MESSAGE FROM CHAIRMAN
Dear Hartland International School Families, It has been five years since we opened our doors to our first students. We set out on a mission to “create a community of learning within a safe, secure and happy environment where our children are inspired, challenged and supported in all they do”. Through these five years the school community has reached new milestones and scaled new heights year on year while remaining steadfast on “The Hartland Way”. While AY2019-20 has posed seemingly unsurmountable challenges, I congratulate the school community for having done an extraordinary job of turning it into an opportunity for #ThrivingnotSurviving. Through the academic year it was encouraging to see the students demonstrate the various qualities espoused by “The Hartland Way”. They demonstrated leadership, perseverance, resilience, teamwork, innovation and a commitment to social responsibility through various sporting fixtures, community challenges, conferences and excursions. One of several examples I can recall is how our students gave up their mid-term break holiday to take up HRH Sheikh Hamdan’s Dubai Fitness Challenge. While the global pandemic brought new challenges, it was amazing to see the children adapt quickly to what became the new “normal”. Learning did not stop or slow for them. It just moved from the classroom to the living rooms and kitchens. Hartland students are quickly establishing a reputation for going beyond the ordinary and demonstrating the extraordinary. Mrs Cottam and the team have continued to build on their past work and have taken the school from strength to strength. For the very first time in our history, KHDA has rated us a “Very Good” school. They particularly commended the strong leadership team and the strong impact that teachers have on continuously improving students’ positive outcomes. Beyond the report, I am pleased to see how our teachers welcome and engage with our parents as well. Whether it is a weekend of Design Technology or a one-to-one conversation with a class teacher or Head of Year or attending a virtual concert from the safety of your home,, the school treats parents as partners in their children’s learning. If we did not know it already, the live Zoom lessons during the lock-down also gave us an inside look at the innovation and commitment that goes into nurturing our students within the class wherever the classroom may be. It is only fitting that the school was awarded the highest possible rating by KHDA for our Distance Learning Programme. I would like to thank all the parents who have supported the school. Your feedback and engagement make our Hartland community complete. While the impact of Covid-19 has meant that we have had to bid farewell to several families, we sincerely hope that their time with us at Hartland has given them something to cherish for a lifetime. For those who are continuing on the journey with us, we thank you for your continued trust. Chairman
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YEARBOOK 2019-20
H.R.H Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum once said, “I believe that positive energy and optimism help us to take up any challenge in life and to succeed in even the most difficult tasks. I also believe that positive energy is contagious: we can transmit it to others.” Year after year, I see how the power of positivity, optimism and resilience continue to develop the school into a strong community and a strong family. Despite headwinds, the school remains resolute in its drive to realise its vision of creating a leading British school that blends traditional values and innovative approaches to education.
