Justin Alexander
justina@isb.ac.th
It may seem a little strange for me to be welcoming back new and returning ISB students and families to a school that I have only just joined, but I am very excited and proud to be doing so. I join ISB after eight years as Head of Secondary (Principal) at Chinese International School in Hong Kong and along with my family Kellie (teaching PE in the Middle School), Imogen (11th Grade) and Darcy (8th Grade) we are very much looking forward to the new opportunities and challenges that lie ahead for us here in Thailand.
For our returning students and families, a big welcome back and of course for our new students (over 70 of them) I wish you a warm and wonderful welcome to ISB. I am sure that your parent reps and student ambassadors will make you feel as welcome and as cared for as our family did when we arrived here four weeks ago. A real strength of ISB is the community involvement and ‘ISB Panther’ spirit and I can already see this shining through in my interactions with teachers, our wonderful Thai staff, parents and the odd student or two that have ventured into school before the start of school.
I trust that you have all enjoyed a safe and relaxing break and have made the most of the summer to recharge your batteries, travel, play sport, learn and spend time with family and friends. The school year fast approaches and our students will need all of their energy to make the most of the many opportunities that lie ahead of them in the High School.
My colleagues have been hard at work with preparations for the start of the school year and we are very much looking forward to opening school on Tuesday August 15th when we will start the day with a HS Assembly in the Chevron Theater at 7.20am. Mr. Vaughan will share details later in this newsletter about the full schedule for the first day of school. The new student and parent orientation Program takes place on Monday August 14th from 8.45am and I look forward to meeting my fellow new ISB’ers next Monday morning.
I also extend a warm welcome to the following new ISB High School teachers who come to us with a variety of backgrounds and experiences but who also have a special talent working with young adults and developing minds.
- John Rayworth – Mathematics and Computer Science
- Debbie McDowell – College Counselor (returning to ISB after a 3-year hiatus)
- Stephan Golas – College Counselor
- Augusta Harison-Denby – Drama and IB Theater
- Martin O’Donnell – HS substitute teacher
All the best for a wonderful year and I look forward to meeting many of you in the coming weeks.
Sincerely,
Justin Alexander
High School Principal