their website for further information). Naturally we spoke about the impact that Covid-19 is having on the hotel and how this might affect them in the long term.

It really is extremely helpful to Business students to visit local businesses and talk to them. We are most grateful to Mr Sangmookda for giving up his time to meet with us.

Ms Corbishley

Business Teacher

On Monday 2nd March, the Y13 Biology class went on a Field trip to Kota Kinabalu Fish Market. There is a large section of the syllabus that looks at Biodiversity, Classification and Conservation. We were met by Gon, a representative of Borneo Reef Rescue, who are running the Sepanggar Coral restoration Project. While we were in the market we saw many different Phyla of animals: Arthropoda, including crabs, lobsters and other crustacea; Mollusca, including Gastropoda, Bivalves and my second favourite cephalopods – squid and the fish are, of course, Vertebrata. There was a good diversity of fish from the pelagic Yellow-Fin Tuna to the Common Reef Grouper. The students quickly noticed the differences in the mouths and body shape of the fish, showing adaptation to their habitats and diets. For example, the beak of the parrot fish is sharp and strong for eating coral.

The Fish Market is an historical part of KK and worth a visit to see one of the original industries from nearly a century ago. The night Fish Market can have a wider range of interesting species.

After the tour we then spent some time talking to our guide. The main ecological issues in Sabah are overfishing, bomb-fishing, Cyanide fishing and pollution. Borneo Reef Rescue are working to counteract the effects of these through a program of replanting damaged coral, education programs in local schools and regular litter collections on and around Sepanggar.

Our trip encouraged our students with a deeper understanding of Biodiversity, Classification and Conservation in our local community and it has furnished the students with a local example to use as a reference in their written papers. Hopefully, they have also had the opportunity to get to know KK a little better.

The Secondary entries for this year’s FOBISIA Short Story Competition have now been collected and, on behalf of the English Department, I would like to commend and congratulate all our KS3 students for submitting so many imaginative, thought-provoking and emotive tales over the last few weeks.

The theme of this year’s competition was ‘protect’ and it was wonderful to see such a broad range of creative interpretations. Some students chose to look at it from a global perspective, with Year 7, in particular, speculating on what the future may be like if we do not act now to preserve our climate. Others chose to focus on the innate human instinct to keep those we love safe from harm or the strength and sacrifice it takes to help and protect a stranger. Some of the most powerful stories looked at what happens when we are unable to protect someone close to us from danger or death and the complexities of grief and loss.

Overall, I have been very impressed with the maturity and effort that was clearly evident in so many of the entries this year. Unfortunately, as much as I enjoyed reading such a varied selection of stories, there can only be one winner. So, after much deliberation, I would like to congratulate Diego Vizamoro Toro on coming first place with his story ‘The Survivors’. It is an inspiring and imaginative tale of courage and compassion in the face of war. Diego will receive 80RM of book tokens and twenty merits as a well-deserved reward for his efforts. You can read Diego’s story in this newsletter.

         Diego, a very worthy winner, with Ms Colley. Well done Diego!

I would also like to give a special mention to both Tobias Lo and Hannah Hammer for their entries, ‘Descent’ and ‘Protecting Her’, which came in second and third respectively. Both of their stories centred around desperate attempts by their protagonists to protect those they love and then ultimately lose. Both of these stories were very well written and affecting which made my final choice very difficult indeed. Tobias will receive 50RM of book tokens and fifteen merits and Hannah will be given 30RM of tokens and ten merits. The first, second and third place entries for each year group will also receive five merits each.

All that remains is for me to wish Diego good luck, as his story has now been entered into the final stage of the FOBISIA competition, and to say ‘well done’ to all our students for their efforts and ingenuity this year.

Ms Colley

Head of Secondary English

Entry by Secondary student Diego Vizamora Toro, aged 12

The Survivors

The bombs showered down on the city like drops of black rain. Bomber planes swarmed the city, flying high overhead. Within seconds, the town was turned into a nightmarish hell. Everywhere, buildings fell inwards, like paper crumpling. Bricks and pieces of dislodged mortar fell from above. Fires raged, consuming everything within reach. All around, chaos ensued. Shell-shocked soldiers ran to their posts; children clung to their parents in fear; crowds surged forwards, running for cover. Thick clouds of dust and ash blanketed the city. The metallic, poignant scent of blood was overpowering. Corpses and mangled limbs lay littered about, strewn upon the ground. A deafening cacophony of screams and gunshots could be heard throughout the city. The planes dropped round upon round of bombs. Nothing was left but heaps of rubble.

Anna emerged from the bunker and scanned her surroundings. The town she had once known was gone. She took a few cautious steps forward, peeking around the remaining walls. Once she knew it was clear, she continued. Anna stumbled across the treacherous debris, struggling to regain her footage. Eventually, she reached what had been the main plaza. It had been reduced to wreckage; the shops and cafes she knew so well were gone, forever. The little bakery on the corner of the street that sold her favourite cherry pies; the park she used to go to with her friends; the tailory in which her parents had bought her first dress. All gone. She stumbled across the debris, falling onto her knees.

Timofey stood on the pile of remains as ash spiralled down from above. His house was levelled. There was nothing left. He gingerly stepped down from the pile, making sure not to make too much noise. He reached the road and instantly started looking around. If there were any survivors, he had to find them.

When Timofey saw the girl, he didn’t know what to do. She was curled up on the floor, bawling. She wore a tattered red and white checkered dress and had jet black hair. Timofey guessed she was around five. He knew he should probably avoid open spaces in case of snipers, but he felt obliged to help. So, he slowly approached the girl. He stopped a few meters away from her.

‘Hello,’ he said.

The girl ignored him. ‘Are you okay?’

Slowly, she turned, staring at Timofey incredulously. Her eyes were raw; her face red, with pale line where her tears had washed away dust. He crouched down so that he was face to face with her.

‘Who are you?’ she asked.

‘My name is Timofey,’ he said. She continued staring blankly at him.

‘What’s your name?’ he asked.

‘Anna.’

‘Do you know where your parents are, Anna?’

‘No.’ she said wiping away snot from her nose.

‘Come with me,’ he said, standing. Anna looked reluctant though

‘Mama said not to follow strangers’ she said suspiciously.

Timofey smiled. ‘It’s fine. I won’t hurt you.’

Slowly, she got up.

‘Do you like games?’

‘Yeah.’

‘Let’s play a game then,’ he said, ‘We have to pretend that we’re spies and we’re on an important mission. We can’t let anyone see us. Okay?’

‘OK.’

‘Come on, then.’

They ran towards the nearest bit of cover and threw themselves up against it. Timofey turned and held his finger to his lips with a goofy smile, making Anna giggle. He peeked over the wall and, upon seeing no-one there, made a sign to Anna that it was all clear. He helped her climb over and then went over himself. They landed and ran to a nearby building. And so, they made their way across town, still playing their little game.

Anna and Timofey made their way over the littered debris into a large apartment building. The walls were cracked and worn. Most of the ceiling had been blown inwards, leaving a big hole exposing the burning sky. A thick coat of rubble and debris covered the floor making it near impossible to move around. Timofey walked towards the corpse of a dead German soldier and turned him over, pulling a small pistol from his belt. He wouldn’t need it, he thought. It was just… insurance. He turned and saw Anna next to a body. She was looking down at it horrified. Timofey ran over to her, desperately thinking of a way to calm her down. She was on the verge of tears.

‘What is that?’

‘It’s nothing, really. Don’t worry about it.’ he said.

‘It’s a dead person, isn’t it?’

‘No, no, no. No. Um… You see… um… this used to be a store. Yes, a store. They used to sell clothes. These are just mannequins.’

‘Then why are they red?’

Timofey was stumped.

‘Um… because… well… they painted it red.’

She looked skeptical.

‘Are you sure?’

Timofey smiled.

‘Yes.’

‘OK’

Timofey stood up.

‘Come on. We can’t stay here all day.’

As they walked out of the building, Timofey paused and took one look back. Sighing, he turned back.

‘I’m hungry’

Timofey and Anna had been walking for some time now, looking for a safe place to stay. Or, as Timofey had put it, a “secure base to plan their next mission.”

‘There’s a bakery up the street. We can look there,’

They walked in silence down the street, looking for the shop Timofey had mentioned. Suddenly, bullets rained down on them from above, ricocheting off of the floor and walls. Timofey ran for cover behind an old overturned car. But then, he realised that Anna was still caught in the cross-fire. She was in shock, looking up wide-eyed at the sniper on the rooftop. Timofey threw himself at Anna, knocking her down and pushing her through a door into a small building. He held Anna, wrapping himself around her. The sound of gunshots was deafening. Bullets ripped through the walls like paper, missing Timofey and Anna by inches. After what seemed like hours, the shots stopped. They were reloading. Timofey took Anna and ran.