NLCS Jeju Newsletter 19 May 2023

North London Collegiate School Jeju

PRINCIPAL’S LETTER

Dear Parents, Students, Staff and Friends of NLCS Jeju

Over the last few weeks the students have been faced with numerous challenges both in their academics but also in the enrichment alongside this as seen with two excellent enrichment weeks with a plethora of activities from the PSD and Mandarin departments. It has also been great to see so many students engaged in sports activities as well as preparing for Arts Week. They have shown great resilience and determination as well as the ability to work collaboratively in teams as seen in the Outdoor Adventure residential trips in years 8 and 9.

NLCS Jeju’s commitment to environmental matters and being more sustainable has also been at the forefront of activities across the school. We thank all those students and staff who abandoned their cars and walked or cycled to School. It really did make a difference here in the GEC. Please endeavour to keep this up as it contributes to living a healthier lifestyle as well as helping the environment. We are also delighted to encourage the bees on this World Bees Day and our society has quite a reputation now as it is ensuring that wild swarms are harnessed appropriately and protected.

We continue to encourage our parents to connect with the societies in school and to be active in our social responsibility. We hope that they will also work with their children in preparations for our Summer Fete which will raise money for chosen charities on 16 June. We also hope that our parents will support the numerous student performances such as in the Arts Week and be engaged as well in helping in the provision of refreshments and so forth around other school school events as in the case in other NLCS schools. Please let our Parents Liaisons Team know if you can help in any way.

Yours sincerely

Lynne Oldfield Principal

INDOOR AIR QUALITY

“NLCS Jeju really cares about the wellbeing of its students. The school is currently trialling air quality monitors that collect data to better understand the air that our students breathe and the conditions that we are all living and working in. Data from our AirGradient monitors will give us the insight we need to create a healthier and more productive environment for our school community.” - Mr. Crispian Waterman.

PSD ENRICHMENT WEEK

Thank you to the team for yet another exciting Enrichment Week. With a Human Library, team building activities and informative lectures on tough topics such as Drug Education - the students really did learn a lot.

The Main Event

HUMAN LIBRARY

The focus of the ‘Human Library’ was resilience. During break and lunch time our students were able to go to the library corridor and select a human book. A number of different teachers played the role of a human book and told the students who selected them their story of personal resilience. The corridor was full of energy as the students listened intently.

Thank you to all the human books.

The Main Event

YEAR 7 TEAM BUILDING

In collaboration between PSD Enrichment Week and the Tutor Programme, our Year 7 students were tasked with working in teams to put together a wooden stool—with only one hand per person. More pictures.

Such an activity enhances a number of skills, including:

• Interpersonal

• Verbal Communication

• Teamwork

• Negotiation

• Conflict Resolution

• Resilience

• Determination

• Non-verbal Communication

The Main Event

MANDARIN ENRICHMENT WEEK

Yet again we were treated to a wonderful Enrichment Week.

Ms. Jenny Liu explains further - “The theme of the Mandarin Enrichment Week this year was the Terracotta Warriors, providing students with an in-depth understanding of the cultural and historical significance of Emperor Qin Shi Huang and his underground army. During the Wednesday morning assembly, Ms. Stacey Liu gave a speech titled “Unveil the Mystery of the Terracotta Warriors”, which was met with enthusiastic response from all Y7 students. Additionally, we would like to thank Ms. Walker, our Junior School Art Teacher, for leading a group of Y3s and Y4s in creating a life-sized Terracotta Warrior sculpture and Ms. Lailai Luo for instructing the students on printmaking. It was a rare opportunity for cross-school, cross-subject collaboration, and it was a great success.

This year we offered a more diverse range of cultural experiences, and we believe that all students and teachers now have a deeper understanding of the Terracotta Warriors of the Qin Dynasty. The following activities were held:

• ‘Discovering the Secret of the Terracotta Warriors’ provided students with a chance to study the historical and cultural knowledge related to Emperor Qin Shi Huang’s reign, the discovery and composition of the Terracotta Army pits, and the unique manufacturing process of the warriors.

• ‘Ancient and Modern in Dialogue’ allowed students to take creative photos of themselves with the statues, which had travelled a long way from China to our school.

The Main Event

• ‘Revisiting History: Archaeological Adventure’ allowed students to experience the excavation process of the Terracotta Warriors without having to travel to China. They became archaeologists and carefully excavated each warrior, including the kneeling archers, military officers, and warhorses. Satisfying their curiosity about the Terracotta Army.

• ‘Journey through Time and Space’ used augmented reality technology to enable students to view the warriors and horses in 3D and observe every detail of each statue. With the app, they could hear the introduction in Chinese or English while feeling as though they were actually present at the site of the Terracotta Army pits in Xi An over two thousand years ago.

We would like to particularly thank our parent Ms. Gao Hui, the Mandarin society chairmanLu lijie, the poster designer- Ma Chengdong, and all the teachers and students who participated in the event. This abundant and fun-filled Mandarin Week came to a close too soon, leaving all the teachers and students yearning for more. We look forward to next year’s.” More pictures.

The Main Event

LATIN AND PHILOSOPHY ENRICHMENT WEEK

We are looking forward to next week’s Latin and Philosophy Enrichment Week. Students will have the opportunity to enjoy activities such as a Greek Mythology Quiz, Derivative Games and Mini Lectures from the Latin department, and a ‘Change my Mind Discussion Quest’ and ‘Plato’s Cave Text Adventure’ from the Philosophy Department.

DR GUY SUTTON

We are delighted to welcome Dr Guy Sutton to NLCS Jeju next week. Dr Sutton will contribute to the Philosophy and Latin Enrichment Week as well as running a wide range of brain related activities linked to Biology and Psychology.

Dr Sutton is a world renowned Neuroscientist with a focus on the genetics of neural development and brain function. Dr Sutton will have a packed schedule here with us, providing our students with a wonderful opportunity to experience lectures such as how the working of the brain is linked to crime and workshops including what life is really like at university and what a live dissection of a sheep’s brain can reveal about this fascinating organ! We will share an update after his visit.

Don’t miss our posts!

Follow us on our social media pages to never miss out! Our recent posts include:

• Parents’ Day Video

• Year 7 Students - Hallim Park Trip

• Korean Airforce Above NLCS Jeju

• Chaotic Drone - House Competition

• Stella and Amy Win Award

• Year 5 Student’s Class Trip

• BHMUN

FLICKR

Did you know we add all our photos to Flickr? With no restrictions on the number of photos we can share, you will be able to see every photo from all the events around School. Why not have a look now?

NLCS Jeju Awards and Achievements

Congratulations to all our recent award winners!

Click here (https://bit.ly/nlcsstudentachievements )

INTERNATIONAL MATHEMATICS MODELLING CHALLENGE

“IMMC (International Mathematics Modelling Challenge) is a modelling competition which allows students and teachers to experience the power of mathematics to help better understand, analyse and solve real world problems outside of mathematics itself in realistic contexts. IMMC 2023 has provided our team with a unique experience of a five day endeavour to solve a given modelling problem. This year’s problem was not easy as it was to find the most efficient way to use a 3 km^2 size of land given in a specific rural area. We have started off with modelling a new composite indicator of the facility built on the land considering environmental, social, and economic factors into quantitative figures. Then, we have considered different facilities ranging from primary, secondary, and tertiary sectors. We were fortunate to be qualified from the regional round in Korea and represent Korea to compete with the teams from different countries in the global round. Although this competition has coincided with our annual exam preparation period, this experience was an unforgettable and worthwhile one.”

Ms. Minsoo Cha.

(from left to right) Ms. Minsoo Cha, Daewoong (James) Kang, Joonseok (Aaren) Kang, Jinwoo (Jinu) Chun, and Soohyuk (Daniel) Chang.

OXFORD SCHOOLS FINALS DEBATE COMPETITION

This March, the NLCS representative team comprising Jaehoon(Roy) Song and Taeyoon (Alvin) Song competed in the Oxford Schools Finals debate competition. The NLCS team qualified for the competition by breaking second in the open break for the Asian Qualifying Rounds and travelled to Oxford to debate against other qualifying teams from around the world. After an intense day of debate, the team reached the ESL Finals however narrowly missed out on becoming champions. The team was the first Korean team in the competition’s history to advance through the preliminary rounds, as well as the final. Thank you to Ms. Symonds, Mr. Munday, Ms. Jeffery and the Debate CCA team for your support.

CHANGES TO AWARDS AND ACHIEVEMENTS

Following feedback from parents and the PRG regarding the awards and achievements section we will be making some changes to what we share in the newsletter, the changes will come into effect from the next newsletter.

Though we are proud of each and every student who receives an award or recognition for an achievement and you have our heartfelt congratulations, the only achievements that will be listed in future will need to meet the following criteria:

1. The competition was arranged by NLCS Jeju - for example the GEC Coding Challenge

2. The competition is a national or international competition and NLCS Jeju has entered a team - such as the FOBISIA Maths Competition or PERSE Coding Competition

3. The competition is an external competition but it is hosted at NLCS Jeju - such as the World Maths Championships

4. If a student enters a competition independently only those that are at a national level will be included, for example, representing Korea.

Other News

YEAR 8 AND YEAR 9 RESIDENTIAL TRIPS

Three trips have already taken place with our final group heading off on Wednesday 25 May to Pyeongchang. The students took part in a range of exciting and challenging activities - including rafting, climbing, caving and orienteering. Enjoying campfires and spending time with friends in the great outdoors!

The memories made on such adventure trips will last a lifetime and each student fully embraced the experience, making NLCS Jeju proud of their teamwork, determination and willingness to try new things.

These trips are only possible due to the hard work and planning of the Beyond the Curriculum Team and the many staff and teachers who volunteered their time to accompany the groups. Thank you to you all!

JUNIOR SCHOOL SPORTS DAYS

Despite the ever changing Jeju weather, all three sports days went ahead - eventually, including a superhero themed First School day - which featured an opening dance performance and parade!

Our Junior School students lived up to expectations, everyone took part with great enthusiasm, teamwork and sportsmanship. There was lots of fun and healthy competition! Well done to everyone who took part and thanks to our Sports Department and Junior School for arranging the events. More pictures.

Other News

YEAR 6 TASTER MORNINGS

In preparation for our current Year 6 students to move up to Year 7 in August, a number of taster sessions have been taking place in the Senior School. Moving from Junior to Senior school, even within the same School campus, is a big step and we hope the taster days help the students settle quickly when the new academic year starts. In June our Year 6 parents will join their children for Transition Day, along with the new students and their parents who will enrol in August.

CHARITY DONATION

We would like to acknowledge the generosity of Stella Han, who won a Statistical Competition and donated her prize money to the Korean Association for Children with Leukaemia and Cancer, Jeju Centre.

CALENDAR COMPETITION

Each year the Marketing Team creates a new desktop calendar which features photos from around the School from the previous year. The front cover is always a beautiful scenic photo of Jeju.

This year we are giving all our staff and students the opportunity to submit an entry to be considered for the front cover.

To enter the competition, please complete this form. The deadline to register is 9 June - one entry per person. An anonymised short list of five photos will be created by the Marketing team, with the Senior Team making the final decision. The winner will be announced in the final newsletter of the academic year on 16 June.

Good luck!

WMC VIDEO

Last term, as part of the Maths Enrichment Week, NLCS Jeju hosted the World Maths Championships. To ensure we never forget this special event and as a great memento for the students who took part, Mr. Dominic Ng (Graduate Assistant - Marketing) created this fantastic video.

WORLD BEE DAY

Today is World Bee Day.Here is a message from BrandonYoon“Out of the 390,900 flowering plants known to man, 80% are pollinated by honeybees. Through agriculture and coevolution, many plants, especially crops rely exclusively on these insect employees for survival from almonds to blueberries. Without them, a very big portion of our dinner table would be good as gone. Most unfortunately, the climate crisis alongside the spread of disease are nearly pushing them into the brink of collapsing - and even extinction.

Beekeeping is more than a simple honey-grabbing industry - it is a hobby, it is art, it is a window into the lives of one of mother nature’s most wondrous creations. With close interaction with the bees, both students and staff are granted insight into the intricate society of honeybees, how they develop, changes in diet and necessary countermeasures for diseases. One notices how each individual acts and contributes to the survival of the entire colony, divided into roles, sections, maximising workforce and minimising losses and working together, as one grandiose superorganism. They are gentle, and curious, and we develop a healthy respect for the insects hard at work, often studying and marvelling at the potential the honeybees hold, and do our best to raise awareness for their importance in conservation.

Younever forget the first time you stand in the middle of a swarm, surrounded by the vigour oftenthousandtinywingsbeatingaroundyou.Itistrulyaone-of-a-kindexperienceanyone could ever uphold during their lifetime, and one that I wholeheartedly recommend.”

To celebrate World Bee Day the Beekeeping Society and Ecology Society held events and sold bee themed cookies.

Other News

CHEMICAL ANALYSIS LESSON

This week our Year 10 students learnt the techniques of conducting flame tests and detection of the presence of cations in Chemical analysis.

“The flame colours obtained through the testing of Lithium, Potassium, Calcium and Barium ions and the precipitate colours obtained Iron (II), Iron (II), Chromium and Copper ions formed a visual spectacle and created moments of awe and inspiration for students to continue to investigate these analytical methods in higher levels of study. Students were able to apply the knowledge gained thus far in chemical bonding and writing reaction equations in previou

s topics to the further aspects learned in this new topic of chemical analysis.

Overall, the Year 10 students had a very active, involved and skill enhancing enjoyable experience through this activity. The preparation and background work for this lesson was excellently supported by Mr. Patenaude, Head of Chemistry, as well.” - Mr. Mahesh Warrier.

AMBASSADOR FOR A DAY

Take a look at this exciting competition run by the British Embassy in Seoul. The winner of the essay competition will spend a day at the Embassy meeting the British Ambassador and other important people. Good luck to those who enter!

Letter in Korean

Letter in English

MUSIC TRIP

“On May 12, the iGCSE Year 10 and IBDP Year 12 Music students were lucky enough to attend a concert given by the Seoul Philharmonic, Korea’s world-class orchestra. The conductor, Markus Stenz, is a renowned musician having trained under towering figures like Leonard Bernstein and Seiji Ozawa. We were treated to Rachmaninoff’s Piano Concerto No. 2, its sensuous melodies resounding through the Lotte Concert Hall with particular beauty thanks to the sensitive playing of Korea’s own Park Jaehong. For our students, however, the joy of seeing a 125-piece orchestra blare through the greatest hits of Richard Wagner was by far and above the most important experience of the evening. Mrs Coll, Ms Kim and I are certain it was an experience that will be with us all for a very long time to come. The students packed a huge amount into their 19h30m in Seoul, and even got up at 4:00am to return to Bryant! Our exceptional British education is a mirror to the outstanding attitude of our students, and once again, they made our school proud.” - Mr. Harry Thorrington.

Thank you to the wonderful Beyond the Curriculum team for making these memorable experiences possible.

Mr. Victor Cho, University Guidance Counselor has just returned to NLCS Jeju following a trip to the US. Mr. Cho was busy visiting a number of prestigious universities in California to build relationships and ensure that their admissions teams are all aware of how exceptional our students are. Such trips are very important and increase the success rate of our students applying to these universities, which is important as over 50% of our students select the US for their next step. He visited 12 universities, including Stanford University, UC Irvine, UCLA, UC San Diego, UC Davis, USC and Caltech.

House News

HOUSE COFFEE MORNINGS

An exciting new initiative started recently, which saw our Heads of House and their teams heading off to local Jeju cafes to meet the parents of the students in their respective Houses.

The Coffee Mornings were arranged to allow parents an opportunity to meet their child’s Head of House teams in a relaxed and informal setting, to discuss a variety of topics and give everyone the opportunity to share ideas for the future.

We were delighted that so many parents could join us and hope to arrange similar Coffee Mornings in the future to continue to build on the House / Parent relationships.

Thank you to Ms. Miri Kang for her arrangements. Thanks also to the HOH team, Translation and to our parents for making these events so successful.

ONLJ

We are extremely proud of all our students and we love to keep in touch and find out what they are up to after graduating from NLCS Jeju.

Our ONLJ (Old North Londoners of Jeju) is an active and supportive community, guided by our Alumni and Development Manager, Ms. Shin.

Thank you to Peter and Hanjun who both shared their updates with us. Peter is also the current Head of ONLJ, a busy role for which we are grateful for his support.

If you studied at NLCS Jeju and you want to share your news with us, please email Ms. Shin (alumnioffice@nclsjeju.kr). We cannot wait to hear from you.

WELCOME TO THE FAMILY

MEET JASPER

Congratulations to Ms. Cindy Choi and Mr. Ben Matthews on the birth of their son. Jasper was born on Wednesday 10 May 2023 at 16:12 weighing 3.1kg. He was born at the same time as the IB History exam was taking place (Mr. Matthews teaches History). Cindy is recovering well in hospital, and Jasper’s sister Isabel is delighted to have a baby brother.

MEET BIRDIE

Congratulations also to Ms. Mindy Ruskovich and Mr. John Gilbertson on the birth of their daughter. Birdie Gene Ruskovich Gilbertson was born on 1 May, weighing in at 3.2kg. Mr. Gilbertson said “She’s a happy baby, a great sleeper, and she is getting along well with her big sister, Ivy”.

EVEREST FOR EDUCATION

EVEREST FOR EDUCATION

It was postponed due to bad weather, but they are back and attempting the gruelling challenge next weekend. The cyclists will cover 270km, 8,848m of climbing (which is the height of Mt. Everest) in one ride - no sleep. The challenge will take from between 14 hours to 24 hours depending on bike type.

The staff’s Everesting Challenge will raise funds for Education For All. In many countries there is not equal access to education for females, without education generations of girls and women will remain illiterate, unequal and bound to poverty and early marriage. The team, and NLCS Jeju, believe in an equal access to education for all.

If you wish to support the team and their chosen charity, you can donate online.

Good luck to Mr. James Tuffs and Mr. Chris Heydinger who are attempting the full challenge and Mr. Neil Tamlyn and Mr. Glenn Roberts who are competing as a team. To show their support, some staff will take part in one or two ascents - a challenge in itself - so good luck also to Ms. Caroline Sannegadu, Mr. James Caudle and Mr. Dorian Brown.

Video

….and finally

Good luck to Mr. Pua, who is participating in the 2023 Asia Pacific Master Games in Jeonbuk between 12 and 20 May in Badminton, Squash and Table Tennis. The event slogan is 하나된 스포츠! 즐거운 어울림!, which translates as Enjoy Sports! Play Life! Anyone who knows Mr. Pua will know this slogan is very apt. We will share more updates and photos soon!

We are very lucky to have such a dedicated and generous Parent Representative Group (PRG) at NLCS Jeju. Our new Chair, Ms. Park has started the commencement of her role with enthusiasm and has already had a number of key meetings on campus to represent our parents, including three successful Termly PRG meetings last week.

We would like to take this opportunity to once again show gratitude to our PRG, particularly for their arrangements on Children’s Day, Teacher’s Day and more recently at the Junior School Sports Day.

To all our parents, here is a lovely message from our Junior School students which was recorded on Parents’ Day.

….and finally

….and finally

THANK YOU

More pictures for childrens day.