Dear SIA Community,
I hope this message finds you well and looking forward to a lovely weekend. I wanted to take a moment to express how much I’ve missed being at SIA this week due to illness. Seeing all of you come into school in the morning is truly my favourite part of the day, and I can’t wait to be back with you all on Monday. Don’t forget to give me a high five and tell me about what you got up to over the weekend.
I’m also excited to share that Mr. Danny has kindly promised me the opportunity to spend some time reading with our Primary learners in the new corridor reading space next week. This is something I’m really looking forward to and is a testament to the collaborative and imaginative spirit of our HPL learning ‘eco system’. Speaking of imagination, I was so impressed with year 5 and their exploration of the stars. They created solar systems and were given the chance to ask those burning questions as they explored and learnt about space. I was so impressed to see the Year 5 video that showed great collaboration and opportunities for feedback, which we know has a great impact on how we learn and progress. To view the video, Please Click here.
I have to let you in on a little secret – I’m a Star Trek fan! Yes, that’s right, your Principal is a Trekkie! It’s also wonderful to know that our CEO, Ms. Verma, shares a love for sci-fi and enjoys watching Star Wars movies. We both believe in the philosophy of “shooting for the stars” and never giving up until we reach our goals. This is what HPL is all about as we work hard and persevere until we reach our goal. You may have noticed the “Apollo Thinking” stickers on the walls around the school, which reflect this mindset. I can’t help but wonder if we have some future astronauts among us at SIA. In our culture of high expectations, I believe we certainly do. Who knows, maybe one day I’ll receive an invitation to join one of our learners on a journey into outer space!
We were thrilled to be able to announce the incredible learner leaders who will be guiding us through the academic year. The Head Boy and Head Girl have been chosen, along with our esteemed HPL ambassadors and deputy roles. Our learner leaders were truly inspiring last year and I am certain we will see the same level of dedication this year. Mr. Andy tells me that we have already begun integrating our learner leaders into various projects that will link to sustainability, charity and supporting our empathetic culture. I am also pleased that we have entered the next stages of our internship program. Our learners will have the opportunity to showcase their unique skill sets and express their interest in specific roles by submitting videos. This initiative provides a valuable platform for our learners to gain practical experience and model what an HPL learner looks like at SIA.
I would like to thank all our parents for taking the time to attend the various daily meetings we have been holding at the school. The attendance across all year groups has been fantastic, and I am eagerly looking forward to seeing our parent community become more involved in various aspects of school life this year. I received some lovely emails about both the Primary and Secondary parent meetings, as well as our iGCSE and A Level-specific coffee evening with Secondary parents. Fostering a strong and supportive sense of community is super important to us at SIA as we aim to continue to nurture and empower our learners through the VAA’s and ACP’s on their journey to become global citizens.
I would like to commend our learners for the continued dedication to learning, exploration, and creativity as we move boldly into this academic year.
#bethebestyoucanbe #highperformancelearning #preppyprincipal #parentengagement #shootforthestars #wearescholars
Take care
James Batts
Principal