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The first half term of 2016 flew by, and we face an even shorter term ahead of us. With every passing week I am increasingly impressed by the amazing strength of spirit and determination shown by our students. I hope that you will enjoy reading about some of the events and opportunities of the past month, and sharing with me, a great sense of pride in the accomplishments of our community. From scaling our local mountains in the dark, to climbing Mount Kilimanjaro at sunrise, working with local disenfranchised communities, to helping develop new infrastructures in the Dominican Republic, the scope and courage, of our young men and women is truly remarkable. So too, their dedication and talents, as is clear from the extraordinary art work I see around the school, the music I hear in performance and the triumphs I witness on the basketball court, the ski slopes and in classrooms. (Continued...)
This term is incredibly important for our examination year students, who are now in the final weeks of their courses. In order to support them and to help establish a strong culture of independent and focused study, we have made some changes to the after school routine. By increasing the quiet study time in the evenings, students will all benefit from a more structured approach which I hope will help them to devote the necessary amount of time to their learning. Our younger students will make the most of extended Quiet Time for independent reading: one of the best ways that they can extend their vocabulary and improve their linguistic skills. We have also introduced Tea at 4 pm so that everyone can pause with a drink and a snack and enjoy some informal time shared between staff and students. We have many exciting things to look forward to in the short half term ahead. We have already hosted our first Business and Entrepreneurship week and coming up we have the Night Ski Challenge, our whole school Ski Race Day and a superb range of speakers and visitors coming in to the school. This is an aspect of school life that I am keen to develop and I like to would extend a warm invitation to any parents or alumni who would like to participate in our speaker programme. Please contact christina.ratishvili@beausoleil.ch should you wish to give a presentation or host a visit. Laced as my words have been, with a sharp awareness of time passing, and the interconnectedness of past actions upon the present and indeed, the future, I would like to leave you with one of T S Eliot's musings on the complex relationship we hold with time. I hope to see many of you at our IB Art Exhibition or at the Parent/Teacher meetings which mark the end of the Winter Term on Tuesday March 22nd (for 6-8 Grade 6ème 4ème). Otherwise, as ever, should you wish to discuss any aspect of the school, do not hesitate to get in touch with me at Principal@beausoleil.ch