We could not have wished for a better start to the new school year. The JB Campus has had the most wonderful atmosphere all week as we welcomed back our staff, parents and students. New families and staff have settled in very well and our students have been incredibly happy.
Settling In
I have thoroughly enjoyed visiting classrooms this week speaking to students about their learning and checking in with them as they settle into their new classes. Over 100 new students have joined the Primary School and our student buddies have been incredible in supporting them to get comfortable and feel settled so quickly.
Our new staff have also made a great start in their first week and commented on how welcoming and happy the school has felt to them.
Assembly
Our character strength this week was appreciation and it formed the focus of our in person assemblies in our Main Hall today. Students were asked to reflect upon and appreciate the diversity of our community with almost 40 different nationalities within our student body. We shared with each other the languages we all speak and even taught one another some phrases in each other’s language. Puan Linda and Wan Rasidah, our Bahasa teachers, spoke to our students about Malaysia and, in particular, the importance of Merdeka and Malaysia Day.
Parents
One of the highlights this week has been the presence of parents on campus across the week. Our PTA has been amazing in organising coffee mornings in the deli. Our curriculum workshops for Years 1-6 have been very well attended and offered an initial insight into how we have strengthened our curriculum this year. We hope our parents will continue to support a very busy schedule of coffee mornings and workshops which will continue throughout the term. We have also really appreciated being able to greet our parents at the start and end of each school day.
Relationships
The main aspect of week 1 has been relationship building. This is taking place at every level of our community but probably most importantly between teachers and their students. Our teachers have held very detailed handover meetings with children’s previous class teachers and from day 1 of term they begin the crucial task of getting to know each and every student in their care. The foundation for all learning lies in the quality of relationships between each student and their teachers. For our teachers, this is an absolute priority and they will continue to provide care and attention to every student as we progress through the year.
Best wishes
Alan McCarthy
