Volume No: 2004-05/14

Date: 14 January 2005

Dear Parents

Firstly, a warm welcome back to all parents and students and, to those of you for whom this is a new year, a Very Happy New Year. I would particularly like to welcome our seventeen new students and their families. We hope you will settle quickly into your new lives and that you will enjoy, and benefit from, the school and its community.

  Sadly, for many of our neighbouring countries and schools, it has been the worst start to a new year imaginable. Here at KIS we seem to have escaped the effects of the tsunami that has devastated our colleagues elsewhere and it seems only right that we should spend some time thinking about supporting those who have borne the brunt of the disaster. A number of the FOBISSEA schools, co-ordinated by Garden School in Kuala Lumpur , are hoping to raise money for an NGO that specialises in re-building schools. At the moment this is very much in the planning stages and I will keep you informed of developments. There is a healthy scepticism in the FOBISSEA community, based on experience, about the effectiveness of many AID projects so there will be no snap decisions. However, with Charity Week coming up later this term, we may have an obvious focus.

Dates

From time to time we have been asked to publish dates in an alternative format to the list that normally appears on the newsletter at the beginning and end of terms. Attached, therefore, is a calendar for the term with all key events. I have to stress again that some of these may change and some are provisional but they certainly provide a clear overview of what will be happening. It is, as you will see, a busy term. Please let me, or the office, have any feedback about this means of presentation.

I would like to draw your particular attention to the fact that 21 January is a holiday for Hari Raya Haji and 21 February is NOT a holiday. Apologies for any inconvenience this causes but this is another of the local dates that is always moveable.

Pupil numbers

My thanks to those of you who have already replied to yesterday’s letter. It is important for us to have a good idea about likely numbers for next year and it would be extremely helpful to have all remaining replies on Monday. I would like to stress that your reply does not commit you to being here – it simply gives us an idea of the likely distribution of pupils and facilitates planning.

Primary Topic Talks

The times and dates of these are as follows:

·         Tuesday 18 January at 2:10, Year 5/6

·         Wednesday 19 January at 2:10, Year 3/4

·         Wednesday 19 January at 2:30, Year 1/2

I know that many of you attend topic talks on a regular basis but for those of you who do not, or are new to the school, this is an excellent opportunity for you to find out what your child will be learning in school and at home over the coming term.

Year 11 Mock Examinations

Year 11 have been working hard this week taking mock IGCSE and GCSE examinations. This is an important event in the calendar where we, and they, can analyse what they know and what they don’t know, and set about filling in any gaps in their knowledge before the actual public examinations in May and June. Mocks have a strong diagnostic purpose and, whatever the individual outcomes, it is essential that they are used as a basis for looking forward positively to the weeks ahead.

Primary Swimming

Swelling numbers this term mean that it is no longer possible to take all the primary children swimming together.  We shall, therefore, revert to taking Years 1, 2, 3, and 4 on Wednesday mornings and F2 and Years 5 and 6 on Thursday mornings.

My best wishes for the new term,