High School Week 9 Newsletter
9th March 2019
Dear Parent/Guardian,
We have successfully come to the end of week 9 of this term. It has been a busy week for our students with many activities around the school. The book week ushered us into the thrill of it all with students and teachers all reading for ten minutes before every lesson on Monday. There were book stalls where students could purchase new titles in the market and there was also a book donation drive where students brought to school books they had already read to be given to charity. The icing on the cake really were the story-telling sessions from Maimuna and her team, which left the students euphoric and barely able to snap out of their trances as they left to attend the rest of the day's lessons.
Celebrating an ardent reading culture
This week truly was one to be remembered. The week long event is an annual celebration that takes place at our school. It is an event that connect readers with books and celebrate the joy of reading. What exactly took place during book week?
The experience brought about vocabulary expansion, mental stimulation, thinking skills, better writing skills, focus and concentration. Such activities encourage reading culture.
Reading is more important than you might think. Learning to read is about listening and understanding as well as working out what is printed on the page. Through hearing stories, children are exposed to a wide range of words. This helps them build their own vocabulary and improve their understanding when they listen, which is vital as they start to read.
Learning to read is a sequential process; each new skill builds on the mastery of previously learnt skills. Early on, for example, children learn to break down words into their most basic sounds in a process called decoding. A good reader for me is someone who does not read a lot but reads carefully and understands the things written. By Tamasha M. & Rhea S. Press Club Members
Opposite Day
Making its maiden debut this week was the celebration of opposite day, where teachers were students and vice versa. There was great excitement prior to the day as students strategized on how to fill the shoes of their teachers (and subtly get back at them). It was hilarious to see every all teachers dressed up in students uniform. The students shone impeccably in their formal wear and the day was splendid.
The day was aimed at harnessing the students leadership skills and creating a more homogeneous learning environment at the school. As well, students were allowed an opportunity to sharpen their research skills as they prepared to teach the lessons, and applied teamwork in the management of the school.
Here are some views of the day:
"I had a chance to appreciate the pressure students feel when they have to hand in work and they were not able to complete due to genuine reasons. I will definitely be more empathetic towards my learners." Mr. Leonard M.
"Students go through a lot and many times, teachers are unaware of these struggles as they focus on meeting their own teaching objectives. This event has been extremely eye opening and I hope we do it again soon." Ms. Lydia M.
A special thanks to the leaders of the day:
Middle School
Headteacher Marilyn L.
Deputy Academics Krishan L.
Serah N.
Deputy Pastoral Owen G.
Japheth O.
Middle School Coordinator Junaid C.
Saphie A.
Zyaan R.
Year Group Coordinator
Year 7 Nicole S.
Year 8 Kundai M.
Year 9 Noemie N.
Upper School
Headteacher Keith W.
Deputy Academics Salama O.
Deputy Pastoral Stephanie W.
Austin K.
Upper School Coordinator Nthemba L.
Year Group Coordinator
Year 10 Anne J.
Year 11 Vivian M.
Year 12/13 Eileen A.
From the Sports Desk
The under 15 girls football A team won Brookhouse A 1-0 while under 15 girls football B team won Brookhouse B 1-0 . Under 15 girls hockey drew 0-0 vs Hillcrest. Under 15 Basketball lost 31-27 to Hillcrest. We look forward to KAIISSO Under 15 boys and girls finals this Saturday.
Wishing you a good weekend.
Regards,
Ms. Doreen Karau
Year 10 Group Coordinator
