Message from the Head of School – November 5, 2021

Mike Miller named the new Head of School at Bali Island School!
Congratulations to Mr. Miller and to the Board on the recent announcement of Mike Miller as the new Head of School. It will be my pleasure to transition Mr. Miller into the role, make introductions to our community members and help set him up for success. I know he will take Bali Island School to new heights. Welcome to the BIS Community Mr. Miller!

3 on 1 off
The feedback about the new schedule has been very positive. I understand that the schedule has placed some of our families in a challenging transportation/child coverage situation and for that I am sorry. My suggestion is for families to consider carpooling, particularly if your child can catch a ride with someone in the same grade level, or to set up study groups in which students work together at a home on their off day. Hopefully, we will move to pre-Covid school routines soon!

Parking Patience
I would like to thank all of our families for your great work negotiating the ins and outs of our parking lot. Give our Satpams a thumbs up for all of their good work to ensure student safety!

Approaches to Learning (ATL) at BIS
The faculty has set a goal this year to identify the ATLs which, when owned by our students, will set them up for lifelong learning, being responsible and dutiful professionals, advocating for themselves and others, and being a global citizen – living the BIS mission and vision statements.

In July, we looked at the 132 ATLs that the IBO shares with schools. We then went through a close examination of each category: communication, research, social, self-management, and thinking. We selected 22 skills that we believe – align with the BIS mission and vision statements and that we see as critical for our students.

Over the past several months, on each of our ½ day professional development (PD) days, the faculty has been refining the descriptors for each of the 22 ATLs. Our goal here is to create descriptors that students can understand and then self-assess as to where they are as individuals on each continuum. We will conclude this work on November 25, our last PD day of the calendar year.

In January, the faculty will develop a path towards full implementation of our 22 ATLs.

The IBO encourages schools to have a vertical curriculum of the ATLs and to have faculty explicitly teach these skills to students. In BIS classrooms, not only do we teach the concepts of math, language, arts, etc. but we also teach students how to plan long-term projects, how to organize themselves, how to develop empathy, and demonstrate it. 

I would like to thank each and every faculty member for their great effort this year. Focusing on just 22 ATLs will help us refine this instruction and ensure our students own these skills as they receive their BIS Diplomas. The results will be transformative for our students as they learn and then own each of the 22 BIS ATLs and develop into young adults who embody lifelong learning.

CIS Interim Report
BIS turned in our Year I Interim Accreditation report on October 29, 2021. CIS has responded indicating that our efforts for school improvement continue on the right path. Mr. Marshall is our Accreditation Coordinator and not only created the report but also has developed strategies for evidence to be gathered throughout the 5 year period between accreditation visits. Thank you, Mr. Marshall.

Sick Child
If your Secondary child is not well:

• We thank you for keeping him/her/they at home
• We will expect your child to concentrate on feeling better and not attend class
  • No assessments will be given online
• If absent for 48 hours a Dr’s note is required to return to campus

If your child develops covid like symptoms and the absence is prolonged, please inform us so we can determine how best to support your child’s learning.