Dear Taibah Community,
As we conclude Term 1 of 2024, I extend my heartfelt gratitude to every member of the Taibah family, old and new. Together, we've navigated through the term with grace and resilience, and for that, we owe our gratitude to the Almighty for His protection and guidance.
To our new parents and students, welcome! We're thrilled to have you join our vibrant community, and we trust that your journey with us will be filled with growth, learning and memorable experiences. Our doors are always open, ready to address any concerns or queries you may have. At Taibah, we value open communication and constructive feedback, knowing that it's through collaboration that we can best support our students on their educational journey. Thank you for choosing Taibah!
Academically, our students have laid strong foundations for the year ahead. Their improvements in reading, handwriting and concentration are evident, reflecting their commitment to excellence. Our dedicated teachers have implemented innovative teaching methods and personalised support to ensure that every student reaches their full potential. Mid-term and end-of-term results are promising, indicating that many students are on track to achieve their potential grades by the year-end.
Celebrating our students' achievements, the results of the Year Six Checkpoint and P7 PLE examinations for 2023 were particularly noteworthy. We're proud to announce that our students excelled, with over 150 A*s and As in the Checkpoint exams, and an impressive 98% of PLE candidates achieving Division One or Two. Our top candidate scored 4 Aggregates! These results not only reflect academic prowess but also underscore the holistic approach to education at Taibah, where students actively participate in sports, theatre productions and other enriching activities. All-round learners are generally happier children and will produce great results. Congratulations to all candidates and staff from both schools and congratulations to our philosophy and approach!
The term began with sports activities that culminated in the Sports Day on 2nd March 2024. Our children were exposed to a range of sports activities; many of them were able to participate in one activity or another. They played games such as badminton, football for both boys and girls, netball, basketball, cross-country running, swimming and many others. What you saw on Sports Day was only a climax of a sports season in which children actively involved themselves and learned a lot through their participation. We dedicate a sizable amount of time to sports because we believe that children learn lifelong skills and positive behavioural changes. We deliberately teach them how to manage winning and defeat. We teach them that winning comes from hard work, and that winning is not always everything but participation is crucial. We make sure that the focus is not only on the winning of points and trophies but also on the most important skills that can be learned. We do reviews regularly in class and on assemblies to make sure that the children themselves understand that this sports season is a major part of our teaching as Taibah International school. Congratulations to Rwenzori Red House, the eventual winners of the sports competition followed by Elgon Yellow in a close second. Both houses celebrated their wins at the end of the term! Moroto Green and Mufumbiro have promised a better fight next year!
Our annual Theatre Production also took place this term. Four schools came together for one production with an incredible cast of over 2000 children all in one show! This time we performed “Sarafina,” an adaptation of South Africa’s Mbogeni Ngema’s play, carefully spiced by music from Mamma Mia, a celebrated drama in the UK which featured the famous ABBA songs. The end result was a fantastic show, for the second time in a row, managed by Swangz Avenue and Buzz Events. It was another superb show where our children showcased a range of skills from drama to dancing and singing, fitting very well in our philosophy of producing an all-round child. Thank you very much for attending all the shows in such large numbers and supporting your children in various ways to enable them to perform their roles. Copies of the theatre recording will be available at the beginning of the term for those who might want to keep memories of the show. Many thanks to Swangz and Buzz events for their professional work!
In an effort to make our children more self-reliant and independent, we increased the range of chores children can do for themselves while at school. They have been involved in a lot more cleaning and organising of their classrooms and dining tables. They have been a little more involved in housework in the dormitories and have taken on more roles to increase their independence and self-reliance. We are very pleased to say that this has produced excellent results as children have become more responsible for their environment and are learning that they cannot depend on others all the time. We hope you can continue this at home so that together we bring up children who can look after themselves at least in basic ways.
Our Nursery school recently had a Colour Week aimed at developing our children's sense of colour in more practical ways. It was a fun week for both the teachers and the children and the learning of colours and the ‘senses’ will last permanently. This theme week was full of activities such as descriptive writing exercises, painting, colouring, colour sorting and identification as well as lots of games and singing. We would like to thank all parents for their support and congratulations to the teachers of the nursery school for providing wonderful experiences for the children.
The Cambridge school also had a Science Experiments Week where children showcased their growth in scientific thinking. Learners were able to demonstrate a range of experiments resulting from their research. It was fantastic to see children explaining scientific phenomena with such confidence and knowledge. We believe that this gave them a springboard for growing further in their science interests and hopefully becoming the scientists for which this continent is yearning. If you can support them in any way to continue their growth at home, please do. Opportunities like these can create interest that parents at home can help to grow further. This was an internal display, but hopefully, in the future, we will invite those who are able to come and listen to these wonderful explanations from the young scientists.
The Christian pupils were also involved in Easter presentations leading up to the Easter break, again in our efforts to produce an all-round child. With these presentations, we sought to give our children who subscribe to the Christian faith, a deeper understanding of the season so that they grow up knowing its importance and how it impacts their religious selves. But of course, as a school, we relish these opportunities because we know that they are wonderful opportunities for growing confidence, critical thinking and communication. This provided further opportunities for drama, singing, dancing, and presenting poems and speeches.
The Cambridge school also had a Non-Uniform day which is a day we use to grow the spirit of charity in the learners. In exchange for the privilege of wearing casual clothes on a normally uniform day, learners are expected to donate a small amount of their pocket money, which is usually 2 tinus, an equivalent of just about 500 shillings, for charity. A project is identified ahead of time and the small amounts of money collected are used to help those who are in need. This time the proceeds of the day will go to Chrystal Children's Centre Nazziba Sseguku. We try to create an understanding in our children, what we call the natural law: 'Those who have should be happy to help those who do not have!' There is absolutely no requirement for children to bring stuff from home. We encourage them to spend only that which has been given to them for personal use. That is why we insist that their contributions should come from their pocket money and only if they are willing to donate.
There are still a few vacancies left for some classes in the Cambridge school. If you know anyone who would like to use this opportunity, please inform them.
Next term begins on the 21st of May 2024 for boarders and the 22nd of May 2024 for Day scholars. It is important to report on Day One because, in this school, lessons begin straight away. Since our school provision is wide, we try to maximise all the time we have by starting on the first day. For those in the boarding school, you know that beds are given out on a first-come, first-served basis!
We encourage children to help out at home by doing housework. They should provide at least 15 hours of voluntary work in their communities during this holiday. Take them to your place of work if possible so they can see how important it is to work. We believe this will make them more responsible and kinder to you when it comes to their money needs.
We have external trips planned for this year, and the second term is a good time to start the plans. At the end of the year, children will get the opportunity to travel to many exciting places. Communication will come through at the beginning of the term.
Thank you once again for supporting your school. We will make efforts to give our children the best that we can and help them become the best they can be! Have a wonderful holiday with your children. Use the time to teach them what schools can't. Do not leave the responsibility of bringing your children up solely to the school.
We look forward to seeing you on the 21st and 22nd of May for boarders and day scholars, respectively.
Yours,
Judith Musisi
Headteacher
