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| 10 May 08 (00:59 EAT) |
| 4 September 2007 Dear Parents, It is hard to believe we are beginning the fourth week of term one at ISM, but we are. I want to thank all our returning and new staff for making a wonderful start to the year for our students. I am very pleased about how happy the children at ISM appear to be and how well our new teachers have settled into their very demanding jobs. I want to welcome back the Curley family to Arusha Campus and congratulate Samantha and Marcello Mongardi on the birth of their daughter, Sophie. On Moshi Campus Jeff and Jen Holcomb also returned to school with an additional family member: welcome Ben! It has been a busy three weeks at school, following after the highly successful reunion and orientation of new teachers. Yesterday the Board sub-committee to review the parent committee terms of reference met and took a positive step towards resolving the issue of how best parents can serve as partners in the school’s direction. This committee is comprised of the PCM and PCA representatives to the Board, the Heads of Campus and is chaired by a member of the majority shareholder of the school and has been tasked with proposing a structure for a combined parents committee for the whole school. I am looking forward to their recommendations to the Board for an improved parent committee structure. I expect the Board will consider the new structure later in the term. In the meantime, administration is working with both parent committees and I appreciate the commitment both groups have demonstrated towards improving communication. Many thanks to the parents who hosted the Moshi teachers, parents and students for a picnic at TPC last week. The event was well attended and a lot of fun. I am sure there will be a similar event in Arusha before long. Thank you to the several parents of boarders who shared lunch with the Moshi staff recently on a Friday afternoon. The final Strategic Planning meeting took place in the second week of school and all stakeholder groups involved in the process were well-represented. Anne Wilshin, our Development Officer, will be compiling the final documentation and it will be posted on our website where we encourage you to read the details of our new Strategic Plan. I want to thank Anne for her hard work in facilitating throughout the process, which began in December 2006. I also want to thank all the people who participated in the strategic planning process – clearly, we all have a great interest in the future of ISM. The three main directions of the plan were as follows: 1. Improved Marketing and Fundraising; 2. Cultivating and Communicating the School’s Vision; 3. Improving Staffing Structures. You will be hearing more on each of these directions as the year progresses. Clearly, enrolment initiatives will be a primary focus for the school this year. The Executive Committee of the Board met last Friday on Arusha campus. We discussed revisions to the operational budget for 07/08 and looked at enrolment projections for the year. These conversations led naturally into the strategic directions for the school this year and where we should be directing our collective energies. Raising the level of enrolment in the school and hence improving the school's income will clearly be our highest priority and we expect to announce specific initiatives in that direction very soon. It was very constructive to have parent perspectives from both campuses voiced at the meeting. The M1 Camp Craft Trip to Marangu was a big success this weekend and our youngest campers told me they had a great time in between bites of pizza on Moshi Campus on Sunday when they returned. Thank you to Ben, Charles, Adrian, Annette, and Steve for supervising the group this weekend. The terrific Outdoor Pursuits programme we have distinguishes ISM from other schools around the world. I am also pleased to announce that our OP trips will have an added layer of safety in the near future. Last week we installed a High Frequency radio base station on each campus. We have two mobile HF units on order from Australia and when they arrive we should be able to communicate between the campuses and the group that is on a trip. The HF set-up was made possible by a generous grant ISM was able to secure from the US State Department. Parents on either campus are welcome to make appointments with their children’s teachers. Just contact the appropriate Head of Primary or Secondary and they will organize a schedule for appointments. For other issues, please bring them directly to the Head of Campus. If you would like to have a chat with me, please send me an email or contact my secretary, Rosie, to find a time when we can meet in Moshi or Arusha. We have made an excellent start at ISM and the children are really enjoying themselves. Extra curricular activities, OP trips, Hard Labour, and class trips are beginning. We are consolidating the good work of our teachers with our three IBO programmes: PYP, MYP and Diploma and winding up the final year of IGCSE. It is shaping up to be another full year at ISM and I look forward to the whole community working together to keep us an excellent IB school in East Africa. Best Regards, Barry Sutherland Chief Executive Officer | |
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