International Club Notices

A welcome from your International Club Co-Chairs

Hello and a warm welcome to the new academic year at St Michael’s from the International Club!

We are Yuliya Folland and Urszula Wiszniewska, the current Co-Chairs of the International Club. If you happen to bump into us at school and would like to find out more about the Club, don’t be shy - do stop us for a chat!

Last Friday 19th September, we held our first Coffee Morning of the year at the Pre-Prep Dining Hall. It was lovely to catch up with our regular members after a long summer break. It was also a great pleasure to welcome a few new members representing quite an array of different countries - South Africa, Latvia, India, America and Bulgaria! 

For those wondering what the International Club is - we are a parent run support group for those who come to Britain as non-British citizens or British citizens who have lived abroad. We are very friendly and inclusive, so, really, parents of all nationalities are welcome to join us! It’s also a great space for new parents to ask any questions in an informal environment (whether school or local life related) and amongst like minded parents that come from a range of year groups. We also encourage our parents to speak to our children during school assemblies about their cultures and experiences of living abroad. Throughout the year we organise a number of social events such as walks, Coffee Mornings, evening drinks, cooking workshops, picnics etc. and we always welcome your ideas to keep our repertoire interesting and engaging. Being part of the International Club is very flexible - you can join our WhatsApp group (see QR code below) or keep an eye on the upcoming events via the school newsletter or Classlist, you can attend one event per year or all of them - that’s entirely entirely up to you! 

For any questions (or ideas!) please contact us via Classlist or via an email on intclubstm@gmail.com.

Join the International Club for a morning walk!

International Club are hosting a morning walk around the woodlands surrounding St Michael's on 7th November, between 8.15 and 10.15am. 

If you would like to join, please gather near the coffee cart at Pre-Prep after morning drop off ready to start the walk.

To register your attendance, please join the International Club group on Class List and sign up!

Pre-Prep discover Japan with the International Club!

On Tuesday, St Michael's parent Aya Isobe-Walker treated our Pre-Prep children to a special cultural assembly where they learnt all about Japan.

The session offered a fun and fascinating introduction to Japanese life and culture. The children explored Japan’s geography, discovered the famous high-speed Shinkansen (bullet train), and got a glimpse into the daily life of Japanese school children. Aya also shared insights into traditional celebrations such as New Year and Children’s Day, sparking lots of curiosity and excitement.

There was plenty of enthusiasm when the topic turned to food! Many children recognised Japanese dishes they had tried before or were eager to taste. Aya shared a list of the top five favourite dishes amongst Japanese children—and to everyone’s delight, chips made the list! It seems our pupils agreed with their Japanese peers on that one.

The children also learnt that some everyday items at home—like cars, cameras and game consoles—might have originated in Japan. The session wrapped up with a mini language lesson as the children practised saying "Arigatou" (ありがとう) — which means "Thank you" in Japanese.

We extend a big arigatou to Aya for sharing her time and culture with us. It was a memorable and enriching experience for everyone involved!

The International Club

International Club Family BBQ

The last day of the half term holidays saw the International Club host a family BBQ. The sun was shining bright and amongst the usual staples there lots of international foods on offer as well, including Japanese chicken karaage, freshly made sushi, Thai salad, Chinese dumplings and Polish pastries that were flown in especially for the occasion from Warsaw!

Sofia F drew an array of famous and obscure flags that kept a lot of us guessing. The kids also organised their own ice cream shop offering ice creams in cones and various lollies.

The bouncy castle was constantly busy with excited children, leaving the parents to have a proper catch-up. So much fun was had by all! 

Yuliya and Urszula, International Club Co-Chairs

International Club Assemblies

Since the beginning of this academic year the International Club members have been busy sharing their cultural experiences and interesting facts about their home countries with the pupils.

During the Michaelmas Term Alexander Sel delivered an interactive assembly on Germany, quizzing the pupils on topics including uniform in German schools, the most popular sport in Germany and traditional German food before revealing the answers. The children also had lots of fun making animal noises in German! 

The Lent Term saw three country assemblies take place on China, Mexico and Poland! 

Angela Tsang spoke to the children about daily life in China. Amongst other things they learnt about school, popular weekend activities  and, of course, the Chinese food. The children asked a lot of questions and showed real enthusiasm for learning Mandarin. 

Casey Bale brought the fun into his assembly on Mexico, a vast country with a warm climate, diverse cuisine and a rich cultural heritage. A few children wanted to pack their bags and explore it immediately! The assembly also noted that Spanish is the fourth most spoken language globally and that the Aztecs invented 'La Piñata'.

Urszula Wiszniewska shared an inspirational video about Poland during her talk which showed just how beautiful parts of the country are. And there was another surprise! A video message from Polish children showing their classroom and telling us a little about their school day.

International Club Coffee Morning

A couple of weeks ago on a rainy Thursday morning the Darenth Golf Club Cafe provided a very warm welcome to the International Club for a much needed catch-up. Our group is always a friendly space for informal chats.

During the catch-up, a few ideas were discussed about future International Club socials at new local venues, as well as the possibility of organising a family picnic in the Trinity Term. So watch this space!

The weather that Thursday did not lend itself well for a pleasant walk so that has also been postponed for another sunnier day in the Trinity Term.