November is typically a quiet and sombre month. The days get shorter and darker, and moods tend to become subdued as we adjust to the approaching winter. I nice onset to the month however was the bright splash of colour brought on by the beautiful traditional dress worn and the lively dances performed as some children shared the cultural festival of Diwali with us at school.

After that initial excitement, the rest of November settled down to more subtle and serious activities. During the week of November 14 – 18, we had our first Parent Teacher Conference for the year, with over 145, 15-minute meetings held by teachers with parents either on campus or online.

The majority of the energy spent in November was on End of Term Finals, and the preparation leading up to them. If you ever want to experience or see children in engaged in focused concentration, just walk around the hallway during exam week!

At ISF, November is also a great month for reading and borrowing books from our library. Our librarians provided extra incentives and encouragement to boost participation in the AR (Accelerated Reading) and Antolin programs, with great success. Children even made their own bookmarks – a creative and practical activity to get everyone to read, read, read.

Finally, November was nicely rounded off with another cultural event - American Thanksgiving. Delicious meals drawn on plates by the children decorated the school entrance as well as incorporating the symbolic turkey into our academic learning. Most of all the universal value of Thankfulness or Gratitude – which the celebration of “Thanksgiving” points to, was a major theme for this month.

All-in-all November was a full and productive month with much to be thankful for.