Dear Secondary Parents,
As we reach the end of our first term and look forward to a well-deserved week’s break, I would like to take this opportunity to thank our students and staff for their hard work, enthusiasm and commitment over the past several weeks. It has been a busy and productive start to the academic year, with so much positive learning taking place across the Secondary School. I hope the coming week provides everyone with an opportunity to rest, recharge and enjoy some quality time with family and friends.
As we reflect on the term, it is also a wonderful opportunity to recognise and celebrate the learning that has taken place. At ABIS, we believe that learning is about much more than the grades students achieve. It is also about the progress they make, the challenges they overcome, the skills they develop and the confidence they gain along the way. With this in mind, we are continuing to develop the many ways in which students can demonstrate, reflect on and share their learning throughout the school year.
One of our exciting new initiatives this year are our, Student Learning Showcases. These events will provide students with the opportunity to take ownership of their learning and proudly share their achievements with parents, teachers and fellow students.
We are delighted that Grade 9 will lead our first showcase on Thursday, 29 October, from 8:00–8:40 am in the ABIS Museum. Parents of students in Grades 7, 8 and 9 are warmly invited to attend.
What makes these showcases particularly special is that they are entirely student-led. Students have complete agency over the learning they choose to share, selecting a piece of work from any subject that they feel particularly proud of. This might be an outstanding achievement, a creative project, an investigation, or something they initially found challenging but have worked hard to improve. Students will also work together to plan and deliver a short presentation reflecting on their learning experiences so far this year.
Throughout the year, other grades will have the opportunity to lead their own showcases, allowing parents to gain a greater insight into the learning taking place across the Secondary School and the progression students make as they move through the MYP.
Celebrating learning throughout the year
Our Student Learning Showcases are just one of the many ways we celebrate and provide evidence of student learning at ABIS. Throughout the academic year, students have opportunities to share their achievements through our Personal Project Exhibition, TOK Exhibition, Art Exhibition, Music Concerts, Sports Day and Open Classrooms.
We are also looking forward to inviting parents into school to experience the outcomes of our MYP Interdisciplinary Unit, where students bring together knowledge and skills from different subject areas to explore real-world questions and challenges.
Supporting every student’s progress
Of course, celebrating learning also means recognising that every student progresses at a different pace. Through our ongoing assessment and tracking processes, we are introducing more targeted individual support and action plans for students who would benefit from additional guidance in particular subjects.
These plans bring together teachers, students and parents to identify clear learning priorities, agree practical actions and regularly review progress. Our aim is not simply to improve grades, but to help students develop greater confidence, independence and responsibility for their own learning.
Ultimately, all these initiatives share the same purpose: to make learning more visible, celebrate progress as well as achievement, and place students at the centre of their own learning journey.
We look forward to welcoming parents to our first Student Learning Showcase on 29 October and to sharing many more examples of the wonderful learning taking place across ABIS throughout the year.
I hope you have a wonderful and relaxing holiday!
Andy Cooper
Secondary Principal