At the start of this new school year, we welcome back all our families. We hope that you were able to spend some time with friends and family, but most importantly, that you were able to take time for your family and recharge to be ready for the new academic year.
To all our new families
Welcome To Windhoek International School
We trust that you will be happy here at WIS and that your time here will be a great experience and filled with growth and learning of our school community as well as the country, if you are new to Namibia.
We are also happy to welcome quite a few new teachers to WIS. May this new journey be a successful and rewarding one.
At the start of a new school year, there are always many things to look forward to as well as things that we reflect on. This year we want to focus on 4 drivers to guide us along the way:
Positivity - Presence - Principles - Perseverance |
The above shows in the IBDP as well as IGCSE results that we received for last year’s cohorts. The IGCSE cohort as a whole did really well. We congratulate each and every student who has put their heart and mind into a successful completion of the IGCSE or the IBDP or Grade 12. Well done! The outstanding IGCSE results mean that we have the biggest ever cohort of International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme students starting their IBDP journey today - Friday. It is exciting to start this journey with you and your families.
The quality of our IGCSE results this year are testament to the approach that WIS has adopted about 6 years ago to make learning more meaningful. Learning in context and in an environment where making mistakes and questioning in the right way is encouraged, results in the ability to be more critical and analytical in our thinking. This is the approach education in the 21st century needs to take. We want our young learners to be able to thrive in the complex, fast paced and ever changing world. Through the IB’s approach to education, this is made possible. This is why WIS has embarked on the journey to formalise the Middle Years Programme of the IB. The MYP in its approach to teaching and learning, enables young learners to take an active role in their learning and be able to make meaning out of their learning. The Verification Visit that happens at WIS next week should confirm that we are on the right track with our teaching and learning. We look forward to the feedback from the visitors on how we can be even more intentional in our approach to learning and growing.
Thank you to all our staff - administration, teachers and support staff - for helping make this new year get off to a good start. Onboarding so many new families and teachers is a big task. But we got through the first week successfully and are confident that this year will be another positive year where we can celebrate our WIS Principles, be present to learn and grow and - when things get a bit more challenging - persevere.
Finally I want to mention a few dates to keep in mind in the coming weeks as we start this new school year:
More information about the Back to School Night and Conferences will be shared with parents in due course. |
As always, please connect with your child’s teacher(s) or with anyone who can assist, should you have questions or would want to address anything school related.
Maggie Reiff
High School Principal
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