Greetings from the ISD Board of Trustees.

The Board held its first regular monthly meeting for this school year on 7 September 2017.  The main focus of the evening was to confirm the draft goals that we had set at our Board Retreat.  As is tradition, we also received our annual “State of Education” update from the Administration, so that Trustees are well aware of the way our students are achieving academically.

Board Goals 2017-18

In addition to its regular business (such as financial oversight, policy development, and evaluation of the Director), the Board has set three goals for this year:

The goals have been designed to address key governance issues for the school in the coming year.  A Board Committee will be responsible for progressing each goal.  If you have any questions or comments, you are welcome to contact the relevant Committee Chair via our email address boardbox@isd.sn.

Goal 1 – Governance and Development Committee Chair: Jennifer Grant

We are growing our International Baccalaureate Diploma Program, preparing to implement the Primary Years Program (in candidate status), and investigating whether the school should adopt the Middle Years Program. Through this Board goal, we will develop and implement a professional development program that facilitates the dissemination of key information that Trustees need to make informed strategic decisions on these and other school initiatives.

Goal 2 – Buildings and Grounds Committee Chair: Aylin Karahan

The development of the Performing Arts Centre and Gymnasium is a significant investment for the school’s future.  Construction will commence during this school year.  Through this Board goal, we will ensure we undertake our governance role in the project successfully.  This includes oversight over processes and finances to ensure that the Administration carries out the project in a compliant, transparent, and ethical manner.

Goal 3 – Policy Committee Chair: Jennifer Davis

The Board is responsible for setting and monitoring the strategic direction of the school.  We are now half way through our Five Year Strategic Plan.   This Board goal sees us evaluating our progress against the Strategic Plan and also involves reflection the ways the school is living out the ideals in the guiding statements.

Director’s Goals

At the Board meeting, Alan Knobloch also presented his Director’s Goals.  Like the Board goals, these are linked to the Strategic Plan.  The Director will explain his goals in his own Jag Journal post; however, I will note here that the Board voted to accept his goals for the year.

Other business arising from the Board Retreat

We also settled and approved the members of our Committees for the year and approved our Governance Agreement.  This document sets out the responsibilities of the Board as a whole and as individuals, the division of responsibility between the Board and the Administration, and procedures we agree to follow in our meetings.

“State of Education” Presentation

Using MAP test results, Alan Knobloch presented information about the way ISD students are performing, focusing on the changes in performance over time. He also shared some uplifting emails received from parents about their experiences of being part of the school community.  Paul Lennon, IB Coordinator, provided the Board with a summary of the performance of the IB Diploma students and also the Grade 12 students who did not choose to complete the full IB Diploma (these students graduate with a US recognised High School Certificate).  He also outlined the goals that have been set for the IB program looking ahead. 

Next meeting

The next meeting of the ISD Board of Trustees will be on Thursday 5 October at 6.00 pm (refreshments served from 5.30 pm) in the Administration Building Conference Room.  Parents and faculty are welcome to attend as observers (it was great to welcome three parents at our September meeting).  The Board can be contacted on boardbox@isd.sn.

Kind regards,

Louisa Gibbs

Chair, ISD Board of Trustees