KISU Primary Newsletter
Number 526................................... 18th June 2022
Director's Message
It is really hard to write because if I start to say thank you to people then it could go on for a very long time!!! So I will start by saying thank you to the whole KISU community - students, teachers, parents, administrative staff, block supervisors, kitchen staff, ancillary staff, drivers and everybody else who I may have forgotten. I would like to take this opportunity to answer some of the questions I have been asked recently:
Why are you leaving? The answer to that is that it is time for Debbie and I to spend more time with our children and grand children. Our children are spread between Wales, Finland and Northern Ireland. Getting to see them all is difficult at the best of times and during the pandemic it has been virtually impossible. That is the biggest and most important reason.
A second reason is that I know I am getting older. My days of coaching football are gone. My head wants to do so many things, but my body just says no! To put things into perspective my first A 'level students are now 61 years old.
KISU needs energy and enthusiasm as we move into the post pandemic era and move towards KISU 2.0.
What will you remember about KISU? The answer to this would fill a book. The children and students will form the bulk of my fondest memories. As a school leader you often spend more time with children who have done things wrong, but not at KISU. The memories will include high fiving all of year 2 as they go to swimming, students who joined KISU with no English in Year 11 doing fantastically well in the IB diploma, a very kind student who said "your discipline was wise discipline not mean discipline", winning a number of ISAAK football finals, taking DP2 to Watamu in Kenya, seeing a number of teachers blossom and even though many have left KISU they developed so much in their time here. Whilst you always have to deal with problems I will always remember those parents who took the time to say when things were going well. It is with great pride that I remember a Board member telling me "whatever you do you always put the children first."
Do you have any regrets? I very much regret that in my time a Director we could not move the school from good to great. Everybody was onboard and all the plans were in place but COVID struck and all our thoughts and energy had to be given to maintaining standards in a world where I had to say the phrase 'I don't know' to more questions than at any other time in my career. I regret that I won't be teaching any more. 43 years and approximately 35,000 lessons. teaching has been a big part of my life and I will miss it.
What do you hope will be the future of KISU? I am sure that once KISU is able to get back to a pre-COVID situation then the school has the ability to fly. Committed students, parents, staff and a very committed Chairman, what can go wrong. Do I want KISU to be the same as it was before COVID? Absolutely not. I want KISU to keep doing all the things that made it a really good school but also to take the opportunity to move into the forefront of 21st Century education. KISU has the capability to be one of the best, if not the best, school in the region and I feel that that should be the target in the coming few years.
Our daughter and grand children
The view from our garden
Lyra & Sebastian
A final thank you
A final, final thank you
Primary Teacher's Messages
Primary Head's Message
Thank you parents for all of your support. I have to say that it is well know that in every workplace, job, role, situation and circumstance, negative communications are much more spoken about and shared than positive feedback and comments, it's sad but true! However, I really appreciate the many parents who have gone out of their way to email and tell me in person how lovely the Primary Award Assembly was, how nice it is to feel a part of events again, how nice it is to be invited back into school again and have passed on their thanks to the staff for everything that they have done this year! Your support is very appreciated and well accepted and is essential to breeding our positive culture and boosting staff confidence and staff morale! We do what we do because we love it and our jobs make us happy everyday which in itself is infectious to our community! If what staff have done has made you happy, don't hold back and tell us! I will always pass it on to make others smile!
Children, you are resilient! You are tolerant! You have coped with so much uncertainty this year! We are online, we are back in school, we are back online, we are back in school! Thank you for your perseverance, your determination, your excellent attitude to learning and for trying your hardest. You have worked hard, now it's time to play hard. Have a wonderful summer break and come back safe and sound and ready for the next stage of your educational journey and learning adventure. I look forward to welcoming you back in August.
Year 6 Farewells
It was sad saying goodbye this week. The Year 6 students were a brilliant bunch: resilient, independent, and ambitious. They’ve persevered through a lot over the last few years and it’s so rewarding seeing them graduate Primary on such a high note. They move on to a new chapter of their learning, both prepared and motivated to reach new heights!
The Year 6 students got creative during their International Day celebrations. They created their own rebus puzzles to represent countries around the world. Can you figure out the countries represented in each puzzle below?
Year 5's Goodbye message
Good Afternoon parents and students,
KISU is now on SUMMER BREAK and Year 5 students are officially Year 6 now! Thank you for all your support and involvement since last August, which allowed us to successfully navigate an unusual year. The final week ended with celebrations all around including International Day, 3 class birthdays, a certificates assembly, rocket launches, and a class party!
Attached are a few photos from throughout our packed last week of school.
We wish you all a wonderful summer break! Warm Regards, The Year 5 Team
(Andi Haskins, Farah el-Soussi, and Shamim Mutesi)
Dear Year 4 Students...
Break, break, break time is here!
We learned so much in this school year!
I've loved all the time I've spent with you.
I wish you luck in all you do!
From Ms A-
Message to Ms Ssanyu from Year 3
We are sorry that you are not well this week and we miss you. We had International Day on Wednesday and wanted to celebrate it with you and Ms Molly and Ms Ruth but it's ok because we ate lots of food and did nice activities and dressed up in our flag clothes and it was a good day. We wish that you had been there. Also, we received our certificates from you in the Awards Assembly on Thursday and you wrote nice things on them about all of us for us to read. Ms Molly read them out and Mrs Wise presented them and it was a special morning. We hope that you get better soon and that you have a nice holiday and we will come and visit you across the courtyard when we come back to school in Year 4.
Lots of Love from Year 3
A well earned rest for Year 2
What a lovely end to Year 2s wonderful year. The children have worked hard, played hard and made it hard to say goodbye. It has been a year of learning experiences for parents, children and teaching staff alike.
I am so proud of the class and the progress they have made, especially since coming back into school in person. This class is made up of so many risk takers, open minded learners, excellent communicators and caring friends. I look forward to seeing how everyone gets on in Year 3, including our three children who are off to new countries, to have new adventures.
Well done Year 2! Have a well deserved summer.
Well done Year 1 Children
Year 1 has had an amazing year to grow, learn and have fun. What a more exciting way to end the year than an end of year assembly. The children shared interesting facts and poems about seasons, weather and plants. They sang a beautiful song about deciduous and evergreen trees. Bravo, for a job well done! HAVE A LOVELY SUMMER BREAK EVERYONE!
Reception Farewells
Finally we have reached the end of the school year or I should say the beginning of the new year is already near... Goodbyes are always hard but when I see how these students have improved and grown in their overall confidence, I can say that I feel very proud of them and all that they have achieved.
The past days have been very busy yet the students have had the most fun during this time, as can be seen in the following pictures....
Early Years 'Thank yous'
The Early Years staff would like to wish the KISU family a safe, healthy, and enjoyable summer holiday!
From all of us to all of you... it's been fun, exhausting, and extremely rewarding watching your little ones grow in so many ways...