We’re home! It is truly wonderful to have all grades finally back with us on campus. My thanks to all our parents who have been so patient and understanding as we navigated our return to campus over the past few months. We know it has not been easy, especially for the parents of our younger learners and we thank you for supporting your child’s learning. I am happy to report that students have transitioned well, are following SOPs, and judging by the smiles on their faces they are enjoying being back – as are our teachers! There is a very special connection that takes place in the classroom and our faculty are so happy to be teaching in-person again.
It’s been a busy week on campus with many of our High School students involved in the Interscholastic Association of Southeast Asia Schools (IASAS) Cultural Convention. IASAS involves six international schools in Southeast Asia and is recognized as one of the premier international school activities and athletics conferences in the world. This year, the Film and Art CulCon was hosted by the International School of Bangkok and the Model United Nations Conference by the Singapore American School. We are so proud of our students who represented our school and collaborated virtually despite the challenging circumstances. IASAS is a wonderful opportunity for students to meet and compete with their peers in the region and we are hopeful that next year we will be able to do this in person rather than virtually.
Congratulations also to ISKL’s Gaming Community on arranging the first-ever IASAS E-Sports Event. Teams from four of the IASAS schools competed last weekend and it is great to see ISKL taking the lead and organizing this event!
Our ES librarians have announced the four winners of our Two Sentence Scary Story Contest. The winners were selected from 126 scary stories and I love the creativity that students have used to create the scary mood so quickly. We so appreciate the role our librarians play in championing reading and sharing their love of books.
Our Middle School Counselors have scheduled a book talk on November 25 on The Teenage Brain: A Neuroscientist’s Survival Guide to Adolescents and Young Adults by Frances E Jensen and Amy Ellis Nutt. In their Middle School years, students experience physical, neurological, and emotional growth simultaneously and at a faster rate than at any other time. With so much change happening in both body and mind, it’s important to understand how to effectively connect and provide support during this vital stage of development.
In addition to the MS Book Talk, we have a wide range of events and activities for parents coming up over the next few weeks from ES information sessions on Returning to Campus (November 19) and Resilience (November 26) through to Post-secondary Planning for Grade 11 (November 17). Our parent calendar of events has been developed to create opportunities for all our parents to be actively involved in their child’s education and to enhance their own learning, skill sets, and well-being.
I very much hope you will be able to join me for the next in our HoS & Parents in Partnership series on Wednesday, November 17 when we will be discussing the practical ways we support the well-being, learning, and growth of our students.
In partnership
Rami Madani
Head of School
