RIS report Issue 21, April 2013 - www.romeinternationalschool.it

Rome International School

Book Week highlights:Short story competitions, library visits and more!

Spotlight on:How we can “Think globally and act locally”

Education for the 21st century

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hink   globally,   act   locally   urges  people  to  consider  the  health  of  the   en2re   planet   and   to   take  

ac2on   in   their   own   communi2es   and  ci2es.  

Thanks  to  the  generous  support  of  Rome  Interna2onal   School’s   PTA   commi>ee  and   through   the   Crea2vity,   Ac2on,  Service  (CAS)   programme,   part  of   the  IB  Diploma  Programme,  RIS  has  taken  steps  to  focus  on   its  community   and  networks  in   order   to   raise   awareness   and   tackle  global  issues  locally.  

ENVIRONMENTAL  DEGRADATION

Secondary   students   supported   Travel  Green   Day   by   coming   to   school   via  environmentally   friendly   means   of  transporta2on.  This  helped  us  to   reduce  our  carbon  footprint.  In  addi2on,  we  held  a   ‘no   school   uniform   day’   where   each  student  had  to  give  a  small  contribu2on.  

By   doing   this,   we   made   it   possible   to  raise   money   for   Friends   of   the   Earth,  Italy.   If   all  the  schools  in   the  world  were  d o i n g   t h e   s a m e   t h i n g ,   t h e n  environmental   degrada2on   could   be  significantly  reduced.  

CLASSISM,   SEXISM,   and   other  unjust  forms  of  DISCRIMINATION

Three  Grade  13   students  contributed  to  the   Girl   Effect   project   via   Interna2onal  Women’s   Day   celebra2ons.   The   Girl  Effect   Project   aims   to   help   empower  adolescent   girls   in   developing   countries  worldwide.   Through   a   few   local   steps,    such  as  dona2ons  aXer  the  Middle/High  School   drama   produc2on   (€400)   and   a  no-­‐school-­‐uniform   day   and   jewellery  stand   (€100),   the   dona2ons   from   our  community   helped   raise  more  than   500  euros!

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Gr 13 students along with Elementary pupils after an informative assembly on the Girl Effect project during International Womenʼs Day

“Think globally, act locally”

Some/mes   global   problems   such   as   war,   hunger,   racism,   poverty   and  environmental  degrada/on   can  seem   so   overwhelming  and  unmanageable  that   we   give   up   trying   to   solve   them.   But   we   must   not   be   defeated.  Collec/vely,  our  small  steps  make  a  big  difference…

BY  MARINA  BRUNETCAS  COORDINATOR  

...at  the  ECIS  Conference  in  Berlin  

The   growth   of   a   school   goes   hand-­‐in-­‐hand  with  the  professional  development  of  its  staff,  administrators   and   teachers.   The   format   of  learning   forums   such   as   the   ECIS  (European  Council   of   Interna2onal   Schools)   conference  take   into   account   the   various   approaches  used  in  a  professional  context.  Therefore,  the  focus  of  these  “classrooms”  is  on  sharing  and  comparing   our   experiences   under   the  guidance   of   external   experts   or   peers,   with  the   aim   of   iden2fying   new   trends,   best  prac2ces  and  benchmarks.  At   the   beginning   of   April,   some   colleagues  and  I  a>ended  a  conference  organised  by  the  ECIS   in   Berlin,   together   with   hundreds   of  administrators,   teachers   and   staff   from  interna2onal   schools   across   Europe,   the  Middle  East,  and  even  a  few  from  as  far  away  as  Australia  and  the  US.It   was   a   great   opportunity  for   gathering  and  assimila2ng   current   trends   in   educa2on,  par2cularly   important   for   independent  schools   such   as   RIS   and   discovering   that  subjects,   which   seem   to   us   to   be   an  excep2on,  are  in  fact  a  common  issue.For   those  who  consider   learning  as  a  process,  this   forum  not   only  confirmed   some   choices  already  in  place  at  RIS  but  provided  sufficient  s2muli  for  us  to  consider  at  home.  One   of   the  most   significant  messages   I   took  away,  as  ar2culated  by  Dr.  Yong  Zhao  (see  his  very   interes2ng  bio   on   zhaolearning.com),   is  that   a   world   class   educa2on   should   foster  crea2ve   and   entrepreneurial   students  through   an   entrepreneurial   oriented  educa2on,  in   such  a  way  that   the  curriculum  follows   the   children,   and   not   vice   versa.  Wouldn’t   you   agree   that   this   is  quite   similar  to   the   IB   approach   and   that   the   word  “entrepreneurial”   evokes   a   part   of   the   RIS  mission  statement?  A   second   interes2ng  message   conveyed   the  relevance  of   social   media,  both   for   students  and  schools.  The  “socialnomics”  scholars  (and  prac22oners   such   as   Michaela   Seeger,  Director  of  Community  at  Zurich  Interna2onal  School)   say   that   social   media   tools   are   a  reality.  We  cannot  avoid  students  using  these  tools  therefore  we  must  educate  students  on  the  use  of  them.  Schools  will  need  to  consider  their   teaching   methods   to   be>er   integrate  this  reality:  90%  of   independent  schools  have  a  Facebook  page  (65%  Twi>er,  43%  LinkedIn).  I   would   like   to   end   with   an   impressive  discovery.   The   worldwide   growth   of  interna2onal   schools   is  due   to   the   drama2c  increase   of   resident   students   that   opt   to  a>end   an   interna2onal   school   in   their   own  country.  

Thank  you  Berlin!

Ivano  BoragineHead  of  School  

And the learning continues...

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It  is  incredible  to  know  that  25  dollars  will  provide   one   girl   in   Kenya   with   school  supplies   for   one   year   (including   books,  notebooks,   handouts  and  pens).   It   is  also  encouraging   to   see  what   a  difference  we  can  make  on  the  other   side  of   the  world,  by   taking   small   steps   in   our   own  community!

POVERTY,  HUNGER,  HOMELESSNESS

By  organising  different  stalls  at   the  recent  Interna2onal   and   Winter   Fairs,   the   PTA  made  it  possible  to  raise  more  than  €5,000  which  was  donated  to  two  of   the  school’s  charity   partners.  SOS   Villaggi  dei  Bambini  were  able  to  purchase  five  new  computers  and  a  heater  for  their  educa2onal  centre  in  Rome   and   the   South   African   Themba  Development   Project   used   the   funds   to  purchase   general   school   supplies,  construct   sanitary   facili2es   and   buy  football   kits   for   the   en2re   village   in  Nqiningana.

All   of   this   was   possible   thanks   to   the  generous   contribu2ons   of   the   school  community  who  acted  locally  and  thought  globally!

Other   CAS   local   ini2a2ves   such   as  organising   a   toy   collec2on   for   Hai2an  children,  selling  fair  trade  jewellery  to  help  provide   an   income   to   single   mothers   in  South  Africa,  bake  sales  to  raise  money  to  help   reduce   hunger,   and   helping   out   at  soup-­‐kitchens,   are  great  examples  of   how  individual  and  small  communi2es  can  take  local  steps  to  tackle  global  issues!

WHAT  CAN  YOU  DO?    

It  does  not   take  that  much  2me  or  effort  to  act  locally.  We  encourage  RIS  students,  who   are   interested   in   raising   awareness  about  a  global  issue,  to  set  up  a  campaign  in  school,  followed  by  fundraising  in2a2ves  in   order   to   sustain   your   cause.   It   takes  empathy,   generosity,   sensi2vity,   humility  and   imagina2on   to   engage   in   the   ‘Think  globally,  act  locally’  spirit.  

SAVE  THE  DATE!  

We  encourage  our  community  to  con2nue  to   support   this   spirit   at   the   following  school  events:

Technology in the classroom

Thomas   Edison   famously   said   in   1913   that  ‘books   will   soon   be   obsolete   in   schools…’1.  This  never  happened  of  course  and  in  fact  the  history  of  technology  in  schools  is  one  of  great  expecta2ons...but  also  false  starts  and  periods  of  stasis.   Perhaps   it   is  inevitable   that  we   can  never   fully   use   all   the   technology   that   is  available,   but  many   of   the   innova2ons  of  the  last  40  or  50  years  or  so  have  not  changed  the  way  we   teach  and  learn  in  a  truly  fundamental  way.   At   a   recent   educa2onal   conference   I  a>ended   a   seminar   on  the   ‘classroom   of  the  future’.   This  turned  out  to  be   pre>y  much  an  empty   space   with   some   laptops.   Not   exactly  the   stuff   of  science   fic2on.    Of  course   mobile  and  tablet  technology  is  something    really  new  and  where  many  schools  are   inves2ng  heavily.  But  the   real  change   is  really  one   of  approach  and  artude    -­‐    not  focusing  on  the  technology  itself  but  how  we  use   it,   not  on  hardware   but  on   the   learning   opportuni2es   that   the  hardware   provides.  So  for   example,  exploring  how   students   and   teachers   can   use   social  communica2on  soXware   to  collaborate,  share  and   produce   is   a   very   important   area   for  development.   Or   using   technology   to   record  progress   and   achievements   in   gamifica2on  scenarios   is   another   example.   Gamifica2on  allows   students   to   learn   in   a   compe22ve  context  –   compe2ng   against  others  and  more  importantly   against  themselves.   2   It   creates  a  learning   framework   that   many   students   are  very  (overly?)  familiar  with  through  computer  games.   There   are   posi2ve   and   nega2ves   to  ‘gameifying’   educa2on   and   encouraging   the  use   of   social   networking   of   course,   but   the  point   is  that  we   can  use   technology  crea2vely  to  interest,  engage  and  encourage   students.  A  further  step  is  to  allow  students  themselves  to  help   create   the   learning   environment,   by  using   their   ski l ls   in   technology   and  c ommun i c a 2 o n s   t o   i n fl u e n c e   h ow    informa2on   is   presented,   ideas   shared   and  even   work   assessed.   So   even   if   we   are   all  wearing   iWatches  or  spor2ng   ‘Google  Glasses’  in   the   classroom   in   the   next   five   years,   the  principles   will   remain   the   same...it   is   how  imagina2vely  we  can  work  and  learn  together  that  ma>ers,  not  the  hardware  itself.

1  h>p://www.indiana.edu/~idt/shortpapers/documents/

ITduring20.html

2  h>p://www.educause.edu/library/resources/7-­‐things-­‐you-­‐should-­‐

know-­‐about-­‐gamifica2on

William  IrelandPrincipal,  Middle  and  High  School

Charity  Evening  -­‐  10  June  2013

The   2013   Charity   Evening   will  fundraise  for  a  project   that  provides  life-­‐saving  surgeries  for  children  at  St  Damien’s  Hospital   in   Port-­‐au-­‐Prince,  Hai2.  

Since  2010,   RIS  has  been  suppor2ng  the   well-­‐known   Francesca   Rava  Founda2on   to   re-­‐build   schools   in  Port-­‐au-­‐Prince   aXer   the   devasta2ng  earthquake  of  2010.  

Please   contact   Tania   Esposito   -­‐  tesposito@romeinternationalschool.it  if  you  are  interested  in  a>ending.  

May  Fair  -­‐  18  May  2013

This  is  a  wonderful  day  for  the  whole  family.   There   will   be   lots   of   stalls  selling  food  and  drinks;  face  pain2ng;  used   books   and   toys;   henna   stalls;  a nd   f oo tba l l   a nd   dodgeba l l  tournaments!    

The  funds  raised  from  the  Fair  will  be  donated   to   one   of   the   school’s  charity  partners,  Kisedet,  a  Tanzania  NGO  that  helps  to  provide  educa2on  for   disabled   children,   orphans   or  children   from   underprivi leged  families.

Gr 13 CAS students help raise funds for the Themba Development Project by selling fairtrade bracelets at the Winter Fair, organised by the schoolʼs PTA

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y  now  the  Rome  Interna2onal  School  Book  Week  has  its  tradi2ons  and  one  of   these  is  the  Grade  6  visit  to  the  Immanuel  Kant  Library,  the  library   for  Middle  and  

High  School  students.  This  year,  Grade  6,  accompanied  by  Ms.  La   Guardia,   the   Elementary   School   librarian,   were   able   to  explore  and  discover   the   library   that  they  will  use  frequently  next  year,  from  grade  7  onwards.

The   visit   started   with   a  brief   introduc2on   by   the   secondary  librarian,   on   how   the   library   is   organised,   the   different  resources  available  and   how   the   library   is  used  by   students.    This  visit  gave  Grade  6  pupils  an  opportunity  to  ask  ques2ons  and   to   reflect   on   the  differences  between   this  library,  which  was  new  to  them,  and  the  Elementary  School  library  that  they  know  so  well.  The  discovery  that  all  students  in  the  library  can  access  internet  freely  without  having  to  produce  an  ICT  pass  is  always  met  with  great  enthusiasm!

Then   came   the   library   challenge   in   which   the   students  collaborated   together   using   their   research   skills   and   the    catalogue   to  find   specific  books.   This  was   a  fun  way   for   the  students   to   learn   more   about   the   I.   Kant   library   and   its  resources  and  the  groups  were  able  to  successfully   complete  all  phases  of  the  game.

Well  done  grade  6!  You  are  ready  to  use  the  Immanuel  Kant  library!    I  look  forward  to  seeing  you  next  year.

BY  FEDERICA  OLIVOTTOMIDDLE/HIGH  SCHOOL  LIBRARIAN  

Book  Week   celebra2ons   took  place   from   4   -­‐   8  March.  All   kinds   of   ac2vi2es  were  organised   such   as   author  

visits,  an  illustrator  visit,  a  short-­‐story  compe22on,  paired-­‐reading  involving  primary  and  secondary  students  

and  a  ‘dress  up  as  your  favourite  book  character’  day  to  help  celebrate  World  Book  Day  on  Thursday  7  March.  

Below  is  an  ar2cle  about  a  Grade  6  visit  to  the  Middle  and  High  School  library.  

World  Book  Day  was  designated  by  UNESCO  as  a  worldwide  celebra2on  of  books  and  reading,  and  is  marked  

in  over  100  countries  around  the  globe.  Now  in  its  16th  year,  World  Book  Day  aims  to  ensure  as  many  children  

as  possible  explore  the  pleasures  of  books  and  reading.

B

BOOK  WEEK  HIGHLIGHTS  Grade  6  visit  Kant  Library

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First  published  in  New  York  in  April  1943,  Le   Pe%t   Prince,   a   novel   by   Antoine   de  Saint   Exupéry,   sold   over   150   million  copies   worldwide.   The   Li-le   Prince  characterises  the  sharp  contrast  between  the   respec2ve   ways   grown-­‐ups   and  children  view  the  world.Saint   Exupéry   depicts   children   as  imagina2ve  and  sensi2ve  to   the  mystery  and  beauty  of  the  world.  The  Li>le  Prince  represents   the   open-­‐mindedness   of  children.  He   is   a   traveler   who  constantly  asks   ques2ons   to   unlock   the   secret  mysteries   of   the   universe.   The   novel  suggests   that   such   inquisi2veness   is   the  key  to  understanding  and  happiness.Grown-­‐ups,  on   the  other   hand   are   seen  as  unimagina2ve,  superficial  and  prone  to  quick   judgments   which   lead   to   the  development   of   dangerous   stereotypes  and  prejudices.   They  are   sure   that   their  limited   perspec2ve   is   the   only   one  possible   and   aim   to   crush   the   restless  ques2oning,   open-­‐mindedness   and  imagina2on   of   children.   We   see   this   in  the  opening  pages  of  the  book.“The  grown-­‐ups'   response,  this  %me,  was  to  advise  me  to   lay  aside  my  drawings  of  boa  constrictors,  whether  from  the  inside  or  the  outside,  and  devote  myself  instead  to   geography,   history,   arithme%c   and  grammar.  That  is  why,  at  the  age  of  six,  I  gave   up   what   might   have   been   a  magnificent   career   as   a   painter.   I   had  been   disheartened   by   the   failure   of   my  Drawing   Number   One   and   my   Drawing  Numbe r   Two .   G rown -­‐up s   n e ve r  understand   anything   by   themselves,   and  it   is   %resome   for   children   to   be   always  and  forever  explaining  things  to  them.”Saint-­‐Exupéry   shows   that   personal  growth   must   a lso   involve   ac2ve  explora2on.   Through   a   combina2on   of  exploring   the  world   and   exploring   their  own   feelings,   the   narrator   and   the  Li>le  Prince,   though   stranded   in   the   desert,  come  to   a  be>er   understanding  of   their  own   natures   and   their   places   in   the  world.  In  re-­‐reading  this  novel  aXer  many  years   I   am   struck   by   the   number   of   its  themes  –  open  mindedness,  inquiry,  risk-­‐  taking,  caring,  reflec2ng,  thinking,   being  p r i n c i p l e d   a nd   k now l edgeab l e ,  communica2ng  –  which  are  all  part  of  the  holis2c  educa2on  provided  by  the   IB   PYP  at  RIS.We  cannot  tell  what  our  children’s  future  will  hold,  but   like  the  Li>le  Prince,  if  they  are  able  to  display  the  a>ributes  of  the  IB  Learner  Profile,  they  too  can  reach  for  the  stars.

Patricia  MarOn-­‐SmithPrincipal,  Early  Years  &  Elementary

The Little Prince turns 70 this month!

Gaia  (G  3T)  –  Pippi  Longstocking  

“I  dressed  up  as  Pippi  Longstocking  because  it  is  a  fantas<c  book.”

Margaret  (G  4R)  –  Laura  Ingalls  Wilder

“I  dressed  up  as  Laura  Ingalls  Wilder  because  she  is  very  wild  and  loves  moving  around.    

Personally,  I  think  we  are  very  alike.”

Claudio  (G  3T)  –  The  Gruffalo

“I  dressed   up   as  the  Gruffalo   because   it   is  my  favourite  book  and  I  like  it.”

Thomas  (G  5M)  –  The  Cat  in  the  Hat

“The  Cat  in  the  Hat  is  my  favourite  book  because  it  is  the  first  book  I  could  read.    I  then  con<nued  by  reading  the  

rest  of  the  Dr.  Seuss  series.”

BOOK  WEEK  HIGHLIGHTS  Dress  up  as  your  favourite  book  character

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As part of the Elementary Book Week celebrations, pupils from grade 3 to 6 were invited to take part in a short story competition. The entries followed the theme ̒ communicationʼ or the ʻpower of wordsʼ. The winner of the competition, Chiara Imponente in Grade 4, received a fantastic book to help her continue to write her own stories!

BOOK  WEEK  HIGHLIGHTS  Short  story  compeBBon  

An Impossible Dream

nya was bored of the boring life she had. She absolutely hated being the staff of Chicago mini-theatre. She was new there and she chose that

job because she thought that by working there she would learn how to be an actress. But it was an impossible dream for a girl of seventeen who couldn’t speak English!She watched the actors perform a beautiful act of “A Midsummer Night’s Dream”. She wanted so badly to act in it because her mother who was far away read her that story when she was little. She was behind the stage doors reading a book when...“Hey! We need you!” her boss yelled. “Go feed my dog!”“Eh?” Anya said. She couldn’t understand! “Dog, woof” Gnam, Gnam.” She now knew she had to feed the dog! She felt so stupid when someone talked to her, so she decided to go and learn English. At 5:00 she went to the city centre. She found a little English school and she signed up. It was a free school. A few weeks later, she could speak English perfectly. Then, a new girl came to learn English with her. She had inky hair and two sapphire eyes. When she entered the room she carried a blue book with her. The strict teacher looked at her with dark, firm eyes. Then she continued teaching. Later, the class was full.

“You will have a test, who ever wins will have the opportunity to work as an actress in Rome’s Globe Theatre,” she said. Just then Anya’s eyes shot up to the sky. If only she could win that contest!As soon as she got home, she began to study and study. Soon, she studied morning, night and sometimes even at work! The test was December 20th and today was the 13th of December! She couldn’t wait! She noticed that the new girl, whose name was Natasha was having trouble with Mrs Goodman so she invited her to study together. Days passed and soon it was the day of the test. That morning Natasha told her that she needed to win the test otherwise she couldn’t get a job. Then Anya realised she didn’t need to work there: it was just her dream! At the test she thought about it and didn’t try her best, on purpose. Two weeks later the teacher announced, “As you know, there can only be one winner: Natasha Karkiankova!” Anya felt sick. The teacher continued, “But one other person can also be a winner: Anya Robblets!”Anya was very happy and excited. She could work with her friend! And so, it wasn’t an impossible dream after all...

A

Los Roques: Solo incidentes o

tragedias planificadas?

7

n la mañana del 4 de Enero del 2013, un avión desapareció con sus pasajeros. No es la

primera vez que pequeños aviones desaparecen de los radares despuès ser salido de lʼ Archipiélago de Los Roques, un conjunto de islas y cayos cerca de Venezuela. Hay muchas opiniones al respecto de este evento. Generalmente, se cree que estos incidentes son bastante normales porqué occurren a menudo por las corrientes del aire y por la poca seguridad de los antiguos aviónes. Por otro lado, el pueblo Venezolano piensa que dar culpa a coincidencias por la desapareciòn de treinta aviones es superficial. Por eso, algunos tienen sospechas que narcotraficantes podrian estar involucrados en alguna manera en estas tragedias. De hecho, sus opinion es rispetable porqué la posición crítica de estas islas sobre el Ecuador no permite que los radares tengan un control general sobre todos los aviones, y esto podria ayudar el logro de actividad ilegales. Esta ultima teoria se basa en el hecho que todos los aviones desparecidos son siempre privados, antiguos y pequeños. Desafortunadamente, la policia no tiene bastante control sobre ellos. La situacion facilitaría el transporte de drogas y otras sustancias ilegales, asì que los criminales podrian sabotear el equipaje y

cambiar la ruta en un otro paìs americano por vender drogas. Según la policia, despuès del sabotaje, los pasajeros serían lanzados a la selva tropical de la Amazionia, y sería muy difícil recuperar los cuerpos de las vict imas. A pesar de eso, muchos investigadores empezaron a buscar los cadáveres en estos territorios, pero sin resultados. Lograron a encontrar un cuerpo en los dias pasados, pero sus condiciones eran tan mal que fue imposible reconocer si era alguien de los perdidos. Ahora, la policía esta aumentando los controles en todos los paises que se cree sean la verdadera destinacion de la ruta, con el intento de terminar estas tragedias. Para luchar contra este problema, las autoridades internacionáles están ayudando a Venezuela para aumentar los controles sobre todos los aviones de Sur América, incluyendo los pequeños y privados. Es algo bastante costoso,pero necesario, para la seguridad de muchos turistas. Los efectos sociales y economicos de estas tragedias son los siguientes: la reducción del turismo en un paìs ya en dificultad de desarollo, y, en fin, pero no menos importante, el dolor provocado a los familiares y amigos de las victimas, que incluyen un gran numero de Italianos.

En los ùltimos quince años, se han verificado incidentes y episodios muy raros relacionados al transporte de pasajeros en avión. Por supuesto, esto es lo que occurriò el mese pasado con un avión que transportaba turistas desde Los Roques, hacia el Areopuerto Internacionál de Maiquetìa, en Caracas, provocando seis muertos (italianos inclusos).

BY RAUL COHENGRADE 13

E

8

RIS report is a monthly publication by Rome International School.

RIS report

RegistrationRegistrazione n. 476 del 31/12/10

Direttore ResponsabileMaria Corbi

Editor-in-ChiefTania Gobenatgobena@romeinternationalschool.it

Rome International SchoolVia Panama 2500198, Rome+39 06 84482650/1office@romeinternationalschool.itwww.romeinternationalschool.it

RIS  will  move  to  its  new  campus  designed  for  21st  century  educa%on  in  September  2014.   The   new   building   and   campus   reflect   the   school’s  focus  on  cri%cal  thinking,  inquiry  based  approaches  and  a  passion  for  learning.  

n e a r l y M a r c h , t h e s c h o o l organised two site-visits to the new

RIS campus located in Via Pecori Giraldi, for staff members and class r e p r e s e n t a t i v e s . A 1 : 2 0 0 s c a l e

architectural model of the campus was set-up in the school foyer in early

December. As impressive as this model is, the groups who participated in the visit agreed that it does not do enough to

capture how the expansive and lush surroundings (after-all the campus is

beautifully set among three and a half acres of natural parkland) and the cutting-edge design of the building

blend together naturally.

Holly Grosetta Nardini, RIS mother of four

and class representative for Transition a n d g r a d e 4 s a i d : " T h e C l a s s Representatives have just toured the new

R I S c a m p u s a n d w e w e r e a l l impressed.  It's a large, luminous building

in a lovely green setting. The students will be divided by age and each block of classrooms has its own lunchroom, library,

art and music room.  My favourite feature?  Tiny toilets in every Early Years

classroom!"

The building has a covered surface area of around 9,000 square metres and is fully

air conditioned and cabled. Key features include a 225-seat auditorium, two gyms,

a cross-country running track, external sports grounds, recreational areas, and ample parking. There are separate

entrances for the primary school (south side, first floor) and secondary school

(north side, third floor).

The ground floor will contain the ICT lab, music room, art room and library for the

primary school and a canteen for the high school. The first floor will comprise of

a reception area and a bar in addition to classrooms and a canteen for our Early Years pupils. The second floor will

house the remaining primary classrooms and canteen, with one wing dedicated

to the library/learning centre, art room, music room and three laboratories for the middle and high school. Secondary

classrooms will be split across the third and fourth floors.

Denise Mylonas, parent representative for grades 2 and 7 said, “I was impressed by the generous internal spaces that the school will offer to the students and the whole school community. This will inspire a n d a f f e c t t h e w h o l e w o r k i n g environment and help students to study in a more efficient and fun way. The various laboratories will stimulate and allow for creativity and important scientific experimentation.”

Complete wireless coverage will allow the continued use of innovative ICT tools in the learning and teaching process (iPads, interactive white boards, laptop trolleys and portable charging stations). Always with an eye to the future, solar panels wi l l ensure maximum self-sufficiency in relation to the production of sanitary water!

We are confident that our new campus will continue to provide the ideal environment for our students and teachers to develop their ambitions together.

Keep up-to-date on developments related to the move to the new campus through regular reports in the magazine.

I

RIS CLASS REPRESENTATIVES

BY TANIA GOBENA EDITOR

Continuing the journey