Dear Parents and Guardians,
This academic year is an exciting year for our Year 8 students as it is full of opportunity, and it gives me great pride to lead this year group. All students will be given the opportunity to complete their “Green bird” qualification, and when they have completed the requirements of the course, they will have earned a green bird badge and certificate. This will demonstrate key components of the Learner Profile at DBIS, such as being a committed learner, a responsible citizen and a mindful leader.
Students will complete 10 hours of service (for example volunteering in the library), three months of developing a skill (such as learning a musical instrument), six hours of physical recreation (such as playing sport on a regular basis) and finally a one-day excursion, which could be taking on the challenge of a hike from Discovery Bay to Mui Wo.
Four key terms will resonate throughout the year – “Ready, Respectful, Sensible and Safe”, and here at DBIS we have high expectations for our students. We want to create an environment in which they can thrive and are challenged to progress. A key attribute that I want to focus on with all students is resilience and when presented with difficulty to persevere and not give up. The pathway to success is rarely a linear one, and there will be many obstacles along the way, but not succeeding at something the first time should be viewed as a learning experience rather than a failure.
We have a fantastic tutor team in place with Mrs Lewis and Mrs Thomson carrying on the excellent work they did last year with 8B and 8I respectively. We also welcome Mr Buddery to the team, who will be the form tutor for 8D. My team of tutors will be monitoring behaviour on a daily basis through reinforcing positive behaviour and having meaningful conversations about behaviour or uniform that does not meet the school’s expectations and also steps which can be put into place to improve this. Your child’s tutor will be contacting you next week to introduce themselves as we begin this academic year.
Every Monday my team of tutors will check student’s diaries from the previous week to ensure they are signed and to respond to any messages from home. If students are absent from school, the following jot form needs to be filled in to notify the school: Notify DBIS of Student Absence. Tutors will be continuing their one-to-one conversations with students before form time, and a SMART target will be discussed between tutor and student, which will be monitored. This could be practising Mathematics three times a week for 30 minutes outside of school or focusing on their organisation for school.
The role of the diary has been re-emphasised this year, with the expectation that it is a vital intermediary in communication not only to you as parents or guardians but also between subject teachers and the pastoral team. The primary point of contact for your child is their form tutor, and I will be working with my tutors to ensure that your child’s wellbeing and happiness remain our highest priority. I am greatly looking forward to meeting you all throughout the academic year.
Key dates for term one 2022–23
Thursday 29th September – Parent event: Year 8 & 9 Report Information Session
School photos – End of September (TBC)
Tuesday 11th October – Parent event: Year 8 – Making the Most of Year 8
Kind regards,
Neil O’Maonaigh-Lennon
Head of Year 8