Contents

Director 1 Admissions 2 Primary Principal 3 BTK 3 Primary Concert 4 Counsellor 4 Festival of Languages 5-6 Secondary Principal 7 ISA Results 2014 8-10 Athletics News 10 Baku Sharks 11 Russian Club Video 11 Board Report 12

Calendar March

3-4 P1-P2 Parent/Teacher Conferences

3-4 P3-P8 Parent/Teacher Conferences

4 M1 Assembly & Term 2 Sport Awards

4 Secondary PAC meeting

5 Planning Afternoon

6 Professional Development Day: School Closed to Students

9 Women's Day Holiday

10-13 M1-DP2 Mathematics Week

10-15 Kazakhstan Basketball Trip

11 P6 Open House

11 Upper Primary Play

11 M1-M5 Service Clubs

12 ELC Novruz Celebration

12 Upper Primary Play

13 Whole School Novruz Assembly

13 Term 2 Ends

14-29 Spring Holidays

30 Term 3 Starts

30-6 MUN Dublin Conference

April 1 Secondary PAC Meeting

2 DP2 Art Exhibition and Core Evening

3 M1-DP2 Easter Egg Hunt

8 Planning Afternoon

10 Q3 Secondary Reports issued

14 M1-DP2 3-Way Conferences

16 M1-DP2 3-Way Conferences

17 P3-P5 Assembly

17 M1 & M2 Science Fair

18 ACT Test

20-25 IEP Review Process with Students, Teachers and Parents

21 MYP Personal Project Presentation night

22 P1 Open House

22 M1-M5 Service Clubs

22 Secondary School Recital Evening

23 P2 Open House

24-25 M1-DP1 MUN Baku

24-29 M1-M3 Science Space Camp

27-1 DP2 Study leave

29 M4-DP1 Career Fair

29 Earth Day Secondary Assembly

30 P8 Open House

30 P8 Exhibition Evening

www.tisa.az

communications@tisa.az

27t h February 2015 2014-2015 I s sue 6

1

I am very pleased to be able to share with you that we have completed our teacher recruitment for August 2015. The last three positions have now been filled: Steve and Stacie Nakai, originally from Colorado, will be joining the Secondary School. Steve will be teaching Mathematics and is an experienced DP Maths HL teacher. Stacie will also be teaching Mathematics in M1 to M3 and has previously taught Science and Technology Integration. They have worked in international schools for many years with posts at a number of schools including Shanghai American School, the American International School of Johannesburg and Seoul Foreign School. They will be accompanied by their daughter, Aja, who will join M4.

2

Fran Munro has been appointed as a Learning Support teacher in the Primary School. She holds specialist qualifications in Learning Support and also has a Master’s in School Administration. She is originally from the USA, where she taught in the Baltimore region for many years. More recently Fran has taught internationally and she is currently providing learning support at the Dwight International School in Seoul, South Korea. It is extremely positive to have a full complement of teachers at this stage. We have succeeded in putting together an extremely strong team for next year.

John Gillespie Director

Teacher Recruitment Update

Festival of Languages See page 5.

TISA Surveys of Leaving and Incoming Families

TISA Times Page 2 of 12 Admissions

1

For the majority of our school community, international mobility affects everyone and provides both significant challenges and as well amazing benefits for the entire school community. The comings and goings of members of our school community are part of our regular school life here at TISA. Every year TISA says Goodbye to between 70 and 90 children and greets at least the same number of new children at the beginning of the school year. When I meet new parents for their first visit to TISA, I emphasize that we are a very welcoming community and that we do our best to make the transition from one school/county to another as smooth as possible. Not only are parents worried about how this move to Baku and to our school will affect their child, but as well what will happen when they will move on to another school in a few years, in most cases back to their home countries. It is not only parents who want to know, we here at TISA also want to know how our leavers are settling back home or in their new location. As stated in the latest CIS Report we “are a good school on the way to becoming a great school” and reflection and improvement on what we are doing well and what can be further strengthened will help us get there. This is why in January 2014 we conducted our first TISA survey for families who left TISA, and at the same time we conducted a survey for all our incoming families. At the end of September 2014 we sent out the survey to leavers again. 33% of the total number of families leaving the Primary School and 17% of the families leaving the Secondary School replied to the survey.

2

Most of our leavers returned to their home country curriculums, but 28% continued within the PYP and 40% within the MYP. 79 % of our Primary leavers and 100% of our Secondary leavers stated that TISA prepared their children for this transition very successfully or satisfactorily. Children found it hard to make new friends in their new schools, but they were able to adapt academically with relative ease. All of the parents agreed that TISA brings out the best in each child. Our former Primary parents see the strengths of TISA in our small class sizes, great learning environment, multicultural environment and the support we offer our children. In Secondary the emphasis was on the curriculum we offer, enthusiastic teachers and the encouragement given to students. Parents see of course that there is still room for improvement in certain areas and the admin team has been looking into these. One of the areas for development was the facilities, and it will be interesting to see the feedback in September 2015 when TISA 5 will have been operational for 9 months. All parents commented on the positive nature of our multicultural interaction, and after working on the definition for “Internationalism” in the first term of this school year, this was proof that we actually live this definition here within our school community. It is not only important for us to know how our leavers transition to their new locations, it is equally important to know how our new families are doing. Are we offering them enough support during these first, difficult months? Is TISA really the welcoming place I tell interested

Festival of Languages - Hindi See page 6.

Festival of Languages - Greek See page 6.

TISA Surveys of Leaving and Incoming Families…continued

TISA Times Page 3 of 12 Primary Principal & BTK

BTK News

1

BTK is busy preparing for our Novruz celebration on March 5th. The children are practising the “Jujalarim” song about little yellow chicks and some of the girls are preparing an Azerbaijani dance for our party. The last weeks were dedicated to the welcome of new children in BTK. All children did their best to

2

make their new friends feel comfortable and we all enjoyed singing our favourite songs to them. We are all looking forward to our Novruz party on March 5th.

Livia Gardner-McTaggart

and the BTK team

3

families about?” Do we actually live what we advertise? The answer is YES, we do: the survey feedback shows that parents feel very welcome when they are new to TISA and they praise the support we give to new parents. They welcome as well all the workshops we offer and we are currently looking into possibilities how to not “overload” new parents within the first weeks. Orientation for new families received very positive feedback with some areas for improvement which we are already taking into

4

consideration. The survey showed as well that the transition to a new school, making new friends and often getting used to a new curriculum with different expectations is not always easy for the children. We offer good support but are working on doing an even better job of this. Thank you to all the parents who took part in our survey. We will continue to ask for feedback from our leaving and as well incoming families at the end/beginning of each school year.

Andrea Gerlich Admissions’ Coordinator

From the Primary Principal

1

The Primary School is looking forward to spring after a long and busy winter! We are asking the local staff to explain the importance of the next four Tuesdays in our host country as spring approaches. If you do not know, perhaps you could explore the significance of each week with your children at home. Parent-Teacher Conferences are fast approaching and we ask parents to talk to their homeroom and subject teachers. A meeting with your child’s subject teachers is especially important if you are new to TISA.

2

P8 students are hard at work with their Exhibition, which is the summative assessment for the PYP programme. Students are involved in using all the transdisciplinary skills to investigate specific issues based around the central idea. This year the central idea is “Developing an understanding and awareness of our rights and responsibilities as humans empowers us to act.” I am sure all parents throughout the school will enjoy a look at displays relating to the exhibition as they appear just prior to exhibition evening on the 30 April.

David Harrold Primary Principal

Festival of Languages See page 5.

Parent / Faculty Careers and Alumni Fair

TISA Times Page 4 of 12 Primary Concert & Counsellor

TISA Performing Arts Present Willy Wonka Kids March 11th & 12th 2015 @ 6.30 pm in the Hall

1

It’s time to get your tickets for Willy Wonka Kids: 5 AZN all seats. Tickets can be purchased at the Primary Reception desk. 37 children have been working hard since January 5th, getting ready for what should be a spectacular show! Parents and teachers have been busy behind the scenes, building, painting, prop building, costume hunting, not to mention directing the children in dance drama and song.

2

Special thanks to Ms Megan Berryhill, choreographer of Willy Wonka Kids. Megan teaches very popular children and adult ballet classes in Baku. We look forward to entertaining you soon with Willy Wonka Kids at TISA!

Charlotte Harvey Primary Performing Arts Teacher

1

On April 29th The International School of Azerbaijan will be holding a Parent / Faculty Careers and Alumni Fair for our M4 to DP1 students. The idea is that teachers, parents and staff who are alumni of various universities will represent their Alma Maters at the fair. The Alumni Fair is designed to help our students make informed decisions about their university options. We would love to have you join us and support this project. “College Reps” would not be asked to make formal presentations, but will write to their college Admissions Office requesting presentation

2

materials, PowerPoint presentations, posters, brochures, pens, etc. to help set up a display. You then would staff the table and do your best to respond to the questions from the M4, M5 and DP1 students circulating at the Fair. Please contact me if you would like to be part of this valuable project, and I will send you a drafted letter that you could revise to send to your college requesting their assistance.

Paul Costello pcostello@tisa.az

High School Counsellor

Primary Festival of Languages

4 of 13

International Day I have been the International Day coordinator for the past 6 years. Sadly, this was my last year coordinating this huge event. I can honestly say that this was one of the most memorable. Thank you to the following committee members for their energy, enthusiasm and efforts to making this year's International Day a huge success: Elizabeth O'Neill, Brigette Henk Gulatowska, Scott Mathyk, Gina Hinds, Mark Stride, Matthew Franklin, Maria Hamblin, Daniel Bergthold, Jo Green, Greg Skehan, Ebby Adukkalil and Lucy Norton. Aylin and Gunel started the day off as our enthusiastic MCs for the International Day assembly. We had a variety of performances including the Tango and Cha Cha, creative dances from Turkey and India, a musical performance from Russia, a song about the 50 states from the U.S.A, learning languages from the M2 students, a musical and dance production performed by talented guest artists from Azerbaijan and 3 inspiring songs sung by the TISA primary students. It was an assembly to remember! The day didn't end there. Staff and students rotated to 5 different workshops that included puppetry, dancing, singing, playing national games, henna, art

TISA Times Page 5 of 12 Festival of Languages

1

During the week the many languages we have at TISA were celebrated across the school in a variety of ways. In the Primary library, children had the opportunity to take part in a scavenger hunt and listen to stories in other languages. Parents were involved in reading to classes, the Lower Primary were enthusiastically engaged in a lingo bingo activity in the dining hall, where a phrase of the day was posted throughout the week, home room teachers had a range of activities in different languages in class, P8 parents ran informative and language-rich language workshops, a language tree was displayed in TISA 2, and the week

2

ended with an interactive assembly in which children across the Primary School showed their knowledge of their mother tongue, and all who attended learnt some basic Azerbaijani phrases, taught by two of our Azerbaijani expert students. The video from the assembly can be viewed on this link. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AJLMMhzVA7I All in all it was a fun-filled, engaging week, which reflected the rich community in which we live and work together.

Fiona Hunter Primary EAL Coordinator

Secondary Festival of Languages

TISA Times Page 6 of 12 Festival of Languages

1

Last week saw the celebration of TISA’s 7th annual Festival of Languages. It was a fabulous week full of various events that gave us an excellent opportunity for the TISA community to come together and enabled us to profile the 38 mother tongue languages spoken by our students across the school. In the run-up to the celebration, a wall display was created by collecting the favourite non-English words from our entire Secondary teacher and student body. The Festival week began with ‘language taster’ announcements from our students in various mother tongue languages during homeroom time. These were followed by wonderful speeches given by our talented M2 students on the topic of

2

‘Languages Open Doors’ in TISA’s very own Speakers’ Corner. Parents were also involved in various capacities attending mother tongue language maintenance workshops and by giving language workshops. On February 19th an array of very successful and exciting mother tongue workshops led by students, parents and teachers were given to students. As a culmination to the week, an assembly was held to showcase the events of the week. It was a student-led assembly, which celebrated our linguistic diversity through musical performances, speeches, videos and presentations.

Festival of Languages Committee

Arabic

Georgian German

Turkish

Polish

What Football Team Do You Support?

1

This might seem like an innocent and reasonable question, posed to find out where your football allegiances lie but when I was growing up in Glasgow, the answer to this question could have quite severe consequences if it didn’t match the favourite team of the questioner. Most cities have their big derby match but few have the venom associated with the Glasgow derby, Rangers v Celtic. Any attempt to deny liking football or choosing one of the smaller Glasgow teams met with the response, “Yes, but who do you support, Rangers or Celtic?” You might wonder why I am writing on this subject but it is relevant to TISA and to international schools in general. The purpose of the above question was to highlight differences and then to act negatively in response to them; looking at differences through a negative lens and using them in a discriminatory way. The word discrimination tends to have negative connotations and is all too easily applied to race, gender, nationality, etc. By definition, it means to identify characteristics and use them to make decisions and it can be both a positive and negative act. This week at TISA, I witnessed numerous instances of discrimination. I’m not talking about the negative side; it is rare to see that at TISA; I am talking about the positive aspects that occur on a daily basis at our school. During last weekend’s Chevron Challenge Basketball tournament each of the coaches played all of their team regardless of their level of ability. It was wonderful to see our strongest players give way to those whose skill level was lower and to do so without complaint. This highlighted the understanding of the need for a balance between ambition, inclusion and

2

sportsmanship. Throughout the week our annual Festival of Languages focused on identifying the differences in culture and language within our student body and celebrating all of them. I watched as students participated in workshops where they learned the basics of new languages, were introduced to elements of different cultures and sampled traditional foods from other countries. During the week there was enthusiasm, interest and curiosity in large measure. On Friday night, the TISA Battle of the Bands showcased many of our students’ musical talents and, despite a wide range of ability, each performer was very well received by the large audience. It is testament to our school population that we create a safe environment where it is OKAY to take risks knowing that, no matter the outcome, you will receive the enthusiastic support of your peers. What we see here at TISA is echoed at countless international schools across the world and perhaps goes some way to explaining why it is that many international students, when repatriating to attend college, tend to gravitate towards those with similar experiences. I have heard time and again how challenging it can be for students to integrate into the monoculture of their home country and, to some extent, this is related to differences in the way they discriminate. I am happy to say that in all four of the international schools I have worked, I am comfortable expressing which team I support.

Stephen Caskie Secondary Principal

TISA Times Page 7 of 12 Secondary Principal

TISA Times TISA Times

Page 12 of 13 Bingo Night Photos

Board Report

TISA Times Page 8 of 12 The ISA Results 2014

The ISA Results – 2014 (Part 1)

1

We recently received the ISA test results for TISA and have begun the process of examining the data to identify areas of relative strength and weakness. As always, it should be noted that the TISA student population is too small to be statistically significant and it is therefore impossible to draw wide generalizations based on the results we have received. The results represent student performance on a single day and the ISA content tested does not fully represent the curriculum we cover at TISA. Nor does it represent the timing of the exposure to content that our students receive. An example that highlights this is the fact that the mathematics test for M1 students asked a series of questions relating to geometry concepts that were not introduced to our students until a month after the tests had been taken. It is therefore important to stress that the ISA tests provide a snapshot of student progress but are actually less significant than the results we generate through our own internal testing and examination routines. Over the course of the next few months we will be drilling deep into the data provided to help identify elements of the tests that can inform our teaching and lead to improvement in student performance. We now commission an annual report produced by ISA that provides interpretive data and identifies significant trends in TISA’s performance. In the second part of this article, presented in the next TISA Times, we will provide specific data on performance by Grade level and by subject. The text below will give you some indication of the way in which the data is analysed. Abbreviations IS Azerbaijan - The International School of Azerbaijan Gr - Grade

2

ESB - English Speaking Background NESB - Non-English Speaking Background M - Mean N - Number SD - Standard Deviation ISA - International Schools' Assessment Match Last Yr - Matched students between current year and last year Match 2 Yrs Ago - Matched students between current year and two years ago Match 3 Yrs Ago - Matched students between current year and three years ago Explanation of some ISA terms Domain subject or learning area The ISA has four domains: Mathematical Literacy, Reading, Writing A (Narrative) and Writing B (Exposition).

Cohort a group of students All Other Schools schools (not including your own school) who participated in the ISA that year. ISA norm benchmark representing ISA population. The ISA norm was calculated from six years' ISA assessment results. Like Schools schools participating in the ISA programme that have a similar percentage (as your school) of English speaking background students. Each school has been assigned to one of four groups: • more than 55% of students from

TISA Times Page 9 of 12 The ISA Results 2014

The ISA Results – 2014 (Part 1)…continued

3

an English speaking background • between 41% and 55% of students from an English speaking background • between 26% and 40% of students from an English speaking background • 25% or fewer students from an English speaking background. Matched students from your school who have taken the ISA tests at your school in previous years. The performance of this particular group of students can be matched against its performance in previous years. Explanation of statistical concepts ISA Scale All students who participate in ISA tests have their performance measured against a single scale. There is a separate scale for each of the four domains being assessed. The ISA scale score for a student is different from the “raw” score that the student would get by adding up the number of correctly answered questions on a test. The ISA scale makes it possible to make meaningful comparisons of results between different grade levels and between different calendar years even though the tests administered are not the same. The ISA scales are based on those developed for the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development’s (OECD’s) Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA). In the domains surveyed in the first PISA assessment, in the year 2000, the average proficiency of 15-year-old students in OECD countries was set at 500, with a standard deviation of 100.

Box Plots Box plots are graphical representations of data, and are used here to describe the variation or spread of ISA scale scores within a particular cohort. A large box indicates that there is great

4

variation in the scores. The length of the box represents the difference between the 25th and 75th percentiles: the middle 50% of scores are within this box. The point to which the line extends below the box indicates the 5th percentile, and the point to which the line extends above the box indicates the 95th percentile. These lines further indicate the spread of scores, as longer lines suggest more extreme scores in that direction. Note that if a particular cohort contains fewer than 11 students, a box plot will not be generated. In its place will be a series of dots which represent the scores of the individual students.

Confidence that means are different: On the CohortGrowth tab, each cohort has been assigned a d-value (Cohen’s d, Effect Size statistic). This value indicates how likely it is that the cohort is different from the comparable ISA population. A small value close to zero suggests it is likely that there is little difference in the mean abilities of that cohort and the ISA population. A large value suggests it is likely that the cohort and the ISA population are performing very differently. The d-value is categorised as follows: • d < 0.2 negligible difference in means • 0.2 ≤ d < 0.5 small difference in means • 0.5 ≤ d < 1.0 moderate difference in means • 1 ≤ d < 2 large difference in means • d ≥ 2 very large difference in means. Early analysis of the data indicates that our students remain ahead of the overall ISA population and it is worth noting that in 18 of the 24 tests administered across P6 to M3, TISA students scored above the average for all ISA schools. Most

From TISA Athletics

1

After an exciting weekend at the annual TISA Invitational Basketball, the TITAN teams displayed high levels of skills as well as sportsmanship throughout the event. TISA had 5 teams in the event and each team grew in skill and knowledge during every game. The Senior Boys’ red team and the Junior Girls’ team did very well from beginning to end and did not lose a game. The Senior Boys’ black and Senior Girls’ team lost early in the event which put them in a difficult spot right away. They both became stronger as the event went on and showed great heart and determination, surprising

2

their opponents in later games. The Junior Boys’ game was an exciting back and forth game that came down to the end and unfortunately they lost out by one point! Great job by the athletes and a big thank you to the coaches - Scott Mathyk, Ruslan Gafurov, Natasha Newstead, Jake Jacobsen, Alison Bainbridge, and Roelf Haverkamp - for training them well and leading them to success.

Eric Buczkowski Athletics Coordinator and Head

of Physical Education

TISA Times Page 10 of 12 TISA Athletics

The ISA Results – 2014 (Part 1)…continued

5

impressive is the fact that all Primary classes in all subject areas were ranked above average when compared to the whole ISA population. Averages represent one way of analyzing the data but often hide the more meaningful underlying data that illuminates performance in particular areas of the curriculum. It is our intention over the next two months to disaggregate the data in a number of different ways to identify areas in need of improvement and consolidation as well as areas

6

where we can celebrate our current successes. Individual parents have access to their own child’s results and can collect these from the Primary and Secondary counselors during a 15-minute appointment that will be used to provide some feedback on performance. These appointments can be made by contacting the relevant school office.

David Harrold Primary Principal

Stephen Caskie Secondary Principal

1

The third annual Baku Sharks Swimathon we be held at the Ramada swinmming pool on March 2nd, 4th and 5th. We are expecting 80 Primary and Secondary students to participate in the annual event to raise funds for United Aid for Azerbaijan. Swimmers had a choice to sign up to swim 1km, 1.5km, 2km, 2.5 km or 3 km and started raising money last week via the UK based fundraising website ‘Justgiving’. Using this website gives the swimers an opportunity to include family and friends overseas in their effort to raise funds for UAFA. This is the link to our team page where you can find all the indiviual swimmers’ team pages. www.justgiving.com/teams/bakusharksswimathon2015

2

If you like to make a donation to the whole team instead of an individual swimmer. This link will take you to our Baku Sharks Team fundraising page. https://www.justgiving.com/BakuSharksTeam2015 Well done SHARKS for your preseverance and effort to give back to the community you live in using your strength and ability to swim! We hope to make the Baku Sharks Swimathon 2015 the biggest and best event ever! Please support your classmates and friends in this worthy challenge.

Baku Sharks

Russian Club Video

The Russian Community and Service Club meet regularly and are supporting a variety of different groups. Under the strong leadership of Sharon, they raise awareness, collect money donations, buy products, donate goods and socialise with a variety of underprivileged people. Here is a link to a video of one of their most recent service trips. https://docs.google.com/a/student.tisa.az/file/d/0B27_eLnR4VZ0VDQ4Q3RvQk1qTG8/edit

Dianne Caskie Secondary English Teacher

Baku Sharks Swimathon 2015

TISA Times Page 11 of 12 Baku Sharks & Service Club

TISA Times Page 12 of 12 Board Meeting Report

From the PTA…continued

TISA Board of Governors Meeting Report, Wednesday 25 February 2015

Present: Wilbert Long, Dave Hatfield, Oddvar Samuelsberg, Michael Dickerson, Carol Hawkins, John Gillespie, David Harrold, Stephen Caskie, Alison Bainbridge, John Bowell

1. Welcome, Wilbert Long WL welcomed Board members.

2. TISA 5 Report, Ian McGregor Under-floor heating system: design flaw to be rectified. Gym equipment: motor replacements due to arrive in

Baku, completion in April. External steps: bids have been submitted, costs due next week.

3. Fire Prevention at TISA, Ian McGregor 24/7 monitoring by security. Alarms tested on Saturdays. Work is taking place to ensure system is operational across

the school. 2 successful evacuation drills held so far this school year. Fire extinguisher refurbishment programme in progress. Training to be provided for fire wardens.

4. Board Report

a. Whole School Matters, John Gillespie Student population stable overall. Visit of Chris Andre and Tom Burton scheduled for 30 March to 3 April. JG to determine whether 7pm on Wednesday 1 April is possible for the TISA 5 Opening Ceremony; otherwise 7pm on Friday 3 April. School Closure on Tuesday 27 January: we depend on electricity for lighting, heating, sanitation (pumps supply the water to hand basins and toilets), emergency response (fire alarm), communications (internet, phones) and catering. Without electricity we cannot operate safely. Power to campus was interrupted and generators did not work, so closure was inevitable.

b. Primary Principal’s Report, David Harrold Recruitment now complete: For August 2015 we now have a new Principal, Assistant Principal, PYP Coordinator, two Learning Support teachers and two P3 and one P8 class teachers. Open Houses are in full swing; these are a valuable opportunity for parents to see the teaching and learning in action and we have had very full parent turnouts. P8 Exhibition is the culminating event for the PYP. Staff have been carefully planning the process and the final showcase event, which will take place on 30 April. Parents have attended a session to explain the exhibition and to outline the responsibilities of the various stakeholders.

c. Secondary Principal’s Report, Stephen Caskie ManageBac has been selected as the classroom management system. Teachers are being trained to use the system and each will select a single class as a pilot. For next school year, all Secondary classwork, homework and electronic resources for all classes will be available for students and parents on a single platform. Secondary School staffing is complete for next year. We have appointed an excellent group of teachers who will contribute a great deal to TISA. Work has begun on the timetable for 2015/16. A review of the structure of the school day is ongoing and should result in a timetable that is fit-for-purpose in terms of meeting our priorities, e.g. achieving the correct number of teaching hours for IB HL and providing independent study time for SL classes. Counseling services are now fully operational and a full programme of activities for all grades has been built. One new event is an Alumni University Fair where teachers and parents will represent their Alma Mater to M4 and DP1 students. This will take place on the same day as our Careers Fair, allowing students to explore career choices before investigating college courses that would support these choices. Over the next month we will be reviewing the Secondary School graduation requirements with a view to aligning TISA with other schools that offer a US High School Diploma equivalence.

5. Treasurer’s Report, John Gillespie on behalf of Reynold Ajodhasingh JG presented a financial summary to the end of January 2015. On track with budget after 6 months.

6. Recruitment Update for August 2015, John Gillespie All admin and teaching positions filled. JG shared biographies of newcomers: extensive experience in international

schools. Excellent to have finished teacher recruitment at this stage.

7. ISA Test Results, Stephen Caskie and David Harrold An overview of the results was presented to the Board. Used as a diagnostic tool but difficult to draw real

conclusions with less than 100 students in a year group. Overall results were on a par with 2012 PISA results for USA and UK. Very encouraging, with some areas for development. Departments being asked to produce action plans. Principals will review how to give individual feedback to parents. In the Primary School, class teachers analyse individual and group data and identify strengths and areas for development and set goals.

8. Fees for 2015-16, John Gillespie Various fee options considered.

9. Family Entry and Exit Surveys, John Gillespie First round of surveys to incoming and leaving families produced very positive results. A few areas for improvement

but overall a very high level of satisfaction.

10. Any Other Business AB: Fire Prevention in TISA Apartments to be investigated.

From the PTA…continued