With the final newsletter of the year, we have reached the end of our academic year 2021. As many have stated already, 2021 was another year dominated by the pandemic where we spend most of the time learning, teaching and leading online. I am not sure who would be brave or silly enough to express an expectation that 2022 will be a limitations-free year, as that would surely jinx it, but we do hope that next year will be a year in which people’s lives and livelihoods will be less affected and that we can spend our time in school, learning with each other.

As usual, our last week of the year was filled with events. We enjoyed the exit points for IEYC and IPC, children enjoyed their end-of-year festivities in class (and online) and we wrapped up the year with our parents via two coffee meetings online. Well… the term coffee-morning/evening still needed to be taken loosely in the hope that next year we will actually be having coffee or tea together again!

The end of the year also means the end of their time in our primary school for our year 6 children as they will be moving on to secondary school. As per our tradition (introduced by Miss Tania a few years back, their transition was marked by the annual COPC event (Ceremony Of Primary Completion). Ms. Tania, Mr. Stefano and I addressed the children with some parting words. Common themes were their demonstration of resilience over the past years and the abilities and skills they have developed to equip themselves to become successful learners in secondary school. All children present received their certificates whilst those at home will receive them soon. Good luck to our Y6 children, we are proud of you and thankful to have been part of your journey.

Over the past 2 weeks, we have visually welcomed a representative from Fieldwork London, the publisher and operator of our international curricula, the IEYC and the IPC. Over four meetings she studied the way we have implemented and taught the IEYC and the IPC. She spoke with learners, parents, teachers and the leadership team and virtually visited some lessons. That process will now lead to the primary school being granted the title of ‘Recognised IEYC/ IPC school’. Acquiring this level will now mean that we have qualified to enter the process to become an ‘IPC/ IEYC accredited school’ with an inspection visit planned for October 2022. We will keep you posted and share more information with you nearer to that time

This time of year is the time when we say goodbye to teachers and children who are leaving the school. As for members of our faculty, Ms. Cecilia, Ms. Rose, Ms. Vio, Ms. Malar and Ms. Natasha are leaving us to pastures new. We thank them for their commitment and hard work and all they have done for the children and the school. In term 2 we will be welcoming Ms. Annisa Pearce as our new assistant head of primary for KS2. She is currently still in London finalising the paperwork for her move to Malaysia. We will also be welcoming Ms. Lizen who will be our new EY teacher. We are finalising our recruitment for two teaching assistants and a year leader and will update you on those at the start of the 2022 academic year.

We also have some children who are leaving us at the end of this year. We wish them and their families all the best in their new environments and their new schools.

With that, we have come to the end of this newsletter and the end of the academic year 2021.