2 Feb 2018

Message From The Principal, 2 Feb 2018

Dear Parents and Caregivers

A highlight for me this week was interviewing the shortlisted candidates for head student positions. I wish I could share video footage of the interviews with you. The students spoke eloquently and with great insight about their Island School experiences, their contributions to making school and Hong Kong better and their passion for further leadership.

As a result of the process our new head students are:-

Head, Bakhita Fung – Rutherford and Mathew Wright – Wilberforce.

Deputy Head, Zaheu Jakota – Fleming and Esha Gidwani – Einstein.

I would also like to acknowledge the following students who were shortlisted and interviewed for these posts. All of the following have made wonderful contributions to our school and would have been worthy post holders as well. Christophe Hatterer Da Vinci, Viva Sheth  Fleming, Aayush Batwara  Nansen, Nobel Chan Da Vinci, Natasha Wang Wilberforce, Chiara Postaccini Einstein

The school council met this week and have endorsed my process for developing our new strategic plan. As a part of this process the school will conduct a thorough review into the following areas:-

External Challenge Key Questions
Positioning for success How will the economic conditions in Hong Kong change over the life of the plan and what opportunities will this create for our school and students?What are the strategic priorities for ESF and how will Island School incorporate them into our strategic plan?
Internal Challenge Review Focus
Workforce development How well does the current workforce design meet current and future requirements?
Parental engagement How satisfied are parents with Island School experience and what initiatives should be undertaken to drive further improvement?
Student     Achievement What impact has the futures curriculum had on student achievement and what initiatives should be undertaken to drive further improvement?
Student
Wellbeing
How closely does the Island School approach to promoting wellbeing reflect current research and what initiatives should be undertaken to drive further improvement?
Strengthening the Profession To what extent does the Island School approach to pedagogical improvement, professional learning and collaboration reflect best practice in the profession and what initiatives should be undertaken to drive further improvement?
Island Culture How should the school express our vision / values / ethos / code of expectations?

The new strategic plan will play a crucial role of identifying the strategic priorities for ensuring the school thrives during the temporary relocation to Sha Tin and positioning the school for a successful return to Borrett Road.

As an important part of this process parents and students will be asked to give their perceptions of Island school strengths as well as areas for further development in the years ahead. I look forward to explaining this project in more detail in the coming weeks and months ahead.