We were delighted to welcome the newest members of the ICHK community to school.

Our new Year 7s completed a three day induction programme aimed at helping them to settle into school with confidence. The focus of the programme was two-fold. First, to introduce the thinking behind our Year 7 motto "Happy, confident, intelligent warriors" and, second, to explore the notion of "multiple intelligences".

Having been introduced to Howard Gardner's notion of nine modes of intelligence (linguistic, logical, spatial, musical, kinaesthetic, naturalist, interpersonal, intrapersonal, existential), the year 7s were thrown into a series of scenarios that gave them the chance to put their own intelligence profiles to the test.

The programme was delivered by a team of senior staff who were unanimous in their praise of the students' engagement and willingness to give things a go.

The programme was built around a series of fun but challenging team building activities aligned with our unique Human Technologies, Transitions and Outdoor Education programmes.

In keeping with the theme of multiple intelligences, these included music, art, physical, and logic-based activities, along with a stream hike and exploration of the spectacular mangroves on our doorstep, which will be the location for many more wonderful opportunities for learning.

To support their efforts, the students spent time learning about ‘state management’, understanding the way self-regulation impacts on their own wellbeing, and how they can respond and react to their different emotional states.

The key message of the induction programme was that ICHK is a 'safe-fail' environment and that they should feel no anxiety at all about their move to a new school.

Learning how to guide their attention, how to manage their emotional states and how to recognise when something is becoming difficult or unsustainable and how to effect change, will be developed further through our tutorial programme, where students will explore resilience, mental health and wellbeing.

Over the next few weeks, the Year 7s will get to know their teachers better, along with their new classmates, and discover a new curriculum, with many exciting subjects that they will have not encountered before.

We were very impressed by the enthusiasm, confidence and energy levels shown by our new students and we look forward to a productive year ahead.