Welcome Parents and Caregivers,
In England, as topsy-turvy as the weather typically is, March is generally seen as the month when spring begins to poke its head through the clouds. Here too I think it is fair to say that we are all wondering if the rainy season is leaving and the sun will take up more permanent residence for the upcoming months. It may have been rainy and windy of late, but school life is as busy as ever at school, whether indoors or outdoors.
Let’s take a closer look at what’s been happening…
Shining a Light on Character
On Monday last week, we held our inaugural Recognition Awards. Every two weeks, we will recognise and celebrate students who have strongly demonstrated the characteristics of the Cambridge learner attributes – confident, responsible, innovative, engaged, and reflective. Students are nominated by their teachers for the ways they are approaching their learning, supporting others, and contributing positively to the classroom and wider school community.
These moments of recognition are important. While academic achievement will always be valued, it is equally important to acknowledge the attitudes and behaviours that help students grow into thoughtful, capable young people. By celebrating these qualities regularly, we reinforce that learning is not only about results, but about curiosity, resilience, collaboration, and reflection.
The Recognition Awards also help create a culture where effort, integrity, and positive contribution are visible and appreciated. We look forward to continuing this tradition and celebrating the many ways our students demonstrate these attributes in their everyday school life. I encourage you to celebrate these achievements at home as well, taking a moment to acknowledge the effort, character, and positive choices that these awards represent.
We are proud to announce this week’s awardees:
Confident: Kiana (Y6) and Syal (Y10)
For showing courage in learning and the willingness to try challenging tasks, and step outside their comfort zone.
Responsible: Evan (Y1) and Asha (Y11)
For demonstrating integrity, ownership, and reliability in their learning.
Innovative: Abdian (Y5) and Maya (Y9)
For demonstrating curiosity, creativity, and original thinking.
Engaged: Finley (Y4) and Logan (Y8)
For participating actively and showing sustained commitment to learning.
Reflective: Ashraf (Y3), Nikita (Y2), and Rahmah (Y12)
For thinking deeply about their learning and using feedback to improve.
Let’s applaud all our awardees!
Buddy Time
Following the Recognition awards ceremony on Monday morning, students headed off to classrooms for more Buddy time. These friendship-building sessions are now well past the awkward early stages, and it is wonderful to see genuine relationships beginning to form. These bonds create the conditions for meaningful learning between older and younger students, where guidance, encouragement, and shared experiences naturally take place. In these moments we see many of the Cambridge learner attributes in action – older students showing responsibility and confidence as role models, while younger students become more engaged and confident through conversation, play, and collaboration. Together, they are building a community where learning extends beyond the classroom and relationships help everyone grow.
Conferences
Next week we begin our round of parent conferences, starting with the Early Years. These will be followed the following week by conferences for both Primary and Secondary students.
The Early Years conferences are student-led, giving our youngest learners the opportunity to share their work, talk about their learning, and reflect on their progress alongside their teachers and parents. In Primary and Secondary, the conferences are teacher-led, allowing teachers to discuss students’ learning, development, and next steps in greater detail with families.
Letters with further information were sent home last week, and we very much hope to see many parents attending. These meetings are an important opportunity to strengthen the partnership between school and home in supporting each student’s learning journey.
TKA Exams
Next week, some of our Indonesian students will be taking the Tes Kemampuan Akademik (TKA), a national assessment used to measure academic understanding in selected subjects. These tests provide an opportunity for students to demonstrate the knowledge and skills they have developed in areas such as literacy, numeracy, and other core learning domains.
We wish all students taking the TKA the very best. Their hard work, perseverance, and positive approach to learning are what truly matter, and we are proud of the effort they continue to show in their studies.
From 2–9 March 2026, our school celebrated Maths Week, a series of activities designed to help students experience mathematics in fun, engaging, and meaningful ways. The aim was to encourage curiosity and confidence in mathematics while showing how mathematical thinking can be applied to real-life situations.
Throughout the week, students had the opportunity to visit self-guided challenge stations during break time. Activities included the Marble in a Jar Challenge, where students estimated quantities, counted marbles, and solved probability-based questions. Another popular activity was the Tangram Challenge, which encouraged students to recreate shapes using geometric pieces, developing spatial awareness, logical thinking, and creativity.
The week concluded with a lively Math Art and Math Olympics Day. Students explored the beauty of mathematics through creative activities such as making Pi Bracelets and Pi Pockets, using colours and patterns to represent the digits of π. Later, mixed teams of Primary and Secondary students competed in the Math Olympics, tackling a range of questions across several rounds that tested their mathematical knowledge, speed of thinking, teamwork, and strategy.
To end the celebrations, students took part in a Flashmob Pattern Activity, forming geometric shapes such as triangles and symmetrical butterfly patterns through coordinated movement and collaboration.
Maths Week was a wonderful reminder that mathematics is not just about numbers and formulas, but about thinking creatively, solving problems, and working together. It was fantastic to see so many students enthusiastically engaging with the challenges and discovering new ways to enjoy mathematics.
In case you missed it, there have been news reports recently that the Indonesian government plans to ban social media for under 16 year olds. There is a precedent for this in Australia, and several other countries are currently weighing up similar measures as concerns grow around the impact of social media on young people’s wellbeing, attention, and development.
As with many issues involving technology and young people, there are different perspectives to consider. A growing body of research links heavy social media use with increased anxiety, sleep disruption, reduced attention, and unhealthy comparison among adolescents, which is why some policymakers argue that delaying access may help protect younger users during important stages of development.
At the same time, other research highlights that online platforms can support creativity, collaboration, and social connection, particularly for students who may otherwise feel isolated or who use digital spaces to explore interests and communities. Studies also suggest that the quality of use — how young people engage online, the guidance they receive, and the boundaries in place — may matter as much as the amount of time spent on social media.
For many educators and child development experts, the most sensible position may lie somewhere in the middle: thoughtful regulation combined with strong digital literacy education, parental guidance, and open conversations about healthy technology use.
Whatever the outcome of these discussions, the debate highlights something important for schools and families alike. Supporting students to develop healthy digital habits, critical thinking, and balanced relationships with technology is becoming an essential part of modern education and child-rearing.
At school we continue to emphasise responsible and reflective use of technology, helping students understand not only how to use digital tools, but when and why to use them wisely.
For parents interested in learning more about the discussion around teenagers and social media, the following articles provide useful context and research-based perspectives.
About the proposed policy in Indonesia
Research and guidance on teens and social media
Much of the evidence suggests that how young people use technology — and the guidance they receive from adults — is just as important as how much they use it.
Friday saw the Ramadhan charity event take place. At midday on a hot Lombok afternoon, students set up their bazaars to raise money for charity. There were many games and prizes, as well as sales of student-made items such as beautiful bookmarks, and activities like face-painting. Students were innovative in their creativity and initiative as they designed stalls, created products, organised games, and thought about how to engage visitors – all while keeping the spirit of charity at the centre of their efforts.
The afternoon was begun with recital competitions with students recalling specific religious passages. Later in the afternoon, a particularly delightful highlight was the student fashion walk, where our younger learners proudly showcased their outfits with confidence and charm. This was followed by lively performances that brought energy and smiles to the audience. The raffle at the end gifted prizes to many excited teachers, students, and parents.
Special mention must go to our enthusiastic Year 2 MCs, Sam and Dafina, who guided the programme with impressive confidence and warmth. They were wonderfully supported by the ever-exuberant Pak Yayat, whose lively hosting and enthusiasm helped keep the crowd engaged throughout the event and pushed my eardrums to the limit!
Events like this are never possible without the dedication of many people behind the scenes. We extend our sincere thanks to the homeroom teachers for guiding students in the creation of their stalls in the bazaar and to Ibu Neni and her team for their thoughtful organisation and hard work in bringing the entire event together. We are also deeply grateful to our parents, whose support, participation, and encouragement helped make the afternoon such a success. And last but not least the support staff, who are there from the beginning and long after everyone has left.
Together, the event captured the spirit of Ramadhan – generosity and community – while giving our students the opportunity to put their ideas into action for a good cause.
