From the Head of Secondary 12.01.19
Welcome to Term 2!
It has been lovely see the Secondary students back in school this week and classes are already going full steam ahead!
Staffing Updates
As you are aware Ms Ku, our Secondary Music teacher, left us in December. At the Celebration Assembly on the 14th, we paid tribute to Ms Ku’s work with her students over the 6+ years she had been at KIS; I know that we all will miss her and wish her well for the future. I am delighted that we have been able to secure the services of Ms Grace Wong, previously allocated to Primary Music. Ms Wong was able to have a period of induction into teaching the Secondary classes and we are very grateful to her for taking over our Music lessons. Our students are in safe hands!
Ms Davies [Science and Biology] is on leave until the 11th February. We have been very fortunate in being able to employ Mrs Charmaine Chang and she started teaching general Science and Biology IGCSE to students from Year 7 to Year 11 classes this week. We know Mrs Chang very well as she previously taught these subjects at KIS. She is a highly qualified and experienced teacher.
What’s Coming Up?
We have a packed and busy term ahead of us. Apart from teaching and learning, there are many exciting trips and activities and some very serious business with the Year 11 IGCSE Mock exams starting on Monday. Please do look at the Google calendar on the website where you will see everything laid out. In this newsletter you can read an article about Book Week, an annual major whole school event, which is taking place from Monday 28th January to Friday 1st February. We do rely on our parents to support many of the activities during the week, including the Big Book Swap. For this to be effective, it means that every child in the school brings a book to school, in good condition, that they are willing to swap. This means that at the end of the day every child goes home with a ‘new’ pre-loved book.
We look forward to the MUN trip to Shanghai which is happening between the 16th and the 21st January, and FOBISIA Drama, from 27th February to the 2nd March. Before that, we are very excited that our Year 7 students will be having a tour of HMS Argyll, based at Sepanggar Naval Base, next Friday and some of our Year 11 IGCSE students will be on their curriculum based beach trip to Nexus.
Some Reminders…
Homework is an important part of learning and whilst the majority of students take it seriously and organise themselves properly at home to complete it well, there are others who do not.
I would like to remind all parents to check their child’s homework diary each afternoon and to sign it each week, to indicate that they are aware of what their child has been asked to do. If there are any issues with the homework [for example, if the child is finding it too difficult] please do write a note in the diary and the student can show that to their teacher, who will then find ways to support the student with the task.
Uniform: the rules on jewellery are very clear. Small stud earrings [one in each ear lobe] for girls are permitted, and religious necklaces for both boys and girls are allowed, worn underneath the school shirt. Please ensure that your child adheres to these rules.
PSHE Year 8 Enterprise Task
Last term in PSHE, our Year 8 students worked on an Enterprise Task.
Their brief: to develop a new toy or game aimed at children or teenagers, which could be launched at Christmas. This task required students to work as a small group, in order to decide on their target audience, product name and to produce a prototype. Students were also set the challenge of creating an advertisement for their toy/game and preparing a presentation to give to their peers and a panel of judges.
These pitches happened on Tuesday 8th January, when all students bravely faced their peers and tutors as well as Mr Gross, Mrs Renshaw and Mr Withers. Plenty of creative ideas were shared, among these a Flying Unicorn Drone, Super Zooper (a new, fun form of clay) and a Barbie Dog – yep, you guessed it – the head of a Barbie and the body of a dog!
Congratulations must go to the following group, who have been voted as having the most successful pitch and product idea:
Annabella, Lucas, Ricky and Jay (8K) – Gyroscopic Cup Holder
Well done also to our two runner-up groups for their presentations and efforts:
Tobias, Dante, Margot, Kaiyisah and Amiri (8S) – Super Zooper
Marc, Ian, David, RJ and Benedict (8K) Robotatron
A big well done to all students for taking part in this task. For many, standing up and speaking in front of their peers, and senior leaders, can be a daunting prospect yet all took part and showed great development in their team work, creative thinking and self-management. A huge thank you also to Ms Service, Mrs Knight and Mr Bowles for overseeing the fantastic work produced by their tutees, and to our judging panel: Mr Gross, Mrs Renshaw and Mr Withers.
Mrs Margaret Renshaw
Assistant Principal and Head of Secondary
