28th June 2024 Newsletter by invictusbukittimah

WeeklyNewsletter

AcademicYear23/24 Term3 28thJune2024

TheFinaleditionoftheyear

WelcomefromthePrincipal

It is hard to believe that just around 18 months ago , I was making my first communication with the parents, families and staff of BukitTimah from under a palm tree in my garden in Bahrain. This year of course, has been filled with new adventures, encounters and experiences along the way. Whilst my time here has been much shorter than originally planned, I am grateful to have met and worked alongside this wonderful community. Change takes time and I am proud of what we have accomplished in just six plus six months since my arrival inAugust.There has been lots to celebrate and I am looking forward to seeing how the school continues to build on what we have started to enhance, focus and develop. I wish to thank all the families and staff for their support throughout this year and of note to Mr Morse and Mrs Burke who have been an excellent and committed part of the leadership team.

Thank you all, I look forward to seeing you in our last two and a half days next week and every success for the future.

Reminder: Last day of school is 3rd July with a departure of 1200.

Nicholas Belcher

InvictusInternationalSchoolBukitTimah

Mrs Burke

Assistant Head - Pastoral Care

Ms Shaw

Key Stage 1 Lead

Head of PE & Sport

Mr Zulhilmi

Mr Belcher

Principal

Ms Lu

Key Stage 2 Lead

Head ofArts

Mr Elisara

Mr Morse

Deputy Head -Academic

Dr King

Key Stage 3 Lead & Head of Science

Head of Music

Ms Ngooi

InvictusInternationalSchoolBukitTimah

Ms Shaw

Year 1.1Teacher

Ms Lu

Year 3.1 Form & Maths Lead

Ms Ferraz

Year 5.1 Form & Maths/HumanitiesTeacher

Ms Liu

Year 1.2Teacher

Ms Mishra

Year 3.2 Form & EnglishTeacher

Mr Elisara

Year 5.2 Form & Head ofArt

Ms Stewart

Year 7.1 Form & EnglishTeacher

Mr Burke Year 8 Form & Maths Lead

Ms Metcalfe

Year 2.1Teacher

Ms Jing Year 4.1 Form & Chinese teacher

Mrs Lee

Year 6.1 Form & Humanities/GPTeacher

Ms Wang ChineseTeacher

Ms Joachim

Year 2.2Teacher

Ms JieYing

Year 4.2 Form & ChineseTeacher

Ms Ngooi

Year 6.2 Form & Head of Music

Ms Jollyn Lin ChineseTeacher

InvictusInternationalSchoolBukitTimah

TeachingAssistant and Learning Support team

MsYusop

Ms Sulaiman

Ms Makose

Ms Kalaihselvan

Ms Cai (Temp)

Ms Kamarudin

Ms Devi

Farewell to staff leaving thisAcademicYear 24/25

As is common in all International Schools, in July we say farewell to some staff as they seek new opportunities. I hope you will join me in thanking them for all of their amazing contributions to the school and we wish you every success in the future.

Mrs Burke

Ms. Sara

Ms Metcalfe

Mr Burke

MsYusop

Mr Belcher

Ms Jollyn Lin

New Staff arriving in theAcademicYear 24/25

The International School community can be a transient one as staff depart for new opportunities and promotions.As we look forward to the new academic year, we welcome the staff on the following pages who I anticipate will bring lots of new ideas and further enriched learning experiences for our students building on the fantastic foundations of their predecessors led expertly by incoming Principal, Mr Craig Cooper.

“Our shared goal is to help Invictus students to achieve the high academic standards and reach their full potential.I am confident that our combined efforts will further enrich the proud and dynamic school that is Invictus Bukit Timah. I very much look forward to meeting you all and collaborating to build on the solid foundations already established.”

MEET

THE PRINCIPALONTHE 24th JUNE at 1900

CLICK HERETO REGISTERTOATTEND

New Staff arriving in theAcademicYear 24/25

Shanty Chandra MusicTeacher

With an extensive background of teaching music in various international schools across diverse cultures, I bring a wealth of experience to Invictus International School. I earned a PGCE from the University of Buckingham, where I deepened my pedagogical skills and passion for education, especially in music. I am eager to contribute my expertise to create a vibrant and inclusive musical environment at Invictus BukitTimah.

My teaching philosophy is to create an inclusive and engaging classroom where every student is encouraged to learn and think critically. I’m excited to join Invictus BukitTimah because of its commitment to excellence and its supportive community, where I can work with passionate educators to inspire our students.

Key Stage 1 teacher

Ms. Khyathi

Ms. Clara

Key stage 2Teacher

Ms Mindy Chinese HOD

New Staff arriving in theAcademicYear 24/25

I'm Clara, and I'm thrilled to be joining Invictus International School (BukitTimah)! I'm excited to bring my professional expertise to the classroom, while also infusing some creativity and enthusiasm into our learning environment. Collaborating with my colleagues and nurturing the growth of our students is what I'm looking forward to the most.

Arriving in December

Greetings! I am Mindy Koh, and it is my great pleasure to join Invictus International School (BukitTimah) as the HOD for Chinese language. Prior to joining Invictus International School, I have held leadership positions as the HOD (MotherTongue languages), Level Head (Chinese language), Chinese Coordinator and SeniorTeacher.As I join Invictus International School, I am thrilled about the opportunity to work collaboratively with our remarkable school community to foster a positive, inclusive, nurturing and academically enriching environment for our students. I am eager to embark on this new journey with all of you and to contribute to the continued success of Invictus International School. I look forward to meeting everyone soon!

Mr Jun Hien Science

I love being in nature and doing outdoor activities like hiking, kayaking and camping. I am deeply curious about the world and I look forward to sharing what I know while learning together with everyone.

VisionandMission

Uniformreminders

Uniform-AllstudentsshouldbewearingtheirInvictusuniform

Blackshoes(NotVans/Trainersetc)

Grey InvictusSkort/shorts

BlueInvictusPolo

Whitesocks

PEdays-Housecolourt-shirt,InvictusPEshortsandtrainersareallowed.

Everyday-Invictuscaporbucketstylehatforoutdoorplay.

Pleasenotethatasperschooltradition,studentsareinvitedtoweartheirhouseshirtsonaFriday regardlessofcurriculumactivityasweareencouragingFridaysasadayforhousecompetitionsin thenearfuture.

Reminder: Last day of school is 3rd July with a departure of 1200.

SchoolUniform PEUniform

Weareawarethatsomestudentspreferacottonbasedshirt. PleasenotethatLim’sareinagreeancetoaccommodatingthisby manufacturingacottonversioninthesamestyle. Theyrequireaminimumorderof5butcanmakeforexample 3inonesizeand2inalargersize.

PleaseprocessdirectlywithLim’s;

Lim'sUniform

Address:211HollandAvenue,HollandRd,#02-18ShoppingCentre,278967

OpeningHours: Mon-Sat10.30amto7.15pm Sun10.30amto6.15pm

Academic:ImportantNotices

Summer Camps

Our Dempsey Summer Camps are in full flow (pics here). BukitTimah’s camps are ready for sign-ups and details can be found here.

SummerActivities

Teachers have put together some SummerActivities for our pupils.You can see our options here.

KeepingInTouchwithYourChild’sLearning

The school strives to keep parents informed about their child’s learning whilst balancing our teacher’s priorities.Areminder that tutors and subject-teachers are always available, and aim to respond to parent emails within 48-hours, however the following are two ways you can immediately keep up-to-date with your child’s learning.

WeeklySubjectcontent

Term3BCurriculum

Letter

Reminding children of learning, and pre-teaching key terms or ideas, is shown to be beneficial, so we’ve put together a summary of upcoming content for each class here: Parent-Shared Permanently collated here: Parent-Shared.T3B Curriculum Letters.

PastoralNews

Next week is packed with exciting plans!

● Monday Morning: Pupils will meet their new form tutors and take part in ice breaker games.They'll get to know their new tutees and explore their new classroom. Fun activities will also be arranged for pupils not returning next year.

● MondayAfternoon:There is a specialYear 6 graduation ceremony (forYear 6 only) to congratulate the students for their hard work in their checkpoints and celebrate the fun they had at the residential.

● Tuesday, 2nd July:The house donut party winners will be announced in the morning to build anticipation for the big afternoon party event to celebrate the house with no most points. (If you prefer your child not to participate in the donut party, please inform Ms. Burke.)

● Wednesday, 3rd July:The day begins with the end-of-year assembly which will be filmed and sent to parents at midday. Staff have been choosing awards for pupils, which will be handed out during the assembly. We will also hear from the Invictus GotTalent winners and listen to several speeches. Afterwards, form class parties will take place (your form tutor should have already contacted you about this), and we will bid farewell to pupils at midday.

Reminder: Last day of school is 3rd July with a departure of 1200

Mrs Burke

Assistant Head - Pastoral Care

HouseUpdates

This is the final week of house point collections! So who will be the overall winner!?

Reminder: Last day of school is 3rd July with a departure of 1200.

Music Secondary Primary

This week the students continue to explore rhythm and music making with various items.TheYear 4 students got creative using pe equipment to create their rhythm ensemble.The students also did a reflection exercise spending some time to think about musical achievements they are proud of this year and celebrating their achievements with a friend.

This week theYear 8 students revised on the characteristics and instrumentation of the different music styles they learned this year.They were challenged to a friendly quiz to test their knowledge.

Art&Design

Primary Secondary

Year3pupilshavecreatedlovely seasidepaintingsinspiredbythe brushstrokeofClaudeMonet!They havealsocreatedlilypad decorationsincommemorationof Monet’sgiftedpaintingfortheFrench soldiersofWorldWar1.

Year7pupilsareexploringthe symmetryofIslamicart.Thepatterns thatarisefromusingacompassopens upshapesandconnectionsforpupilsto colourinusingchalk,markersandpen. Islamicartisinspiredbythebeautyof geometry,untaintedbyobjectsto distracttheviewer.

Science

Primary Secondary KS3 have now come to the end of their taught topics for the year so we are doing some skills checks. Here are Y8 completing an investigation allowing for a skills check. Students were assessed on their lab safety, their technique and their focus!

Homework last week required all primary students to show their skills by submitting an investigation or experiment done at home!

Thank you for supporting them with this - our lessons this week have been lively and exciting as students shared their home learning with the class!

CRESTSuperstarandour firstCRESTDiscovery awardswereawarded thisweek.

Congratulationstothestudents whoparticipatedinterm2and term3inCRESTclubECAsandalso intheHumanBodyECA. Over130 studentsenjoyedschoolled scienceECAsthisyear! Thanksfor yourloveofScienceIBT!

ChineseLanguageinPrimary

This week, our primary pupils continue to learn through various activities, games, songs, and stories and more. Year 1 students are revising time and daily routines. They are learning to express Chinese characters such as “起床” (wake up), “睡觉” (sleep), “上学” (go to school), and “吃饭” (eat). They match the Chinese words with pinyin and pictures and use complete sentences to express their thoughts, such as “他在吃饭” (He is eating).

Year 2 students continue to review their knowledge about fruits and learn about vegetables. They read the stories "Found Delicious Vegetables" and "Cauliflower Brother," and consolidated their vocabulary, such as "南瓜" (pumpkin), "彩椒" (colored pepper), "胡萝卜" (carrot), "白萝卜" (white radish), and "生菜" (lettuce) through the story and the game "Vegetable Squat," strengthening their Chinese expressions of vegetables.

Year 3 FCL students learn expressions related to clocks, o'clock, and minutes. They practice with their peers in class how to ask and answer questions in complete sentences, such as "What time do you get up in the morning/go to school/eat?" They practice writing related words such as 点 (clock), 分 (minute), and 刻 (quarter).

Year 4 SCL students continue to enrich their vocabulary and phrases related to "My clothes are too small." They learn "I have grown up" and practice recording and describing their growth and changes. They read "Play Basketball" to practice reading skills and "Buy Shoes" to learn about the story "郑人买履" (Zheng Ren Buying Shoes). They understand how ancient people applied size and learn how to use adjectives to express "what" and "how" sentence patterns.

ChineseLanguageinSecondary

This week, Y8 SCL students continued their exploration of "The Little Food Detective." Each student introduced a dish from their hometown, detailing the recipe and necessary ingredients. They shared the cultural significance of the dishes, discussed cooking techniques, and explained how these foods represent their local traditions. Through this activity, students not only learned about diverse culinary practices but also developed their presentation and storytelling skills by sharing personal and family traditions related to their chosen dishes.

This week, Y7 SCL students conducted a research project on ancient timekeeping devices and calculators. They investigated the tools and methods used, such as sundials, water clocks, and abacuses. Their research included detailed diagrams and written explanations. After completing their investigation, they presented their findings in a comprehensive report, showcasing their understanding through both visuals and descriptive text. This project not only enhanced their knowledge of historical technologies but also improved their research and presentation skills.

PhysicalEducationinPrimary&Secondary

Tic-Tac-Toe Relays for Team Building!

This week in PE, our students took on their final team-building challenge: tic-tac-toe relays! This exciting activity combined physical exercise with strategic thinking and teamwork. Students raced to place their markers on the giant tic-tac-toe grid, working together to outsmart their opponents and achieve victory. It was fantastic to see everyone collaborating, communicating, and having a blast while staying active. Great job, everyone! Let's keep up the team spirit!

PhysicalEducation

IBTgoestoSPARTA! SpartanSingapore2024! Congrats to everyone who trained and was able to compete! Everyone worked through the rain and mud, keeping everything cool. Even Coach Jen finished earlier than expected ( Super Spartan jumping over fire)! Three of our group also placed in the finishers! One silver and two bronze! Let's get a larger group next year! Be on the lookout for another Spartan ECA

KeyStage1-YearsOneandTwo

“Ilovedbuilding agianthouse with connectors”

“Ienjoyedthe outsideplaylike FreezeTagwith myfriendsandthe instructions.”

“Ilikedcollecting ﬂowersonthe scavengerhuntand makingasuncatcher”

Reminder: Last day of school is 3rd July with a departure of 1200.

The Year 2 students have had a very exciting end to the term, ﬁnishing with an overnight camp hosted by Thrive at the Swiss Club.

Students have participated in a range of activities such as cooking, building, sport based games and swimming.

School camps are a fabulous way to help foster strong friendships, nurture teamwork skills and build on conﬁdence and independence.

A huge thank you to the Year Two camp teachers and Thrive Camp.

KeyStage2-YearsThree,Four,FiveandSix

Congratulations to our Kangaroo Maths competition award winners: Yuto Sato (Silver), Seojin Lee (Silver), Yuju Jin (Bronze) and Max Travers (Bronze).

Congratulations to our Kangaroo Maths competition honorable mention recipients: Claire Wang, Mira Mohapatra and Matthew Ly.

Reminder: Last day of school is 3rd July with a departure of 1200.

Well done to all our Kangaroo Maths participants in challenging themselves!

KeyStage2-YearsThree,Four,FiveandSix

Reminder: Last day of school is 3rd July with a departure of 1200.

Last week, the Year 6s had their Y6 Residential Camp - 3 days 2 nights of being together and exploring Singapore. From heading to Botanical Gardens to paint orchids, to climbing ropes and cruising along the giant zipline, to tucking into delicious hot pot, to exploring the Nature Reserve where they saw squirrels and monkeys, to visiting a hawker centre and trying out different cuisines, to visiting the Bay Splash Park followed by pizza and so forth! What great fun it was for the students to spend quality time bonding with each other and to celebrate the end of their Year 6 journey!

KeyStage3-YearsSevenandEight

Congratulations to our KS3 students who had a successful day at Camp Challenge last week. Ms Stewart today passed out certificates to our students who pushed themselves to be brave and strong in the hot Singapore sun last week!

Mr Burke also handed out Kangaroo math and SASMO awards to our students. Congratulations to Varonnika and Nolan for their SASMO medals in silver and bronze!

Reminder: Last day of school is 3rd July with a departure of 1200.

Dear Students and Parents,

As we wrap up this academic year, FOIBTwould like to express our sincere gratitude to all the children and parents for making this year so memorable, from movie afternoons, the Library project, Mid-Autumn Festival, Eid and Christmas Bazaar, to International Day. We value your feedback and would love to hear your thoughts on future events. Stay tuned for a delightful surprise for the children this Wednesday, the last day of school, and look forward to more exciting activities in the upcoming academic year!

Warm regards, The FOIBTTeam

Medical

Dear Parents/Guardians,

As holidays are drawing near, we would like to highlight on the importance of being vigilant in taking care of one’s health and safety. We have come in contact with a very small number of students, developing symptoms of stomach discomfort, fever, nausea and vomiting, and as well as diarrhoea, and may be portraying symptoms of stomach upset.

Kindly take note regarding the school’s protocol when it comes to diarrhoea and their symptoms. Once a student has come in to school with these symptoms, we will immediately contact the parents to bring them home for Doctor’s consultation, and we would like to reiterate that students diagnosed with symptoms mentioned should stay at home for at least another 24 hours before returning to school, and ensure that your child has fully recovered.The safety and well being of our school community is our utmost priority and responsibility.

If you have any clarifications, please feel free to contact Nurse Nadia by email. Thank you for your co-operation.

Warmest regards,

Nicholas Belcher, Principal

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