Moshi Parent News - 3 September 06
Dear Parents,
We have now received the Visiting Team Report from CIS and I am proud to announce the excellent news that ISM has received re-accreditation status by the Council of International Schools and the Middle States Association. The re-accreditation granted comes with specifications that CIS wants us to address at ISM. We have been asked to report on our progress on these issues in August 2007 and again in August 2008.
We will be reviewing the report in the coming weeks to create an action plan that will address the major recommendations made by the Visiting Team. This will happen in consultation with staff, students, parents and board members. The entire report will be available for students and parents to read in the campus libraries. What follows is an excerpt from the CIS cover letter to the report:
In reaching their decision, CIS Board Members took into account the fact that the Visiting Team made a number of commendations, including these examples:
• Constant vision of happy, articulated, animated and friendly children who comprise the school’s student body.
• The school’s recent revision of its Statement of Mission, Philosophy and Objectives which has enabled it to offer a quality education within the IB framework.
• The number of talented staff members at the School.
• The Primary Teachers who are creating model classroom environments for PYP learning.
• The professional staff which has developed a curriculum which increases those skills and abilities which prepare students for lifelong learning.
• The Community Service, CAS and Visiting Schools Programme Coordinators for their dedication to the ethos and experience of Community Service and their promotion of international and intercultural awareness, both within and beyond the school’s student population.
• The Student Councils and their teacher-mentors at the Arusha and Moshi Campuses who undertake activities which promote a positive sense of school community and reflect genuine intercultural and international awareness and understanding.
• The work done by the School’s CEO, Finance Manager and the ACD Finance in initiating new procedures designed to ensure financial probity and effectiveness that should ensure the long-term financial stability of the school.
• The quality of residential services offered at the Moshi Campus.
• The Co-curricular Coordinators who provide programmes that utilise available human resources to deliver a diverse range of activities, spanning the Arts, Sport and Outdoor Pursuits.
• The Professional Staff of the School for the willingness to provide a diverse range of Co-Curricular Programmes in addition to teaching duties.
The Visiting Team Report also contains a large number of recommendations which ISM will need to address in the coming years. CIS looks forward to reading how the school has, or intends, to address all these recommendations when the routine First Report on Progress and Planning – due on 31st August 2007 - is submitted.
Some of the issues revealed in the Visiting Team Report are of such importance that the CIS Board wishes to monitor them both at the routine First Report stage and beyond. A number of the Special Issues below have appeared in Accreditation Reports since 2001, so it is important that progress be made in these areas. Therefore, the re-accreditation of ISM comes with the formal specification that the school must submit a Special Report to CIS on 31st August 2008 which addresses these five Special Issues:
Special Issue One - Special Education
The Administration should ensure that sufficient, fully equipped SEN personnel be provided to serve the needs of those students identified with Learning Differences that exceed the standard definition of “Mild to Moderate”. The Administration should either decline admission of children whose Special Educational Needs cannot be met or provide appropriate levels of staffing to meet their needs.
Special Issue Two - Curriculum Alignment
The Primary and Secondary curriculum groups should meet on a regular basis to ensure that the curriculum is articulated vertically and horizontally throughout the school and to create continuity within, between and among campuses, divisions and disciplines.
Special Issue Three - Library resources
The Administration should instigate a review of Library resources on both campuses with a view to bringing these resources up to the standard required of a good IB School.
Special Issue Four – Governance and Management
a. The Board should take immediate steps to reorganise its design, schedules and practices, including the avoidance of inappropriate member behaviour, to enable it to meet the growing complexities, needs and demands of its community.
b. The Administration and the Board should invest time and energy in communicating meaningfully with all school stakeholders prior to making major decisions about the structure and future of ISM, allowing for input from students, parents and staff.
Special Issue Five – Putting Mission, Philosophy and Objectives into Practice
The Board, the SMT and Professional Staff members should take the lead in disseminating, explaining and modelling the new Statement of Mission, Philosophy and Objectives so that the whole community may work together to ensure that the Core Values and Mission of the school are worked out in practice in all sectors of the community, both within and outside the school itself.
The re-accreditation process has been very valuable and healthy for our school. It has forced us to look in the mirror and understand ourselves better. This has taken a lot of courage and certainly moved people out of their comfort zones. However, I believe this is necessary if we are going to build the type of school our children deserve. I am very pleased with the contents of the report and I believe our action plan that results from a review of the report will allow us to take the steps together that will transform ISM from a good to a great school.
The CIS/MSA re-accreditation of ISM represents a significant quality assurance measure for parents. According to CIS, although we are not perfect, ISM is a very good school by international standards. When you combine this report with the excellent IGCSE and IB Results we have just posted, there is much reason to celebrate today at ISM. I am very proud of our staff and very grateful for your support.
Best Regards,
Barry Sutherland
Chief Executive Officer
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