| Secondary Newsletter - August to December 2011 |
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This newsletter highlights progress and achievements in a number of different areas in the secondary school over the past term and we hope this will give parents an idea of some of the many different things going on in the secondary school. Student numbers continue to rise in the secondary school and the number currently stands at a record 414 students, which is close to capacity. We have steadily increased the number of teaching staff to keep pace with this growth and also increased the number of teaching sets so that students continue to benefit from being taught in relatively small classes. For example, we now have 72 students in Year 7 but they are split into 4 separate teaching groups for lessons in English, Maths, Science and Modern Languages. Much of our focus within the school this term has been on broadening the range of teaching and learning strategies that our teachers use during lessons. A key word in this is “differentiation”, which means teaching each child according to his or her ability and strengths and providing that child with appropriate tasks. In practice, this means that children in a particular class or year group will often be given different textbooks or different homework. This has led some parents to think that their children are missing out; we need parents to understand that, for example, Year 7 Maths students may be given one of the three different textbooks that we use. Each student is given the book best suited to their needs. One of the key elements in success at school is good attendance. We have been taking steps to monitor attendance much more closely and follow up on unexplained absences. For this reason, if your child is absent from school for any reason, please send a note to the form tutor, who is the person recording attendance. In the same way, if you want to notify us in advance of a planned absence, a message should be sent to the form tutor. Sometimes parents ask for “permission”, to take their child out of school early towards the end of term. In such cases the absence is recorded in the register as unauthorised. If this is an isolated occurrence, it will not present a problem providing any work missed is copied up, but we would become very concerned about students who accumulate frequent spells of unathorised absence. Next week, on Tuesday, you will receive a progress report on your child for first term. There will also be parent/teacher consultations for parents of students in Years 7, 8, 9 and 10. These will take place on Wednesday 7th (Years 7 and 8) and Thursday 8th December (Years 9 and 10) from 4-6pm in the school hall. Please indicate on the attached slip whether you will be attending. We hope very much to see you there. It remains for me to wish you a pleasant and peaceful festive season and thank all parents for their support. Mr. J. Toscano, Head of Secondary Sixth Form Report Rainbow International School has seen yet again another successful term! I am proud to note that this year’s Sixth Form is the biggest in the history of Rainbow! We do have a total of 82 students! The term has been a roller coaster, with lots of events and activities taking place. For the very first time, Section assemblies were introduced. We had four interesting section assemblies about study skills, prejudice, a debate and shared school experiences respectively! The theme of the debate was “Can money buy happiness!” It turned out to be a heated debate where lots of students aired their views! In the end, the assembly voted against the motion! In our last section assembly, students and teachers shared their school experience in order to make a difference in other peoples’ lives. In addition, the Sixth Form section has had various trips this term. First was the Business/Geography trip to Kenya, Year 12 Geography trip to the quarry and the Nile basin initiative and both Year 12 and 13 went to Entebbe Resort Beach. The students have also had two camping trips to the Lakeside Adventure Park on Lake Victoria. The attendance of the camping trips was rather disappointing but those who went had loads of fun! The head boy, headgirl together with the entire prefect’s body have done an outstanding job this term. They have been involved in many activities, namely; the primary school prefects have spent time in primary school, helping with the primary school production and the Brownies. The environment prefects carried out an environment awareness project and put posters around the eating area reminding the students to trash all their litter. They also organised a whole secondary school assembly and sensitised the students on the importance of respecting the environment. This term has also seen a group of year 12/13 taking their re-sits in November and we wish them all the best. Many of the Sixth Formers have also had to write their personal statements and go through the university application process. Looking ahead, Sixth Form will have two biology trips to the Women International Hospital early next year and of course mock exams in March 2012! I would like to thank everyone who has been involved in one way or another with the Sixth form to ensure the smooth running of the term and also to the Sixth Formers, who without, Rainbow will not be the same! Mrs. E. Walugembe, Head of Sixth Form
Site up date Work on the new administration block is carrying on at a pace and the schedule is on time and should be ready for or just after the spring term starts. Hopefully, when the work is complete the car park pressures will be eased slightly and we thank those parents who have displayed a great deal of patience at the beginning and end of the school day when manoeuvring fro drop and pickups. A painting schedule for the secondary school has started already and the science block got a lovely fresh coat of paint during the half term break and during the Christmas vacation work will start on the toilet block and then move on to those areas that require freshening up. There has also been a drive in the secondary school on display in and around classrooms, the desire is to have a stimulating working environment and displays play an important role in this respect and secondary staff will be working hard in this area over the rest of the year. Mr. Edwards, Deputy Head Key Stage 4 In Key Stage 4 we currently have 135 students, three streams of year 10 and three streams of year 11.In the course of first term 18 new students arrived in this section. It is good to see rising student numbers in this section, meaning that more parents have trusted us with the formal education of their children. This year’s exam results were excellent and we are obviously eager to expect another excellent set of results next year. The question is, how we, the teachers will manage to maintain or even raise the standards. Teaching staff are trying their best to monitor their teaching groups, to track students’ results and to read warning signs in difficult cases. I would like to point out that communication between teachers, students and parents is generally good in this section and if there are problems I do encourage parents to come in and see me. It is usually easier to tackle and resolve a problem when it is in its earlier stages. This academic year we introduced two new subjects, one of them is Double Biology which gives students who want to do Biology but find the pace of the course too fast for them, a chance to study with the double amount of time at hand. Also newly introduced was the Food and Nutrition course which has a strong science base and a practical component as well. Just like Double Biology the course is taught at a slower pace. First term is a busy term for year 11 students who prepare for their mock exams which will start on Monday, 28th November and end on Wednesday, 7th December 2011. There will be Parent Teacher Consultations on 19th, January 2011 for year 11 students and their parents. Mrs. Bisasso, Head of Key Stage 4 Key Stage 3 The first term of Key stage 3 2011/2012 The beginning of year saw an increase in numbers- Key stage 3 alone, received 47 students and 3 new form teachers leading us to a new setting of 18 form teachers. Key Stage 3 is a transitional stage as the children leave primary and move into secondary. Usually the transition is confusing, disturbing and in some cases overwhelming but thanks to the great team of teachers, supportive parents and determined and disciplined children, we have come to a successful end of term 1! Thank you Key Stage 3! Our term was marked with a lot of activities: camping trips for each year group, Rainbow day, Independence day among others. Our Section assembly had a rich quality; Informative -9WN, entertainment - 8MH and 9NO. We have several clubs including the famous Homework club that enables us to finish tasks at school and then go home to relax.
Once again, I wish to thank the management, staff, parents and students of Key Stage 3 for making Rainbow an enriching and exciting place. You are what makes Rainbow the greatest school. Madamme Muhaya, Head of section The life of a yellow shirt A lot of people, presumably younger may often wonder; What it is like wearing a yellow shirt, How come A-levels are always walking around? How come they have three subjects? They probably think were pretty great! We have a secret lair that we go in and hide when it gets too hot and from outside all that can be seen are shadows a mist laughter and joy. However, what people do not know is, A-level is actually hard! AS I have come to realise. Yes I was once one of you. It is not all fun and games. We are given “Frees” that even though are sometimes are misused by people who have no idea what they should be doing are actually needed are vital to our sanity. A-level students can have up to three essays due the very next day that require the utmost detail and of course technique that can only be mastered after five years of secondary. The common room that may look exotic on the outside, is actually just a room like any other with chairs that you sit on. Last but not least, A-levels have at least three subjects because of one simple fact. The subjects are in depth and intense also, as some of you will soon come to realise... there is nothing harder than using your brain. Aaliyah Sekatawa Year 12 Secondary Music Department To start with, we got ‘new’ students from Primary School and others joining from schools in Uganda and elsewhere. Many of these new students bring with them musical talent and promising instrumental and vocal skills. It seems that Key Stage 3 Music At the beginning of first term we received ‘new’ students from Primary School and other students were joining us from schools in Uganda and elsewhere. Many of these new students bring with them musical talent and promising instrumental and vocal skills. It seems that Key Stage 3 Music is quite vibrant and there is competition for rehearsal space. We also got a new member of staff in our team, Mr. Denis Kabuye who joined us from Primary School. We are happy to have him and he has already managed one term very well. It is pleasing to see that more year 9 students choose Music as an option. It seems that the perception of Music being either a soft option or a waste of time is slowly fading. Music and Drama candidates are going to present a Cheese & Wine recital on 18th January 2012. Students are mainly going to perform their devised plays and own compositions and because of the venue that has restricted seating it will be by invitation only. The International Schools’ Talent Show is also coming up in second term with a hopefully glamorous show on Saturday 17th March 2012. We will hold an Internal Audition Show on 24th February where all Rainbow contestants will participate. I would like to encourage students of all age groups and their parents to support these events by either active participation or by attending the two shows. To top it all up we have planned a musical for third term to be performed at the National Theatre on Friday 18th and Saturday 19th May 2012. ‘Man of Steel’ the chosen musical, is set in the nostalgic 1970’s, it contains catchy songs, a typical musical story and it will give students (Year 7 –Year 10) from a wide range of ability the chance to take part in a big school production. Mrs. E. Bisasso Head of Music PE Sports Report Term 1 This term has once again been a highly successful one for school sport at Rainbow. Fixtures have been played in four different sports, including Football, Rugby, Basketball and Swimming. In all activities, Rainbow students have excelled themselves, both as fierce and fair competitors and as ambassadors to the school. The Senior Boys’ rugby team have developed significantly, from a team in which many players played their first ever matches this term, to a team that plays structured, physical rugby. This is all in preparation for their proposed tour to Kenya in Term Three. The Senior Girls’ football team have shown similar levels of development. Having begun the year registering some character-building defeats, they have developed increasing maturity and an improved understanding of the game as the term has progressed. Indeed, with over 50 students attending weekly, girls’ football has become the biggest club in the school. The term has also seen the introduction of new and varied sporting competitions to widen the levels of participation across the school. A six week inter-house football tournament was held in the first part of the term, which impressively involved over 200 students from all secondary ages. Inter-house competitions in Volleyball, Rounders and Basketball are currently underway. It has been fantastic to see so many students getting the chance to participate, in addition to the students who have the privilege of representing school teams. My thanks go to all teachers and parents who have given their time to assist with school sport. I am extremely grateful for those who have volunteered. This, combined with the high level of commitment of the students, enables sport at Rainbow to go from strength to strength. Mr. Colley Head of PE Trips Report This term has been exceptionally busy one for school trips. It began with a successful Business Studies and Geography Trip to Kenya, which involved over fifty students from Year 10 and Year 12. The students visited various businesses within Nairobi, as well as key geographical features in the surrounding areas. In all, five residential camping trips have taken place. Locations have varied greatly, from a fantastic new facility at Lakeside Adventure Park on Lake Victoria, to Mabira Forest, Jinja and even Murchison Falls National Park. Student feedback has been extremely positive, and the Year 10 and 11 students can look forward to upcoming camping trips in Term Two. There have also been a number of successful day trips, allowing students the chance to gain practical experience of key curriculum areas that they would otherwise not have the chance to do in the classroom. These have included Maths trips to Entebbe, Geography field trips to the Muyenga quarry and the Ssezibwa River, as well as a IGCSE Food and Nutrition trip to Garden City gain a practical insight into food preparation. Terms Two and Three promise to be equally busy. Notable trips include a residential trip to the United Kingdom for ESL students, both junior and senior East African Model United Nations trips to Nairobi, and the Year 11 Hill Walking trip to Fort Portal, to name but a few. Details of upcoming trips are to be found on the school calendar for your information. Once again, we would like to express our gratitude to parents for their continued support of school trips at Rainbow, and we can all look forward with excitement to the range of opportunities available in the rest of the year. Mr. T. Colley – Trips Coordinator PSHE & Citizenship PSHE & Citizenship have a new structure this year, for the first time in Secondary the department is co-ordinated by two people - Mrs. Mukwaba and Mr. Spraggon. Mrs. Mukwaba is responsible for Citizenship in Key Stage 3 and for Citizenship and PSHE in Year 11 and Mr. Spraggon has responsibility for PSHE in Key Stage 3 and Citizenship and PSHE in Year 10. Year 11 enjoyed a week of work experience in October and the feedback from both employers and students was overwhelmingly positive with students doing an excellent job of representing Rainbow in the workplace. The placements themselves were quite diverse, from hospitals to hotels and many more in between. If any parents are able to offer work experience placements for the next academic year please get in touch. On their return students wrote letters thanking their employers and have been looking at study skills and learning styles in preparation for their mock exams. Other year groups have been busy as well. In Citizenship Year 7 have been studying crime and safety, Year 8 have been looking at resolving local issues and Year 9 have been investigating government and politics. In PSHE Year 10 and Key Stage 3 have also had a busy time this term. They have all been looking at self-awareness and self-motivation, this has including finding out what are their preferred learning styles. In the second half of the term they all moved on to looking at Health and Safety. Everyone has attended a whole Key Stage presentation about road safety, with particular reference towards seatbelts and safety in the Rainbow car park. Fire safety talks are also planned for everyone in Key Stages 3 and 4. After looking at other aspects of health and safety, immunisation (Year 7), influences (Year 8), risks (Year 9) and disabilities (Year 10) we will be doing some work in Years 7 – 11 on sex and relationship education next term. Mr. A. Spraggon – PSHE/Citizenship Coordinator Student Board The Academic year 2011/2012 started with members from each Form group being elected to the Board, which consists of the Head girl (Gayathry), Head boy (Jawdat), Social Secretaries, class representatives and a coordinating teacher (Ms.Imalingat). The Student Board’s main target activity this term was to put to an end the long lasting issue of lockers. For sure this has been met by every student in Key Stage 3 and 4 being allocated one. Meetings have been held every Wednesday of the week to discuss concerns pertaining the school body and of which most of them have been addressed. As one of the activities planned by the Student Board, Rainbow Day sent Secondary Board busy in organizing for yet another successful traditional dress parade. Prizes for the best and original dress were won by Enzo, Emma and Tyra, Mr. Oboth, Ms. Tibejjukira and Diya, Ms. Johnson, Meki andTimothy,Hafsa and Divya. The day was colourful as most people made an effort to celebrate the theme “Self Identification” through traditional dress and the colours of the flag of countries representing the varied nationalities in Rainbow International School. 461,500/= was raised and this goes to the Student Board account where this money is used when deemed necessary by the student body. The remaining planned activities for the last week of this term are; Wet the teacher and Disco to end yet another successful term. Student Board has also contributed towards the purchase of Rugby goal posts which are underway and hopes are that they will be up as soon as the rains stop. Other activities by the Board were to ensure that there was flow of information and communication from the School body to Administration and back with solutions. A big thank you goes to all; Form teachers who worked closely with the representatives to ensure there was consistent follow up of issues. The Heads and Administration for addressing concerns and supporting the Student Board in the smooth running of planned activities. The entire school body for enabling the Board implement their work. Best wishes to everybody at Christmas and a Happy New Year. Ms C. Imalingat – Student Board Coordinator Drama Report Drama students are continually making and creating touching, exciting, daring pieces which hold and inspire their audiences. Watching students make and perform reminds us why we need drama: It is a creative art. Making and watching it frees us from the banalities of everyday life and lifts us into the world of imagination where anything is possible. In this term, we have all been treated to very interesting and creative performances during the section assemblies. Most of the students who have participated have demonstrated good personal performance skills acquired progressively during the lessons. Drama is done as a compulsory subject in Key stage 3 while they opt for it in Key stage 4 when doing IGCSE’s. Therefore,as one of the planned activities in the following term, there will be Cheese and Wine evening on the 18th of January 2012. This is an event were the students doing IGCSE Drama and Music showcase what they do in the two year course. The audience is mainly parents of those who opted for it and it is open to only the invited. There will also be a Drama assembly. In third term, we will all be heading to the National Theatre of Uganda to watch a Musical entitled Man of Steel written by Simon Denver and Ian Dorricott.It is extremely funny man of steel play and it will be on for two nights of 18th and19th of May, 2012. This musical is the entertaining battle of our Super Hero and Heroine triumphing over the evil Countess Olga and her motley henchmen. Written especially for young people, it's full of fun, with fast-moving action, larger than life characters and really spectacular chorus numbers. Already performed thousands of times, you'll agree - a Super Hero - a super show! Ms C. Imalingat – Head of Drama CARE CARE, Rainbow’s student run organisation that coordinates and organises all the charity work of the school has been fairly busy this term. With the introduction of a new charity called Smile, which supports t he AGAPE community, there was a lot of fundraising this term. Smile held an ice cream sale and a number of bake sales which in total raised 1,189,200/= Habitat for Humanity has been holding regular meetings and has organised for a dance off to take place on Thursday 8th December at lunchtime and for a food sale to take place at the end of term disco. CARE has had quite an eventful term too. The CARE Buddy program, a 5 week program which consisted of interactive sessions between secondary school students from Rainbow and students from Happy Days Primary School was a definite success. The hour long sessions of games, reading and painting were enjoyable and fun for students from both schools. CARE has also been supporting Masaka Vocational Rehabilitation Centre through the sale of scarves in school colours which are made by disabled youth from the centre. In addition, CARE joined with the Student Board to collect Christmas presents for the Nnabagereka’s Santa Shoebox Appeal through an initiative titled Kidz4Kidz Uganda. These Christmas gifts go to underprivileged children and the presents could be anything from items of clothing, toys, educational supplies to even toothpaste and a toothbrush. Leaflets with labels for the presents that indicate the age and gender of the intended recipient of the gift can be collected from Lydia at reception or any of the Student Board representatives. Gifts are being collected till the end of term and we would like to request and encourage everyone to bring in a wrapped gift to make Christmas special for someone else too! Gayathry Venugopal, President - CARE |