 Ed.D. Director International School of Dakar |
Director's Dispatch
A Counselor's Guide to Mental Health and Wellness
This article was originally published by Bradley University here. Depression
Suicide Prevention
Eating Disorders
Alcohol and Drug Abuse Prevention
Anxiety and Stress Management
Proper Nutrition and Health
|
Getting the Most Out of Parent Teacher Conferences
At ISD, parents are partners in their children’s education. Next week’s parent teacher conferences are an essential part of this partnership. I would like to offer the following six tips for parents to get the most out of the parent-teacher conferences. 1. Attend the conference Parent teacher conferences are a great way to learn more about your child’s progress and how you can help them at home. We understand some of our parents’ work and travel schedules may prevent them from attending. If this is the case, do not hesitate to contact the teachers to arrange another day to meet. 2. Prepare for the conference Spend some time before the conference thinking about what you would like to know about your child, their strengths, or areas of improvement. Write down any questions you have about the school programs, the classroom, or your child in particular so you do not forget them. Here are some great questions to ask:
3. Expect to hear about your child’s areas for improvement |
Goals for the Year: Update on our Strategic Plan
Communication About Communications
The International School of Dakar wouldn't be who we are without parent and family involvement. Your ideas, participation, encouragement, and dedication to your children improves every aspect of our school and helps your students thrive. Of course, for parents to be fully involved, the school needs to communicate effectively about major developments, important events involving their children, and meetings with school administration and teachers. Improving communication with our families is a priority of the Board of Trustees and the administration. We currently distribute information in a few ways:
This year, we added a Communications Coordinator position to the ISD administration, which has been filled by Catherine Kazmirski. Her top three priorities for the year are to improve communication within the internal ISD audience, develop an easier to read JAG Journal, and establish a long-term communications strategy. Our ultimate goal is to make it easy for families to get the information they need by making it more accessible and available on the platforms you use.
Catherine will be sending out a survey next week to better understand your communication preferences so that we can improve our processes and make it easier for you to get the information you need. The survey will help us understand how you prefer to be notified about events, how you access our website and newsletter, and if you have any suggestions for things we might be overlooking. Please take a few minutes to complete the survey so we can include you even more in your child's education and the ISD community. |
Starting the Day Right
Getting children up and ready in the morning can be difficult. Personally, my wife and I have survived the struggles of getting teenagers out of bed when they just want “ten more minutes.” Dakar traffic can make the task of getting to school on time even more difficult. However, it is important for students to arrive on campus early enough so they can be in the classroom for the start of lessons.
Educators know the first ten minutes of a class or a lesson are critical for effective learning. Teachers use this time to settle the students for the class period, pose questions to stimulate the students’ thinking, and provide critical information needed for new learning. Students who arrive late to class not only miss information they need to complete their assignments, but can also disrupt the learning of other students.
ISD Students should arrive on campus by 8:20am so they have enough time to order lunch if they want and get to their classroom on time. Secondary school students who arrive late to campus are considered tardy and excessive tardies will result in disciplinary consequences. The administration will contact parents of elementary students who are consistently late as well.  This will unfortunately be more difficult after the Tabaski holiday for families coming from Almadies. By then, the Ecole Actuelle Bilangue (EAB) will have started. Since EAB is on the route from Almadies to ISD, there will be traffic jams starting around 7:30am. Families coming from Almadies should add 15 to 20 minutes to their driving time if you usually pass EAB between 8:00am and 8:15am. Last year, we asked the EAB administration to enlist the help of a gendarme to help with traffic, which they did, and it reduced travel time. To help families calibrate their morning schedules, students are allowed to arrive on ISD’s campus starting at 7:30am. Elementary students will be supervised by our teaching assistants and are welcome to go to the library or play on the playground or fields. Older students are welcome to study in the library or the outside tables. We want the ISD campus to be welcoming both before and after school, especially since a smooth start to the day is important for everyone in the family. Please help make sure our students are leaving early enough to arrive at school on time, even factoring in the increased traffic.  ISD faculty greet students as they arrive in the morning. |
What makes ISD unique in Dakar?
What makes ISD unique in Dakar? In educational language, our goal is provide a holistic educational program. In layman’s terms this means that while academics are important, it is not our sole focus. We also develop the student’s artistic, athletic, social, and emotional skills. We believe that students need to have strong skills in all these areas in order to be successful and happy in their future schools and later in life.
 How do we do this? In elementary school, students take art and music a couple of times a week, taught by specialists in these areas. As they move into the secondary school, students can also take drama courses. Recently, we added video production and film to the secondary school. These arts courses develop the students’ creativity, help them build confidence through performances, and help them discover new talents.
The research is clear that students who are physically active do better academically, are able pay attention longer, and work harder to maintain their grades so they are able to remain eligible to play sports. Additionally, being a part of team teaches life skills of leadership, collaboration, and perseverance. We make a point to incorporate athletics into our school, developing students’ skills through regular physical education classes starting in Pre-K 3. This is a required course from all students through grade ten. The students further develop their skills, while gaining the benefit of being physically fit, through after-school activities and sports. The elementary after-school program includes soccer, basketball, and martial arts. Volleyball, basketball, and soccer are the major sports in the middle and elementary school, with both local and international competitions. The swimming and track teams are open to students in all three schools.
 If a student is unhappy, having difficulty with friends, experiencing stress in their lives, or struggling with the adjustment to a new city and school, they will not do their best at school. It is normal for all students to deal with the issues at some time in their lives, particularly students who move frequently and live apart from the support of their extended family, as many of ours do. To help students learn how to handle these emotions and transitions, ISD provides professional guidance counselors who help look after our students’ social and emotional well-being. The counselors serve our community through regular classes, working with small groups, meeting individual students, as well as individual conversations with parents and workshops for parents on child development and parenting. They are a resource to the teachers and administrators, helping us better meet the individual needs of our students. In addition to all of the above, the secondary school counselor guides 12th grade students through the challenging and often confusing process of applying to colleges in the US, Canada, UK, France, Belgium, and Asia. Taking care of the student’s social/emotional needs and supporting our parents are high priorities at ISD!
The best schools in the world have strong arts and sports programs. They care for their students and help them develop the social and emotional skills they need to form strong relationships and navigate through difficult times in their lives. Yes, academics are important at ISD! But our students also need the artistic, physical, social and emotional skills they will gain by being an ISD student, where we strive to educate the whole person.
|
Welcome to the new school year!
Welcome to the 2017-18 school year! I hope you are refreshed and ready for a year full of learning and growth. I’d like to give you a snapshot of the things we have accomplished over the past few months, and what we’re looking forward to doing this year.
This summer, we enrolled 150 new students, bringing this year’s projected enrollment to 580, a jump from last years 547. We hired 28 new educators, including a PYP coordinator, a grade 4 teacher, a Middle School social studies teacher, a High School support teacher, and 2 part-time French teachers. A beautiful Early Childhood Education building has just been completed, we are expanding our 1:1 laptop program in grades 4 and 5, and we’ve approved the design of a new Performing Arts Center and Gym.
Our three priorities for this year are to begin implementation of the IB Primary Years Program, construction of the new PAC and Gym, and continue to improve the IB Diploma Program. To meet these goals will require a lot of effort, but I’m sure that they will pay dividends for our students and our community.
In fact, we are already seeing great results from our investment in students. In a recent longitudinal study of students who have spent 3 years at ISD, 93% of them made more than one year’s worth of growth in a year. The results were particularly strong in reading and math. Additionally, ISD’s IB Diploma diploma pass rate is 88%; the world-wide average is 78%. ISD students’ IB exam scores are also slightly above average. We’ve set even higher goals for ourselves for the coming year, but we should certainly be proud of what we’ve accomplished so far.
As school director, one of my top concerns is to be available to you. You can depend on me to be passionate about doing what is best for the students and committed to learning, listening, and building relationships. If you have any questions or concerns about the school, I invite you to contact me by email (alank@faculty.isd.sn) or phone (766-44-6028).
We invite all parents to be actively involved in our school. ISD thrives when the whole community participates, and there are many ways to do that: concerts, plays, games, Open Houses, parent-teacher conferences, PTO events, and board committees, just to name a few.
Details about these events, and other important information, can be found in a few places. The Jag Journal is sent out every Friday with notes from ISD leadership, updates on important information, and event details. Emails from the Director, Principals, and teachers will also be sent regularly, and you can follow our website and social media accounts for photos and news.
We’ve worked hard over the years to provide quality education to each individual student, and they’ve worked hard to meet--and exceed--our expectations. We are thrilled to see where our students go this year, and beyond.
I wish you the very best as we begin the 2017-18 school year.
Sincerely, Alan Knobloch Director
Artist's rendition of ISD's future Performing Arts Center and Gym  Students and parents explore the new Early Childhood Education building |
Construction Schedule
 There will be significant construction on campus this summer. Below is a list of the major projects. · Installation of new early childhood playground · Resurfacing of driveway on campus · Construction of new PE/Pool changing rooms · Demolition and removal of clubhouse by pool and current changing rooms · Construction of wall separating the PAC/Athletic Complex construction area from the main campus. We are delaying some projects so our Summer School can use as many of the facilities as possible. Once Summer School ends, the majority of our facilities will be closed. Below are the dates and time our different facilities will be open. Week days - June 9 to June 25 Basketball Courts – 3:30pm to 6:00pm Field (some parts will be closed) - 3:30pm to 6:00pm Fitness Room – 10:00am to 6:00pm Large Playground - Open 3:30pm to 6:00pm Pool - Open 3:30pm to 6:00pm Small Playground - Closed Tennis Courts - Open 10:00am to 6:00pm All facilities, except small playground, are open 10:00am to 6:00pm on week-ends (June 10, 11, 17, 18, 24, and 25) June 26 to August 7 Basketball Courts – 10:00pm to 6:00pm Field - Closed Fitness Room – 10:00am to 6:00pm Large Playground - Open 10:00am to 6:00pm, week-ends only Pool - Closed Small Playground - Closed Tennis Courts – Permanently closed ___________________________ À l’approche de la fin de l'année scolaire, je voudrais saisir cette occasion pour de bonnes et relaxantes vacances à toutes nos familles. A ceux qui quittent ISD, je leur souhaite bonne chance dans leur nouvelle aventure. Pour ceux qui nous reviennent, nous nous réjouissons de les revoir en août. Il y aura de très grands travaux sur le campus cet été. Voici une liste des principaux projets. • Installation d'une nouvelle aire de jeux pour la maternelle • Réfection de l'allée pour entrer au campus • Construction de nouveaux vestiaires - Education Physique / Piscine • Démolition et enlèvement du club-house situé à côte de la piscine et des vestiaires actuels • Construction d’un mur séparant la zone de construction PAC / Complexe sportif du reste du campus scolaire. Nous retarderons le démarrage de certains projets afin que notre camp de vacances puisse profiter des installations le plus possible. Une fois le camp terminé, la majorité de nos installations seront fermées. Voici les dates et heures auxquelles nos différentes installations seront ouvertes. Jours de semaine - 9 juin au 25 juin Terrain de basket-ball - 15h30 à 18h00 Le terrain central (certaines parties seront fermées) - 15h30 à 18h00 Salle de musculation - 10h00 à 18h00 Grand aire de jeux - Ouvert de 15h30 à 18h00 Piscine - Ouverte de 15h30 à 18h00 Petit terrain de jeux - Fermé Cours de tennis - Ouvert de 10h00 à 18h00 Toutes les installations, à l'exception du petit aire de jeu, sont ouvertes de 10h00 à 18h00 les weekends (10, 11, 17, 18, 24 et 25 juin). Du 26 juin au 7 août Terrains de basket-ball - 10h00 à 18h00 Terrain central - Fermé Salle de musculation - 10h00 à 18h00 Grand aire de jeu - Ouvert de 10h00 à 18h00, weekends seulement Piscine - Fermé Petit aire de jeux - Fermé Cours de tennis - Fermé en permanence Alan Knobloch Director International School of Dakar |
Survey of the French Program at ISD
 As part of our review of the French language program at ISD, we would like to ask parents to take a short survey to give us more information about the strengths and areas in need of strengthening in the French program. Through the Annual Parent Survey, parents have indicated they would like to see improvement in this program. This new survey was designed by the administration and French teachers to identify what specific parts of the program are in most need of improvement. The survey is available in English and French. The results will be shared with the teachers and Board of Trustees. Click hereto take the survey. It will close on Sunday, June 4. _______________________ Hier, les parents ont reçu un e-mail avec un lien les conduisant au sondage axé sur notre programme de Français. Ils sont invités à remplir le sondage pour chacun de leurs enfants à ISD. Hier, le logiciel n’autorisait pas de remplir le sondage qu'une seule fois, en conséquent nous avons effectué quelques réglages. Ce qui fait que désormais vous pouvez répondre plusieurs fois à l'enquête. Dans le cadre de la révision de notre programme de Français, nous souhaiterions demander aux parents de remplir un petit sondage pour nous donner plus d'informations sur les points forts et les domaines a renforcer dans le programme de français. A travers le sondage annuel, soumis chaque année aux parents, nous avons senti leur volonté de voir une amélioration dans le programme de français. Ce nouveau sondage a donc été conçu par l'administration et les professeurs de français afin d’identifier spécifiquement les composants du programme qui ont le plus besoin d'être améliorés. Le sondage est disponible en anglais et en français. Les résultats seront partagés avec les enseignants et le Conseil d'Administration. Cliquez ici pour remplir le sondage qui sera clôturé le dimanche 4 juin. Alan Knobloch Director
|
The 2016-2017 Annual Parent and Student Survey
 The purpose of the surveys is to provide students and parents a voice so school leaders can learn what is working and what is not working. The board uses the surveys to identify strategic issues and track progress over time. The administration uses the survey data to determine where to focus time and resources in order to improve the school. Here are my observations of the data, which I shared with the Board. Parents are pleased with many aspects of the school. Ninety-four percent of the parents agreed that their child’s overall school experience has been positive. Ninety-five percent agreed that ISD provides a safe and secure environment for their children to learn. A significant percentage of parents feel the buildings and grounds are clean and well-maintained and think ISD is a friendly environment for students, parents, and families. Both teachers and students were asked to identify their three favorite things about ISD. Teachers are students and parents favorite thing about ISD. While the percent of parents who agree that ISD employs highly competent teachers has remained relatively stable over the past four years, ranging from 83% to 88% agreement, the percent of parents who list teacher quality as a top five concern has decreased over the past two years from 26% to 13%. Overall, ISD parents are satisfied with the direction of the school’s academic programs. Ninety-percent of parents agree ISD parents provides the right amount of emphasis on the core academic skills and 85%, an increase of 5% from last year, say the proper emphasis is placed on grades. A small percentage of parents indicated that ISD needed to improve core class instruction. The student surveys show they are working hard and being challenged by their teachers. Ninety-two percent of the students report they are consistently trying to do their best work at school and 90% agree their teachers challenge them to do their best. Ninety-four percent of the students have made friends at ISD. Overall, parents are pleased with communication, however there are still some concerns. Eighty-nine percent of parents agree they are well informed regarding ISD’s activities and procedures and 90% of parents say the communications are easy to understand. When parents were asked what they least liked about ISD one of the top five responses was lack of communication. Student discipline is still an issue, but there are positive signs. Students rank disrespect and harassment as one of the top five things they would like to change about ISD. Less than half of the students agree that students respect other students. There is evidence of progress. High school parents who identified discipline as a top five concern decreased from 36% last year to 18% this year. School-wide the percent of parents decreased from 18% to 11%. While students did list student behavior as one of the things they would like to change, the percentage of students citing the issue declined from 8% to 4%. Finally, the percent of middle school students who agreed students respect students increased from 43 to 60 percent. The ISD teachers, administration, and Board have been working to improve student behavior. As the survey indicates, we have made progress. The new policies the Board approved last spring have allowed us to put students with the most serious offences on behavior probation. These students, knowing the next step could be expulsion from ISD, have shown improvement. Lorne Bird, our new Secondary Principal is bringing in a fresh perspective and is committed to making sure students are held accountable for their actions. Long standing issues with food service quality, French instruction, after-school activities, traffic congestion remained top concerns of parents. The administration and teachers have been working on these issues throughout the year and will continue to do so next year. Below is a summary of what was done in each area and what we will be doing next to improve the situation. Food Service Quality As previously noted in the JAG Journal, we solicited bids from food service providers. A committee of students, parents, and teachers reviewed the bids, sampled food from the vendors and voted unanimously to offer a contract to our current vendor on the condition that there is an increase in healthy food options. Next year, there will be a student, parent, teacher advisory committee who will meet weekly to review menu options and provide feedback to the vendor. Parents will still be welcome to organize food delivery from other vendors if they prefer. French Instruction Last spring and this fall, the French teachers met with parents to share information about the program and gather feedback. They implemented a number of the parent suggestions. Given the continuing concern with the program, I will be inviting all parents to complete a survey, in either French or English to gather specific feedback on the areas they would like us to focus on improving. In the annual survey, the typical response is “improve the French program”, but does not provide specific concerns. This additional survey will hopefully provide that information. After-School Activities Every year, the Activities Coordinator looks for individuals from the wider Dakar community to run activities for the students. The quality and availability of people to supplement our staff can vary. This year, to improve student management and language issues, we paid some of our teaching assistants to work alongside the outside vendors. We have also been fortunate to have parents sponsor some activities. Next year, we will be looking at the length of time the activities run to see if we they can continue for more weeks per session. Traffic Congestion Last year, there was significant traffic at EAB on the Corniche, which added time to the drive from Almadies. With the help of the U.S. Embassy, we put pressure on EAB to hire a Gendarme to help control traffic. While it has not solved the problem entirely, parents report the drive is faster this year. For a couple years, the school has been talking with the Senegalese government about using some of the land in between the school and Ouakam Road so we could have a second entrance and more parking. This week, there was a meeting on campus between high-ranking Senegalese government and security officials, representatives from the university worker union, who live in the apartment buildings next to school, representatives from the Senegalese road authority, and ISD administration. We toured the site and discussed possible options. We do not have an immediate solution, but the conversations will continue. The school’s administration and teachers take the parent and student feedback seriously and use the information to improve our school. ISD is a true community. It is one of our strengths. By being open with each other and constructive in our feedback, we can develop plans to improve our program and better meet the needs of our students. Click HERE to access the survey summary. |
1-10 of 158