ISS NEWS ‘You are born not for yourself, but for the world…’ Autumn Term 2016-17 As we begin a new term, let’s take a look back our first term. It certainly was an exciting and eventful start to the academic year and there were many achievements to congratulate, from individual sporting triumphs to outstanding charitable collaborations, as well as many events to celebrate, including the International Day of Peace and National Teacher’s Day. With the longest term behind us, we look forward to what promises to be a great term ahead.
The Great ISS Bake-Off In December, a corner of the playground became very popular suddenly, as students rushed to buy homemade, delicious goodies from our sixth form prom committee. There’s nothing quite like a bake sale to bring people together! The prom team were out to impress as their black forest gateau, tiramisu and cookies all went like… well, like hot cakes! Not only was the cake sale incredibly popular, but it also raised over 4000SCR for the prom, which will take
place at the end of the year for Year 11 and Year 13. From samosas to slushies, the sale was certainly a huge success and we are looking forward to the next cake sale already.
Check Mates! During Library Week, in October, ISS’s very own chess team won the annual, national chess competition, an event organised by eight local schools and the Chess Federation. Jovan Varsani, the Chess Captain, and his team, Kelvin Zhu, Aakash Chetty, Mykyta Moisieiev and Dhruv Brahmbatt, came home victorious, placing first after a hard day’s playing. Dhruv, Year 7, didn’t lose a single match! Impressive! Previous captain, Sam Nalletamby, now in Year 13, said, “We’ve played chess with each other for years… We’re like a family. That team have
achieved something most kids cannot. They are carrying on a legacy which is something to be proud of.” Well done team! All of us at ISS are very proud of you!
Disco Fever! It’s not all work in ISS Secondary. Last term, we were treated to not one, but two fantastic discos organised by our sixth formers. To celebrate Halloween, our Year 12 Travel and Tourism class organised a disco for Year 7 through to Year 13. Victoria Roberts’ DJ skills got everyone dancing and Maitri Gandhi, Jasmine Medina and Annie Alvis were on hand with refreshments. The night was very well attended and the money raised went towards the Reef Safari trip, which is a crucial part of the A Level Travel and Tourism course.
International School Seychelles Newsletter – Autumn / Winter 2017
International Duke of Edinburgh Award ISS is very proud to be able to offer students the opportunity to achieve the International Duke of Edinburgh Award, which is all about creating “opportunities for young people to develop skills, get physically active, give service and experience adventure” outside of the classroom.
Towards the end of the term, the prom committee organised the annual Christmas Dance for all secondary school students. This time, Bhavini Raghvani was on the decks to get everyone moving – even Mr Martin! Angelika Chionni from Year 7 won the best dressed award. She was our very own Mrs Christmas, wearing a fabulous berry red dress, trimmed with silver tinsel and topped off with a classic Santa hat. Decorations and drinks were all arranged by the prom committee. Two very successful evenings! More details about the next disco (a Valentines’ special) will be advertised around school soon...
gives participants the opportunity to learn about the more common medical conditions and outlines the appropriate treatment for adults, children and babies. The day was filled with many ‘hands-on’ opportunities to practice the skills required to respond to a wide range of emergency situations including wounds, bleeding, choking, sprains and fractures. The students thoroughly enjoyed the course and now have an increased confidence in assessing accident and emergency situations, providing emergency medical assistance until further help can arrive or a casualty can get to hospital. The practical course was provided by Anne Rose-Innes from First Care who will be leading further courses at ISS in the near future.
The International Duke of Edinburgh team here at ISS is going from strength to strength since opening up to year 10 as well as year 13. We now have 45 students involved, who are fully registered and working towards their Bronze Level award. All students involved completed their First Aid training last term. The course covers key lifesaving skills and 2
International School Seychelles Newsletter – Autumn / Winter 2017
Both year groups are also planning and preparing for the two day hike and overnight camp, which will take place later in the academic year. Year 12 plan to complete their award by Easter; year 10 will complete theirs by the end of the summer term. We will then look forward to introducing the Silver Award next year to those students who have completed their Bronze this year.
Handbags and Gladrags: ISS Gala Night Eden Bleu Hotel sparkled with glitz and glamour as guests arrived in their finest to be greeted by our sixth form photographers and a glass of bubbles. The December Gala was attended by 160 guests, including staff, parents, community members and the public. This wonderful evening was organised and supported by a core group of parents, staff and students,
who worked devotedly to ensure a great night was enjoyed by all and to raise money for the newly developed staff welfare fund, the Education, Learning and Motivation (ELM) Centre and a tailor-made music centre. An auction and a raffle kicked the night off, with guests winning fantastic prizes, ranging from spa vouchers to art works to sports equipment to luxurious hotel breaks. This was followed by a decadent three course dinner and disco. The night was a huge success, raising 132,000SCR in total! Thank you so much to everyone who came to this incredibly worthwhile event and, of course, to everyone who contributed or who was involved in its organisation.
ISS v VISP Sports Team Tournament The boys and girls PRIMARY [U12] and SECONDARY [U14] sports teams competed for the first time ever against VISP [Vijay International School Praslin] on the 2nd of December in a multi-sports tournament which included Badminton, Basketball, Dodgeball, Football, Rounders, Table Tennis and Volleyball. The event was created to reward individual achievement, behaviour and effort in both PE and sport lessons, as well as in extracurricular activities. All 20 students, Mr Armitt and Ms L'Estrange had a fantastic day of competitive and recreational fun! The results are yet to be confirmed, but in Mr Armitt’s words: “I think we bossed it!” Another competition which ISS will host is scheduled for the spring term with the aim of growing to include the French and Independent schools. Better get practicing your individual and team skills everyone!
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International School Seychelles Newsletter – Autumn / Winter 2017
Success with Shakespeare Ms Donlon's Year 10 Literature group have been studying Shakespeare’s ‘Macbeth’ as their set text for the GCSE course and have produced some outstanding work, with many of them receiving certificates for their excellent achievements. They wrote convincing and creative newspaper articles to explore the events of the first two acts and created a stunning display in the classroom.
Thought-Provoking Psychology Study Last term, Mr Mingay’s Year 12 Psychology class devised and carried out a field experiment, testing the morality of our community.
They were inspired by the Piliavin Study, where psychologists took to the New York subways to see how many people would help either a drunk or elderly person. Tristan Deltel, Sophie Perolari, Jerrold Morel, Esinu Addo, Katriel Doku, Amelia Maillet, Caroline Perchatt, Adam Moncherry and Mr Mingay didn’t make it to New York, but they did head into Victoria to discover whether the public would go to the aid of a disabled person who had fallen in the street. Tristan bravely volunteered to have a series of pretend accidents by falling over in the street whilst our researchers measured the reactions he received from passers by. Unfortunately, the class concluded that not many people came to help, and even less so if they thought Tristan was either disabled or drunk. The class returned to school to analyse further social responsibility and the impact of disability on a person’s selfesteem and sense of identity. Our school motto: “You are not born for yourself, but for the world” feels more relevant and pertinent that ever…
The Staff Choir It wasn’t just the students who were impressing with their commitment to extracurricular activities last term. The dedicated and incredibly talented staff choir made it to the finals of a national competition, run by SBC, called ‘Sing for Charity’, and even featured on TV! Directed by John Chitambo, our singing sensations rehearsed twice weekly to prepare for the competition. In the first round, they wowed judges with their exciting version of ‘The Lion Sleeps Tonight’. They then sailed into the finals where they delivered a beautiful rendition of the Christmas song, ‘Little Drummer Boy’. The choir was up against 24 other choirs and finished impressively in third place. Congratulations!
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International School Seychelles Newsletter – Autumn / Winter 2017
was raining! However, we pulled through and had fun – both the team and our customers!”
Reef Safari On November 19th, despite the stormy skies, the Year 12 Travel and Tourism class ventured out on a glass bottom boat with their customers, who included Mr Armitt, Mr Brown, Mrs Cosh, Mr Tidball and their guests, as part of their A Level coursework. Jasmine Medina, Martina Chionni, Annie Alvis, Bhavini Raghvani and Amelie Port Louis, alongside Mr Port Louis, planned the trip meticulously from start to finish. The day out entailed coral viewing and feeding the fish in St. Anne’s Marine Park, hiking and snorkelling around Moyenne Island, cruising to Cerf Island and Round Island, as well as enjoying a delicious Creole buffet. Reflecting on the success of the trip, Jasmine said, “The whole trip was nervewracking, especially when it
And the customers were all incredibly impressed with the professionalism and organisation of the group. Mr Brown said, “The Year 12 Travel and Tourism team pulled off a phenomenal trip. A group of 10 foreigners, comprising of expat staff and tourists, took an all-day boat ride which included snorkelling, hiking, swimming and beach-football. The team provided refreshments throughout and offered an excellent level of hospitality and local expertise. An excellent time was had by all, and we would definitely book this trip again.”
Golf Champion! Jaden Deltel, a student in Year 7, finished first in the MCB Tour Championship, a two day golf competition. Playing against mostly adults, Jaden was in fourth position after the first day at Praslin golf course; however, our golfing star triumphed on the second day, winning on the countback and beating 50 other competitors in total! Jaden has been playing golf for three years and is incredibly committed to his sport, practising eight times a week and signing up to numerous competitions! He aspires to be a professional golfer and his motto is: “A quitter never wins. A winner never quits.” A true inspiration!
Got something you’d like to see in next term’s newsletter? Just email Helen.Brown@iss.sc and we’ll make it happen!
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