From the Head of Secondary 27.08.2022

Student Leadership Roles

This week has seen students pondering the leadership roles which are available in school. We have several groups, some of which have been running very well over many years. The Student Council consists of one representative from each tutor group, whilst the Charity Committee is open to all. In addition we have the KIS Today student blog team. This initiative started last year, led by Ms Milligan and a dedicated student team who wrote articles and regular columns which were then published on the blog.  Under the direction of Mrs Colbeck, the Library Cadets play a vital role in keeping the library well organised. For students who love to be around books, this is a wonderful place to be at lunchtimes as they carry out their designated tasks. This year Ms McPherson is the teacher-mentor for the Eco Warriors and I know that she will be ably supported by a dedicated and enthusiastic team of students, intent upon making a difference, not just within school, but across the wider community. We are also inviting applications for Prefect roles. Candidates will be interviewed by Mrs Colbeck and I over the coming weeks, and we hope to have the Prefect team in place by the middle of September. Over the last few years the Prefects have operated in small teams, dedicated to particular aspects of school life, for example peer-mentoring. Once the Prefect team has been selected, they will enter discussions about how they wish to move forward this year, and what they would particularly like to focus on. We are certain to hear more from them in future newsletters.

Celebrating Success

On Monday this week staff from Primary and Secondary enjoyed ‘cake at break’ as we celebrated in a very traditional way the outstanding success of our Class of 2022 in their A Level Results, and those of our IGCSE students in the May/June 2022 series. We should all be rightly proud of our young people as they worked hard in, at times, difficult circumstances, to achieve their goals. The results are a sure sign of the excellence of our school and indicative of the high level of support given by parents and teachers to our students.  This week teachers have been carrying out a close analysis of the results and we shared the findings in our Head of Department meeting on Monday. This is an important part of the process as we endeavour to seek out answers to any anomalies and look to see how we can improve even further in our teaching of the 2022 – 2023 cohorts who will sit their exams in May/June 2023.

What’s Happening in the Music Room?

This week we take a peek into the Music Room. Ms Tretter has shared some wonderful photos of our Key Stage 4 Music students as they work hard to perfect their expertise on their chosen instruments. 2022 – 2023 will see a range of musical events in school and we are very much looking forward to seeing our talented musicians performing for our delight!

Read on……

It is hugely exciting that after an inevitable hiatus of a few years we are again running the Model United Nations ECA. This year it will be led by Mr Gant, and I am very grateful to him for stepping up into this role. He will be assisted by Mr Grant, and ex-student Qawiemah has also volunteered to help out before she heads off to university next year. Read on to find out why the MUN is so worthwhile [and enjoyable!]. Also, please read Tiggi’s piece about the Eco Committee, again, a fantastic opportunity for students and parents to get involved!

Model United Nations is an ECA that offers students the opportunity to discuss contemporary issues facing the international community. Students play the role of delegates from different countries and attempt to solve real world issues with the policies and perspective of their assigned country. For example a group of students might be assigned to represent New Zealand and will have to solve global topics, such as nuclear non-proliferation or how best to battle climate change from the perspective and the policies of New Zealand.

The Model UN is a valuable experience that can help students broaden their understanding of the world, develop interpersonal skills such as cooperation, communication and compromise while also strengthening presentation and research skills. Participants will have the opportunity to develop confidence when leading others as well as the opportunity to make new friends as conferences take place all over the world. Students can attend Model United Nations conferences in person as well as from the comfort of their own homes with online conferences. These conferences are organised by universities, high schools as well as non-profit organisations.

This may seem intimidating or confusing but a large part of MUN is preparation. Students will conduct extensive research into their allotted nation and as a result will have a greater understanding of the country and people that they are to represent. Once a team has registered for a conference, it receives a country to represent. Each student on that team will represent that country in a different committee and represent their nation in areas such as disarmament, human rights, trade, and so forth.

Model UN is a valuable experience that bolsters applications for universities, helps to find a chosen career, and become inspired to change the world. Most importantly, M-U-N is F-U-N!

If any students are interested and would like to find out more about this exciting ECA opportunity, contact Mr Gant at lgant@kis.edu.my

Mr Gant

KIS MUN Teacher Leader

Secondary History Teacher