Preparing students for life. A message from the Headteacher Dear Parents, Students and Staff,
Only two weeks remain until the end of the academic year, and our students are as busy as ever. In Middle and High School many have just finished their exams, and throughout the Elementary School, students are working on the end of year concerts and finishing the year on a high. We are cautiously optimistic that we will be able to host an audience for these types of performances next year. Walking around the school is a real pleasure and a tangible demonstration that our pupils are not counting the days, but making the days count. I wish you all a restful weekend.
Mr Thompson Dates for your diary
Mon 14 & Tue 15 June Globeducate Virtual Debates, Y10 & Y8
Thu 17 June Elementary concerts begin
Wed 23 June Y12 TOK exhibition
Fri 25 June Last day of term 3. Classes end normally, full school day.
Mon 28 June Summer Camp starts. Request info.
Rehearsals for end of year shows underway Every year at the end of Term 1 (December) and Term 3 (June) Early Years and Elementary students entertain an auditorium full of parents, family and friends, with concerts that encompass all of the learning that has taken place.
As we are not yet able to host audiences for these multiple events, a recording of the shows will be shared with parents in the weeks following the performances.
Starting next Thursday 17th June and continuing until 24th June, each class from Transition upwards will hold a performance in the auditorium. The shows will involve every student and some will be linked to current units of inquiry, while others will bring together music, dance, video and drama.
Thank you to Ms Braghetta and Ms Vivanco for sharing the photos of the Transition and Year 1 rehearsals. Taking action beyond the classroom Plastic waste in our ocean
Sasha in Year 7B, together with Jurek, Antonio, Vincent (7A), Stanislaw (3S) and Bartek (4Y), are interested in making others aware of the problems of plastic waste.
Their work is currently on display on level 2 and it is in addition to a video trailer created by Sasha that features his own artwork and further highlights the effects of plastic pollution.
Here are some facts* that they would like you to reflect on:
⇒ 100 million marine animals die each year from plastic waste ⇒ In the past 10 years, we've made more plastic than in the last century ⇒ By 2050, the population of fish will be outnumbered by our dumped plastic ⇒ The largest trash site on the planet is the Great Pacific Garbage Patch, twice the surface area of Texas, it outnumbers sea life there 6 to 1 ⇒ 300 million tons of plastic gets created annually, and this weighs the same as the entire human population, and 50% of it is single-use only
*Source.
Well done to our students for the fantastic initiative they have shown! Year 1 are getting organised
For our last unit How We Organize Ourselves, Year 1 is looking at the different ways oceans are organised. We have explored the difference between salt and freshwater and tested whether the same things float in salt or freshwater. We looked at the characteristics of ocean animals versus land animals and made our own list of different adaptations for each set of animals. Using that information, we designed new ocean animals. Later on, we will write about these animals and their adventures. We have started researching some of our favourite ocean animals after asking interesting questions about them and we created our own gallery of ocean animals. What an incredible group of knowledgeable inquirers we have in Year 1! Ms Chidsey MHS WEEK 2 TIMETABLE 14 TO 18 JUNE 2021 Dear RIS Community,
It's been a very quiet and purposeful week with students completing their end of year examinations. Students have, generally, behaved well during this time and will, hopefully, have gained a great deal from the experience of taking a set of formal examinations. Teachers are now working hard to mark these papers and on completing end of year reports and I thank them in advance for their efforts.
We are working hard as a school community on plans for next year and we will of course confirm any changes with you before the end of the academic year.
I would like to remind families that completion of this examination week does not allow students to leave school early for their summer holidays. Students are to attend school until the end of the academic year. Failure to do so may result in students receiving unauthorised absences, which may affect overall attendance data for the year. I appreciate your combined support on this issue. Have a wonderful weekend.
Mr Mongare A message from the
Congratulations to everybody, exam week is over! However, there are still two busy weeks ahead of us. It is therefore of utmost importance that students attend all classes until the end of the school year. Year 12 will have their TOK exhibition on June 23rd. This is a very new aspect of the TOK course and we are all looking forward to seeing how students have implemented this component and, of course, this will be a learning experience for all of us. In these last two weeks, teachers will introduce the Internal Assessment in their subject and guide their students into the correct approach. Extended Essay plans and outlines have to be ready for a first draft to be written over summer. On Friday, June 18th at 14:15, Mrs Francesca Ricchi, novelist and poet, will meet our Year 12 Italian A and B students in the auditorium for a special talk.
Enjoy the weekend!
Ms El Sheikh Curriculum and Assessment Update
Dear All,
Congratulations to Years 7, 8, 10 and 12 for making it through Exam Week! I hope that everyone enjoys a well deserved rest this weekend.
As results start coming in, remember what I wrote about before; that these exams are a 'checkpoint' for where you are currently on your academic journey. The only bad mark or grade is one where you know that you could have done better by preparing more carefully. If you know that you did prepare well, then you should a) be proud of yourself and b) look at any mark or grade and see it as an indicator as to how close or far you are from your goal, and use your paper to work out what you need to focus on next.
Now that exams are done, teaching staff are turning their attention to the final set of reports for the year. So that you are aware, in Years 7, 8, 9 and 10, the attainment grade on the report will be made from 50% the End of Year Exam grade and 50% an average of the year. Conduct and effort grades, as well as the written comments will be an overview of the year as a whole. Year 12 reports will be the same regarding conduct, effort and comments, however the grade will be 100% their End of Year Exam grade. Reports will be issued on the last day of term.
With two more weeks left of term, use some of the time to reflect and set goals for the coming year. Also, enjoy each other's company before the long summer break!
All the best, Miss Bell The photos below show Year 7 in exam sessions Update on Class Photos Dear Parents, A reminder that this year, owing to various COVID-19 related limitations, the class photos will be shared with all families free of charge, in a high quality digital format. We have completed the process of sending the photos to parents in the Elementary and Middle School this week and this process will continue with Years 10 to 12 next week. Thank you! |