International School Parent Magazine - Spring 2024
Welcome to the first edition of the International School Parent Magazine for 2024. We hope that you enjoy reading it as much as we enjoyed putting it together. Spring is a wonderful time – the weather is warmer, and the longer days help to boost our motivation. It is also the perfect time to start thinking about summer camps. We have curated a list of inspiring and interesting programmes and have presented them to you in a special feature beginning on page 40. In this edition we had the pleasure of interviewing both Nicola Sparrow, School Director of Aiglon College, and Andrea Spielmann, the Principal of the new SIS Basel-Allschwil school. In these articles, both these accomplished women share their passion for education and provide insight into the culture and ethos of their respective schools. We also continue our discussion of children’s mental health, drug use, communication, travel, and present many more interesting and topical articles and commentary. Check out the articles about the family activities in Lichtenstein, as well as unusual and exciting things to do in Switzerland, and an introduction to Basel the Swiss capital of culture and architecture. Once again, we are thrilled to present to you a magazine filled with interesting and informative articles, exciting experiences, and practical tips for parents. Have a wonderful spring and we look forward to bringing you more content again in summer.
Welcome to the first edition of the International School Parent Magazine for 2024. We hope that you enjoy reading it as much as we enjoyed putting it together.
Spring is a wonderful time – the weather is warmer, and the longer days help to boost our motivation. It is also the perfect time to start thinking about summer camps. We have curated a list of inspiring and interesting programmes and have presented them to you in a special feature beginning on page 40.
In this edition we had the pleasure of interviewing both Nicola Sparrow, School Director of Aiglon College, and Andrea Spielmann, the Principal of the new SIS Basel-Allschwil school. In these articles, both these accomplished women share their passion for education and provide insight into the culture and ethos of their respective schools.
We also continue our discussion of children’s mental health, drug use, communication, travel, and present many more interesting and topical articles and commentary.
Check out the articles about the family activities in Lichtenstein, as well as unusual and exciting things to do in Switzerland, and an introduction to Basel the Swiss capital of culture and architecture.
Once again, we are thrilled to present to you a magazine filled with interesting and informative articles, exciting experiences, and practical tips for parents. Have a wonderful spring and we look forward to bringing you more content again in summer.
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is really the centrepiece of our educational<br />
and entrepreneurial approach.<br />
At the school’s foundation will<br />
be bilingual learning, as well as the<br />
individual needs of our students which<br />
will be challenged but also supported by<br />
teachers and their social and pedagogical<br />
programmes.<br />
The campus is located within the<br />
Switzerland Innovation Park in Allschwil.<br />
It’s a great area with many international<br />
companies, startups, a daycare and<br />
restaurants. It is a wonderful place for<br />
teachers, students, and parents to meet.<br />
In some cases, parents work within the<br />
Innovation Park so the whole family is in<br />
one place.<br />
SIS has a strong school culture that<br />
extends across all campuses. Are there<br />
any aspects of that culture that you want<br />
to magnify at the new campus?<br />
At SIS, paying attention to an individual’s<br />
needs and strengths is one of our focuses.<br />
This aspect of school culture is very<br />
important to me as well.<br />
Of course, there are more aspects to our<br />
culture than just that. We have developed a<br />
set of values that form the building blocks<br />
for our school. There are four values that<br />
are part of the SIS educational concept and<br />
we seek to instill them in our students:<br />
Honesty<br />
Appreciation<br />
Personal responsibilty<br />
Committment<br />
These four values are crucial to everyone,<br />
and I would like to see them enacted in all<br />
areas of the new school as well. In the end,<br />
our values ensure that staff, students, and<br />
parents all work together as a community<br />
with the same expectations and goals.<br />
Moreover, social, and emotional<br />
learning in general are as much part of the<br />
curriculum as academic education. Because<br />
of this, our values are really deepened and<br />
strengthened through classroom discussions.<br />
We want students to be involved in all<br />
aspects of school life. This includes students<br />
taking on leadership roles at an early<br />
stage. We have sixth graders helping out<br />
in kindergarten or in the playground and<br />
involved during open days.<br />
INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL PARENT SPRING <strong>2024</strong> | 19<br />
Have there been any particular<br />
challenges so far and how did you<br />
overcome them?<br />
My new role requires a lot of balance in<br />
many different areas. My degree in business<br />
helps me identify and solve challenges<br />
on the administrative side, whereas my<br />
experience in education as a teacher and as<br />
head of primary (2 - 6) enables me to find<br />
the best solution in terms of educational<br />
challenges.<br />
These different perspectives allow me<br />
to consider what is best for the students,<br />
the parents, and the community, as well as<br />
the teachers’ needs whilst keeping in mind<br />
the business-side of the school. It is always<br />
crucial to respect every student. They all
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