Welcome to term 2. It is wonderful to have students back after a winter vacation with friends and family despite the return to cold temperatures again.
Term 2 saw the return of an old visitor, Patrick Ryan who was a regular with our students before covid and this is the first time he has been in the last 3 years. Patrick worked with secondary students from class 6-10, telling stories, exploring Shakespeare and expressing their ideas in written words. The students really engaged in the program and enjoyed the opportunity to be creative.
C7 ran the secondary assembly this week and provided information about an event they will organize later in the month – R u ok day!! The Unicorn house also kicked off their event where we have been enjoying musical performances from students in both primary and secondary.
There is a positive buzz around the school at the moment in the lead up to a few big occasions. Mock exams for class 10 IGCSE and 12 IBDP happen in a few weeks and then their final external exams start in April. Next week our school takes the next step in NEASC accreditation and we will have some visitors in our school for three days. This is a great process of reflection and renewal as a school community and validates our status as a quality International School worldwide.
For those members of our school community who will be celebrating Chinese New Year over the weekend, we wish you well and happy new year – Gong hei fat choy (Cantonese) or Gong xi fa cai (Mandarin). This year welcomes in the Year of Rabbit for most people (with a few celebrating the year of the cat depending on cultural traditions).
Here are a few important dates and events coming up:
January
Sunday 22 – Chinese New Year
Monday 23 – Wednesday 25 – NEASC accreditation visit
Wednesday 25 – Vaccinations 9 – 11am
Friday 27 – “Winter Informal” dance for C5-12 run by Student Council 11.30-3.30pm
Monday 30 – R u ok day – arranged by C7
February
Wednesday 1 – Friday 3 – ISA practice tests C3-9
Friday 3 – C8 and C10 subjects selection forms due
Monday 6- Mock exams begin for C10 and C12
Tuesday 14 – Thursday 16 – ISA tests
Karen Relf
Head of Secondary