Message from the Head of School – April 30, 2021

Health Policy Update:
Any student who is absent from school:

• Contact the school regarding student not attending
• Contact Ibu Surya directly regarding the child’s condition (nurse@baliis.net)
  • if away with a physical injury: The student may return to school as soon as they feel physically capable
  • for students who are away sick:
• A student without COVID symptoms must be feeling well (symptom-free and medication-free) for 24 hrs before returning to school
• A student with COVID symptoms must isolate for 14 days or return a negative test after 5 days of isolation

A returning student must see Ibu Surya on arrival at school – prior to joining their classes. Thank you for your strict adherence to this important adjustment.

Incoming and Outgoing Faculty Members:
It gives me great pleasure to introduce to our BIS Community a new cohort of teachers who will join our staff for SY21-22. Please learn more about our newest team members by clicking on this link. I would like to take this opportunity to thank the faculty who have helped me to complete countless interviews and reference checks in accordance with our recruiting guidelines and the International Task Force on Child Protection Recommended Screening and Assessment Practices for International School Recruitment.

Unfortunately, the above announcement means that some members of our current team are moving on from BIS. This news is always hard to process, but we, who have chosen to send our children to international schools, realize that international school teachers do move to develop themselves as professionals and as global citizens. The faculty leaving represent a combined 50+ years of BIS experience and history – a truly remarkable contribution to our school. BIS is indebted to each of you. We will have many opportunities to say thank you and best wishes over the next month to this amazing group of educators – but let me be the first to say – Thank you and best wishes for your next adventure!

International Festival:
Thank you to everyone who contributed photos and videos of your nationality and culture. Our IT Team has spliced and diced to create our first Virtual International Festival. Our diversity and culture shines through in each of the submissions. I know you will enjoy the final product! Thank you to our innovative and creative PTA leadership team for this wonderful idea. Please access the celebration via the PTA eNews post. There are some fantastic photos, performances, recipes and even a trip up one of the tallest buildings in the world!

Community Survey:
The Council of International Schools Community Survey is now closed. Thank you for taking the time to lend your voice to the data. A few parents have signed up to assist me in mining the data and targeting areas for improvement. Thank you.

Secondary Awards:
With input from the Secondary Faculty, we have revamped our Secondary Awards to reflect our definition of High Quality Learning and the IBO’s MYP and DP Curricula. Please find the description of each award and criteria here. In future years, this information will be placed in the Student-Parent Handbook so students are able to set goals, if they so choose, and have targets to work towards.

Enjoy the weekend and stay strong, 

Garth