es n i l d a e H L S The I From the Head of School : Mr. Martin Gough “Striving for
By the time you read this, the school year will be over and both students and teachers will be looking forward to some time away from school to recharge their batteries.
Excellence” Important Dates Staff Days
June 2014
18th19th August
First Day of 20th academic August year
Contents
Head of School
1
Head of school/Board
2
Primary Principal
3
Early years/PYP
4
Yr 2
5
Upper Primary
6/7
Secondary
8
Creative arts
9
IYA
10
Prom
11
The end point of 16 years of education at ISL is completion of the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme, followed almost immediately by Graduation from school. This year, of course, it is the turn of the Class of 2014 to graduate from secondary education and head out into the wider world. After receiving their IB results in early July, most of our IB2 students will be off to start university in the US, UK, here in Zambia and various other countries around the world. A lot of them will be back in class by the end of September, whilst those heading for southern hemisphere universities will enjoy a longer break until February 2015. It is the end of the year and, inevitably, some teachers and students are moving on to new pastures. I would like to thank the following teachers for their contribution to the International School of Lusaka: Teacher
Years @ ISL
Girija Venugopalan Barbara Matthias Amy Waldock Johanna De Swardt Sian Hill Kevin Hopkins Erik Kehl Lindsay Kehl David Morgan Evelyn YaguibouCambassedes Courtney Shropshire
26 15 3 2 2 2 2 2 2 2
@ ISL Primary Teacher Primary Teacher Primary Teacher Learning Support Teacher Secondary English Teacher Secondary Art Teacher Head of Learning Support Head of Counselling Secondary Maths Teacher Primary French Teacher
2
Secondary Drama Teacher
Main Role
I would particularly like to thank two teachers who have taught for many years at ISL and who have made significant contributions to the school both inside and outside the classroom during that time. Mrs. Venugopalan and Mrs Matthias will leave big shoes to fill in the Primary School (metaphorically speaking, of course). However, I am sure they will stay in touch and you never know when teachers might decide that they miss the students and buzz of ISL and wish to return. We wish all the leaving teachers Bon Voyage and hope that their transition to new jobs, new schools, new countries and new challenges goes smoothly. In August, when school begins again, students in a number of year groups will be starting new programmes: Nursery students will come to ISL for their first experience of school; Year 3 will be entering Upper Primary and noticing a change of pace; Year 7 students will be attending Secondary School for the first time and, no doubt, it will take them a while to get used to moving classrooms for each subject, whilst carrying a heavy bag of books; Year 10 students will start their chosen IGCSE courses and the book bags will be even heavier; and, at the top end of the school, the IB1 students will embark on the IBDP, which encompasses the final two years of their ISL High School Diploma, and they have the heaviest books of all! Absolute monsters that weigh kilos rather than grams. Continued in page 2……………………..
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Continued from page 1……. Over the next few years, it is quite likely that the paper versions of these monster textbooks will disappear to be replaced by digital versions on eReaders, tablets or laptops. Already, many IBDP and university texts are offered in both print and digital form. Many texts also are supplemented by websites, which feature animations and video clips to illustrate complex processes or difficult concepts. These can be updated in real time, unlike paper books. It probably won‟t be long before we are receiving our Secondary School textbook order as a series of individual codes that are given to students to allow them to download the text onto their laptop or tablet. This is already the case for some of our IBDP students who are studying subjects, such as Psychology, online rather than in a traditional classroom. ISL, like many independent and international schools, will take some time (and need some money) to catch up and keep up with the changing face of teaching and learning in the 21 st Century. However, given that most of our students do go onto colleges and universities where resources are digital, lectures can be accessed online, all assignments are submitted electronically and even examinations are completed on a computer, we have a responsibility as educators to ensure that we are preparing students to be digital natives when they enter tertiary education and the world of work. Over the long vacation, we will be carrying out some renovations, repairs and maintenance in school. I hope, subject to quotes and approval, that we will see some changes to a number of toilet blocks as well as improvements in the admissions and coordinator‟s offices. More importantly, the Board of Governors has recently approved the engagement of architecture and engineering consultants to survey and analyse the major infrastructural needs of the school, which will lead to the development of a masterplan for ISL renovation and redevelopment over the next few years. It is hoped that the survey and „as is‟ drawings of the school site will be completed in July-August. I wish all the students and families a good break from school, whether that be resting and relaxing, just doing something different or choosing to take on some new physical or mental challenge. See you in August – the teachers will be raring to go, students will be looking forward to a new year at ISL and the 2014 -15 timetable is ready to run!
Board Chair column by Elizabeth Jere If your household is anything like ours, the last few weeks of school are a countdown for holidays, a time for winding down and looking forward to a restful vacation. For the school Board, the last few weeks of school are quite busy as we complete a number of tasks and prepare to hit the ground running in August when school opens. At the Annual General Meeting on 7th June, the Association filled four open slots on the 2014-15 Board: Mr Raphael Njoroge (Kenyan), Mr Selby Lane (Australian), Mr Lav Khetrapal (Indian), and me (American). The Association also passed the budget for the 2014-15 school year. Following the AGM, the new Board members held our annual organizational meeting, where we elect our chairpersons for the coming school year. I will be handing over to our new chairperson, Mr Martin Pikira, who will be supported by vice chair Dr Anitha Menon. The Board also decided that each Board sub-committee would have two Board members sitting on it, and reduced the number of committees by combining some similar areas. Mr Ken Simbwaba will continue as Finance chair, and this committee will also be responsible for matters related to conditions of service for ISL staff. Mr Musapenda Phiri will continue as chair of the Policy & Planning committee, tasked with finalization of the strategic plan, which includes discussion of issues previously tasked to the IT Committee. Mr Lav Khetrapal will take on the position of chair of the Projects committee, which oversees the school redevelopment planning. Related to these plans, the Board has selected contractors to begin the first phase of the redevelopment plan, which consists of site surveying and assessment and will occur over the school holidays. The Board also formed an ad hoc tender committee which will meet before school ends to review bids and select contractors for renovation of toilets and some office rooms over school holidays. (This activity was in the approved capital expenditure budget for 2014-15). We have also set dates for our Board Orientation and our first Board meeting in the weeks following school opening in August. Board members are eager for the coming school year, and we hope you are too. Have a wonderful holiday!
ry Prima
Message from the Primary Principal: Mr. Bowen
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I dread the last newsletter piece of the year because inevitably it is a time for goodbyes which are always sad. However as I always say to children who are leaving “If no-one ever left and went to new places then we would never have the pleasure of meeting new people and seeing new places. So with that philosophy we say goodbye to Mrs Venu, Mrs Matthias, Mrs Waldock, Miss Johanna and Miss Evy. They have given excellent service to your children at ISL and I personally could not think of any people that I would rather work alongside. I have calculated that between the five, they have given an astonishing 48 years of service. I speak for the whole of the ISL community when I wish them the very best of luck and hope that they will be regular visitors in the coming years. In my next newsletter article in August, I shall introduce you to these teachersâ€&#x; successors. In this final week of term we present the Primary Awards which are given annually to those students who meet the criteria of our citations. This year, we have decided to retire our existing awards and offer more up to date awards in keeping with our PYP Expectations. We would like to thank the families of Nicola Topping, Kunj Shah, Dhaval Jariwala and Ratilal Kapadia whose memory was celebrated in the former awards. In their place we are introducing awards for: Internationalism A student who embodies the spirit of internationalism at our school. Through his/her actions this student co-operates with those around him/her regardless of nationality. He/she is interested in and celebrates the differences between himself/herself and fellow students and looks for commonalities between nationalities to foster a shared guardianship of the planet and to nurture a peaceful and better world. PYP Learner Profile Awarded to a student whose attitude embodies the collective attributes of the IB Learner Profile. He/she exhibits these attributes in class as well as during extra-curricular activities and in doing so is an example to others and an ambassador for the School. Action A student who regularly exhibits initiative and who has shown action in changing his/her community for the better. Through his/her action the world has benefitted. Importantly, the decision to act and the act itself were not mandates from a teacher, parent or colleague but were conscious and independent decisions made on the part of the student. Team Builder/Collaboration A student who lives their school life with a philosophy of being part of an interdependent team instead of an individual worker. This student readily encourages and offers support to peers whilst setting an example both in quality and effort of work.
I look forward to finding out on the last day of the year which children in our Primary School will be the first winners of these awards. All that remains is to wish everyone a happy and safe holiday period. We want to see everyone back at ISL safe and sound for the start of term on August 20th 2014.
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From the Early Years Coordinator: Mrs Rachel Bentley It is hard to believe that we are at the end of the school year. It has been action packed, full of experiences that stretch and develop our little people in the Early Years. On behalf of all the teachers, we would like to thank you for all your support this year in both helping out in the classrooms and in supporting the events that we have had. As the holidays approach, we have quite a few requests from parents as to what they can do to help their children over the holidays. Learning doesn‟t have to be about sitting down at a table bent over a book. Try to turn off the T.V. and spend time outdoors riding bikes, making pictures with leaves or painting with water on concrete surfaces to name a few. If we have some of those cold July days and you prefer to be inside, here are a few suggestions for you: Make lists together before you go shopping and let your child tick off the items. Play board games together– great maths skills! If you have a tablet, there are some excellent apps for games. We recommend Squeebles for maths and spelling games at different levels. Cooking uses lots of maths skills. Make, write and send cards to people. Have a junk box full of those cereal boxes and other things you usually throw away and make junk models. Read together. Even older children love being read to. If you need new books to read, try www.oxfordowl.co.uk for over 250 e books, many of which are free for you to read online. We hope you have a wonderful, restful holiday and look forward to welcoming you back in August, ready for another year!
Message from the PYP Coordinator: Mrs Sunita Nair Oh! The last opportunity to write in the newsletter for this academic year! From one busy year to an even busier one ahead! Let me begin by reporting that once again we had a fabulous workshop with our parents in May. This was led by the Learning Support Department and was well received by the parents. We asked parents to identify areas we could offer workshops on for next academic year. We did receive a couple of ideas like “ Assessment in the PYP” and “How can we prepare our kids to enjoy and express themselves through music, arts, drama, dance? What can we do to boost up their imagination?”. Thank you for your responses and we will undoubtedly work towards offering these through our workshops. As a part of the Five Year review, we have emailed a questionnaire to our Primary parents. I would like to take this opportunity to request that you take some time to complete the questionnaire. The five year review is a requirement of the Primary Years Program and through this questionnaire we hope to identify our areas of strength and areas that we could build on. If you have not received this email, please let us know and we can ensure that you receive this in the working days ahead. I wish everyone a good holiday, a well -deserved one, I might add. Rest well and we hope to see you refreshed , relaxed and safe- ready for another exciting school year!
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My Awesome Sleep Over by Wana Miti yr 2.2 First I went to the playground I found everyone was there and they were all playing so I made my bed and joined everyone. Then Natalie said “let‟s play pirates” so we played and played. Next the teacher rang the bell and we went to hear what they had to say and so we followed their orders and sat around the fire it was nice and cosy. They told us the rules and if we disobeyed we would go home. Then the activities were scavenger hunt, dodge ball and races. Scavenger hunt was very interesting and they were hard things to find. Dodge ball was the best I thought I would lose but eventually I and Freya were the last. People were shouting her name or mine then the next thing I knew was that I WON! I jumped for joy and people came to carry me I was so so happy. After that we went to eat dinner and it was so spicy and tasty too. We ate chicken that was tasty and the spaghetti was really good. Then we played torch tag . I really really liked camouflaging in the grass but when we got caught with seeds that can really hurt you. Later we drank hot chocolate; it was super good with marshmallows. Then we sang lots of songs that we have never known. Next the teachers told all the boys and girls to change. After changing we went to watch Monsters University. Then we sorted out the whole tent. Soon we talked and talked and talked and talked. Then we slept for only two hours of sleep because of Mohamed. When we woke up it was boring. After that we played and ate delicious breakfast and packed then went home. My favourite part was eating!! My Fantastic Sleep Over by Autumn McNulty 2.2 First we organised our tent and things. Next we played for a bit on the playground. Then we sat around the fire. Second Mrs Bowen told us the rules of the sleepover. Later we did three activities. The first was dodge ball. Next I went to the scavenger hunt. Then it was racing and what we did was wheelbarrow and running around the swings and climbing over the jungle gym and we had to go around the jungle gym as a group. Then we had dinner it was either chicken or chips or spaghetti bolognaise. Next we played torch tag then we went to the fire again and this time we had hot chocolate and marshmallows. After that we sang songs and we went back to our tents to get into our pyjamas. Then we watched a movie. Then I went to our tent we didn‟t sleep we talked and talked all night some of us slept. Then the next day we woke up and organised our things. What we had for breakfast was cornflakes or rice pops bread and popcorn then we did some packing. After that we played some more. Then we had Niza‟s birthday cake and we went home. My favourite part was having hot chocolate.
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Upper Primary — Mrs. Grace Kambeu Year 6 Kariba Trip On 5th and 6th June the Year Six students had the opportunity to visit Kariba Dam and power station as part of their unit of inquiry into energy. After leaving very early on Thursday morning, the children reached Kariba ready for a tour around the dam given by Zesco workers. After putting on hard hats and driving deep underground, they were welcomed into the control room where they saw how the operations are managed. They also got to view the turbines in action before heading back up to see the dam wall and to hear about how the energy is distributed around Zambia. During the afternoon, the students visited a local village, where the village headman explained about the impact of the dam on the local people. With the help of a little translation from Ms. Georgina, they learnt about how the people had been forcibly evicted from their homes and continued now to try and make a living with no power and in poor sanitary conditions. The children spent the night at Sandy Beach Lodge and managed to get some well earned rest and relaxation around the campfire. Everyone had a great time and learnt lots about the benefits and disadvantages of renewable energy sources.
Year 6’s leavers Assembly Memories and Achievements
Junior LAWS A big thank‟s to all Junior LAWS students. They worked extra hard to finish these beautiful stepping stones for LAWS. On the 11th of June we celebrated the last Junior LAWS activity with some of the parents. We had a great time!
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YEAR 5 END OF YEAR PARTY On Thursday, the 12th of June Year 5 students enjoyed their End of Year Class Party. We performed our short plays, decorated cupcakes, enjoyed the swimming in the pool and we played many games. We would like to thank Leela's mother, Karen Rowe, for her hospitality.
MOVING FROM PLACE TO PLACE Year three in their last unit were investigating transport systems. To learn more about land transport the year threes asked the two people who possessed interesting modes of transport to give them a talk. They got more than they bargained for. Here they are :
Mr Gough with his motor bike, wearing his protective gear.
Then the famous Land Rover Vs the Benz……..
Mr. Bowen gave us a great talk on the differences between the two vehicles and……. …………… guess which we liked best…………..?
Secondary
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From Junior Secondary School : Mrs. Dodd 2014-15 has proven to be another exciting year filled with a diverse range of events and achievements from our middle school students, Y7-9. Each year is always filled with transitions; Y7 exemplifies this as they make the huge leap from primary to secondary, but it is also tangible in Y9 as they make defining and important choices for their future IGCSE subjects. I find it invigorating to be part of a young personâ€&#x;s development as they discover more about themselves and make greater commitments to their academic studies and sporting or artistic passions. I was proud of all my students as they worked hard throughout the year and visibly showed maturity and responsibility as they engaged in our internal examinations during November and June. The ability to function at their best during these stressful times is a process that takes time to develop and so these beginning experiences with examinations is vital. Trips went out to Lower Zambezi, Ndubaluba and Livingstone with wonderful stories returning of a growing awareness from our students about the rich Zambian history, the precious environment as well as their own personal development. On Monday our new Y7s came to join us for the day. I believe that was a very successful day as most students went back home very excited at the prospect of joining the Secondary school.
From the IGCSE coordinator: Mr. R Van de Velde 53 IGCSE exam papers have been written and were sent to CIE where they are being marked. The results can be checked on line with the individual log in details, starting from Tuesday morning 12th of August 2014. Hopefully we will see most of our Y11 students back in year 12, which would indicate that their IGCSE results are good.
In the meantime, students and teachers will go for a long and deserved vacation (less so for most parents I guess), until we meet again in August !
IB Corner! From Mr. Hearsum IB2 examination results are published on July 5th. I will be available to the students via email throughout this period. IB1 students have a busy summer ahead writing their Extended Essays and first drafts of a number of Internal Assessments. Also remember to work on university applications. Prospective IB students should contact me if you would like to make an appointment to discuss the programme. ibcoordinator@islzambia.org Have a great summer. See you in August.
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From the Head of Creative Arts — Mr. Fraser Dodd The ISL Creative Arts Dept. has had a truly creative year throughout 2013-14 and my sincere appreciation goes out to all the students and staff that have made it possible. Countless hours of rehearsals and preparation has gone into a tremendous range of events, exhibitions and performances. The Creative Arts dept. is truly the heart of any school whereby the imagination and individuality of each student is given the opportunity and encouragement to explore, discover, create and refine. Our ISL students continually demonstrate the ability to excel when given creative freedom and their courage to do so is thoroughly deserving of our rapturous applause. During 2013-14 the ISL Creative Arts Dept. was proud to be involved with the following events: October – ISL Band performs for HRH Prince Edward at IA Gold Award ceremonies & celebrations October – ISL Band performs for our UN/Zambia Day celebrations November – Secondary School production, „You‟re A Good Man, Charlie Brown‟ December – Primary Talent Show December – Secondary „Battle of the Bands‟ February – Whole School Music concert March – Y2 Arts Exhibition March – IB2 Arts Exhibition April – Secondary lunchtime performances during „Music Week‟ April – Early Years Production, „A Night at the Circus‟ June – ISL Band performs during Y13 Graduation ceremony With a student involvement too numerous to mention, it leaves only the fabulous departmental staff (Art – Mr Hopkins & Mr Banda; Music – Mr Nkolola & Mr Mwailenge; Drama – Miss Shropshire + all of the multi-talented primary teachers and assistants) to thank for having nurtured and encouraged all of our ISL students to unleash their creative spirits. 2014-15 promises to be another year filled with the realisation of artistic dreams and ambitions. Parents, please watch this space in future newsletter editions for notice of up-coming events and students, the time you devote to your artistic craft today will spell a lifetime of enrichment for you tomorrow. Thank you.
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Duke of Edinburgh Award — Final Expedition to Ndubaluba Once again some IB students ventured off to Ndubaluba to complete the final part of their Duke of Edinburgh program. 26 first set off, 24 made it to the end. We arrived thinking we knew exactly what was in store but little did we know that the environment had other plans. On the first day we were acquainted with the treacherous marshlands. One group walked in the marsh for about thirty minutes, not realizing that the checkpoint was less than 100 meters away. We all sank in the grey ground, shoes were being left behind, a few unlucky people even had their shoes break, and screams could be heard from near and far accompanied by hysterical laughter. We were all elated when we reached a small body of water and could wash the mud off our shoes and clothes. One by one we all set off again already feeling the pain on the soles of our feet. Little did we know for some of us there were many more of these experiences to come. Slowly but surely we all made our way to the campsite, where we were greeted by a scenic lake which was apparently croc-infested. We immediately set up our tents, sent the boys and a few unlucky girls to gather firewood, and began preparing our „super supper‟ all the while ignoring the pain and fatigue we felt. That night was full of laughter, the dripping of cold water onto our sleeping faces and extreme cold but we managed to get a good nights‟ sleep. The next morning all the girls were woken up at 5 by the boys‟ laughter much to our displeasure. But we were still ready to make the most of what was left of our adventure. The first group set off at 7, heading off into the unknown wilderness and heat. We walked through farmer‟s fields and villages all the while keeping our spirits high and reminiscing about our past experiences. Due to the scorching blaze presented by the sun we were actually looking forward to the formerly dreaded marshlands as it provided refreshing coolness. We were all extremely exhausted but pushed this feeling aside with the thought of returning to hot showers, a nice hot meal which we didn’t have to cook and getting the bronze award. Once there, there was a universal feeling of celebration which was short lived due to the fierce competition that arose to get to the showers first and rid ourselves of the dirt that had become embedded in our skin and nails. Despite the pain and frustration with the environment we remained harmonious and supportive of one another irrespective of the fact that we were each in different teams. It was a very worthwhile experience, teaching us new skills while also enriching us as human beings as well as teaching us the importance of teamwork and altruism. We would all do it again in a heartbeat despite the impeccably strong negative emotions we felt during the walk- we might even go for Gold!
By - Simran Patel and Rhiannon Mathias, IB
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PROM
CONTACT US
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The International School of Lusaka 6945 Nangwenya Road Lusaka, Zambia Phone: +260 211 252291 Fax: +260 211 252865 E-mail: info@islzambia.org www.islzambia.org
http://www.pamojaeducation.com/
http://www.cie.org.uk/
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