Welcome to Year 8

Dear Parents and Guardians of Year 8, 

 

Welcome back to a new academic year! It is my pleasure to introduce myself as the new Head of Year for your children. For those who do not already know me, I have worked at DBIS for seven years, with this being my sixth Year as a pastoral leader. Before that, I worked at schools in Brussels and the UK. 

 

With the recent introduction of our Year 5–8 curriculum, this has now become an important year in your child’s educational journey. It marks an exciting moment as it is the first time they will have some control over the subjects they will study in the future, selecting their ‘options subjects’ for the three-year (I)GCSE programme they will begin at the start of Year 9. We look forward to sharing more information with you regarding this process at the Year 8 options information evening on Thursday 16th October. This evening will serve as a guide to give you important information, as well as an opportunity to speak directly with subject teachers about their particular subjects. The Heads of Department will also be on hand to give subject-specific guidance.

 

In the lead-up to the options process, you can expect your child to attend targeted assemblies, taster classes for potential subjects, and ‘peer mentoring’ sessions that serve as an opportunity to have discussions with older students about their experience of different subjects. They will also have the opportunity to meet with a member of the Extended Secondary Senior Leadership Team.

 

The timeline for the options process is as follows:

 

Date	Key Event
15th October	Year 8 Options Booklets and Videos Published
16th October	Year 8 Options Evening
27th October	Year 8 Initial Options Close
18th November	Final Options Booklet Shared With Parents  Final Option Choices Google Form Sent to Students Options Evening
19th & 20th November	Year 8 Extended Sec SLT 1:1 Conversations
28th November	Year 8 Final Options Close
4th December	Year 8 (I)GCSE / BTEC Level 2 Confirmation Letter of Subject Choices Sent to Parents

 

To support you and your child through this journey, I am pleased to introduce our fantastic team of tutors. They are your first point of contact for any issues arising with your child in school. Continuing as a tutor with the year group we have Mr Jamie Owen leading the Dragon tutor group. For Goldhorn, Griffin and Phoenix, we welcome Ms Weichi Wen, Mrs Diya Bakre and Ms Laura Glanowski as the new tutors, respectively:

 

Mr Owen: Hi everyone, I’m Mr. Owen, and I’m excited to be here to support and guide you on your journey through Year 8. This year is a fantastic opportunity to learn, grow and enjoy. I’m here to help you every step of the way, so never hesitate to ask for help or have a chat.

I’m pretty biased, but it’s a known fact that Dragon House is the best house! Let’s make this a year to remember for our team. I’m really looking forward to a great year with all of you!

 

Mrs Bakre: Hello, I am Mrs Bakre – Y8 Griffin tutor and Secondary Computer Science teacher. A little introduction to my journey to DBIS: I studied architecture in India after which I worked with technology start-ups in the USA. I loved taking scenic walks whilst living in the UK and learnt to swim whilst living in the Netherlands… I now looking forward to exploring Hong Kong. North South East West – Y8 Griffin is the BEST!

 

Ms Wen: Hello! I am thrilled to be the form tutor for Y8 Goldhorn this academic year. Before joining DBIS, I spent 13 years teaching Mandarin in both state and private educational settings in the UK. I will be your primary point of contact for any matters or concerns regarding your child. I look forward to leading this group and celebrating your child’s successes throughout the year. Go Goldhorn!

 

Ms Glanowski: My name is Laura Glanowski, and I am delighted to introduce myself as the tutor for Y8 ……. Phoenix. This is my first year at DBIS, and I join the school as the new Drama teacher. I have previous experience working in schools in Thailand and the UK and holding leadership positions as Head of Drama and Dance as well as Head of House. I am looking forward to supporting Year 8 students through all the opportunities at DBIS, especially in Drama. As a former Head of House, I am very passionate about house spirit and look forward to supporting Phoenix House in all the events that it presents. I am joining DBIS with my husband and children, and we are all looking forward to becoming part of the community here. We love to be outdoors exploring and take an annual trip back to the UK to visit the steam train!

 

Other key dates of note

• • Friday 19 September: Book Day
  • Thursday 15 September: Meet The Tutor
  • Thursday 9 October: Short Report Published
  • Thursday 16 October: Options Information Evening
  • Friday 17 October: Last Day Before Half Term Begins
  • Monday 10 – Friday 14 November: Week Without Walls
  • Tuesday 9 December: Winter Concert
  • Friday 12 December: Last Day of Term
  • Thursday 22 January: Year 8 Parent–Teacher–Student Conference
  • Thursday 26 March: Strength and Target Report Published
  • Monday 4 – Friday 15 May: Year 8 End-of-Year Assessments

 

Year 8 information evening (20th Aug): For those wishing to find the information shared, please see the presentation linked below. If you have further questions, please do not hesitate to reach out.

Please note that not all slides were able to be shown on the evening due to timings. Please refer to the full slide set linked here, which contains important information about the options process and examination fees.

 

Best regards, 

 

Nicholas Moore

(Head of Year 8)