From the Principal 11.02.2023

Dear KIS Community,

It has been an absolute privilege to be able to watch the 14 and under Basketball tournament that many of our students took part in this past week (and finishing later today). Our students have been fantastic. They showed resilience, determination, passion and compassion. Our boys and girls teams did not win their matches (so far) but they did win respect from the other teams and supporters. The organisers’ speeches recognised their strengths and commended their attitude and efforts.

All of our students in the competition embodied what it is to be a student at KIS and their experiences are reflective of life. You can’t always win, but you can always face challenges head on with determination and passion, and when you fall you can get up and continue with greater resolve to do better. Winning is a great feeling but we often learn more and develop further through experiencing loss. In talking about experiences, our younger students are also getting match experience through the Football Association Malaysia who are running a newly formed Sabah League for children’s football. I am sure there will be highs and lows, wins and losses, and I know they will all give their best and improve, and learn so much from the experience. My thanks to our staff who support all these extra-curricular events and help to give these opportunities to our students.

We are so proud of our students and who they become, from their experiences at KIS, over many years, our students have continually outperformed global scores for IGCSE and A levels. Our students enter their universities of choice in the UK, USA, Australia, Europe and elsewhere. Equally as important as excellent grades, the basketball tournament reflects the ‘extra’ our students develop by being within our community. They develop and become resilient, compassionate, and competitive young adults. Able to live and work globally, they learn to make their choices, overcome adversity and succeed.

Creativity is another element that is not only encouraged but also developed at school. This was evident earlier this week when Year 6 invited into school renowned local street artists and spent the day learning creative techniques before applying their new skills to their own projects. Further creative projects are planned and we all look forward to seeing the results of their endeavours.

Thank you to the parents who were able to join us last week for the return of our coffee mornings. We had a lively discussion about assessments and how they help support your child’s progress at KIS. It is evident that our small class sizes and individual support, along with thorough assessment and tracking, really helps our students’ progress and reach their potential. We look forward to our next Drop Off & Drop In. If parents have topics they would like to discuss please drop me a message with your thoughts.

A reminder we are collecting clean, empty and flat milk cartons at the front of school. This is in collaboration with the Tanjung Aru Marine Ecosystem centre (TAME) for upcycling. KIS is a Green Flag school and actively supports and encourages care for the environment and community. With community in mind, our thoughts and prayers are with the families in Turkey and Syria following the devastating earthquake earlier this week.

Wishing you a lovely weekend,

Ian Gross
Principal