Dear Parents, Teachers and Staff,

It is an inevitable part of life that we make mistakes, and this is all too true in a school environment. People can make the wrong decision or do the wrong thing for a number of reasons, and this can cause hurt and upset with others. In a healthy and supportive community it is important to acknowledge that we all make mistakes or poor decisions. It is also important that we teachers and other adults are honest enough to admit that in our own lives we have made bad decisions and that those decisions form part of the person we are today.

When we are supporting students through this situation, we focus on giving that person the opportunity to reflect upon their behaviour and identifying what they could have done and what they will try and do if a similar situation arises in the future. It is important that mistakes are acknowledged and owned. If we are going to get growth however, it is important that students learn from their mistakes and have strategies and support to help them make better future choices.

In Sekolah Ciputra we have very high expectations for the standard of behaviour of our students. This is supported by a school wide focus on good manners, which are actively identified and taught as well as the SEAL programme which focuses on the social and emotional aspect of learning.  We do not want to produce students who obey blindly out of fear but rather students who develop the capacity to think, reflect and make decisions based upon positive shared values. This attribute combined with high educational standards help us to produce graduates who are well rounded international citizens capable of contributing positively to society.  In the past week it has been a pleasure to witness the growth of students and the obvious impact of our focus upon manners and personal accountability.   This gives us all great confidence for the future.

Following on from Grade 6 last week, Grade 3 have their MAP assessments this week. This is a bit of a rite of passage for the Grade 3’s as for many it is their first experience of a formal examination situation and thus it can be quite intimidating. Please note however that the purpose of MAP is diagnostic. We use the results as quality assurance for our own programmes as well as to identify the strengths and areas for growth in our students. This is then used to better design and individualise programmes. 

Lastly, good luck to the DBL basketball and cheerleading teams this week.  We know you will do us proud! 

 

Have a great week.

Martin Blackburn

Executive Principal