I hope you all had a restful Spring Break, even if you were not able to enjoy the holiday you might have originally had planned. We have reached the end of a unique week in which we have all had to adapt to Home Based Learning or ‘HBL’ and this week’s blog provides the opportunity for some initial reflection. This will also be the last written blog for some time as we move to ‘vlogging’ (video blogs) for the coming weeks. Watch out for our upcoming and regular video posts.
The week began with teacher in-service on Monday, following the Spring Break. Much of this time was used by High School teachers preparing for HBL which began on Tuesday. We were fortunate to be able to meet together on Monday and support each other as we enter the ‘circuit breaker’ period of working from home as well as run the first day of HBL on Tuesday with support at school. I would like to thank all the High School teachers for their hard work, dedication and commitment at this time in adapting to the needs of our students and ensuring their learning can continue. I have also been highly impressed with the student engagement through this week’s HBL. In the High School we continue to take lesson by lesson attendance of all the online lessons and attendance and punctuality to these sessions has been exemplary. At this early stage it is good to see productive working habits established. I encourage all students to continue to respond to their teachers and to the support that they are being provided. Unfortunately we have had to cancel many events scheduled for this term but we look forward to more normal times returning when we will also be able to celebrate all our achievements through this challenging time. Do please continue to check Managebac regularly for updates from the High School. Wishing you a restful weekend and a Happy Easter to those celebrating. Christopher Hayward This week the Grade 12 students completed their Language Acquisition Oral Assessments which form part of their final assessment grade for the IB Examinations. Well done to all students and a big thank you to their teachers for their efforts.
Throughout the week students have worked with the Mathematics Department to organise Pi related activities in celebration of Pi-Day - 14th March (3rd Month, 14th Day). The first activity was a competition in completing the Rubik’s cube. While we were all left amazed with the speed at which students were able to solve the puzzle, Jefferson was declared the winner with an astonishing time of just 32 seconds. If you blinked you missed most of it! On Friday Jackson in Grade 12 wowed us with his memory skills, reciting 74 digits of Pi in just 60 seconds. He was also the winner of reciting without a time limit, racking up mammoth 123 digits of Pi before beginning to struggle! Well done to all who participated and thank you to those who organised this opportunity for something a bit different! Do please continue to check Managebac regularly for updates from the High School. Wishing you a restful weekend, Christopher Hayward A busy week at Preston concluded with a fantastic music concert from our Grade 12 IB Diploma Music students. This concert forms part of their assessment to be sent to the IBO. We were delighted that parents, guardians and the wider ISS community were able to join us through the live stream on the school social media outlets - over 160 viewers joined us online! Seraphino, Joyce and Angelicia performed magnificently and as we enjoyed their talents we are not only proud of them but also of their teachers who have guided them to this point. Well done!
Earlier in the week our MYP Language Acquisition students in Grade 10 performed their oral assessments. These are an important aspect of the language courses in grade 10 and I would like to recognise the hard work and preparation not only by the students but also the teachers who carefully prepare for a smooth assessment which gives students the opportunity to demonstrate their language learning from the MYP course. Next week the Grade 12 Diploma Programme students will complete their oral examinations and have been hard at work preparing for these. Next week students, with support of the Mathematics department, have prepared Pi-Day events. These include a Pi quiz, a Pi reciting competition and also a competition to see who can submit the most creative way to demonstrate what Pi is! Look out for details on next week’s blog. Do please continue to check Managebac regularly for updates from the High School. Wishing you a restful weekend, Christopher Hayward The pictures on this week’s blog are of a student CAS project. Zixuan is one of our DP students and made lovely origami flowers to hand out to teachers and fellow students as a symbol of kindness and friendship. A lovely way to start a Friday!
Talking of CAS projects, Mr Whitehead our CAS coordinator completed his own CAS project as an exemplar to students on how to reflect and write up about their projects. Over the course of a year he kept all the plastic bottles that he used and built a giant sculpture. This was then written up on a website to share with the community. Do take a look: https://sites.google.com/a/iss.edu.sg/cas-project-2017/class-of-2020-cas-projects/mr-whiteheads-cas-projects/my-plastic-footprint-sculpture Ask the Diploma Programme students about their projects when you get the opportunity. Last week we also had a student organised FIFA competition after school in which our playstation and Xbox experts battled it out in a football tournament. This week we have continued with some of the virtual 3-way-conferences, focusing on Grade 10. Next week we will share details for Grade 11 conferences. ECAs continue at the High School with a wide range of activities and clubs that students are participating in. Do ask your child/ward about their activities beyond the classroom. Varsity sport fixtures have been cancelled due to the current COVID-19 precautionary measures. However, our teams haven’t lost their ‘Roar’ and look forward to competitive sports fixtures again once this is possible. Unfortunately we also had to cancel the IB Diploma Programme music concert held at the Esplanade Library. However, we have made alternative arrangements to hold the concert at the High School and are working on plans to live stream this so that families can still support the event from afar and enjoy the talent of our Grade 12 music students. This will be held on 6th March and details will be available through Managebac. Do please continue to check Managebac regularly for updates from the High School. Wishing you a restful weekend, Christopher Hayward This week our ISS High School Diploma students in Grade 11 explored the inner workings of an Apple MacBook computer as part of their Computer Science lesson. Some were quite surprised about the intricate design and fitting together of components inside! What a great hands-on lesson for these students to experience.
ECAs began this week at the High School. All students should be participating in at least one ECA, so do take the time to ask your child/ward about what they have been involved in this week. Teachers, students, parents and guardians experienced a new form of 3-way-conferences this week as Grade 12 parents/guardians, along with their child/ward, had a virtual meeting with the kampong teacher, for those who had requested this. This was in light of the recent postponement of the 3-way-conferences and has proved to be an excellent way to communicate in light of current restrictions. Grade 10 students will have this option for next week (see messages on Managebac for details) and the following week for Grade 11. The Grade 9 arrangements will be reviewed after this. Do please continue to check Managebac regularly for updates from the High School. Wishing you a restful weekend, Christopher Hayward This week’s blog post starts with a simple yet vibrant picture which I feel perfectly captures the excitement of learning and the colourful week had at the High School this week: This was during a pastoral care lesson in which students were thinking about managing uncertainty.
Other notable mentions in the High School from this week include Grade 12 starting a unit on 'Life Skills' as they prepare for the move beyond ISS in a few months. One of the classes enjoyed developing their cooking skills and then offered a taster to the teachers. Wishing you a restful weekend, Christopher Hayward In this week’s blog post I would like to give you a flavour of some of the activities that have been happening in lessons - accompanied by some photographic evidence!
Grade 9 Design students have been working on sketching their fashion ideas. Next steps include the production and then we look forward to seeing them on the catwalk! Grade 9 Korean Language & Literature students presented their posters on the study and analysis of different Korean theatre - great to see such enthusiasm in sharing the themes of the dramatic stories. Grade 10 students experimented with different electrical circuit designs in their Science lesson, with some rather complex wiring in some cases. Perhaps the renovation work has inspired their interest! Grade 10 Music students have been researching music from different cultures. In one of this week's pictures you can see Mana presenting to the class about Tango and dance from Argentina. This week we have also had students who are on a Leave of Absence join lessons through an online platform so they can video call with the class and teacher. I wish you all a restful weekend and look forward to sharing more learning experiences from High School lessons in the coming weeks. Christopher Hayward Welcome back following the Lunar New Year break. I trust that all those celebrating had an enjoyable festive period and were able to spend time with family at this important time of year.
Having completed the Preparation Examinations before the break for Grades 10 and 12, these students are now in their final few weeks of study before the external IB examinations in May. It has been enjoyable visiting a number of classes this week and seeing the engagement and enthusiasm in students’ learning. I would also like to highlight the great work by the Grade 10 students this week as they have researched healthy eating and diet habits, producing informative posters which have been placed around Block 5. Do see the photos attached! Please note there is a delayed start to the ECAs at the High School until at least 17th February. I wish you all a restful weekend, and a prosperous New Year! Christopher Hayward This week our Grade 10 and Grade 12 started their Prep Examinations, an important part of the preparation for their final exams in May. Students have been hard at work studying for these and they continue into next week.
Upon completion of these exams for Grade 10 they will have an orientation day on Wednesday as an introduction to Grade 11 and choosing their subjects for next year. ECAs at the High School will begin from Wednesday 29th January, please talk to your child/ward about their sign up which they should have now completed. There is a wonderful selection of activities and I thank all the organisers for running these. As an educational organisation from time to time ISS will facilitate internships such as trainee teachers, counsellors or librarians. Interns will be under the supervision of professionals and be mentored throughout their time with us. Currently there are two counselling interns training with us: Ms. Audrey Moh at High School and Ms. Tatianna Nasr at Paterson. Upcoming Events:
I wish you all a restful weekend, Christopher Hayward Happy New Year and welcome back as we begin 2020 and Semester Two at the High School.
A lot has happened on campus during the winter break. One of the classroom blocks, Block 2, has reopened following renovation and has provided 4 lovely new spaces to utilise. A number of classrooms have been moved around to accommodate the next phase of renovation, as Block 4 is prepared. Much of the campus has now returned to the traditional 'Black and White' decor and it is exciting seeing the progress made and anticipating how the campus will look come August! We welcomed 10 new students to the High School this week for semester two! We look forward to getting to know them better. From Monday our Grade 12 students will be sitting internal exams as part of their preparation for their final IB DP exam in May. These students will not follow their regular timetable. We have a number of upcoming events, please see the details below. An exciting semester ahead and I hope that you are looking forward to it as much as I am! Upcoming Events:
I wish you all a restful weekend, Christopher Hayward |
Christopher Hayward: High School Principal
Fiona Edwards: High School Assistant Principal
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