Contents

Director 1-2 TISA Nursery 2 P5J Writing Club 3-5 P8 to M1 Transition 5-6 Primary Sports Day 6-7 Ernie’s Incredible Illustrations 8 Zombie Apocalypse 8-9 TISA TITANS 9-10 PTA Report 10-11 Board Minutes 12

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communications@tisa.az

16t h June 2016 2015-2016 I s sue 9

The End of the Year

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The end of the school year is a bit of a paradox. Alternately it often feels either as though the year disappeared in a flash, or the first day of school, Winter Fair, and earlier events are ages ago, in our mind’s eye. Paradoxically, we bid farewell to many close members of the TISA Community, while holding great expectation for our return in 2016-17. For those families and staff moving on, we wish you all the best and hope TISA has been a positive and impactful experience on which you will look back fondly. Those of you returning to TISA, we look forward to welcoming you back for our TISA 20th year and an engaging 2016-17 full of meaningful learning. Have a wonderful summer!

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Family Survey Results: Your feedback this year was positive and many comments spoke toward a recognition of efforts to improve communication, openness, and initiatives to strengthen the rigor of our curriculum—particularly in primary. Areas for focused improvement included the upkeep and further development of facilities; the coordination and consistency of communication; level of challenge and expectations for all students both in behavior and coursework; and assurance that students are academically prepared beyond TISA. The feedback in these surveys will inform our goals and planning in the new year school year. Please click on the link provided for the summary of the Family Survey Results http://tiny.cc/TISAFamilySurvey2016

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Kitchen: In addition to raising the standard of our general maintenance and cleaning, this summer we will renovate and update the kitchen facility and begin the phasing in of an expanded kitchen. The kitchen space was originally built and designed to serve a population significantly less than our current enrolment. The renovation will allow us to further improve the safety, preparations and efficiency of our cafeteria. After technical delays, we are currently piloting an electronic lunch system, which will be available from the start of the school year—with the ticket system as a back-up during the transition.

TISA Times Page 2 of 12 Note from the Director & TISA Nursery

TISA Nursery

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Pitch and Multi-purpose Hall: Both of these projects continue to move forward in development, but not to the stage we can begin work this summer. Both are strategic improvements to which the Board of Governors and leadership are committed. As such, we will ensure the quality and scope appropriate to the long-term use and vision for TISA. TISA Turns 20! Next year will mark TISA’s 20th birthday. Our International Day in October will serve as our school birthday celebration and we hope to introduce an updated website and school logo at that time. If you have any photos, stories, contacts of alumni and former families you would like to share, please contact Andrea Gerlich: admissions @tisa.az

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Farewell! Dear parents, Dear Nursery staff, I would like to use this article to say thank you for four amazing years in the Nursery (to many of you still known as BTK) and to five years in TISA in general. My “first generation” of nursery children has finished their year in P3 now and I am still overjoyed when they recognise me in the TISA corridors after all these years and greet me with an enthusiastic “Ms Livia!!!!”

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I want to thank you for four years of joy, happiness and most of all for the wonderful children who started their educational journey with us in the nursery. I also want to thank my amazing team – without you, it wouldn’t have worked at all. Thank you for being kind, gentle, funny and engaged with the children. Thank you for being observant and proactive and treating all children with respect and dignity. Thank you for encouraging the children in a positive manner and never raising your voice or treating them unfairly. Thank you Andrea Gerlich for helping me through the first years and being a friend, thank you TISA administration for supporting us all along, thank you maintenance team for the great work you did in the nursery and thank you IT team for always helping us out immediately. I am excited to move back to Austria and possibly become a farmer or a writer or a millionaire (who knows?), but also for my team as they will be working with a wonderful new manager next year, Ms Racquel Haverkamp. I want to wish her all the best for the future and many happy encounters with the next generation of Nursery children! All the best and have a great summer, Livia Gardner-McTaggart TISA Nursery

TISA Times Page 3 of 12 Writing Club

P5J Writing Club

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Goldilocks and the three giants By Dylan The three ugly, awful, giants left their beautiful house, leaving all of three of the porridges. Then goldilocks came in. She ate all of their tasty porridge. She skipped the chairs because they were horrible and too big, and she could not go up the massive stairs to sleep. So she waited until the three giants came back and one of them stepped on Goldilocks. “Ow” said Goldilocks. Three minutes later she was in the hospital. Sweeping Beauty By Dylan Once upon a time there was a pretty girl called Sweeping Beauty who was sitting at the window joyfully. Just then a witch, who was red eyed and ugly, but disguised appeared. “Here, have an apple,” she said mysteriously. “Thank you!” Beauty said. She took an apple and took one bite. A few seconds later Beauty picked up her broom and started sweeping. Then a handsome man came in. “Oh, I love girls that sweep for me!” he said. He kissed her and just then Beauty popped back to normal. She dropped her broom and said, “What are you doing here?” “You are such a disgrace!” shouted the man, and he stomped out of the house with a slam. Peter Poop Cleaner By Emir Once there was a boy called Peter Poop Cleaner. He was called that because he had a cat, a dog, a hamster and a mouse that loved to poop. They pooped every day when Peter had to bring all of them to school! Peter didn’t even get home help. Everyone was too scared! The next year was the worst year in his life. All of his pets had wives. Now Peter had to do double poop cleaning! What a hard life Peter had! The 3 little heads By Emir Once there were 3 little heads. They were wish heads. Wish heads are heads that if you touched them you would get a wish. One day all 3 little heads tripped and touched each other. All three heads disappeared. 3 lucky people got the wishes. Who can that be? Party time By Rita It was Issie’s birthday. She was 13. She gave Bella a dog balloon. She gave Rosetta a tiger balloon. She gave Ben a sheep balloon. She was just about to give Lala a balloon when Lala tripped over the step! Lala said, “I am okay. My knee just hurts.” Little Red Riding hood goes skiing By Rita Once upon a time Little Red Riding Hood went skiing with her mother to Shahdag. First they had to get 2 skis, ski-shoes, helmets and ski-glasses. Then they went skiing, but Little Red Riding Hoody accidentally fell. “Are you ok?” “I am OK, but can we go to the nurse?” “Sure!” So they went to the Doctor and he said. “She is OK!” And they were happy again. The end! Peter the Pan By Madeline Every day when Peter the Pan woke up he made sunny side up eggs on his head, because of course he was a flat pan.

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Then he went to brush his teeth. His toothpaste was made out of hard stone so it was very hard to brush. And a couple times before he knocked himself out brushing his teeth with stone. He did not brush his teeth with a stone again! Sleeping Cinderella By Madeline Once upon a time there was a beautiful princess. Her name was Cinderella. She loved to dance but most of all she loved to sleep. When she slept she snored very, very loud. She snored so loud the whole world kingdom could hear her! Everyone was very annoyed. They wanted to throw her out but they could not because she was the princess. One night when she was dancing with the prince she fell asleep. When she woke up everyone was laughing! “Ha, ha, ha,” said everyone. “Hey, stop that,” she said. And every time they saw her they laughed at her. The three army pigs By Yuljin Chapter 1 Once upon a time there were army pigs. One is for sky and other two are marine and just army. One day the first pig went to the forest and he sliced all the trees with his K1A1 tank. Later the wolves screamed, “Aaaaaargh.” I will tell you the reason. It was because the second pig boomed where the wolves were living. The wolves said, ”What is going on?” The pigs replied, ”We got weapons and plus you try to kill us before!” The Wolves said, “OMG……run away!” And the wolves fell in the trap and they were injured by the pigs. Chapter 2: Wolves’ revenge Three days later one of the wolves said, ”Hey guys, let’s revenge!” The other said, “Revenge?” “Yes, revenge,” the first wolf said. ”But how can we?” The leader wolf said. “Lets make a weapon out of wood and stone. And we will attack and do the same thing they do.” The others said, “Yes, do it!” One year later they made a lot of good, nice and clean weapons. The leader wolf said, “It’s time to get revenge! Ok, first we need to have plan, guys! I will tell you the plan.” The other wolves said, “Realley? Tell us!” The leader wolf said, “This is the plan. There are three houses of pigs and we attack each side. So the pigs will escape and we will be hiding in the forest and we will attack the pigs win!” The other wolves said, “Yes, let’s get Revenge!” The next time, at the pigs’ house the first pig said, “Ha, ha, I heard everything!” The other pigs said, “We know, let’s get ready and practice.” The next day the pigs and wolves fought for one year. Finally the war was over and pigs and wolves became friends. Finally the pigs said, “Let’s become friends because lots of wolves are dying.” “You’re thinking wrong.” The leader wolf said, “Ok, I will stop the war!” Alice on the silly Moon By Emma Alice got a rocket for her birthday. Then she went to the silly moon. She saw lots of good rocks. Then she explored the moon. But she had to go because it was almost time for the delicious cake. Cinderella Apple By Emma One day Cinderella Apple went out for a walk. On her way she saw an apple tree. She wanted to pick some. So she did. But she ate one apple that was rotten one and she fainted. When she woke up she was in the forest. Then she saw an animal. So she ran away to her castle.

Page 4 of 12 Writing Club

TISA Times

Page 5 of 12 P8 to M1 Transition

TISA Times

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The big, bad wolf By Donald The bears were going for a walk. Then the big, bad wolf came. The big bad wolf messed up the whole house. Then the bears came. The saw the mess and they saw the wolf and they chased the wolf. They threw a pie and cake at the wolf. The three little wolves and the big, fat, bad pig By Henry One day three little wolves lived with their mommy and daddy and also the rest of the pack. The leader of the pack said,” It is time for those three cubs to leave and live by themselves.” So the first little wolf left. He was walking in the grassy countryside. There was no path and he was alone until he met some knights. The Knights asked if they could join his pack and the wolf said yes.

P8 to M1 Transition: A Week of Welcome, Learning and Fun

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Throughout TISA this month students are preparing for important transitions. From the students entering the ELC to the DP students graduating next week, our students and their parents are preparing themselves to say goodbye to the familiar and welcome the excitement of a new school year.

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In the Secondary School this week, we were particularly excited to welcome the P8 students. The official welcome began this Tuesday, when P8 students and their parents had the opportunity to speak to M1 students and the Secondary support staff during the M1 Subject Fair. Our M1s regaled their P8 visitors with science experiments, personalized tips for success and examples of their best work from the year. This informative and entertaining start to the week was followed by P8 participation in Sports Day, during which P8s of all colours played well, but the Blue House came out victorious.

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On Thursday and Friday, P8 students experienced travelling from class to class, visiting English, Science, Maths, and Individuals & Societies classes during which they wrote and delivered speeches, practiced mathematical pattern recognition and donned lab coats to conduct experiments. For many P8 students this was the highlight of their week. After a Science lesson, one P8 student asked, “How many weeks of summer vacation are there? Because I want to start Secondary School now!” Transition ended with a festive picnic hosted by our M1 students, during which P8 students were able to talk to their new friends about their expectations for next year. We are grateful to the M1 and P8 parents for their help in making this picnic possible.

TISA Times Page 6 of 12 P8 Transition & Primary Sports Day

Primary Sports Day: T.E.A.M.: Together Everyone Achieves More

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The Primary Sports Days on June 1 (for P6-P7-P8) and June 3 (for P3-P4-P5) were enjoyed by all students and spectators alike. Both competitions started with the Red Lankaran, Yellow Guba, Blue Ganja and Green Nakhchivan Houses parading into the TISA-5 gymnasium with their house cheers and chants. Mr. Chris Andre, our School Director, opened the Sports Days with a word of welcome, and reminded all students of the importance of teamwork. We then welcomed Mrs. Rosa Morata and Mrs. Leticia Moren who took the stage and lead everyone in an action-packed Zumba session. All students showed their best zumba skills and were certainly ready to the big event after this warm-up! The mood was festive and all students were eager to take part in the various sporting activities. In the end, all students left TISA 5 sweaty and exhausted, but with a big smile on their face and an ice cream cone in their hand. Well done to all for doing your best and being part of your T.E.A.M’s success! A Big Thank You to all who helped and supported in making both Primary Sports Days a great success.

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While transition week is over, the process of this transition for P8s has only just begun. We wish them end of the year in Primary School and look forward to seeing them in our halls again after the summer holidays.

Marie Favret and Romita Khindria

TISA Times TISA Times

Page 12 of 13 Bingo Night Photos

Board Report

TISA Times Page 7 of 12 Primary Sports Day

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− to the PTA for the fruits, ice cream and selling sports day t-shirts

− to all parent volunteers and TISA staff for their help in making sure everything went smoothly – from scoring points to cheering on and encouraging our athletes

− to Mr Dan N, Mr Simon, Ms Aileen and Ms Sandy for their help in preparing for the different Sports Days events and activities

− to Mrs. Rosa and Mrs. Leticia for leading us in the Zumba session on both sports days

− to Mrs. Sandra and Mrs. Rosa for taking pictures on both sports days

− to the P7 and P8 Team Buddies for an excellent job in guiding and helping the P3s, P4s and P5s during their Sports Day on June 3rd

− to Ruslan and Rashad with the overall organization and set-up of the events.

I am grateful for your contribution and hope you also enjoyed the sports days! Please check out the links below to view the sports days photos! https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B8gxwCpLSVqCb1RCM1Uwdk1KNjQ https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B8gxwCpLSVqCcmtoSk9OLU9ILWs

SPORTS DAYS RESULTS

Green Nakchivan

Blue Ganja

Red Lankaran

Yellow Guba

P3-P4-P5 1870 points 1730 points 1590 points 2110 points P6-P7-P8 1510 points 1470 points 1430 points 1250 points

Roelf Haverkamp Primary Sports Days Coordinator

TISA Times Page 8 of 12 Ernie’s Incredible Illustrations & Zombie Apocalypse

Ernie’s Incredible Illustration

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In May, the Middle Years presented the British comedy Ernie’s Incredible Illucinations by Alan Ayckbourn. It’s the story of a girl with an incredible imagination whose daydreams, rather entertainingly, (though not so much for her parents) happen to turn into reality.

The production featured over thirty M1-3 students as actors, dancers, singers, musicians and technicians. The play included the Middle Years band, playing renditions of Walking on Sunshine, Help and Eye of the Tiger along with classical music accompaniments. It also incorporated Green Screen film technology, Indian dance and a Samba band.

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The production intended to celebrate the wide range of artistic talents of the students who worked together to direct the piece as an ensemble. Additional characters were brought in and an additional scene, written by Masha Goncharenko in M2, was also included in the final show.

Thank you to the army of talented teachers, support staff and parents who supported the show. And finally, special thanks to the students who dedicated hours of time and energy into learning lines, learning music parts, choreography, rehearsing… and balancing their studies and other commitments in order to take part.

Sofia Martyn Drama & Music Teacher

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Most special thanks to the M4 drama class of 2015/16: Mikayil, Hugo, Ainsley, Vivienne, Genna, Georgia, Selma, Malak, Kathryn, Alejandro, Kenia, Phoenix and Lara.

We attach some cautionary ‘before during and after’ pictures.

Zombies…. they have been spotted around the school recently, and whilst most teachers believe this is a cyclic occurrence (much like the migration of birds) accompanying the end of every school year, the M4 drama class thoughtfully produced a play detailing ’10 ways to survive the Zombie apocalypse.’ This public service was well received with full houses on both occasions testifying to the community’s willingness to be educated in Zombie survival. In order to make the performance more memorable, M4 students used what they had learned in their previous drama units, to develop a comedy. A potential downside is that some people may never be able to view mustard, bananas and ketchup in the same way again. It was a risk we were prepared to take, given the gravity of the situation.

10 Ways to Survive the Zombie Apocalypse – M4

TISA Times Page 9 of 12 Zombie Apocalypse & TISA TITANS

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In this student production, notable thanks go to Ben Davies as light and sound technician, Malak for publicity, Georgia and Phoenix as costume mistresses, Malak and Lara as Props mistresses, Lara as lead Choreographer, Kirill as assistant director, Vivienne as ‘last minute substitute' and Mr Marat for technical assistance.

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Thanks also to Alejandro The Shuffler, Ben, Selma and Mika for coming in despite illness, and the TISA Thespian society for support on the night.

Here is wishing you a restful Summer break, and bear in mind, the most effective method: Romance them Zombies...

Mr. McTaggart

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Extra Thespian News:

Ben Davies has been nominated to join the Thespian Society in recognition of his tireless technical work on TISA drama productions.

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Recently the Titans Sports program awarded athlete of the season awards for the Track and Field season as well as Athlete of the Year award for High School/Middle School Boys and Girls. The following were awarded for their efforts within the Track and Field season. Most Valuable

Performer Most Improved

Performer Most Inspirational

Performer Sportsmanship

Award

Senior Boys Suleyman Karimov Tobias Norton Kabyl Oxikbayev Alex Cross

Senior Girls Nadine Garibli Kinga Kajtar Maria Terres-Morata Sophie Hanneman

Intermediate Boys Daniel Saavedra Danial Hafiz Zulkarnain Samuel Norton Alejandro Loboguerrero

Intermediate Girls Nastassja Gerlich Holly Onslow Vivienne Gardner-McTaggart

YeBin Pyun

Junior Boys Henry Sadler Francis Lufts Diego Terres-Morata Anthony Triolo

Junior Girls Minna Stalder Angelina Gerlich Rebecca Chalmers Marina Lazareva

TITANS wrap up the year!

PTA President Report for the school year 2015-16

TISA Times Page 10 of 12 TISA TITANS & PTA Report

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I took on the role of PTA President at the start of the school year 2015-16. This was a time of considerable transition at TISA, with the arrival of a new Director, both a new Principal and Assistant Principal in the Primary School, and a relatively new administration in Secondary. Having been actively involved in the TISA community over a period of 5 years, my intention was to support this transition as far as possible. Using my own knowledge and experience, and that of the PTA Board, I have worked to fulfil the PTA’s stated aim: simply “to help make TISA a great place for our kids”. My first achievement was to introduce a new event ‘Sign Up Saturday’. This provided the whole TISA community, and especially new families, with the opportunity to meet with and register for all sports clubs, music tuition and extra-curricular activities operated by or through TISA, right at the start of the school year. It proved highly popular, with TISA families, but also the clubs themselves who were able to streamline their individual sign up processes, by focusing on this single event. Crucially, the event also served as an ‘ice breaker’ for the new school year, and significant and welcome support was provided from the administration, who attended and provided staff transport. The early part of the year was given over to setting up a PTA Board, attending school orientation and back to school evenings in ELC, Primary and Secondary to introduce myself and PTA, facilitating a parents meeting as requested by the Primary Principal, and running a large ‘Welcome coffee morning’ for all families at TISA. I also participated in 2 days of training as a commitment towards sitting on the TISA Board of Governors. From late September, my attention turned to the

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The coveted Athlete of the Season award goes out to a student who has participated in 2 or more sports as well as has received a Seasonal award. There were 38 athletes eligible for these awards but we had to narrow it down to 4. Three of four of our awardees accomplished an impressive feat of taking part in 4 sports as well as earning a Seasonal award on each team. Nastassja Gerlich received the Middle School girls award for the second straight year after receiving 3 MVP's and an Inspirational award! Sam Norton, the awardee of the boys Middle School award had a chance to step out the the shadows of his older brother and took home the title after garnering 2 MVP's as well as two Inspirational awards! The High School Girls award was wrestled away from a two time winner this year. Maria Terres-Morata had solid performances in her sports almost running the gamut of possible awards with 2 MVP's, Sportsmanship and finishing the year out with the Most Inspirational performer. The last award was the hardest to decide upon. The High School boys award could have come down to 3-4 solid performers but after discussions Tobi Norton was awarded it after participating in Football, Volleyball, Basketball and Track. He achieved the awards of Sportsmanship and Most Improved on two of the teams. All in all the awardees were well deserving of these titles and will hope to carry on this great effort next school year. Congratulations Athletes!!! GoooooTitans!!!

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Winter Fair. This is an annual event, and provides both a fun, community spirited day for TISA and beyond, as well as a major fundraising opportunity for PTA. PTA confirmed that my role should also include responsibility for co-ordinating the Winter Fair. In 2015 this remained a very successful fundraising event, raising a total on par with the previous fair in 2014 despite a 5% drop in school enrolment (BTK-DP2). Profit raised continues to provide 80-90% of the overall PTA annual budget. Anecdotal evidence from TISA Security suggested our highest ever footfall (in excess of 650-800 people) and many of the children’s activities sold out. Further events run throughout the school year included a movie afternoon for Lower Primary, complete with tonnes of popcorn. Upper Primary danced away the night under UV light at the hugely popular ‘Tron’ disco. We invited all parents and teachers to ‘Meet the Board’ at a December social evening, and shared our financial accounts at a January coffee morning, viewed as our AGM. A Family Bingo afternoon in April, complete with luxury raffle, provided a relaxed community social event whilst raising money for PTA. We provided concessions at a number of school productions, arranged flowers for Women’s Day, treated all staff to an appreciation lunch comprised of parent donations, and added fruit and ice cream to the Sports Day mix. PTA’s final large scale event was successfully delivered with TISAFest on Sunday 22nd May. My intention was for PTA to create a ‘festival feel’ on the TISA field, where families could enjoy good food, live music and a variety of activities, and celebrate the end of the school year. This event

TISA Times Page 11 of 12 PTA Report

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proved hugely popular, with great weather, a Scootathlon event, and music from a live band helping to create an ideal atmosphere. Once again, PTA was very grateful to the administration for their support, and for the provision of staff transport. From our fundraising, PTA has provided branded hoodies for the DP2 leavers, and sponsored poolside kit to enable Baku Sharks swimmers to represent TISA as a school team at an international swim meet. ELC has new garden equipment which in turn will open up wider school opportunities. The new P8/M1 band has speakers provided with PTA funds, and we are committed in principle to contributing towards equipment for repurposed performing arts space. 50% of our fundraising has been passed directly to the Charities Committee, and in turn been used to support meaningful projects based around long term relationships with the TISA community (these have been managed independently, outside my remit.) In March 2016 I confirmed, as expected, that my family and I would be leaving Baku at the end of the school year. As such, I made clear that I would step down from the role of PTA President during the summer term, in order to allow for an orderly transition to a new chair. 2 candidates came forward, and so I duly ran an election process, as advised by the current PTA constitution (this included identifying an election scrutineer independent of the PTA Board). I believe the repeated line of questioning at an election meeting with parents, the subsequent modest voting turn out, and the extremely close result (51.5% vs 48.5%) all provide a clear message about what the community at TISA really wants - namely, limited politics and good collaboration between those people interested in serving on behalf of the PTA. It will be for my successor, and the committee she forms, to take forward PTA work in the school year 2016-17. In the interests of capturing experience and lessons learnt this year my personal observations would be: § The new administration has bought a fresh energy to TISA, and has been very helpful in their support for

PTA activities, particularly in providing a much clearer steer of where parent support would be most constructive. I leave PTA in a strong position to continue to work with the administration to align community energies with school priorities.

§ An evaluation of PTA roles, and Board composition, would likely be a productive exercise. Roles tend to exist because ‘it’s always been done like that’, rather than to fit a clearly defined need; there is scope to become more efficient. I strongly believe PTA should be able to grow and adapt depending on what is required from TISA and the community it serves. In line with this, a balance must be struck between providing accountability, and avoiding an onerous constitution which likely serves as much to repel as attract.

§ PTA must always strive to be as inclusive as possible. There are many reasons why people choose not to stand as a PTA Board member – perceived language barriers, perceived time commitment required, relationships within the TISA community – and PTA is likely to be most successful when it looks to mitigate these reasons as far as possible.

§ It is important to acknowledge that all parents and staff are considered part of PTA; many of our events this year could not have been run to the same high standard without support from volunteers more informally associated with PTA. Equally, PTA is only ever likely to be as strong as the support it receives, and continued and increasing support, particularly from TISA staff members, would be most welcome.

I am very grateful for having had the privilege to serve as PTA President, and would like to record my appreciation for the support I have received throughout the year. I have thoroughly enjoyed working closely with the new administration to foster a positive atmosphere throughout the school year, and to support the optimism that rightly accompanies future plans for TISA. As TISA prepares to celebrate its 20th year, I wish the community the very best for many years to come. Louise Scarr PTA President 2015-16

TISA Times Page 17 of 18 Board Meeting Report

From the PTA…continued

TISA Board of Governors Meeting TISA Conference Room Thursday 12 May 2016, 4:00 to 6:00 p.m.

MINUTES Present: Jonathan Davis, Chris M. Andre, Brigette Henk-Gulatowska, Colin D. Allan, Ewan Drummond, Lori Antolinez, Louise Scarr, Zainal Abidin Zainudin Absent: Carol Hawkins, Minutes: Brigette Henk Gulatowska Next Meeting: June 13, 2016 1. Welcome

2. Secondary Timetable Presentation Presentation by secondary principal Stephen Caskie described changes to

secondary timetable. Successful efforts to balance academic requirements, improve community development, support after school clubs and improve comfort. New model was created with input from parents, teachers and students and feedback has been overwhelmingly positive.

3. Minutes from April Board meeting were approved.

4. Matters arising from Director’s Report LS adds “TISA Fest” to events calendar, May 22nd. ED asks about status of

local staff contractual decisions. CMA is still waiting for clarification on the service contract. Action: CMA will liaise with contractors to communicate terms for service contracted employees. Currentl bidding for maintenance and cleaning services and services for TISA. ED stressed the need to gather market data. Board discussion included how to best communicate information to employees, with a clear focus on child protection, trust, transparency and the climate of the school community. would like information on TISA status impact on contracts. LS asked about how information about TISA LLC will be communicated to parents. CMA will provide the opportunity to further discuss changes to the school’s structure in the new school year.

5. Staffing Update Enrollment is projected to decline by 12% measured against the start of the 15-16 school year,

but otherwise stable with a comparable number of applications at this time last year. Staff assignments are being finalized. Any changes will be within the current budget structure. LA inquired as to the wait list policy for applicants. CMA commented that some grade levels are quite full, but final numbers have not yet been determined and will affect the ability to take new students off the waitlist.

6. Financial Report and Budget Update EW, Operating budget outlook is positive. This school year the surplus will

potentially address kitchen renovations, the football pitch and a contribution to the TISA 5 loan. CDA stated that because enrollment projections are within the projected estimates, funding is available for capital projects.

7. Capital Projects Update JD addressed the pitch and old gym. The scope of work for the field is ready to go out to bid, but the projected work schedule may be challenging to complete in summer 2016 and may have to be completed in summer 2017Action: a maintenance plan is in place to make the pitch viable for another year. Kitchen maintenance is a priority for the upcoming months and will possibly be completed in phases related to structure, flooring and services. AECOM has produced a scope of work for Titan Hall and further examination is necessary.

8. Facilities update ED stated that a recent tour of the kitchen highlighted upgrades that are needed. Action: JD,

within next week or two, will seek a professional opinion about kitchen safety, size, usage, layout and formal recommendations for kitchen equipment needed, keeping in mindspace, efficiency and storage. JD explained that a health and safety audit of TISA is schedule for May 31 and a survey of the TISA interior will follow.

9. Strategic Planning Update CMA shared a draft of of the five-year strategic plan. Action: CMA will email the draft

to all Board members. CMA asked for feedback and approval at the June meeting. 10. Any Other Business Draft schedule of school year 2016-17 Board meetings was shared.

TISA Times Page 12 of 12 Board Minutes