By: Dr. Andrew Davies, Head of School
andrewd@isb.ac.th
Dear ISB Community,
On behalf of all of us at ISB, I extend a very warm welcome to both our new and returning parents. We are really looking forward to seeing you all very soon and are very excited to be welcoming your children to school this week.
We begin the year by applauding the achievements of our 2017 Graduates, who have moved on to colleges and universities around the world. They earned exceptional results in the International Baccalaureate (IB) Programme, with a very strong 93% pass rate (compared to a world average of 70%), an average IB Diploma score of 34 points (compared to world average of 30), and 17 students scored higher than 40 points (out of a maximum total of 45 points). They also added considerable value to ISB in their time here and we are pleased to now have them as part of our global alumni family.
We have again been very busy over the summer months with various campus improvements. In the High School, students will now be able to enjoy a revamped HS Office and HS Counseling Center – with a coffee/snack shop in the central HS quad. In the Elementary School, a further three classrooms have been redesigned for a team teaching model after a very successful trial with one classroom last year. Bathrooms have also been remodelled in grades 1 and 3. Whole school facility improvements include the laying of a new gym floor in Rajendra Hall, painting of the Cultural Center exterior, and a number of smaller projects. Substantial progress has also been made at the Environmental Wilderness Campus (EWC).
In recent days, we have been welcoming and orienting 18 new teachers, administrators and annual substitutes and we are looking forward to the fresh ideas and energy our new hires will bring. On the administrative front, we are excited that Justin Alexander has joined us as our new High School principal. Justin comes to us from Chinese International School in Hong Kong where he served as HS Principal for eight years.
The ISB administration and faculty have been working hard to prepare for the year ahead as we seek to ensure the aims of our Mission are being realized. At ISB, we strive hard to ensure that our students:
- Achieve their academic and personal potential
- Be passionate, reflective learners
- Become caring, global citizens, and
- Lead healthy, active, balance lives
At school, we are all very energized by our new Vision Statement for ISB. The new Vision Statement reads, “Enriching communities through the intellectual, humanitarian, and creative thoughts and actions of our learners”.
The first two words, ‘Enriching communities’ immediately signify the impact ISB will aim to achieve as we seek to add value to the lives of others. ‘Communities’ may relate to anything from our own classroom community to a hill tribe in Myanmar and many others in-between. We are seeking not to transform but to help build upon existing strengths, and therefore enrich. ‘Thoughts and actions’ are included because it is not just the positive activities our school is involved in, but also the mindsets we help to create in our learners, which will hopefully sustain long after they leave ISB. The adjectives, ‘intellectual, humanitarian and creative’ outline the different strengths we seek to develop in our learners.
This year we will also be formally launching our ISB “Attributes”. Over the past three years we have undertaken extensive research and development to determine what attributes our students will need to ensure their success with employers and colleges. As we consider the results from this research, as well as taking into account how our students can positively influence the world, we will be aiming to develop students that are:
Creative – able to produce, present and perform using alternative and innovative ideas that solve problems and have impact
Globally-minded – invested in the world and its people, embracing diversity and skilled at integrating and connecting
Adaptable – able to change approaches, adjust thinking and demonstrate flexibility
Value-driven – guided by our ISB values promoting good citizenship and fulfilled students
Socially intelligent – able to empathize, respect the views of others and collaborate productively
Self-managing – can manage goals and time efficiently, work independently and demonstrate initiative.
These are exciting times for the school as we bring a new Vision Statement alive, one that is more relevant to our students and that better aligns with our aim to make our world a better place through education. As with all successful visions, our hope is that it is embraced by all of community members as we unite behind it to ensure ISB students are well equipped for the world and make a positive impact.
We look forward to seeing you all soon and anticipate a year of great learning, of inspiration and of continued success.
If we can help in any way, please contact any of us at school.
Kind regards,
Andy Davies
Head of School