Dear Parents and Guardians

I hope you have had a good week.

Thank you to all of you who attended the IGCSE options evening last week. It was great to see so many of you with your children to hear more about our academic programme for Years 10 and 11. Please use the buttons below to find out more about our IBDP and IGCSE options and remember choices should be submitted by learners by the 9th of December.

As Mr Lachlan shares in Mahatma Gandhi's quote so much of what we do in school is to prepare learners for the future. Last week saw opportunities through Inclusion Week for learners to celebrate diversity, recognise the talents of each other and appreciate that just because someone looks differently or thinks differently we all have something to offer. Everyone has talents and can contribute to our community. Thank you to all our guests who helped facilitate the sessions and promote open mindedness. As an IB World School we try to embrace the IB philosophy which aims to develop inquiring, knowledgeable and caring young people who help to create a better and more peaceful world through intercultural understanding and respect.

An essential part of our IB Diploma Programme is Creativity, Activity and Service (CAS). The opportunity to step outside your comfort zone and take on new challenges and learn more about yourself is a real strength of the programme and ideal university preparation. In fact strong CAS reflections can make all the difference in personal statements as to whether a university offers a place or not. If nothing else COVID has taught us that collectively we make a difference and the upcoming CAS trip for Y12 is a fantastic opportunity to do just that. Nexus has long established relationships with our links in Cambodia and Nexus learners really can make a change for good and support our Care Mvmt in caring for others and caring for the world. As educators it is our privilege to work with the leaders of tomorrow. Much changes in education and it is vital that we do not lose sight of the essentials. Education is far more than a text book, it is learning to learn and fostering a joy in learning new things. Success involves being able to take and apply this knowledge to new contexts to improve things for everyone. Experiential learning such as the CAS trip are great opportunities to make this happen and apply knowledge to new situations.

In assembly last week we celebrated our newly elected Student Council who have been voted in by their peers. These leaders are now in a position to make our Nexus community stronger and build on the many successes that are already there. Talking of success, Rei, Eleanor and Ishita have all done incredibly well in the World Scholars tournament of champions at Yale gaining gold and silver against some of the best schools in the world. It has also been great to see how busy our musicians have been with a Y11 charity gig and performing preparing to perform at various High Commisions and don't forget we have Carols by Candlelight coming up. Our sportspeople continue to shine with wins in swimming, basketball and football and it is fantastic to see learners being able to travel for competitions again. As you read this I hope you have been able to enjoy the Christmas Fair with your children and feel you truly belong to a inclusive and diverse learning focused community.

Wishing you all a lovely weekend

Best wishes

Dr Heather

Head of Secondary