Dear ISB Community,
On behalf of all of us at ISB, I would like to extend a very warm welcome to both new and returning parents as we begin the 2019/20 school year. I hope you all had enjoyable and restful holidays and are ready for another school year full of great learning, extraordinary care and enjoyment.
This week, ISB has really felt like a school again as we welcomed 1640 happy students. There is something magical when you see friends reconnect and new friendships being made. We hope all of your children had an exciting and enjoyable first week of school.
For the families of our 300 new students, we understand that transitioning to a new school and often a new country will have its challenges and we stand ready to help in any way we can. Please know that ISB strives to be a welcoming school with an open door policy so if you need any assistance, please contact our administrators, counselors or teachers and we will do our very best to ease the transition for your child(ren) and you.
We have also welcomed around 30 outstanding new faculty members to ISB and I know they are very excited to be working with your children.
As with every summer, our talented support staff and various contractors have been busy improving the campus and making sure all of our facilities are in top condition. This summer we have been able to:
- Renovate the MS/HS Cafeteria
- Expand and update the Health Center
- Install an air purification system into our Pre-K/KG Quad
- Install new air conditioners in a number of ES classrooms
- Complete many smaller improvement projects
Please join me in recognizing the hard work of our staff – they take great pride in the condition of our school.
Also this summer we received the IB results for our departing seniors and would like to congratulate all students and their teachers on these results that are way above international norms. Highlights are as follows:
- 114 IB Diplomas awarded – a pass rate of 96% (world average around 80%)
- Average subject grade of 5.2
- Mean Diploma score of 34.3
- Highest individual score of 44 points (45 in the highest possible)
- 23 students scored at least 40 points – a really healthy 20%
Finally, please know that we are a listening school that understands that we have parents with experiences in schools all over the world. If you think there are aspects of ISB we can improve, or you have ideas for ways we can grow, please feel free to talk to any of our administrators or counselors.
At the beginning of each month, I hold an open meeting for parents – First Friday with Andy – and all parents are welcome to come with questions or suggestions. Dates for the year can be found on the ISB calendar and we meet in the Orange Room near the admissions area. The first meeting of the year will be on Friday 6th September at 8:00 am
We look forward to working with you this school year and hopefully for many more years in the future. Again, if we can help with anything, please let us know.
All the best.
Andy,
Head of School