Thank you for entrusting us with your child’s education. This has been a tremendous year, full of successes and joy. I would like to extend a personal thank you to all parents who have taken time out of their busy schedules to write with messages of support. Without a strong school community, it would not be possible for everyone to excel.
I hope that you all have a restful break – we all certainly will! We look forward to welcoming returning students in August and wish all departing families all the very best in their new adventures.
Reflecting back on the year gone by, it was with great delight that we returned to the ISB campus in August. Rested from an extended break, the ISB community was looking ahead to another fantastic year of learning together. This year, we have welcomed a number of new families to ISB as student numbers continue to grow.
Student Leadership has been outstanding this year, Primary House Captains have hosted House Week competitions and our Eco Warriors have been very active. From collaborating with a local company to produce recycled toilet paper to organising a ‘no pens day’, their efforts have been a huge success. We are all very proud that this young team continue to inspire the next generation through small yet optimistic actions.
We have piloted a Gifted and Talented programme this year, ensuring that all students have opportunities to excel at ISB. This programme will only continue to grow into the next academic year, and I look forward to celebrating the achievements of the next cohort of exceptional students.
At International School Brunei we genuinely care how much our students know and equally how they feel. We want them to thrive academically and succeed in life. Our goal is to make them ready to tackle challenges in life; that is why their wellbeing is so important for us. Wellbeing has underpinned every aspect of school life and will continue to do so.
Our focus on Mastery Learning, with an emphasis on problem solving and reasoning in Maths, is ensuring that every student is ready to progress. This year we challenged the entire ISB community during ‘Barvember’, the Maths initiative that makes reference to Bar Modelling; used to support children in problem solving. In addition, we held a very special TT Rock Stars Champion of Champions event in the ISB Theatre and competed globally against other schools. We also crowned out Top 10 winners during a special Rock Gig and added their names to the leaderboard.
The theme of Book Week this year was ‘Stories from around the world’. Parents were invited to read and share stories with students; the stories by the fire were a particular highlight. ISB is a truly internationally minded school, with traditions and cultures shared and celebrated. National Day and Chinese New Year celebrations are always a highlight of the ISB calendar, and this year was no exception.
Ensuring that Science is a core subject across Primary has been a priority this year. Creativity and curiosity have been nurtured through exciting and engaging Science lessons. There continues to be a buzz around Science, ensuring that Science lessons are practical and hands on. This year, we also shared a full catalogue of experiments that can be completed at home, thank you for the positive response.
Outside of the classroom, Primary students have visited the jungle, trekked in Teburong, swam in galas and competed in Sports Day events. Various Celebration of Learning mornings have taken place with performances on the Piano Steps and recitals in the theatre. And let’s not forget the amazing Arabian Nights.
Towards the end of the school year, there has been an emphasis on positive transitions, ensuring each student in Primary experiences a meaningful transition to the next year group. We also congratulated our exceptional Year 6 cohort as they celebrated the end of their Primary education at ISB. I hope that the work in this area means parents, students and staff are excited about the year ahead. For a more comprehensive look back, there is always the Primary Newsfeed and of course Seesaw and Tapestry.
Enjoy the time with your families.
Mr Michael Everett | Head of Primary