From the Principal’s Desk – 13 August 2021
Dear Parents
We are thrilled to announce that our latest exam series has been one of our most successful to date after receiving our students’ results this week.
Our IGCSE students achieved the following:
An astounding 20 A* symbols,
14 A symbols,
7 B symbols, and
14 C symbols.
Equally pleasing are the A symbols achieved by two of our AS candidates, who wrote off the AS component of their subjects earlier than usual.
A hearty congratulations to all of our students (pictured above, as well as those who are online from home). We are so very proud of the hard work that these results represent and of the growth that you have all shown as students. I’d also like to congratulate our High School teachers who have guided these young people to the successful completion of and, indeed, excellence in their subjects.
Receiving exam results naturally leads one to ponder the nature of progress, development and growth, a topic that has been on my mind lately as we sand, chip and grumble our way through some DIY renovations at home. With each new discovery of a loose patch on the wall or yet another damp area, the challenge can seem overwhelming. And after a long weekend of finger-numbing and back-aching scraping amongst the swirls of fine dust that settles everywhere, it looks like you have achieved very little.
The fact is though, that as I lay my weary head on my pillow, a deep sense of accomplishment and satisfaction envelops me and I realise that good progress has been made; that in order to make progress or develop, one often needs to digress or take a few steps back to correct something; that in order to improve, one needs to be totally immersed in the task at hand. There is no other way.
This holds true for our students too. Those who aspire to grow and develop their potential, engage fully in their lessons, immerse themselves in their subjects when doing their homework and ensure that they have got to the very core of a topic in order to understand it fully. Just slapping on a coat of paint over a bad patch, or quickly rushing off a task to say that it has been completed achieves nothing.
It would seem to me that our Year 11 students in particular have learned this valuable life lesson and know how to approach their learning and development with intent and pride. They have taken ownership of their own growth. It’s a simple life truth really: what you put in, is what you will get out.
Of course, this philosophy can be taken further to include other aspects of life. How we approach the limited and restrictive life we are forced to lead now, determines what the future holds. Let’s put in patience, understanding and self-care; let’s be respectful of others’ well-being and perspectives; let’s not drop our guard.
Please take note that the second Elevate workshop will be held next Friday, 20 August, at school. Students who are still attending class online are encouraged to attend the workshop in person, however, it will be online should any of the participants be at home for any reason.
This term we are hoping to have some fun with our teens as the High School hosts a Cultural Bonanza. Please encourage your teens to participate. We know that our students are very talented and celebrating one another’s skills while having some fun is just the kind of event that we all need at the end of the term.
As the second half of August approaches and we enter the fifth week of the term, effectively having passed the mid-term mark, you are requested to fill in a google form once more, indicating whether you will be sending your child to school from the 16th or not. This will help us to plan and prepare the classes accordingly. Online classes will continue to be available for those who prefer to keep their children at home for now, however, we would like to suggest that it would be best to send Foundation Phase children to school as soon as possible. We also ask that you please ensure that your children understand the need to comply with the health and safety protocols that the school is required to maintain. Please take some time to speak to them about the need for social distancing and clean face masks that are worn correctly.
We look forward to welcoming more of our students back next week. Take care and stay safe. Wishing you all our families a good weekend.
Cristina Sanchez Black
Principal
