OUR PURPOSE To educate the youth of the world to take their productive place as leaders in the global community. OUR CORE VALUES Respecting and Caring for Each Other Being Dedicated to a culture of Excellence Openness in Communication Acting with Integrity Being Passionate in What We Do Creating Enjoyable Environment OUR VISION
President of Taylor’s Schools
Principal of Nexus International School, Putrajaya
This year we see the first cohort of Year 13 learners graduate from Nexus Putrajaya with their International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma. We are indeed very pleased with the good results that were obtained.
The Annual Review describes briefly what we have achieved in the 7 areas identified in the School Improvement Plan over the past year and is intended to provide a summary of our progress towards making Nexus the school of choice.
When we first established the Nexus brand at Putrajaya, it was with the intent of developing a school that will provide learners with a 21st Century learning environment. We are very pleased that seven years on since its development, Putrajaya is well on its way in achieving that and with our second Nexus in Singapore also using the same pedagogy parents and learners across both countries are demonstrating their commitment to progressive education .
2013-14 was a year of celebration. In November 2013 we celebrated the IPC Accreditation as we were awarded “Mastering” status for our delivery of the IPC curriculum: one of only a handful of schools in the world. As a recognised leading IPC school we now host the IPC S.E. Asia Annual Conference and are celebrated as a beacon school in the region.
Nexus can also boast that in their very first cohort of IB graduates, one of the graduate has been offered scholarship to the world renowned Johns Hopkins University where students are challenged not just to learn but also to advance learning itself. Critical thinking, problem solving, creativity, and entrepreneurship are all encouraged and nourished in this unique educational environment and it is gratifying to know that the IB Diploma at Nexus has prepared our learner so well for this.
OUR PROMISE To foster the gifts and talents that reside in everybody through careful mentorship and guidance based on respect. To provide a nurturing environment for these talents; one that is innovative, progressive and grounded in trust, compassion and respect.
nexus.edu.my
Ms. Alison Hampshire
Nexus IPC has achieved “Mastering” status for its delivery of its Primary program. This makes Nexus Putrajaya upon their receipt of this accreditation only one of nine schools in the world to be accredited this status;
Nexus International School will be an internationally minded learning community that nurtures and supports every child’s emotional, physical, creative and intellectual needs in order that they can achieve academic success and become globally responsible citizens. We will accomplish this by celebrating diversity and challenging minds.
2
Mr. BK Gan
The Board together with the dedicated staff at Nexus will continue the journey to establish the name Nexus as a world class school that equips learners for the demands of the 21st Century and enables them to take their productive place in the global community.
As the year progressed we celebrated a haul of medals in sporting events, learners came 1st in the World Language Perfect Competition and Nexus won the Garden School Inter School’s Debate to just name a few of our successes. In July we celebrated the achievements of, and said goodbye to, our first cohort of IB learners in a fabulous Graduation Ceremony that, in true Nexus style, they planned themselves. 25% of our learners achieved 40+ points with our highest scoring learner attaining a total of 43 out of a possible 45 points. Many have taken up places at top universities around the world including John Hopkins (USA), Melbourne (Australia), Warwick (UK) and McGill (Canada). At the year’s end we celebrated record roll growth. The school continues to expand and increase its intake, especially in the examination year groups, which have now almost all reached capacity. We ended the Academic Year 2013/14 with 717 learners compared with 592 learners at the end of the previous academic year - an increase of 21%. The PTA successfully established a constitution and we thank the very passionate committee for their energy and commitment over the year.
Annual Review 2014
Embracing Diversity. Challenging Minds.
nexus.edu.my
3
OUR PURPOSE To educate the youth of the world to take their productive place as leaders in the global community. OUR CORE VALUES Respecting and Caring for Each Other Being Dedicated to a culture of Excellence Openness in Communication Acting with Integrity Being Passionate in What We Do Creating Enjoyable Environment OUR VISION
President of Taylor’s Schools
Principal of Nexus International School, Putrajaya
This year we see the first cohort of Year 13 learners graduate from Nexus Putrajaya with their International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma. We are indeed very pleased with the good results that were obtained.
The Annual Review describes briefly what we have achieved in the 7 areas identified in the School Improvement Plan over the past year and is intended to provide a summary of our progress towards making Nexus the school of choice.
When we first established the Nexus brand at Putrajaya, it was with the intent of developing a school that will provide learners with a 21st Century learning environment. We are very pleased that seven years on since its development, Putrajaya is well on its way in achieving that and with our second Nexus in Singapore also using the same pedagogy parents and learners across both countries are demonstrating their commitment to progressive education .
2013-14 was a year of celebration. In November 2013 we celebrated the IPC Accreditation as we were awarded “Mastering” status for our delivery of the IPC curriculum: one of only a handful of schools in the world. As a recognised leading IPC school we now host the IPC S.E. Asia Annual Conference and are celebrated as a beacon school in the region.
Nexus can also boast that in their very first cohort of IB graduates, one of the graduate has been offered scholarship to the world renowned Johns Hopkins University where students are challenged not just to learn but also to advance learning itself. Critical thinking, problem solving, creativity, and entrepreneurship are all encouraged and nourished in this unique educational environment and it is gratifying to know that the IB Diploma at Nexus has prepared our learner so well for this.
OUR PROMISE To foster the gifts and talents that reside in everybody through careful mentorship and guidance based on respect. To provide a nurturing environment for these talents; one that is innovative, progressive and grounded in trust, compassion and respect.
nexus.edu.my
Ms. Alison Hampshire
Nexus IPC has achieved “Mastering” status for its delivery of its Primary program. This makes Nexus Putrajaya upon their receipt of this accreditation only one of nine schools in the world to be accredited this status;
Nexus International School will be an internationally minded learning community that nurtures and supports every child’s emotional, physical, creative and intellectual needs in order that they can achieve academic success and become globally responsible citizens. We will accomplish this by celebrating diversity and challenging minds.
2
Mr. BK Gan
The Board together with the dedicated staff at Nexus will continue the journey to establish the name Nexus as a world class school that equips learners for the demands of the 21st Century and enables them to take their productive place in the global community.
As the year progressed we celebrated a haul of medals in sporting events, learners came 1st in the World Language Perfect Competition and Nexus won the Garden School Inter School’s Debate to just name a few of our successes. In July we celebrated the achievements of, and said goodbye to, our first cohort of IB learners in a fabulous Graduation Ceremony that, in true Nexus style, they planned themselves. 25% of our learners achieved 40+ points with our highest scoring learner attaining a total of 43 out of a possible 45 points. Many have taken up places at top universities around the world including John Hopkins (USA), Melbourne (Australia), Warwick (UK) and McGill (Canada). At the year’s end we celebrated record roll growth. The school continues to expand and increase its intake, especially in the examination year groups, which have now almost all reached capacity. We ended the Academic Year 2013/14 with 717 learners compared with 592 learners at the end of the previous academic year - an increase of 21%. The PTA successfully established a constitution and we thank the very passionate committee for their energy and commitment over the year.
Annual Review 2014
Embracing Diversity. Challenging Minds.
nexus.edu.my
3
Curriculum & Learning Teacher Learning / Professional Development & Accountability School & Community Involvement Student Wellbeing School Facilities & Resources School Governance, Leadership & Management Marketing & Communication
4
nexus.edu.my
EMBRACING DIVERSITY. CHALLENGING MINDS.
6 8 9 10 12 13 14
Annual Review 2014
Embracing Diversity. Challenging Minds.
nexus.edu.my
5
Curriculum & Learning Teacher Learning / Professional Development & Accountability School & Community Involvement Student Wellbeing School Facilities & Resources School Governance, Leadership & Management Marketing & Communication
4
nexus.edu.my
EMBRACING DIVERSITY. CHALLENGING MINDS.
6 8 9 10 12 13 14
Annual Review 2014
Embracing Diversity. Challenging Minds.
nexus.edu.my
5
CURRICULUM & LEARNING
testament to the quality of teaching and learning. IB Diploma Programme Having gained authorisation from IBO to run the IB Diploma Programme in March 2012, Nexus had its first cohort of IB learners take the IB Diploma examinations in May 2014. Out of a cohort of 23 learners 25% of the student achieved above 40 points with an overall 80% student pass rate. The school offers an extensive range of subjects, which allow for a wide breadth of study that includes the sciences, languages, humanities, arts and mathematics. Our current IB Diploma Cohort is made up of 71 learners with 40 students in Y13 and 31 students in Year 12. The number of students taking the IB Diploma is expected to grow over the next few years as the Diploma Programme continues to expand and develop.
Academic Achievement • •
•
Primary
Secondary
Learners in the Primary school are given the opportunity of learning through the International Primary Curriculum (IPC), which is used to develop inquiry skills and lifelong learning. The Nexus Neuron has been adapted and added to during the year and incorporates the personal goals of the IPC plus International Mindedness and Rigorous Learning.
Middle School
Last year we completed a review of the way in which we use the IPC to increase learning. In November we welcomed an IPC accreditation team who assessed the school to be operating at a ‘Mastering’ level. This amazing accolade makes Nexus one of the top IPC schools in the World. Steps will now be taken to maintain the Mastering level of the school as well as promoting Nexus Worldwide through being a beacon school for IPC. Staff are also working at further improvement in attaining CIS accreditation.
6
nexus.edu.my
The Middle School Programme at Nexus has been developed to build on the IPC thematic principles and learning goals to ensure academic rigour in preparation for IGCSE and IBDP examinations. Core departments have been working collaboratively to design and deliver a curriculum that develops conceptual understanding for Year 7. The aim of the Middle School Programme is to provide a dynamic and innovative learning environment that encourages learners through personalization to develop higher order thinking and problem solving skills. IGCSE Programme As the school continues to grow so too do the number of candidates and the range of subjects examined at IGCSE level. The holistic and creative philosophy of Nexus ensures
that we offer an optional choice of subjects that enables more personalized learning towards an individualized educational pathway. In addition to the core subjects, student can choose to take Film & Media Studies, Drama, Music, PE, Business Studies and Economics. Students can also take a Humanities based subject and an ICT award to develop their real world Digital Literacy skills. With the high demand for Mandarin at NISP we introduced the iGCSE Mandarin as a Second Language course for our year 10 learners which has proven to be a very useful course. Also with a view to IB progression we have introduced a non-exam based BM language and literature course for our year 10 learners. Learners will study a range of books, poems and films and learn the skills necessary to fully analyse the works. 135 candidates sat 711 papers in 21 subjects. Nexus has consistently obtained exam results that are above world averages. Several learners were awarded A* grades in 7 or more subjects which accounts for 30% of the students overall. Overall our learners attained over half a grade above the forecast grades set from the standardised CAT tests, which is a
Annual Review 2014
Jerrell Ong Zhe Heng and Ryan Boon Lee Wai was awarded Top in Malaysia for Cambridge IGCSE International Mathematics. Wen Wen Teh was awarded a scholarship by the Malaysian Public Service Department to study at John Hopkins University after completing her IB Diploma. NISP took part in the Language Perfect World Championships with 370 learners from both Primary and Secondary answering over 1,000,000 questions. We were the number 1 school in Asia for Spanish, Mandarin, French and Bahasa Malaysia and we were overall the number 7 school worldwide out of 1250 participating schools, which was an incredible achievement.
Embracing Diversity. Challenging Minds.
nexus.edu.my
7
CURRICULUM & LEARNING
testament to the quality of teaching and learning. IB Diploma Programme Having gained authorisation from IBO to run the IB Diploma Programme in March 2012, Nexus had its first cohort of IB learners take the IB Diploma examinations in May 2014. Out of a cohort of 23 learners 25% of the student achieved above 40 points with an overall 80% student pass rate. The school offers an extensive range of subjects, which allow for a wide breadth of study that includes the sciences, languages, humanities, arts and mathematics. Our current IB Diploma Cohort is made up of 71 learners with 40 students in Y13 and 31 students in Year 12. The number of students taking the IB Diploma is expected to grow over the next few years as the Diploma Programme continues to expand and develop.
Academic Achievement • •
•
Primary
Secondary
Learners in the Primary school are given the opportunity of learning through the International Primary Curriculum (IPC), which is used to develop inquiry skills and lifelong learning. The Nexus Neuron has been adapted and added to during the year and incorporates the personal goals of the IPC plus International Mindedness and Rigorous Learning.
Middle School
Last year we completed a review of the way in which we use the IPC to increase learning. In November we welcomed an IPC accreditation team who assessed the school to be operating at a ‘Mastering’ level. This amazing accolade makes Nexus one of the top IPC schools in the World. Steps will now be taken to maintain the Mastering level of the school as well as promoting Nexus Worldwide through being a beacon school for IPC. Staff are also working at further improvement in attaining CIS accreditation.
6
nexus.edu.my
The Middle School Programme at Nexus has been developed to build on the IPC thematic principles and learning goals to ensure academic rigour in preparation for IGCSE and IBDP examinations. Core departments have been working collaboratively to design and deliver a curriculum that develops conceptual understanding for Year 7. The aim of the Middle School Programme is to provide a dynamic and innovative learning environment that encourages learners through personalization to develop higher order thinking and problem solving skills. IGCSE Programme As the school continues to grow so too do the number of candidates and the range of subjects examined at IGCSE level. The holistic and creative philosophy of Nexus ensures
that we offer an optional choice of subjects that enables more personalized learning towards an individualized educational pathway. In addition to the core subjects, student can choose to take Film & Media Studies, Drama, Music, PE, Business Studies and Economics. Students can also take a Humanities based subject and an ICT award to develop their real world Digital Literacy skills. With the high demand for Mandarin at NISP we introduced the iGCSE Mandarin as a Second Language course for our year 10 learners which has proven to be a very useful course. Also with a view to IB progression we have introduced a non-exam based BM language and literature course for our year 10 learners. Learners will study a range of books, poems and films and learn the skills necessary to fully analyse the works. 135 candidates sat 711 papers in 21 subjects. Nexus has consistently obtained exam results that are above world averages. Several learners were awarded A* grades in 7 or more subjects which accounts for 30% of the students overall. Overall our learners attained over half a grade above the forecast grades set from the standardised CAT tests, which is a
Annual Review 2014
Jerrell Ong Zhe Heng and Ryan Boon Lee Wai was awarded Top in Malaysia for Cambridge IGCSE International Mathematics. Wen Wen Teh was awarded a scholarship by the Malaysian Public Service Department to study at John Hopkins University after completing her IB Diploma. NISP took part in the Language Perfect World Championships with 370 learners from both Primary and Secondary answering over 1,000,000 questions. We were the number 1 school in Asia for Spanish, Mandarin, French and Bahasa Malaysia and we were overall the number 7 school worldwide out of 1250 participating schools, which was an incredible achievement.
Embracing Diversity. Challenging Minds.
nexus.edu.my
7
TEACHER LEARNING / PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT & ACCOUNTABILITY
SCHOOL & COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT
PTA In addition to, planning and helping to carry out the four Annual cultural celebrations and curriculum days, the PTA have supported the Summer Bash, Year End Ball and the IB Graduation Tea. They have organised several charity drives and fundraising activities as well as several events relating to raising understanding of health and parenting issues.
Enrolment Profile The range of nationalities in the school has increased to 44 countries compared to 37 countries the previous year. This is an increase of 18%. Top 10 nationalities represented in the school are as follows: 2013-2014
Developing techniques to teach to higher standards while embracing the latest research is at the heart of teacher training. By embracing effective strategies for teaching and learning, teachers build a broad repertoire of approaches to challenge all learners effectively. With a foundation set by action research for better teaching and an on-going professional developmental programme all teachers have the opportunities to reflect on and hone their skills. To ensure our teachers remain upskilled and abreast of curriculum changes a number of staff attended external courses in IPC, IGCSE and IBDP both in the region and internationally at a cost of half of million ringgit As a Mastering School we also hosted and helped to organise the IPC annual conference, with several members of staff presenting sessions and consequently taking on roles as IPC trainers in other schools. To embed our focus on developing an understanding of strategies to develop learner metacognitive and higher order thinking skills, teachers attended external workshops run by Guy Claxton and Lynn Erickson accompanied by a sequence of internal whole school workshops on introducing the concepts and sharing practical strategies. Curriculum planning was a focus in the secondary school with a group attending a Jay McTighe “Understanding by Design” workshop and using this to develop a Scope and Sequence planning document and process. To support teachers in continuing their professional
8
nexus.edu.my
development the Teacher Performance Assurance (TPA) process was redefined and restructured to focus on learning; both of the learners and the pedagogical learning of the teacher. The refined process encourages self-assessment, reflection on practice and professional discussion through the collection and collation of evidence. Looking for Learning (primary) has been further embedded and Learning Walks (secondary) introduced as tools to aid reflection and professional dialogue. Next year these tools will be introduced and used in a whole school context.
Malaysian
513
71.5%
British
41
5.7%
Indian
15
2.1%
American
14
2.0%
Korean
14
2.0%
China
10
1.4%
Pakistani
9
1.3%
Australian
7
1.0%
Indonesian
7
1.0%
Japanese
7
1.0%
This year we introduced the roles of Director of Teaching and Learning and IB Learning Coordinator to align whole school pedagogy and learning practice. The IBO Pilot Project ‘Approaches to Teaching and Learning and the ICT strategy group have modelled the process of Professional Learning Communities (PLCs) with the plan to develop more in 2014-15.
Language Days & Trip to France & Spain European Day of Languages and Asian day of Languages had learners dressing up in the colours of a European and Asian flags and having European and Asian themed lessons across the curriculum. In October NISP’s inaugural trip to France and Spain took place with 27 learners spending 2 weeks sampling the delights of Paris, Biarritz, Bilbao and Barcelona. Learners had the opportunity to use their language skills in a number of different situations and also visited the cultural highlights each town offered.
Service Service learning was integrated from Year 7-11 through the Health and PE curriculum with learners actively planning, engaging and reflecting on at least one service activity during the year. The IBDP CAS program has seen growth in the service learning projects initiated by both learners and staff within the school and wider community. We now have over 10 in-school Service learning projects, including the Eco schools award, which encompasses the Green Council initiatives and the school garden. Flourishing in its fourth year is the rewarding in-school project Nexus Community, offering a safe educational experience for the Myanmar learners and
In 2015 our focus is on developing a school wide understanding of mindsets and competencies; explicitly embedding them in the curriculum and assessing progress. Our teachers will continue to develop working in collaborative teams to plan, deliver and evaluate learning experiences to ensure that we maximise opportunities for personalised learning.
Annual Review 2014
Embracing Diversity. Challenging Minds.
leadership opportunities for our learners. Next year our learners interaction in the wider community will involve projects such as the Kechara Soup Kitchen, Zoo Negara, The 24 Hour Race to Stop the traffik and creative projects such the mural in the children’s cancer ward of UMMC.
Boarding This was the third year of boarding however, in many respects it was a remarkable year as there were many firsts. It was the first year where every floor available had a house parent with the arrival of a new female house parent in Term 2. It was the first year where boarding had the necessary staff to see it expand in the future to accommodate 112 boarders. All the house parents completed their Duty of Care course and now have a certificate presented to them by the Australian Boarding Schools Association. The infrastructure is now in place for boarding to continue to grow. The most important priority for boarding is to let the wider community in Malaysia and beyond know that there is an excellent school with boarding in Putrajaya. It was the year where the first Year 13s left boarding. They certainly set a high standard for the others to follow. Graduates went to outstanding places of learning such as the London School of Economics, John Hopkins University and McGill University.
nexus.edu.my
9
TEACHER LEARNING / PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT & ACCOUNTABILITY
SCHOOL & COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT
PTA In addition to, planning and helping to carry out the four Annual cultural celebrations and curriculum days, the PTA have supported the Summer Bash, Year End Ball and the IB Graduation Tea. They have organised several charity drives and fundraising activities as well as several events relating to raising understanding of health and parenting issues.
Enrolment Profile The range of nationalities in the school has increased to 44 countries compared to 37 countries the previous year. This is an increase of 18%. Top 10 nationalities represented in the school are as follows: 2013-2014
Developing techniques to teach to higher standards while embracing the latest research is at the heart of teacher training. By embracing effective strategies for teaching and learning, teachers build a broad repertoire of approaches to challenge all learners effectively. With a foundation set by action research for better teaching and an on-going professional developmental programme all teachers have the opportunities to reflect on and hone their skills. To ensure our teachers remain upskilled and abreast of curriculum changes a number of staff attended external courses in IPC, IGCSE and IBDP both in the region and internationally at a cost of half of million ringgit As a Mastering School we also hosted and helped to organise the IPC annual conference, with several members of staff presenting sessions and consequently taking on roles as IPC trainers in other schools. To embed our focus on developing an understanding of strategies to develop learner metacognitive and higher order thinking skills, teachers attended external workshops run by Guy Claxton and Lynn Erickson accompanied by a sequence of internal whole school workshops on introducing the concepts and sharing practical strategies. Curriculum planning was a focus in the secondary school with a group attending a Jay McTighe “Understanding by Design” workshop and using this to develop a Scope and Sequence planning document and process. To support teachers in continuing their professional
8
nexus.edu.my
development the Teacher Performance Assurance (TPA) process was redefined and restructured to focus on learning; both of the learners and the pedagogical learning of the teacher. The refined process encourages self-assessment, reflection on practice and professional discussion through the collection and collation of evidence. Looking for Learning (primary) has been further embedded and Learning Walks (secondary) introduced as tools to aid reflection and professional dialogue. Next year these tools will be introduced and used in a whole school context.
Malaysian
513
71.5%
British
41
5.7%
Indian
15
2.1%
American
14
2.0%
Korean
14
2.0%
China
10
1.4%
Pakistani
9
1.3%
Australian
7
1.0%
Indonesian
7
1.0%
Japanese
7
1.0%
This year we introduced the roles of Director of Teaching and Learning and IB Learning Coordinator to align whole school pedagogy and learning practice. The IBO Pilot Project ‘Approaches to Teaching and Learning and the ICT strategy group have modelled the process of Professional Learning Communities (PLCs) with the plan to develop more in 2014-15.
Language Days & Trip to France & Spain European Day of Languages and Asian day of Languages had learners dressing up in the colours of a European and Asian flags and having European and Asian themed lessons across the curriculum. In October NISP’s inaugural trip to France and Spain took place with 27 learners spending 2 weeks sampling the delights of Paris, Biarritz, Bilbao and Barcelona. Learners had the opportunity to use their language skills in a number of different situations and also visited the cultural highlights each town offered.
Service Service learning was integrated from Year 7-11 through the Health and PE curriculum with learners actively planning, engaging and reflecting on at least one service activity during the year. The IBDP CAS program has seen growth in the service learning projects initiated by both learners and staff within the school and wider community. We now have over 10 in-school Service learning projects, including the Eco schools award, which encompasses the Green Council initiatives and the school garden. Flourishing in its fourth year is the rewarding in-school project Nexus Community, offering a safe educational experience for the Myanmar learners and
In 2015 our focus is on developing a school wide understanding of mindsets and competencies; explicitly embedding them in the curriculum and assessing progress. Our teachers will continue to develop working in collaborative teams to plan, deliver and evaluate learning experiences to ensure that we maximise opportunities for personalised learning.
Annual Review 2014
Embracing Diversity. Challenging Minds.
leadership opportunities for our learners. Next year our learners interaction in the wider community will involve projects such as the Kechara Soup Kitchen, Zoo Negara, The 24 Hour Race to Stop the traffik and creative projects such the mural in the children’s cancer ward of UMMC.
Boarding This was the third year of boarding however, in many respects it was a remarkable year as there were many firsts. It was the first year where every floor available had a house parent with the arrival of a new female house parent in Term 2. It was the first year where boarding had the necessary staff to see it expand in the future to accommodate 112 boarders. All the house parents completed their Duty of Care course and now have a certificate presented to them by the Australian Boarding Schools Association. The infrastructure is now in place for boarding to continue to grow. The most important priority for boarding is to let the wider community in Malaysia and beyond know that there is an excellent school with boarding in Putrajaya. It was the year where the first Year 13s left boarding. They certainly set a high standard for the others to follow. Graduates went to outstanding places of learning such as the London School of Economics, John Hopkins University and McGill University.
nexus.edu.my
9
STUDENT WELLBEING
Student wellbeing is central to not only academic success but to our young people’s chances of success in life after they leave school. As a community we have a commitment to nurturing and supporting every child’s emotional, physical, creative and intellectual needs in order that they can achieve academic success and become globally responsible citizens.
CCAs This year we successfully expanded the CCA programme to offer activities on four days after school with over 70 sessions running, encompassing a variety of physical recreations and skills. We have established an online portal for registration and attendance tracking which continues to be developed and improved. Our CCA coordinator has been working closely with the Director of Sport to align the calendar of activities with the seasonal fixtures to better offer support to our competitive teams. In each term we have made over 1000 registrations in the CCA program. To further boost our offerings we have added traditional Archery to our external coaching programme.
Sports 2013-14 has been an incredible sporting year for our Nexus learners. They have excelled in a wide-range of disciplines. Praveen Nair represented Malaysia at the Youth Olympic Games
10
nexus.edu.my
in Nanjing, China, finishing in the top 10 in the individual finals of the 130cm borrowed horse event while 11 year old Aaliyah Hanifah remains a prominent figure in the world of female water skiing and trick skiing with an official open world ranking of 38 and is currently 8th in the U17 world rankings. Aaliyah is also the current Asian open women’s and SEAA games champion. Randy Chin continues to progress in Tai Chi and this year had success in the Broadsword techniques competition, taking home the gold medal. At inter-school sports level our teams continue to be competitive and successful. Most notably our U15 Boys footballers were crowned champions in both the KLISS and ISAC International school football leagues. Our Primary teams went from strength to strength acquiring and developing a range of new skills, applying them in competitive situations during the KLISS league season. This year witnessed both the U11 boys and girls basketball teams win KLISS gold in their respective leagues followed by the U11 boys football teams also being crowned KLISS champions the following month.
Debating Nexus debating got off to an enthusiastic start of 2013. The strong core group of learners who had formed the backbone of the previous year’s debating team, warmly embraced any
newcomers. The public speaking and argumentative skills of the debaters developed very quickly as peer pressure and the spirit of competition urged members onwards. The development of such skills and the enjoyment of the intellectual sport by the leaners meant that several teams represented Nexus at school debates beyond Putrajaya. Their success and enjoyment culminated in them winning the Garden School Debate 2014. Our first Nexus Debating Competition was very well attended by other KL schools.
night adventurous journey. Our Bronze group took part in an adventurous journey in Endau Rompin, Negeri Sembilan over 3 days and two nights hiking, camping and learning essential camp craft skills. For the Silver level our learners participated in a Kayaking trip around the islands of Langkawi, whilst our second Gold level group took part in their practice expedition in the Cameron highlands in preparation for a planned trip to Nepal, hopefully due to run in June 2014. The school also ran an International Award residential project in Sabah, Borneo.
Model United Nations (MUN)
Music
The MUN club has continued to go from strength to strength with invitations and strong participation in all the conferences in the region, including for the first time an online conference. This year saw the implementation of a learner led Secretariat, supported by teacher facilitators. The secretariat members are developing their leadership skills by raising awareness of the club within school and the wider community. They also ran workshops and co-curricular clubs that prepare delegates for conferences and hosting our own conferences. Building on the success of NISPMUN 2013 the Secretariat organised and hosted J-NISPMUN, a conference aimed at introducing younger, Year 6-9, delegates to conference procedures. A number of schools around Kuala Lumpur sent first time delegates to a weekend of workshops and supported conferencing.
The Duke of Edinburgh’s International Award In its fifth year at Nexus, the scheme currently has nearly 50 learners participating across Bronze, Silver and Gold Awards. To complete the requirements for Physical Recreation and Skills participants engaged in a diverse range of activities from football to waterskiing. For the Service section many of our learners continued to help and support the Myanmar children as part of the Nexus Community program as well as supporting the Myanmar school in Puchong. Nexus learners displayed their skills in the performing arts. During 2013 our first cohort of Gold level learners successfully graduated from The Award after taking part in a multiple activity trip in the area of Lumut, Perak, Malaysia. Learners cycling, paddled and walked their way across the 4 day 3
Annual Review 2014
The Music Department has continued to expand rapidly. We now employ 11 peripatetic staff, up from 7 in 2012-13. The number of learners taking instrumental lessons in school has increased from 103 in 2012-13 to 175 in 2014-15. New music ensembles have been established in both Primary and Secondary school and this is an area that we want to further expand in the future. Three new instrumental teaching rooms and a Recording Studio have been built and fitted out. We purchased a Grand Piano for the Theatre and upright piano for the department. We are now an accredited ABRSM and Trinity School of Music examination center.
Drama Drama and Theatre Arts continued to grow, with the excellent IGCSE and IB Showcase highlighting a variety of talents and theatre styles, and our first Y13 cohort taking their IBDP. We also rolled out extracurricular Drama to Year 5 & 6 with a lunchtime Drama Club. The school musical, ‘Bugsy Malone’, involved many learners and staff from Primary and Secondary collaborating to produce a fun-filled family show.
Film Learners are now using the film equipment every week and the ‘Nexus TV’ club runs every Monday after school. The learners made a film about the Boarding House for PR purposes. New equipment has been purchased such as LED portable lighting, an Auto-Cue Teleprompter system and new cameras and tripods. The learners filmed and edited every single school production and concert. A GCSE Media course has been introduced with high number of learners taking up the opportunity.
Embracing Diversity. Challenging Minds.
nexus.edu.my
11
STUDENT WELLBEING
Student wellbeing is central to not only academic success but to our young people’s chances of success in life after they leave school. As a community we have a commitment to nurturing and supporting every child’s emotional, physical, creative and intellectual needs in order that they can achieve academic success and become globally responsible citizens.
CCAs This year we successfully expanded the CCA programme to offer activities on four days after school with over 70 sessions running, encompassing a variety of physical recreations and skills. We have established an online portal for registration and attendance tracking which continues to be developed and improved. Our CCA coordinator has been working closely with the Director of Sport to align the calendar of activities with the seasonal fixtures to better offer support to our competitive teams. In each term we have made over 1000 registrations in the CCA program. To further boost our offerings we have added traditional Archery to our external coaching programme.
Sports 2013-14 has been an incredible sporting year for our Nexus learners. They have excelled in a wide-range of disciplines. Praveen Nair represented Malaysia at the Youth Olympic Games
10
nexus.edu.my
in Nanjing, China, finishing in the top 10 in the individual finals of the 130cm borrowed horse event while 11 year old Aaliyah Hanifah remains a prominent figure in the world of female water skiing and trick skiing with an official open world ranking of 38 and is currently 8th in the U17 world rankings. Aaliyah is also the current Asian open women’s and SEAA games champion. Randy Chin continues to progress in Tai Chi and this year had success in the Broadsword techniques competition, taking home the gold medal. At inter-school sports level our teams continue to be competitive and successful. Most notably our U15 Boys footballers were crowned champions in both the KLISS and ISAC International school football leagues. Our Primary teams went from strength to strength acquiring and developing a range of new skills, applying them in competitive situations during the KLISS league season. This year witnessed both the U11 boys and girls basketball teams win KLISS gold in their respective leagues followed by the U11 boys football teams also being crowned KLISS champions the following month.
Debating Nexus debating got off to an enthusiastic start of 2013. The strong core group of learners who had formed the backbone of the previous year’s debating team, warmly embraced any
newcomers. The public speaking and argumentative skills of the debaters developed very quickly as peer pressure and the spirit of competition urged members onwards. The development of such skills and the enjoyment of the intellectual sport by the leaners meant that several teams represented Nexus at school debates beyond Putrajaya. Their success and enjoyment culminated in them winning the Garden School Debate 2014. Our first Nexus Debating Competition was very well attended by other KL schools.
night adventurous journey. Our Bronze group took part in an adventurous journey in Endau Rompin, Negeri Sembilan over 3 days and two nights hiking, camping and learning essential camp craft skills. For the Silver level our learners participated in a Kayaking trip around the islands of Langkawi, whilst our second Gold level group took part in their practice expedition in the Cameron highlands in preparation for a planned trip to Nepal, hopefully due to run in June 2014. The school also ran an International Award residential project in Sabah, Borneo.
Model United Nations (MUN)
Music
The MUN club has continued to go from strength to strength with invitations and strong participation in all the conferences in the region, including for the first time an online conference. This year saw the implementation of a learner led Secretariat, supported by teacher facilitators. The secretariat members are developing their leadership skills by raising awareness of the club within school and the wider community. They also ran workshops and co-curricular clubs that prepare delegates for conferences and hosting our own conferences. Building on the success of NISPMUN 2013 the Secretariat organised and hosted J-NISPMUN, a conference aimed at introducing younger, Year 6-9, delegates to conference procedures. A number of schools around Kuala Lumpur sent first time delegates to a weekend of workshops and supported conferencing.
The Duke of Edinburgh’s International Award In its fifth year at Nexus, the scheme currently has nearly 50 learners participating across Bronze, Silver and Gold Awards. To complete the requirements for Physical Recreation and Skills participants engaged in a diverse range of activities from football to waterskiing. For the Service section many of our learners continued to help and support the Myanmar children as part of the Nexus Community program as well as supporting the Myanmar school in Puchong. Nexus learners displayed their skills in the performing arts. During 2013 our first cohort of Gold level learners successfully graduated from The Award after taking part in a multiple activity trip in the area of Lumut, Perak, Malaysia. Learners cycling, paddled and walked their way across the 4 day 3
Annual Review 2014
The Music Department has continued to expand rapidly. We now employ 11 peripatetic staff, up from 7 in 2012-13. The number of learners taking instrumental lessons in school has increased from 103 in 2012-13 to 175 in 2014-15. New music ensembles have been established in both Primary and Secondary school and this is an area that we want to further expand in the future. Three new instrumental teaching rooms and a Recording Studio have been built and fitted out. We purchased a Grand Piano for the Theatre and upright piano for the department. We are now an accredited ABRSM and Trinity School of Music examination center.
Drama Drama and Theatre Arts continued to grow, with the excellent IGCSE and IB Showcase highlighting a variety of talents and theatre styles, and our first Y13 cohort taking their IBDP. We also rolled out extracurricular Drama to Year 5 & 6 with a lunchtime Drama Club. The school musical, ‘Bugsy Malone’, involved many learners and staff from Primary and Secondary collaborating to produce a fun-filled family show.
Film Learners are now using the film equipment every week and the ‘Nexus TV’ club runs every Monday after school. The learners made a film about the Boarding House for PR purposes. New equipment has been purchased such as LED portable lighting, an Auto-Cue Teleprompter system and new cameras and tripods. The learners filmed and edited every single school production and concert. A GCSE Media course has been introduced with high number of learners taking up the opportunity.
Embracing Diversity. Challenging Minds.
nexus.edu.my
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SCHOOL FACILITIES & RESOURCES
• • •
SCHOOL GOVERNANCE, LEADERSHIP & MANAGEMENT
Upgrading the sound and lighting system; Building 3 new instrumental teaching rooms and a Recording Studio; Purchasing a Grand Piano for the Theatre and an upright piano for the Music department. We anticipate reaching 800 learners by the end of 2015 and have identified the need to further expand our covered outdoor facilities. Following the move of the School Leadership Office we need to remodel the Administration block to facilitate an increased staff in that area, in particular we need to expand the Student Services and Admissions area.
ICT Due to re-organisation of resources, all learners in years 1 and 2 switched to a 1-1 iPad programme based upon a year long review of their use of the MacBooks. After a successful trial of iPads in Mile Post 1 we have introduced a programme whereby every learner has an iPad available to use all the time in order to capture, create and collaborate in the classroom with this intuitive technology. This has enabled learners in year 4 to gain access to trolley MacBooks on a 1-1 basis and also given access to a combination of trolley MacBooks and iPads in year 3 - our currently chosen ‘bridging year’. We have further developed our platforms of Apple OS and Google Apps for Education by adding a range of free educational applications to work with these platforms. Our staff have become more adept at using these technologies due to their continued use. The use of ICT for learning has been developed with the introduction of an ICT strategy group, incorporating staff from almost all departments across the school, both Primary and Secondary. This group is focusing on improving technology use
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through working with the ICT Integrators and ensuring that all staff get access to appropriate training for their school area.
RM 1.8 Million On School Improvements Included • • • • • • • • •
Repainting the exterior of the building; Opening a further Biology lab; opening a Sports Lab including Multi Gym; Creating flexible spaces for Secondary learners on level 4; Opening a common room for the IB learners; Installing additional basketball hoops in the Gymnasium/Sports Hall; Renovating and developing outdoor spaces to provide more play areas; Laying a new surface on the EY playground; Adding outdoor play equipment on the field for older Primary learners; Relocating of the School Leadership team offices;
The new Bus Provider WeCome2U has received more positive feedback from parents than in previous years, although we recognise there is still some room to get even better. Tender for renewal of the catering contract was sent out and there was Community involvement in the food tasting sessions. SHF were reappointed as the Caterers for Nexus
Annual Review 2014
Embracing Diversity. Challenging Minds.
but with the promise of substantial changes including more food choices such as a noodle bar and a new Nexus Café. Calms Technologies have been contracted to introduce a one card system in the new academic year for attendance, use instead of cash in the cafeteria and school shop and for photocopying. The card will also be a library card. It will enhance our security and be more convenient for learners.
nexus.edu.my
13
SCHOOL FACILITIES & RESOURCES
• • •
SCHOOL GOVERNANCE, LEADERSHIP & MANAGEMENT
Upgrading the sound and lighting system; Building 3 new instrumental teaching rooms and a Recording Studio; Purchasing a Grand Piano for the Theatre and an upright piano for the Music department. We anticipate reaching 800 learners by the end of 2015 and have identified the need to further expand our covered outdoor facilities. Following the move of the School Leadership Office we need to remodel the Administration block to facilitate an increased staff in that area, in particular we need to expand the Student Services and Admissions area.
ICT Due to re-organisation of resources, all learners in years 1 and 2 switched to a 1-1 iPad programme based upon a year long review of their use of the MacBooks. After a successful trial of iPads in Mile Post 1 we have introduced a programme whereby every learner has an iPad available to use all the time in order to capture, create and collaborate in the classroom with this intuitive technology. This has enabled learners in year 4 to gain access to trolley MacBooks on a 1-1 basis and also given access to a combination of trolley MacBooks and iPads in year 3 - our currently chosen ‘bridging year’. We have further developed our platforms of Apple OS and Google Apps for Education by adding a range of free educational applications to work with these platforms. Our staff have become more adept at using these technologies due to their continued use. The use of ICT for learning has been developed with the introduction of an ICT strategy group, incorporating staff from almost all departments across the school, both Primary and Secondary. This group is focusing on improving technology use
12
nexus.edu.my
through working with the ICT Integrators and ensuring that all staff get access to appropriate training for their school area.
RM 1.8 Million On School Improvements Included • • • • • • • • •
Repainting the exterior of the building; Opening a further Biology lab; opening a Sports Lab including Multi Gym; Creating flexible spaces for Secondary learners on level 4; Opening a common room for the IB learners; Installing additional basketball hoops in the Gymnasium/Sports Hall; Renovating and developing outdoor spaces to provide more play areas; Laying a new surface on the EY playground; Adding outdoor play equipment on the field for older Primary learners; Relocating of the School Leadership team offices;
The new Bus Provider WeCome2U has received more positive feedback from parents than in previous years, although we recognise there is still some room to get even better. Tender for renewal of the catering contract was sent out and there was Community involvement in the food tasting sessions. SHF were reappointed as the Caterers for Nexus
Annual Review 2014
Embracing Diversity. Challenging Minds.
but with the promise of substantial changes including more food choices such as a noodle bar and a new Nexus Café. Calms Technologies have been contracted to introduce a one card system in the new academic year for attendance, use instead of cash in the cafeteria and school shop and for photocopying. The card will also be a library card. It will enhance our security and be more convenient for learners.
nexus.edu.my
13
MARKETING & COMMUNICATION
• • • • • • • • • • • • •
Theme 1. Curriculum & Learning
The Expat, Going places (Malaysia Airlines Magazine), Southeast Asia Globe Magazine, Kiosk International Magazine, Jet Star Airlines Magazine, Travel 3Sixty (Air Asia Magazine), Fireflyz (Firefly Inflight Magazine), Expatriate Lifestyle, IB World School Yearbook 2014, Expatriate Lifestyle Essential Education, Nangoku Shimbum (Japanese Newspaper), Panora (Japanese Newspaper), 2015 Mint Calendar (Month: June 2015).
Improved Value Added for examination results through more rigorous tracking of learner progress. Embed the schoolwide learner mind sets and competencies in the curriculum documentation and delivery as articulated in the Neuron, PATS and IB learner profile and include these in reports to parents.
Theme 2. Teacher Learning / Professional Development & Accountability
Digital Advertising
Continue to develop professional learning communities and embed a range of strategies including learning walks, looking for learning and formal observations to develop teacher expectations and accountability against the Teacher Performance Standards.
i-property and The Expat.
Billboard Advertising Mex Highway, Besraya Highway and Ara Damansara Highway. The need to establish a strong presence and good reputation in the International and local community is essential. The Nexus brand is built on its mission and promise of inclusive, holistic, innovative and progressive education that is International in outlook. External and internal communication needs to be consistent in its reiteration and demonstration of this. Our reputation as a good school is growing with almost all enquiries reported to be due to word of mouth. However in an increasingly competitive landscape we increased our market presence through a number of strategies:
School Tours Total enquiries were 1019. (School tour 709, enquiry by phone 133 and enquiry by email 177).
•
Participated in the Private and International Schools Fair in Mid Valley. Attended international education exhibition at Brunei and Tokyo, Japan with the purpose of increasing enrolment.
Print Advertising •
Theme 4. Student Wellbeing
Theme 7. Marketing & Communication
Develop consistent use of Restorative Practices and engage learners and parents in an understanding of these.
Establish Nexus as a leading school in the region by hosting Conferences and other high profile events. Develop parents as advocates for the school through parent organised events.
Theme 5. School Facilities & Resources Facilities must be able to accommodate the needs of teaching and learning as defined by innovative teaching and learning practices. By the end of 2014-15 we anticipate reaching 800 learners and will need to develop our covered outdoor facilities and Administration block.
A 2013-16 ICT strategy is in place support the learning of the entire community, be it learners, teachers or parents. The key challenges of the Nexus ICT strategy are the following: • • •
Theme 6. School Governance, Leadership & Management
Website
•
nexus.edu.my
Continue to look for opportunities to engage with the wider community through embedding service learning throughout the school. Further engage the parent community through workshops and forums.
Attended international agent recruit fair at Delhi, India & Hanoi, Vietnam with purpose of getting agents to recruit more students to join in Nexus.
Boarding video made by learners added.
3 times Open Week in a year (3rd November till 7th November 2013; 10th March till 15th March 2014 and 26th May till 30th May 2014) Boarding Open Days (1st December till 14th December 2013).
Theme 3. School & Community Involvement
Agent Recruit Fair
Open Week •
14
Education Fairs •
STRATEGIC PRIORITIES 2014-15
Improve Communication with parents by ensuring that all curriculum and other documentation is visible and easily accessible via the intranet. Engage parents in the CIS accreditation process.
Education Destination Malaysia International & Private School Guide 2014-15,
Annual Review 2014
Embracing Diversity. Challenging Minds.
• •
To support and encourage independent learning and critical thinking To support and encourage collaborative learning and coconstruction To truly integrate technology so that is seen as part of the curriculum and enhances learning To support learning beyond the classroom - both ‘anytime, anywhere’ and also with learners in different locations (i.e. collaboration with learners from other countries) Giving learners the skills to make use of ICT tools to create and publish content
All learners need to be connected in order for this strategy to succeed.
nexus.edu.my
15
MARKETING & COMMUNICATION
• • • • • • • • • • • • •
Theme 1. Curriculum & Learning
The Expat, Going places (Malaysia Airlines Magazine), Southeast Asia Globe Magazine, Kiosk International Magazine, Jet Star Airlines Magazine, Travel 3Sixty (Air Asia Magazine), Fireflyz (Firefly Inflight Magazine), Expatriate Lifestyle, IB World School Yearbook 2014, Expatriate Lifestyle Essential Education, Nangoku Shimbum (Japanese Newspaper), Panora (Japanese Newspaper), 2015 Mint Calendar (Month: June 2015).
Improved Value Added for examination results through more rigorous tracking of learner progress. Embed the schoolwide learner mind sets and competencies in the curriculum documentation and delivery as articulated in the Neuron, PATS and IB learner profile and include these in reports to parents.
Theme 2. Teacher Learning / Professional Development & Accountability
Digital Advertising
Continue to develop professional learning communities and embed a range of strategies including learning walks, looking for learning and formal observations to develop teacher expectations and accountability against the Teacher Performance Standards.
i-property and The Expat.
Billboard Advertising Mex Highway, Besraya Highway and Ara Damansara Highway. The need to establish a strong presence and good reputation in the International and local community is essential. The Nexus brand is built on its mission and promise of inclusive, holistic, innovative and progressive education that is International in outlook. External and internal communication needs to be consistent in its reiteration and demonstration of this. Our reputation as a good school is growing with almost all enquiries reported to be due to word of mouth. However in an increasingly competitive landscape we increased our market presence through a number of strategies:
School Tours Total enquiries were 1019. (School tour 709, enquiry by phone 133 and enquiry by email 177).
•
Participated in the Private and International Schools Fair in Mid Valley. Attended international education exhibition at Brunei and Tokyo, Japan with the purpose of increasing enrolment.
Print Advertising •
Theme 4. Student Wellbeing
Theme 7. Marketing & Communication
Develop consistent use of Restorative Practices and engage learners and parents in an understanding of these.
Establish Nexus as a leading school in the region by hosting Conferences and other high profile events. Develop parents as advocates for the school through parent organised events.
Theme 5. School Facilities & Resources Facilities must be able to accommodate the needs of teaching and learning as defined by innovative teaching and learning practices. By the end of 2014-15 we anticipate reaching 800 learners and will need to develop our covered outdoor facilities and Administration block.
A 2013-16 ICT strategy is in place support the learning of the entire community, be it learners, teachers or parents. The key challenges of the Nexus ICT strategy are the following: • • •
Theme 6. School Governance, Leadership & Management
Website
•
nexus.edu.my
Continue to look for opportunities to engage with the wider community through embedding service learning throughout the school. Further engage the parent community through workshops and forums.
Attended international agent recruit fair at Delhi, India & Hanoi, Vietnam with purpose of getting agents to recruit more students to join in Nexus.
Boarding video made by learners added.
3 times Open Week in a year (3rd November till 7th November 2013; 10th March till 15th March 2014 and 26th May till 30th May 2014) Boarding Open Days (1st December till 14th December 2013).
Theme 3. School & Community Involvement
Agent Recruit Fair
Open Week •
14
Education Fairs •
STRATEGIC PRIORITIES 2014-15
Improve Communication with parents by ensuring that all curriculum and other documentation is visible and easily accessible via the intranet. Engage parents in the CIS accreditation process.
Education Destination Malaysia International & Private School Guide 2014-15,
Annual Review 2014
Embracing Diversity. Challenging Minds.
• •
To support and encourage independent learning and critical thinking To support and encourage collaborative learning and coconstruction To truly integrate technology so that is seen as part of the curriculum and enhances learning To support learning beyond the classroom - both ‘anytime, anywhere’ and also with learners in different locations (i.e. collaboration with learners from other countries) Giving learners the skills to make use of ICT tools to create and publish content
All learners need to be connected in order for this strategy to succeed.
nexus.edu.my
15