"It is exercise alone that supports the spirit, and keeps the mind in vigour."
— Cicero
Dear Parents and Students,
Our themes this week have been linked to Physical Education and also the two religious festivals of Easter and Passover.
We know that physical exercise helps young bodies to be healthy, grow and develop. In all our programmes, we offer Physical Education lessons as part of the curriculum and we have a team of 5 specialist teachers who deliver PE lessons and extra-curricular sports activities and clubs for all children aged 3-18. In our Wellbeing lessons, children also learn about the importance of maintaining their physical fitness and doing regular exercise to have good physical and mental health. As we move into the summer term and the weather gets hotter, we will be taking some classes to external sports facilities which are shaded and will help students continue to learn in spite of the hot weather.
This week our PE team organised two sports days for Primary and Pre-primary students. All students participated and were able to win medals and certificates. They learned about teamwork and collaboration and were encouraged and supported by the PE team and their teachers. Both events were very successful and the children had lots of fun.
Students also learned about the Christian festival of Easter and the Jewish festival of Passover in assemblies and their wellbeing time. It is so important to understand the different religious observances and festivals of the various religious communities in our school. This is part of our Global Citizenship policy and also our approach to inclusion, diversity and International mindedness. Please check our school Global Citizenship Policy for the details (link to GC policy). The policy opens with our whole school Mission statement and then explains our principles when it comes to valuing all faith backgrounds, ethnicities and cultural perspectives.
The Island School Mission Statement
"We strive to ignite a passion for excellence and lifelong learning in every student, nurturing their unique potential to become visionary, capable, and compassionate global leaders who embrace and celebrate diversity."
Statement of Principle
The Island School is a polysystemic all-through school welcoming students, parents and team members from many different countries, ethnicities and religious backgrounds. We strive to treat all students, team members and parents with respect and equality, whatever their country of origin, political opinions or religious beliefs. The Island School does not promote any political agenda and encourages students to always consider peaceful resolutions to all conflicts. The school does not allow the display of any political symbols or emblems in the school.
In the spirit of this policy, children also learn about the island where they live and its culture, festivals and celebrations. Our Greek teachers also explained to them the reason for the public holiday in Cyprus on Wednesday, otherwise known as Greek Cypriot National day. The day celebrates the independence of Cyprus from British rule on 16 August 1960. The holiday is celebrated by festivals and a military parade in the capital of Nicosia. The parade is composed of units from the National Guard, Greek forces in Cyprus, the police and fire services. After the national parade, the president gives a traditional speech.
Students in secondary MYP completed assessments for their Community and Personal projects this week, and secondary Waldorf students in Waldorf Class 8 gave presentations on their projects.
The class 8 students engaged in a year-long project that allowed them to explore a topic of their choosing. This project is a significant part of the curriculum and is designed to foster creativity, critical thinking and a deeper understanding of the subject matter. The performances last Tuesday were marvellous! The class 8 students presented their topic with confidence and wit and managed to captivate the audience. We are looking forward to the second presentation after the break and the very diverse and highly interesting topics with which the children engaged..
Class 2 Waldorf children presented a beautiful play to parents, teachers and other Waldorf students about the story of Francis of Assisi and there were many talented performances. In our Grade 2 Waldorf class, the stories we share are usually either about people who have performed remarkable deeds or fables in which animals reveal human traits. The story of Francis is a wonderful example that bridges these two types, combining inspiring human actions with lessons that reflect human nature
This week, parents of students in MYP, DP and CP will also receive end-of-term reports outlining levels of attainment in each subject. In DP2 students will receive their final written report. We hope this information allows parents to have meaningful conversations with their children about progress made this term and targets for term 3. Our academic and wellbeing mentors will also be having the same conversations in the first couple of weeks of the new term.
In Primary, we have also held recent progress assessments in Maths and English in addition to end-of-unit celebrations. These have allowed us to review progress, especially of children who were previously not meeting the age expected levels. I am delighted that a good majority of these students have improved their progress as a result of their hard work and the teacher’s interventions. For the others, we will continue to support them next term to achieve success. We have written separately to parents about these results.
Finally, this week we have welcomed visitors to our school. We were delighted to welcome our Head Designate Jak Kearney and his wife, Lisa, to meet with team members, parents and students and to get a feel for school life at The Island School before their official arrival in September. We have also welcomed members of our Educational Advisory Board and team members from our Tech Leaders of the Future programme. It is always great to welcome educators to our school to hear their feedback, perspectives and advice.
It has been a great second term. We have faced many challenges, including an international security crisis and some difficult weather conditions. We have also had a number of inspection visits from different external authorities. However, throughout all these challenges, we have worked together as a community to ensure that students continue to enjoy a stimulating and positive educational experience. Thank you to everyone for contributing to this success.
I wish you all a very pleasant spring break. If you are celebrating Easter or Passover, I wish you every blessing with your family and friends. Christ is Risen, Cristos Anesti, Христос воскрес, щасливого Великодня and חג פסח שמח , Chag Pesach Sameach! I wish everyone time to relax, recuperate and return refreshed for an exciting term 3.
We know that physical exercise helps young bodies to be healthy, grow and develop. In all our programmes, we offer Physical Education lessons as part of the curriculum and we have a team of 5 specialist teachers who deliver PE lessons and extra-curricular sports activities and clubs for all children aged 3-18. In our Wellbeing lessons, children also learn about the importance of maintaining their physical fitness and doing regular exercise to have good physical and mental health. As we move into the summer term and the weather gets hotter, we will be taking some classes to external sports facilities which are shaded and will help students continue to learn in spite of the hot weather.
This week our PE team organised two sports days for Primary and Pre-primary students. All students participated and were able to win medals and certificates. They learned about teamwork and collaboration and were encouraged and supported by the PE team and their teachers. Both events were very successful and the children had lots of fun.
Students also learned about the Christian festival of Easter and the Jewish festival of Passover in assemblies and their wellbeing time. It is so important to understand the different religious observances and festivals of the various religious communities in our school. This is part of our Global Citizenship policy and also our approach to inclusion, diversity and International mindedness. Please check our school Global Citizenship Policy for the details (link to GC policy). The policy opens with our whole school Mission statement and then explains our principles when it comes to valuing all faith backgrounds, ethnicities and cultural perspectives.
The Island School Mission Statement
"We strive to ignite a passion for excellence and lifelong learning in every student, nurturing their unique potential to become visionary, capable, and compassionate global leaders who embrace and celebrate diversity."
Statement of Principle
The Island School is a polysystemic all-through school welcoming students, parents and team members from many different countries, ethnicities and religious backgrounds. We strive to treat all students, team members and parents with respect and equality, whatever their country of origin, political opinions or religious beliefs. The Island School does not promote any political agenda and encourages students to always consider peaceful resolutions to all conflicts. The school does not allow the display of any political symbols or emblems in the school.
In the spirit of this policy, children also learn about the island where they live and its culture, festivals and celebrations. Our Greek teachers also explained to them the reason for the public holiday in Cyprus on Wednesday, otherwise known as Greek Cypriot National day. The day celebrates the independence of Cyprus from British rule on 16 August 1960. The holiday is celebrated by festivals and a military parade in the capital of Nicosia. The parade is composed of units from the National Guard, Greek forces in Cyprus, the police and fire services. After the national parade, the president gives a traditional speech.
Students in secondary MYP completed assessments for their Community and Personal projects this week, and secondary Waldorf students in Waldorf Class 8 gave presentations on their projects.
The class 8 students engaged in a year-long project that allowed them to explore a topic of their choosing. This project is a significant part of the curriculum and is designed to foster creativity, critical thinking and a deeper understanding of the subject matter. The performances last Tuesday were marvellous! The class 8 students presented their topic with confidence and wit and managed to captivate the audience. We are looking forward to the second presentation after the break and the very diverse and highly interesting topics with which the children engaged..
Class 2 Waldorf children presented a beautiful play to parents, teachers and other Waldorf students about the story of Francis of Assisi and there were many talented performances. In our Grade 2 Waldorf class, the stories we share are usually either about people who have performed remarkable deeds or fables in which animals reveal human traits. The story of Francis is a wonderful example that bridges these two types, combining inspiring human actions with lessons that reflect human nature
This week, parents of students in MYP, DP and CP will also receive end-of-term reports outlining levels of attainment in each subject. In DP2 students will receive their final written report. We hope this information allows parents to have meaningful conversations with their children about progress made this term and targets for term 3. Our academic and wellbeing mentors will also be having the same conversations in the first couple of weeks of the new term.
In Primary, we have also held recent progress assessments in Maths and English in addition to end-of-unit celebrations. These have allowed us to review progress, especially of children who were previously not meeting the age expected levels. I am delighted that a good majority of these students have improved their progress as a result of their hard work and the teacher’s interventions. For the others, we will continue to support them next term to achieve success. We have written separately to parents about these results.
Finally, this week we have welcomed visitors to our school. We were delighted to welcome our Head Designate Jak Kearney and his wife, Lisa, to meet with team members, parents and students and to get a feel for school life at The Island School before their official arrival in September. We have also welcomed members of our Educational Advisory Board and team members from our Tech Leaders of the Future programme. It is always great to welcome educators to our school to hear their feedback, perspectives and advice.
It has been a great second term. We have faced many challenges, including an international security crisis and some difficult weather conditions. We have also had a number of inspection visits from different external authorities. However, throughout all these challenges, we have worked together as a community to ensure that students continue to enjoy a stimulating and positive educational experience. Thank you to everyone for contributing to this success.
I wish you all a very pleasant spring break. If you are celebrating Easter or Passover, I wish you every blessing with your family and friends. Christ is Risen, Cristos Anesti, Христос воскрес, щасливого Великодня and חג פסח שמח , Chag Pesach Sameach! I wish everyone time to relax, recuperate and return refreshed for an exciting term 3.
Best Regards
Deborah Economou
Head of School
Deborah Economou
Head of School