Dear parents,
We have now completed our 5th week of Distance Learning though this week was shortened by the sad news of the passing of Kuwait’s Emir, Sheikh Sabah al-Ahmed al-Sabah. Jordan’s King Abdullah II noted “Today we lost a big brother and a wise and loving leader… who spared no effort for Arab unity.” UN Secretary General António Guterres called the Emir “an extraordinary symbol of wisdom and generosity, a messenger of peace, a bridge builder”. Our school community joins in extending our condolences to his family and the people of Kuwait.
This week marked an important milestone for ABIS with the virtual visit from the International Baccalaureate to review and assess our implementation of the IB Middle Years Programme (MYP) leading to authorisation.
I congratulate Mr. Jon Adams and Mr. Greg Perry on their outstanding leadership in preparation for this visit. It was a successful two days; the IB authorisation team spoke highly of the teachers and students, the parents, and the board. They were impressed by the academic strength of the school, and the holistic nature of our programme delivery.
Many thanks as well to the students and parents who met with the visiting team. The team commended the enthusiasm and confidence of our students and parents and their impressive understanding which clearly demonstrated the strength of our school community.
My heartfelt thanks as well to all our Secondary teachers who worked extremely hard to ensure all was in place and were committed to the success of the MYP. The visiting team made specific mention of the exceptional teaching and learning that is taking place. Further, they praised the strength of our teachers understanding and organisation of the MYP.
We will not know if authorisation will be granted by the IB for some weeks as a report must be completed by the visiting team then sent to the IB office in Bethesda North America. However, after our exit meeting with the visiting team and their enthusiasm for our implementation of a high quality MYP, we feel that the outcome will be a positive one.
I have sent out a newsflash with information for a parent survey of the Distance Learning program. Could you please take five minutes to answer the questions as your feedback is very important. We will review the results of the survey and act accordingly should tweaks or changes be required. This is the link: https://bit.ly/3iakKRJ
Please do take time to rest and enjoy this weekend.
Dominic Robeau