As we come to the end of week two, I can safely report that it has been a very busy couple of weeks in IB. Last week, we welcomed our largest ever IB cohort into the school. The energy the students have brought into the building this year has been infectious and I am proud to report that the IB students have been clearly setting the tone in terms of dress and behaviour.
For the Pre-IB and Year 12 students it has been about finding their feet, and getting used to the pace and academic rigour of their respective courses. For the Year 13 students it is very much business as usual, and this week they had their first of many deadlines - handing in the first draft of their Extended Essay or EE. Throughout the year, these deadlines will come often and I am sure they will be met with the same level of reliability.
Outside of the classroom we launched two very important Student Leadership initiatives. The first being Subject Specialist, an academically-focussed role that involves championing an IB subject and leading its development outside of the taught curriculum. Secondly, we also introduced the role of Head Boy and Head Girl for the first time in the Secondary School’s history.
This will initially be open to Year 13’s and we are very excited to appoint our inaugural head students. More on this in the coming weeks. Our Pre-IB and IB students have also tried out for sports teams, with tournaments looming, and organised some of their student-led societies (for example the Law Society and the Abenomics Society) that will run during lunchtimes. I also met with students to discuss forming a Studniowka committee, and it has been great to see (and more importantly hear) the grand piano being used most mornings by our IB music students, who have taken the time to arrive a little earlier and play for their classmates.
Finally, on Friday this week the Pre-IB and Year 12 students took part in their bonding trip or “Warsaw Challenge” which is ususally a lot of fun, while helping new and established students to form important relationships that will be so central to their success in the coming two years. We are a big school, but what makes the IB experience so special is the supportive and collaborative culture that develops with each new cohort.
Matt Lennon
IBDP Coordinator
Assistant Headteacher