Staffing News for next year | ABIS Broadcaster

As a very successful year here at ABIS starts to come to a close, it is time to share some of our plans relating to staffing for next year with you.

In all schools there is a time where we have to say goodbye to teachers who have given so much to the development and life of the school. This year is no exception and five teachers will be moving on in the summer.

Ms Maram Al-Nairat will be leaving us to return to Jordan to join her husband, Ms Marie Barr will be leaving us to take up a position in Qatar and Ms Jackie Graves will be leaving us to join a school in Istanbul. Ms Leigh Ann Fitch will be leaving us for the bright lights of Dubai and it will come as no surprise that Mr John Wolfe will be heading that way too!

It is always difficult to say goodbye, especially to excellent teachers, but, knowing them as I do, I am certain that they will be giving 100% of their energies to our students in the coming weeks. We wish them all the very best for the future and I will be thanking them formally for all their hard work closer to the end of the school year.

Sohar is growing and so is ABIS. Demand for next year is very encouraging and we are anticipating continuing strong enrollment throughout the coming academic year. It is exciting times for the school and we have been working hard to make sure that we are ready for the next phase our development.

In response to this positive outlook we have invested heavily in additional staff for next year. As well as the teachers to replace leavers we have added a range of academic positions from August.

Here is a quick outline of who is coming to join our team now and in a few weeks we will be sharing more information:

Ms Suzanne Tomlinson: Curriculum Leader. Joining us from International School of Belgrade, Serbia
Mr Eric Griebenow: Whole School Music Teacher. Joining us from the GEMS World Academy, Dubai.
Mr Mohanned Barakat: Arabic Teacher. Joining us from Advanced Learning Schools, Riyadh.
Mr Isgak Jacobs: Whole School PE Teacher. Joining us from Advanced Learning Schools, Riyadh.
Ms Lauma Kronite: Early Years Teacher. Primary Years Teacher. Joining us from Riga International School, Latvia.
Ms Jillian Kearney: Primary Years Teacher. Returning staff member.
Mr Erics Kronitis: Primary Years Teacher. Joining us from Riga International School, Latvia.
Ms Ra-yda Jacobs: Primary Years Teacher. Joining us from Advanced Learning Schools, Riyadh.
Mr Michael Hurst – Mawasse: Primary Years Teacher. Joining us from the GEMS Wellington Academy Silicon Oasis, Dubai.
Ms Meghan Kenney: Secondary Years Teacher. Joining us from Myanmar International School, Rangoon.
Mr Todd Davis: Secondary Years Teacher. Joining us from Myanmar International School, Rangoon.
Ms Mina Znaidi: Secondary Years Teacher. Joining us from Grey Court School, London.
Ms Lina Hurst – Mawasse: Secondary Years Teacher. Joining us from the GEMS Wellington Academy Silicon Oasis, Dubai.

They are a really great bunch of teachers and it has been my pleasure to be able to recruit such a strong team of committed teachers over the last months.

Another important change that I would like to inform you about is a change in the leadership of the Primary School. As many of you know, Ms Carole Saunders has been split into many parts throughout her years here at ABIS most recently resulting in her sharing the dual roles of Primary Team Leader and Dance Teacher for the last couple of years. Earlier this year we decided that Dance was becoming a role that was too big to be a part time position and that it would need a full time commitment next year. After a period of serious reflection, Carole decided that dance education is her true passion and that she wished to dedicate her time and passion to further developing this exciting aspect of our curriculum.

As a result of this decision, we carried out a extensive external and internal recruiting process which set out to find the very best person to fill the role of Primary Team Leader and I am happy to be able to announce that Ms Michelle Simpson has been appointed as the Primary Team Leader for next year. As many of you know, Michelle is a highly respected member of our community who has held a variety of leadership positions in the past and I feel happy that we have been able to attract such an able and committed educator to this post.

I’m sure that you will all be happy to join me in congratulating them both on the the expansion and development of their roles.

Planning for a new school year is a dynamic process requiring the school to best match resources and demand. For this reason we do not publish the timetables or the specific staff allocations until mid August. Please understand that we will not be sharing detailed information before this time.

We will keep the updates coming as we speed towards the end of the year but, in the meantime, and, in the spirit of yesterday’s ‘May the fourth be with you’ Star Wars day…

Live long and prosper!