Dear parents,
June is always the celebratory jewel in any international school’s crown, as we take time to celebrate with our students the culmination of their academic year of study, achievement, and progress. This year’s celebrations began on Friday evening, with a simply wonderful event to celebrate our International Baccalaureate Graduates. Our Secondary campus auditorium was a fitting venue to welcome our IB families and friends to share in this special occasion. For more on the event itself, please pop over to this week’s Secondary Update. Thank you to all parents, relatives and friends who attended the event, my thanks also to Mrs Holt, Mr Spanos, our IB Tutor team, and all teachers and support staff who made the day such a success for our Class of 2024!
Making these “Rites of passage” successful for our young learners
For all our learners, the coming weeks mark an important “rite of passage” in their learning journey. For most of them their return in August will mark a step-up in seniority within their campus, a move that indicates that they are progressing both in age and personal development – they are no longer a “Year 1”, “Year 3” or “Year 8” child – and will step into a year group that they had always thought of as “older”. For some, the move “up” also brings a move “away” from their familiar campus and classroom environments, transitioning from Early Years and Year 1 Sai Kung and, for our Year 6 learners, a significant move from Primary into Secondary.
Parents of these two key age groups will be very familiar with the support that is being provided as the end of term approaches: visits to the new campus, digesting information sent home about the curriculum, transport, the timings of their new school day, or their new uniform, and preparing their child for the new opportunities and challenges they will encounter in August.
Any of these changes can require quite a lot more independence on your child’s part, and it’s important that they feel confident in what they could do to help themselves if they are feeling restless, stuck or worried. For example, previously Reception or Year 1’s might have been able to take themselves over to a different area for a while and then come back to their learning, but next year they might need to patiently wait until help comes to them in the form of their TLA or teacher, or be encouraged to stick with the problem a little longer to find the solution for themselves. Add this to work that has naturally increased in complexity, and there’s plenty to keep them busy!
The good news is that research shows that the more children are exposed to change and different environments, the more resilient they are. So ultimately, changes in the way they are learning and new experiences are a positive thing for your child. Importantly these changes need to be presented as a challenge that we will be proud of them for undertaking, rather than something to be anxious or worried about. They should also be given plenty of reassurance around the changes, as having a sense of being completely supported through the process will give them the confidence they need at this time.
Parents can help the school greatly in providing this reassurance. Communicating regularly with your child regarding next year, and reinforcing positive messages about the new school environment they will encounter (different campus or teacher, new classmates, new subjects, exciting new topics, ECA’s and residentials) will help them process things well before August arrives. Listening to your children, and providing them with opportunities to discuss the new academic year and returning to school after the summer will also help by highlighting their hopes and also some of their concerns, and provide parents with time to seek support or offer immediate reassurance themselves.
This conversation, of course, continues on into August and beyond, with parents encouraging their child to share their school-based experiences, and using these informal “chats” to help form a picture of how well they are coping with change, establishing new relationships, and embracing new challenges. To support you, the school will always be at hand to respond to your questions, pass on important information about your child’s new setting, and provide opportunities to speak to the school staff and to meet your child’s new class or subject teachers. We warmly welcome every opportunity to reinforce and develop the strong partnerships we have with home, and will do everything possible to secure the most successful start to the new academic year for learners of all ages.
Parents seeking more guidance or support regarding transition for next year should contact their class teacher, Head of Year, or a member of the school leadership team for more information.
Wishing you all a successful week ahead.
Kind regards,
Kenny Duncan
Principal
