Weekly Newsletter 17 September 2021

NEWSWEEK

WELCOME TO OUR WEEKLY NEWSLETTER

17 September 2021

CHUSEOK CELEBRATIONS BOARDING STORIES CLASS OF THE WEEK PRIZE WINNING STUDENTS

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A Letter From The Principal Dear Parents, Students, Staff and Friends of NLCS Jeju We have had a very vibrant start to the year and over these first few weeks it has been ‘a roller coaster journey’ for all in the NLCS Jeju community where there really is so much going on. This has certainly been the most challenging year for us in getting our teachers and their families here into School due to the many visa and immigration restrictions for UK citizens. Delays have meant that our existing staff have often taken on additional teaching and other duties. We are all very grateful for their work to ensure that we maintain our high standards for each and every student and I thank all our staff for their commitment and the work undertaken. We have also had to contend with last minute disruptions caused by the vaccination programme but I am pleased to report that the majority of our staff have now received their two doses of the COVID-19 vaccine.

As we approach the Chuseok holiday we have also been contending with disruptions to travel programmes and the life of the school through the path of the typhoon. This has not stopped the celebrations seen in school such as with the Junior School’s Chuseok Music Concert which was delightful. We have also had a thought provoking Psychology enrichment week in Senior School. I am also delighted to thank the students and staff for their achievements which have resulted in the national award for Service for ‘Village is School” detailed below and, as usual, the individual awards of students.

I wish all our community safe travels for the festival and the holiday as well as reminding everyone of the need to stay safe in these times of an ongoing pandemic.

It is essential that we follow all Government regulations in relation to COVID-19 precautionary measures and we minimise risk. Leaving the island and travelling through the airport increases this risk. Therefore, we have the expectation that all students will have undertaken a COVID-19 test and submitted the results to the School if they have left the island. It is also essential that all travel is recorded on our surveys which everyone is expected to complete for readmission to School either as a boarding or day student. It is mandatory for all our staff.

North London Collegiate School Jeju

Please email covid@nlcsjeju.kr with results of your COVID-19 test.

Please see the links for Travel Surveys - ​​Visitors Survey, Student Survey Staff Survey , Parent Survey Yours sincerely, Lynne Oldfield Principal

CHUSEOK MESSAGE FROM NLCS JEJU What an amazing start to the 2021 - 22 academic year. Thank you to our students for all their diligence and engagement and to our teachers and support staff for hard work and inspiration! You all deserve a wonderful break.We’ll see you back here on Sunday September 26 (Boarders) and Monday September 27 (Day students).

Happy Chuseok!!

Have a nice Holiday and Wishing you the Best!!

The Head Girl and the Head Boy from last year now NLCS Jeju Alumni.

CHUSEOK CELEBRATIONS Lots of great celebrations have been going on around School this week. We loved the hanbok Mufti Day in Junior School and lots more.

CHUSEOK CELEBRATIONS

INVITATIONS After the Chuseok break you are cordially invited to several community virtual events.

Please join us for the Senior School Parent Academy (HERE) on Tuesday September 28, the Junior School Parent Academy (HERE) on Wednesday September 29 and the Ten Year Anniversary Ceremony (HERE) on Thursday September 30. Please contact our Parent Relations Managers if you have any questions - mchang@nlcsjeju.kr, delee@nlcsjeju.kr, ygao@ nlcsjeju.kr

You are cordially invited to celebrate the Ten Year Anniversary of the opening of NLCS Jeju Join Principal, Lynne Oldfield, staff, students and friends of the School on our very special day 30 September 2021 - 14.00 - Livestream link Email jforster@nlcsjeju.kr with any queries

VILLAGE IS SCHOOL - AWARD WINNERS Huge congratulations are due to the Village Is School Community Service team. They are the worthy winners of the National Student Service Competition We are pleased to announce that the Village is School community service team which has been the pride of NLCS Jeju with their passionate and fruitful service activities has received another award. They won the Minister of Public Administration and Security Award, the grand prize at the National Student Service Competition. Six Year 13 students started and have been enthusiastic to flourish this project. Read through the wonderful activities they have done and their thoughts below.

Our Village is School Bryant is a large community service group, consisting of 3 different groups that are each responsible for one of the 3 villages. Our community service group was constructed with an aim to develop the relationship between the GEC and the villages surrounding it. In Gueok village we teach English and Science to the village kids and in Shinpyeong village we teach arts and dance. We have also built a small library in both villages from books donated by parents and teachers. In Bosung village, we teach the village kids computer science with the iMacs that we have donated with our school. Not only did we interact with the young children, but we also interacted with the elderly by helping them make Kimchi and celebrating Korean traditional holidays with them. Due to COVID-19, many of our activities have been stopped but we still continued on with our service activities by cleaning the village and donating masks and mask straps that we have made. So, as a group, the Village is School Bryant has contributed to binding the village and our school closer than ever.

Angela: “I can still remember the moment when ‘Village is School’ was called for the Minister of Public Administration and Security Award. After I heard about the service stories that other students in this competition did as well, I did not really think that we would be able to get such a big award. Watching the video of what we have done so far made me remember all the diverse activities that we did. It made me feel really proud and realise that Village is School has grown so much through the years thanks to our teammates. Service has always been something that I learnt more from than I ever gave: It has and will be a huge part of my life. I eagerly wait for the days that we would be able to meet the village kids again once COVID-19 is over and realising the good influence that service has, I hope that more students would contribute to service activities and continue to work with the villages to strengthen our bond.”

Cindy: “I was so delighted to hear the news that Village is School was awarded the Minister of Public Administration and Security prize. It was great to see how activities we started as a group of young year 6 students, grew and received attention from other students and organisations, and positively impacted the local community. I hope the students continue to bring positivity to the community and serve as a bridge between our school and neighbouring villages.”

Sujung: “It wasn’t easy to keep on the same volunteering work for so long. As I started these activities earlier than others, there were many things I had to give up. Leisure time, opportunities to hang out with friends… However, I was able to keep on working because there were friends cooperating and villagers who supported us. I want to say thank you to Angela for playing the biggest role in this competition. I hope the next leaders will take on the responsibility and keep these works on track.”

Tony: “Initially, I thought the service would just be a meaningful experience, but it soon changed into a choice that helped me reflect on my previous years. Until now, our team members have interacted with many people and undertaken various challenges, and I want to thank them for their hard work throughout the journey.”

Leo: “I am very glad that a project that has been initiated to connect the village near the school is now grown up big enough to be transferred to the lower year group students and be known nationwide through the competition. It was one of my weekly happiness helping the village through structuring the library and spending time and interacting with the children around the village by teaching them. Hence, I’m so happy that the communication that I have kept with the village to continue on with this joy has now led to such good results.”

Kate: “Through the Village is School community service, I have learned the value of helping others as I was able to see and feel the changes that we were making in the community.

Before participating in the Village is School Bryant, I confined myself to a small society that I was a part of. However, through this experience, I was able to widen the scope of the world that I see and actually become a global citizen.”

If you want to know more about their activities, HERE is the video introduction. Don’t forget to watch the whole award ceremony HERE!

KEEPING OUR STUDENTS SAFE As part of our Parents as Partners Programme, Mr Craig Wehrle - Director of IT, ran an online seminar on Thursday called “Mac Parental Controls.”Mr. Wehrle says We are delighted with the establishment of Laptops For Learning which sees all our Senior School students with access to a device during the learning day. But we realise that we all need help in controlling the devices and various platforms and distractions. If you have any queries please contact Mina Chang - mchang@nlcsjeju.kr. We will have more parent technology seminars as the year goes on."

Mr Craig Wehrle

BOARDING STORIES Who wouldn’t want to be a boarder at NLCS Jeju with so much going on! We’ve now had five weeks of term and the new Homes - Yongduam, Hyeopjae, Aewol, Pyeoson, Iho - and of course Halla East, Halla North and Darangswi are filled with happy children who are already settling in, making new friendships and enjoying daily life. Activities going on have included sports, arts, crafts, service, games, quiet down time, baking, music and so much more! Boarders have special boarding breakout time every weekend plus trips and events and challenges. Here’s a very small sample!

Football Patrick Youell, Boarding Master of Aewol tells us “Last Sunday saw the inaugural Battle of the Beaches - an event designed to bring the boarding community together through competition and fun. This time, the boys houses of Yongduam, Aewol and Hyeopjae played each other at football.Yongduam and Hyeopjae were winners of the Year 7-9 tournament, whilst Hyeopjae were outright winners amongst the year 10-11s.There was a great atmosphere of participation and celebration, and we hope that the Battle of the Beaches can become a regular weekend fixture incorporating other sports, games and events.”

It was great to see so many of our staff out playing with the boys. Hard to tell who was the most competitive!

Fashion Show - Pyeoson Style!

North London Collegiate School Jeju

Ms Sangster has shared pictures from a very special fashion show which took place in Pyoseon over the weekend. We love the creativity of the girls - it’s amazing what you can do with newspaper! Year 7 boarders also relaxed with a baking session and the cakes-in-cups look delicious!

Halla East - Sixth Formers Settle In BM - Lesley Gissane tells us about the start of the year for the older students “The new year in Halla begins with a few nerves and a lot of excitement as students start their IB Diploma and life in a new Boarding Home.

Our Year 13’s have been straight back into their Diploma Program and meetings with UGC, who have been visiting the Homes regularly.

We were glad to see them taking a break on Saturday night for pizza and plenty of singing for the Halla East/ North street party to launch the year. And although Halla students aren’t competing for official House points, we do love our weekend house competition for a bit of fun and relaxation. Starting with our traditional table tennis round, Team Blue vs Team Red, saw Team Red victorious.

Our Year 12’s have been settling into their new rooms, new uniforms, new classes and, of course, making new friends. We have been thrilled to see so many students joining us from around the world and making the most of the NLCS Jeju opportunities. Two of our new students, Soojin Sung and Ein Jeong, have also been successful in gaining Prefect positions, which is an outstanding achievement.

We will see more students taking up leadership positions on the Boarding Committee after the Chuseok break”

North London Collegiate School Jeju

MEET THE TEACHER - DAN LONG BOARDING MASTER DARANGSWI Almost all our community must already know Mr Dan Long! He has been with us for ten years now and is one of our small cohort of founding teachers who are still here at NLCS Jeju. Originally from Cork, Ireland, Mr Long worked in Berkshire, England before coming to NLCS Jeju with his wife, Nicola, and sons Jacob and Oscar. He tells us that they came for an adventure - and certainly found one!

Mr Long was originally Head of Boys PE and then Director of Sport before moving into Noro House as Housemaster. He is now taking on another challenge - maybe his best yet as Boarding Master of Darangswi. “ I used to teach Junior School students and I really loved it. I’m so happy to be with the younger students again. It’s a lovely balance as I also teach Senior School PE so I get a good range! The younger ones are so enthusiastic and filled with innocent energy! Our Darangswi boarders are so flexible and up for almost anything!”

North London North London Collegiate Collegiate School School Jeju Jeju

Mr Long points out how lucky the Darangswi boarders are. There is a very experienced team with ABMs, Ms Vivienne Brooks and Mr SeungMo Chung and Melissa Baker and Holly Spragg who are part of our Gaps and Grads scheme. “Each child gets so much individual time and attention - socially and academically. There is academic support five nights a week with one on one reading and studying in small groups. “ He sums it up “ I speak to every boarder every day. We all feel like we are a family. We do so much - music, crafts, designing and building our own fire pit - and on our list for the future are beach trips and camping!”

Mr Long told us about a wonderful new Mentoring scheme where Year 10 and 11 boarders will mentor Darangswi students in all kinds of areas - this is a programme where both the older and younger students will learn and grow!

Contact Mr Long if you’d like to learn more about boarding in Darangswi.

CLASS OF THE WEEK What amazing pictures of Class 6EF out on the rooftop. The new purple HaeTae shirts look super colourful! Thank you to Ms Lailai Luo and Mr John Gilbertson - joint tutors.

PREFECTS Congratulations to our new Senior prefects! Mr Jason Sannegadu - Head of Year 12 says “I am delighted to announce that we have appointed the new Prefects for 2021-2022.

There was an exceptional field of applicants and it was very pleasing to see the professional manner in which all of the applicants conducted themselves during the interview process.

Once the interviews had been completed, the mentors met and discussed all of the applicants and found it especially challenging to decide on the overall selection. The significant number of applications is testament to the commitment that so many of our students have to our school community and it was incredibly heartwarming to listen to not only how much they have benefited from being part of our school community, but also how much they have enjoyed building relationships with other students.

Each of the Prefects have been allocated to a specific project area which is overseen by a Mentor (member of staff) and a Senior Prefect and this year we will see some of these project areas collaborating together on a newsletter celebrating life in our Sixth Form.

Congratulations to all of our new Prefects!”

Academic English - Jeslyn Park, Woon Lee, Eunju Seo, Andrew Kim, Ria (Julie) Ju, Hyeonah Jo Arts - Brian Kim, Jay Lee, Junho Kim, Jamie Koh, Eunsoo Lee, Tiffany Moon, Jessica Zheng Beyond The Curriculum - Julia Back, Catherine Hong, Philip Kim, Julianne Lee, Ashley Park, Jacob Yang Enterprise - Jusang Kim, Sarah Park, David Noh, Soojin Sung, Anthony Nam, Jeremy Kim, Clive Choi Rewards and Achievements - Amy Nam, Taehwan Lee, Jeong Heum Na, Inwook Hwang, Leo Pei, Kevin Lee, Ein Jeong Whole School Events - Edward Yoon, Emily Kang, Brian Jeong, Kenneth Park, Lucy Jee, Soo Lee

INTERMEDIATE BIOLOGY OLYMPIAD At the end of last term some of our top biologists in Years 10 - 12 pitted their skills against students the world over. And they did brilliantly - with many of our students winning medals. Teacher, Patrick Youell said “I love to see our students compete and receive credit for all their hard work. They all did really well and I have high hopes for January, too.”

YEAR 10 TACSI AWARD For the first time at NLCS Jeju, Year 10 will be working toward a TACSI Award this year.

The Award is a recognition of the students commitment and excellence in extra-curricular areas. Students will aim to excel in Tutor Time, Active Pursuits, Creative Endeavours, Service and an Initiative. For the vast majority of Year 10 this will mean making a record of and reflecting on the range of activities they are already involved in but for many it will mean moving beyond their comfort zones and trying something new.

As John Jeong (M10A) put it when asked about the award “It gives students a chance to take part in and experience different activities and areas of their school life”. Remy Lee (G10B) agrees that it provides opportunities “... to take initiative in their extra-curricular life and possibly open up new opportunities in the future.”

This emphasis on extracurricular activities will also be a reminder to the students to maintain balance during their IGCSE years and prioritise space away from academic pressure. It is also excellent preparation for the compulsory CAS element of the IB Diploma. Moreover the achievement of this award will demand a development of character and as Olivia Kim (G10B) explained - it will provide a great chance to celebrate at the end of the year!

Thank you to Head of Year 10 - Mr Drew Thomas for all his efforts in making this happen!

Joy Siwon Hwang

North London Collegiate School Jeju

PRIZE WINNING STUDENTS Fencing Brothers - Derek and Max Kim Fencing is becoming more and more popular here at NLCS Jeju. Our CCAs are really taking off and our students are nationally recognised as leading in their field. Well done to Donghyeok (Derek) Kim and MinHyeok (Max) Kim who participated in the National Fencing competition this week, held between 11-15 September in GangWon Province.

Congratulations on being selected, boys, and we look forward to hearing about all your achievements. Here are the boys in previous competitions. Derek says “Even if you aren’t selected this is a great opportunity to meet lots of different students from 30 or more schools. They have all different styles. Many students are at specialist schools but we are lucky that we get to really focus on academics as well as our fencing . Our next competition is in November. “ Good luck, Derek and Max!

Spelling Bee Success Ms Katrina Daniels Samasa has been working with some of our best spellers as they entered the Spelling Bee Championship 2020 - 21. “Congratulations to Gyuyeon (Victoria) Park Year 8, Geumbee (Chandler) Ahn - Year 10, Taehong (Austin) Ha - Year 9 for being our school Spelling Bee champions for the 2020/2021 school year. They participated in several rounds to prove they are indeed the best spellers in the school. We look forward to seeing them defend their titles next year. Will there be new winners or will they triumph again? Make sure you read the final newsletter of the year and we’ll let you know. Again, congratulations to them on a job well done.”

Rugby Trials Well done to some of our Senior School Rugby players who were invited to try out for the National squad last weekend. They took a trip to the mainland and gave it their best shot despite being so much younger than many of the other hopefuls. Well done to Edwin (EunSang) Lee, Harry (KunWoo) Kim, David (Dong Ha) Kim, and Louis (YuHyuk) Chang.

David Kim adds “‘It was a valuable experience for us all to represent the school and confront the next stage which was the national team trial. There were lots of aspects of the trial that we can now bring to our school’s rugby. All four of us have definitely learnt some significant ways to improve as rugby players.”

MUSIC ENRICHMENT WEEK - A REVIEW Thank you to Mr Harry Thorrington who shared this personal view of a wonderful Music Enrichment Week...“I shut my eyes, and the music broke over me like a rainstorm.” In that moment, Esther Greenwood, the protagonist of Silvia Plath’s The Bell Jar, realises that music has the power to inspire and move us in ways quite unparalleled. Esther’s rainstorm pales in comparison to the musical deluge that visited the Senior School September 6 to 10. On Wednesday, Mr Tamlyn and King Hyun (IBDP musician, Year 12) introduced Year 7s to the “Birth of Loud”, or the invention of the electric guitar. In their usual insightful styles, Mr Tamlyn and King spun a tale of economic regeneration, fashion reboots and the birth of subcultures from the seemingly simple meeting of instruments with electricity.

On Wednesday evening, the IBDP Year 13 musicians performed a panoply of music from a variety of traditions to warm applause. Ms Oldfield complimented them on their “outstanding performances”. You can rewatch the event here.

Our Year 10 and 11 musicians were treated to a truly superb virtual call from the acclaimed jazz singer, composer and keyboardist Liane Carroll (click here to watch a performance by Ms Carroll.) Mr Herbison deserves great thanks for arranging it; the students asked wonderful questions, and Alex Heo (Year 11) sang for Ms Carroll and received helpful suggestions on interpretation and technique. A standout piece of advice to all our musicians: “My number 1 rule? Just be honest. Don’t bother learning a song that doesn’t mean anything to you. Don’t be frightened to be a little bit exposed.”

Finally, the school corridors and spaces drowned in the sounds of busking. I hope many of you are inspired to contribute in your own ways to the fabulous music-making at NLCS Jeju. This is only the beginning!

North London Collegiate School Jeju

MEDICAL REVIEW

The NLCS Biology Society would like to take some new and exciting steps including looking beyond our classrooms, for help with our up and coming Medical Review. To this end we would like to invite not only members of our parent community but extend this invitation to any medical professionals or academics who would be interested in supporting our students, through their participation in this Medical Review. We are also very keen to hear from our NLCS Jeju alumni who may be willing to help Support can be offered in many forms - as judges for the presentation heats in the weeks leading up to the main event or you are welcome to deliver a mini-presentation on topics linked to remote medical care. Another option is to make yourself available as a judge for the final judging of the Medical Review on Friday 26 November. This is an amazing evening and all our judges in 2020 enjoyed themselves enormously and were very impressed by the students.

For those of you who have already shown interest and support for our students taking part in the Medical Review, we are very grateful and will be involving you in our upcoming programme of support. If you are interested in being involved and haven’t yet committed, please contact Ms Kym Prichard as soon as possible - kprichard@nlcsjeju.kr.

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North London Collegiate School Jeju