MESSAGE FROM
HEAD OF PRIMARY,
ASHLEY ERIN ATKINSON
Welcome Home! Beaconhouse Newlands International School should make you and your kid feel completely at home because “home is where the heart is”! As the Primary Head, let me extend a hearty welcome to you into the world of holistic education. A safe and secure atmosphere that prioritises the personal, social, and emotional growth of your child.
We at Beaconhouse Newlands International School believe that each child is unique and has both strengths and weaknesses, just like every other individual. We believe that nurturing them from a young age will inspire them and give them the self-assurance they require to thrive academically and creatively. We believe that by supporting children’s learning through differentiation and various learning styles, we can help them grasp learning better. This will open up chances for them to participate actively in conversations, discussions, collaboration, and many other activities.Every initiative we develop, put into action, and execute has students as its primary goal. Students will learn how to ask good questions, critically analyse various obstacles, find connections to real-world situations, and take charge of their own learning through learning. Our teachers are kind, friendly, understanding and excellent in their field. We want to create a family-like atmosphere in the classroom, where everyone works together respectfully also with respect.
More than just education, we also believe in nurturing students to be active in performing arts, music, arts and sports. Children have the platform to express themselves and appreciate culture as they learn about being in touch with their emotions. Many students grow and are able to express themselves better after being exposed to these creative aspects. We also have amazing opportunities through co-curricular activities that run throughout the week! Our students are excited and always geared towards our co-curricular activities as they get to strengthen their skills and interests.
In my opinion, parents are crucial to their children’s education. To ensure that we uphold the same principles and practices at home and at school, we at Newlands actively encourage communication with parents. Working together as a team will promote cohesion and unity and motivate a child to learn and understand more. We stay in touch through a variety of channels, and thus far, this has worked out to be a really effective method of communication. I hope to interact with each and every one of you more this year at various gatherings and events and learn a little bit more about you.
I’ll end by saying that I’m incredibly proud to work at Beaconhouse Newlands and that I’m looking forward to what the future holds. Come by and talk to me or any other member of our team if you are considering joining us so you can discover the wonders of education!
MESSAGE FROM
HEAD OF SECONDARY,
JOHN ROYDON BARRAT
Dear Parents & Guardians, It is my great pleasure to be part of the dynamic team at Beaconhouse Newlands International School. There is nothing more rewarding than nurturing students’ creative abilities to help them grow into exceptional and community-contributing adults in their journey to success. I aspire to ensure that our students pursue a clear path to reach their life goals, accomplished through Beaconhouse’s enhanced holistic learning techniques which students find enjoyable and rewarding. Students that are happy to attend school are far more likely to succeed in studies and life. Therefore, creating an atmosphere conducive to achieving the highest possible learning outcomes with students happy to attend school is my primary aim.
Our teachers should inspire young people to feel creative and ignite their curiosity which will encourage life-long learning and people capable of facing the challenges of the new workforce in the 21 Century. The World Economic Forum reported that the top five job skills are: analytical thinking and innovation, active learning, complex problem-solving, critical thinking and analysis, creativity, originality and initiative; but many regional school systems worldwide are stranded in an educational model designed for 20th-century factory-mentality outcomes. The decisive advantage of working in international schools is that the same restrictions do not bind us, which allows us to target higher-order learning proficiencies. It is my primary focus and priority to assimilate these traits into our local teaching strategies.
By 2025, 50% of the workforce will need reskilling. People’s ability to continually adapt and learn new skills will make the difference between success and stagnation. Therefore, as an international school, we need to prepare our students to be internationally-minded and to continuously fuel them to go beyond pure academics in an ambitious vision for the future.
As an educator, I have 24 years of experience in schools globally, including Australia, the UK, the Middle East, Thailand, China, India, Kazakhstan, Vietnam, and Malaysia. I have experience with the Australian, UK, US and various regional education systems including Cambridge international, A-Levels, Edexcel, the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme, and Singapore curriculums.
Before university studies and teaching, I performed various life-enhancing roles in the automotive industry, the Australian Army, transportation and logistics. At a well-known Australian University, I achieved an Honours Degree in Science Education and taught Sciences and Mathematics for years and many other subjects. Over the years in leading schools and departments, I have upskilled with a Master of Education in Educational Leadership. Armed with the latest knowledge and skills in educational research means I can instruct teachers to put the latest academic research into practice.
I hope to meet all of you soon in our partnership of educating your children to become well-rounded, and empathetic adults capable of success in a challenging modern world ahead.
Kind regards,
John Roydon Barratt