Mr. James’ Weekly Reflection – 28th August

Dear Nadeen family, 

What a fantastic start to the year it has been! It was such a pleasure to welcome both new and returning learners and families through our doors during Orientation Day and again for Monday’s stunning first day of school. The energy, excitement, and sense of community were truly special. Thank you to the more than 250 families who attended Orientation Day. Your presence made the day a memorable one, and we would love to hear your thoughts so please take a few minutes to complete our Orientation Day Feedback Survey so that we can continue to make these events even better.  Please access the survey here.

One of the highlights of the day was welcoming His Excellency, the Ambassador of China, Mr. Ni Ruchi, to Nadeen. His presence marked a significant milestone for us as we launched Mandarin in Year 7 as part of our growing Languages Department. We are proud to be working with the Confucius Institute to deliver this, and with the arrival of Mr. Chaouki, we are excited about the development of our languages provision in the years ahead.

Arabic has also evolved into a dual pathway, tailored both for native and non-native speakers, ensuring that every learner can engage meaningfully with this important part of our curriculum. These developments embody our Values, Attitudes, and Attributes, particularly confidence, open-mindedness, and collaboration, as our learners step into new challenges and embrace different cultures and languages.

As I walked the corridors this week, I was struck by the happy and purposeful learning taking place. Year 5 invited me to see their creative bridge-building project where they were using marshmallows as cement! Watching their collaboration, imagination, and big picture thinking was a joy and a powerful reminder of the attributes of creativity, resilience, and agile thinking in action. Elsewhere, learners were reflecting on their personal goals for the year, showing a sense of ownership, perseverance, and ambition that connects beautifully with our whole-school purpose.

These moments reminded me of our recent inset days, where our staff demonstrated great motivation and focus as they reflected on our purpose, designed engaging learning opportunities and our iGCSE’s at the end of this year, marking this year as the first time iGCSEs have been taken at Nadeen. This alignment between staff goals and learner goals strengthens the Nadeen spirit of concern for society, confidence, and perseverance.

Finally, thank you to all the families who joined us for our Meet the Teacher evenings this week. Building strong partnerships between home and school is at the heart of Nadeen, and together we are setting the stage for a year filled with curiosity, creativity, and achievement as we continue to Wonder, Observe, Learn, and Flourish (WOLF).

Wishing you all a restful weekend and a joyful year ahead.

#MoreThanASchool #GrowTogetherThriveAsOne

Warm regards,

James Batts

Principal, Nadeen School