T3W6 – 28 April 2023
Dear Senior School parents,
I would like to begin by again extending my sincerest gratitude to all of you for your involvement in our recent International Friendship Day (IFD) celebration. It was heart-warming to see so many students, parents, and staff come together to celebrate “Friends across Cultures”. Your participation and support made this event a tremendous success.
I am thrilled to report that our boy’s and girls’ soccer teams have returned from the ACAMIS tournament in Beijing with 2nd and 3rd place trophies. In our student’s return to post COVID intercity competition, they were role models for SSIS and demonstrated impressive athleticism and sportsmanship. We are proud of their accomplishments. A big thank you to our coaches, Mr Bell, Mr Zacarelli, Ms Lau and Ms Ho.
The SSIS Swim team also competed in the SSL Championships. This is the culmination of all the SSL rounds that have been held throughout the year, however, it is the Championships, so swimmers need to have qualified during the year. 21 SSIS swimmers qualified for this event and 15 of our swimmers were able to attend. Our parent’s support was amazing, being up and bringing our swimmers for the bus at 5:30am on both days takes commitment and dedication, for that we are grateful for their ongoing support and dedication to our swimmers.
I would also like to take a moment to thank everyone who attended my recent Parent Education programme (PEP) on The Science of Learning and 21st Century Learning Competences. I hope that you found the session informative and useful. For those who were unable to attend, the PowerPoint presentation and revision resources have been shared, and you can access them at your convenience.
A special thank our grade 9 student, Naina Suwakumar for delivering an insightful and timely parent education programme session on the benefits of sports in building self-confidence, self-esteem and establishing healthy routines for life The presentation reinforced the importance of participating in pre-nursery to grade 12 activities at SSIS for children to be active, show commitment and pursue their interests. At SSIS, we believe in giving students platforms to exhibit leadership, and I was delighted to be able to support Naina’s Aesthetics Scholarship initiative.
We are especially excited to invite you to the first ever SSIS Arts Evening, part of the SSIS Arts Festival: Ripple. This amazing event will feature an engaging Art Walk across much our gorgeous campus. The Art Walk will feature exhibitions from each grade level PreNursery to Grade 9 with a selection of works from our IGCSE and IBDP Visual Arts students. The intention of this event is to give every student an opportunity to display their works. Every SSIS student from these grade levels will have one or more pieces on display. On Friday, May 5th guests are welcome to arrive on campus from 17:30, parking will be available on campus after 17:15. Guests should register in the front lobby of school and collect the map for the evening. From there, you will enjoy a self-guided tour of our campus-wide Art Walk with student Gallery Attendants stationed throughout. These helpful attendants will be there to answer any questions you may have about each of the exhibits. From the Art Walk you will find yourself on the green in front of the Performing Arts Centre around 18:30 from refreshments. The evening will culminate in short performance in the Performing Arts Centre and will be finished by 19:30.
To reserve your free ticket for you and your family for the Arts Evening, please scan this QR code by Wednesday 3rd May.
I also invite you to this year’s Senior School Musical of Matilda on Tuesday 9th May. This will be SSIS first motion picture starring, produced and directed by our talented film makers.
Please do dress up and attend the premiere of the show from 5:30 pm. Please scan the QR code on the poster below to confirm your attendance.
We are also planning a graduation family and staff dinner at the Millenium Hotel on the evening of Thursday, 1st June (the evening before the graduation ceremony). The event will be free for students and cost 175rmb for parents and guests. More detailed information, including the menu, start time and sign-up process will be shared shortly.
As we approach the end of the academic year, I would like to wish all of our students in examination grade levels the results their hours of deliberate practice revision deserve. Grade 10 and Grade 12 students also enjoyed their final day before study leave, which included reminders regarding effective learning strategies, stress management tips, and traditional pizza and BBQ lunches.
Mr. Crossley expresses “all the best wishes to our Seniors on their upcoming IBDP exams. I am proud of your consistent commitment and how passion and joy you’ve brought to the school. One more final push! Study smart, get enough rest and believe in yourself!”
The end-of-year exams for Grades 7, 8, 9, and 11 are quickly approaching, and curriculum coordinators will soon share the examination schedules. Please do not hesitate to reach out to them if you have any questions.
Finally, a reminder regarding all the Festival of the Arts upcoming events.
With gratitude
Mr Steven Gaynor, Senior School Principal
Dates for your Diary
- Wednesday 26th April: IGCSE Examinations begin
- Monday 1st May: IBDP Examinations begin
- Friday 5th May: Arts Evening – Please register
- Saturday 6th May: RSS LCM
- Tuesday 9th May: Senior School Musical: Matilda (5:30pm) – Please register
- Saturday 13th May: CISSA Track & Field
- Wednesday 17th May: Get Ready for Senior School Parent Morning
- Tuesday 23rd May: G11 End of Year exams begin
- Wednesday 24th May: G9 End of Year exams begin
- Tuesday 30th June: G7&8 End of Year exams begin
- Friday 2nd June: G12 Graduation Ceremony
Student Wellbeing
Dear parents,
In our last Well-Being lesson, students learnt about sustainability and how our actions impact both the environment and our future. Students were encouraged to come home and share ideas with you about we can all work together to improve our lifestyles at school, at home and in the community.
This week’s assembly was driven by the Aesthetics department & there were so many amazing initiatives and events to share and celebrate. This began with our IB Art students and an art exhibition that showcased their hard work and creativity over the 2 year course. Students then shared their experiences of the photography walk followed by details of the upcoming arts festival including the premiere of the school production ‘Matilda’ which we are excitedly looking forward to.
Student winners of The Shanghai Film Festival also received their awards, and it goes without saying that SSIS swooped the most awards. We are very proud of the many students who have joined Sabres Crew Creative and encourage others to follow their passions as well.
Finally, the English department were thrilled to recognise our participants in the Hong Kong Young Writer’s competition & special award going to winner Aanandi Srivastava.
So, as you can see, SSIS takes pride in sharing this array of interests and activities our students engage in. While academic success is important, having a balanced and holistic approach to school is valued; be it in the arts, sports, ASP’s or enrichment.
Ms Shireen Naidoo, Senior School Assistant Principal shireen_naidoo@ssis.asia
Reminders
If your child is absent, please email your child’s form teacher as soon as possible with a reason. A reminder that students should arrive at school wearing full school uniform, including smart black shoes, dark socks and ties.
As the weather warms, students should no longer be wearing outer jackets and instead wear their school blazer as the first outer layer of clothing.
Please email me with any questions you may have, and we can arrange a follow-up phone call or meeting through my PA, Katharine Chen.
Contact Information
| Mr Steven Gaynor | Senior School Principal | steven_gaynor@ssis.asia |
| Ms Katharine Chen | PA to Senior School Principal | katharine_chen@ssis.asia |
