Newsletter of International School Suva
The last day for our IB students
Ta l a n o a Counselors Corner
28 November, 2014
Volume 8
Do you remember your last day at school? It is such a significant event and yet the IB examinations which begin today are th e focus and for most of our Year 12 students leaving school does not seem quite real yet. It
25 May 2012
Electronic copy available at http://www.international.school.fj/docs/talanoa.pdf Electronic copy available at http://www.international.school.fj/docs/talanoa.pdf
Volume 8
Inside This Issue: * Principal’s Report * Upcoming Events * Chair of Council * New School Logo
* Primary Final Assembly * ICT Students Field Trip * Integrated Units - Environment * Year 7 Field Trip
* PTFA Article * Habitat for Humanity * Careers for 2015 * All Start Sports Academy
Principal’s Report Dear Parents and Guardians, As we approach the end of the year I have been reflecting on my time at ISS. Many of you have heard me say that the school is in a good place, Fiji is buoyant and therefore the school is buoyant. This is all true but is not the only story. I thought I would use this last issue of Talanoa for 2014 to share with you some of my thoughts. I have been thinking a lot about a comment made by a teacher during an interview recently. We were talking about mathematics. She told me how she would often tell her students that „maths was not invented simply to make their lives difficult‟. She was passionate about mathematics and teaching and wanted others to understand why she felt this way. I have been likening this to my feelings about becoming a teacher and later an administrator. I, and all other teachers I know, did not go into teaching in order to make schools and education worse for the students. Like so many teachers, heads and principals I went into teaching because I had a vision that what I could do was good, it was important and it was an opportunity to make a positive difference to individuals and societies. Of course, idealism takes you so far and then quickly you learn that people do not always feel the same way as you do. Even though this is expected and part of the fun of working and living in a diverse community, it brings challenges. To ask for opinion and feedback invariably leads to someone feeling disappointed or worse when their opinion is not heeded. Naturally this is not the intention. Whilst as an individual, and an institution, I try to explain why we chose the other course or did not jump at every suggestion, I also understand that everyone suggests what they feel to be the solution. It would not be suggested if they did not think it was the „right‟ course of action. Disappointment therefore seems to be an inevitable consequence of asking opinion. What I, and all other staff at ISS, have to then do is weigh up all the suggestions and select the one which is in the best interest of all students at the school. The students are the first priority of the school and will remain so. That said, these are not just the students who are in ISS now but those who came before and those who will come after. I feel that the school is at a turning point. Enrolments are high and more and more parents are choosing ISS for their children. However, it is not just parents, children are choosing for themselves to attend ISS. It is now not uncommon to hear a prospective parent explain how their child wants to come to ISS and they, the parents, are trying to find out more about the school in order to understand their child‟s wishes. I talk of choice deliberately. We need to embrace the choice we made to be part of the ISS community, we make a choice to be or remain in Fiji and we make a choice to be at ISS. I am glad that you have all made this choice. As a school we have chosen to embark on a major building project and our new building will take ISS into the future. The new library and cafeteria facilities will enhance student life considerably, whilst the careful design of the building ensures that the primary and secondary sections of the school will be forever linked. I believe it is a good project and it marks the beginning of a new phase for the school. I thank you all for the support you have shown the school throughout 2014. We are grateful for the time and effort so many parents put into improving the educational experience for our students and I look forward to working with many of you again next year as we continue to move the school forward together. Have a good break. Anna Marsden Principal