We do hope that the SIBS students were able to gain some much needed rest during the summer holiday and also continued to read and strengthen their literacy skills as a form of entertainment and learning. We are going to begin the year with energy, enthusiasm for learning, and a sense of urgency. Our qualified teachers and administration will build upon the good work and solid foundations that SIBS has established in its 20 year history. We will all seek to set a high water mark in the classroom with the delivery of a learning experience that ensures student engagement and the places learning at the forefront of everything we do.
Dear Parents and Members of our SIBS community. It is my pleasure to be able to welcome everyone to the start of the 2019/20 school year. We have a very exciting opportunity here at SIBS and we are thrilled to get the school year under way.
We do hope that the SIBS students were able to gain some much needed rest during the summer holiday and also continued to read and strengthen their literacy skills as a form of entertainment and learning. We are going to begin the year with energy, enthusiasm for learning, and a sense of urgency. Our qualified teachers and administration will build upon the good work and solid foundations that SIBS has established in its 20 year history. We will all seek to set a high water mark in the classroom with the delivery of a learning experience that ensures student engagement and the places learning at the forefront of everything we do.
SIBS has grown a great deal over the course of the past year. Our student body has increased by roughly 25% and we experienced our first graduating class last year. We were able to send all of our graduates to US universities where they will soon begin their first term and the start of their journey towards a higher learning. Our key areas for focus this year continue to be the development of a viable 21st century curriculum, the development of a strong social and emotional guidance program, and strong focus and emphasis on literacy for learning. Students will be provided with a caring literacy rich environment as we develop classroom libraries and also add best practices to the development of our Upper School and Lower School library, or media centers. A key continued focus throughout this year with our students and staff will be to learn from failure and develop growth mindsets founded upon perseverance.
As the director of the foreign teaching staff and administration I am pleased to announce the arrival of our two new principals. Mark Charles, the new principal of the Elementary School and Paul Brackmann, our new Upper School principal, will assist and be integral with our school’s growth and development.
We are proud of our school and we know we provide a well rounded good international bilingual educational experience for our students. Our hopes to provide more options for students to develop more skills in the areas of fine and performing arts are in process and enfolding throughout this year. We also wish to improve our student voice and choice in their learning by way of differentiated classroom instruction and evaluations/assessments. Students voice and leadership skills will also be a critical focus as we develop create and collaborate with the student council or student government.
I look forward to working with you and developing a relationship that will assist in the growth of your child/children.
Dan Mock
