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TISA Times Director Page 2 of 10 Director’s End of Year Round-up..continued The Secondary Blue Team in the Tug-of-War The Secondary Green Team in the Tug-of-War artwork on display, we have attended captivating stage performances by students of all ages and we have been entertained by high quality concerts. This term our students have also enjoyed educational trips to discover the culture of Azerbaijan as well as England; the teachers organising and accompanying these events and visits have done a great job in offering these enrichment activities. Sporting fixtures and tournaments have brought success in basketball in Tbilisi and in Baku, and recently the TISA athletes were again placed first at the Wild Wind Track and Field Meet here in Baku: well done to them! It was also great that so many students, parents and teachers participated in last month‟s Triathlons. We bade farewell to the largest graduating class ever in May, the month in which research was published to suggest that the IB Diploma is a more effective pre-university course than any other and that IB students outperform those who have followed other university entrance routes. TISA graduates have been well prepared to enter excellent universities in the UK, the USA and elsewhere, and we have high hopes for the class of 2011 when the results are published next month. I expect 2011-12 to be another very good one. We will begin the year with more students, more teachers and more classes than ever. We have recruited some terrific new staff, and have made two significant additions of key players with a new Primary Counsellor, who will be an asset for parents, teachers and children alike, and the Educational Technology Coordinator, whose aim will be to help teachers integrate technology into the curriculum. With this in mind we are now investing $200,000 in technology which will enable our IT provision to better serve the needs of our students and which will enhance teaching and learning at all levels. There are several other exciting innovations planned which I will share with you in August. As usual, the many achievements have been the result of the collaboration of a host of team members. All staff involved at the school play an important role in driving forward the TISA Mission, and we value the contribution of security, cleaners, maintenance workers, drivers, business office support staff, teacher assistants and teachers all together in making the learning process as effective as possible for our students. We are also appreciative of the fact that our students are extremely eager to learn and well behaved, and that they make the most of all that is on offer at TISA, bringing creativity, dynamism, enthusiasm, vitality and fun to the school. The PAT (soon to become the PTA to further cement the parent-teacher partnership) has been active as usual. The Parents‟ Association has helped the local community in its sponsorship of various projects and has also been of enormous benefit to TISA. The PAT has generously provided us with playground equipment, musical instruments and kits for sports teams amongst other things and has organised various events including the innovative and extremely well received Teacher Appreciation Day and the recent Summer Barbecue, which was enjoyed immensely as much by adults as by the children. More is on the cards for next year… I am also grateful for the work of the members of the Board of Governors, who have supported the school in many ways, providing advice and expertise as well as giving us access to various BP resources. A special word of thanks goes to Kemp Copeland who is stepping down as Chair having led the Board with determination for the past two years, and to Victoria Cross, our US Embassy Representative, who is also moving on. We thank those staff members who are leaving TISA for their various contributions over a the past few years; we are grateful to the parents who are leaving for giving us the opportunity to have a hand in educating their children albeit in most cases for a relatively short time; we thank the students themselves, who are at the very heart of all that happens at TISA, for the …continued page 3
Page 3 of 10 Secondary TISA Times Director’s End of Year Round-up..continued difference that they have made to the school; and we hope that everyone will keep fond memories of TISA wherever they may be. I look forward to seeing those returning to TISA on the first day End of Year Message from Secondary It is amazing how quickly the year passes. Only yesterday I was writing the first TISA Times article for the year welcoming new and returning families and now you are off again on holidays! In fact, 180 days of school have merged into a myriad of experiences, events, and developments. I mentioned a number of highlights at the PAT AGM that have taken place in the Secondary School this year and I would now like to take the opportunity to reiterate just a few of the highlights. There have been major developments in fully documenting the Middle Years Programme. Although this was done in the past, the amount of detail and information supplied for each unit is now very detailed and thorough. An online system for major MYP homework is now accessible to Staff, students and parents. Parents can check when assignments are due. Interdisciplinary activities (across subject themes) have included Feral Animals M1 and Gadgets M2 and these meaningful activities will continue to increase throughout grade levels. A large amount of work has taken place on two major Self-Studies. The Diploma Self-Study involved reviewing the Diploma Programme and subject areas. This was presented in report form to the International Baccalaureate to ensure that our Diploma Programmed continues to meet its high standards. The second Self-Study has involved the whole school, including the Board, support staff, parents and students. I am pleased to report that all committee sections have completed their reports, although they will need to be updated next year. TISA will be visited in April by a team of specialist educationalists to review our standards and engage with the TISA community. The work that has come out of this Self-Study will be used to guide the way forward for the TISA Strategic Planning. of the Academic Year 2011-12 on Monday 15 August. Thank you to everyone for making this a great year! John Gillespie Director In addition, the Secondary School has witnessed many notable events during the course of the year including sporting successes in the areas of athletics, basketball and soccer. Our Community Service and CAS Programmes have been strengthened with several new service initiatives that have been added. These you will undoubtedly have been kept up to date with via the new community service newsletter that comes out monthly. The Arts have added a lively selection of entertainment from the major production, “Beauty and the Beast”, to coffee shop performances, trips to Vienna and London not to mention the IB art exhibition. A number of events have been offered to broaden the experiences of our students outside of the classroom including the M1 camp, the Spanish language trip to Salamanca and the Baku MUN Conference. We also celebrated recently our largest ever graduating class of 17 IB Diploma students. The final days of term year will conclude with Curriculum Enrichment days for M1-M5 students and the Group 4 Project for the IB1 class. It is important that your child/children remains in school until the end of the academic year since these activities are both worthwhile and meaningful as they develop the attributes of the IB Learner Profile and are an integral part of our Middle Years Programme. Please join us for the end of year assembly that will begin at 1:30pm on the 24 th of June, where these activities will be showcased and the Term 3 Principal‟s Awards will be presented. I would like to wish you a well deserved and enjoyable summer break. Thank you for all your support this year; it is truly a pleasure to work in such a positive, school community like TISA. Lesley Peacock Secondary Principal At the Graduation Rampaging Reds Rearing to Race in the Secondary Sports Day Graduating Students and their Staff
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