EIS "Heads Up!"

Dear Exupery International School Community,

Please see the February Issue of the HeadsUp Newsletter below and enjoy the Vlog version here. We have hosted a basketball tournament, celebrated wins at the academic Olympiads, have seen so much talent and learning at several assemblies and at the student conference, and had so much fun celebrating the 100th Day of School, the Languages Week and Valentine’s Day!

Artūrs Piļkēvičs

Issue: #5 February 2024

This is our fifth HeadsUp Newsletter video featuring Artūrs Piļkēvičs.

On January 20th, we hosted the remarkable EIS 2nd Student Conference, titled "From Ideas to Impact." This event brought together students from Exupery International School, International School of Riga, Riga Classical Gymnasium, and Ogre Technical School to explore independent research.

We extend our gratitude to Mrs. Fleur Serrière and Mr. Germans Aminovs for orchestrating the event, as well as to Vladislavs Nazarenko for technical support. Special thanks to Dr. Sergejs Bratarčuks for participating in the Discussion Panel. We appreciate all teachers and students involved in making the conference a success.

Participants shared their research process and findings across various disciplines, sparking discussions on the importance of independent research in Secondary education. Attendees emphasized the value of such events in refining public speaking and communication skills.

Over the last few weeks, our students have excelled in not just one but three Olympiads.

Grade 11 student Aleksandrs has secured first place in the Regional Informatics Olympiad and has now advanced to the next round alongside the nation's top students. We thank our Computer Science teacher, Sergejs Bratarčuks, for his exceptional mentorship and support.

For the joie de vivre - our students Luca B. from Grade 10 and Mariia V. from Grade 12 achieved outstanding results at the French regional Olympiad and have been invited to the national level of the Olympiad. Thanks to our French Team, especially Amalia @Amalia Marchand and Jean Michel @Jean Michel Quarantotti, for their dedication and support.

And a big round of applause goes to Darja from Grade 12 for securing 1st place, Arina from Grade 11, and Andrey from Grade 10, who both got 2nd place, and Natalia from Grade 10 – for earning an honourable mention in the regional round of Open Olympiad of Latvian and Regional Studies. We owe a special thanks to the heart and soul of our Latvian Studies – Indra Lorence. Thank you for being more than a teacher but a true mentor and inspiration.

The basketball season is upon us since the onset of this semester and EIS co-hosted the tournament with ISL and it involved International School of Riga, Internationaal School of Latvia, Vilnius International School, American International School of Vilnius and French Lyceum of Vilnius, and EIS. Even though EIS ended up without winning a single game, the progress of the team was evident. The team played French Lyceum in the opening game at the very onset of the tourney and lost 9:41 and faced them again as the very last game losing 25:37 and having a chance to win right until the fourth quarter. After the tournament, the team coach reflected:


We have not won a game, but I am honored to have had an opportunity to work with a team of such courageous, smart, resilient, polite young men! Courageous - because they have voted and decided to go into this tournament aware that they will be facing much more experienced and skilled teams. Smart - because after having just 2-3 practices they were able to implement 3 different defenses, execute 4 offensive plays, and implement new moves and approaches on the go. Resilient - because despite the experience of losing several times in a row, despite some injuries, the boys seemed to be ever more eager to shake it off, stand up again and keep playing. Polite - because despite so many frustrating and challenging moments, I have not had a single negative interaction with them.

We want to thank the team, the supporters who came, and the Parent Teacher Association (PTA) for setting up the food concession stand at the tournament.

Community events are important for students as they come together to celebrate learning and showcase their leadership and public speaking skills. On Wednesday, January 31, we had a bright and atmospheric Poetry Recital involving our talented third graders. In front of the audience, they sang popular songs, played piano, and read classical and modern English, French, Latvian, and Russian poems. We thank all the parents who came to listen to the concert, each participant for their courage to get on stage, and our dedicated teachers for making this event possible.

On Friday, February 2nd, the Primary school came together again for an assembly and this this time around it was Grade 4 turn to organize it. The topic was “Growth Mindset”, and students chose various examples of individuals and celebrities around the world who were the champions of growth mindset and resilience in the face of challenge. Thank you to Mr. Shawn, Grade 4 students, and all parents who came to witness this event.

During the first school-parent EduChat event this year, Brenna Weston Bell, our Head of Learning Support, and Fleur Serriere, our DP coordinator, TOK teacher and PSHE Coordinator, both experienced teachers and mothers, shared their insights on how to help children become more productive with homework while at the same time avoiding confliction with them. Our educators have compiled proven techniques that help improve concentration while studying at home.

Extremely useful! At Exupery International School, we believe that knowledge is valuable only when shared, so we strive to provide parents of our students with as many practical and useful tools as possible. Please find the presentation available at the following link >>

At Exupery International School, we aim to create the most comfortable environment for every learner, and we know how important the feeling of home is for those students who live in Boarding. That is why we gather the boarding students for a nice, cosy dinner at the beginning of each semester.

Board games, a fresh and healthy food station, and heart-to-heart conversations create a friendly atmosphere and allow students to feel at home, even away from home. It was fun, and I am already looking forward to the next time, preparing something special.

We are delighted to inform our community about a new and amazing new initiative in Preschool – the little learners are cooking various foods on various occasions in our new Preschool Cooking Program! It is amazing to see those little hands and fingers roll, squeeze, cut, form and those little faces light up with their smiles as they say “Yam Yam” at the end. Cooking is actually an amazing research-based learning activity combining fine motor skills with math, collaboration, communication, and simply pure fun!

The week of february 12-16 was full of colors, emotions, and fun! There was Valentie’s day Post in Primary and Middle and High School, special colors and themed dress days in all divisions, and also a Language Week in the Middle and High School with workshops, games, special assemblies, and competitions. We want to thank the teachers, administrators, and High School Student Council for making this week before the break soooo much fun for all!

Exupery International School opens the doors of its online merch store – https://exupery.lv/store. What’s inside? First batch – comfy hoodies and sports uniform sets. Note – we have a stock of the sports uniform, which will be given to the students, representing school at various sports events, but if you child wants to have a very own set – we’ve got you covered. Welcome to the store, welcome to the marketing office if you want to check how it fits on you or your child!

And, of course, we are always up for a good cause. Save the Date! As 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐅𝐮𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐈𝐧𝐜𝐥𝐮𝐬𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐄𝐝𝐮𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐟𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞 is on the calendar of Exupery International School 𝐨𝐧 𝐌𝐚𝐫𝐜𝐡 𝟏𝟔, 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟒.

A vital topic which influences all of us; speakers from the USA, UK and Latvia, workshops, talks, roundtable discussions and keynotes - it's an excellent opportunity to connect with educators and parents globally, taking part in inclusive education discourse and engage in talks, workshops, roundtable discussions and keynotes. It is your chance to become a change-maker.

Whether you are an experienced professional, a dedicated educator, or a passionate parent who searches for new ways and practical tools to improve education for your children while considering their individual needs, we invite you to join us at the upcoming conference.

Participation is free, but registration is required. The deadline for registration is March 15, 2024. Event languages: English, Latvian, Russian. More about the event >>

"Food for thought"

As a food for thought this time we would like to share some tips and insights prepared for you by our own specialists ahead of our Conference on the “Future Education”. Enjoy!