Dear Parents

A shorter week rarely means a quieter one at ISB, and this week was no exception. We returned to school on Tuesday after the long weekend, alongside not only our fantastic Qatar MUN students (see below), but also the stars of the Senior Games which had taken place in Pattaya, Thailand over the weekend. Our IB Options Evening was a great success on Tuesday evening, as was the good turnout at the Y11 and Y13 Parents’ Evening on Wednesday, and the week concluded with a special meeting for the parents of the U13 FOBISSEA team, whose Pattaya adventure is now only weeks away. Never a dull moment here!

CEM Testing

Year 7, 8 and 10 students have started the process of baseline testing this week, and this will continue throughout next week.  The test we are now using as a whole school is produced by the world-renowned CEM Centre at the University of Durham in the UK, and enables the school to develop a full picture of every student’s strengths and areas for development. Crucially, it allows us to set subject-specific targets for every student, and to track each student’s progress towards those targets – ensuring we can intervene at the very point that a student begins to underachieve, or reward and praise precisely at the time a student deserves it most. This is all part of the personalised service we aim to provide, supporting parents and students through their learning journey.

MUN Qatar

6 students from Year 12, accompanied by Caroline Haas (Head of History) and Stephen Holmes (Deputy Principal), attended ISB’s 4th year participating in Georgetown University’s Model United Nations Conference in Doha, Qatar. Our students represented countries from Nepal to Norway, debating and drafting resolutions on topics such as Standards for Intervention, Rights of Indigenous People and Phasing out Nuclear Energy. Our students gained a huge insight into the world of international politics and policy-making.  Over 350 students attend this prestigious conference each year and, with a ‘one country, one school’ application process, we felt honoured once again to be invited. Thanks to Mrs Haas for helping to make it all happen, and a special well done to all the students involved: Sujith, Natasha, Rachel, Rosy, Hakim and Justin. A special mention must go to Natasha for receiving an honourable mention as best delegate for her work in the Security Council. She was even woken up for her country Azerbaijan to deal with a crisis at 12.30am! Many of the 6 students will soon take a leading role in ISB’s 10th Annual BGIC in March. We wish them every success!

Year 11 “Study Club”

This week we will have 28 Year 12 volunteers assisting Year 11 students with their studies as a part of ISB’s Study Club. The purpose of this program is for Y11 students currently struggling to achieve the crucial A*-C in their GCSE mock examinations to meet once a week with a specifically assigned older student from Year 12. Their “Senior Study Buddy” will help them work on a) general study skills; and b) any specific areas of weakness within subject areas. While this program will not be compulsory, once students have enlisted with the permission of their parents, attendance and progress will be monitored by David Bracken (Pastoral Coordinator for Year 10/11). Next week, the program will be opened up to all Year 11 students who are interested in receiving extra tuition. If you wish for your child to be included as a part of this Study club program, please encourage them to see Mr. Bracken for a permission slip, or contact him via the PC’s office (2330608 ext. 54).

Challenge Week

We have had a great response from students and parents regarding the exciting array of Challenge Week trips planned for June, and over 120 students are confirmed on trips so far.  The Miri Rainforest Lodge trip for Year 7,8 & 9 is full, but places are available on all other trips.  Please note: Like the other trips, the Sumbiling Eco Village trip can also be paid by installments – with a deposit of $100 by Wednesday 15th February 2012; the first payment of $150 by 14th March 2012; and the second payment of $100 by 20th April 2012. The deadline for all trips has been extended until Wednesday 15th February 2012 for initial deposits.  For those trips outside of Brunei flights will be booked based on the numbers confirmed at this time and it may not be possible to add further names to the trips.  Should you have any specific questions about any of the trips, please do not hesitate to contact the specific trip leader; any general questions can be directed to Richard Tyler (Head of Residence) at residence@isb.edu.bn. We are grateful for your support of this exciting initiative.

Next Week

Next week brings with it our ‘mid-year’ Awards Assembly, which will take place on Thursday afternoon. This is the perfect opportunity for us all to reflect on the myriad successes and amazing achievements the secondary student body have enjoyed since August, and not to shy away from honouring some of the very best on stage in front of the whole Secondary School. There are some new awards this year, and we have also piloted an online facility for staff to give their nominations, so I am hopeful that it is even more motivating and rewarding for students than ever before. At the end of next week comes the first event run by the new Student Voice group, the ISB Valentine’s Social, which promises to be a resounding success, thanks largely to the hard work of Natasha Birimac, Isaac Reid and their dedicated Student Voice team. In the meantime, I wish you all, on behalf of all the students and staff at ISB Secondary, a restful and enjoyable weekend with your families.

Best wishes

Matthew Savage
Secondary Principal