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| 9 May 08 (17:38 EAT) |
| 2 May 2007 Dear Parents, The third session of the Strategic Planning Committee was held on Wednesday, April 25th, with teachers, students, parents, Board, administration and alumni represented. Once again the session can be characterized as an honest and open discussion about the vision of where ISM wants to go in the future, what things may be blocking these goals and (the focus of Session 3) what strategic actions might be taken to surmount these obstacles to our success as a world-class international school. I want to thank Anne Wilshin, our Development Officer, for doing a great job as facilitator of these sessions. The minutes from Session 3 and the outcomes have been posted on the website. You can access these at http://www.ismoshi.org/parentdocs using the usual username and password that you have been given. The Executive Committee (EC) of the ISM Board of Directors met on Friday, April 27th. The discussions included a review of a statistical report on ISM support and ancillary staff and the terms of reference for a Strategic Planning Steering Committee that will offer feedback to the existing Strategic Planning committee. The Budget for 07/08 was recommended for approval by the Board and a policy amendment regarding parliamentary rules for meetings was also recommended. On Saturday, April 28th, ISM organized a lunch for ISM alumni living in the Moshi-Arusha region at the Arumeru Lodge in Usa River. The event was well-attended and it was an opportunity for locally-based ISMers to catch up with each other. Several ISM staff also attended. I want to thank Anne Wilshin and Lynda Newman for creating this important function for our alumni. After some brief introductions and a presentation about the ISM Scholarship programme, all attendees were encouraged to attend the ISM reunion in Moshi this August. Like the alumni event in Dar last October, the Arumeru lunch had a very positive feeling as old friends met and shared their memories of ISM. In a few short weeks we will be participating in another memory-making event for ISM: IB2 graduation. The graduation of the ISM Class of 2007 will take place in Karibu Hall on Saturday, May 26th. This event is the most important one on the ISM calendar and as usual we are preparing for it to be a very special memory for the Class of 2007. You may also be interested to know that the school has purchased a 25-seater Toyota Coaster that has been imported from Japan. The new (to us) bus is a 1995 model and is fully equipped with seatbelts. We have also finalized arrangements to install High Frequency base stations on each campus as part of our security grant from the US State Department. ISM will have its own HF frequency spectrum for radio communications and we have also purchased a portable HF unit that can be used on our OP Trips. These steps should increase the safety of the children at ISM. Looking forward to next year, the Accounts Office has issued fee invoices now that are due by July 1st, 2007. You will recall that the Board decided to change our base currency to the US Dollar for next year. Using current exchange rates, ISM fees will increase by only 2.3% for 07/08. Please communicate closely with the Accounts office when you transfer the fees so your credit can be identified accordingly. Students with fees outstanding in August, including the first instalment payment for 07/08, will not be admitted on the first day of classes. Our hiring for 07/08 is now completed and you will find profiles and photos of our incoming teachers and their families on the ISM website this week. I know you will join me in welcoming them to the Tanzania and to the ISM family. The final item I would like to leave with you is an article linked to our website at www.ismoshi.org/gokiliview.htm. This article was written by a high school student from Canada who visited ISM with her classmates in March. The article gives a good sense of the feelings the VSP experience generates for students who take part in the visiting schools programme. By providing this experience to students from around the world, ISM is upholding its commitment to accept the responsibility to take action towards making a positive impact in our local community. Best Regards, Barry Sutherland Chief Executive Officer | |
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