2 February 2024
Newsletter North London Collegiate School Jeju
TOP NEWS CHEMISTRY ENRICHMENT WEEK ART ENRICHMENT WEEK UNIVERSITY OF CAMBRIDGE OFFERS NPQ ACHIEVEMENTS
PRINCIPAL’S LETTER Dear Parents, Students, Staff and Friends of NLCS Jeju We are delighted to share some more excellent news about our students’ successes as they have received offers from Oxford, Cambridge and many prestigious universities in the UK as well Early Decision and Early Action offers from the US including Ivy League and Ivy Plus universities. We are also very delighted in how our students are offered places at many specialist institutions such as for Art and Music. This includes the increasing success that our students have in applying for medicine which as I am sure you recognise is highly competitive across the world. Please celebrate with our Year 13 students whom we are very proud of. Now they have to work hard to ensure that they meet these offers! Successful students gaining places at prestigious universities are students who play a full part in our community and recognise their responsibilities and give back to our community. These are the young people who also take advantage of the many opportunities that are available to them and prove to be young people whom universities will value as they understand the importance of contributing to community and want to make a difference in the world. This week is no exception to the opportunities which students can participate in and experience. It is also delightful to see the involvement and enthusiasm during enrichment weeks such as seen in recent Chemistry and Art weeks. The thought provoking lectures available to them were inspirational and our thanks go to the teachers for this. We are also delighted to welcome in prestigious speakers who motivate and also inspire our students. Further details will come regarding some recent speakers in our next newsletter.
Yours sincerely,
Lynne Oldfield Principal
The Main Event
Here are the biggest stories from around the School this week.
CAMBRIDGE OFFERS Following the release of the University of Cambridge offers, we are very pleased to announce that two NLCS Jeju students have received offers to study at this prestigious university. This is a wonderful achievement and we are very proud of you both.
VETERINARY SCHOOL OFFER - A FIRST FOR NLCS JEJU! Congratulations to Kelly Park who has received an offer to study Veterinary Medicine at the Royal Veterinary College (RVC) in London. We spoke to Kelly to find out more about her chosen area of study and her time at NLCS Jeju. A lover of animals, Kelly selected the RVC as it is ranked number 1 in the world by the QS World University Rankings for veterinary medicine. A successful university application requires a minimum of 70 hours clinical work experience and 70 hours non-clinical work experience.
The Main Event In Year 11, Kelly set up the Save Abandoned Dogs (SAD) Bryant. The group of over 20 students volunteer at two different dog shelters in Jeju, caring for over 200 abandoned dogs. The tireless work that Kelly undertakes through Bryant equated to far more than the required 70 hours non-clinical experience. To gain experience in a clinical setting, Kelly volunteered at Seoul Wildlife Centre and Seoul Riding Club. Learning how to take care of animals and even observing surgery on an injured blackbird. Though Kelly’s success is down to her own hard work and determination, Kelly credits the biology department for arming her with lots of great knowledge about human and animal physiology - preparing her for university interviews and specifically thanks her teacher, Mr. Yates, who helped her by conducting mock interviews - something that Kelly recommends all students take advantage of. She also thanked Ms. Waugh in the UGC team for supporting her with the university application process. Kelly is an inspiration as one of her motivations to become a vet is to be able to provide free medical advice and care to animals in need, such as via the dog shelters in Jeju, where she has already made such a big difference to the lives of the dogs there. She has even offered to speak to our current Year 12 students who are considering the same university pathway! We are very excited to follow Kelly’s journey and wish her all the best with the rest of her IBDP studies.
OFFERS NEWS If you would like to share your offer news with us, please get in touch - hlock@nlcsjeju. kr, we would love to know why you selected your university and course, how you feel now you have an offer and what your plans are for the future.
The Main Event CHEMISTRY ENRICHMENT WEEK The key purpose of Enrichment Weeks is to introduce students and staff to a subject area in a fun, engaging and accessible way - to spark someone’s interest for them to want to learn more. The Chemistry Enrichment Week never fails to meet the brief. Taking every day activities and showing the chemistry behind them made for an exciting week! Well done and thank you to the Chemistry Department and all our Chemistry students.
The Main Event
CHEMISTRY ENRICHMENT WEEK
The Main Event ART ENRICHMENT WEEK This week we enjoyed Art Enrichment Week and as always we were impressed with the incredible talent of our students and staff within the Art Department. The team encouraged everyone to get creative and try something new. We hope the week has inspired students to select art for their IGCSE or IBDP studies, or to sign up and enjoy one of the many art classes offered for CCA and Bryant. Thank you to the staff and students involved with this busy week.
The Main Event
ART ENRICHMENT WEEK
The Main Event ECONOMICS ENRICHMENT WEEK Next week we welcome our economics team and students to the corridors to show off their wonderful subject and hope that many students will be inspired to consider this option for their IBDP studies. We will share updates soon. Good luck team!
Don’t miss our posts! Follow us on our social media pages to never miss out! Our recent posts include:
• Drone Dash • Snow on campus • Art • PRG Donation
FLICKR Did you know we add all our photos to Flickr? With no restrictions on the number of photos we can share, you will be able to see every photo from all the events around School. Why not have a look now?
NLCS Jeju Awards and Achievements John Locke Essay Competition Congratulations to two more students who took part and were successful in the John Locke Essay Competition. This is a wonderful achievement. • Eunseo Lee (Y12) - 2023 Psychology Essay Prize - Commendation • Yehee Jung (Y11) - 2023 Economics Essay Prize - Distinction
2023 Economics Essay Prize This certifies that
Yehee Jung
has been awarded
Distinction for an Outstanding Submission to the John Locke Institute Essay Competition presented this day, the sixteenth of September, 2023, at The Sheldonian Theatre, Oxford Jamie Whyte Ph.D. (Cantab), Chairman of Examiners
Martin Cox M.A. (Oxon), Director
2023 Psychology Essay Prize This certifies that
Eunseo Lee has been awarded
Commendation for an Outstanding Submission to the John Locke Institute Essay Competition presented this day, the sixteenth of September, 2023, at The Sheldonian Theatre, Oxford Jamie Whyte Ph.D. (Cantab), Chairman of Examiners
Martin Cox M.A. (Oxon), Director
NLCS Jeju Awards and Achievements READING QUEST Congratulations to more students who have progressed on the Junior School Reading Quest! We are happy to see so many names each week, there are so many benefits to reading - well done all of you! Sihoo Yoon 1CM, Jihoo Yoon 1CM, Wooram Nam 1CM, Junu Hong 3RB, Kevin Kim 4AL, Elin Mun 2GF, Emma Kim 2GF, Rael Cho 2GF, Leo Shin 2GF, Seewoo Park 2LW, Clara Kim 2LW, Irene Shin 2LW, Harry Hyeong 2LW, David Kim 2LW, Samuel Park 2LW, Soi Lee 2LW, Ella Kim 2LG, Kaylee Kim 2LG, Christine Lee 3TS, Kevin Kim 4AL and Jihoon Choi 5GH.
Internet Safety Poster Competition “Internet safety is a very important part of the Computer Science Curriculum. As part of Y4’s learning they had to design a new internet safety poster which would be used to continue to help and educate the Junior School children. This year’s entrants were of a very high calibre and the Junior School teachers cast their vote on what they thought would best advertise and promote internet safety. There were 2 winners this year - Yeju Jeon 4AL and Shiyun Kim 4TS. Well done to all of Y4 for their designs and especially to these 2 girls. Well done!” - Mr. Smithson
NLCS Jeju Awards and Achievements The British Columbia Chemistry Olympiad (BCCO) “The BCCO is a junior Canadian Chemistry Olympiad contest run by the University of British Columbia (BC). BCCO is an annual event that aims at preparing 10th and 11thgrade high school students to participate in the Canadian Chemistry Contest (CCC) ). At least twenty certificates are awarded to the top-performing students across BC. NLCS Jeju have performed well and 6 students have received award certificates • Gold Medal Award: Hoseung Jung, Jaewon Kang, Ja-Hyun Koo • Silver Medal Award: Eunseong Cho, Jiwoo Hong, Hanbi Lee • Bronze Medal Award: Jisu Park Congratulations to all these aspiring young chemists!” - Mr. Derek Patenaude (Head of Chemistry)
NLCS Jeju Awards and Achievements MUN Achievement Two of NLCS Jeju MUN students participated in university MUNs and achieved great results. Congratulations to Geoff and Riwon! “As a leader of NLCS MUN, I was very proud to see fellow students representing NLCS outside of school. The zest and passion I saw from younger NLCS students made me feel excited about the future of NLCS MUN.” - Geonwoo (Geoff) Kim (Y12) - Best Delegate from Hanyang MUN VI “It was a great pleasure to be able to participate in the Yonsei Model United Nations; I was given the opportunity to improve my diplomacy skills, and further explore my passion in MUN.” - Riwon Hong (Y8) - Grand Delegate from Yonsei MUN 2024
FIRST SCHOOL - 100 DAY CELEBRATION
Other News
At NLCS Jeju we love to celebrate all achievements and are delighted to celebrate with our First School as they reach a milestone for this academic year!
Other News
JUNIOR PRG DONATION Thank you to our Junior School PRG who have kindly donated six hair dryers for use in our Sports Centre, this is very kind and generous, and will be appreciated by many!
Other News PARENT WORKSHOPS AND PRG MEETING Thank you to all the parents who attended our recent Parent Workshops - our Senior School focused on a ‘digital world’ and our Junior School on year 4 to year 6 humanities. The workshops are a great way for parents to learn more about the topic, to meet other parents and for us as a School to hear your questions, concerns and ideas.
We also held the termly PRG meeting last week, as always the PRG raised important questions on behalf of the parent body and NLCS Jeju had an opportunity to respond allowing the group to discuss the topics further. Thank you to the PRG for their continued support.
NEW SCHOOL VIDEO NLCS Jeju is an exceptional School, which offers an abundance of opportunities on a large campus. Here, Mr. Mike Kim (Marketing Team) has captured the School beautifully, we hope you all enjoy watching and we look forward to sharing more videos with you soon. Thank you Mr. Kim.
Other News GUEST LECTURE “We are delighted to welcome Ms Han to the School, her distinguished career, highlighted by her tenure as Vice President of the World YWCA from 2016 to 2023, speaks volumes about her commitment to global issues and youth empowerment. As an Advisory Board Member of N.E.W. Entertainment Corp. and Board Member of several esteemed organisations, she brings a wealth of experience to the table, contributing significantly to the fields of entertainment, international affairs, and human rights.” - Ms. Jenny Liu (Head of Senior School Mandarin). Ms. Han will share her insights and experiences with our Year 8 and Year 9 students on 18 April.
THE ARTS DANCE SHOW Enjoy some photos from our recent student performance. Well done everyone.
https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1TscK86BSeEUf1gRKdRC-xjqZtTg3Wr6F?usp=sharing
CHORAL CONCERT We all enjoyed a wonderful Choral Concert on Wednesday night. This was a whole community event, with not only students performing, but staff and parents too. Thank you to Ms. Ruth Baker for bringing such talented people together for us to enjoy an evening of music. If any of our students, staff or parents want to join our School choir, please get in touch!
CAS SPOTLIGHT ON CAS This week Hyunseo Kim and Yoonkyo Kang interviewed Mr. Rob McLaughlin - History and TOK Teacher and CAS Coordinator.
Why is CAS an important element of the IB program? IB emphasises critical thinking and global citizenship and also recognises the importance of personal exploration and growth. CAS provides students with an avenue to pursue activities which are important to them, thus enabling students to be open-minded and go abroad. IB is not only about studying, it should be about learning activities and learning as a person.
What do you enjoy about your role as CAS Coordinator and what are the biggest challenges you face? As a class tutor, like I was last year, I only get to talk to a small percentage of the year group but as a CAS coordinator I get to know the year group as a whole. As I speak with a variety of students, I often get impressed by the creative ideas that the students come up with and even learn from them! Speaking of challenges, there are so many students in NLCS Jeju so to collaboratively work with the students and their tutors is difficult. Also, since CAS doesn’t have any hard regulations, there isn’t always a simple and direct answer for the questions that students ask. As a CAS Coordinator, It is hard to help students understand the program even though the answers aren’t straightforward.
What are some of the misunderstandings students have about CAS?? IB can be tough, with loads of work piling up fast. Some students understand CAS as just another subject to stress about, but it’s not! Students should move away from study and CAS is those activities that support students to relax and enjoy themselves. It is an outlet to move away from study!
What advice do you have for Year 10/11 students preparing for the CAS program? IB definitely is a shock - in terms of both academics and extracurriculars. To prepare for the CAS program, start to think about what you enjoy and join services projects or societies so you are ready for CAS naturally rather than thinking of it as another burden. Also getting into the habit of writing a diary about what you learned after doing certain activities will be helpful as reflection will become a habit. Ofcourse, talk with year 12s and 13s to learn from the challenges that the previous students had. Most importantly, do not push everything back, start it from the beginning ! Burdens are difficult to remove when they are accumulated so aim to use your time wisely from the start.
CAS
Are there some examples of how CAS has positively impacted students’ lives? Living in Jeju can be quite challenging, compared to the mainland’s abundance of opportunities. But still, there are positive impacts you may experience right here. There are certain places to support local people and to create opportunities to support the Jeju people. Some students say that it is challenging to finish service since the local community and these populations have a great impact on students, especially, their ‘bond’. Students mostly focus solely on university applications, however, CAS provides the perfect platform to reflect on society and understand the interconnectedness of society.
FOCUS ON SIXTH FORM Y12 TUTOR PD TRAINING WORKSHOP On 15 January, the Year 12 tutors had a special professional development session with Dr Jennifer Hartley on building good relationships with the Sixth Form students. Furthermore, we worked on the importance of body language when talking to others, with a specific focus on university interview skills.
FOCUS ON SIXTH FORM The session was interactive, and as you can see here, the tutors got an opportunity to harness their skills.
DR HARTLEY’S DROP-IN SESSION WITH YEAR 12 STUDENT As a follow-up to a Year 12 assembly, we organised a drop-in session for students to speak to Dr Hartley about how to present themselves in a positive light, and learn about what their body language is saying about them. The students really enjoyed this session because they were able to ask many questions.
DONGHA (DAVID) KIM - Y13JCH David is a brilliant all-rounder academically and socially, but he is particularly talented in art. He was awarded 4th in the World’s Best Figure Expressionists section in the American Art Awards. We are so proud of his achievements, and look forward to seeing all his masterpieces during the Y13 Art Exhibition on 8 March. “Dongha, a creative artist, often surprises students with philosophical questions, adding a lively touch to our mornings.”Ms. Cha (Tutor)
FOCUS ON SIXTH FORM
SEOK HYEON MOON- Y13JCH Hyeon is a fantastic musician, and he is also a Senior Prefect for the Arts. He is passionate about the cello, and he has performed in numerous spectacles, namely the International Youth Peace Humanism Film contest, where he was awarded 3rd place. He also conducted Farandole by Bizet in the Winter Concert in school, which he found very rewarding. Take a look for yourself. “Hyeon, a multi-talented artist, physicist, and perceptive observer, frequently observes everyone’s moods and routines, thus becoming the first tutee to notice any tutor-related tasks in the morning.” Ms. Cha
PARENT SEMINARS
UGC NEWS
The UGC Parent Seminar took place in Jeju yesterday, with another seminar taking place on Saturday in Seoul. Thank you to the UGC team for arranging such informative sessions - we know that the university application process can be complicated and may cause confusion, but our expert team is on hand to guide all our parents and students towards selecting the right university.
BOARDING NEWS Here are some of our January Boarding Home Newsletters! More to follow soon. Pyoseon Iho Halla East Hyeopjae
CULTURAL AWARENESS COMMITTEE
LUNAR NEW YEAR (Jan 21 - Feb 20) Many countries celebrate Lunar New Year, in China, this is celebrated for a month. Chinese New Year, also known as the Spring Festival, is a vibrant festival that, according to Chinese custom, ushers in the lunar calendar. Taking place between January 21 and February 20, it’s a time to celebrate, feast, and pay tribute to ancestors. Dragon and lion dances, red envelope exchanges for good fortune, and red lantern displays in residences are also part of the festivities. Read more here.
VALENTINES DAY (Feb 14) The purpose of Valentine’s Day, which falls on February 14th, is to show love with gifts and gestures. Traditionally, it has been associated with romantic relationships, where couples celebrate their shared bond. Though opinions on its commercialisation vary, the day is a good reminder to value deep relationships with friends, family, and partners. Read more here.
CULTURAL AWARENESS COMMITTEE LEMON FESTIVAL (Feb 17) Held yearly in Menton, France, Fête du Citron, also known as the Lemon Festival is a colourful event renowned for its citrus displays, which include sculptures and floats decorated with orange and lemon slices. The event celebrates the region’s citrus in a colourful ambience and brings in tourists from all over the world to witness colourful parades and artistic works. Read more here.
ONLJ - BOOK CLUB
ONLJ
“Victoria Lee from the Class of 2015 recently held the inaugural Alumni Book Club gathering. Although the turnout for the first event was modest, the discussions were rich, insightful, and filled with knowledge. As we look ahead, we anticipate more interest and participation from our esteemed alumni community. Stay tuned for more engaging opportunities to connect and learn together!” Ms. Shin, Alumni and Development Manager If any alumni want to contact or form a meeting with alumni in similar interests or in the same industry, please feel free to contact me - alumnioffice@nlcsjeju.kr or 064-793-8007.
ADMISSIONS NEWS RECEPTION, YEAR 1 AND YEAR 2 Applications for Reception, Year 1 and Year 2 are open! Visit our website to apply. Due to the volume of applications received for these year groups the Admissions team will be in touch as soon as possible after you apply, please allow for up to 5 working days. Applications close 29 February. Should you have a younger child or friends with children who wish to join the School, please encourage them to apply. Reception Applicants will be invited to attend an assessment day on 22 March 2024 at NLCS Jeju. The assessment will include classroom activities and observations, as well as a friendly and fun test, which is interactive and age appropriate. Year 1 and Year 2 Applicants will join us on campus for an English test and maths test as well as classroom activities and observation on 20 April 2024. These two dates are one of the highlights of the Admissions calendar, every effort is made to ensure the young applicants feel relaxed and enjoy their experience. All the staff and students involved thoroughly enjoy the event! Decisions will be made within 3 weeks of the assessment. Call or email the Admissions Team (+82-64-793-8004, admissions@nlcsjeju.kr) today to discuss further. UPCOMING ADMISSIONS EVENTS Full details can be found here. • 5 February - Chinese Admissions Questions and Answers - Online • 2 March - Seoul Information Session - in Seoul • 12 March - Junior School Information Session - at NLCS Jeju • 13 March - Senior School Information Session - at NLCS Jeju • 27 and 28 April - COEX Education Fair - Seoul • 29 April - Chinese Coffee Morning Private Family Tours We offer tours every week to families who may want to join NLCS Jeju. Email or call admissions today to book your appointment.
OUR TEACHERS AS LEARNERS
STAFF NEWS
At NLCS Jeju we believe in lifelong learning for everyone, which is supported by two exciting events in February and the announcement of a number of NPQ qualifications!
MIDDLE LEADERS CONFERENCE Being part of a wider family of Schools has many benefits. We can draw on the history of education from our founding School in London and discuss best practice with all schools within the group, as well as benefiting from cross school inspections to ensure we are all maintaining the high standards expected by NLCS. One of the exciting activities that takes place each year is the Middle Leaders Conference, where middle leaders from all NLCS schools gather at a host school to share ideas, connect with colleagues, receive professional development and to hear from guest speakers. NLCS Jeju will be hosting the event at the end of February, and are pleased to confirm we will be joined by Gwen Byrom, Sian Carr (OBE) and Tom Sherrington as keynote speakers. We are dedicated to lifelong learning and such conferences support this endeavour. We will share photos after the conference.
STAFF NEWS TOM SHERRINGTON VISIT “Investing in the ongoing and continuous professional development of our teachers and school leaders is of paramount importance as we remain at the forefront of international education here at NLCS Jeju. We are delighted to be welcoming Tom Sherrington for a week of professional development, support and coaching later in February 2024. Tom is an education consultant and author. He writes a popular and widely-read blog and his books include ‘The Learning Rainforest’ and best-seller ‘Rosenshine’s Principles in Action’. More recently, he coauthored the ‘Teaching WalkThrus’ series with Oliver Caviglioli, and his edu-podcast ‘Mind the Gap’ - with Emma Turner - regularly draws esteemed guests and world-leading academics from across the world of education. With 30 years’ experience as a physics and maths teacher and school leader, Tom is in demand from schools around the world to deliver CPD for teachers and leadership teams. He works with hundreds of schools and colleges providing training and consultancy support on improving the quality of teaching, learning and assessment in schools. We are delighted to have him with us, here at NLCS Jeju, as we go from strength-to-strength in the outstanding educational provision we provide.” - Mr. Carl Lewis - Assistant Vice Principal (Academic)
STAFF NEWS NPQ ACHIEVEMENTS Congratulations to a number of teachers who have successfully completed a specialist National Professional Qualification Programme. The NPQ is a prestigious and widely recognised qualification which is designed to help finesse and develop a teachers skills to become a more effective school leader and teacher. Our teachers completed one of three available courses NPQ for Leading Teacher Development (NPQLTD) Ms. Caroline Sannegadu (Teacher of English and Professional Tutor) Ms. Marina Jeffery (Teacher of English and second i/c English) Mr. James Lillywhite (Head of English and Head of Professional Development) NPQ for Leading Teaching (NPQLT) Mr. Ben Matthews (Assistant Head of IB and Teacher of History) Ms. Aisleen Renshaw (Head of Year 5 and 6) Ms. Kym Prichard (Head of Biology, Head of Libraries and Scholarship) Ms. Carolyn Moran (Head of Year 1) NPQ for Leading Behaviour and Culture (NPQLBC) Mr. Adam Lim (Teacher of English and TOK) Mr. Stephen McKeogh (Head of Jeoji House and Teacher of Geography) NPQ for Senior Leaders (NPQSL) Ms. Jodie Torrance (Head of Noro House and Teacher of Geography)
STAFF NEWS TEACHER TUESDAY Each week NLCS International posts a profile of one of the teachers from our family of schools. If you would like to be featured, get in touch with the Marketing Team (hlock@nlcsjeju.kr) this week they featured Mr. Sannegadu.
... AND FINALLY PARENT SURVEY - YOUR OPINION MATTERS We have recently conducted two surveys with an independent company, Kirkland Rowell, one for our Senior School students and one for our staff, both of which provided a great level of insight into the School from both of their perspectives. We would now like to hear from our parents. As key stakeholders in the School it is important that you have an opportunity to share your thoughts and opinions on a number of key areas. We urge you all to take the time to complete this anonymous survey. The survey results are only of value if you all complete it and are honest. We want to hear the good and the bad. Please do not miss this opportunity. The survey link will be sent to you via isams email.
... AND FINALLY
SAVE THE DATE - MEDICAL REVIEW The Medical Review is back for its fifth year. The preliminary rounds will take place in February with the finals taking place on 22 March in the PAC. For now, please save the date - more information will be shared soon. This is a fantastic event and will include a panel of esteemed medical professionals - not to be missed.
Follow Us! Don’t forget that you can follow us on social media for daily updates!