This post was written by Marybeth Ramey

Nexus International School, the first international school in Putrajaya, opened its doors in 2008 with the highly regarded International Primary Curriculum and a widely diverse global student body from nursery to Year 6 (3 – 10 years old). In September of 2009, the Secondary school arrived along with Dr Stuart Martin and the ensuing two years have seen the school’s academic reputation solidify as one of enquiry and excellence. Rapid growth has taken place on the campus with the modernisation of the physical buildings and the implementation of a vast range of new classroom ICT tools. A feature of the school has been the development of an environment that consists of children truly excited about learning and about exploring other cultures and feeling that they are important individuals with a deep potential to become very successful, well rounded adults in any areas that interest them. The school’s motto of Celebrating Diversity, Challenging Minds is alive in the day to day culture.

Dr Martin has been a world class educational leader for over 30 years and has brought to Nexus a wealth of international academic experiences, and compelling, exciting ideas and theories which he continues to implement in the classrooms as well throughout the new 140 bed Boarding House which “provides a fun, inspiring, affirming and intellectually stimulating experience to the boarders,” he says.

He is a native of the South Island, Wellington and attended university in Christchurch, and then taught for many years at secondary schools before emigrating to England to experience the richness that is English education both as a doctoral candidate at Bristol University and as an administrator and teacher at several schools. In 2001 he returned to New Zealand where he was Principal of the highly regarded Onslow College for eight years. After visiting this region many times, Dr Martin decided to settle in Malaysia and accepted his appointment to Nexus, the newest school owned by Taylor’s Education Group.

Dr. Martin’s special interest is in personalized learning for students of all ages so they can achieve their fullest potential. He is leading the school in personalising learning, which is aimed at “finding, developing and extending gifts unique to each child”. The successes of Nexus are intrinsically linked with Dr Martin’s leadership as School Principal because he has provided a campus wide environment benefiting from his progressive ideas and innovative teaching methodologies. He is committed to the latest, rigorously field tested classroom teaching methods that offers young people the opportunity to develop in the academic, social, cultural and sporting areas.

“At Nexus International School,” Dr Martin explains, “we believe in providing learners the opportunity to experience an international education in a culturally diverse environment. Our Secondary curriculum is based on the UK National Curriculum with a strong focus on cross-curricula links and leads to a wide range of GCSE and IGCSE examinations. Currently the school is a candidate school for the IB Diploma and will introduce Pre U courses in August 2012.”

“Performing arts and theatre are strongly encouraged in our school as they help learners in public speaking, singing, acting and dancing. Such forms of performing arts inculcate confidence within the learner and help greatly in developing a positive and supportive community. Nexus learners are encouraged to be confident not only within the classroom, but they are also groomed to be self-assured individuals in different aspects of their lives,” said Dr Stuart Martin.

He continues, “I believe that the classroom is constantly evolving. Thus, we ensure that the latest teaching and learning methods, together with state-of-the art technology, is incorporated into our curriculum. ICT is fully integrated into the curriculum to facilitate learning. Classrooms re fitted with an interactive Smartboards and projectors and learners enhance their daily learning in the classroom with the use of Mac laptops and Internet.

Nexus takes great pride in challenging young minds and stimulating children’s naturally inquisitive nature through acclaimed International Curriculums. Fully embracing diversity, we encourage cultural assimilation between each student’s individual ethnicity and history, with their host country Malaysia. Aside from the guidance by our highly qualified expat and local teachers, students gain further learning from the multicultural community within and around the school.”

Nexus International School, Putrajaya is more than just an international school. It is a place where young people come together to become global citizens of the future. With Dr. Martin at its helm, Nexus is successfully preparing each individual child for success in both their careers and in their personal lives.

Source: The Expat November 2011
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