Day BASKETBALL CAMP THIS ISSUE

6th September, 2014

Issue No. 13- 1 2014– 2015

Term 1 Week 1

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IN THIS BULLETIN THIS ISSUE Page 2 – Message from Headteacher; Art Competition 27th September, 2019 Page 3 – Message Executive Headteacher; Music Notices; Page 4 – Junior School Issue 18 – 2 Page 5 – Sixth Form ; Hillcrest Hikers Page 6 – Inspiration from Learning Support Term 1 Page 7 – Boys’ Sports; Calendar Page 8 – Football Poster Page 9 – Girls’ Sports Week 4

Mr. John Eveson Headteacher 0786 888 890 [email protected] Mrs. Razwana Kimutai Deputy Headteacher 0710 540 079 [email protected] Ms. Tiffaney Algar Deputy Headteacher 0717 041 506 [email protected] Mr. Maurice Otieno Head of Senior School 0722 740 795 [email protected] Ms. Jane Akelola Head of Middle School 0733 714 579 [email protected] Mrs. Kira Channa Head of Junior School 0723 688 666 [email protected]

MESSAGE FROM THE HEADTEACHER Joining two schools into one is no small challenge. On Friday 13th September our Year 9 students departed for a successful bonding trip together with their Head of Year, Mrs Kira Channa and their form teachers. Last Friday 20th September the Year 10 students also departed for their bonding weekend. They all apparently “had a blast”, enjoyed each other’s company and established friendships which will last long after they leave Hillcrest. My thanks go to all the staff who gave up their weekends to make lasting memories and begin the process of building one school so well.

A major new staffing appointment is that of Mr Kodeck Mose as the new Deputy Head (curriculum) for the school. He has already begun to review our curriculum, both academic and extra-curricular, to ensure that it remains relevant to the needs of the 21st century. Mr Mose has extensive experience of working with Pearson the awarding authority for BTECs, so we are already expanding our range with the addition of the full Diploma in Hospitality, which is the equivalent of 2 A levels. He will also be looking for ways to expand the opportunities using the GEMS links with other schools, establishing links with universities and scholarship opportunities. As ever we are looking forward to creating an even better Hillcrest and the opportunities we can offer.

The sporting and extra-curricular events programmes are also driving forward. Both EA and MS MUN training programmes, under the expert guidance of Mr Erick Huma, have started as well as the new season of President’s Award, under the experienced guidance of Mr Muteshi.

This weekend the Year 12 Biology trip departs for the coast, whilst at Hillcrest on Saturday, we have a full programme of sports with the U15 Basketball tournament and U15 and U17 Boys’ Football tournaments. Meanwhile, our girls are at Brookhouse in their U17 Basketball tournament, whilst there are meetings at ISK for athletics and volleyball. Our tennis teams too began the season well on Friday.

Let me also offer an advance invitation is for the Year 11 Information Evening to be held at Hillcrest at on Tuesday 8th October. This will be an opportunity to investigate the Sixth Form options here, but also possible choices if you are planning to study elsewhere. Subject teachers will be on hand to discuss individual options, whilst our Careers Team will also be available to guide the process of subject choices related to career paths.

You will have noticed the format of this Bulletin has changed, I hope it is even more useful and effective. Do contact us with feedback on this especially. I wish you all a most enjoyable weekend.

John Eveson Headteacher [email protected]

ART COMPETITION This year the theme of the Kenya Orchid show will be:- “Vintage Collection Orchids” The aim is to encourage students of all ages to learn more about Orchids, and show off their own artistic talent. This competition is open to schools in Nairobi and the environs, in the groups applicable to us; 11 – 13 years; 14 – 16 years;and 17 – 19 years. For each age group there will be first, second and third prizes for the individual winners, as well as prizes for the school with the most winning entries. Submission of entries is Wednesday 9th October, 2019. Hillcrest has won this competition many times. I hope there will be lots of entries this year.

Stephanie Hooper Head of Art [email protected]

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PANTIES WITH A PURPOSE

‘Panties With A Purpose’ is an informal initiative spearheaded by Aaliyah Webber to create awareness of the plight of underprivileged girls in Kenya, who miss up to forty days of school a year because they lack access to menstrual products. The campaign aims also to provide girls with menstrual health hygiene education, underpants and menstrual products. So far over 10,000 girls have been helped with over 40,000 pairs of underpants and menstrual products in over 100 locations across Kenya. With your help, on International Day of the Girl Child on 5thOctober, it wishes to support 2000 girls in Busia. Please donate any amount you can, large or small. This money will entirely be used to buy menstrual products at a wholesale price and nothing will be deducted for any admin or transport costs.

Donations in kind (new, cotton underpants in any size) are welcome. Please help turn Hillcrest into a 'period friendly school.'

Scott Webber Executive Headmaster [email protected]

MUSIC NOTICES

Orchestra and choir rehearsals have begun! Our orchestra will be run on Mondays after school by the outstanding trumpeter Mr Mukundi, currently training at the Kenya Conservatoire of Music. The choir will be run on Wednesday after school by our new music teacher Mr Oni Abayomi, who brings with him over a decade of experience running choirs at his previous schools.

Both activities will be a great benefit to our students with an interest in music. Please note students must already be learning their instrument to join the orchestra, but all are welcome at the choir. Both ensembles will be rehearsing material to be performed regularly throughout the year, with our first major event scheduled at the winter concert at the end of this term.

Scott Hughes Head of Music [email protected]

MARKETING NEWS

As part of our endeavour to streamline all our forms and to ease the process for parents, of completing them, we have recently subscribed to an online and mobile-friendly interface, ‘OpenApply’ which provides a seamless experience for parents. You will shortly receive (Year 9 have already received) an invitation to login. Please use the email that Hillcrest has on record for you, and create your own password. Any forms that need to be completed will be listed in your checklist. When new forms are added, you will be notified.

Christina Lacey Marketing Department [email protected]

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JUNIOR SCHOOL Week four is nearly finished and I can safely say that the Year 9 students are all settling in quite well so far. The Year 9 students all managed to give me some written feedback on their Transition process. The bonding trip was a good experience to bring everyone together and there has been a happy dynamic between the students in their classes so far. All the Year 9 students have now had their timetables on ISAMS finalised and the only gaps should be Friday afternoon ECA and any student who selected Learning Support.

With regard to the teaching and learning, in Year 9, the subjects that are set, taught according to ability, are Mathematics, French, Spanish and Swahili. For the Mathematics, if your child sat a CE paper, the Maths set your son or daughter is in has been made according to that performance. If your child did not sit a CE paper, then we look at the End of Year 8 examinations to guide us. There will be a setting test for all Year 9 students held in Week 6 which will now allow the Head of Faculty; Mrs Njiru to put your child in the correct set for the year. For the French, Spanish and Swahili sets, all the students who had selected French as one of their languages sat a language setting test in week one and these sets have been done on ISAMS. We have three sets for French, two for Spanish and four for Swahili.

All the tutors have held nominations within their form groups for Student Parliament representatives and these are the following candidates that were selected; Manahil Sulaiman (9SHU), Shiru Maina (9AOD), Abigail Tora (9KBR), Suhani Kotecha (9KBI), Suhana Varsani (9HBE) and Melissa Kaunda (9STB). Big congratulations to these six students and I hope to meet them very soon to discuss some interesting matters that they may then feedback to their colleagues during their form time.

All the Year 9 students should be now receiving the dates for their half term assessments. These are known as End of Topic assessments and will be the basis for the half term grades. Of course, homework assignments and class work assessments will also be considered. For the Science subjects, all the students are advised to do some active Q and A as part of their revision to actually see if they are able to apply the knowledge learnt. A wonderful online resource they can use to access topic based multiple choice questions is Save My Exams. For the structured questions, they can get some practice from the end of chapter questions from their text books.

With regards to homework, a lot of the students in my Biology and Chemistry classes have agreed that the simple analogy of 'do it when you get it' is working for them. Of course, all the students in Year 9 will get a homework diary as soon as we receive them to help them keep track of the due dates and the types of assignments they are receiving. I have told most Year 9 students that they are welcome to come and spend 15 minutes during lunchtimes in my Chemistry lab (C2) to start or finish any homework especially if they have after school activities (be it Music or Sports or other pursuits) or live quite far away from the school and spend a lot of time in the 'lovely' Nairobi traffic.

I am so proud of the sporting achievements so far in Year 9. The U14 girls Rounders team played their first tournament last weekend at Peponi Secondary and came second, my thanks and congratulations to the entire team for not only turning up for the training, but for being so positive about the whole experience. The U14 boys drew and lost in their Football matches but have this weekend's tournament to look forward to. We have a number of the Year 9 students involved in the early morning and after school Swimming training; well done for going for these training sessions.

Please remember, that my door and inbox are always open for any feedback about Year 9 students be it positive or negative. I look forward to meeting you all tomorrow during the Meet the Parent event.

Have a lovely warm weekend

Kira Channa Head of Junior School [email protected]

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SIXTH FORM Well done to the Year 12 Team of Interact Club for the splendid job they did in helping out with the Nairobi Hospice walk last weekend. We are having a lot of visits from universities from different destinations including the UK, Canada, Switzerland, Australia and USA coming in to make their case, for our students to consider joining them. I am sure the Year 12 students are finding these useful as they narrow down on their career path and university choices. For the Year 13 students a decision on the top five university choices for those heading to the UK should be made easier and manageable. For those students not going to the UK, a firm decision on what degree course and in which country should be much easier now. Parents and guardians please keep the discussion going on at home to help your son or daughter narrow down on their destinations and courses. You can also make an appointment to see the Careers team of Mr. Kisia, Ms. Troy and me if you need further discussion; especially for the Year 13 students who need to firm their decisions soon.

Year 13 students should be working on their UCAS applications, especially their personal statements. Note that UCAS is compulsory, especially the personal statement, even if a student is planning to have a year out, before heading to university. I must thank those Seniors who have been active in their sports fixtures.

All senior students should by now have a locker. This must be kept padlocked at all times to secure their personal belongings. The spare key should be kept with the Form Tutor, a trusted friend or Head of Year. To the students taking October/November examinations, October is here with us very soon and we wish you the very best and be on top of your revision.

Have a good weekend.

Maurice Otieno Head of Sixth Form [email protected]

HILLCREST HIKERS 2019-2020 All these walks depart at 6.30 am from the Preparatory school. 5th October – Iluvya (Easy/Moderate) 3-4 hours. Starts in Machakos town, uphill for approx. 20/30 mins, level, then last 50 mins is varied, down and level some rocky sections. Lovely farmland and views of Machakos! 30th November – Mt Elementaita (moderate) 6-7 hours. This is a moderate hike with only two steep parts. Fitness enthusiasts and regular hikers will love this one. Wonderful views on Lake Elmentaita, including Sleeping Warrior. 1st February – Table Kimende Hill (Moderate-Difficult) 6-7 hours. The hike starts at the Mai Mahiu at the foot of the Rift Valley. We hike through scenic woodlands, at one point you go up steep gradient section of one of the hills and finally through the beautiful farmlands of Kimende. 7th March – Iveti forest (Moderate) 5-7 hours. The trail is rated moderate, therefore, great for both beginners and seasoned hikers. The home of mountain lovers invites you to this trail. 2nd May – Mutarakwa Hill (Difficult) 6-7 hours. This is one of the best hills that will expose you to the real hiking experience in Kenya. Spectacular nature trails through indigenous forests of Central Kenya Aberdares; unimpeded views of Aberdares summit, Mt. Kenya and the Great Rift Valley. 6th June – Castle Forest Hike in Kutus (moderate/difficult) 6-7hours. Walk through bamboo, forests, beautiful nature, see waterfalls, there is some need for scrambling and the ground can be slippery if wet!

What to Bring: a Ruck sack with waterproof jacket, walking poles (optional), a personal first aid kit with paracetamol, blister plasters, antiseptic wipes, sun cream, lip balm, sunglasses (optional), packed lunch, high energy snacks, 2 litres water, ID cards for entry if in park. Wear: shorts or suitable trousers, dress in layers so you can remove or add as the weather changes; a hat with a brim. Cost 2000/- paid at time of booking a place. Limited to 25 places. Children (12-17years) accompanied by an adult. Sign up the Tuesday (4pm) prior to the hike. Please note that bookings for the walk should be addressed to Flo - [email protected]

Jan Grimmer Hillcrest Hikers Organiser [email protected] 5

INSPIRATION FROM LEARNING SUPPORT

THE PICCOLO FEELING

Piccolo is an Italian word meaning small or petit. It is a small transverse flute of conical or cylindrical bore, fitted with Boehman- system key work and pitched an octave higher than a flute. Interestingly, piccolos, though small, are a must have instrument in concert band.

A story is told about Sir Michael Costa an outstanding orchestral conductor of the 19th Century. On one occasion, he was conducting an orchestra rehearsal in which a great orchestra with hundreds of instruments was accompanied by a mass choir. The massive choir sang in full voice, the hundreds of instruments in full blast and a thundering organ. At some point, the one who played the piccolo thought the piccolo was insignificant and decided to stop playing. Unknown to the player was the fact that Sir Michael Costa was keenly listening to every instrument, including the piccolo. Surprisingly but suddenly, Sir Michael halted the entire orchestra and choir. ‘’Stop! Stop! Where is the piccolo? What has happened to the piccolo?’’

Have you ever felt like a piccolo, Insignificant, not having much to offer?

Wendy Akinyi Learning Support [email protected]

U15 GIRLS BASKETBALL TOURNAMENT U15 AND U17 BOYS FOOTBALL TOURNAMENTS

We will be hosting these tournaments at Hillcrest School on Saturday 28th September 2019 starting at 9.00am. Please come and support the students. There will be cakes, waffles and slushies on sale by Interact Club to raise funds towards supporting various organizations as part of our Corporate Social Responsibility.

We are looking forward to a fun filled day where talents will be on display from students across the international school community. These tournaments have proven to be very popular and well attended. Missing out on the action is like missing out on a Rugby World Cup Final, FIFA World Cup Final or IAAF Diamond League Final. Come and see what our students are capable of doing, when they are left to be in their element.

Dorcie Agundah- Oyaro Patron of Interact Club [email protected]

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ROSSLYN U19 BOYS FOOTBALL TOURNAMENT I would like to take this opportunity to appreciate all the students who participated in the annual Rosslyn Academy Boys’ Football Tournament. Although this team did not perform well during the Rift Valley Academy (RVA) tournament, they put it behind them and decided to show the usual Hillcrest character. Hillcrest finished the pool stage matches with 7 points, scoring 3 goals and conceding 2. The following is a summary of the team’s performance; OPPONENT RESULT GOAL SCORERS PREMIER ACADEMY 2-0 (WIN) IRAGI 2 GERMAN SCHOOL 0-2 (LOSS) NAIROBI ACADEMY 0-0 (DRAW) RIFT VALLEY ACADEMY (RVA) 1-0 (WIN) IAN ADERA BRAEBURN GITANGA ROAD (BGR) (QUARTERS) 0-0 (WON 1-0 ON PENALTIES) IAN ADERA ISK (SEMI FINALS) 0-2 (LOSS)

We have always made it to the knock out stages of this tournament and the team did their best to maintain this performance despite teams like Brookhouse School not making it past the pool stage. During the quarter final match against BGR, Walter Okello scored during normal play but his goal was disallowed for an alleged infringement. Ian Adera was the only one who managed to score during the penalty shootouts that took Hillcrest to the Semi-finals.

In the Semi-finals, Hillcrest almost had the lead when Ivan Njuguna skilled the ISK goal keeper who took him down in the penalty area for a penalty kick but unfortunately, he couldn’t convert the chance which quickly turned things around in ISK’s favour. My appreciation goes to all the students who participated in this event and I would like to encourage them to continue with the same momentum.

HILLCREST SCHOOL U15/U17 BOYS’ FOOTBALL TOURNAMENTS 2019 It is my pleasure to invite you to this year’s edition of Hillcrest Boys’ Football Tournaments that will be taking place this Saturday 28th September 2019. You are all invited to come and support the Hillcrest teams. Thank you so much for your support.

Joseph Otieno Head of Boys’ Games [email protected]

IMPORTANT EVENTS AND SPORTS FIXTURES

Monday 30th September U19 Boys Football v Strathmore (A) U19 Girls Rounders v Braeside (A) Tuesday 1st October Year 12 Biology Field Trip to Coast Returns U15 Boys Cricket v Peponi (H) U15 Girls Rounders v Peponi (H) U19 Girls Basketball v Rusinga (H) CIS Universities visit at Brookhouse 9am – 12pm Wednesday 2nd October Inter House Debate – School Hall – 1.45 pm Thor v Zeus Thursday 3rd October Inter House Cross Country lessons 3 and 4 Friday 4th October Rosslyn Cross Country Meet EAMUN Training 5-6pm Saturday 5th October Hillcrest U19 Netball Tournament U15 Boys Football Tournament at Braeburn Imani Hillcrest Community Walk - Iluvya Nairobi Age Group Swimming Championships (Level 2) Sunday 6th October Nairobi Age Group Swimming Championships (Level 2)

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ONE FORMER HILLCREST STUDENT IS PART OF THIS SQUAD

TENNIS On Saturdays 14th September and 21st September 2019, Hillcrest Tennis team led by the indefatigable Captain Dev Shah attended the annual tennis tournaments at Rift Valley Academy and Rosslyn Academy respectively. At RVA, Hillcrest was represented by Dev Shah playing 1st Singles, Victoria Minns and Chelsea Matu playing First Doubles, and Catherine Matu and Isabella Riley playing second Doubles. All the teams played very well in their opening matches, winning some and losing some games, but overall coming out on top. The second doubles team were unfortunately bundled out of the tournament in their third game after losing to RVA. The first doubles team had a good run and sailed through to the semi-final where they lost to Peponi School. Dev Shah had two walk overs before sailing through to the Finals against RVA. This was a hard fought match and the altitude and heat were not doing any justice to the match either. After 1 hour of play the match ended after an 8 game pro set where Dev lost 6-8. Being our season opener it was a good lesson to take us through the rest of the term. The next weekend Dev Shah and Shay Haria represented Hillcrest School at the Annual Rosslyn Academy Doubles Tennis Tournament. After losing their first match against ISK, they then went on to win the remaining 6 matches including the finals to be crowned the 2019 Rosslyn Academy Tennis Doubles Champions. Well done to the team and our hearty congratulations too. We are looking forward to a good run in the league this academic Year.

SPORTS The September 2019 term has begun and once again the sporting zeal and fever has checked in swiftly. The array of talent at Hillcrest has seen a boost with the inclusion of new students from Year 9 to Year 13. They have all gelled in very well and are picking upon on the sporting ethos embodied by the school and which has been our strong tradition since days of old. The busy sporting weekends have witnessed action in Tennis, Football, Basketball, Cricket and Rounders. Wow so much in such a short time, but Hillcrest students have given of their best in all these events and have shown fair play and grabbed every opportunity that has presented itself.

U14 GIRLS ROUNDERS The U14 Girls team are the latest addition to our good sporting performances chart. This team have just joined Hillcrest School from various Preparatory schools and it was heart warming to see them work so well as a team in a short time span. One would have been mistaken to think that they are an experienced team who have played together for the longest time possible. On Saturday 21st September 2019, a group of eleven Year 9 girls attended the annual U14 Girls Rounders Tournament at Peponi Secondary. There were nerves, anxiety and excitement all punched up in the team and it was good to see them overcome all opposition to come top of their pool. In the semi-final they edged out Peponi School with a whopping 8-5 win. In the much anticipated final match, the team played against Braeburn Gitanga Road. The match was tight and both teams played their hearts out. There were a few controversial calls from the referee, but still the team played on and rose above all the challenges. At the end of the match the scores were so close and yet a winner had to be declared. Hillcrest had lost to BGR by half a rounder on an 8 ½ to 9 score line. I would like to highly commend the girls for showing good discipline and braving all opposition. It has been a pleasure putting this team together and I look forward to more exciting times in the future. I would like to congratulate the following girls for a good performance and to encourage everyone else to make use of the myriad sporting opportunities available at Hillcrest; Talya Harel (Co Captain), Suhana Varsani, Neema Chekoko, Anamika Govani, Sianna Parikh, Diya Raichura, Princess Achieng, Carolina Fusillo (Co Captain), Kim Amsalem-Klem, Liana Eising and Imani Cherutich.

Dorcie Agundah-Oyaro Head of Girls’ Games [email protected] 9