Dear Parents,
Welcome to the first term of the new academic year here at Oryx International School. Thank you to the parents that attended our "Meet the Head of Secondary" event, for those that missed this please find the short presentation attached below.
It has been a whirlwind start to the new academic year at Oryx and I, my family and all our new colleagues, are grateful for the warm reception we have received from the whole Oryx community. On behalf of all of our new colleagues, thank you.
The Secondary School continues to grow. The most obvious signs were how full of Secondary students the Auditorium was on our first day and how long it took to introduce the significant number of new teachers who have joined us to cope with the expansion in numbers. It is a good issue to be dealing with.
We are now refining our timetable and daily routines. After School Activities will begin towards the end of the month and information about ASAs will be advertised shortly.
Grateful thanks are due to our outgoing Head Boy and Head Girl, Clark Santana and Olivia McAuley. The process to select this year’s Head Girl and Head Boy and their Deputies is already underway.
Our first Assembly of the year included Dylan Janamohanan reading a poem about how examinations are important but do not reflect your complete personality or values. Dylan is in Y7 and this was his first day in Secondary School so to stand and speak in front of the whole school was an outstandingly brave thing to do. He did it without hesitation and gained everyone’s admiration.
Establishing and maintaining standards of uniform will continue as we get everyone settled into their routines. I understand that supplies of ties and other items have been addressed and Noblehouse have stock. Thank you for ensuring that everyone is properly presented.
I have been struck by how friendly and kind the Oryx students have been, to me and to each other. It is a theme I touched on in my first assembly and something I want to foster. Mutual respect, kindness and consideration are wonderful human tendencies and we will all benefit if they are instilled and promoted, at school, at home and in life.
Secondary Calendar Dates
It was lovely to talk with parents at the recent ‘Meet the Head of Secondary’ event. Two further events in this month’s calendar which are of particular interest to Secondary parents are:
1. The Parent Workshop (Data and Assessment in Secondary) presented by Mrs. Johal
- Date - Sunday 15th September
- Time - 13.00
- Venue - The Auditorium
2. Year 7 Parent Workshop - Introduction to Y7 presented by Mr. Haggarty and Mr. McKeown
- Date - Sunday 22nd September
- Time - 13.00
- Venue - The Auditorium
3. Parent / Tutor Consultations
- Date - Monday 23rd August
- Time - Afternoon, please book an appointment with your tutor (further information will be sent out shortly, with contact information as how to book)
Your sincerely,
Mr. Haggarty
