Letter from the Principal: November and December Highlights

Christopher Short reflects on 16 busy weeks and looks forward to term 2 here at DCIS.

Dear DCIS Parents and Guardians,

After 16 busy weeks I’m sure all our children, staff and possibly even parents are looking forward to a well earned holiday. 

We were very excited to launch our International Baccalaureate Diploma programme this term and the students on this course have had a very successful first term. On top of the learning in the classroom they have had numerous CAS (Creativity, Action and Service) opportunities often in collaboration with our younger children. Our STEAM programme in partnership with MIT was launched this term with a very successful project around planes of the future in Year 4. This also formed part of our enhanced challenge programme to ensure that we provide opportunities for all our students.

It has been a great term on the Sports field. We were promoted divisions in a number of categories and were champions in the Division 2 U12 boys rugby and won silver in the Devision 3 U9 Boys football and Bronze in the Division 2 U9 girls football at the end of Season 1. Through the term we entered about 25 teams from U9 to U16 in basketball, football, netball, rugby, swimming and cross-country and have played over 100 fixtures. We’re currently halfway through Season 2 and are looking forward to more silverware early next term.

Our Performing Arts also go from strength to strength. The nativity plays were an emotional set of performances with some brilliant humour through the production. Our upper Primary and Secondary Christmas concert used the facilities of ACS, a neighbouring school, which gave us a bigger space for performers and audience. I was very proud to represent the Dover Court community at the Annual Service of Remembrance at Kranji and witness members of our choir signing so well with he other British schools in Singapore and southern Malaysia. We also hosted a visit by Brian Drye from Julliard who worked with teachers and groups of children to great effect.

We continue our campus development and we will have 6 new rooms ready for our use in Term 2 along with the very popular vertical playground in a new location. We re-arranaged the way we managed the play time for our younger children which has allowed a greater use of our grass areas and we have also increased the equipment available. The vertical playground is in the process of being reinstalled in its new location and so this popular feature will be ready for Term 2. We are still trying to manage traffic and parking around the campus and I will update you early next term on this.

We are very sad to have Rachel Evetts leave us after over 4 years with us. She has most recently been a teacher in Year 1 and Year 1 year group leader. We thank her for all her great work at DCIS and wish her well as she joins her husband on their new adventure in Hong Kong. We are delighted to welcome Stephanie Kirkwood to replace Rachel in Year 1. We are also extremely pleased to welcome back Mrs. Ailsa Page to the school. Ailsa rejoins our Early Years team as the teacher of our new Reception class.

I am also very pleased to announce the Heather Rinaldi will be having a baby in Term 3. We are delighted that Carla Hyland will move to be acting Head of Secondary for the term and then our permanent full time Deputy Head from August. Our search for the Head of Secondary continues, we did bring some excellent candidates to the school last week but we didn't appoint from this field and so I will interview in London in January and bring the final candidates to Singapore in February. I am very grateful to Heather, Carla and their team for the great work they have done this term in leading the Secondary school.

Term 2 promises to be an equally busy term. Mock iGCSE examinations start straight away. I am in London for the British International Schools Awards presentation evening and then later for our annual teacher recruitment. As mentioned above the Season 2 ACSIS competitions continue and we have our performance of Grease at the end of term. There are various residential trips as well as our ‘normal’ activities both in and out of the classroom.

I hope you have a great Christmas holiday, please remember our #DCBear photo competition if you are travelling (or around Singapore). We look forward to welcoming you back to the school on Monday 8 January.

Christopher Short
Principal