MUMBAI STAR

This week was a real hectic one for teachers at SIS. Return of CA exam scripts for checking, review of paper and corrections and completion of progress reports all seem familiar grounds for teachers be it Singapore, India or am sure anywhere else in the world of teachers. In SIS, being an IB school, the progress reports takes on a holistic form - a very detailed profiling of students are done based on the 10 attributes in the IB Learners' Profile (see pic in earlier posting in September). Marked scripts are kept with the school after the review and corrections done. I do not quite agree with this as I feel that parents need to take a look at how the marking iwas done and how students fare in tackling the exam style questions, which then prepare them better for the next CA or exam. Anyway, that's the school ruling...so advised Maths teachers to get students to redo those they got wrong in their note books for future reference when they revise. I learnt that the students here are more "kiasu" than our Singapore students...they even copied the questions and jot down whatever the teacher wrote on the whiteboard....even those they got correct! So Greenviewans, you are not alone, haha!!

On Tuesday and Wednesday, students were also participating in Diwali decorations and competitions. The PD and MD classes had Rangoli and Poster Drawing competitions. Discovery Learning Labs were organising Harry Potter events for the Kindergarten, PD and MD students since Tuesday. Today, a Harry Potter Party was held for them and the tiny ones really had a wonderful and memorable time. Today, a Diwali Bazaar was put up by the PD teachers and students' art and craft work were sold to raise funds for the tribal villages. SIS will be donating food, clothes, blankets and the money raised (over Rs2,000) to two of these villages tomorrow morning. Sounds familiar, Greenviewans? Some of you did something similar in your class-initiated CIP programme. Yes, the well to do SIS students do have a heart for the have-nots. Hats off to SiSites!!

Tomorrow I shall be taking part in the Staff versus Year 9 and 11 Students Cricket game. Wish me luck! All progress reports will be given out tomorrow, tpgether with the second issue of SIS newsletter, SPIRIT. Dr Vanitha and I each wrote a short reflection on our stay in SIS. Chairman of the Board of Directors, Mike Thiruman was in SIS today. We had a short chat in my room. In the afternoon, Head of School and I discussed the tentative schedule I had drawn up for our student exchange programme set to start rolling in mid-2008. Yes, Greenviewans, you are coming over to SIS, Mumbai next year! Present Sec 2 and 3 students will get the opportunity to travel to India and get a first hand experience of an international student in SIS, Mumbai. We shall select about 20 students and 2 teachers for this programme. Mumbai, anyone? See me for an application form early next year! Don't forget this is on top of the present STEP and twinning
programme we have with our Thai partner school. Greenview Secondary has gone international indeed!