Dear Parents, Teachers & Students,
I’m sure you will all agree it has been a busy and successful first term for the High School! Apart from getting students settled into their daily routine and immersed in their academic work, we have achieved quite a lot over the past few months. Highlights of Term 1 include IB Diploma (DP) students working on their Group 4 Project, our annual grade level parent meetings, ongoing work by staff on the school’s IB self-study and WASC accreditation preparation, several overseas university/college visits, Spirit Week, Independence Day celebrations, MAP assessment (Grade 7), World Scholars Cup (WSC) event in Sydney, our Boys and Girls Basketball and cheerleading teams participating in a local competition, our annual Athletics Afternoon event, the Ciputra Cup, multiple emergency evacuation drills, first-aid training for staff, our first two Coffee Mornings (for High School parents), several educational field trips, Camp Week Programme, etc. All the events mentioned were very successful and most importantly, enhanced our students’ and teachers’ overall educational experience.
Our very first Coffee Morning was held on Friday 13 September, 2019 with a reasonably good turn out of parents – thank you. A number of items were addressed with worthwhile discussion taking place. The following is a summary of these discussions with comments from those present in italics:
- Communication: How we can further improve parent/school communication?
- Managebac is an effective communication tool between the school and home.
- Email works well too.
- Some parents want to know more about working with Managebac, so a Managebac workshop for parents will be scheduled in Term 2.
- Information about competitions with other schools needs to be shared with parents.
- Coffee mornings are a welcome idea and should be held regularly throughout the academic year.
- Parents have respectfully requested that more (positive) regular updates about their child’s progress be shared throughout each term.
- Absenteeism: We currently have a growing issue where students are being withdrawn from school at all times of the day, with parental permission, for matters considered to be ‘personal’ or of a ‘family matter’ nature. This not only affects the student’s learning but it can also impact on the learning of other students in their classes and the preparation done by teachers.
- It was suggested by one parent that the High School needs to have an attendance/leave early data file for each student which is referred to if/when attendance becomes an issue. The school does have an attendance policy which will be socialised in due course to help families understand the implications of poor attendance and tardiness.
- School Events v Academics: Recently, we allowed students to attend a basketball game (with parental permission) in support of one of our student basketball teams.
- It was suggested that, as a school, we needed to reconsider whether allowing this to happen is a good thing or not.
- Parent Support Group (PSG): The PSG is a voluntary parent organisation that meets regularly to help the school with a range of academic and social events. If you are interested in joining, you can contact the High School Administration Office.
- A parent at our meeting asked for clarification about the role of our PSG and what steps a parent needed to take to join this group (answer appears above)
Notes:
(i) The next High School Coffee Morning is scheduled for Friday 25 October, 2019. Information regarding time and venue will be shared with parents in due course. Please find a way to attend our next Coffee Morning – the more voices we have, the more we can do!
(ii) Please feel free to email me (tswain@sekolahciputra.sch.id) if you wish to add any items to our next Coffee Morning agenda, in advance of our meeting, for our consideration/discussion.
Bullying in schools is a significant problem worldwide and is one of the most antisocial behaviours among adolescents and children. There is an abundance of research available which suggests the best ways to create a bully-free environment in schools. While the methods are all slightly different, there seems to be a common factor in each: education. Teaching all members of our school community to define, identify, and deal with bullying is an excellent way to stamp out bullying. When members of our school community are able to identify unacceptable behaviour, they can better address it. It takes a community of support to put an end to bullying. Bullying is not confined to one location in our school, nor is it contained by the walls of our buildings. It happens everywhere people gather. Therefore, it is important for ALL members of the Sekolah Ciputra community to support the prevention of bullying. Term 2 will see a primary focus on creating a bullying-free environment in the High School.
As I write this, our students (and staff!) are attending the Camp Week Programme. Please join me in wishing them all the very best with their respective camps. I also want to take this opportunity to express my sincere gratitude to all of our High School staff. For anyone who has participated in this type of activity before, they will tell you it is far from easy. Being responsible for the safety and well-being of a (large) group of students 24 hours a day over 5 consecutive days is tiring and stressful. More than that, I believe it illustrates the commitment our staff have – to the Camp Programme itself and to your child. I would also like to extend a special note of thanks to our High School Grade Level Managers. Without the many hours (many of which have been in their personal time) that has been spent in the organisation of our respective camps, we wouldn’t be able to provide this wonderful opportunity to our students.
As always, the High School staff and I feel honoured to be a part of your child’s development. We thank you for your trust and are looking forward to working with you in Term 2 and beyond.
Best wishes.
Terry Swain
High School Coordinating Principal
