From the Head of Secondary 21.01.2023
Happy Chinese New Year!
As I write this on Friday morning there is a lot of activity in the playground, in the dark, as the ground staff set up chairs so that we will all be ready for the traditional Lion Dance, due to start at 8am. I am sure it will again be a wonderful display; the students love it every year. All will be watching it, including our Year 11 students, whose exam schedule has been tweaked slightly to allow them to do so.
The mock exams finish today and teachers are busy marking. The reports for this year group will be sent out on February 7th, and the student / parent / teacher meetings will take place in the Hall on the 8th February, starting at approximately 3pm. The focus of the meetings will be to ensure that students [and parents] will be fully aware of what the student needs to focus on before the main exams in May / June.
When we return on Monday 30th January there will be an IGCSE Options Talk, led by Mr Bromley, in the multi-purpose room, starting at 8am, and we welcome all year 9 parents to that. Those students will soon be choosing their subjects for Years 10 and 11, and it is very important that they [and parents] access all of the information so that they make the correct choices for them. Videos of teachers talking about their subjects, together with the IGCSE brochure, are available on the school website.
We have a busy calendar after the half term break and it won’t be long before we wave off our U13 FOBISIA athletes, accompanied by Ms Watt, Mr Celestial and Ms Young. Before that, on the 15th February, we have the Year 9 Parent / Teacher / Student meetings. These will take place online, and are an opportunity for specific discussions about the suitability of the student for each of the subjects at IGCSE level.
Read on to find out more about the Duke of Edinburgh Adventurous Journey which took place last week!
Mrs Margaret Renshaw
Deputy Principal / Head of Secondary
Gong Hei Fat Choi!
Duke of Edinburgh Gold Award Adventurous Journey
From 11th to 14th January, Year 12 students successfully completed their qualifying exploration through the Kiulu Valley for the Duke of Edinburgh Gold Award.
After David carried enough curry and rice to feed the whole school on Day 1, the team got into comfortable routines of cooking a hearty breakfast, hiking between 10 and 18km up hills under the consistent sun, and then arriving weary but victorious at camp to pitch their tent for the night. Since they had designed a project about the river as a freshwater habitat for this part of their award, they spent late afternoons fishing on the Kiulu river. From seasoned fishermen to those new to the sport, all team members were committed to the cause and persistence pays off as on our last afternoon, they got a catch!
Excellent teamwork was shown as they tested their limits physically and honed the skills they have learnt since the beginning of the year. They did themselves and KIS proud, and are ready to impart expert advice for any aspiring explorers out there!
Ms McPherson
