Year 7 Trip to Tioman Island

To celebrate the successful completion of their first term in Secondary School, our Year 7 learners embarked upon an incredible five day experiential programme, run by passionate outdoor educators, ‘Little Planet’.

The location of our camp, on the Malaysian Island of Pulau Tioman, was a natural playground and sanctuary, situated between the white sands of Juara Beach and the rich jungle hillside of the island’s interior.

At the heart of our trip were the core values and ethos of our Nexus RECIPE, which underpinned our shared experiences, accomplishments, and enjoyment.

Respect

Important messages on sustainability and conservation were discovered through learner’s ‘Service’ work at Suka Suka Farm; a family run, local enterprise which encourages sustainable living, focused on reducing environmental impact.

As part of this experience, learners were involved in composting organic material, planting herbs using traditional farming practices and even joined in with a local cookery class making coconut pancakes over an open fire.

Enjoyable

The crystal clear waters of the South China Sea provided the perfect playground to explore one of the most outstanding areas of marine biodiversity in the world. Exploring and investigating this unique ecosystem both in kayaks, on the surface of the water, and below the surface snorkelling, learners discovered that the coral reefs of Tioman are teeming with vast and varied aquatic life and are home to many endemic species such as the soft-shelled turtle which we managed to spot! It is found nowhere else in the world. What a truly enjoyable and unforgettable experience.

Communication

A grueling trek through the thick rainforest of Tioman awaited learners when they stepped onto the islands sandy white shores. Covered in bug spray, and carrying ample supplies of water (and snacks!) learners set off on their 7km hike through the rainforest interior. Encouraging confident expression & communication amongst each group of learners enabled them to navigate the tricky and challenging terrain. These skills also proved invaluable during the overnight camp, when learners took charge, in teams, of setting up tents and preparing & cooking an evening meal over the campfire. Linking their learning outside of the classroom, to that within, learners drew upon their Humanities knowledge and understanding to identify the key characteristics of the ecosystem that became their overnight home.

Integrity

Continuing their ‘Service’ work as part of their CAS education, learners volunteered in the local community, completing a ‘Beach Clean Up’ after a visit to the Juara Turtle Project. Learners discovered that Juara Beach, a precious ecosystem that provides a natural breeding ground for the endangered Hawksbill & Leatherback species of Turtle, is under threat from the negative human impacts of the tourism industry. They visited a turtle hatchery incubating & protecting locally collected turtle eggs and learnt how they can do their part as individuals to reduce their personal impact and raise global awareness about the state of the world’s oceans.

Passionate

Nowhere did we see more clearly, the drive, desire and passion for risk taking and adventure than in the Jetty Jumping and Waterfall activities. Plunging into an icy cold waterfall or jumping from a height into the sea below certainly took many of us outside our comfort zones. However the personal achievement and sense of camaraderie filled learners with a real sense of pride to be part of such a meaningful and challenging learning adventure.

Excellence

The idea of our whole Nexus RECIPE was fantastically celebrated during the learner’s final evening performances at ‘Coco House’. In this ‘Open Mic’ style event, after sunset on the beach, learners wowed and thrilled their audience showcasing their own unique abilities and talents. Excellence was promoted by all staff involved in this year’s trip through their positive relationships and dedication to promoting a culture of ‘excellence’, which was grounded in the values of trust, compassion and respect for all. A huge “thank you!” to all involved on the trip; Ms Vicky, Mr Ronan, Ms Paula & Mr Stephen. And also to the all the staff ‘behind the scenes’, who made the trip logistically possible.

It was incredible to see the friendships and bonds that developed and strengthened, not only amongst the learners themselves, but with their teachers too.

Team Tioman 2019 had an amazing adventure. They take away with them, memories of fun times, conquering fears and pushing themselves beyond the limits of their own boundaries and beliefs.

Ms Sarah Baldock

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Year 8 Trip to Telunas

On the first day we took a bus from Nexus to the ferry. A ferry to a longboat and then we arrived at Telunas. The Telunas staff were playing small drums to welcome us. In the afternoon we built and raced rafts, and learned new skills that would be useful in the jungle later in the week.

On the second day we went on a jungle hike where we found a waterfall to jump in and cool off. The water was about 3 metres deep and only two people managed to touch the bottom when jumping off the rocks. We also had to build our own hammock as well as make our own dinner. Some slept better than others but it was a fun experience.

On the third day we came back from the jungle and started deck jumping. It was good but you need to know how to land in the water properly. We had a great time at the low ropes course as well as making our own ceramic tiles. We also learned different ways to fish and we were able to catch some crabs.

On the fourth day, we made it to Sugi village and received a very warm welcome. We spent the day helping to build a wall for medical centre that was being built on the island. We also visited a local school just down the road and gifted them some sports equipment. Afterwards the doctor provided lunch at his house to say thank you for helping with the medical centre.

We were up nice and early on the last day to clean dorms, get our lunch and head back to Batam on longboats before boarding a ferry to Singapore. We would like to thank every teacher and Telunas staff member for preparing these activities that were so much fun. Now we all have some great memories that we will never forget.

Emika Noda (8G) and Hendrik Ruusalepp (8W)

Year 9 Trip to Chiang Mai

We were welcomed to the Land of Smiles and most of us did indeed spend a considerable time smiling on this remarkable trip. On our first night we were taken to the famous Sunday Night Market where we eagerly spent our Baht on handicrafts and souvenirs. The next three days saw us enjoying local sights and visiting local schools. One of the most impressive sites that we visited was the Chiang Dao cave complex where we were accompanied by guides with kerosene lamps so that we could manoeuvre our way through. Later on we did a cycle ride through the lush green countryside and visited some hot springs. One morning we went hiking and picked some fresh tea leaves which we roasted and then drank. It was delicious!

One of the highlights of the trip was visiting a local school. Here, we were invited into the classrooms and we were lucky enough to teach them some English to classrooms full of eager primary students. The service element of the trip led us to doing some hot and tiring work but very worthwhile work. We helped build a retaining wall in a local school; previously every time it rained the wall collapsed so, they were very grateful for our help. On our way home, we stopped off at the river and spent the morning white water rafting. It was an exhilarating experience which took some of us out of our comfort zones. On the last night, we had a fabulous buffet meal and spent the last of our Baht at the Night Market. Overall it was a fantastic experience where we bonded with each other, we tried some new and fantastic food and some of us even ate insects. Experiencing the value of doing service was memorable a not to be missed activity.

Ms Libby Ince, Trip Leader

Diversity Week

Diversity Week has been an astonishing success. Built around United Nations Day on Thursday 24th, the whole community has come together to share who they are, sharing and exploring their own and other's identities, cultures and languages. This has been done through a plethora of fun events and activities with music, art, film, dance, debates, crafts, food and storytelling.

Sunanda Verma, our guest author, also led some incredible sessions with learners from Primary and Secondary as she shared her inspirational narratives of people who have overcome difficulties and gone on to impact their respective communities for good.

The photos below capture some of the activities beautifully, from the painting of individual pebbles by all learners to the incredibly diverse performances and the large scale learner-led assemblies from Nursery to Year 13.

Paula Kennedy-Wingate, Deputy Head of Secondary School

House Launch Event

Nexus has always had Houses but with the advent of the new Learner Leadership team, Thursday proved to be the big day for the launch of a school-wide House system to incorporate all learners. Such fun was had as learners of all ages came dressed in their House-coloured t-shirts and the excitement from learners and staff was palpable.

We had our first ever House assemblies led by our enthusiastic House Leaders, followed by a series of exciting challenges with each House enjoying some large scale House activities in the Sports Hall:

• Making their House name with all of their House member's bodies;
• Passing balls up and down the line as quickly as possible;
• Mr Moriarty's special 50/50 Dice Roll game of chance!

All House members worked together really well across the age groups and a great time was had by all. We look forward to future House Events during the year, especially as the new campus has huge potential for some exciting future possibilities.

Paula Kennedy-Wingate, Deputy Head of Secondary School

Music Trip to Victoria Concert Hall

To support the learners of Music IGCSE and IB, we organised a visit to the Victoria Concert Hall on Friday 27th September at 7pm. The learning objectives for this trip were to expose learners to a wide variety of live music, and an excellent opportunity to experience a world class orchestra and a brilliant young guitarist (Joshua Tan) performing a varied programme of music. All pieces in the concert are genres which are required for IGCSE and IB Music (Overture, Concerto, Theme and Variations, Fugue). The concert included MENDELSSOHN ‘The Fair Melusina Overture’.

RODRIGO ‘Concierto de Aranjuez’ and REGER ‘Variations and Fugue on a Theme of Mozart, Op. 132’; music that will be referred to during the both Music courses. The learners that attended were: Danny, Yuna, Win, Izzah, Adam, Nanda, and Jack (all Year 10), Justin, Seth, Angel, Clement, Yazin, James, and Thomas (all Year 11), and Udit (Year 13). The President of Singapore, Halimah Yacob, was also present.

Andrew Fordham, Music Teacher