The 2023 – 2024 academic year has been a very rewarding one for our Year 8 students. As of the month of February, a total of 15,000 Class Chart points have been accumulated, with a projection of reaching at least 28,000 points by the end of the year. This astounding result is a testament to the Integrity, Empathy and Fortitude exhibited by this diverse group of students. Whether it was setting academic targets, giving their best in EEE’s or contributing to the many Wildcats Sports Squads, it was always guaranteed that this group would give their all. Our bi – weekly assemblies and daily form group lessons provided the platform for our form teachers to guide our Year 8 students. Over the course of the weeks we studied many important topics, such as, the do’s and do not’s of online behavior, the steps to take to form healthy friendships, the non – negotiables needed to take care of our own wellbeing and the importance of integrity in our daily behavior. Some highlights during this academic year include our participation in the ‘8billionideas’ workshops, Sports Day, our day out at Ski Dubai and our Student Led Conferences. It is especially during these conferences that we had the opportunity to cherish the diverse nature of this student cohort and to see how they celebrated their strengths but also reflected on how to improve in certain areas of their school life. We were all particularly impressed with the student led initiatives that were implemented by our resilient Form Representatives. One of them was the ‘Study Buddy’, where students supported each other in certain subjects during weekly workshops. It is thanks to this ‘esprit de corps’ that our student representatives will be remembered as a resilient, creative and caring group of students. Every student in Year 8 had the opportunity to grow academically and emotionally. I sincerely hope that the values we have tried to instill remain a part of the fabric of their every day actions. It is also thanks to the unwavering support of our parents and guardians that we are an outstanding school. I am very appreciative of the many conversations I have had in person or on the phone. We have managed to reach some important milestones with your children and I am certain that it is this open channel of communication that helped to make Year 8 a positive year for all. I leave you with a quote that I hope all our students will live by; “Success is not final and failure is not fatal, it is the courage to continue that counts”. I hope that this courage stays with all of our students as they move on to Year 9 next year.
Year 8
Colin Scicluna Head of Year 8
GEMS WELLINGTON INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL
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