I deeply believe that reading is, without doubt, the greatest gift and skill we can share with our students and take advantage of ourselves. Books can provide pathways for exploring experiences and emotions that are beyond our own world as well as helping us make sense of our own experiences. In addition to sparking our imagination and interest in new areas, reading also encourages us to share with others what we have learned, stimulates debate, and aids our understanding. Books are a bridge to forming connections with others.

This was the focus of a session with some of our Grade 3 classes this morning (April 22) who had the opportunity to enjoy ‘book-tasting’ and engage in a book club initiative that will see them explore and select books they would like to read and discuss. I felt very privileged to be invited to share my experiences about how reading has helped me connect with others, make a difference, learn and grow.

This morning’s session was a wonderful example of student agency in action with student voice and choice guiding their learning. You are likely to have frequently heard us say that learning is enhanced and enduring when students are engaged in authentic, relevant, and meaningful activities. This is not just theory – it is something we practice every day school-wide and the Earth Week activities which culminated today with a student-led Earth Fest were further examples of this in action.

In addition to Earth Week celebrations, High School also celebrated Spirit Week which was very much in sync with the wonderful news that we received granting us permission to hold our Graduation and Moving On Ceremonies on campus with parents able to attend. We were truly overjoyed by this news!

Panther Spirit was evident today with our final Senior Treats for the year taking place (pictured above). Thank you to our Grade 12 parents who have provided such wonderful support and demonstrated their care for our students. This time of year is one of transition. It heralds the celebration of many endings and new beginnings particularly for our Grade 12 students who have their minds focused on the future while their hearts are very much anchored in the present here at ISKL.  Next Wednesday (April 27), is their last official day of school and it is a bittersweet milestone for students (and parents!). We will miss them dearly, particularly their High School teachers and Administrators – it feels like members of our family are missing when we don’t get to see them each day. We wish them well for their IB exams which start next week and AP exams in May and very much look forward to celebrating with them at Graduation in June.

In partnership

 

 

 

Rami Madani
Head of School