Preparatory News: Head Teacher's Message: Risk Takers – “If you never have, you should. These things are fun and fun is good!” Dr Seuss Welcome to the end of another week. As you know, our value focus for this term is CURIOSITY and in this week’s assembly, we focussed on the need to sometimes be a risk taker in order to satisfy our curiosity. We considered appropriate risks and inappropriate risks and then three very brave students demonstrated they were risk takers and put their hands in a big bag of soggy spaghetti! Risk-taking in learning is absolutely paramount and serves our value of curiosity very well. In the words of T S Eliot, one of the twentieth century's major poets, “ Only those who will risk going too far can possibly find out how far it is possible to go.” At Hillcrest, we provide plentiful opportunities for safe and supported risk-taking and students really do demonstrate that they enjoy being curious. I have spent some time this week dropping in to lessons and talking to the children about their learning. It is apparent that we are in the very enviable position of having small class sizes and good adult/pupil ratios. This does mean that pupils are getting a lot of personal attention to support them in achieving their targets. Classrooms are looking inviting and engaging and there are lots of inspiring displays. It has been a big week for Hockey this week, with lots of fixtures with Peponi. More details from Mr Moyse in this week’s newsletter, but suffice it to say that our pupils played with courage and determination and were a real credit to Hillcrest.
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Preparatory News:Head Teacher's Message:
Risk Takers – “If you never have, you should. These things are fun and fun is good!” Dr Seuss
Welcome to the end of another week. As you know, our value focus for this term is CURIOSITY and in thisweek’s assembly, we focussed on the need to sometimes be a risk taker in order to satisfy our curiosity. Weconsidered appropriate risks and inappropriate risks and then three very brave students demonstrated theywere risk takers and put their hands in a big bag of soggy spaghetti! Risk-taking in learning is absolutelyparamount and serves our value of curiosity very well. In the words of T S Eliot, one of the twentieth century'smajor poets, “ Only those who will risk going too far can possibly find out how far it is possible to go.” AtHillcrest, we provide plentiful opportunities for safe and supported risk-taking and students really dodemonstrate that they enjoy being curious.
I have spent some time this week dropping in to lessons and talking to the children about their learning. It isapparent that we are in the very enviable position of having small class sizes and good adult/pupil ratios. Thisdoes mean that pupils are getting a lot of personal attention to support them in achieving their targets.Classrooms are looking inviting and engaging and there are lots of inspiring displays.It has been a big week for Hockey this week, with lots of fixtures with Peponi. More details from Mr Moyse inthis week’s newsletter, but suffice it to say that our pupils played with courage and determination and were areal credit to Hillcrest.
It was good to see so many of you at the Reading Workshop on Tuesday This was a lively and engaging
session and my thanks go to Jan Grimmer and Tracy Thomas for facilitating it.
Wishing you all a relaxing and enjoyable weekend.
Best wishes as ever,
Vikki Alden
Head Teacher Prep
Early Years News:Head Teacher's Message:
Dear Parents,
The children had another wonderful week in HEY with a special focus on good manners. Year 1 began the
week with some fantastic football at Brookhouse, it was a great example of the sporting progress our Year 1s
have made so far. Thank you to all the parents who came to cheer on the teams!
Reception class enjoyed a brilliant trip to Karura Forest where they explored the plant life and walked all the
way to the caves, which is a long distance for our little walkers! The children also demonstrated their
confidence, performing in our Good Manners themed assembly this morning.
We closed down the front carpark on Wednesday for the Nursery 1 Big Bike Ride. The teachers had their road
signs ready to teach the children some simple road safety. Next week we will be learning about emergency
vehicles and are very excited to be visited by an ambulance and fire engine.
Next week we will be focusing on oral hygiene and brushing our teeth. Miss Samperu will be delivering a
special teeth brushing assembly on Monday morning. Parents can help by focusing on teeth brushing at home
with your children and make sure they are brushing properly.
Next Week:
Tuesday 30th Jan – Nursery Trip to Royal Gym for a keep fit work-out session
Thursday 1st Feb – Ambulance visit for Playgroup, Nursery 1 and 2
Friday 2nd Feb – Fire Engine visit for Playgroup and Nursery 1
Friday 2nd Feb – Nursery 2 Assembly, 8:30 am
Saturday 27th
Jan – Super Saturday (Movement and Dance) 9:30-12:00
Please come and join in the fun tomorrow morning for our Movement and Dance themed Super Saturday. We
have a fun packed morning lined up with family Zumba, a Mummy/Daddy and child dance session,
performance from Dance Center Kenya and a special talk from Michael Wamaya about the amazing dance
projects happening in Kibera with a focus on how dance can develop life skills. BROOD will also be here with
coffee and their delicious bread and pastries and of course, our wonderful garden will be set up ready for the
children play in. Please feel free to bring a friend in too.
Looking forward to seeing you on Saturday morning!
Jenna Rawlings
Head Teacher Early Years
Prep Deputy Head Teacher News:
My favourite quote on pedagogy is from Paulo Freier, who says that knowledge emerges only through invention
and reinvention, through the restless, impatient continuing hopeful enquiry human beings pursue in the world,
with the world and with each other.
Hillcrest offers this opportunity to not only its pupils but teachers as well. For teachers, the focus for the next
two weeks is on the element of Assessment for Learning in their pedagogy. There are excited discussions in
the staffroom on the different ways this can be done to help pupils own their learning, identify the success
criteria and work towards the desired outcomes.
We invite you to the 'Stretch and Fly" parents workshop on Thursday, 1st
of February 2018. The focus of this
workshop is on how the brain works and how focusing on 'higher order thinking activities can develop skills and
talents in your child.
As we continue our pursuit for personal excellence in teaching and learning, next week we also celebrate are
achievements and the progress we have made in our musical abilities. On Wednesday from 8:00-8:30 am, Year2 will host a music showcase morning for the parents and Year 3 and 4 will have a Music Ensemble from 2:30 –3:30 pm.
We look forward to celebrate, with you, the effort and achievements of the children.
Have a good weekend.
Surbhi VashishtDeputy Head - Prep
Admissions and Marketing News:
Hillcrest Community Walk – Our 2nd walk will be on Saturday 3rd February to Ol Donyo Sabuk. Open toanyone in the Hillcrest Community – bring your family and friends - do let us know by Tuesday 30th if you arecoming so we can organise appropriate transport.
Zumba at Hillcrest – A reminder that we offer a weekly Zumba class for parents on Tuesday mornings 8 am to9 am in Prep. Run by Zumba and fitness instructor Maria Hudson.
International Cultural Day – Saturday 24th March – Our diversity amongst our students and parents is one ofthe things that makes Hillcrest stand out and something we are very proud of. We celebrate this annually at ourCultural Day. Please do put this date in your diary and start talking to other families within your culture abouthow you can showcase your country with food, dance, music & song.If you are able to be involved please do send us an email on [email protected].
Christina LaceyHead of Admission & Marketing
Alumni Hillcrestians News:
Lisa Armstrong
Lisa is an award-winning editor and writer with credits in numerous publications and Websites including TheAtlantic, The New York Times, O, The Oprah Magazine, National Geographic, In Style, The Washington Post,Parade, Marie Claire, National Geographic Traveler, Ms., Health, Essence, USA Today and The Daily Beast.She has also written and edited for UNICEF and The World Bank.
Her work covers a range of topics: She has written about teenage prostitution inthe IDP camps in Haiti, worked on a documentary about yoga teachers inKenyan slums, and profiled prominent politicians and celebrities. She has havereported from several countries, including Sierra Leone, Liberia, Tajikistan andthe Philippines, and reported from Haiti from 2010 to 2014, through grants fromThe Pulitzer Center on Crisis Reporting and NYU.She is an associate professor at the CUNY Graduate School of Journalism,where she has taught for eight years.Read Lisa's latest article.https://www.rollingstone.com/contributor/lisa-armstronghttps://journalism.nyu.edu/about-us/awards-and-fellowships/the-reporting-
award/recipients/lisa-armstrong/
Jackie GuestAlumni Coordinator
Junior School News:
Week 3 has been a buzz of activity in Junior School. The Parent's Reading Workshop took place last Tuesdaywhere our Head of English, Mrs. Thomas, together with Ms. Grimmer, shared with parents the practical skills inhelping their children enhance their phonics and reading skills at home. Thanks to all the parents who made it.From the feedback received, it is clear that the workshop was very beneficial to all in attendance. Thank you toofor your positive feedback and suggestions which will be considered in our future workshops.
As part of their RE lessons, the Year 2 children visited the St Francis Church, Karen. The children enjoyedlinking this visit to what they have been learning in class which is also a part of our Hillcrest values on respectand curiosity. Read all about it elsewhere in this bulletin.The U9 hockey boys and girls teams were excited this Thursday as they embarked on their first matches of theseason. We wish the teams all the best this term.
Jae Yoon, Year 3, is among some students who will represent Hillcrest at the Nairobi Verse SpeakingCompetition this Saturday. We wish him and the other students in Senior School all the very best.Please keep abreast with events coming up next week by looking on the iSAMS calendar.
Have a great weekend.
Mary MuchangiHead of Junior School
Reading Buddies
On Monday, the excellent readers of Year 4 visited the curious learners of Year 1 for some shared reading. TheYear 4s used expression and charisma when reading to the highly engaged Year 1s. The older pupils were thengiven a small tour of the HEY garden while carrying out a scavenger hunt.It was so wonderful watching all our children interact positively, enjoying the stories and exploring the beautifulsurroundings. We are pleased to say that this will become a regular event, and our final goal this term will be forthe Year 4s to write their own Mythical Stories to read to their younger peers.
Michelle Henderson
Year 4 Class [email protected]
Year 2 Re Visit
Year 2 had a great a great time at St Francis Church, Karen which they visited as part of their Religious
Education experience.
The objective of this trip was for the children to identify the church artefacts and parts, such as altar, pulpit,
lectern, pews, nave, font, chalice, aisle, vestry, cross and glass stained windows, which are prominent features
in a church.
We are grateful to Reverend Izza for taking us on a tour of the church, in addition to engaging us in an
interactive talk about the events he officiates and the special clothes he wears, which come in different colours,
depicting various occasions.
Polly Maina
Year 2 Class [email protected]
Humanities in Year 2
Year 2 made fossils from Plaster of Paris and created dinosaur dances thisweek. They also learned about Mary Anning and will recreate her life in roleplay.Jan GrimmerYear 2 Class [email protected]
Senior School News:
Week 3 has been a busy and productive week. In English lessons, different year groups started working ontheir Poetry units. The children in the Senior school have spent much of this week learning about different typesof poems and techniques used in poetry, as well as being inspired and encouraged to write poems of their ownto add to the "PoeTree". It is lovely watching the poems increase in number and reading the different poems iscertainly enjoyable. We are also looking forward to Poetry Day next week, which will be the culmination of ourPoetry units. Do look out for further information on this from Ms. Thomas.
The prefects had their first meeting on Monday 22nd January with Mrs. Regau and myself. It is quiteencouraging to note the growth the prefects have made (and continue to make) in terms of acquiringconfidence and building their leadership skills as they carry out their responsibilities around the school. TheStudent Council members are looking forward to their first meeting of this term which will be held on Mondaynext week.
The U11 and U13 matches started this week, and the children are excited and eager to do their very best. TheYear 5 and 6 pupils are beginning preparations for their end of term play. Please do look out for furtherinformation on this exciting annual event in subsequent bulletins.
Mrs. Yoland Masidza will be taking some students to the Nairobi Academy Verse Speaking Competition on
Saturday 27th January. We wish them all the best.Have a restful weekend.
Julie KimutaiHead of Senior School
English Department News:
This week poems have been going up into the "POETREE" to celebrate poetry writing across the school. AllEnglish lessons have focused on language development through poetry and some of the children's work is nowon display. This will continue throughout next week when teachers will have to choose a single poem from eachhouse in their year group. These children will perform their poems on Poetry Day which will be held on the 7thof February. In addition, the best poems from across the school will be entered into the COBIS internationalschool contest.
Please do send in your favourite poem with your child, or send it to your Form Tutor so that they can also bedisplayed in school.
Ms. Tracy ThomasFaculty Coordinator, English
Sports News:
This week has seen us host the U11 warm up swim gala and Hockey fixtures against Peponi House School.The Swimming Gala was a fun afternoon with some very tough competition across all of the schools that tookpart. U11 Girls Captain Yelen Pognon performed particularly well holding her own against some very strongswimmers.Please remember that there are swim training sessions on right through the week. Check iSAMs for details.
Our Hockey teams have been sporting their new team kit and were proudly led by their new team captains thisweek. We are very pleased and proud of ALL of our teams' performances against the challenge of PeponiHouse. The U11 teams started the week very well with the boys coming very close to recovering a 0-2 deficit –finishing 1-2. Antoine performing very well in goal, but also an excellent game for Fraser in the midfield. Otherstand out performances in the U11s were from Jennifer and Maya S.
Both the girls and boys U13 A teams managed very creditable 0-0 draws. With both teams very unlucky to notsnatch a win. Both teams performed very well in all departments, but Furaha and Shiru were both outstandingfor the girls while Alvin put in a POM performance for the boys. For the girls' B team Jessica played extremelywell.
The U9s had mixed fortunes. The boys found it tough going against the Peponi boys, but still played very well,showing dedication and enthusiasm. They defended well and Marcus was very energetic covering the wholepitch, Josef made several key saves and Andrew performing very well in his first game. The girls performedextremely well. Both the U9 A and B winning their away games, The A team won 3-0 with Almasi and Samaraperforming very well. The B team won 1-0 with a goal from Sanaa and another excellent performance from Abigail.
Sports News:
Hog Charge
Our 6 teams had a fantastic time at the Charity Fund Raising Hog Charge last weekend. It was an early start to get to Peponi Secondary School by 7 am, but worth it to have time to attend the briefing, check bikes, top up on suntan lotion and plan the routes. For some, this would have been the first time 'off road' biking – much more challenging than cycling on roads or pavements. Our teams showed true determination, pushing through muddy swamps, dodging holes and shrubs and encouraging each other on. Thank you to the parent team leaders – many of whom accompanied their teams – and having their own challenges! A big thank you too to parent, Lesley Hannah, who cycled around filming the teams – her video will be shown in Assembly on Monday and will be on our Website and Social Media shortly.Results
U12 Boys – Wild Coyotes – 2nd OverallU12 Girls – Hogs in Charge – 2nd Overall and winners of the 'Gauntlet'For the 2nd year running, Hillcrest International Schools sponsored checkpoint number 6 – we fixed bikes, cooled competitors down with water spray, entertained and encouraged everyone with our drummers and kept all well hydrated and energised with delicious lemonade, ice lollies and chocolate brownies, not to mention the proper coffee for parents! Thank you to everyone who volunteered to help on the checkpoint, including parents- Victoria, Mandy, Maryline, Judy and Maria plus teachers Mark, Robbin, Jared and Paddy
Next Week
Monday: U9 Warm UP Swim Gala @ Peponi House SchoolTuesday: U11 Boys and Girls A teams vs Braeside @ HillcrestWednesday: U13 Boys and Girls A teams vs Braeside @ HillcrestThursday: U9 Boys and Girls A&B teams Vs Braeside @ BraesideFriday; U11 & U13 Boys football vs Rusinga @ Hillcrest (1330 K.O.)
Please come and support your teams!
Nigel MoyseHead of Physical Education and Sports Department
Creative Arts News:
We would like to wish Jae Yoon, Wayua Kagucia and Saskia Lootsma the best as they participate in theNairobi Academy Poetry Competition on Saturday the 27th of January.
My Canvas and I
We love painting on canvas!
YEAR 2 MUSIC SHOWCASE MORNING - 31st January 2018Parents are invited to the Year 2 showcase morning between 8.00 am and 8.30 am.YEAR 3 AND 4 TEATIME CONCERT - 31st JanuaryParents are invited to the Year 3 and 4 Teatime concert starting at 2.30 pm.
Yoland MasidzaHead of Creative Arts
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