Children's mental health / Inclusion and diversity / Candlemas Week

Dear Parents and Students,

Our focus on Inclusion and diversity has helped us to realise this week that Maya Angelou’s quote is so true. In the Island School Community there are so many different types of children, teachers, team members and parents. We come from different cultures, countries, faiths, races and perspectives. Furthermore our community is made up of a wide variety of personalities and people who learn differently. Some people may also have challenges in terms of their mental health, anxiety and stress. This is a very normal occurrence in the modern world with all its distractions, stimuli and ‘noise’. Some may have physical disabilities or differences. This week in the UK is children’s mental health week. Here is a link to some resources you may find useful related to this topic. The theme of this year’s mental health week is “This is my place’ and the website explains why feeling accepted and comfortable in our environment is so important for a healthy mind and body,

Promoting Mental Health and Empathy

To know our place and really feel part of our environment is a basic human need. It can have powerful and long-lasting impacts in lots of areas of our lives, including our physical and mental health, education, employment and relationships. When we feel that we belong, it empowers us to contribute to the world and make a real difference.

https://www.childrensmentalhealthweek.org.uk/

So recognising and celebrating all this diversity is so important as such a broad spectrum of characters and learning styles, cultures and perspectives is beautiful and makes for a very strong community.

Inclusion in Action

At The Island School our wellbeing curriculum helps children to reflect on diversity and make sure they include all children in their games and activities. We remind them to make others feel welcome and included and try to teach them empathy and respect for others. Indeed, Respect is one of our 8 key values.

This week there have been assemblies in both primary and secondary linked to the theme of Inclusion and diversity. Using a simple “band-aid” analogy, we explored the difference between equality and equity, helping students understand that people have different needs and therefore may require different kinds of support in order to thrive. Through this discussion, pupils reflected on the idea that being fair does not always mean treating everyone exactly the same, but rather ensuring that each person receives what they need to heal, to succeed, and to feel a genuine sense of belonging within our school community.

Wellbeing and Supportive Communication

In Wellbeing lessons this week, our Primary students have been reflecting on the importance of checking in with one another and asking, “Are you okay?” They discussed why these simple questions matter, explored different ways to ask them sensitively, and considered how to respond if a friend says they are not okay. Students were also reminded of the trusted adults they can turn to for support, including parents, teachers, and our school psychologists, reinforcing that help is always available when they need it.

Candlemas: Celebrating Light and Hope in Waldorf

This week Waldorf classes also celebrated the Candlemas festival. The 2nd of February marks a turning point from the dark depths of winter to the growing light of spring. It is forty days after Christmas and halfway between winter solstice and spring equinox. At this turning point in the seasons, Candlemas is celebrated by lighting candles and bonfires to symbolize the warmth of the coming sun. The Waldorf kindergarten classes made candles from beeswax, creating "wishing candles" that they then lit together with their teachers. The children listened to a story about light and hope, shared in a calm and meaningful atmosphere. Since it is also the time of the year that chickens start to lay eggs again after the dark winter days, and the first calves are born and cows give milk again, a traditional festival food is the pancake. In honour of the upcoming spring, class 5 baked pancakes this week!

Pathways to the Future: UK University Visits

We have also welcomed representatives from more than 10 UK universities to our school this week. Students from grade 10-12 and parents were able to speak with these representatives and discuss possible pathways for higher education in the UK. We are grateful to our University Counsellor Mr Sean for organising these important visits which allowed students to begin to plan their next educational steps.

Innovation and Technology: AI Camp and Youth Festival

Some of our TLF students have been attending an AI camp in Paphos this week and this weekend secondary students will also be participating in the Tech Youth Festival in Limassol, in particular the Unicorn start-up event and the Island F1 racing team will also attend. It looks like it will be an exciting event!

Health and Safety: Managing Air Quality Challenges

Finally I want to mention the challenges we faced with the dust in recent days and weeks. We always follow the ministry of education and health guidelines and during the days of elevated dust we carefully monitor the Cyprus air quality website and take appropriate actions to safeguard the health of our community including cancelling PE lessons, outdoor play and trips when the levels are too high. We also distributed a mask to all children but it is a good idea to ensure your children carry a mask in their bag at all times in case of the need to wear them outdoors. Many thanks for all the support parents gave us as a school during these days.

Looking Ahead: Tsiknopempti Celebrations

Next week we will be celebrating the Cyprus festival of Tsiknopempti. This is a whole school celebration and recognition of the Cypriot culture and the wonderful country where we live and we look forward to welcoming you to school at the times advertised to join in our celebrations next week.

Wishing you a wonderful weekend

Best Regards
Deborah Economou
Head of School