AISA Circular Nov 2014

AISA Members’ Circular November 2014 | Vol. 5 No. 3

In this issue:

Note from the Executive Director

AISA Art Challenge

AISA 2015 Conference Registration Opened

Photos / Videos

AISA International Child Protection Symposium

AISA Liaison Update

AISA Board Update

Contribute to our Monthly Circular

AISA Annual Membership Dues

#AfricaEd Twitter Chat

Note from the Executive Director This month AISA is hosting our very first Professional Learning Working Group (PLWG) meeting here in Nairobi. AISA has invited an initial group of 8 talented thought leaders from among our schools to support AISA’s mission to improve and inspire student learning. The group will shape the planning, delivery and evaluation of our Professional Learning Programme for all AISA’s membership.

During their meeting here in Nairobi and throughout the ensuing period, the group members will work to develop a balanced, innovative and targeted plan for AISA’s Professional Learning Programme which: • • • •

has an overall aim of improving student learning in AISA schools is based on the professional learning needs of our member schools is grounded in current research and innovative thinking reflects agreed criteria which can be used for reviewing and monitoring purposes

Throughout the process we will be asking for your input so that AISA’s Professional Learning programme is accessible to you and meets your needs. Don’t forget you can follow me on twitter @AISADirector and let me know your thoughts.

Peter Bateman

Executive Director

AISA 2015 Conference Registration – Opened November 1st, 2014 The new AISA 2015 conference registration system opened on 1 November 2014. We have an exceptional lineup of learning opportunities with more than 40 world class consultants offering over 100 Workshops and Institutes for you to choose from – as well as our annual Conference Exhibition and Gala Dinner. The Early Bird discount has been extended until 15 January 2015.

Please click on any of the following for more information: A reminder that once you register for the AISA conference you should book your hotel in Cape Town quickly (before mid AISA Pre-Conference Institutes December) since there is a large sporting event in Cape Town 6-8 March, 2015 at the same time as our conference and hotel rooms will be in high demand. If you have registered already on the old system, don’t worry, we have your registration and we won’t ask you to register again. If you have any conference related AISA School Leaders Retreat queries, please email us on - conferences@aisa.or.ke 6-8 March, 2015

AISA Business Managers Institute 6-8 March, 2015

AISA Educators Conference 8-11 March, 2015

AISA Business Associates Exhibition 6-8 March, 2015

Special Note regarding Ebola AISA is monitoring the Ebola crisis closely. Currently we have no indication that a cancellation of our Conference next March in Cape Town will be necessary. However, the situation remains dynamic. In the event that AISA should need to cancel this event, all paid registrants will receive a full refund of their registration fees. AISA members may choose to have their refund credited to their AISA account.

All refunds will be processed within 90 days. But please note that AISA is not responsible for any airfare, hotel, or other costs incurred by registrants.

Delegates should note that AISA can only consider refunds for cancellations by delegates brought about by outside forces (e.g. travel restrictions imposed by governments due to Ebola, public health warnings, etc). A personal decision not to attend would not result in a refund from AISA.

AISA 2015 Conference - Participant Led Workshops (PLW) We know at AISA that we have some truly innovative educators across the continent who are implementing some exciting learning initiatives in their schools and classrooms everyday.

We believe that at AISA we should provide a platform with which to ‘talent share’ and grow our educators to inspire learning amongst each other.

If you are a teacher in an AISA school and you feel you could improve student learning for our schools by running a workshop we would love to hear from you! Our commitment to you is that we will work with you, coach and encourage you in growing as an international workshop facilitator, providing a supportive platform for you to communicate your ideas on improving learning in the classroom.

Do you want to facilitate a Participant Led Workshop (PLW) at our 2015 March Conference?

We want you if you are: • passionate about learning • willing to collaborate and learn with your peers • have good practical ideas for inspiring learning • jargon free communicator • innovative and creative • adaptable and resilient • able to connect learning with our African context Before we make a final decision shortlisted candidates need to: • have fully paid your conference fees • obtain a letter of support from your supervisor Selection procedure • Workshop proposals must be submitted by November 28th, 2015 • Shortlisted candidates will be invited for a Skype interview • Successful candidates will be notified by Friday 12 December, 2014. These will then work together with the AISA Professional Learning Team, through Skype and email to refine and promote workshops for maximum learning impact • Prior to the conference facilitators should make an opportunity to practice the workshop and monitor the impact on learning If you are from one of our Full Member Schools Please fill in the Educators PLW form here to apply to lead a Workshop.

If you are from one of our Business Associate Members Please fill in the Associates PLW form here to apply to lead a Workshop.

Note All Participant Led Workshops take place on Wednesday March 11 in the afternoon.

AISA International Child Protection Symposium

March 9 & 10, 2015 Westin Hotel, Cape Town South Africa The AISA International Child Protection Symposium is open to School Leaders and Counsellors from International Schools around the world. At a time when protecting the children in our schools is foremost in our minds this Symposium will bring together thought leaders in various topic areas related to Child Protection for a two day meeting March 9 & 10, 2015 at the Westin Hotel (just opposite the Cape Town International Convention Centre - CTICC ) in Cape Town, South Africa.

School Leaders and Counsellors will join their colleagues from around the world in practical discussions and facilitated sessions relating to what steps International School should be taking in terms of ensuring that their students are kept safe.

AISA Board Update The AISA Board met again in October in Addis Ababa for another round of Strategic Thinking. We had some very exciting discussion about how we can refine our mission and become a more learning focused organization. We will be writing to our members separately about this soon but by way of an overview our key strategic outcomes are now much focused on how our members access and value AISA services, resources and networks in order to • • • •

improve student learning. develop and implement strategic thinking and planning in their schools. increase their school effectiveness. develop the capacity of all school employees.

The board also spent quite bit of time reflecting on how well our own governance structures support the work of AISA. Again some really innovative and practical ideas came to the fore that we look forward to sharing with all membership in advance of our Annual General Meeting in Cape Town next March.

AISA Annual Membership Dues (2015/16) If you are planning on registering for the AISA 2015 Conference, applying for our scholarships or participating in our upcoming Regional Institutes and Workshops, you will need to make sure your membership is up to date. If you need any assistance with this, or would like statement of your membership please contact Barnabas or Connie in our accounts department: accounts@aisa.or.ke

#AfricaEd Twitter Chat

AISA Art Challenge – entries EXTENDED to 12 December 2014

#AfricaEd is a brand new Twitter chat starting November 4 that focuses on those working on the African Continent. Whether working in an international school, local school or an aspiring educator all are welcome to join. The goal is to shrink the distances between us and build productive relationships for innovation and growth in our profession.

#

Submissions are still open to all member schools for entries for the AISA 2014 Art Challenge. AISA members are invited to submit artworks to AISA. The top 12 of these will be included in the AISA 2015 Calendar.

The submission deadline to participate in the challenge has been EXTENDED to 12 December 2014. Rules and guidelines for the competition can be found on the AISA website.

Alternatively you can contact us directly for more information. info@aisa.or.ke

#AfricaEd seeks to fill the niche of providing a chat that fits within the time zones of Africa. The format of a slow chat allows participants to contribute when it is convenient for them personally. Questions or topics will be posted each Tuesday and Thursday at 7AM GMT with comments and conversation continuing throughout the day. By just checking in on the chat a few times throughout the day participants have the potential to be exposed to new ideas and resources, find help and suggestions for their classroom from educators across Africa, and have a growing network of experts at their fingertips.

Photos / Videos

To join in the conversation, search #AfricaEd in your Twitter account, comment and make sure to include the hashtag #AfricaEd. Visit the website (africaedchat.wordpress.com) for a few more tips, see the upcoming schedule or suggest a topic that you would like to see discussed.

We’re revamping our website. Do you have any photos or videos we can use to showcase the wonderful activities happening in our region? Please send these to info@aisa.or.ke

This conversation will be convened by Ryan Harwood who looks after the Humanities and Technology Integration at Lincoln Community School in Ghana @rharwood17 #AfricaEd

AISA Liaison Update AISA would like to offer our Liaison Officers in each member school and organization an opportunity to communicate directly with each other – as well as AISA - in order to remain abreast of the latest news, professional learning opportunities, scholarship deadlines, and other information from around the ASIA region. Before we launch this new Community of Practice we need to be sure we have a correct contact list of AISA Liaison Officers. Shortly we will send a confirmation message to those we have on our list of Liaison officers with instructions on how to help ensure the data we have for your school/organization is accurate.

Do you have an item you would like to include in our Monthly Circular?

If so please send it to info@aisa.or.ke AISA March 2016 Conference Dates

We’ll be back at the CTICC, Cape Town for 2015/16

• • • •

AISA Pre-Conference Institutes: (3-5 March, 2016) AISA School Leaders Retreat: (4-6 March, 2016) AISA Business Managers Institute: (4-6 March, 2016) AISA Educators Conference: (6-9 March, 2016)

AISA October 2016 Conference Dates

Yes – we’re moving back to our October dates for 2016/17 Venue – to be confirmed

• • • •

AISA Pre-Conference Institutes: (13-15 October, 2016) AISA School Leaders Retreat: (14-16 October, 2016) AISA Business Managers Institute: (14-16 October, 2016) AISA Educators Conference: (16-19 October, 2016)

You are receiving this circular as a valued member of the AISA network.

Visit www.aisa.or.ke for more information. © 2014 Association of International Schools in Africa. All rights reserved.