7 June 2019

Dear Parents,

            May was full of promises, as the Carousel song told us, but could not keep them up for long. However, the leaves are in full green at last and June is busting out all over. The Summer Term has come to an end in strong voice.

            The Graduations (several in number from Pre-School and yesterday taking in Grade 5) were very well attended, with the class of 2019 – Grade 12 the centre of attention at the Main Prizegiving on 24 May. Our Chief Guest, Garrett Wilson, COO of the Gerege Sustainable Development NGO spoke winningly to our students about Value. His themes were impressive and of the moment and (good news) he has also agreed to return to talk at greater length to our senior students next term.

            Meanwhile this year’s examinees have completed their papers for Cambridge IGCSE, the IB Diploma and the Mongolian State Exams. Most of the results are due in August: for parents of those staying, Reports and Assessments for the Term now finished have already been conveyed. Lower down the School, our candidacy has been accepted for the Primary Years Programme (PYP) of the IB. In week 11, we were inspected over three days by the Mongolian Ministry of Education and came through pretty well.

            Outside the classroom, there have been, amongst much else, sports days, excursions to museums and the Children’s Park, a Geography Field Trip, Parents’ Evenings, informal concerts, staff v. students sports events to round off the year. The Middle School’s Multicultural Festival featured 9 nations in a most colourful al fresco setting, with food, costumes, and dance on offer to all. The last few days of term saw the ambitious staging of a version of the Lion King, part Disney, part Kipling, part Elton John, part ESM: Circle of Life. It had lovely costumes, spectacular set-pieces, a cast of over 70 and was the product of months of endeavours and inventiveness on the part of the Junior School. In all respects a worthy climax to the artistic year at ESM.

            The holidays opened with the first of our summer schools, specializing in English skills with three full classes in attendance and the visit to Seoul by our splendid Cheerleading team.

            As you will know, 20:20 Vision is our watchword over the next eighteen months. Already in preparation are the new enlarged school and admin on-line system set up by IVEL LLC, with one strand being greatly extended home learning arrangements for all ESM Students, especially over winter months. The East section of the Leonardo Wing on Floor 4 is taking shape, providing us with 10 very much needed classrooms. We have signed an agreement for extensive (and sole school) use of the Mongolian Kuwaiti Conservation Centre out on the road to the new Airport, a development which in time may constitute the countryside face of ESM. The Zaisan Pre-School is coming rapidly to completion. You may find continuing stories of these and everything else on Facebook (www.facebook.com/englishschoolofmongolia).

            Pausing now ahead of all this are our teaching Team (with only 4 of our 35 strong international teachers’ cohort leaving), our irrepressible students and (we hope with some time to relax too) our very supportive parents.

            Warm thanks to everyone. Enjoy the Summer. We all gather again for the Opening Ceremony to Year 9 of ESM on Thursday 15 August.

Regards,

Graham and Gillie Hill