From the Head of Secondary 18.05.19

For the last few weeks I have been taking morning registration with students in Years 8 to 9, with Year 7 coming up next week. It has been interesting to touch base with the tutor groups, and although we only have about 15 minutes, I’ve been able to get some feedback on matters that we do think about a lot in school.

Very Heavy School Bags.

It is truly shocking to know how heavy some of the students’ bags are and to know that they are carrying this weight around all day, up and down stairs and in and out of lessons. Interestingly [and remember that this is a spot check and doesn’t really prove anything] I discovered that on the whole the girls are more likely to use their lockers to deposit their books and just carry with them what they need for two lessons, before returning to their lockers to swap books and equipment at break and lunchtime. We encourage all students to use their lockers and ask parents to encourage their children to also do so.

Sleep time.

A quick spot-check showed that there is a wide range in the students’ sleep habits. A few [very few] indicated [in a ‘close your eyes and put your hand up’ survey] that they were in their beds by 9 to 9.30pm. Far more indicated that they were in their beds by 10.30pm and more than we would like are in their beds by 11.30 or even later. With current research showing how important sleep is to all of us but especially to children, it is apparent that many are not getting enough shut-eye. Some students confessed that they had no regular routine and that they went to bed ‘when I feel like it’. Even if we accept that boys and girls may exaggerate when asked this question, we do see the consequences of lack of sleep in school every day, with some individuals noticeably exhausted, dragging themselves around [with their heavy bags!] and unable to participate properly as active learners.

A Busy Time Coming Up!

Although Term 3 is a relatively short term and there are quite a few public holidays, we have many important events coming up. At the moment in Secondary we are focussing on planning for the  Year 6 to 7 Transition [a highly successful 3 day event from the 12th to the 14th June], the Year 13 Graduation [10th June at Sutera Harbour] and the annual School Prom [14th June at the Marriott Hotel]. Coming up next week we have ‘Sportnite’, a fun event organized by the Student Council for students in Years 7 to 10 [if your child wishes to come it’s not too late, just return the form an 10RM to the school office].  We are also planning for our end of year examinations for Year 7 to 10. These will take place between the 17th and 21st June, followed by Year 10 work experience from the 24th to the 28th June. Years 11, 12 and 13 are following their own schedule at the moment, with their exams taking top priority, but after they are completed Year 12 will be undertaking work experience and then will be back in school for Careers Days and Year 13 studies.

Please do keep an eye on the Calendar of Events on the website and look out for further information and letters about these and other events, too numerous to mention individually here.

A quick word about references/testimonials. If your child is leaving KIS and you have informed the school office about this and you need a reference for their next school, it is important that you allow us a minimum of two weeks to produce it. These documents are generally sent school-to-school so we will also need contact information about your child’s next school.

Many thanks to parents for your continued support of the Secondary school.

What’s happening in class? A report about Personal, Social and Health Education in  Years 7 and 9.

A report from Year 9

On Tuesday, Year 9 delivered PSHE lessons to groups of Year 7 students. Our challenge was to share with them interesting and useful ways to revise for their end of year exams. The lesson objectives that my group chose were for the students to learn at least three methods of revision, to know what smart revision is, and for students know how to stay healthy during the exam period.  

For the starter activity we made flashcards to help them to develop their long term memory skills. To keep the lesson fun and interactive we also delivered key information through games such as ‘the 5 second rule’ which helped Year 7 to think fast under pressure. There were a lot of activities for the Year 7s to have fun.

We also shared with Year 7 our own tips and experiences about revising for exams, and asked them for their opinions on preparing for tests. Their answers were excellent – they said that revising helps them to get higher grades and is a good way to be more organised and prepared as they work their way through Secondary School.  Our group of Year 7 also recognised that staying healthy before, and during, exams is important to ensure that they do their best.

When planning our lesson, we thought about our own experiences and the activities that we have enjoyed with teachers in various lessons. Recapping on revision methods was helpful not only for Year 7, but for us too. It also allowed us to work on our leadership and teamwork skills.

I really hope that our revision lesson was useful for Year 7, and that they will take on board what they learnt in order to prepare better for their future tests.

Good luck to Year 7, and to all other students in their end of year exams!

Sara Yi & Laverne Khoo (9S)

A Report from Year 7

During PSHE class, on Tuesday 14th May, we were taught by a few Year 9 students. They taught us how we could enjoy revision without stressing ourselves out. The techniques they recommended to us were easy to understand and do. For example, if you want to memorise a list of words, you can take the first letter of each word and make a fun sentence out of those letters. After the Year 9s introduced us to revision tips, we did a debate about revision techniques – boys Vs girls. It was an intense debate but, with Zen’s fair judgement, the overall winner was declared! Well done to the girls!

From my point of view, revision is very important because it has always helped me in achieving excellent test scores, making both me and my parents over the moon! I think it is useful to be taught by other students because they have been through these kinds of things before. Their experiences can help not only them with future exam preparation, but others who might have difficulties with revision.

If you put your heart into doing revision, there is a great chance that you will get a successful score, which in turn will help you to reach your goals in the future.

Debbie Wong (7K)