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As we conclude another enriching and successful year at ISB, I would like to share some key highlights and accomplishments that have defined our journey together. Our commitment to providing a high-quality, rigorous, and nurturing learning environment for every student has remained steadfast. Here are some important achievements and focus areas from this year:
Reading Excellence 📚
We have emphasised the importance of reading from Pre-Kindy onwards. By modelling our love of reading, providing diverse materials, and teaching every child how to read through a systematic phonics programme, we have ensured reading is both enjoyable and accessible for all students.
Maths Mastery 🧮
Our approach to Maths has focused on understanding, problem-solving, and mastery. Starting from Early Years, we continued to build a strong foundation in numeracy, emphasising place value, times tables, and conceptual understanding. Insights into our Maths teaching methods have helped strengthen our home-school partnership.
Writing and Communication ✏️
We fostered confident writers by teaching the writing process from idea generation to drafting, editing, and checking. Early Years students learned to write recognisable letters, spell words by identifying sounds, and constructing simple sentences. Our emphasis on discussion and vocabulary expansion supported writing development across Primary and we share writing progress over time through Seesaw.
Thinking Scientifically 🧬
We created a buzz around Science through hands-on, practical lessons. Students developed scientific vocabulary and knowledge, observation skills, and problem-solving abilities. Our curriculum covered sustainability and environmental empathy, ensuring students understood and appreciated scientific concepts.
Brunei History and Culture 🇧🇳
We deepened students' understanding of Brunei's history and culture, with an education research project to enhance our curriculum in this area.
Student Leadership 👤
We encouraged student leadership through roles such as Student Council, Lunchtime Rangers, Eco Warriors, and House Captains. These positions helped students develop confidence, responsibility, and empathy, contributing positively to school life.
Performing on Stage 🎭
We provided all students with the opportunity to perform on stage. From Dr Dolittle, to music concerts, assemblies and showcases. The ISB theatre was brought to life with a plethora or diverse performances that personified our school culture perfectly.
Sport and Competition 👟
All students competed at various levels in sports during inclusive events. We ensured equal access to facilities, coaching, and resources for all skill levels. Opportunities included school-wide tournaments, interscholastic competitions, and regional meets, allowing students to showcase their talents and improve their abilities. By fostering a supportive environment and encouraging participation, we enabled every student to experience the benefits of teamwork, perseverance, and healthy competition.
Visible Thinking Routines 🧐
Our focus on metacognition and self-regulation included the See/Think/Wonder routine from Harvard's Project Zero. This routine, also encouraged for home use, promoted careful observation, thoughtful interpretation, and curiosity.
Holistic Development 🤩
We emphasised the holistic development of each child, integrating intellectual growth with social skills, emotional intelligence, and physical well-being. Our broad curriculum and Extra-Curricular Activities (ECAs) ensured a vibrant and dynamic school life.
Parent-Teacher Consultations 👥
These consultations provided vital insights into each child's progress and facilitated open communication and collaboration, helping us work together to support their growth and development.
International Residentials ✈️
Our Year 6 students embarked on an international residential in Malaysia, offering invaluable experiences that extended beyond the classroom and shaped personal growth, cultural understanding, and global awareness. A selection of students also represented ISB at the FOBISIA Games in Thailand.
Resilience Building 💪
We focused on competence, confidence, connection, and contribution to nurture resilience in students. Our curriculum and teaching methods supported these areas, helping students adapt successfully to challenges.
Traditional Teaching Methods 🎓
We embraced evidence-based methods like phonics and direct instruction to ensure strong literacy and academic success. These methods, combined with a nurturing environment, inspired a love of learning.
Early Years Foundation Stage 👏
We laid solid foundations in Early Years, focusing on unique child development, positive relationships, enabling environments, and tailored learning experiences.
Academic Rigour ✅
Our curriculum challenged students to think critically, solve problems, and develop deep understanding. Regular assessments helped us track progress and tailor teaching to individual needs, ensuring continuous improvement.
As we look back on this year, we are grateful for your trust and partnership in your child's education. Your continued commitment and support have been invaluable to the success of our programmes and the growth of our students. Together, we have created a supportive and enriching environment that has allowed our students to thrive. We look forward to continuing this journey with you in the coming year.
Thank you once again for being an integral part of our school community.
It's been a busy year... 🤩
This year we have explored space and gravity, enjoyed ECAs, made marvellous medicines, written instructions, hosted a visit from a dentist, held numerous parent workshops, welcomed parents for parent - teacher consultations, shared experiences with Secondary students, celebrated International Day, visited many local attractions, visited government buildings, learned to code, explored world history and culture, shared local and international cuisine, competed in sports days and swim galas, opened new outdoor spaces, cultivated plants, competed locally and internationally, hosted assemblies, cooked up various treats, celebrated Chinese New Year, National Day and Hari Raya, sent Yr5 to Temburong and Yr6 to Malaysia, performed on stage, shared our stories, welcomed visitors, opened our doors to parents, slept over in school, paraded our nations' flags and landed a helicopter. 🚁
Dear ISB Staff 👏
Every day you do an exceptional job of ensuring the highest quality education is available to all. Your continued dedication is outstanding and the difference you make cannot be underestimated.
Thank you for an extraordinary academic year. We are not done; we never will be. However, we are always moving forward and these improvements year on year really do add up to something quite remarkable.
It’s impossible to sum up a year in just three minutes, but I gave it a go anyway….
If this is the end of your ISB journey, I wish you all the very best. As you embark on new adventures and explore the world, I hope you carry with you the fondest memories of your time at ISB. Remember the friendships you've made, the lessons you've learned, and the experiences that have shaped you into who you are today.
Thank you and enjoy the well-deserved break (if you get one) before we go all over again in August (which will be even bigger and better than this year). Thank you! 🙏 🤩
Mr Michael Everett | Head of Primary
Happy End of the School Year 2023/24!
We are delighted to share with you the ISB SPOTLIGHT: CommUNITY Newsletter ISSUE 4 Term 3.
In this issue, we highlight a variety of exciting activities and events across ISB Bandar, ISB Seria, and the ISB Centre for Inclusive Learning (CIL).
Additionally, we have kicked off celebrations for our 60th Anniversary year!
Thank you for your continued support. Please enjoy reading through some of the highlights from last term.