Newsletter September 2019

Overseas Family SchoolMiddle School

Master Policy:To maintain a happy, safe and effective school for overseas families living in Singapore

From The Parent Association (PA) Desk

Michael LeeMiddle School Principalmichael_lee@ofs.edu.sg

Principal’s MessageA warm welcome to all the students, parents and teachers to the Middle School.海外家庭学校中学部热忱地欢迎敬爱的老师们和亲爱的同学和家长们!Bienvenue à tous les élèves, parents et professeurs du collège!生徒のみなさん、ご父母の皆様、そして先生方、中学校へようこそおいでくださいましたLes damos una cordial bienvenida a todos los alumnos, padres y profesores de la Escuela IntermediaHerzlich willkommen an alle Schüler, Eltern und Lehrer in Middle School!모든 학생, 학부모와 학교 교사에 오신 것을 환영합니다!Varmt välkommen till alla elever, föräldrar och lärare till Middle School!

A recepção calorosa a todos os alunos, pais e professores para a escola!மாணவர்கள், பெற்றோர்கள் மற்றும் நடுத்தர பள்ளி ஆசிரியர்கள் வரவேற்கிறோம்!Satu sambutan hangat kepada semua pelajar, ibu bapa dan guru-guru untuk Sekolah Tengah!Hjertelig velkommen til alle elever, foreldre og lærere til Middle School!

The Middle School is a place where you will have plenty of opportunities to have fun and learn at the same time. However, each student is responsible for their own learning experience. Be a risk-taker and be brave enough to try out new experiences. Join in the many academic, artistic or sporting opportunities available to you. The many after school sports and lunchtime clubs available will be displayed on your Homebase class notice board. It is also a great way to make new friends.

To support what you do, we have in the Middle School Office:

• Mrs.HayleyBrian,MiddleSchoolDeputyPrincipal• Mr.AidanSpencer,MiddleSchoolStudentAdvisor• Ms.Angie,MiddleSchoolSecretary• Ms.Celeste,MiddleSchoolSecretary

In this new academic year, celebrate the fresh start to everything you do!

May 2019 IB Diploma ResultsMany of our Grade 12 students attend OFS throughout their school years. K / ES / MS would like to congratule all OFS students who sat and obtained their IB Diploma. We wish in partricular, to give a special mention to KIM Jongyeon, our OFS student who scored the maximum point total of 45/45 in his IB Diploma. This result ranks Jongyeon in the top 0.4% of IB DP candidates in the world.(Note: World statistics for the May 2019 cohort are not available until November,

but in May 2018 only 259 students world-wide achieved this score)

Other highlights of the May 2019 IB Diploma results:

•ThreeotherOFSstudentsscored44IBpointswhichplaces them in the top 1.2% of IB DP candidates: Jules Capdouze, Kim Ku Min and Zhang Hanzhuo •Intotal,23studentsscored40ormorepoints.(Thisis13.7% of IB Diploma candidates at OFS) •42%ofthecoursegradeswere6orbetter(outof7)

Our students’ results continue to impress in 2019, especially as OFS has an open entry policy, where all students entering Grade 11 are encouraged to enter the IB Diploma program if they choose to do so. This is different to the majority of schools, both in Singapore and world-wide, that preselect students into the Diploma Program. Congratulations to all our Grade 12 students!

KIM Jongyeon

THE PARENT ASSOCIATION - JOIN US!The Parent Association (PA), comprising of parents, provides voluntary forum where all sections of the School, across grades and cultures, are represented. The main objective of the PA is to provide cultural exchange and understanding for our school community. As OFS parents, you are most welcome to participate in the PA organised events such as the annual Global Picnic and monthly coffee mornings.

We are looking for a few new members, so if you have the time, the inclination to contribute to our school community and would like to volunteer to be a PA member, please write to parent_association@ofs.edu.sg.

Overseas Family School Middle School Newsletter September 2019

Deputy Principal’s MessageHello and welcome to our new and returning families to the Middle School. Our goal here is to create an environment where students feel safe and happy, while at the same time receiving an academically challenging and effective education. As a team, we are all dedicated to that goal and look forward to the year ahead.

During our Curriculum Night on 22 August 2019, we shared details of the IB MYP curriculum framework with our parents. The program aims to develop enquiring, knowledgeable and caring young people, who are aware of global issues. The IB MYP is designed to teach students “how to learn” in order to become independent learners who can discover links between subjects and the real world. Students will develop skills such as Communication skills, Research Skills, Social Skills, Self-management Skills and Thinking Skills, through inquiry and concept based learning. This results in students who are balanced, principled and open-minded. Assessment in the IB MYP is criterion-referenced which allows student progress to be measured against a set of specific learning outcomes. This helps students to understand what they are expected to do, as well as set goals and monitor their own progress.Overall, our message to students is to give optimum effort, have fun and ‘be the best You’.

(Hayley Brian – Middle School Deputy Principal)hayley_brian@ofs.edu.sg

Student Matters The Middle School students have started the academic year with a flurry of activities. Becoming acquainted with their new classmates, teachers and timetables has only been a part of the many things that make up the new school year. Homebase teachers have taken the last two weeks to work through the Health and Social

Education Program for Quarter 1, which focuses on helping the students get to know one another better and to develop their self-management skills. This has been further reinforced through grade level assemblies and outdoor team-building activities. Important eventson thehorizon include theGrade6Camp from23 to25September 2019 and the United Nations Concert on 3 October2019, both of which are bound to be wonderful experiences for the students. We are all looking forward to an exciting and eventful first quarter. As the Middle School Student Advisor, please do not hesitate to contact me with regard to any concerns you may have about your child/ward’s welfare. Together with the teachers and Middle School Leadership Team we will endeavour to provide the best support we can.

(Aidan Spencer – Middle School Student Advisor)

Master Policy:To maintain a happy, safe and effective school for overseas families living in Singapore

New StaffWATSON KEVINDesign TechnologyMy name is Kevin Watson and I am a new recruit to the Middle School Design Technology team. I have been teaching for 23 years in a careerthat has taken me from the UK to Taiwan, Singapore, Brunei, the UAE, China and finally back to Singapore again. I am originally from Nottingham in the UK, and I am a passionate follower of my local football team, Nottingham Forest Football Club. I also have an interest in educational apps for mobile devices, and in the recent past, I have produced 2D graphics for a range of educational video game apps for UAE University. I have come to Singapore with my wife, Kiron and two daughters, Amber and Emma, who will be studying in K2 and Grade 2 respectively. We are all greatly looking forward to being part of OFS’s multicultural community and enjoying all that this school and this wonderful city state have to offer. Any Middle School students who would like design support will be most welcome to come to seek me out, and I will do my very best to help!

HEALY MARISAPhysical and Health EducationMy name is Marisa Healy and I am a Physical and Health Education teacher from New Zealand. I am extremely dedicated to my students no matter their level of physical ability and encourage the idea that success doesn’t always come from winning but rather from the challenging experiences faced in the process of achieving a goal. I believe strongly in the importance of introducing a wide range of opportunities to allow all students to develop motor skills, knowledge and an a critical understanding of movement. I am devoted to fostering a positive attitude toward physical fitness and activity as well as an understanding of the importance of a healthy lifestyle. When I am not teaching, I am a mother of two young boys and I enjoy playing competitive netball. I am looking forward to working at OFS.

SHAH WAQAAZSciencesMy name is Waqaaz Shah and I have recently joined the Middle School Science Team. I have been teaching IB Physics, IGCSE Physics and Science for 20 years. I am originally from Nottingham in the UK and I graduated from the University of Leeds with a degree in Physics & Astrophysics. I initially taught in the UK and then Singapore, I then worked as Head of Physics in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. I now live in Singapore with my wife Anna and my two little boys Zac and Max. Zac has just started K2 and is thoroughly enjoying his new school; Max is too young for school at the moment, but will be joining OFS next year. It has been a great start to the academic year, a major highlight being meeting the diverse range pupils that we have in our multi-cultural community. I am very excited to be teaching Science here and look forward to working with all the students, both in class and during extra-curricular activities where I will be running the Fitness Club on a Thursday afternoon.

PEEL GRAEMEEnglish (Language & Literature)My name is Graeme Peel, and I have recently joined the Middle School English (Language & Literature) team. I have taught English language and literature for almost 16 years now, in five different countries. I began my career as a social worker in South Africa, eventually transitioning into teaching, my passion is literature. I am particularly interested in critical and cultural theory, and the ways in which the arts shape and challenge our understanding of our world and who we are. I am a voracious reader, and I hope to instill this love of learning in my students. In my own time, I enjoy spending time outdoors, either cycling, hiking, or just exploring. In my classes, students can expect to be challenged and empowered to be the best versions of themselves. I am very happy to be a part of the diverse and inclusive OFS community, and I look forward to serving my new community for many years to come.

Grade 6 Sciences – ‘Identities and Relationships’ Grade 6 students new to Middle School embarked on their sciences career by Inquiring into ‘What Scientists do?’ This unit includes looking at famous scientists. Many students know names such as Einstein, Hawking, Newton, Galileo, etc. but there are many others from a diversity of cultures. Scientists such as Tu Youyou (first woman from China to receive a Nobel prize), Mae Jemison (first Afro-American woman in space), Dr. Hayat Sindi (first Saudi woman with a Biotechnology Ph.D. from Cambridge), Chandrasekhara Venkata Raman (Indian Noble prize for Physics, Juliana Rotich (Kenyan Technologist), Cynthia Breazeal (Roboticist) amongst many others. It is important students explore the big whole world picture and the ‘Global Context’ for the unit being ‘Identities and Relationships’ encourages exploring roles and role models from diverse cultures across genders to explore the identity of a scientist.

(Stephen Foster – SAL Sciences)

Overseas Family School Middle School Newsletter September 2019

Reach Assessments in Science In April 2019, 286 students became Risk Takers and attempted Reach Assessments in Science (formerly ICAS Competition). Organised by the University of New South Wales, Reach Assessments are taken throughout South East Asia and tests students in a range of science skills including observing/measuring, interpreting, predicting/concluding, investigating and reasoning/problem-solving. OFS students’ achievements were noteworthy, with 68 students achieving the top accreditations. Every student will receive a certificate noting their performance and an individual log-in where they can look at their own responses and track their efforts. The Sciences team appreciates the efforts of all students for taking time to participate in this event.

(Stephen Foster – SAL Sciences)