Greetings ABIS community and welcome to the academic year 2017 – 2018! It is both an honor and a privilege to join Al-Batinah International School, a vibrant K-12 school that has achieved so much in spite of its young age.
I am forever grateful to my predecessor, Mr. Leo Thompson, who not only reached out to me and told me about this hidden jewel in the Middle East, but who also supported me to have a successful transition here at ABIS. For the past two weeks I had the opportunity to spend some time with the new and returning teachers. Everyone has made us feel welcome and helped us to settle in. Teachers and staff worked very hard to ensure that the new learning centres were ready to receive students.
Last week, Ms. Brewer organized a successful ‘meet and greet’ afternoon for our new families. The new students had the chance to tour the campus, as well as gain practical information about the day-to-day life in ABIS. The first day of school was filled with many fun and interesting activities meant to build rapport and establish norms for learning together in our newly-expanded open spaces.
Although it may take a while, I am looking forward to get to know personally each and every student, as well as their families. I am hoping to establish a strong home-school connection so that we can all work together to fulfill the school’s mission of challenging and inspiring students to become global citizens and successful life-long learners. Please do not hesitate to contact me if you have any questions or concerns.
Best regards,
Ann Gaillard