Dear Parents, Teachers and Staff,
Last week we received a suggestion from the Surabaya Student Organisation (Orpes) that one way in which we could help celebrate Indonesian Independence Day would be by collecting donations of basic foodstuffs such as rice, oil and noodles. These will be delivered to “Peduli Surabaya” for distribution amongst families that have been seriously impacted by Covid. Within 24 hours of the notice going out drop offs were being made in bulk. We literally received truckloads of food-please see the photos. This bears testimony to the generosity and humanity of our community which is something the community should feel very proud of.
As we prepare for Independence Day it is nice to focus on a wonderful attribute of Indonesia which is the willingness to be charitable. Indonesia is currently ranked number one in the world, on the World Giving Index, that is compiled by the Charities Aid Foundation. The index noted that this year, despite the negative economic impact of the pandemic, Indonesians had become increasingly charitable.
It is nice to celebrate Independence Day in a manner that supports our community and our vision. The school will not be open for its normal programme on Tuesday 17th August. We will instead hold a virtual flag ceremony beginning at 7.30 am. Following this, students (and families) will be able to access a YouTube presentation of 17 performances compiled by students and teachers in the school.
Finally, thank you to everyone across the continuum who has been involved with the parent feedback sessions. These have been very positive and productive. Having a strong relationship and understanding between the school and home centred around teaching and learning is a critical platform to teaching and learning. It is wonderful to see such strong links in our learning community.
Have a great week!
Martin Blackburn
Executive Principal
