May I start by welcoming back all families to another exciting term here at the British International School Abu Dhabi. Also, a very warm welcome to our new families and students who have joined us this term. We are all aware of the nerves that some can feel when starting in a new environment, but we can assure you that the BIS Abu Dhabi community will be as welcoming as ever.
Any New Year is a time of resolutions. It is a time when we seek to better ourselves and make the next year better than the previous one. This can take many forms of course, but especially after the holiday period, for many of us this means better diets and more exercise!
Learning does not work like this. Students cannot simply stop or start doing something and everything is suddenly solved. Learning is a long-term process with solid learning habits and skills built up over time.
One thing that students can focus on however, is their levels of effort and their commitment to their studies. Sometimes students might say, “I need to work harder”, yet unfortunately this is too vague and becomes just words.
A suggestion to all students starting a new term is to identify a simple area or method in which they can improve their effort. Then try to phrase this as a very specific action. Instead of “I must work harder”, something far more effective might be, “I will always do my homework on the day I am given it”, or “I will spend an extra ten minutes every day reading”.
Small steps like this are easy to measure and to maintain. These steps then lead to changes in everyday behaviours which will certainly improve learning in the long run.
Patrick Horne, Principal
It’s something I’ve believed for a long time — that learning isn’t predetermined by our genes. It’s about growing, persevering, and learning through the process. I was really mindful of this idea at this week’s wonderful Primary Summer Concert, after which I found myself reflecting on whether these amazing children have an innate talent, or whether they have achieved so much because of hard work and practice.
I believe it’s the latter. These children, their parents, and their teachers all seem to share the belief that by trying and working hard, they will get better at what they do. This is what we call a growth mindset.
This week at BIS Abu Dhabi, we have had the joy of celebrating both ends of the school journey and it has been a beautiful reminder of how we support our students to dream big and grow into their future selves.
As exam season unfolds, there's a special kind of stillness that settles over the school. In the quiet hum of the examination hall, behind the rustle of papers and the soft clicking of keyboards, is a profound truth: we are witnessing a moment that our students will carry with them forever. It is the culmination of years of learning, growth, and perseverance, a chapter closing and a new one ready to be written.
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