Message from the Head of School – October 25, 2019
October 25, 2019
Dear Parents of BIS Students,
Mr. Craig Eldred, our Primary Principal, has decided not to renew his contract at BIS for next school year. Craig has brought a great deal of clarity for the Primary Division with regards to the Enhancements to the PYP, has been instrumental in designing our Grade 2-5 iPad program, and our accreditation process was improved due to his careful planning. I know we all appreciate his warm smile and positive energy. He will be missed, as will Lorraine, Tahlia and Amelia.
In light of Mr. Eldred’s departure in June and in-line with making efficiencies within our school structure, we won’t be replacing Mr. Eldred’s position. Mr. Ross Ferris has accepted the challenge of becoming our School-Wide Principal, and we will be promoting an individual from within our current staff to the role of PYP coordinator. The PYP Coordinator is generally responsible for ensuring the IB Curriculum is implemented fully in the Primary division. This new structure makes more sense for our school at this time–in fact, BIS has used this structure in the not-so-distant past–and it will allow our team to continue to fully support your child’s needs.
Ross is uniquely qualified to bring a wealth of experience to the school-wide principal role. He has worked in IB World Schools (all having implemented the PYP) for the past 15 years. Ross has vast experience in vertically aligning curriculum and skills across the PYP, MYP and DP. He has played a lead role in the review and vertical alignment of our Assessment Policy, Modern Language, and Mathematics curriculum to ensure natural progression with skills and knowledge across the three IB programmes. Ross is currently leading the horizontal and vertical articulation of Approaches To Learning (ATL) skills which are also a vital aspect of the PYP, previously referred to as transdisciplinary skills. He is also the father of Mia, a 4-year-old enrolled at BIS.
We will communicate more on the new structure so that you are fully informed about the communication channels within the school.
As noted by the Board in June, I have committed to BIS through July of 2022.
#BetterTogether
Definition of High Quality Learning at BIS
The Teaching and Learning Leadership team has drafted the following definition of high quality learning. We have sent it to the faculty for feedback and we are now sending it to you. Please consider if this definition fulfills your understanding of learning. If you have suggestions, we look forward to using your feedback to improve our effort.
High Quality Learning at Bali Island School
At Bali Island School, high-quality learning is recognised as a lifelong cognitive process where knowledge is constructed, questioned, and applied to real-world situations and transferred across disciplines and experiences whilst developing skills and attitudes for success.
The BIS Instagram Account
I am pleased to announce that our school Instagram account has been handed over to a small group of students. The students met with their Economics and Business Management teacher and felt they could put some of their learning to good use by helping the BIS Marketing efforts. Follow their good work at @baliislandschool
They will be posting from the IISSAC tournament all weekend – Well done students!
November 16 – 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 noon – IB DP EXPO
Grade 10 families are welcome to attend our first IB DP EXPO in which we share our course offerings, provide opportunities to speak to teachers about course requirements, and better understand the DP Core. We will also share the college counseling process and the assistance we provide to families.
Please mark your calendars here 
and plan on attending
Workshop Thank You!
Thank you to all those who attended our BIS Workshop: How to Support Student Success at Home on Monday, Oct 21st. Please find the slideshow Mr. Ferris used to present on how parents can support MYP and DP students at home. Further information can also be found in the Primary newsletter.