Volume No: 2004-05/07

Date: 22 October 2004

Dear Parents

 

This weekend sees us reach the halfway point in the term with another two and half weeks still to go before a break. Despite a few tired faces, energy levels in the school are good and the term has maintained its somewhat hectic momentum. The Hari Raya break cannot realistically be called half term but we resisted the temptation to break the term into three parts and I think this has been justified. The slightly longer Christmas break will be compensation when we get there!

FOBISSEA Meeting

This seems to have been a week of meetings with the first, on Monday, offering Mr Davies and Mr Leak the opportunity to explain the run up to the FOBISSEA games in early December. Training has started in earnest and the playground is now filled at breaks, lunchtimes and after school with basketball players battling the heat to perfect their zone defence. Mr Leak’s message at the meeting was, “We are going with a realistic chance of winning something.” If the sweat of their brows can earn victory, these players stand a good chance.

 

FOBISSEA Insurance

KIS’s insurance policy covers children whilst they are away from school and our information from Alice Smith School confirms that they also have insurance for competitors. Both of these policies, however, will be fairly basic group cover and in the case of the host school we have no details at all. Our policy is available in the school office for parents to look at and we would urge any parents who are concerned about cover to consider taking out an additional, individual policy should they deem it necessary.

 

Year 11 Meeting

Wednesday night saw most of the Year 11 parents gathered in the library as Mr Davies patiently and clearly explained the intricacies of GCSE, IGCSE, tiers and levels. If evolution means greater complexity then the English examination system is certainly highly evolved. Year 11 is an anxious time for parents and pupils but we have every confidence in our students’ abilities and are unwavering in expecting good results next year – as well as well-rounded individuals!

 

Caps

The school rule on wearing caps was put in place to guard against the intensity of the Borneo sun. It has to be said, though, that some sports do not lend themselves well to be-capped players. Following a ball in flight when the peak of your cap is in the way is a pretty impossible task. We have agreed, therefore, that caps will be worn at breaktime and at lunchtime, without exceptions other than team training. For PE lessons and training sessions, all students must turn up with a cap, which will be worn when it is appropriate. We strongly suggest that parents of students who are involved in training sessions and matches where caps cannot be worn provide their children with a water based sun block.

 

CGP Book Orders

I would like to remind parents that Monday is the last day for CGP book orders for Key Stages 3 & 4 to be handed in to the office.

 

Primary Parents Meetings & Visits

Letters have already gone out with details of the primary parents meetings. The meeting for Foundation 2 and Year 3/4 is on Tuesday; the meeting for Years 1/2 and 5/6 is on Wednesday. Parents of children in Foundation 1 should make individual appointments with Ms Henry should they wish to do so.

 

Primary children will be busy next week with short trips out to the local mosque and Hindu temple. Again, letters have already gone out and no special arrangements are necessary for these “our locality” visits.

 

Primary Clubs

Because of the meetings next week, there will no Parachute Club on Tuesday. Other clubs will run as normal BUT please watch this space and future letters for changes to the primary clubs’ schedule as the term progresses and the end-of-term primary production draws closer. There is barely a “normal week” after next week, so normal routines will be disrupted.

Batik Display

Many parents come into school to collect their children but few venture upstairs. Do so this week, for at the top of the stairs outside the school office is a fine display of batik work.

Children’s Home Visit

I don’t like posting “maybe” notices on the newsletter but sometimes there is no choice. We have a number of possible dates for our visit to the children’s home but cannot yet confirm any of them. There is a possibility that it will take place next Friday, 29 October – but we will confirm this by letter when, and if, details are finalised.

 

Pumpkin Competition

Ms Dennis and Mrs Hamilton are sponsoring a pumpkin carving competition. This will be an “at home” competition in which students are invited to carve a jack-o-lantern out of a pumpkin. A display with more information will be outside Ms Dennis’ classroom. Entries need to be in school by 27 October. This competition is open to all KIS students and parents are encouraged to assist primary children, particularly with safety!

 

FOBISSEA Week

Next week sees the two annual FOBISSEA conferences taking place – the Senior Managers’ Conference in Bangkok and the Heads Conference in Taipei . Kevin Davies will be attending the Bangkok conference from Monday to Wednesday and I will be in Taipei from Thursday to Saturday.

 

Early Closure

A further reminder that school will close at 1.00 pm on Monday and Tuesday, 1 and 2 November, to allow full staff in-service training with our visiting consultant Patrick Wenham.

 

 

Finally, here is the long-awaited report from our unbiased and totally impartial special correspondent who, I am glad to say, has returned to normal levels of mobility following the savage and brutal attack he suffered last week at the hands of someone rather smaller. David and Goliath come to mind…

Girls and Dads versus the Lads

 

The female of the species is more deadly than the male, or so the entomologists would have us believe. The steaming cauldron that is the archery field was the location to test this hypothesis.

 

The girls were aided by some senior players, who perhaps would be more suited to a sedate game of dominoes at the Rotary Club than to this gladiatorial match up. The young ladies, lionesque in their determination, seemed hungry for more than just victory. At the start the girls formed a pack and hunted as one any young man who was unfortunate enough to receive the ball. It wasn’t pretty; it was downright ugly. Curtis seemed to be on a mission of destruction, kicking everything within range. Cometh the hour cometh the man, Churchill said, “We’ll fight them on the beaches”. Young  Sam Wickham rallied: “We’ll fight them in the swamp”. Eleven young men, stout and true, defended all things masculine, ignoring the girls distinctive brand of mindless thuggery.

 

The boys soon took the lead through Afiq who steamrollered the girls’ ancient keeper out of the way. Eric Doi orchestrated the boys’ best moves from the midfield. In no time the young men had taken a three goal lead. The young ladies heads dropped and the only team spirit was Mr Wickham’s sports embrocation. However, as so often is the case in the modern game, controversy ensued. The Sabah F.I.F.A. representative deemed the result null and void due to the crowd violence on the touchline, where certain prominent members of the P.T.A seemed in the middle of the ruck.

 

A re-match followed in which the girls took a deserved lead through a 40 metre thunderbolt from the howitzer that is Leak’s left foot. As the light failed, the boys piled on the pressure, with Jake Wickham waltzing repeatedly up and down the left flank. The breakthrough was made when Marco Marsh scored a wonder goal, weaving his way through the whole team to slot the ball past a myopic chikgu Mutang in the sticks. The victory was sealed by young  ‘gigi’ Hamilton who capped a fine debut with a well taken strike. A super occasion played in a great spirit, one of the more enjoyable days at the archery ground. The young ladies may have their girl power but there’s still plenty of starch in the collar of your average K.I.S. young gentleman.

 

 

Have a good weekend!