Dear parent,

Our school commenced brightly like a new spring day last Monday. It was great to see. All this week, students and teachers have been telling me “It’s good to be back Mr Stefano”. That it is undoubtedly so!

The energy, the frisson and the excitement are palpable. All classes abound with the verve of life and learning. A walk around the school is indeed a journey into the rich tableau of human accomplishment and knowledge. An adventure that takes you, the traveller from the Canopic Jars of the Ancient Egyptians in Myths and Legends, to Picasso and Braque’s Cubism in Art, the Electric entry points, River flow and sedimentation. For those with the stomach then High abstract calculus or differentiation might be your thing. The Vietnam War and the folly of mankind are also put to the test and for those of you fed up with lockdown, then the finer points of the theory of the bio-mechanics of kicking a ball are studied in class. As you continue dear parent, a corner is turned and an ocean crossed and before you know it you might looking at wonders of the world or just as likely be introduced to “Linus the Minus'' as our Year 2 ‘Newtons’ get to grips with the various methods that a number may be subtracted.

From the 5th floor to the Ground, from the west wing to the north one, our students and teachers are engaged fully with exploration and discovery. Why does my balance sheet not look right? So that’s what an eyeball looks like? Future architects, lawyers, chefs, artists and game designers in the making. And it matters not what gender, nationality or background as the opportunity is there for all. Particularly relevant this week as it was International Women’s Day and the consciousness it brings of the hidden talent in all of your young ladies. How many girls around the world still don’t have this thinking in their society. We are fortunate in Malaysia to have expansive thinking.

You might be interested in a recent Video made by Taylor’s University on this very theme which was partly filmed on our own campus. It is a lovely message and one that I absolutely concur with. You can watch the full video here.

Thank you also for being part of our journey so far and thank you to the many of you that have written in with simple short messages to say how happy your children have been to be back in class. The responses from teachers are equally happy ones, such as one I read where “you have made my day” is a testament to this. Yes, the teachers here are putting their soul and passion and we academic and non-academic are working closely as a team to constantly improve the school.

And all the whilst, under this new normal. New rules and new ways of doing, what we do best. We indeed had a surprise visit from the MOE on Tuesday morning and they were praiseworthy of all our efforts to keep the TISPC as safe as can be. The school is safe, the school is alive and the school is ready for all of you to step back in with confidence.

We have all worked very hard to make this so and will continue to do so. I am looking very much so, to a fruitful remainder of the term and to having as many of you back. The journey to new exciting ports of learning and wisdom awaits us all. Let’s all embark as the boat is waiting.

Have a great weekend.