Update on EARCOS Leadership Conference and the week ahead

Good morning Faculty and Staff,

I want to begin by thanking you all for your hard work, and for your tireless dedication to providing excellent learning experiences for our students, that help them excel at their passions.

This past weekend, those passions took both the boys and the girls representing SSIS in MRISA Volleyball to first place!! And in Hanoi, the MRISA Basketball boys’ and girls’ teams fought valiantly representing SSIS, with 2nd and 3rd place victories. Thank you so much to everyone who supported the tournaments. Way to go, Dragons!

Also this past weekend and last week, SSIS was represented in Malaysia, where several of us attended the 51st EARCOS Leadership Conference. I’m delighted to say that the trip was both meaningful and worthwhile. Our SSIS-led presentations, given by David Chadwell, Katie Rigney-Zimmermann and myself, were very positively received.

During the course of the conference, we conferred with renowned author, Tom Shimmer, an expert in critical thinking and assessment (visit his website for books and resources). We had several extensive conversations and attended his presentations, and were struck by Tom’s obvious breadth of knowledge and his excellent communication skills. Tom connected well with his audiences, and it was clear that everyone learned a lot about effective assessment.

Thus, we are delighted to let you know that we have invited Tom Shimmer to collaborate with us to implement the SSIS Assessment Policy. And, during the in-service week of August 4, Tom, who has more than 10 years of experience as a consultant in assessments, will hold a series of workshops for us, in small and large groups. This will set us up for a positive start to teaching and learning for the school year (details to follow).

On a different note, I was not elected to the EARCOS Board of Directors, this time, as there is an incumbent candidate from HCMC. But, I want to thank you all for your words of encouragement and support during the process.

As we now prepare for another exciting week ahead – a week of exploring, with Flansburgh Architects, how we can continue to provide the best programs and places for the education needs of the future, I reflect on what an amazing community we have. I look forward to collaborating with many of you, parents, students, and the School Leadership Team as we continue our work with the facilities master plan. Thank you all, for everything you do.

All best wishes,

Catriona