Weekly Newsletter  

This Week At LOTS: 25 - 29  February 2024

Term 2 | Week 8

Dear parents,

So let's cut to the chase.

We are in the business of nurturing your children to become upright and useful citizens who are men and women of integrity. And people with the right values who will make the world a better place, a kinder place, a safer place, a happier place. 

So in our efforts to ensure that, we at times will also have to be firm about upholding the school code of conduct, and violations will invite censure. Because choices will always have consequences. When we are thus trying to help children help themselves by correcting them - we need parents to support that effort. 

If you have any concerns, reach out to us - the teacher, the coordinator, the principal, the Head. Because we are the ones on the ground trying to help your child navigate the joys and challenges of school life. At LOTS, we nurture, and feedback is always welcome. Because we want to sustain that nurturing. When you tell us, when we know, we can help better.

Warm regards,

Shouquot Hussain

Head of School

In our School Management System ‘‘Engage” that we talked about in our earlier newsletter,  we are excited to introduce our new online behavioral management system for students. This system is designed to help us as a school track behavioral challenges and any relationship between behavior and academic performance. Our online behavioral management system is a user-friendly platform that allows teachers to identify challenging behavior, recommend solutions and track improvements in student's behavior. This means that teachers can quickly identify students who are struggling with behavioral issues such a bullying, theft, substance abuse, disruptive tendencies or breaking miscellaneous school rules and providing them with the necessary support and guidance.The system also allows teachers to communicate with fellow teachers, the principals and parents about these issues.

We believe that our online behavioral management system will be a valuable tool for teachers, students and parents. By working together, we can help students develop the skills and behaviors they need to succeed in school and beyond.

Science & Math Exhibition

On LOTS Day 15th March, we will run a Science  and Maths Exhibition where our students will display their Science and Math inspired products and models - and showcase and  explain each exhibit themselves. There will be different models in Biology , Chemistry , Physics and mathematics. The exhibition will include projects that are a result of their classroom learning in application. A great platform for adults to appreciate their growth.

Representative Cultural Performances

On LOTS Day, 15th March, we will begin the event at 9.00 hrs with culture specific performances by students of different nations, interspersed with talks and speeches. The Chairperson of the Board Dr Alfred Mwamba will be the Keynote Speaker.

The Program Card and invitation will be shared in a few days time.

We are thrilled to share some exciting news regarding our community outreach project! We officially started receiving donations from Friday 1st March, and we couldn't be more grateful for your generosity and support.

A big thank you to all the parents and students who have already contributed something towards this initiative. Your donations will make a significant difference in our efforts to give back to the community and make a positive impact on those in need.

Every donation, no matter how big or small, is greatly appreciated and will go a long way in helping us achieve our goals for this project. Donation boxes have been placed at visible, accessible and strategic places across the school campus.

We look forward to continuing to work together to make a difference in the lives of others. Thank you once again for your kindness and generosity.

Community Outreach Team.

Curriculum overviews were shared last week. I hope all of you had a chance to have a look at these documents. For any clarifications, you can write to the homeroom teachers. Also, teachers have been posting homework on a daily basis from Mon-Thur. The homework tasks should help you have conversations with your children about what they are learning in the class and how you can support their learning at home. Please continue to encourage your child to complete them on time. 

Assemblies have started again, and we have a beautiful amphitheater now where all can sit comfortably and view our students' presentations. This Friday, CP3A conducted the assembly. They had a variety of presentations -very informative ones and very entertaining ones as well. I commend the CP3 A students for displaying a strong sense of community by encouraging each other to perform well. A happy bond is developing, which we will continue to nurture so they build lifetime friendships. We encourage parents to attend these assemblies to support and celebrate our students' talents and achievements. Thank you for being an active part of our school community. 

Last but not least, we are again requesting all the parents to label the belongings (uniforms, socks, shoes, bottles, tiffins, etc.) of their wards. And also, most importantly, to encourage our children to take responsibility for their things.

Afternoon Activities are starting for primary and secondary classes starting from Monday 4th March. Please ensure you have filled and signed their activity choice forms. 

School Uniforms

Our school uniform is as follows:

Boys- beige trousers and white shirts with gray socks, black shoes,green blazer /green fleece jacket, and green- yellow striped necktie.

Girls- beige skirt with white blouse, white socks, black shoes, green blazer /green fleece and green-yellow striped necktie

For Physical Education the accepted attire is a green/burge t-shirt and green shorts.

With effect from Monday 4th March, all students not in proper school uniform will be sent back home. Students without uniform sizes in the uniform form shop will be exempted.

Exra-curricular Activities

Our extra-curricular activities are resuming from Monday 4th March. We therefore request you to help the students select activities by completing the sign up forms. Completing the sign up form will help the class teachers guide the students. 

Code of Conduct

At Lusaka Oaktree School the pursuit of appropriate conduct is a shared responsibility among students, parents and the school. The school developed a code of conduct to establish clear guidelines for a safe, caring and orderly environment that promotes purposeful learning. In addition the code balances the individuals and the collective LOTS community’s rights, freedoms and responsibilities. The code of conduct reflects the expectations of the school community.

We appeal to you, our dear parents, to go through the code and ask our students to comply.

Behavioral Contract

A behavioral contract is a document which is used to correct and sustain behavioral expectations. When a student is identified violating any aspect of the Code of Conduct, a contract will be signed as caution and repeating the offense may lead to.

IGCSE 2/ ASA Level Extra Classes on Saturdays

The Saturday lessons for the examination classes will resume on 9th March - after the mock exams. These lessons are important as teachers will mainly focus on past examination papers and teach the students how to answer examination questions. We therefore request all our parents with children in these classes to support the programme.

We are thrilled to invite students from Grades 6 to A Levels to participate in the World Scholar's Cup (WSC): Lusaka Round, taking place at Rhodes Park School on March 9-10, 2024!

The WSC is a prestigious international academic program that fosters critical thinking, collaboration, and a love for learning in a fun and engaging environment. This year's theme is "Reimagining the Present", focusing on exploring innovative approaches to the challenges and opportunities that shape our world today.

During the event, students will compete in various exciting challenges, including:

• Debates: Students will research and argue engaging topics from different perspectives.

• Multiple-Choice Quizzes: Students will test their knowledge on a diverse range of subjects related to the theme.

• Writing Assignments: Students will showcase their writing skills on creative prompts aligned with the theme.

• Storytelling: Students will develop and present captivating stories based on the theme.

Participating in the WSC offers several unique benefits for your child:

• Develops critical thinking and problem-solving skills: Students learn to analyze information, form logical arguments, and think creatively to solve problems relevant to the world around them.

• Strengthens communication and collaboration skills: Students work together in teams, learn to effectively communicate their ideas, and build strong social connections with peers.

• Boosts confidence and self-esteem: Participating in a challenging and rewarding competition builds students' confidence in their abilities and fosters a sense of accomplishment.

• Expands knowledge and fosters a love of learning: WSC exposes students to diverse topics and ignites a passion for lifelong learning, especially in the context of current events and potential solutions.

• Provides an opportunity for international recognition: The best teams from the Lusaka Round can qualify for the prestigious Tournament of Champions held at Yale University.

The participation fee for the WSC: Lusaka Round is 2,000 Zambian Kwacha (ZMW). This fee covers all competition materials, lunches, and refreshments.

We strongly encourage your child to participate in this enriching and transformative event. To register your child, please submit the completed registration form and the participation fee by Monday 4th March,2024 to Elliot Thebe at finance@lusakaoaktree.school 

For further information about the WSC or the Lusaka Round, please visit the official website https://www.scholarscup.org/ or contact Mr. Ryan Mitolo Zulu on 0979969395.

We look forward to seeing your child participate in the WSC: Lusaka Round and witness their intellectual journey!

After-school activities for CP and Secondary resume from Monday, March 4th.

Car Stickers need to be collected by new parents, if you haven’t yet done so.

Arrival time in the morning should not be later than 7.15 hrs. 

KEY DATES FROM FEB TILL THE END OF THE ACADEMIC YEAR