Feedback from parent coffees (in Vietnamese, English, Korean and Chinese) and WWW trips

Dear Faculty and Staff,

I hope your weekend has been restful!  Last week was a wonderful week of engagement with students and with parents. The four Parent Coffees with Head of School reinforced that our parents are very positive about their children’s experience at SSIS and have great trust in the education we are providing to them. The sessions were facilitated in English, Chinese, Vietnamese and Korean and attended by 30 to 50 parents at each session. I left every meeting with a great sense of pride, encouragement, and responsibility: pride in the work we are doing; encouragement that parents support the current and future direction of the school; and responsibility that we ensure the best environments, programs, teaching and learning for all of their children every day. Our parents are appreciative that we are not only focused on providing high quality student experiences now but that we are committed to the learning, exploration, and strategic planning that will prepare students for the future. We are very fortunate to have great partners in our SSIS parents as we embark on the strategic planning process.  Please see the attached Powerpoint for a review of areas addressed in these meetings.

My experience with the Grade 11 students on their retreat in Vung Tau at the end of last week reminded me that our students are living and breathing the SSIS Core Values. They were kind, caring, and supportive of each other (and me) as we stretched ourselves with rock climbing, zip-lining, and navigating challenging ropes courses. In addition, they worked hard on building playground equipment and library shelves for the students at the Phước An School and they joyfully engaged with the young students in the opening ceremony and in play.  It also reminded me of the great value of Week Without Walls trips as an opportunity for students to develop personally and to demonstrate their values in action. I am extremely grateful to all of the administrators and teacher leaders who ensured that every one of the WWW opportunities were well planned, safe, and worthwhile.

To all of you, have a great week and a very happy Confucius Day on Saturday!

Catriona