Mr Leon Bareham Headteacher 0733 800 155 [email protected] Ms. Lucy Darwin Deputy Headteacher Pastoral 0734 700605 [email protected] Mr. Peter Wairi Deputy Headteacher Admin [email protected]
Mr. Duncan Gowen Deputy Headteacher Academic [email protected] Mr. Chris Starling Deputy Headteacher Co- Curricular
School Contacts 020 8067783/4, 020 2662137/8, 0724 255444
Hillcrest students at President’s Award Hiking/Camping weekend
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IN THIS BULLETIN THIS ISSUE Page 2 – Head Teacher’s message; Alumni 2nd March, 2018 Page 3 – Board of Governors’ message; Deputy Head
Page 5 – Inspiration from the Hexagon Issue 16 – 20 Page 7 – Junior School; Middle School
Pages 8 and 9 – President’s Award Expedition Term 2 Page 10 - EAMUN
Page 11 – Sixth Form; Music News Week 8 Pages 12 and 13 – Girls’ Hockey; Swimming Page 14 – Boys’ Hockey; Events
U15 Boys’ Hockey team who won the Peponi Tournament last weekend Mr. John Eveson Head Teacher 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]
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MESSAGE FROM THE HEAD TEACHER Congratulations must go to our U15 boys who won the Hockey Tournament last week at Peponi School. This is becoming a most pleasing habit. Not only did they win, but they did not concede a single goal throughout the tournament. A winning formula is often built upon a stout defence. This weekend is the Hillcrest Hockey tournament; a popular event and in a sport about which we are passionate and have a strong winning record. I know they will play their best and be excellent role models for visiting schools. If you are free, please do come along and cheer them all on.
On Thursday this week we hosted our annual Careers Encounter for Years 10, 11, and 12 students. The thing that makes it so valuable is the experience, advice and openness of those parents and contacts, who give their time and come to speak to those interested in their profession. The range of Careers catered for cannot fail to enthuse. Over sixty professions were represented. Many thanks to them.
We also gave a briefing session for those Year 11 parents and students who are interested in our new range of BTECs on offer next year. We are planning to offer the following five new BTEC courses: Travel and Tourism, Sport, Business, Photography and Performing Arts. If you missed this opportunity, then please do ask us for more details. We have a range of literature available to explain these new courses, the entry qualifications and the destinations to which they can lead.
Following Jive’s victory in the “Battle of the Bands” last year, we have three bands competing this year: two composed of Year 9 students, or a compilation of Years 9, 10 and 11; a third from Sixth Form. With the support of our students on Friday afternoon we have high hopes of a successive win.
Finally, please do read the special message from our Chair of Governors. We all wish you a most pleasant weekend.
John Eveson Head Teacher [email protected]
ALUMNI NEWS – REIKO SAKIMURA - CLASS OF 1989 Reiko graduated from University of Cambridge (BA, Law) 1992; College of Law, Guildford 1993; Linklaters, London 1993 then was admitted as a solicitor in England & Wales 1995. UBS Warburg (Japan) Limited (Investment Banking Division), Tokyo 2000; Linklaters, Tokyo 2004. Admitted as an Attorney-at- Law in New York 2004. Registered as Gaikokuho Jimu Bengoshi (England & Wales) 2006. She joined Clifford Chance Tokyo as a Partner 2009. She specialises in international capital markets, including international debt and equity offerings, convertible/exchangeable bonds, IPOs, medium term note programmes, regulatory capital securities, corporate hybrid securities and samurai, uridashi and Tokyo Pro-Bond Market bonds. She also advises Japanese issuers and their advisers on EU securities laws. Reiko who is fluent in English and Japanese is foreign member of the Dai-ni Tokyo Bar Association Reiko is singled out for her prowess acting for major financial institutions in an array of bond transactions including MTN programmes. Clients report that: "She is good at making thorough disclosures in highly leveraged industries where there are constant reviews, and her judgement can be relied upon." She is also well versed in zero coupon convertible bonds and has
advised a number of managers including Nomura International and the trustee, Law Debenture Trust, on the issuance of JPY15 billion of bonds due in 2020 and listed on the Singapore Exchange. Apart from her career success, I remember Reiko as an amazing musician when at school; I understand that she is still playing piano and is in a String Quartet for her company.
Jackie Guest Alumni Coordinator [email protected]
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MESSAGE FROM THE CHAIRMAN OF THE BOARD OF GOVENORS
“This week we hosted two educational inspectors from the UK, who were reviewing the schools on behalf of a potential consortium of investors. They have now returned to the UK and it may be some weeks before any further outcome from the visit is determined.
The current owners are in discussions with potential new investors, but as is typical in such situations, all parties are subject to a non disclosure agreement, which means detailed information, including the names of the parties, cannot be disclosed. However, the Board would like to reassure parents that our intention remains to sell the school to new investors, who are committed to the long term sustainability of Hillcrest and who bring appropriate educational expertise.
We need to advise you that a successful transaction with potential investors is not certain, nor can a timetable for any finalisation be anticipated with any certainty.
The Board remains committed to pursuing the School Improvement Strategy in which we are currently engaged, supported by the excellent leadership and staff we now have in place. We believe parents are seeing the impact of the strategy and this will continue irrespective of the timing of any change of ownership. We are committed to sharing news with parents as soon as we are able to do so”.
Andrew Hollas Chairman
CULTURAL DAY: Saturday, 24th March, 2018
It is almost time for one of our favourite events of the Year: The Annual Cultural Day! For those who have been around for a while, you know that Cultural Day is a day set aside for celebrating the very many different nationalities present in Kenya. Hillcrest Secondary and Prep Schools have students from at least 50 different nationalities. At this event, these nationalities will be represented by way of food and song. As students perform their well-rehearsed songs and dances, parents, relatives and friends will be in stalls selling their traditional food and drinks.
This is one of the biggest charity events of the year. Every year, we donate the profits to a worthy cause of our choice. To this end, we are kindly requesting that you parents and guardians support us fully. You can support us by offering to run a stall to represent your country. In this stall, you will sell food that is representative of your tradition/ country/ nationality.
Over the years, we have had massive support from parents with special mention to those from China, South Africa, Kenya, India, Israel, West Africa, Somalia, Ethiopia, U.K., Netherlands … and the list is not complete! The event commences at about midday, but parents running stalls should come earlier to set them up. We start off with students’ performances and round off the evening with a local, professional band; it is always delightful to see parents, students and staff “jam the evening away” to a mix of cultural music. We urge you to support us; not only is it for charity, but it is also a fun way to wind down a hectic term! Please do let me know if you can run a stall or even perform. If you can participate in this event kindly email me on on [email protected]
Razwana Kimutai Deputy Head Academic [email protected]
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INSPIRATION FROM THE HEXAGON MISTAKES?
‘If everything you try works, you are not trying hard enough.’ Gordon Moore
Christel Flowers Focus Trainer for Learning Support [email protected]
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JUNIOR SCHOOL Week eight of this very busy term feels very musical indeed. My heartiest congratulations to all the Year 9 students who participated in the Young Musicians Awards at Kenton College last weekend, five of the musicians have made their way through to the final, well done! This afternoon, I am taking all the Year 9 students to Brookhouse School to watch the “Battle of the Bands” in which their colleagues have put together two Year 9 bands; we also have a Senior School band. My thanks go to all parents who returned the consent letters that were given out yesterday. The two Year 9 bands performed in Assembly this week and did such an amazing job. It isn't easy to perform in front of the whole school, but after much cajoling by myself and Mrs Jago, they saw the benefit of doing a 'dry' run on their family first!
I hope that all the Year 9 students are paying close attention to their homework diaries; some students are saying they are getting too much homework, whereas other students are saying they are not getting enough. A simple scan of the Year 9 homework timetable would give you an indication of the amount that needs to be given. In my opinion, managing time is of essence here and perhaps some of the students need some guidance on this skill; there is a 'due in' date in their diaries which should be completed appropriately. Accessing the VLE (our Virtual Learning Environment) is of paramount importance to keep up to date with all the assignments that are given. The rain is indeed a welcome sign to our climate in Nairobi. Have a lovely weekend
Kira Channa Head of Junior School [email protected] Some Year 9 Musicians
MIDDLE SCHOOL The Middle School students had a very successful Careers Encounter session last evening. This was indeed an eye opener for many, after a chat with professionals in various areas. The Year 10 students will follow this up with Work Experience next term and will be requiring your help in finding 'jobs'. The talk on BTECs was very informative. Year 11 students are encouraged to seek further information on possible subject combinations from Ms. Algar.
Best of Luck to all the students who are involved in Hockey and Basketball Tournaments here tomorrow. Have an enjoyable weekend.
Jane Akelola Head of Middle School [email protected] 7
Hillcrest Happy Campers/ Hikers taking part in the President’s Award Scheme weekend at Sagana
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President’s Award News
LastMaurice Friday Otieno twenty -five students set out to take part in the President’s Award Pre-Bronze, Bronze and SilveHeadr ofAward Sixth Expeditions Form . We left school around 8.30am to arrive at Sagana around midday. We were [email protected] by our guides who talked to us about the award schemes, and gave us moral support for the approaching challenges. The President’s Awards Scheme consists of 3 levels; (Bronze, Silver and Gold). To accomplish each level one must complete at least six months of community service; develop in physical and artistic skills; and lastly endure a challenging expedition, which includes over 20 kilometres of hiking.
Overall, I enjoyed the Silver expedition and I was able to acquire the skills of teamwork and communication. The harsh environment and the hot weather really pushed us out of our comfort zones, so we had to encourage and support each other throughout the long days. The trip was very physically demanding, teaching us physical endurance. It was a really good opportunity to interact with the younger students, who are taking part in the Bronze expedition.
Throughout the day we surrounded by beautiful scenery, which distracted us from the challenges we were facing. We were given a lot of responsibilities to navigate our way from checkpoint to checkpoint. We had to combine our ideas to find the quickest route to the final destination.
At the camp site, we were allowed limited amounts of resources, of which we had to make the most and look after ourselves. This experience was nothing like I have ever done before.
We all felt we had accomplished something worthwhile by the end of the three days; having endured challenges and conquered them.
Chiwo Ougo Year 12
Year 12 students at President’s Award Expedition
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Some Hillcrest Delegates at EAMUN last week
36th Annual EAMUN 19th - 23rd February, 2018
The 36th annual East African Model United Nations Conference took place at the United Nations Headquarters at Gigiri, Nairobi from 19th until 23rd February. It involved over 1500 delegates and 72 schools from across 9 different countries. After several months of training and mock debates a group of dedicated and enthusiastic Hillcrest Year 12 students spent the week at UNON. Day 1 was Lobbying; Days 2-5 there were debates in various committees including Human Rights, Economic, Ecology and Environment, Security Council and Political. Hillcrest was also represented in the Special Summit committee and the Mendoza Charity Council. The Hillcrest delegates representing France included: Diana Gombe (Ambassador and Human Rights), Davies Kandie and Crystal Sikalieh (Security Council), Lisa Chekoko and Fancy King'oo (Special Summit) and Mohammed Abdalla in (Ecology and Political). We had a lot of educational fun and gained knowledge from experiencing other pupils’ debates. Very high levels of integrity and discipline were witnessed throughout the week. We were addressed by different guest speakers each morning; these included Ambassadors, Media personalities, Olympic champions, Entrepreneurs etc. They gave very motivating speeches and shared their life experiences with us. Many thanks go to the organisers of the EAMUN Conference, particularly Mr. Erick Huma who coordinated the whole experience, and to Ms Peris who accompanied us to the conference.
Crystal Sikalieh Year 12 10
SIXTH FORM All the best goes to all the teams participating in the annual Hillcrest Hockey and Basketball Tournaments this weekend. Year 13 Mocks and Parents Teacher Consultation Students have had their mock papers returned this week and you will be receiving your child’s mock report by Monday next week. Please discuss the grades with your child before the Year 13 Parents’ Evening which will be held on Wednesday, 7th March from 4.30 pm to 7 pm. All Year 13 students and parents/guardians are expected to attend. At this meeting mock results and a revision plan for the final push will be discussed with subject teachers. Conscientious effort from now until the examinations should pay off when the results come out in August. External Examinations All students in Years 12 and 13 taking the examinations in May/June have been given their CIE statement of entry by the Examinations Office, unless theirs was a late entry. This document shows when a student is to sit for a paper (AM/PM) and must be carried to the examination room. It has to be kept safely until the results are published. Please ask your son or daughter for a copy, so that you know when they are scheduled to take an examination. Have a good weekend.
Maurice Otieno Head of Sixth Form [email protected]
MUSIC NEWS Many congratulations to all the students who took part in the Young Musicians of the Year competition held at Kenton last weekend. Every student had worked very hard, had really developed in their musicianship and gave excellent performances - Hillcrest is proud of you!
The standard, as always, was incredibly high, and it is with great pleasure that we are able to announce that five Hillcrest students have come through to the finals. These are; Intermediate solo - Aashi Kotecha Senior solo - Seana Barrett Senior ensemble - Safi Hannan-Parker, Lita Ngure, Nayanna Sira.
These students will be performing at the finals concert to be held at Kenton College on Sunday 11th March at 1.00 pm. We would like to extend a warm invitation to all members of the Hillcrest to come and support our students at this event and in the words of the organisers 'enjoy some of the most accomplished and inspiring music making in the country'! Tickets can be bought on the door at Kenton, Adults 500 Ksh, Students /children 200 Ksh.
And then ...... This Friday sees three Hillcrest bands trekking to Brookhouse for the annual Nairobi “Battle of the Bands” competition. Last year Hillcrest came away as the winners so we are back to defend our title in force! Our three bands are;
Junior category; IDK - Gil, Meer, Aashi, Nayanna, Macharia Elements - Aryana, Marcel, Ian, Mellissa, Anthony, Inderjeet, Msimbi, Maia, Paula, Elsie, Mutheu, Ashley, Amnan
Senior Category; The Discombobulators - Seana, Caspar, Jade, Ryan, Damon
We wish all our wonderful musicians the very best of luck!
Lizzie Jago Head of Music and Creative Arts
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GIRLS’ HOCKEY On Monday 19th February, right after the half term break, the U14 girls embarked on training for the Annual U14 Girls Hockey tournament at Peponi School on Saturday 24th February. They played their first build up match against Braeburn Garden Estate which they comfortably won 1- 0. On Thursday 22nd February they played a match against Braeburn Gitanga Road and won 2-0. This gave us enough motivation to look forward to a good performance at the tournament on Saturday. On Saturday 24th February, fourteen girls with Ms Dorcie and Ms Miller left Hillcrest at 7.00am with our spirits and expectations high, and the general mood in the team was upbeat.
We were pooled together with Braeburn Imani School, Nairobi Academy and Peponi School. Our opening match was against Braeburn Imani and we comfortably won 2-0 with goals from Maia Hooper and Msimbi Masidza. This gave us good psyche to play our next game which was against Nairobi Academy; again we put in our best effort and comfortably won 2-0, with both goals being scored by Maia Hooper. Our last pool match was against Peponi School, and we knew that this was not going to be easy. The match was intense both inside and outside, the weather was unforgiving. After a hard and well fought game, Peponi scored a goal in the dying minutes. Despite losing that match we still sailed through to the semi-finals as the top of our pool. In the semi-final we played Braeburn Garden Estate. We raided their D zone several times and eventually our tactics paid off when Bella Huth slotted in a goal just a few minutes before the end.
With this win, it meant that we had sailed through to the final against Peponi School again. We wanted to improve on our previous performance to ensure that we lifted the trophy. From the blow of the first whistle the game was evenly matched. They attacked us as much as we raided their D. Our defence was solid to their attack and we both maintained sporting respect. It is not an easy thing to beat a team twice in the same tournament. By the end of the first half the score stood at nil all. We went into the second half with more zeal and urgency, but our conversion rate was a low. The attack was led by Maia Hooper, Bella Huth and Talai Geheb who played amazingly well and used all their skills, but sadly not enough to score a goal. Our mid field and defenders were Rediet Taye and Msimbi Masidza; Makena Mugambi and Elsie Kioko who all worked tirelessly like a well-oiled machine to clear the Peponi attack. The game now became a battle of wits and mental resilience. In the dying minutes of the game that was well fought and evenly played, Peponi slotted the ball past our team and slam the board. They may have lost the match, but it was a pleasure watching them play and know that this is a team to watch in the future. I would like to give my hearty congratulations to the girls and wish them well in the KAIISSO League Tournament on 17th Match at Braeburn Garden Estate. My thanks go to the following girls for turning up for the tournament and giving of their time and effort. Salma Abdelgadir, Lita Ngure, Elsie Kioko, Makena Mugambi (Captain), Rediet Taye (Captain), Msimbi Masidza, Talai Geheb, Maia Hooper, Bella Huth, Sienna Cherono, Ashley Njoroge, Paula Okubasu, Aryana Gautama and Mutheu Muange.
Last Tuesday the U15 Girls went to Premier Academy to play a game that was not easy, but thanks to our formidable new goalkeeper Mayte Sibondo who saved several shots, we eventually won the game 3-0 with goals from Tiffany Nzimbi (1) and Nina Redinger (2). The team has a match today against St Christopher’s School at 3.00pm. They will be playing in the U17 Girls Field Hockey Tournament at Hillcrest tomorrow Saturday. I would like to thank the following girls for making time to play for this team consistently; Mayte Sibondo, Anesu Mlambo, Dorris Nsanzimana, Sara Bottura, Chelsea Matu, Eesha Thakkar, Nina Redinger, Tiffany Nzimbi, Joan Njuguna, Anna Nora and Ashley Karanja. We wish Mumbi Maina our goal keeper a quick recovery and look forward to her being in between the posts once again.
Tomorrow Saturday 3rd March, we will be hosting the inaugural Hillcrest School U17 Girls Hockey Tournament from 9.00am. We have entered three teams from across the age groups and are looking forward to a good performance at the tournament. We welcome you to come and cheer on our players as you support their sporting talent and passion. The following are the teams;
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Girls Hockey continued;
TEAM A (Angels) Crystal Sikalieh, Megan Taljaard (Captain), Amani Gardner (Captain), Leah Atieno, Jade Asher, Neta Moshe, Noa Ohana, Acacia Mathews, Diana Gombe and Nicole Terblans.
TEAM B (Bulldogs) Yvonne Kimani, Mariam Kimutai, Fartun Hosh, Miracle Denga, Safiya Hannan-Parker, Michelle Harderwijk, Kayla Hotz, Luca Humphreys, Elsa Marrian, Noa Oz, Syanna Jessop, and Shivangi Krishna.
TEAM C (Chiquitas) Mayte Sibondo, Ashley Karanja, Anesu Mlambo, Dorris Nsanzimana, Sara Bottura, Chelsea Matu, Joan Njuguna, Anna Nora, Nina Redinger, Tiffany Nzimbi, Mellissa Mwangi, Stella Eising and Eesha Thakkar.
I would like to wish all the teams the best as they represent Hillcrest School at the tournament and they showcase their myriad of skills and talents on the day.
Dorcie Agundah-Oyaro Head of Girls Games [email protected]
KENYA SWIMMING FEDERATION NATIONAL AGE GROUP OPEN AND RELAYS SWIMMING CHAMPIONSHIP
This meet attracted clubs and schools from Kenya and Uganda as it was used as a qualifiers for CANA and Commonwealth Games. Hillcrest swimmers had a fantastic outing with most of them swimming faster times and improving on their personal best times by up to ten seconds. In summary, here is how they performed;
ALEXANDRA KRANCK - Won Gold in 50m Backstroke; Silver in 100m Backstroke, 100m Freestyle, 200m Backstroke and in 50m Freestyle.
The following swimmers competed and made new personal best times in various strokes; Kanyiri Chege, Neema Chekoko, Maya Melesi, Damon Oosterik, Juan Sibondo and Pablo Sibondo.
Well done to the whole team for this excellent performance.
Vitalis Otwoma Swimming Coach [email protected]
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PEPONI SCHOOL U14 BOYS HOCKEY TOURNAMENT Last Saturday the U14 Boys team played in the Peponi School U14 Boys 7 aside Hockey Tournament. The team had a solid defence during the tournament which they won without conceding a goal. This is another success for the boys who have been working very hard during this term. The following is a summary of the team’s performance during the tournament;
OPPONENT RESULT GOAL SCORERS
Nairobi Academy 2-0 Aman Kapul and Meer Shah Peponi B 2-0 Tumaini Ireri, Joshua Weru Braeburn Gitanga Road (Pool stages ) 1-0 Joshua Weru I.S.K. 1-0 Aman Kapul Braeburn Imani 1-0 Joshua Weru Peponi A 1-0 Meer Shah Braeburn Gitanga Road (Finals) 1-0 Joshua Weru I would like to thank all the players who participated in this tournament as well as their parents for supporting them during the day. A special mention goes to Linus Sang and Mark Phipps for giving the team the necessary guidance to win this tournament. LANGATA SUB REGIONAL HOCKEY CHAMPIONSHIPS Last weekend, Hillcrest boys played in this year Langata Sub Regional Hockey Championships against St. Alloysius School. The team managed a comfortable 7-0 win with Jared Staley scoring a Hat trick, Yassin Gubara 1, Ivan Njuguna 1, Ben Wedd 1 and Simani Regau 1. The next round of the competition will be challenging because we will play all the other school in Nairobi region and only the winning team qualify for the Nationals. These matches will be played at Nairobi School from Friday 9th to Sunday 11th March. I wish the team the best of luck. My thanks go to our team for buying the new kit in preparation for the matches. HILLCREST HOCKEY TOURNAMENTS This Saturday 3rd March, Hillcrest will host an U17 Girls’ Hockey and Open Boys’ Hockey Tournaments. The event is scheduled to start at 9:00 am and end by 2:00 pm. The following are the teams that will be playing in the competition; GIRLS POOL A GIRLS POOL B BOYS POOL A BOYS POOL B Hillcrest A Hillcrest B Hillcrest A Hillcrest B Rosslyn Academy Oshwal Academy U.S.I.U B U.S.I.U A I.S.K. R.V.A. Strathmore A Strathmore B St. Andrews School Hillcrest C Thika High School Multimedia You are welcome to come and support the Hillcrest teams. Joseph Otieno Head of Boys’ Games [email protected]
IMPORTANT EVENTS AND SPORTS FIXTURES Monday 5th March IGCSE Art & Design Paper 1 exams U19 Girls Football v Swedish School Tuesday 6th March IGCSE Art & Design Paper 1 exams U15 Girls Hockey v Rosslyn (A) U15 Boys Basketball v Strathmore (A) U19 Boys Hockey v Oshwal (H) U19 Boys Basketball v Oshwal (H) U19 Girls Football v Oshwal (H) Wednesday 7th March World Maths Day Year 13 Parent / Teacher consultation 4.30pm to 7pm U17 Boys Basketball v Rosslyn (A) Thursday 8th March Friday 9th March U19 Girls Football v West Nairobi School (A) U19 Boys Hockey v Premier (H) U19 Girls Hockey v Premier (H) Saturday 10th March KAISSO Tournament U19 Girls Hockey at Hillcrest KAISSO Tournament U19 Boys Hockey at Hillcrest KAISSO Tournament U17 Girls Hockey at I.S.K. KAISSO Tournament U17 Boys Hockey at I.S.K. KAISSO Tournament U15 Basketball at Rosslyn and Rusinga 14