Here is my welcoming address from Graduation:

Graduates, Your Excellency, parents, teachers, Board members and friends welcome to the Graduation Ceremony for the class of 2022. It has been 3 years since I stood on this stage. Students are back on the stage, we have a much larger audience for the climax of an outstanding day of celebration including this morning’s brunch and parade. However, whatever the venue the reason for us being here, as it always has been, is to celebrate the closing of the KISU chapter of our Graduates’ education and the opening up of another exciting and wonderful chapter in the lives of these fantastic young people.

I am going to take just a few seconds and speak about some people who are not graduates and are often forgotten when it comes to Graduation. They have many different jobs, they can be counsellors, chefs, chauffeurs, loan companies (although the people they lend money to hardly ever pay it back!). They deal with sickness, they make sore knees better, and they buy ridiculously expensive mobile phones. They do all of this and so much more. Since our Graduates are extremely bright people they will know that I am talking about their parents. So guys once your day is done and you have celebrated this special day, find a quiet time and say the two words that all of us don’t say often enough “Thank you”.

Now back to our Graduates.

As our Graduates move on to their next adventure: How do you feel? Do you feel scared? “I am going into the unknown and I don’t know what to do!” Do you feel excited? “I am going to do the things I have always wanted to do” Do you feel empowered? “Whatever I want to do I am going to make it happen?” Probably a little of all three! Which is a good thing.

It is traditional for the School Director to include a few appropriate quotations that will hopefully inspire the Graduates. Here are just a few:

The first quotation I would like to share with you comes from Martin Luther King Jr. He said…….

“Intelligence plus character is the goal of true education.” The class of 2022 undoubtedly have intelligence and they are all of good character so we have all achieved our goal.

The second quotation is one I whole heartedly recommend that all are graduates try to follow. It is from American basketball coach John Wooden.

“Do not let making a living prevent you from making a life.”

Just think about that for a moment. “Do not let making a living prevent you from making a life.”

My final quote is short and comes from Gabby Gifford an American Politian

“Be bold, be courageous, be your best.”

Staying with traditions it is also traditional for the School Director to give advice for your future so here goes:

Make the most of every opportunity. At KISU we have tried to provide you with a holistic education full of opportunities but we have been hampered by COVID. However, whatever we have to offer at school is nothing compared to what will be available to you in the future. The world is truly like a giant buffet. Try a little of everything, particularly things you have never tried before. Don’t let old people like me tell you that youth is wasted on the young. Make the most of it. Be a risk taker in the true IB way.

Stay in touch with your friends, they are and will remain an important part of your life. But don’t let that stop you making new friends. Seek out interesting people. If you are doing an Engineering degree look for somebody studying Literature or Philosophy they will bring new and interesting ideas to your life and help you grow as a person.

Always remember that you are better than you think you are. Your life experiences will be so much broader than many of the other students around you. Don’t be shy, be proud. Tell people how fantastic it was to grow up in Africa. Don’t be afraid to be different – it’s a good thing.

Whilst the world has many wonderful opportunities it also has its darker side. You owe it to yourselves to speak out when you see things that you know are wrong. Average people find problems, amazing people find solutions. Be strong and be brave.

My final piece of advice is one of the best pieces of advice I have ever been given and it is quite simply “make sure to listen to everybody’s advice and then you do what you think is right”

I am always told I talk too much and to not talk for too long so I am going to bring my opening remarks to a close and say on behalf of everybody who has been involved in our Graduates KISU education - Thank you class of 2022 it has been an honour and a pleasure to have you all in our school and as part of the KISU family. I will end with one of my favourite quotations from Professor Michael Josephson “Take pride in how far you’ve come. Have faith in how far you can go. But don’t forget to enjoy the journey.”

What a busy week it has been. These last few weeks are flying by! With so much packed in, it will be the end of term in a flash, however, here's a 'heads up' and list of 'things' planned for the next 3 weeks which will be communicated in more detail before they happen...

Next week is Assessment Week. Teachers will carry out short summative tests in Maths, Reading, Spelling and Grammar. Your child's results will help teachers to future plan for your child's learning. Test results will be shared with you as part of your child's end of year report which will go home the week beginning 13th June.

Teachers are currently writing your child's report; once this has been shared, please contact your child's teacher if you wish to discuss anything in the report in more depth. Teachers will be free after school and will be pleased to hear from you if you so wish.

• Sports Day is on 2nd June (weather permitting) on the school field. Parents are very welcome to come and watch, cheer and support. Your child needs to wear their house t-shirt. Times are as follows:
• Early Years 8:30 - 9:30am
• Key Stage 1 (Years 1 and 2) 10:00am - 12:00noon
• Key Stage 2 (Years 3,4,5,6) 1:00pm - 3:00pm
• Public Holiday - Friday 3rd June - School Closed.
• Week beginning 6th June is Outdoor Ed trips for some year groups.
• Public Holiday - Thursday 9th June - School Closed.
• Year 2 Assembly Friday 10th June @ 2:35pm, Year 2 parents welcome.
• KG3 trip - Friday 10th June.
• Monday 13th June - International Day - more information to follow.
• Tuesday 14th June - 'Move up/Step up Day' for children to spend some time with their 'next years teacher'.
• Thursday 16th June - Leavers Assembly, parent's of leavers warmly invited.
• Year 1 Assembly Friday17th June @ 8.00am, Year 1 parents welcome.
• Friday17th June Last Day of the school year - school closes @12noon.

Before I showcase some of the fantastic classroom learning from this week, I have to mention some sports news as the U11 basket ballers (girls and boys) are still bouncing around school with huge smiles on their faces following their joint victory over Ambrosoli on Tuesday.

Both teams simultaneously entertained the crowds (I didn't know which match to watch as both matches were so exciting, I kept running between the sports hall and the basket ball court!) Our talented sports players really showed the opposition that they weren't prepared to lose on home turf. Their possession of the ball limited any chance of Ambrosoli taking the lead and although the boy's score ended up tight with a 19-18 win, we were never in danger of losing or drawing as at one point we were 7 points ahead! The girls however completely thrashed their opponents with a runaway victory in the same style as they did last Saturday at ISU! I wonder if we should play our U11 boys against our U11 girls to give both teams stronger competition since we are just too good against other schools!

Our U9 boys basket ball teams also deserve a mention as they proudly represented the school last weekend in a Basketball Bonanza held at Heritage. They played numerous matches as part of a 'round robin' event and fought hard in every game. Ms Cathy passed on that she was very proud of all the boys and they were all excellent ambassadors for our school.

Maybe it's all the healthy vegetables that we are putting into our bodies that is making us so fit and healthy and the school to beat in sports?

With some encouragement and coaxing, children really are making healthy choices at lunch time. There was a time when the vegetable and salad trays looked very untouched after lunch serving, however, I am pleased to say that many children's plates now have a burst of colour amonst their beige carbohydrates.

Or maybe it's because we start them so young to know the importance of exercise and the fun of keeping fit and healthy?

Early Years children are still focusing on athletic activities this term. They have been exploring running, jumping and throwing activities, and taking part in fun, simple challenges and competitions. They have also been experimenting with different ways of travelling, increasing their awareness of space, speed and distance. Check out the smiles on these guys!

Year 6 students presented their relief maps this past Friday. In their studies of Africa and its physical geography, students were tasked to map elevation and key geographical features of either a specific African nation or the continent as a whole. It was wonderful to see the Year 6’s use their creativity and presentation skills to convey their understanding of physical geography. It was also reassuring to see how strong their time-management skills were; a skill they will depend on as they move into Secondary School!

I love the teaching part of my role and I look forward to every session with my Year 1 and Year 2 artists! Over the past two weeks, the Year 2 children have looked at and studied the work of Cathy Hicks (an artist well known for her paintings of trees from a different perspective). After lying on the playground and looking up at the trees around our campus, the children gained a good understanding of 'one point perspective' and what a 'vanishing point' is (no we weren't playing 'sleeping lions' during our learning time!) The children noticed how the tree trunks began fatter at the bottom and then slimmed towards the canopy and how the branches looked bigger the closer they were to the ground. We also discussed ways to make our 'tree artwork' look 3D instead of flat to create form. Here's the Year 2 children's Cathy Hicks inspired artwork using paint, pastels and some finger painting fun! Better than Cathy Hicks' work!

KG1/2: Carla for her open mindedness and Elsa for being a reflective learner.

KG3: Kizza for being openminded and Lina for sharing great knowledge.

Reception: Philipp for risk taking and Constance for knowledge.

Brilliant effort all, very well deserved!

This email from Ms Varsha made me smile...

'Hi Ms Wise, I received this award from from Jolina. Apparently I have been a good teacher THIS WEEK.'

Well done Ms Varsha, keep it up! Maybe you can get one for being a good Reception Teacher next week too!!!!! :)

Thank you Jolina!

To everyone involved in making the DP2's Graduation such an incredible event and such an amazing day - WELL DONE, CONGRATULATIONS and THANK YOU!

Thank you too to all the Primary children who lined the walkways around the school campus, cheered for their older peers, gave roses and helped the DPs to celebrate their success. The parade was lovely, it united the school and showed the Primary students what their learning journey is all about. Here's a few videos for those who were not present to share with you the atmosphere of yesterday around school...

Music Recital

The KISU Music Recital is scheduled for Wednesday 8 June starting at 4.30pm for the Primary section and 5.15pm for the secondary Section. The recital will take place in the Secondary music room featuring a cross-section of students performing individually on a selection of instruments including violin, cello, guitar, piano, drums, recorder, voice, drums and many more. All are welcome to attend. The dress code for students is black and white.