On behalf of the AIS Administration Team and faculty I would like to extend a warm welcome to everyone as we begin the academic year 2011-12. I would also like to say thank you to all the parents who joined us on Thursday evening for our annual Parent Orientation Evening. It was a pleasure to meet both new and returning families and to introduce our faculty, programs and classrooms.

 

Last year was of course a very important one for our school. Our 25th anniversary provided us with the perfect opportunity to look back on all this school has achieved since it first opened its doors back in 1986. Of course our Silver Jubilee Gala Dinner springs to mind and how this brought together a generation of alumni students and teachers, families and friends to celebrate the special relationships they share with the school. Likewise, the opening of our new elementary campus last February provided students from Early Childhood through Grade 5 with 16 brand new purpose-built classrooms, air-conditioned indoor hallways and more play space than we have ever had before. We had our biggest ever senior class with 70 students successfully graduating with their high school diploma. Their outstanding academic achievements ensured once again that AIS students gained admission to some of the most prestigious schools, colleges and universities in the US and internationally.

Improvements to our campus have continued. During the summer a new and very substantial fence has been erected. This has certainly brightened and modernized the exterior outlook of the school. The recent installation of lights beneath the fence ensured the school campus looks beautiful at night, too. We have also set up new art rooms and a drama classroom over in the old elementary campus. Preparatory work has already commenced on the ground floor of the new elementary campus as we eagerly anticipate the relocation of our children’s playground sometime this fall. The new picnic tables kindly sponsored by our PTA have also been well-received by the students. Brightly colored umbrellas are on order and will certainly add some welcome shade during recess times.

There is much to look forward to this year. We have successfully built a school community where students, teachers and parents work together. We share a common goal which is to ensure we deliver the best educational experience we can for our children. At AIS we enjoy a friendly, open and accepting school environment. We have bright and enthusiastic students, who clearly feel at home here. We have a strong curriculum balanced with a wide range of extra-curricular activities and opportunities that support the growth of well-rounded students. Most importantly our students consistently benefit from the strong partnership that exists at AIS between home and school. Indeed, one of the great things about our school is the fact that we have managed to maintain a small school feel, and with that, a strong sense of family. As we begin the new school year I look forward to working closely with our PTA so that critical partnership between home and school remains strong.

My best wishes to everyone for the year ahead.

Cameron Fox
Head of School