Mr Anthony Rowlands: Weekly Update 22/11/2019

Mr Anthony Rowlands: Weekly Update 22/11/2019 Over the last two weeks, I have had the pleasure of attending two FOBISIA conferences, and we have hosted an inspection team from CIS and WASC.

Over the last two weeks, I have had the pleasure of attending two FOBISIA conferences in Macao and Penang. And then this week, we have hosted an accreditation team from the Council of International Schools (CIS) and the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC). This is part of the process of our 10 Year reaccreditation by CIS and a first accreditation by WASC. 

In Macao it was the FOBISIA Leadership conference (8th to 11^th November) where leaders from FOBISIA schools came together for professional development. We were treated to some excellent keynote talks by Baroness Susan Greenfield, Julie Stern, Tom Sherrington and Kendal Zoller, all of whom also offered  some wonderful workshops in addition to other participants. In between these activities, it was so beneficial to meet colleagues from around Asia in a social and professional manner. Prior to the conference, I attended the FOBISIA Executive Board meeting and the FOBISIA Heads Business Meeting in my capacity as Chair of the Executive Board. A great deal of productive work was done in these meetings and there is a positive drive to make FOBISIA an even more effective federation that serves its member schools.

The second conference in Penang (15^th to 17^th November) was the FOBISIA Teachers and Teaching Assistants Conference hosted by one of our member schools, St Christopher’s International Primary School (SCIPS) . Once again, it was an incredibly productive and positive conference with outstanding presenters and workshops. The BIS staff who attended had a wonderful experience and I am grateful to SCIPS for their excellent work hosting the event. It was particularly special  for me to be there as it was at SCIPS where I started my international career many years ago.

This week, we have hosted an accreditation team from the Council of International Schools (CIS) and the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC). This is part of the process of our 10 Year reaccreditation by CIS and a first accreditation by WASC. The team of 12 people spent the week meeting staff, parents and students, observing lessons and scrutinising school documentation.  We will be receiving a full report of the visit  and confirmation of  the accreditation by both bodies in due course. I am extremely grateful to Chris Fitzgerald (Chair) from CIS and Jenson Hjorth (Co-Chair) from WASC and their team for their hard work  and energy during the week. It was, indeed, a great pleasure to have hosted them at the British International School Ho Chi Minh City.

I attended three wonderful school events this week. The Secondary School “BIS at Broadway” concert in the Auditorium on Wednesday evening  was yet another exceptional event. The performances were absolutely stunning and would not have looked out of place on Broadway in  New York. Students, staff and parents performed, which clearly shows the quality of our community participation and solidarity. I am extremely grateful to Ian Alexander and his team for their hard work in putting this event together.

On Thursday afternoon, it was time for the Year 5 and Year 6 annual debate. I was absolutely amazed by the quality of  the presentations  and discussions that we heard throughout the afternoon. The preparation and clarity of speech was outstanding and I was, in a way, relieved not to be a judging on this occasion as there were some very difficult decisions to make regarding the final outcomes! Congratulations to every student who  participated and  they should all be very proud of their achievements. Here is a snippet of our Year 5 winner that opitomises the quality of the competition!

Last Saturday, the annual PTG Primary Family Fun Evening was held on the Junior Campus. With over a 1000 people attending, it was a most successful, fun-filled event with a great atmosphere. Once again, it clearly illustrates how close we are as a school community and, as Principal, I am very proud of that. I am extremely grateful to our PTG for their hard work in pulling this event together.

I would like to wish you all a pleasant and relaxing weekend.  

Anthony Rowlands, Principal