NEWSLETTER
December 2022
Message from The Head of School
We are extremely elated to have been able to come to the end of Term 1, Academic Year 2022-2023. This term has been very eventful, and we are glad we were able to have all our events as planned.
Our biggest highlight was our Groundbreaking Ceremony, which clearly paved our long term plan of growth as a community. We cannot wait to see the expansion of our new block which will give us room to have smaller classrooms, which will enhance our commitment to having smaller child-to-teacher ratios.
We had our Evacuation Drill which was successful and also educational, we thank Uganda Police Force for the collaboration.
Studies have shown that, due to pandemics like the COVID-19 and lock-downs, many learners missed out on foundational learning, and we have seen the effects after lockdowns have been eased. At OIS community, we have come up with individualized lessons we call interventions to see how best we can help the learners that missed out on these basic foundations. We have also brought a school counsellor on board, who is to work closely with learners on their holistic well-being.
As we break off for our Christmas holidays, we encourage families to take time and listen to the children and spend quality time with them, as this greatly contributes to their mental wellbeing.
Thank you for the continued support as we work towards shaping young children for a better world.
Happy holidays!
Sincerely, Evelyn Twebaze – Head of School
(principal@oakinternational.ac.ug)
Message from The Curriculum Coordinator
It has been a term full of so much interactive learning and developments in the Curriculum at Oak International School. Our first round of CEM exams provided valuable insights that our teachers have been using to better instruct our students, we delivered Checkpoint exams to our Year 7 students, students competed in Maths Tournaments, participated in Model UN discussions and learned about cultures around the world for Global Village. We’re excited to be developing more programs and supports for our struggling learners such as hiring our new school counsellor, Ms. Michelle, and instituting learning interventions inside and outside the classroom and to be providing more challenges for learners who need those as well such as Model UN and other extension opportunities. I am finishing the term proud of all that we have accomplished and invigorated by the opportunity that comes with the terms ahead.
Sincerely, Zoe Greenberg – Curriculum Coordinator
(cc@oakinternational.ac.ug)
Message from The Finance Admin
Dear OIS family,
We would like to thank you for the efforts made towards clearing school fees on time, however, some have not managed to keep up with timelines.
Please note:
– A minimum of 70% of school fees must be cleared at the beginning of the term.
– Children whose fees have not been cleared will be sent home after 10 days until full school fees are cleared.
– Children with any outstanding amount will not be allowed to begin the new term.
– If you wish to register your child for lunch and transport services please do so before the beginning of the term as it will help us plan better.
– Clubs list will be sent out at the beginning of the term
– Offices will be open during holidays from 9 am to 2 pm. For inquiries and payments
– Please find attached the fees structure (DOWNLOAD FEES STRUCTURE)
For any further queries:
Email: finance@oakinternational.ac.ug
WhatsApp: +256750960295
Call: +256702202775
Happy Holidays!
First Day Of School
Staff and students were eager to reunite after the long holiday and welcome new members to our community. Not only were students met with smiles and hugs when they arrived, but we challenged our students to get their brains “back in shape” with some physical and mental challenges. It was such a joy to have a school full of happy and energetic students ready to learn!
Coffee with Curriculum Coordinator
The focus of the Coffee with the Curriculum Coordinator this term was on ways to support student academic growth, especially with the growing influence of technology in all parts of our life. Our new Curriculum Coordinator, Zoe Greenberg, suggested some ways that parents could support their students in developing positive relationships with technology such as modelling healthy technology usage, thinking critically about how and when our children are using technology and setting healthy limits. After the presentation, we had a question and answer session with parents and our Head of School.
Groundbreaking Ceremony
Construction has officially begun on our new school. We welcomed parents, students, teachers, school board members, our friends from Acorn International, and other members of our community to a Groundbreaking Ceremony to celebrate the occasion. Parents and members of our community expressed gratitude for all the growth and good fortune we have seen so far, and optimism for this next big step. Those in attendance were among the people who have made up the foundation for our growth all these years, and now helped to lay the first bricks for the building that is to come.
Cambridge Checkpoint Examinations
World Teacher's Day
For World Teacher’s Day this year, we changed things up and asked our students to be teachers for an hour. Our older students lead their younger peers in maths, reading and other lessons that they prepared. Some found it a little more difficult than expected, but a lot of learning and smiles were shared by all. In addition to words of appreciation, treats and cards throughout the day, our teachers were served a special celebratory meal and, at the end of the day, were lead in a dance workout followed by cake instead of our normally held professional development.
CEM Assessments
This term marks the first administration of the CEM (Center for Evaluation & Monitoring) Exams at Oak International School. Students in Reception through Year 9 took an adaptive exam aimed to measure their maths, English and critical thinking skills. The exams, which were delivered on computers and required students to speak, listen, type and select correct answers, were delivered successfully and results were shared with parents interested in their children’s progress. Our staff analysed our students‘ results and have been working hard to implement supports and challenges to help all of our students grow based on these results. We are excited to see our student’s growth as we continue to administer the exams in upcoming terms.
Student Council Elections
This year’s student elections were full of spirited speeches and campaigns. We are proud of all of our students that ran for positions. After announcements of the big day, students met with our Student Council Advisor to register their interest in running for positions such as Head Prefect, House Patrons, Current Events Prefect, Timekeeping Prefect, Entertainment Prefect and Sanitation Prefect. Students were encouraged to campaign by talking to their classmates and then by delivering campaign speeches at our assembly the week of voting. On Election Day, our teachers explained the voting processes used in elections to students, highlighting key vocabulary words such as ballot, candidate, etc. After a careful count of the ballots, we swore in our new student school leaders. Since the election, they have been meeting weekly to devise plans to support the school and implement enrichment programs for their classmates.
Global Village
Although Global Village is a long-standing celebration of diversity and culture, this year marks the first year that Oak International School has hosted an expo-style version of our celebration. Each class worked diligently to learn about their own cultures and the cultures of the world. Many classes recorded a dance, song or other performance from a different country in preparation. The expo include presentations on food, art, literature, religions, language, traditions, crafts, and more. After a beautiful celebration with our community, exceptional presentations were awarded prizes for their hard work at our school assembly. Finally, the whole school celebrated with a sport played all over the world, football!
Evacuation Drill
In order to make sure we were ready for any kind of emergency, students and staff members discussed appropriate responses for different emergency situations. Staff members were trained by members of the Ugandan Police Force in preparation. On the day of the drill, all students and staff members practised evacuating our school site quickly and calmly, listening to directions and making sure everyone safely arrived at our designated meeting place (the new school site). We were able to evacuate the building in less than four minutes.
Early Childhood & Reception Trip to the Zoo
Much fun and learning was had by all on our school field trip to the zoo. Students were excited to see crocodiles, monkeys, snakes, elephants, cheetahs, peacocks and more. They were a little frightened by some animals like the cheetahs that that came close to visit and amused by the baboons, who became upset if they were not fed bananas. Students were entertained by beautiful bird songs, and park employees shared some fun facts about what the different animal ate and the sounds that they made. We even practised some phonics by identifying the first sounds of all the animal names.
Participation in Model UN Competitions
A group of our secondary students had the opportunity to join with other International Schools in Kampala in a few different Model UN Conferences. Since this was a relatively new experience for our students, there was a lot to learn. Students attended a practice session where they learned the rules and specialized language of Model UN. Back at school, they then researched the country that they were asked to represent and prepared referendums about issues affecting their country and the world in general. Finally, students attended a Model UN Conference where they presented their referendums and discussed major issues in the world today.
End of Term Swim Competition
Students celebrated a term of hard work in the pool by participating in a swim competition organized by our swimming team at the school. A lot of fun was had by participants in more traditional forms of swim competition such as freestyle, backstroke, and front stroke as well as some non-traditional swimming events such as picking up objects in water and floating in star formation. The whole school community enjoyed cheering on friends and students and spending the afternoon by the pool.
Cultural Art Competition
After exams had wrapped up, students were tasked with an exciting way to demonstrate their creative skills through an art competition exhibiting the culture that they were from. Each student was tasked with completing a portfolio of 4-5 pieces in different art mediums that demonstrated aspects of their culture, such as food, flag, dance, religion, traditions, language, and lifestyle. On the day of the competition, students displayed their artwork to our panel of judges for a critique and were given a score based on their creativity, efforts, originality and the overall accuracy and appearance of the piece. We were proud to celebrate the hard work of our students and diversity of cultures that our school community brings together.
HOMEWORK
How to Access Homework
Homework Portal: Homework at OIS is always sent out every Friday. Year 4 to Year 9 students can access homework with a unique Access Code provided by their class teacher through our official homework portal which can be found at this link:
HOMEWORK PORTAL
TERM 2 IMPORTANT DATES
2nd-3rd January
Staff in service
4th January
First Day of Term II
16th-20th January
Science Week
20th January
CCC
26th January
Public Holiday-NRM Liberation Day
13th-17th February
Mid-Term Break
16th February
Public Holiday – Janani Luwum Day
20th-24th February
CEM Assessments
21st February
International Mother Tongue Day
24th February
International STAND UP to Bullying Day
2nd March
Evacuation Drill
3rd March
Talent Hunt
6th-10th March
Favourite Week
8th March
Public Holiday – International Women’s Day
20th March
Francophonie Day
13th-24th March
End of Term II Exams
27th-31st March
Art Week
3rd April
Student Led Conferences
5th April
Sports Day and Term II ends at Noon
Calendar Academic Year 2022-2023
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