From the Head of Secondary 14.11.2020

As you know, our ‘new’ teachers have now arrived from the UK and clearly we are delighted with this step forward. Mr and Mrs Hallas, Ms Milligan and Ms Young will complete their quarantine period next week and will then finally be able to move into their apartments. These colleagues have done a great job in managing lessons from a different time zone and whilst of course they wish, as we all do, that we were in the physical classrooms, they are now at least able to teach their classes live, albeit virtually. There are a few exceptions to this. From August Mrs Hallas’ ICT classes have been taught by Mr Kelly, Ms Service and Mr Bevan, and they will continue to do so for the time being. In addition, Ms Yuen, Mr Bromley and Mr Celestial will continue with their form tutor roles. For both the ICT lessons and form tutors we will do a proper handover when we are back in school.

We are generally pleased with the way that online learning has been going recently. In March/April the whole experience was new for us as teachers, and also for students [and parents supporting their children at home], and it was a definite learning curve for everybody. This time around we have been able to build on that experience. Students are more aware of the online learning protocol and the vast majority are contributing positively. For those who need extra support, we are identifying them quickly and taking action to solve problems before the child falls behind in their work with all the stress which that can create. We also recognize that we need to creatively explore how we can best replicate the in-school learning experience by ensuring that each individual’s needs are being met. Colleagues are becoming familiar with the different technologies that exist which can help with this, and sharing ideas and information. As an example, Ms Colley is chairing a Zoom meeting with Secondary staff soon where she will talk about some apps which she has found useful. Another aspect of the teaching and learning process is assessment; the Heads of Department have been considering how we can best do that to ensure that students can demonstrate their knowledge authentically in the online classroom. We will continue to review everything we are doing and having those professional discussions.

Next week we have ‘Wellbeing Wednesday’. As a school we have always emphasized the importance of mental health and wellbeing; the concepts surrounding it are enshrined within our mission and values, which are themselves aligned with the United Nations Rights of the Child. We live in potentially stressful times. Being aware of how important it is to take care of ourselves and each other is vital. A colleague said to me yesterday ‘I have ‘up’ days and I have ‘down’ days, and we can all, I am sure, identify with that. We observe that being online for many hours each day is more draining than we might have imagined. In addition, the current situation has led to worries that a year ago we would never have predicted. As a school community we have a responsibility to balance the learning, the academic development and achievement, with the overall wellbeing of all of our members. We are seeing examples of real stress in some individuals and how we can help is naturally very much on our minds. I attended the AIMS [Association of International Schools in Malaysia] Secondary Heads meeting this week and individuals talked about what they were doing to mitigate stress levels. For some schools this meant a shortened week and some had cut back significantly on the length of lessons. Other schools are having regular well-being days. At KIS our online work is based on our normal timetables, and feedback from the last survey suggests that the majority think this works well. However, feedback also suggested that being online all day was a significant source of stress. Wellbeing Wednesday is an opportunity to relax and do whatever we would like to do to take care of ourselves and I would like to thank everybody who has greeted this idea positively.

In this edition of the newsletter, read about how the Student Council are determined to continue with a KIS tradition, the Christmas Angels. I would like to thank Ms Tooley and the students for ensuring that this inspirational initiative takes place again this year.

Mrs Margaret Renshaw

Deputy Principal/Head of Secondary

We have big news from the student council! We are continuing to run the ‘Christmas Angels’ programme this year, in order to donate Christmas presents to the Sabah Cheshire Home. During this pandemic a lot of important things have been taken away from all of us but we are privileged enough to still have the essentials. If we want clothes or any miscellaneous purchase we are lucky enough to get it, but the Cheshire Home is only supported by donations.

This year to spread the festivities of Christmas let us join forces, parents, teachers and students, to spread the joy of Christmas by taking part in the ‘Christmas Angels’ programme.

What is ‘Christmas Angels’?

Residents from the Cheshire Home write down their wishes and the student council will distribute the list of wishes to our community. Parents and students can choose one [or more!] wish to grant for a resident in the home. An example of a wish would be “15 year old boy who wants a pair of shoes, size 9US”. Then the gift-giver will purchase the gift and wrap it and bring it to the security gate in school and they will be safely stored in the office.

During the last week of term the gifts will be sent to the Cheshire Home.

When will the list be released?

The list of wishes will be ready next Friday, so please keep visiting the KIS Facebook to look for this release. This notice is to alert you of this drive and to start getting ready to spread the joy of Christmas. The residents of the Cheshire Home needs these gifts probably more than any previous year.

Let us be a fountain of happiness and end this year on a high!

If you have any questions or queries, please don’t hesitate to email me @s001530@kis.edu.my, John Nigil, President of the Secondary Student Council.

Kind Regards,

John Nigil

Student Council President (2020-2021)