Dear Parents and Guardians of Year 11,
I hope this letter finds you healthy and refreshed after the summer break and ready to commence this pivotal year in your child’s education! We have an exciting year ahead, and I am looking forward to working with you in making this the most successful year of your child’s education to date!
The Year 11 Team
Having interacted and engaged with the same group all of last year, our team is in a fantastic position to support the Year 11s to become increasingly independent and responsible for their own learning.
| 11D | Jack Piggott | jpiggott@dbis.edu.hk | DC 2-4 |
| 11B | Lara Scrimgeour | lscrimgeour@dbis.edu.hk | S1-13 |
Our Focus:
Our team’s interest will be towards making sure students are happy and focused on their subjects.
Another big focus will involve students reviewing their aspirational targets in each of their subjects. Pedagogical research illustrates how powerful this can be in improving a student’s school performance, and for that reason we will have student–teacher discussions dedicated to the setting and use of these targets.
Another extremely important factor that correlates directly with student achievement is time spent in school. Attendance is very important to us at DBIS. If a student is genuinely ill, we want them to stay at home, rest and recover. However, it is important to recognise that we may not feel our best all of the time and students should strive to have the self-discipline and resilience to ensure that they are in school and learning. We expect students to be punctual and have an attendance record of at least 95% all the way until study leave in the summer term.
If your child is to be absent from any lessons, then please ensure that you fill in the following Jotform on the Parent Hub: Student Absent From School During Term Time 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.
To meet the demands of Year 11 and achieve academic excellence, it is expected that students dedicate time to their learning and undertake research about their subject area to develop their understanding of the topic. They should therefore take every opportunity to plan their learning time and develop productive study habits; they should also attend the necessary interventions that staff will run for them to do well.
Key Dates for this Term:
There will be a number of events throughout the year, and we will send details on individual events. However, here are a few Year 11/Secondary School key dates for you so that you can get them into your calendars early:
- Wednesday 6th September – Year 11 information session and meet the Year 11 team (more information will follow)
- Thursday 7th/Friday 8th September – Year 11 one-to-one interviews with the Senior Leadership Team
- Week beginning Monday 18th September – Meet the Year 13s to discuss options for Year 12/13
- Thursday 28th September – Year 12/13 Options A booklet with videos released
- Friday 29th September – Year 12/13 initial options open
- Friday 6th October – Year 12/13 initial options close
- Monday 23rd to Friday 27th October – Half-term break
- Monday 30th October to Friday 3rd November – Week Without Walls
- Monday 6th November – Year 12/13 Options B booklet released
– Final Year 12/13 options choices open
– Year 12/13 options evening for parents
- Monday 13th November – Final Year 12/13 options choices close
- Monday 13th to Friday 24th November -–Year 11 mock exams
- Tuesday 12th December – Year 12 offer confirmation letter to parents
- Friday 15th December – Last day of Term 1
- Monday 8th January – First day of Term 2
As a year group, our Year 11 students will be encouraged to create a strong understanding of service and community spirit. The school will support them by providing opportunities for them to showcase their understanding of the world around them. It will be the goal of every Year 11 student to work towards being a team player and to contribute to the idea of leadership and responsibility, whether through academic achievement or participation in extracurricular activities.
If you have any questions, your first point of contact is your child’s tutor. They may then contact me if required, and of course, you are always welcome to contact me for urgent matters. Please do not hesitate to communicate with our team any piece of information about your child that you think might help in ensuring they achieve their fullest potential this year.
I look forward to meeting you soon and throughout this coming year.
With warm regards,
Amrith Prabhu
Head of Year 11
Included below are welcome messages from our tutor team.
Y11D
Dear Parents/Guardians,
It is with great enthusiasm that I welcome our students back and embark on this new school year together. I am pleased to be starting my fourth year teaching at DBIS and am equally excited to continue my role as form tutor for this wonderful group of students.
Year 11 is a pivotal year, filled with both challenges and rewards. I have confidence in all of my tutees to overcome these challenges. I am committed to assisting our students in reaching their full potential during this exam year and in thriving within our school community.
Just as last year, I am your first point of contact. Please do not hesitate to reach out to me with any questions, concerns or updates that may arise throughout the year. Open communication between us will be crucial in this very important school year.
I look forward to seeing you all in person soon.
Best wishes,
Jack Piggott
Y11B
Hello and welcome to the new school year at Discovery Bay International School. I hope you were able to enjoy a relaxing summer break. I am continuing as your child’s tutor teacher this year as they move into their final year of preparation for IGCSE exams. This year we are placing an increased emphasis on organisation and time management and will be using the student planner to do so. Parents will need to sign the weekly homework pages and the 1:1 meeting notes. As your child’s tutor, I will be your first point of contact should you need to get in touch with the school, and Ms Amrith Prabhu, as Head of Year 11, is also a point of contact for your child. You can contact me via a note in your child’s diary or via the school email. I’m looking forward to meeting you at the upcoming parent meetings and working alongside you to make your child’s Year 11 experience a very happy and memorable one.
Kind regards,