Dear Community,
We’ve now arrived at the final week of the 2023-24 school year. The last day of school is Thursday June 20th.
The end of a school year always means farewells for some departing staff and students. The R-A-F-T acronym mentioned in my Oryx post from this time last year might be of interest to those of you who are leaving the school or bidding farewell to a close friend or favoured teacher: Reconciliation, Affirmation, Farewell & Think destination.
This is a very significant farewelling year for WIS. We are bidding farewell to our longstanding staff of Sharon Gorelick, Mark McLennan, and Edwina Rimmington. With a combined 69 years working at WIS, their leadership, wise counsel, outstanding teaching, and service to the school will be impossible to replace. We were able to throw a surprise farewell party, and plaques in honour of their impact on our school will be affixed outside their respective classrooms. It is impossible to overstate their positive influence on WIS.
Kathleen Britz is also retiring with a significant seniority of experience at the school; however, we are immensely grateful that she is staying on as a full time EAL Teacher Consultant for the 2024-25 school year.
Ruth Suffield, our MYP Mathematics Teacher and Middle School Student Life Coordinator will be departing with her family for Europe, after two very successful years at WIS.
Finishing her third year at WIS having had a transformative and student-centred role within the Physical and Health Education and a hugely positive impact on the Outdoor Education programme at WIS, Ms Seodhna Keown will be leaving WIS at the end of this year as well.
At this evening’s Staff Function, we will also recognising some very talented educators who are completing their short-term contracts with WIS at the end of this school year: my great thanks to Angelina Akawa, Jamie Vinson, Celia Mendelsohn, and Vicky Hamukoto for so capably stepping up and making a positive difference here at WIS.
When done successfully, farewells and times of transitions can serve as a consolidation of growth and a rite of passage for what comes next. As members of an international school learning community, we live both within and on the edge of many different cultures, and our students have a great ability to transition easily between worlds.
I hope that everyone is able to build their RAFTS over the coming week, and then take a well-earned break where you read lots, stay active, and keep away from those addictive screens (although I also want to share this nifty widget which uses MAP Growth Mathematics results to create a customised playlist of online tutorials for your Maths).
The first day of 2024-25 will begin at the normal time of 07:20 on Monday August 12, 2024.
Sincerely,
Ethan
Comments