AISA Members’ Circular November 2015 I Vol . 6 No 4
From the Desk of the Executive Director
In this Issue:
Up-Coming Professional Learning Events Reminders and Opportunities
From the Desk of the Executive Director I recently returned from Kampala, Uganda, where I spent some time with the AISA Board of Directors during their annual Board Retreat. Our meeting was divided into two key parts with the Business meeting held on the 1st day and our Strategic Thinking retreat held on the 2nd and 3rd days. Much of the Board’s Strategic Thinking was focussed on the development of a Code of Governance for AISA schools. We will be launching this Code on our website very soon. Its key objective is to guide our schools in the development of policies and practices that will help ensure they are consistency governed well, thereby offering learners every opportunity to succeed. Because the Board only meets a few times year there is quite a lot to report. When I put updates for all AISA’s programmes, services, events, awards and scholarships on a few PowerPoint slides it really is a lot to cover. So as I work my way through these reports I realize just how much growth has happened at AISA – but along with growth comes change. Let me try to clarify some of the key changes AISA has made here below. Key among the changes this year is the new membership criteria we implemented for our member schools. Although we lost around 30 school members in process, the decision to include only internationally accredited schools in our membership was the right thing to do. It means that we can be far more purposeful and directed in our approach to meeting our members’ needs while not trying to be ‘all things to all schools’. Another significant change for us has been with our Professional Learning Programme. I now believe AISA has a robust programme of Professional Learning that will help make our schools more effective not just for teaching and learning but also for improved governance and for the co-professional support schools need to operate well. With all these changes I know that some of you may be wondering what the new AISA Professional Learning Programme looks like in terms of events and dates. Well the easiest way to find out is to look at the ‘Learning’ section of our website. An overview of the programme looks like this:
Each year on the 3rd weekend of October we will be running the AISA Educators Conference (AEC) for teachers.
Each year on the 1st weekend of March we be running the AISA Leadership Conference (ALC) for senior and middle leaders, business managers, development directors, admissions directors, curriculum directors, peer coaching staff as well as Board members.
In 2015/16 we also added a differentiated programme of Professional Learning Institutes (PLIs). You will see there are still many opportunities coming up for staff in AISA member schools to participate in deep learning opportunities that will improve their practice.
In Kampala, the AISA Board agreed that our Heads of School also need some time together early each year to think collegially about the important work they do, to reflect on the specific challenges they face as Heads of School in the AISA region and to find targeted support from each other and from experts in educational leadership. I am thrilled to announce that we intend to offer the first AISA School Heads Retreat on 24 – 25 September 2016. I will send Heads of School more details about this soon.
And there really is so much more…. Please do visit our new look website and explore what AISA is offering. If you’ve not checked in with us for a while, you may be pleasantly surprised! Dr Peter Bateman