August 11, 2017-- I hope you are refreshed and ready for a year full of learning and growth. I’d like to give you a snapshot of the things we have accomplished over the past few months, and what we’re looking forward to doing this year.
This summer, we enrolled 150 new students, bringing this year’s projected enrollment to 580, a jump from last years 547. We hired 28 new educators, including a PYP coordinator, a grade 4 teacher, a Middle School social studies teacher, a High School support teacher, and 2 part-time French teachers. A beautiful Early Childhood Education building has just been completed, we are expanding our 1:1 laptop program in grades 4 and 5, and we’ve approved the design of a new Performing Arts Center and Gym.
Our three priorities for this year are to begin implementation of the IB Primary Years Program, construction of the new PAC and Gym, and continue to improve the IB Diploma Program. To meet these goals will require a lot of effort, but I’m sure that they will pay dividends for our students and our community.
In fact, we are already seeing great results from our investment in students. In a recent longitudinal study of students who have spent 3 years at ISD, 93% of them made more than one year’s worth of growth in a year. The results were particularly strong in reading and math. Additionally, ISD’s IB Diploma diploma pass rate is 88%; the world-wide average is 78%. ISD students’ IB exam scores are also slightly above average. We’ve set even higher goals for ourselves for the coming year, but we should certainly be proud of what we’ve accomplished so far.
As school director, one of my top concerns is to be available to you. You can depend on me to be passionate about doing what is best for the students and committed to learning, listening, and building relationships. If you have any questions or concerns about the school, I invite you to contact me by email (alank@faculty.isd.sn) or phone (766-44-6028).
We invite all parents to be actively involved in our school. ISD thrives when the whole community participates, and there are many ways to do that: concerts, plays, games, Open Houses, parent-teacher conferences, PTO events, and board committees, just to name a few.
Details about these events, and other important information, can be found in a few places. The Jag Journal is sent out every Friday with notes from ISD leadership, updates on important information, and event details. Emails from the Director, Principals, and teachers will also be sent regularly, and you can follow our website and social media accounts for photos and news.
We’ve worked hard over the years to provide quality education to each individual student, and they’ve worked hard to meet--and exceed--our expectations. We are thrilled to see where our students go this year, and beyond.
I wish you the very best as we begin the 2017-18 school year.
Sincerely,
Alan Knobloch
Director