Dear Parents, Teachers and Staff,
It was wonderful to participate in the PYP online assembly to celebrate the International Day of Peace. Having our students prepare and share high quality work around this very important topic was moving and gave real insight into the ways that our students are developing international mindedness. Our congratulations to all the students and staff involved.
At the end of this week High School students will receive their progress reports. This provides a great opportunity for students to reflect upon their progress and act upon this reflection by taking positive steps to address positive issues. The break provides students with the opportunity to take stock of their progress and plan for improvement. As ever, there are large numbers of staff who are all too willing to support their progress. Grade 12 students in particular face an extremely busy term where there are a large number of internal assessments and items such as the Extended Essay and the TOK essay. I urge all Grade 12’s to critically analyse their own progress and get the help that is required.
There will be some changes to the online programme from the start of the term. We are focussing next upon students that have huge upcoming commitments for external assessment. To this end we will be removing the online option for Grades 11 and 6 from the start of the term (Monday, 10th October). The Grade 10 students will not have an online option from Monday, 31st of October. We are seeking to get a balance between safety and the demands of external assessment in the Diploma Examinations, the Personal Project and the PYP Exhibition. At the time I was writing this article our covid numbers within the school community, (both staff and students) is the lowest it has been since we started taking records at the beginning of the school year.
Friday marks the end of the school term. It has been a hugely eventful one with highlights such as the DBL basketball, our academic results, the great success our students have had in a wide range of competitions, our PSG general meeting to name just a few. Please watch for the term summary video on our Instagram and website as well as the newsletter scheduled to go out on Friday.
Have a wonderful break!
Martin Blackburn
Executive Principal
