Message from Catriona: Welcome to Year of the Pig and Update

Welcome back to school and to the Year of the Pig! The pig is said to represents luck, overall good fortune, wealth, honesty, and general prosperity. I hope that this Year of the Pig brings health, happiness and good fortune to you all.

This holiday, Gerry and I had a wonderful week in Changgu, Bali, enjoying the Balinese lifestyle and hospitality (and sacrificing a few Whole Life Challenge points along the way). While we were there, we took the opportunity to visit two schools including The Green School which offers the most comprehensive environmentally friendly educational program I have ever observed. It was very enlightening and provided a great source of inspiration for possible program expansion at SSIS in the future.

Later this month, Molly Burger, David Chadwell, and I will attend the National Association of Independent Schools (NAIS) annual conference in California where the theme is Reimagining Independent Schools (Tearing down Walls, Building Capacity and Designing our Future). Along the way, we will also visit The Nueva School, Castilleja, and the Stanford D School as these schools offer exemplary programs and facilities.

As we prepare our community for expansion and development, I will also continue parent meetings. During these next two weeks, parents are invited to a series of Head of School coffees, where we will share the 2030 vision for expansion (details that you have previously heard). These coffees will be conducted in English, Vietnamese, Korean and Chinese. I look forward to this opportunity to speak with and to listen to our community. You can help by encouraging the parents you interact with to attend.

In the meantime, thank you for the positive learning environments your provide in your classrooms – our students are very blessed.

Have a wonderful Monday and a great beginning to the Year of the Pig!