ZNBC to televise Santa and the Beanstalk

Zambia National Broadcasting Corporation (ZNBC), the national broadcaster, will televise our Early Years Production of ‘Santa and the Beanstalk’ on 

New Car Stickers

Compliments of the Season!

In an effort to improve security measures around the school campus, we have introduced new ISL-branded car stickers.

The Beacon Scholarship at ISL

ISL is pleased to offer the Beacon Scholarship for students with strong leadership qualities. 

The Beacon Scholarship is a leadership development programme that nurtures change makers and therefore, students must show evidence of exceptional academic ability, excellence in sport, music or drama; outstanding interpersonal skills; and role-model citizenship. 

ISL Ifyangalo Night

The Student Council and PTA are hosting "Ifyangalo Night" on Friday the 9th of December 2022.  

14 November 2022

Good Morning Parents

I trust all is well. Our Primary students are enjoying their learning experiences and have settled in well after the October Break.

Here's a snapshot of what was happening in the Primary School last week!!!

Year 12's DoE SIlvier Expedition

We are very proud of our 18 Year 12 students for successfully completing their Silver Duke of Edinburgh Expedition. They withstood rains and navigated the rugged terrain with lots of resilience and team work.  Well done students....we look forward to Gold next year

    

Year 13 trip to Lotri Bay

Year 13's returned from a week long fun and relaxing trip to Lotri Bay, Kariba. Fishing, Stone Art, Canoeing, Pontoon cruises into the main lake, Hiking, Nature walk etc....were some of the activities they enjoyed engaging with and have returned with memorable moments of their final school year trip that they will cherish for their life. 

                                                                       

Year 12's present CAS Theatre Night

When you think of CAS, the first thing that comes to mind is: Self-development. CAS encourages us to use our experiences to grow into well-rounded people.

Our group intends to interact with our community, while simultaneously honing our skills in various fields, to achieve the most out of CAS. Thus, we have decided to work with an NGO called Footprints of Hope, to aid them in achieving their goals by using whatever means available to us. In terms of Service, for us teenagers, the simplest way to assist an organization is by fundraising. The most obvious approach was earning money through bake sales, which we did, although it quickly became tedious. In fact, part of the money to was coming from our parents, thus limiting our own involvement.

Year 13 student Arnav Khanna represents Zambia in FGC

I recently participated in the FIRST Global Challenge (FGC) in Geneva, Switzerland, representing Team Zambia as the Deputy Captain. This is my third year of participation since I was 12, but every year, I come back overwhelmed with experiences and interactions while leaving a mark on the global map.

FGC is an Olympics-style robotics competition that brings youth from over 180 countries to solve global challenges using their skills, abilities, and talents with grand engineering challenges using STEM and robotics. This year's theme was “Carbon Capture”, i.e., cooperating internationally to develop technologies to store CO2 and reduce carbon footprints. While the event was a competition, its emphasis on international cooperation makes it unique. Again, we are reminded that most robots lose, but we must ensure that all humans win. 

Xello Launch For Secondary Students Complete!

I am happy to announce the completion of our Xello launch with our secondary students!

Xello is a career-ready platform that helps students of all abilities and aspirations become future-ready. Students will be able to complete interactive career, personality, and learning style assessments to help them better understand their unique interests, skills and strengths. Using the access cards they received, each student will be able to personalize their Xello experience by creating a shareable, online portfolio that showcases their interests, skills, and abilities which will be accessible by their tutors and career guidance counsellor.

Under the Guidance of Ms Kalizya, Our careers Counsellor, students will continue the onboarding process with tasks assigned for them to work on periodically throughout the school year. 

Welcome from the Acting Head of School

As you know, I have been appointed by the Board as the Acting Head of School. Although the Secondary Principal position has absorbed the majority of my time over the past several years, I have worked closely with Mr Gough, Mr Fox, Ms Nair and now with Ms Appana, to ensure that education at ISL has a through-line from Early Years until graduation. That said, some of you may not know me that well, so I thought I’d give you a brief overview of my background. 

What Teens Want Parents to Know About Social Media

I came across something that I thought you might be interested in. This is a straight lift from an article I read, so I don't claim any originality, but I found it interesting and something I thought some of you may want to read more about. Here it is:

Secondary Class Representative Election results!

On Wednesday, the nominated students gave speeches to their peers of the Tutor group and voted for their preferred candidate.  To all those who ran, but did not get elected I want to thank you for taking an active role in this process. You have taken your first step to getting involved and I encourage you to find ways to help the school and run for election again on the future. Without further ado, it is my pleasure and honour to congratulate the elected 2022 - 2023 Student Council Class Representatives on their new leadership position!

CIS Re-accreditation

Overview

CIS is the Council of International Schools, an independent body that provides an evaluation framework for schools to evaluate their work and as a structure to help with school improvement plans. It is a 5 year cycle. We are currently accredited by both CIS and another accreditation body, NEASC, and the re-accreditation process has started very positively.

Where is ISL in the re-accreditation cycle?

Ask - Q1 Fees Payments

Question

We appreciate that we have to pay school tuition fess  as per requirement and we obliged to do so, however we are facing minor challenge which will be resolved as we progress.

Early Years and Upper Primary Open House and Assemblies

On Tuesday, August 16th and Wednesday, August 17th we held the Early Years and Upper Primary Open House respectively. It gave us the opportunity to meet parents in person (after a two-year absence from the school due to Covid) and to welcome them warmly to the new school year. Parents attended a presentation by their chid’s homeroom teacher, where the class expectations and the synopsis of the year was shared.

A huge thank you to all our parents for taking time from your busy schedules to spend the morning with us and share in your child’s learning. We appreciated the huge turn out by our Primary parents!!! 

Historic IGCSE Results!

I am thrilled to report our students have achieved the highest IGCSE results in ISL's history for a second year running. On behalf of our school I would like to extend our warmest congratulations to all IG students who worked extremely hard over two years for this success.

We have achieved this under extraordinary circumstances. The grade boundaries this year were higher on average compared to the last 5 years. This cohort of students experienced three years of pandemic learning and all the physical and mental challenges that came with that. We had the toughest exam season ever with covid cases on the rise and a constant sense of uncertainty if exams would be cancelled. 

Yet despite these challenges, we prevailed. 

Blog info about elections

The beginning of the school year also marks the beginning of the Student Council’s Class Representative system. Being a Class Representative is an opportunity to take an active part in determining a student's own educational experience.

IBDP Induction trip to Pioneer camp

On Friday 12th August, 21 Year 12 students along with their tutors went to Pioneers camp for the Induction camp. The main objective of the Induction trip was to enable students to build cohesion as a cohort and develop their identity by reflecting on the learner profile. The over night camp turned out to be a very exciting experience for the students with fun activities that enabled them to collaborate while engaging in team building activities. Students took part in active group challenges and ended the Induction programme with the introduction to the 7 CAS learning outcomes.

   

 

IGCSE Welcome to the new academic year!

As we start the new academic year, I would like to extend a warm welcome to all IGCSE students in Year 10 and Year 11. We are very lucky and grateful that we can start this semester fully on campus. Thank you to all students, parents and staff for their continuous commitment to keep everyone safe on campus. 

Celebrating 2022 IBDP results

Once again our students have made us proud - they have beaten the world average of 31.98!! 20 students were registered for the full Diploma of whom 19 were successful in achieving the diploma with an average score of 34 points. ISL students' average grade of 5.29 signifies an astounding set of result to be very proud of. 

65% of students achieved 30+ points whilst 40% achieved 35+ points and 20% achieved 40+ points - 43 being the highest score which was achieved by Jaida Javaheri. Well done Jaida! Our other star performers are Anne Vromant and Emilio Leto who shared 42 points each and Abhinav Sahal who achieved 41 points. 

We are very proud of each and every one of our students, who have worked very hard at an extremely rigorous global examination during the most difficult pandemic times. These brilliant results testify to our amazing teachers and the world-class education offered at ISL. 

Outstanding Checkpoint Results!

I am pleased to announce we have received a fantastic set of Year 9 Checkpoint results.

Our students have scored well above the world average in all categories and in all subjects for a second year running. In English 40% of candidates scored a 4 or higher. In Science 54% of candidates scored a 4 or higher, and 5% of candidates achieved a perfect score of 6.

These results put ISL yet again among the top performing schools in Southern Africa and the world. 

School Calendar Info

Our main calendar is the ISL Public Calendar which includes all our holidays, events and board meetings. Events (such as board meetings) have Google Meet links where applicable so you can join remotely. We offer also the ISL School Days Calendar which has numbered days and weeks for the year.

• Handy printables of the calendar for each school year may be found here
• A web view of our school calendars may be found here
• Google calendar users add the calendars with the following IDs:
  
  • ISL Public Calendar - islzambia.org_cfujkkcjtd0os8q1q3ovai8eos@group.calendar.google.com
  • ISL School Days - islzambia.org_qd0h2eg7bc35k60jttg5ld7st8@group.calendar.google.com

Lusaka Forum on the Future of Education : Our Panel

Dorothy Kasanda’s impressive history in education extends over thirty years. Since 2007, she has served at CAMFED Zambia as Head of Programmes, Deputy Executive Director, Director for Partnerships, National Director and in her current role as Executive Advisor for Partnerships.

Dorothy began her career in education as a teacher of English and French and Head of Languages in several Zambian high schools. She quickly rose through the ranks to Senior Education Officer.

Dorothy holds a Doctoral Degree in Sociology, a Master's Degree in Business Administration and a Bachelor’s degree in Education, as well as numerous professional qualifications.

Meet Stephen Jacobsz - ISL Board Member 2022

Stephen Jacobsz is a hydraulic engineer with an extensive mechanical engineering background. He has worked from the ground up and is always looking for a challenge by getting hands on with his work. He has held various positions in his career including owning his own business for nearly 9 years before coming to work in Zambia. Steve joined Hitachi in 2014; his biggest task was to impart his knowledge and skills on to the staff there and empower Zambians into leadership roles. He led his team to ISO certification 9001:2015 and with his dedication to Kaizen saw the first Zambian company in Africa win Gold at the International Kaizen meeting in Singapore. Steve is embarking on a new journey and is currently setting up a new workshop here in Lusaka. He enjoys mentoring others and sharing his knowledge by showing them the way to achieve various tasks.  

Steve enjoys fabricating and building things in his free time in his garage where he built his own sports car. He is passionate about developing projects within the community and comes from a schooling environment where our parents took charge by getting involved with school projects. This is something he is very keen to be part of at ISL. He is a man of action not of words.

The ISL 2021-2022 Yearbook is ready!

The Yearbook team has worked really hard this year to ensure that we get the Yearbook just in time for the holidays!  The Yearbook’s theme is ‘Everyone has a story.’

Please use the links below to access your electronic copy of the 2021-2022 Yearbook:

"Con-grad-ulations: May your cap fly as high as your dreams."

What a proud day! We couldn't be happier for our 26 graduates who received their ISL Diplomas on the 4th of June, thus commemorating the end of their schooling. Our students' commitment, resilience and dedication resulted in an accomplishment that they can reflect upon with much satisfaction and pride. Well done Graduates! Congratulations and best wishes for bright future. 

                                                  

IBDP ToK Exhibition

On Tuesday, 7th June, Year 13 students suceesfully presented their ToK prompt and the three objects to the the school community in a live exhibition held in the Fine Arts hall. The main aim of the ToK exhibiton is to create awareness of ToK in school by showcasing how ToK concepts can be applied to the real world. The exhibition was a great success and students were able to convincingly highlight their engagement with the concepts learnt in class. 

Board offices - 2022 to 2023

On Thursday, June 2, the Board of Governors convened an organizational meeting to elect the Board Chair, Board Vice-Chair, Committee Chairs and Vice-Chairs. The results were:

1. Board Chair - Emily Heneghan Kasoma
2. Board Vice-Chair - Seun Aladesanmi
3. Estates & Projects Committee Chair - Basjan van As
4. Estates & Projects Committee Vice-Chair - Stephen Jacobsz
5. Finance & Revenue Committee Chair - Haggai Simpungwe
6. Finance & Revenue Committee Vice-Chair - Umar Anwer
7. Human Resources & Staff Relations Committee Chair - Abidemi Coker
8. Human Resources & Staff Relations Committee Vice-Chair - Helen Banda 
9. Marketing & Strategy Committee Chair - Maureen Mersmann
10. Marketing & Strategy Committee Vice-Chair -  Umar Anwer
11. Policy & Planning Committee Chair - Camille Wauters
12. Policy & Planning Committee Vice-Chair - Maureen Mersmann
13. COVID Task Force Chair - Peter Cottan
14. COVID Task Force Vice-Chair - Seun Aladesanmi
15. Tender Committee Chair - Seun Aladesanmi
16. Tender Committee Vice-Chairs - Umar Anwer and Stephen Jacobsz 

Early Years Sports Days

 What a wonderful morning!

Our little friends were very busy demonstrating their PE skills when taking part in the races that were set up for them... so busy and involved. It was exciting to watch them perform.

Our Year 6 students did a great job supporting the PE department in facilitating the activities! Thank you Year 6!

Here are some glimpses into the morning!

Celebrating Athletics and Running for a Cause

 We are gradually approaching the finish line, but yet got so much to do!

Parent Workshop: Navigating and Resolving Conflict with Your Child

Please join us for the final Student Support Services workshop entitled ‘Navigating and Resolving Conflict  with your Child’ Thursday 26th May 2021. Conflict is inevitable between parents and children. We will explore some of the conflict triggers and look at strategies for what to do in the midst of a conflict and how to move towards restoration/resolution. Join us on the day using the link below.

Google Meet joining info

18.00

Video call link: https://meet.google.com/jsi-nirm-ifu  

A very busy week in Primary

 I wonder how we fit it all in.... but we do :)

An eventful week in Primary School

 Loads to blog about this week!

Coronavirus response rationale

I'm writing to elaborate some of the thinking that goes into our coronavirus strategy here at International School. Usually, we communicate guidance as simply and clearly as possible, but I think there is virtue in understanding the thinking underlying the guidance.

Myths about Motivation: some research for reflection

 As parents and teachers, we will be doing our best to motivate our students and children so that they can do their best on the end of year exams coming up in a few weeks (Thursday 26th May - Thursday 2nd June). In this article in Education Week, there are some interesting insights on student motivation from the American Educational Research Association (AERA) which were framed as pushback on three myths about motivation that are common in schools:

Being a member of the ISL Board of Governors

I have been a member of the ISL Board of Governors for about a year and it has been very fulfilling and rewarding. Being a member of the Board provides an opportunity to make input into school policies and management operations that impact the lives of students, teachers and parents. As Chair of the COVID-19 Task Force, I’ve been able to work with other Board members and school staff to develop guidelines to keep our school safe.  It gives me great joy to know that I am actively participating in improving my children’s school. - Seun Aladesanmi 

Being a member of the ISL Board of Governors

Being a member of the ISL Board of Governors has been a really rewarding experience. I’ve been a board member for two years now and have one year left in my term. I’ve learned so much about ISL’s management, policies and operations. As a member of the Marketing Committee, I’ve been able to input and participate in some very cool initiatives – developing an ISL branding and marketing strategy, supporting video productions, and more. On the policy committee, we’ve really looked at strengthening ISL’s governance framework. It is a commitment of time, but as a full-time professional and full-time mom, I haven’t found it to be too much. It’s a real pleasure to work with the other Board members and I feel like I am genuinely contributing to the improvement of my kids’ school, which has been so fulfilling. - Maureen Mersmann

Being a member of the ISL Board of Governors

 I have been a board member for a year, and have tremendously enjoyed being actively involved in the school's decision making processes. I was very warmly welcomed by the board members and the school administration. As Chair of the Policy and Planning Committee, I work with other board members and the school to assess and formulate why we do things, and to ensure we advance with purpose so that our kids are best equipped to thrive in the world of tomorrow. It is a very rewarding and positive environment with committed people. - Camille Wauters

Introducing Marie-Emilie Riger - DP & IGCSE English + TOK Teacher

Marie-Emilie Riger joins us from Sandford International School in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, where she taught English, Theory of Knowledge, and coordinated the core components of the IB Diploma programme. Beforehand, Marie-Emilie worked mostly in China, where she also developed valuable experience in the Pastoral realm. Marie-Emilie has an M. Education and a Ba in Philosophy from the University of Burgundy in France, as well as a PGCE from the University of Sunderland in the UK. 

Marie-Emilie has a confident knowledge of the Middle Years, IGCSE and IBDP curricula and requirements in the language and literature courses. Her experience in pastoral care has been an asset in understanding and accompanying the journey of her students in different cultural settings. 

Marie-emilie likes reading, gardening, cooking and outdoors activities.

Introducing Michelle Shepherd - DP & IGCSE Chemistry Teacher

Michelle Shepherd joins us from Utahloy International School, Guangzhou China, where she has taught DP Chemistry and Biology as well as middle school science and drama for the past three years.  She has a Ph.D. in Chemistry from the University of London and Qualified Teacher status from the United Kingdom.  Michelle has a wealth of international experience gained in seven different countries in Europe and Asia but is very excited to be joining the International School of Lusaka this year, for her first adventure on the African continent.   

Michelle loves to be outdoors in nature, walking, swimming, cycling or sailing but also enjoys acting, singing, dancing and curling up with a good book.

Introducing Kalizya Nseluka - Careers Counselor

Kalizya Nseluka joins the International School of Lusaka with a demonstrated history of working in higher education administration. Kalizya has got an ASA degree from Northwestern Michigan College, a BA in International Relations from Calvin University and an MA in Organizational Leadership from Cornerstone University. She was living in the USA for 9 years where she began her career working in the administrative offices of Colleges and Universities and then transitioned to NGOs where she worked in International and Global affairs.

Kalizya returned to Zambia in 2020 and has since had work experience working for local NGOs as a Publications Manager and an international school as a University Guidance Counsellor. Outside of her professional career, she also sees herself as a businesswoman and actively runs her family business. 

Kalizya likes to take walks, watch TV series, listen to music and explore new places. She is an avid dog lover, a super Marvel fan and finds baking very therapeutic!

Introducing Richard Riches - DP & IGCSE Geography + Social Studies Teacher

Richard Riches will be joining the secondary teaching team at the International School of Lusaka as a Geography and Social Studies teacher from August of 2022. In terms of his academic and teaching background, Richard studied at John Ruskin University between 1995 to 1998 where he acquired a bachelor's degree in History before transferring to Brunel University in 1999 to complete his PGCE in London.

Over the past twenty-two years, Richard has successfully delivered a broad range of Humanities based subjects including Geography, History and Sociology. During that time, he has worked in secondary schools in London, Malaysia, China and most recently Ethiopia. During his career as a teacher, Richard has successfully held numerous positions of responsibility including Head of Department, Head of faculty, EE coordinator and even pastoral based responsibilities such as the management of extracurricular activities.

Aside from teaching, Richard has two young children (who will also be attending the International school in Lusaka) loves distance running, watching football, reading and is a keen but amateur musician. 

Introducing Aditi Chakraborty - DP & IGCSE Economics + Enterprise Teacher

Aditi Chakraborty joins us from her most recent position as HoD Math at Lechwe International School in the Copperbelt and shortly after becoming a proud mother to a daughter. 

Aditi has a Masters in Financial Economics from the world renowned University of Manchester (UK) and is a certified programme leader for Professional Development Qualification from Cambridge Assessment International  Education.

Aditi has a diverse experience in Economic Research at the Economic and Social Research Council, Banking and Teaching in the UK, India and now Zambia. Her experience in Zambia includes teaching positions at Baobab College also with a consolidated teaching experience of 10 years.

Aditi loves to travel, cook, read and has a soft spot for wildlife. She is also an avid dog lover and loves to spend weekends with them.

Introducing Dorothy Mwanza - Primary teacher

My Name is Dorothy Mwanza, and I am thrilled to be joining the Early Years team at International School of Lusaka. I gained my Early Childhood Education teaching experience in Doha, Qatar, where I worked with The Newton Group of schools for 6 years. I completed my B.Eng. in Telecommunications in Wuhan, China and in 2017, I received my PGC in Education from The University of Nottingham.

Working with many children to whom English was a second language motivated me to “think outside the box” in order to provide a learning space for all ability groups and needs, allowing students to explore and investigate their own learning. I look forward to promoting this teaching and learning philosophy with my new learners this academic year and ensure to help each child progress in their development.

In my spare time, I enjoy, playing with my dogs, listening to music, cooking, traveling around the world to learn about different cultures, playing sports such as swimming and netball and enjoy a relaxing jog every now and then.   

Reception Parents Workshop: Middle Infant Screening Test

On Thursday 5th May 2022 the Student Support Services (SSS) held a parent workshop that focused on the Middle Infant Screening Test (MIST). This is a screener that will be used in Reception and Year 1 to help chart the literacy development of our young learners. The results of the MIST also help inform teaching and learning as  we strive to ensure the personal development of students in their literacy learning journey.  The MIST results should always be seen in light of the child’s performance throughout the year and this is reflected in class teacher observations, feedback and assessment. 

A key take away from the workshop was that each child has a unique journey that they take in their learning and a holistic view to assessment is important to get a comprehensive picture of literacy development. For more on assessment and navigating life with your child join us for our last two online parent workshops over the next two weeks as follows:

ISAZ U-19 Hockey

After a little break the ISAZ events are back, and on May 7 the ISL hosted the ISAZ U-19 Regional tournament in Hockey. 

Girls team - Coach Mr Gift Munsanje

Introducing Shireen Appana - Primary Principal

Shireen Appana joins us from Nord Anglia School Nantong, in China where she was the Founding Head of the School. Her International leadership background includes serving as the Primary Principal at the United Nations International School in New York and Bonn International School in Germany. Prior to being a Principal, Shireen was a PYP Coordinator and a Language Coordinator at Bonn International School and a Subject Leader for the Arts and Homeroom Teacher at Karori Normal School in New Zealand. Shireen has worked in IB Schools since 2003.

Shireen holds a Master of Education Degree from the University of Natal in South Africa. She is also a Principal, Training Center (PTC) graduate from Miami, USA and has a Certificate in International School Leadership in School Wide Curriculum, Assessment, Leadership and Group Dynamics and Supervision and Evaluation. In addition, she has also completed PTC courses in Finance and Technology in International School Leadership. To enhance her vision and leadership skills and increase her ability for innovation in International Schools, she has completed the training for New and Aspiring Heads and participated in the Global Women’s Leadership Assembly, an initiative by five leading women CEOs in Europe and the Middle East.

IBDP Group 4 Project begins

On Wednesday, 4th May, all Year 12 students attended a mini worshop on Group 4 Project organised by the Science department. The main purpose of the Group 4 Project is to introduce students to the idea that science is a group activity performed by teams and 'to encourage an understanding of the relationship between scientific disciplines and the overarching nature of scientific methods'(IB Aim 10)

The theme chosen was ' Temperature '. After the introduction, students were put into teams which comprised of students representing each of the 4 disciplines namely Biology, Chemistry, Computer Science and Physics. Students began planning various activities ranging from research, experiments, survey etc.....Their planning will be put into action on the 6th and 7th of June, which have been dedicated as Group 4 Project days. Group 4 Project isn't assessed but students will be expected to write a short reflective statement. 

       

It’s a wrap! The PYP Exhibition, 2022

 Dear ISL Community,

Our IBPYP Year 6 Exhibition is complete. The students and parents considered it a success and wonderful culmination of the PYP years. We are pleased with their efforts throughout the process, which you can view on their Google Sites and our Year 6 Exhibition Blog. You can also rewatch parts of the Exhibition on our ISL YouTube Channel. 

Their journey could not have been as successful without the time, efforts and assistance from the following people:

• Parents, for supporting their child through the process, especially in the final stages.

• Mentors and Experts in the Field for responding to interview questions via email, recording, Google Meet or in person and providing additional support as the students went through their journey. 

• Teachers and Staff for the time and support they gave the students.

Kind Regards,

Year 6 Students and Teachers

PYP Exhibition

Yet another opportunity to witness student learning through the PYP Exhibition!

Each year I am in awe of the level of conceptual understanding, skills, and growth the students have achieved in their time at Primary school. The students portray a willingness to learn, share and understand how they can make a difference and help make the world a better place.

This fits in perfectly with our Mission statement which states" International School of Lusaka is committed to the development of internationally-minded citizens who aspire to make the world a better place".

GIF in Education- Year 4 students

It is always exciting to see innovation in classrooms and I was really excited to see some of the GIF presentations done by our students using GIF with a view to persuasion. 

Invitation to the Y6 PYP Exhibition

ISL Year 6 students have been engaging in an in-depth, collaborative inquiry, known as the IBPYP Exhibition. The Exhibition is a culminating event of their IB Primary Years Programme and an opportunity to demonstrate their growth as learners in all areas of the programme.

For those who are interested in watching the Year 6 students present their research and action, please join via our ISL YouTube Channel.l on Wednesday 27th April, 20222.

Students in Year 6.1 will be presenting from 07:30-9:30, and Year 6.2 will present from 10:30-12:30. 

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCBaKvf_pVwNtMU75gucBAsA

Cambridge Examinations Reminders

Cambridge Checkpoint and IGCSE examinations will commence on Monday 25 April as planned. Candidates are reminded that they MUST arrive 15 min before the start time of the exam. Candidates who arrive late for their exam MAY NOT be allowed in the exam room. 

Please check the exams timetable for your reference. Please note that some of the start times of certain exams have changed, the dates remain the same. Candidates MUST make sure that they come prepared with all the equipment they will require for each exam. Candidates MUST wear a mask at all times and follow the Covid-19 Exam rules. 

IGCSE Subject Options for Year 9

With IGCSE Transition week completed, I would like to offer my sincerest thanks and gratitude to all children and families who attended. I was very impressed with Year 9 students in particular who were very engaged throughout the process and asked incredibly intelligent questions. 

Attached to this blog post you will find all of the resources and presentations which were shared with students and parents during transition week:

Secondary Late-Tardiness Guidelines

Secondary parents and students will be aware that we are trying to streamline the morning attendance procedures to ensure students are in school on time and ready for first period. Please find below a document which describes our processes and procedures with regard to arrival time and consequences for being late. These procedures are not new as much as we are making a concerted effort to apply the existing rules. 

Save the Soil movement: call out for student contributions

We have been contacted by a representative of the Save the Soil movement.Save the Soil is a global movement launched by Sadhguru, founder of the Isha Foundation,

Coimbatore, India. The movement’s aim is to address the soil crisis by bringing together people

from around the world to stand up for soil health and supporting leaders of all nations to institute

national policies and actions towards increasing the organic content in cultivable soil.

IBDP Arts Exhibition

It is an honour for us, The International School of Lusaka to have the privilege to invite you to our annual Art exhibition - The IBDP2 Visual Arts Exhibition. The exhibition will take place at the International School of Lusaka on 14th April 2022. In the exhibition, we will celebrate the development of our students as artists.

The IB Visual Arts course is a demanding, two-year course of study in which students create a body of work that demonstrates a solid understanding of the vocabulary and investigational work of the artist. Students choose a stimulus at the beginning of their second year and produce works of art that describe their studio intentions and investigation.

This year our exhibiting students are Anne Vromant and Mwile Chola who have worked hard to create a number of exciting artworks that deal with nature and feminism (women and fashion).

Our guest speaker for this year’s exhibition is Mrs Iris Borsch who is a diplomat with the German Embassy here in Zambia. 

Anne draws her inspiration from the world around her. Her artworks are a reflection of her experiences and comments on the things she has learnt both in school and in life. This exhibition allows her to comment on the sentiments that she has acquired over the past two years. She wishes to provoke her thoughts and reflection on how culture, nature and art manifest themselves in our society today.

Success Stories in Primary school

April 6th was indeed an exciting day for parents, students, and teachers!  Especially for parents, as they were able to get back on campus:)

Further relaxation of masking rules

Our COVID Task Force (CTF) has been pursuing a cautious relaxation of our coronavirus protocols in response to the diminished threat from this disease. Our response should be calibrated to the threat posed. The current very low prevalence of the virus in Zambia gives us scope in particular to loosen the masking requirements on campus. To that end the CTF has instituted the ‘blue sky rule’:

ISL Commemorates International Day of Multilingualism March 27th, 2022

The International Day of Multilingualism was on the 27th March 2022 and ISL celebrated by translating the ISL mission statement into the languages spoken by our school community.

Options, Advice and Guidance on post IGCSE options at ISL

Congratulations! In a few months time you will have successfully made it through the IGCSE programme and it is time to start thinking about the next stage of your education, which should lead you all the way to your chosen career. 

IGCSE Transition

I am pleased to inform you that the IGCSE Transition Programme will take place next week. We will hold two events - one for parents and one for students - where will introduce you to the IGCSE Programme at ISL. For most learners, and your parents, the choice of IGCSE options represents an important moment in your education. The choices you make can set you off on a specific path towards the next step in your education, so decisions need to be taken with care.

Student Led Conferences

  Primary school provides you a great opportunity to visit and witness your child's learning!

Board Meeting Update - March 2022

The Board met on Tuesday 22nd March. 

The Head of School and the different Board committees gave updates on the work they have been doing since the last Board meeting in January. 

Our school enrolment has continued to increase. We currently have 674 students, up from 661 students in January.  

IGCSE Exam Strategy and the Road Ahead

With IGCSE Mock Exams now complete, I would like to remark on how thoroughly impressed I have been by all Year 11 students. This is an incredibly stressful two weeks for students but every single one rose to the challenge and then some! They were consistently focused, organised and confident - a true testament to their hard work and the dedication of their teachers over the last two years. 

U-19 ISAZ NATIONALS

On March 25 and 26 ISL Wild Dogs netball and football teams participated in the ISAZ U-19 National tournaments hosted at Baobab College. This year both of our girls teams qualified for the National tournaments. 

Girls Netball team - Coach Mr Gift Munsanje

Thinking and Learning Differences: Understanding Reading Difficulties Parent Workshop

On Tuesday 15 March 2022 the Student Support Services held a parent workshop that focused on understanding reading difficulties. The workshop is part of a series of workshops aimed at unpacking the different learning difficulties that we may come across at the International School of Lusaka.

Thinking and Learning Differences: An Introduction to Learning Difficulties Parent Workshop

On Tuesday 22nd February 2022 the Student Support Services held a parent workshop to affirm, confirm and give insights on learning and thinking differences. The workshop is part of a series of workshops aimed at unpacking the different learning difficulties that we may come across at the International School of Lusaka. This particular workshop served to give an overview of what learning and thinking differences are as well as gave parents a practical experience of the challenges one might encounter when faced with circumstances that challenge learning. Three main areas of student focus were

Dealing With Exam/Test Anxiety Parent Workshop

Recently, the School Counselor Beverley Bloem took parents through some steps to help support children dealing with exam or test anxiety. Participation was great as Ms Bloem engaged parents in discussions around what their own feelings were towards their child facing imminent exams or tests. The workshop also took participants on the journey of discovering the different stages of dealing with stress as an insight to the process children could be undergoing. Finally, strategies to deal with stress were shared. One good take away was learning to deal with disappointment after an exam or test by learning from it and letting it go so that one can move on. Helpful resources: 

Francophone week celebrated next week at ISL!

Every year, the International francophone week is celebrated during the month of March and provides an opportunity for French speakers around the world to celebrate the French language in all its diversity. On this occasion, the Modern Languages Department is proud to present a selection of activities celebrating the French language which will happen next week. Here are these activities:

ISL Careers Fair! Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday next week!

The time has come for our Annual Careers Fair! A chance for both our students and parents to interact with a variety of company and business representatives to find out what careers in their fields are really like! 

Pi Day at ISL

March 14th (3.14) is Pi Day - a day where the wonder and brilliance of Mathematics is celebrated around the world. At ISL we celebrated with a week of Mathematics Competitions. On Pi Day itself STUCO ran a 'Pi off' during break where students wrote down as many digits of Pi as they could. All the participants were impressive but astonishingly Tomoki in year 10 correctly wrote out 75 digits! After school that day the Mathematics Department, ably assisted by an excellent group of year 12 CAS students, ran an Interhouse Competition for years 6 to 9.  Each house fielded 3 teams of four, with each team being made up of a mixture of year groups. The competition consisted of two rounds. The first one was a crossnumber challenge (like a crossword but with numbers) and the second round was a nail biting relay round involving some speedy running to pick up the questions and extremely focussed problem solving. Whilst all this was taking place one of the year 12s was tasked with circulating around the covered area identifying which students really stood for their Maths and team working abilities. It was such a pleasure to see the students so focussed and working together across year groups. All of the students were very impressive but a special mention must go to Shristi (year 8), Luka (year 8) and Luthando (year 9) who caught the year 12's attention. 

Peter and the Wolf: Thursday 24th March Auditions are Open!

Secondary students are encouraged to sign up and/or put themselves forward to help out in the upcoming production of Peter and the Wolf. Students may take on acting roles, stage management, wardrobe, musical accompaniment and even set design…there's so much you can do! Please see Mr Holdway for details.

U-16 ISAZ Football

On March 19, ISL Wild Dogs Football teams participated in the ISAZ Football tournaments. Baobab College hosted the boys tournament, but ISL - girls.

U-16 Boys football team - Coach Mr Daniel Banda

IGCSE Mock Exams - IMPORTANT TIMETABLE UPDATE

The Zambian government has declared Friday 18 March a public holiday due to the passing of former President Banda. Therefore, as per Mr. Patterson's email the school will be closed on Friday. 

Please note that due to the expected heavy congestion during the state funeral on Thursday 17 March we have delayed the start of the Biology Paper 3 and 4 exams to 07:45. Students should aim to be on campus by 07:30. 

Please note that we have postponed the IGCSE Chemistry Mock exams, which were supposed to be held on Friday 18, to Monday 28 March. The timings for each exam have also changed. 

Please see the updated timetable below: https://docs.google.com/docume...

If you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to get in touch with 

Mr. Ivanov on 0967871411. 

Careers Fair Presenters: last call!

It’s Not Too Late! With the Careers Fair quickly approaching, we just wanted to extend another invitation to anyone who would be interested in representing their industry/organization during this special time for our students and parents. 

U-19 and U-9 ISAZ Football

ISL Wild Dogs Football teams on Friday and Saturday participated in the ISAZ Football tournaments. Baobab College hosted the U-19 boys football regionals on Friday and Saturday (March 4-5), AISL hosted the U-19 girls football regionals on Saturday (March 5), and Italian School hosted U-9 boys football festival on Saturday (March 5).

U-9 Boys football team - Coach Mr James Nyirenda