This post was written by Marybeth Ramey

Nexus International School, Putrajaya, celebrated a momentous occasion recently with the official opening of the school’s new Boarding House. This was a double celebration as Nexus also formally awarded full Secondary Scholarships worth RM2.5 million to 8 deserving Malaysian students. Government officials, corporate partners and institutions within the Taylor’s Education Group joined the Nexus community in commemorating another key milestone for the school.

Principal, Dr. Stuart Martin kicked off the ceremony by welcoming Dato Teik Ngan, Group Chief Executive Officer of Taylor’s Education Group, and commenting that the boarding house represented Nexus’s long term commitment to NIS and Putrajaya. He gave a rousing yet poignant speech talking about the history and literary traditions related to boarding houses, referring to many of the classics such as Nicholas Nickleby and Tom Brown’s School Days, and the comedy of St. Trinian’s. Dr. Stuart developed the theme by discussing the moral messages that can be found in JK Rowling’s Hogwarts – close and supportive relationships, self reliance and teamwork, an environment that values hard work and rewards success and he described how Nexus Boarding House supported these themes.

Dr. Martin said the Nexus Boarding House is designed to emphasize and support the positive aspects of boarding which include:

+Living in a community – in many ways a boarding house is like an extended family. Each person learns to express themselves as an individual but also to respect others in a social setting.

+Academic support – living in boarding supports the learning that takes place during the week. House parents are trained teachers and time is allocated for supported self-study.

+Recreation – Balance is important and everyone needs some time out from study

+A well designed and high quality environment – we show respect for our boarders by providing an environment which is safe, peaceful, healthy, and conducive to learning

+Experienced and wise adult guidance – our staff are chosen for their knowledge, experience and character

The Nexus Boarding House team welcomed its pioneer batch of boarders on 5th September 2011. These boarders have found the experience at Nexus boarding extremely enriching, as they are living in a close-knit community with house-parents providing them with the necessary pastoral care night and day. There is also a live-in matron who takes care of the boarders.

According to Director of Boarding, Mr Trevor Schubert, “Since the commencement of boarding at NIS, the boarders have experienced many different types of activities. Sitting down regularly every weeknight to complete homework has been a new experience for some boarders. Organizing clothes for two laundry pick-ups each week has been a new experience for all, as has been living in a large community. To their great credit, every boarder has made the effort to adapt to living in what is a vibrant and exciting community.”

Mr Shubert adds, “The weekend activities have been very popular with the weekly boarders returning from home to have some fun with their full boarding friends. In the first six weeks the boarders have been to the KLCC Aquaria, KL Bird Park, KL Tower, Water Park, ten-pin bowling and the cinema. They have also been fortunate enough to have a Nexus teacher show them how to cook Mexican and Italian food and soon they will learn to cook Thai green curry prawns.”

The Nexus Secondary Scholarship programme offers a full scholarship to Malaysian students who are keen to enroll in the school in Year 8 (UPSR students) and Year 10 (PMR students), leading to the IGCSE and GCSE exams. The scholarship also includes full boarding for candidates who would like to study and live away from home. At Nexus, ICT is fully integrated into the curriculum to facilitate learning and prepare learners to become global citizens of the 21st century. Each classroom is fitted with an interactive Smartboard or projector and learners enhance their daily learning in the classroom with the use of Mac laptops.

Nexus International School, Putrajaya, is located on a new campus with beautiful, spacious grounds which provide an excellent opportunity to learn beyond the four walls of a classroom. Accordingto Dr. Martin, the school emphasizes the personalization of learning which aims to find, develop and extend the gifts unique to each child.

The Primary school program at Nexus is based on the International Primary Curriculums (PC), while the Secondary school is based on the UK National Curriculum enriched with the best practice from another countries. Learners in Years 7 – 9 (Secondary) are provided with a solid foundation for the challenges of the IGCSE courses in Years 10 and 11 while also being prepared for the Year 12 and 13 programmes. The school is currently a candidate for the IB Diploma Programme. Year 12 will be available from August 2012 and Year 13 in 2012.

For more information, visit www.nexus.edu.my

Source: The Expat December 2011 
This article has been edited for ExpatGomalaysia.com
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