Welcome to Year 7

Dear Parents and Guardians, 

It is my pleasure to write to you as the new Head of Year 7 at DBIS, where I will be guiding our Year 7 students through their first year of Secondary school. I write this newsletter following a very positive first few days on the campus, during which the students have made a truly positive start and become more familiar with the campus, routines, and their new peers and teachers. At the beginning of the first day, we gathered as a year group to set the tone for the coming days and weeks. I challenged Year 7 to do three things: 

  • Get involved
  • Be kind
  • Try their best

We discussed the variety of opportunities available to students in the DBIS community and encouraged them to try something new during the year. This will be my seventh year as a Head of Year, and thus I understand the mix of emotions that students experience when completing their Year 6 to 7 transition. It is paramount that we engage with students to support them in building positive routines while also enabling them to foster a sense of independence and ownership. I look forward to establishing a strong partnership with you as parents and believe that our Year 7s can have a fantastic year ahead. 

I look forward to meeting you in one of our future campus events

Best wishes, 

Mr. Ioan Morgan

 

Important Dates

 

  • Monday 21st August: Year 7 Meet the Team Event at 6pm in the Globe, Main Campus
  • Monday 11th September: Year 7 students start their target-setting process
  • Thursday 14th September: Year 7 form tutor reports
  • 30th October – 3rd November: Week Without Walls Expedition

 

Key Reminders

 

Uniform

Uniform is central to building a sense of pride and belonging at our school. We encourage students to adhere to our expectations and to present a positive impression through their uniform. Please support the DBIS teaching team by ensuring your child follows the DBIS uniform policy. The specific guidance can be found here. 

P.E kit can be worn on days where students have a P.E lesson so it’s important that these days are identified on the student’s timetable. 

Attendance

Research demonstrates that regular attendance and good punctuality are key factors in academic success. Lost learning time, for whatever reason, can lead to a student falling behind and ultimately not making the progress they should. 

If your child is to be absent from any lessons for unavoidable reasons, then please ensure that you fill in the JotForm here (this can also be found under the ‘Parent Information’ section on the Hub) so that no follow-up action is taken. Students are also expected to contact each teacher for catch-up work; it is the students’ responsibility to do this for every lesson missed. 

Overall, your support, encouragement and engagement is of paramount importance and can make a spectacular difference to your child’s motivation and ability to cope with the increasing demands of Secondary school. Please ensure that your child:

  • agrees with you on a balance between their work and social life;
  • starts to put in individual learning time – the earlier the better;
  • completes all home learning assignments given by teachers;
  • uses the student diary effectively to record all deadlines, announcements and assignments and reminds you to sign it every weekend;
  • informs you if they need additional support in any area or subject.

 

Meet the Year 7 Tutor Team

We have a wealth of experience and expertise in our Year 7 team, and I am confident that they can create the conditions for Year 7 students to focus on their academic potential and character development. You will have an opportunity to meet the team in person on Monday 21st August at 6pm, and I strongly encourage you to attend our ‘Meet the Team’ event in the Globe Theatre at the Main campus. 

 

7D: Mr Boris Le Feuvre

[email protected] 

Dear Parents/Guardians,

I would like to introduce myself as the new French teacher and Y7D tutor at DBIS. I am excited to be starting at such a lovely school and look forward to meeting all of you in person.

I have just moved to Hong Kong, having worked at Swans International School in Marbella for the past two years. Prior to that I completed my teacher training with Edge Hill University in the UK in 2015 and taught in East London for six years before starting my international teaching career.

I am a highly helpful and approachable teacher with high expectations. This year, I want to teach the pupils strategies for being independent, organised and responsible learners in a Secondary setting as well as helping them to acquire life skills required for their future success.

In addition to supporting your children’s learning, I am eager to establish solid relationships with them that will help them navigate the difficult early adolescent years they will soon be facing.

Mr Boris Le Feuvre

 

7B: Ms Louise Tyrrell

[email protected] 

Dear Parents/Guardians, 

I am delighted to be the new tutor for Y7B. I am originally from Dover in the UK but have called Hong Kong home for the last 17 years. I have had the pleasure of working in a number of international schools in Hong Kong and have worked at DBIS twice during my time here! I have a wealth of pastoral experience, having been a Head of Year and a Housemistress as well as teaching English throughout the Secondary phase. In my spare time I love hiking, running, travelling, reading and spending time with my family. I am very much looking forward to guiding our new Year 7 students in this next exciting phase of their lives.

Ms Louise Tyrrell

 

7I: Mr Craig Johnstone

[email protected] 

Dear Parents/Guardians, 

I would like to introduce myself as your child’s Year 7 tutor. 

This is my first year at DBIS, and I am joining the Secondary Science department as a Biology specialist. For the last nine years I have lived in Hong Kong, where I have enjoyed working in several international schools, teaching Science across Years 7 to 13. Prior to moving to Hong Kong, I also spent three years teaching in Guangzhou, China.

Outside of the classroom, I very much enjoy being active and engaging in sports, particularly cricket and football, and look forward to supporting our students during ECA sessions. 

As we work together to support your children’s development and navigate the early adolescent years, I look forward to teaching them and forming solid foundational relationships with them. 

Best wishes, 

Mr Craig Johnstone

 

 

DBIS Hub

DBIS Hub