Dear Parents and Guardians,
Welcome back to Discovery Bay International School – Year 10. I hope this letter finds you and your family in good health and high spirits. As the summer break ends, we are excited to commence another academic year filled with opportunities, growth and learning.
I would like to extend a warm welcome to both our returning families and those who are new to our school community. We believe that parental involvement and support are vital to a child’s educational journey, and we look forward to partnering with you to ensure your child’s success.
DBIS is committed to providing a safe, nurturing and inclusive learning environment that fosters academic excellence, character development and personal growth. Every child is unique and possesses untapped potential. Our dedicated team of educators is passionate about creating engaging and meaningful learning experiences that inspire curiosity, critical thinking and a love for learning.
In addition to academics, we are committed to promoting the social–emotional wellbeing of our students. Our 1:1 programme will continue this year, and students and tutors teachers will begin meeting for their 1:1 sessions from Monday 28th August. Tutors will create and share a timetable for these with students. These sessions are incredibly important and valuable for many reasons, and attendance is compulsory. The dates will be written into the student’s planners.
Furthermore, we understand the importance of effective communication between the school and parents. Our school website, newsletters and parent–teacher conferences will inform you about upcoming events, academic progress and other important information. We encourage you to actively participate in your child’s education by attending school functions, volunteering and engaging in open and constructive communication with our staff.Â
As our students enter Year 10, they are expected to grow in independence as they progress through the school. Each student will have a diary that must be used; they must write down the homework set and the date it must be handed in, alongside other key dates such as tests and coursework due dates. Parents are asked to sign these weekly, and tutors will also check diaries. This is another line of communication between students, parents and tutors that we will be actively using this year.Â
This is an important year for our students as they embark on their IGCSE and BTEC courses. We begin the year with the hope that the choices made last year will be the right ones for each of the students, but we are open to students making some changes if, after careful thought, research and communication with parents and teachers, they decide that a different course would suit them better. This comes with the caveat that there may be some restrictions with the timetabling and with class numbers, and no change is guaranteed to be able to work. We request that any changes in options come as soon as possible, and definitely by Sunday 3rd September.
School attendance is always important. Students are encouraged to attend all lessons as the content for each subject is increasing. If your child is to be absent from any lessons, 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; the students are responsible for doing this for every lesson missed.
As you know, students are expected to adhere to the school’s uniform requirements, including wearing black shoes and not having unnaturally coloured hair. The full uniform list can be found on the Hub under ‘Parent information’ / ‘Uniforms and Stationery’.
Building on last year, students will, in the first half term, be setting aspirational targets for each subject after a conversation with their teachers. These targets will be reflected upon throughout the year in one-to-ones with their tutor teachers and are there to help focus and inspire our students. Weekly targets will also be set in the students’ diaries, and parents may wish to talk with their children about these too.
If you have any questions, your first point of contact is your child’s tutor. We believe a strong partnership between home and school is essential for your child’s success., and we encourage you to reach out to us with any questions, concerns or suggestions you may have. Together, we can make a positive difference in your child’s educational journey. Our tutor team this year is:
| 10B | Ms Suse Clark | [email protected] |
| 10D | Ms Fiona Mak | [email protected] |
| 10I | Mr Brad Dry | [email protected] |
10B – Suse Clark:
I am delighted to be the tutor for Y10B this year! A warm welcome to our new students, and welcome back to everyone who is rejoining us. I look forward to supporting my tutees through their journey in Year 10 – an exciting time with the beginning of new courses and a new phase of learning. In addition to being the Y10B form tutor, my roles at DBIS are teaching Physical Education and Sports and Learning for Life. I am also Head of Storm House.
A little more about me: I live in Discovery Bay with my family and have been in Hong Kong for 13 wonderful years. I play competitive netball and enjoy all sports. I am also interested in creative and performing arts, writing and photography. Above all, I love to travel and spend time with my family and friends.
10D – Fiona Mak:
I hope you all had a wonderful summer break. I am thrilled to continue our journey together and support your child in their academic endeavours at DBIS.
A little background information about me: since graduating with bachelor’s and master’s degrees from the University of Hong Kong, I have spent 15 years working in various schools in Hong Kong and overseas (Turkey and Singapore).
Now in my second year as a DBIS tutor, I have gained valuable experience working with our students and understanding the challenges and triumphs of the academic journey. I am here to provide guidance, assistance and encouragement to help your child reach their full potential.
In the coming year, tutors and tutees will meet daily during tutor time and twice per 10-day cycle in Learning for Life class. We will also have the opportunity to meet during student–parent consultation sessions, which will take place in due course. Please do not hesitate to contact me earlier if I can be of any assistance or if you have concerns; indeed, as your child’s tutor, I am your initial point of contact at the school.
As always, our main priority is a positive pastoral experience for all our students, and I will do my very best to achieve that for my tutees.
I am looking forward to meeting you at the school on 23rd August.
10I – Brad Dry:
My name is Brad Dry, and I am a Science and Chemistry Teacher at DBIS.
I have just moved to Hong Kong from New Zealand, where I have taught for the last eight years. I have also coached football and futsal at my previous schools. I am excited to be living in Asia for the first time and enjoy the multicultural aspect of Hong Kong and the DBIS community. I like to play or watch sports, hike, and find new restaurants in my spare time. I look forward to doing all of these in Hong Kong.
I am very much looking forward to getting to know my students and tutees and supporting them on this important year in their educational journey.
Key Dates for this Term
- Year 10 Team to Meet the Parents – Wednesday 23rd August. This will be held at school from 6pm to 7pm. Parents will be given the opportunity to meet tutors and receive an overview of the important year ahead.
- Student Target Setting in Subject Lessons – Monday 11th – Friday 22nd September
- Report with Tutor Comment – Thursday 14th September    Â
- Report without Tutor Comment – Thursday 7th DecemberÂ
- Half Term Break – Monday 23rd October – Friday 27th October                                               Â
We encourage you to reach out to us with any questions, concerns or suggestions you may have. Together, we can make a positive difference in your child’s educational journey.
Once again, welcome back to DBIS. We are honoured to have you as part of our school community, and we look forward to an exciting and productive academic year ahead!
Best Regards
Tracey Smal
Head of Year 10