Students: The Joy of our Community
As part of my Entry Plan as new Head of School, I am offering all faculty and staff the opportunity to meet one-on-one with me for 15-minute sessions. More than 120 have signed up so far, and I have already met with over 70 of them in the last month. As part of the protocol, colleagues have to share with me what brings them joy in their work at FIS. With almost no exception, their first response to that question is: working with our students! A few words that were used to describe them are: dedicated, generous, joyful, well-adjusted, hard-working, committed to their learning, wanting to make a difference in the world, creative, multi-lingual, and of course, as stated in our vision, spirited and confident.
I have already witnessed first-hand the truth of these descriptors in my classroom visits and informal conversations with students, in the hallways and on the playgrounds. I look forward to the opportunity, between now and the winter break, to engage more formally with focus groups of students, primary and secondary, French and International Stream, to elicit their perspective on the school and the education they receive. My meetings with parent representatives later this month will also be structured in division-specific focus groups with a similar goal. All of these interactions will be key as I further refine my understanding of FIS and prepare for the next phase of my Entry Plan: planning for the future. Of course, I will find additional opportunities to update the community on this process and my learning.
