| Secondary Newsletter - March 2010 |
 |
 |
|
The aim of this newsletter is to support the regular information circulated through the Weekly Rainbow and give you an overview of some of the recent events and developments in the secondary school. In addition to secondary students, this newsletter has also been sent to Year 6 parents, who we hope are intending to bring their children to Secondary next year. This has been an extremely busy term in many different ways but much of our focus has been on preparing students in Years 11, 12 and 13 for their forthcoming Cambridge IGCSE, AS and A level examinations. Years 12 and 13 have just received the results of their mock examinations. Overall, the results were encouraging; a significant number of students achieved A grades in two or more subjects, whilst there were only a few individuals with U grades. For those who achieved highly, the main message is to guard against complacency and keep working, whilst for those at the other end there is still time to effect an improvement but this will require an urgent effort, as time is fast running out. Year 13 is the stepping stone to University and we are delighted that three of our students have been successful in gaining scholarships to help them pursue their studies in Higher Education. One of those who was successful in this regard is Mugabi Byenkya, who has had several offers, including one prestigious scholarship to study at the University of Kansas. For this particular student, this is more than well-deserved. In addition to his academic prowess and dedication, Mugabi has been an outstanding Head Boy, who has conducted himself in this role in an exemplary fashion. His success in achieving this scholarship reiterates a point we constantly make to students, which is that universities are interested not just in academic results but in students who are versatile, open-minded and have a knowledge that goes beyond their subject areas. It is to address this that we have the Key Skills programme for sixth-formers and a copy of this is attached for your information. The new Head Boy and Girl successors have been elected by the student body, Jovin Ssali and Vanessa Akinyange will assume their duties during the latter part of next term and we wish them success in their new and challenging roles. Year 11 will receive a full report at the end of this term, their last of the school year. For these students, the Easter break is absolutely critical in terms of their preparation, as there is a busy programme of practical and oral examinations in several different subjects scheduled to start during the first week of term. Every Year 11 student will be involved in at least two practical sessions and some in several more. Following these practical exams, the main session of written exams will start on Tuesday 11th May. The last day of formal teaching for Year 11 will be on Friday 7th May and it is most important that students maintain full attendance right up until this day. Year 11 students intending to continue their studies at Rainbow in Year 12, need to be aware that they will need at least 5 C grades or above at IGCSE, including Maths and English and that they will be required to attend an Induction Course at the beginning of Year 12. Year 11 parents are invited to the Options Evening on Thursday April 22nd, where they will receive more information about courses in Years 12 and 13. Students in Years 7, 8, 9 and 10 also have their own end of year exams to start thinking about. For a long time international schools were able to take the UK based SATs at the end of Year 9 but these are gradually being phased out. They are still available as optional tests but are now marked internally. To fill this void, Cambridge have been offering an assessment alternative at Key Stage 3 in the form of Cambridge Checkpoint, a series of exams in the core subjects of English, Maths and Science, which are taken in May and marked externally. We have decided that our Year 9 students will sit Checkpoint Exams this year, with the cost of entry for this year at least to be borne by the school. Checkpoint is designed to be a diagnostic tool that assesses the potential of a student to cope with IGCSE, compares the performance of our students with those in other international schools and will form an ideal bridge between our IGCSE programme and the Cambridge Primary Achievement tests currently being taken in Year 6. The Checkpoint tests at Rainbow will last for three days, starting on Monday 3rd May. Running in parallel with Cambridge Checkpoint, we will be guiding Year 9 students through the important process of choosing their optional subjects for Year 10. As well as the compulsory subjects of Maths and English, we offer a very wide range of subjects leading to IGCSE examinations at the end of Year 11. The choice of subjects should reflect the particular strengths and preferences of each individual child but should also be balanced and leave different options open in the future. Mr Biteetsigirwe is the Career’s Advisor who specialises in assisting Year 9 students with their choices but before any decisions are taken we seek your approval as parents and all Year 9 parents are invited to the Options Information Evening on Thursday 22nd April, where the various option choices will be explained. Year 7 is the first stage of Secondary School and the move from Primary represents an important step for each child. Naturally, we hope that our Year 6 parents will bring their children to Rainbow Secondary School and on Monday May 31st we will be holding the traditional Step-up Day, where Year 6 students are invited into the Secondary School to spend a day experiencing lessons with Secondary teachers in Secondary classrooms. The day continues with an open evening at the Rainbow Club, where Year 6 parents will be given a short presentation, introduced to Secondary teaching staff and given an opportunity to have questions answered. We have made no secret this year of our desire to see a high level of discipline amongst our students and to deal firmly with those who are reluctant to comply with the rules. It is pleasing to be able to report that cases of serious indiscipline have been rare and that for the most part, we are proud of the way our students conduct themselves, whether in school or outside at school events or on trips. We are also happy with the way most of the students wear their uniform but there are still a few who want to bend the rules. Specifically, girls who wear hair extensions must restrict themselves to a single plain colour; multicoloured hairstyles are forbidden. The other rule which is being increasingly strictly enforced is on socks. These must be plain black or blue and we expect students to comply with this requirement. It has been gratifying to hear some of the positive comments made about our students when they go out on school trips and educational visits. Whether representing the school in sports, going on camping trips or on the recent EAMUN trip to Kenya, our students often make a fine impression with their neat appearance and courteous behaviour. There have been so many events this term that it is hard to list them all but here are a few. The Zone newspaper made its first appearance of the year and one well worth waiting for. Like all good newspapers put together by the students themselves, solid and well-researched journalist pieces were intermingled with some rather more controversial contributions, with a bit of tittle-tattle thrown in for the less intellectually inclined readers. We look forward eagerly to the next issue. The English department joined with Primary to host a wonderful evening of poetry recitation, producing also a fine anthology of original poems from students, teachers and other members of the school community. The same department held a creative writing competition that yielded some sparkling and original work, though we would love to see more entries next year. The Music and Drama departments combined to give their IGCSE students an opportunity to practice their exam work in front of an audience, who delighted in the variety and quality of performances on show, not to mention the talent exhibited. It was then the turn of the SEN department to provide their parents with a splendid demonstration of skills and personal statements in an evening at the Rainbow Club. We had some memorable assemblies, not least when the Ugandan Wildlife Education Centre capped a most informative talk by introducing us to a four metre python, one of the bigger surprises of the year in more ways than one. But there were also some delightful dramatic presentations, with students giving each other important lessons from their PSHE programme in ways that educated but also entertained on topics such as personal hygiene and good study habits. Meanwhile, the busy and varied sporting programme continued unabated. As well as the competitive success of our teams, there was a real variety of events this term. In addition to competitions in football, swimming and basketball, we also saw new events featuring rugby and cross-country running, not to mention an exciting Sports Day which went ahead despite heavy rain at the beginning of the day. Alongside this newsletter, we are circulating a questionnaire so that you, the community of Rainbow parents, have an opportunity to give us your views on the school. As we continue to grow rapidly we also have to develop and we would deeply appreciate it if you could take a few minutes to complete the questionnaire provided and return it to the school. We value your feedback and whilst we are striving to achieve the highest standards, there are bound to be times when some parents will have worries or concerns about their child in school. At Rainbow we are concerned about the welfare of each individual child and we are always happy to meet you, listen to your concerns and, where problems are identified, look for solutions. The Parent Teacher Consultations, usually held once a term, provide an opportunity to meet individual subject teachers and we urge you to attend these. If a problem or query arises at other times, the best person to see will usually be your child’s form teacher; often a written note will suffice if you are unable to come personally. Depending on the nature of the concern, he or she may decide to refer some matters to one of the Section Heads, but if you wish to speak to me directly, I am always happy to find time to see you personally. Let me close by thanking you as parents for the support so many of you have given to the school over the course of the term, and wishing you a peaceful and restful break. John Toscano Secondary Headmaster |