Towards August 2011

Dear Parents, Students, Staff and Friends of Excelsior,

Please find below the first of what will be a regular (at a minimum, monthly) newsletter from the Senior Leadership Team moving forward into, and onwards during, the next Academic Year. The Team comprises myself, Mr. Julian Leah as Principal (Designate), Mr. James McGhie, Head of Pre-School and Junior School, and Mr. Ian Stanley, Head of Middle School and High School (Designate.) To begin, we take this opportunity to inform you of 'where we are' at present.

Overview by Mr. Julian Leah, Principal (Designate)

As most of you are aware, my name is Julian Leah and I will be taking over from John Last as the Principal of Excelsior International School from July 2011.

As I am currently the Principal of the Orchard Campus of Chatsworth International School here in Singapore, I have been able to make some visits to Excelsior and meet with a large number of parents, staff and students over the past few weeks. I am confident that I shall be able to have an even more visible presence on the campus as we move through the final few weeks of the school year. My visits and meetings with parent groups, staff teams, class teachers and responsibility holders have provided a great deal of feedback which is invaluable as we begin our planning for the future. More importantly those contacts have revealed the depth of belief in, and the passion for, Excelsior.

I would like at this time to acknowledge the tremendous work that is being, and has been, done by current and previous teams; I particularly note the 'double duty' that John Last has undertaken for the past few months as he has completed both his obligations as the Principal and fulfilled the role of Head of Middle School/High School. The incoming Head of the Middle School/High School, Mr. Ian Stanley, and I have been able to take over some of the planning and work for the future, and, hopefully, this will have relieved some of the tremendous burden that John has had to carry.

I have been impressed by the obvious commitment of so many families to the aims and ideals of Excelsior and have been grateful for their insights, candid comments and constructive critiques. I am aware of the degree of expectation that is being placed on myself and the on-going and incoming members of the team, and can assure all of you that we are committed to living up to those expectations.

The key topic that has arisen in discussions and conversations across every aspect of activity at our school has been that of 'communication.' As we aim to improve in this area we have immediately taken two steps; we are piloting a method, schedule and style of communication in our KG over the next few weeks, and we will be issuing a 'Senior Leadership e-Newsletter' on a monthly basis (of which this is the first.)

I was made aware a few days ago that two surveys had been conducted during this school year (in October and April) and the International Schools Assessment (ISA) was done in February. Please click here to view the survey results. As our teams reflect on the information contained in those surveys, we will be able to construct a positive plan to address the issues contained therein.

The ISA results have arrived and are currently being processed and will be sent out to parents; the results will then be published in the next issue of the SLT e-news.


Julian Leah, Principal (Designate)

Overview by Mr. James McGhie, Head of the Pre-School/Junior School

This year, the Junior and Pre-School have undergone a number of changes.

The timetable was changed to provide students with greater quality learning time. The Semester Reports have been redesigned. The new reports will give parents information in a clearer format and reflect current educational practices. This will also allow teachers to provide greater detail of student's progress.

D.E.A.R. (Drop Everything And Read) was introduced across the Junior/ Pre-School. As reading underpins a student's educational journey, it was important to have time each day set aside to read and to develop good reading habits.

The Pre-school has begun to adopt 'Reggio Emilia' Early Childhood programme. The Reggio Emilia approach is widely used in Canada, Italy and in Australia. The emphasis is on the development of the children as they progress through the Pre-school.

Early in Term 3, the Junior and Pre-School became an authorised IB PYP World School. This was a magnificent achievement and has a major impact in the direction of the educational programme of the school. The next stage is to further develop the PYP programme in the Junior and Pre-School. As we progress with the implementation of the PYP, the Units of Inquiry will become further integrated into the curriculum; and we will continually review this against the IB 'Standards and Practices' with the view to improving and developing the subjects in the context of good pedagogy. This will enhance the curricula and learning of the Junior and Pre-School.

We are also reviewing the assessment process. Getting the balance between Assessment for Learning, Assessment of Learning and Assessment as Learning is important so that the school can develop lifelong learners who strive for excellence.

This academic year, our Junior and Pre-school grew by over 50 students and the student population continues to expand. Next year, in the Junior School, there will be two classes in each grade level. The additional teachers will result in greater collaboration and larger diversity of teaching styles.


James McGhie, Head of PS/JS

Overview by Mr. Ian Stanley, Head of Middle School/High School (Designate)

Within the context of an international school that seeks to offer a broad based curriculum to all of its students, I am looking to 'stabilise' the timetable in order to create a firm platform from which to further broaden the curriculum. The Middle School curriculum has the breadth and balance to provide the necessary preparation for the Secondary IGCSE and IB Diploma Programmes.

When considering the subjects we are able to offer at IGCSE, an unobstructed pathway into the IBDP is key. With an eye on the IBDP programme where students have to select from a range of subject areas and cannot specialise, we are creating a programme at IGCSE level that mirrors this. We are offering Sciences as discrete disciplines and are providing for students to develop a bias towards one curriculum area by allowing for a second Science, Humanity, Aesthetic or Language. IBDP also requires students to be involved in Creativity, Action and Service. Our strategy of requiring students at IGCSE to have an Aesthetic subject and to participate in Physical Education again mirrors the IBDP requirement and our philosophy of a holistic education for our students. The transition from IGCSE to IBDP should therefore be seamless.

It is important that the Middle School/High School offers students the continuity that comes with an articulated curriculum spanning Grades 6 through to 12, so that they are secure in the knowledge that subjects are offered year on year throughout the grades, that there is progression between the grades and that they are taught by highly qualified and experienced teachers. Our curriculum strategy provides that continuity. I am currently recruiting new staff and we will work hard to ensure the progression in the coming year.

I am also aware of the need to develop a programme for those students whose level of English is not strong enough for them to access the mainstream curriculum, both in the Middle and High School. This will be high on my agenda next year.

In addition to the above, we will be looking for opportunities for students to experience the curriculum outside the classroom, broaden what we offer as Co-Curricular Activities and, crucially, look for ways to develop our relationship with yourselves, the parents. I am clear about the importance of establishing a strong partnership with parents, of having open and regular channels of communication and of the wealth of experience and expertise that parents themselves can bring to the school.

Excelsior owes a debt of gratitude to the past staff who have guided it to its present position. We are now ready to take the next step in our growth, to expand and to strive for the excellence our name implies. This is an exciting time and I look forward to meeting and working closely with you to achieve our goal of providing a high quality education to all of our students.


Ian Stanley, Head of MS/HS (Designate)

I hope this initial SLT e-newsletter has given you a 'feel' for the work that the Senior Leadership Team is already undertaking and look forward to keeping you informed regularly of our progress towards an 'Excelsior of Excellence.'

Sincerely,
Julian Leah,
Principal (Designate)
06 May 2011

Excelsior International School, Singapore
201 Ulu Pandan Road Singapore 596468
Tel: +65 65366566 | Fax: +65 65366866
www.eis.edu.sg