2021 - 2022
Annual Report The Best American-International Education in Rome
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Table of Contents 02
A Message from our Head of School
10
Elementary, Middle & High School Overview
04
A Message from our Board Chair
14
University Acceptances
06
Faculty Profile
15
Athletics & ASA
08
Student Profile , IB & AP Programs
16
Parent Teacher Organization
09
External Assessments & Standardized Testing
17
Financal Report
AMERICAN OVERSEAS SCHOOL OF ROME
A MESSAGE FROM OUR HEAD OF SCHOOL Dr. Kristen DiMatteo Initiated in the 2021/22 school year, the AOSR Strategic Plan is focused on students, with Three Pillars of Learning:
Personalized Learning Inspire, challenge, and nurture each student to achieve individual academic excellence.
Active Learning Develop partnerships to engage students to learn from and care for our local and global community.
Future Ready Learning The 2021/22 AOSR yearbook title was ‘For the Record’. The title holds a dual meaning, one meaning a record of all of the events of the school year, and the second to highlight the many recordbreaking accomplishments of AOSR this year. Not every year is a record-breaking year, but this year in particular, we witnessed significant achievements from our students, faculty and community.
Ensure an international and diverse community, with state-of-the-art facilities and sustainable resources for future-ready learning. Given our collective dedication and the resulting success of our students, the narrative of 2021/22 is one for the record. We are proud of our accomplishments. It takes work to envision, empower and enact such success. For the record, at AOSR, this work doesn’t feel like work- it’s fun.
Strategic Leadership
Respectfully,
AOSR finances are robust, our enrollment is strong, and our Board of Trustees has strategically positioned the school to move forward with initiatives that prepare our students for the world beyond AOSR.
Dr. Kristen DiMatteo Head of School
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For the Record We are happy to highlight our accomplishments in numbers, and many more will be demonstrated throughout this Report. The statistics below reflect the excellence of our community.
Total nationalities represented: 47
Concerts, Theater Productions and Art Exhibitions: 13
Graduating Seniors: 53
67 students taking the SATs Highest Average SAT Score: 1331 (627 EWR/704 Math)
Winning Varsity Sports Teams: 8 All-tournament MVPs: 4
Student Leadership Clubs and Organizations: 11
School educational trips: 8
PTO sponsored Community Events: 9
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A MESSAGE FROM OUR BOARD CHAIR Mr. Brian Lambert Finance Committee Created a ten-year financial plan to ensure fiscal stability. Analyzed the options for financing of the Building project. Worked with Deloitte and PricewaterhouseCoopers to review all taxation and a yearly audit of the financial operation of the school.
This was a year of hard work and success within the AOSR community. At the Board of Trustees level, we continue to govern the school with a mission-driven focus. Specifically, our decisions are made to offer 'the Best of an American International education' to all AOSR students. As with our students, our work this year is reflected in our achievements. Here are just a few highlights of the work completed by the Board of Trustees. Facilities Committee Building permit obtained through considerable work. Refinement of the building plan to ensure state of-the-art, 21st Century Learning. Engagement in a competitive bidding process to secure contractors. Commencement of the building project for a new Middle School Academic Building and a Performance Center.
Governance Committee Development of the Board Policy Manual to ensure long-term best practices in Board Governance. Strategic Planning Committee Creation of an Action Plan and monitoring process for the Strategic Plan Envisioning our Future This work of the Board of Trustees is done by parent volunteers who represent all parents at AOSR. The leadership of the school is a group effort, and our progress on our yearly goals is due to our productive work together. I am thankful to every member of the Board of Trustees for their ongoing professionalism and dedication to AOSR. Thanks must also go to Dr. DiMatteo and her team, with the vision to see past the Covid pandemic to plan a bright future for the AOSR community. I am certain that as you read this Annual report, you will see the great results achieved over the last academic year.
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FACULTY PROFILE 73% of faculty (excl HoS/Principals ) have advanced degrees. (74% including them) Each year AOSR welcomes new teachers from top-tier international and independent U.S. schools to inspire our students. AOSR is fortunate to hold an excellent reputation among international educators and is a school of choice for many. Our salaries reflect our dedication to hiring only the best. ‘I felt honored to be offered a position at AOSR. My cohort of educators share the same values- our enthusiasm for learning and our dedication to students.’ ‘It’s a privilege to be a part of this calibre of educators. My colleagues readily share their expertise and we have so much of it at AOSR.’ Faculty Stats - Excluding HoS and Principals English speaking countries: 57 (67%) From Italy: 19 (22%) From other countries: 9 (11%) Faculty members: 85
Countries in which current faculty have taught
Argentina Mexico Bangladesh Morocco Barbados Panama Canada Philippines Chile Poland China Portugal Costa Rica Qatar Croatia Singapore Dominican Republic South Korea Egypt Spain Germany Thailand India Turkey Indonesia UAE Japan UK Lebanon USA Malaysia Ukraine Uzbekistan 6 194 7
AMERICAN OVERSEAS SCHOOL OF ROME
Professional Development In the 2021-2022, in support of our Strategic Plan, AOSR adopted Chalk. This single system ensures that AOSR’s curriculum, instruction, and assessment are integrated with one another and tied back to the relevant standards.
Professional Learning Onsite professional learning this year included a visit from English Acquisiton Expert and International Programs Director of Wida, Jon Nordmeyer. With Mr. Nordmeyer, teachers explored: Best practices in supporting our English language learners Instruction and assessment strategies Collaboration opportunities between the EAL teachers and content specific teachers
Curriculum Development Teachers are now in “The How” (A.O.S.R.) part of our curriculum development process utilizing Chalk. Align instruction and content, at grade level and across grade levels Organize units, including teachers’ lessons, grade/department curriculum maps, and assessments in one, easy-to-access and searchable location Support collaboration among departments/grade levels and provide visibility across learning trajectories Review and evaluate data to improve delivery of instruction and identify gaps in the written and taught curriculum
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AMERICAN OVERSEAS SCHOOL OF ROME
Student Profile and School Demographics On 556 Students Complete School Career High School 36.7%
Elementary School 37.6%
Pre-K through to Grade 12 Bus service, cafeteria, after school activities, varsity sports Model United Nations, music choir, and theater courses Honor Societies, Go Green Club and more!
Middle School 25.7%
Rest of the World 16.3%
International by Design 1/3 American students 1/3 Italian students 1/3 International students from over 50 countries!
Italian 32.5%
South Korea 2.5% Canada 3.4% China 3.9%
Israel 8.9%
United Stats 30.6%
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EXTERNAL ASSESSMENTS IB & AP Programs, Standardized Test Results International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme
Map Testing
The International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma Program (DP) is an educational program aimed for the last two years of highschool. IBDP is found in 140 countries around the world and provides an internationally accepted curriculum and qualifications for acceptance to many universities worldwide. A group of 12 AOSR students are currently completing 78 exams in Standard and Higher Level Courses. In April, all of their IB coursework (including essays, projects, and recordings) were sent to IB for assessment. Exams were completed from April 28 to May 20th this year. Each of these 12 students are expected to receive the full IB Diploma. Scores are released July 6th.
Advanced Placement Program Advanced Placement (AP) gives our students the opportunity to tackle college-level work while attending AOSR. Through taking the AP exams students may earn credit in college and place out of entry level courses. AOSR student enrollments in AP increased to 116 this year taking 298 AP exams. This year we hosted eight external students. Traditionally during the first two weeks of May, the high school library and second floor classrooms are conducting tests. Scores are released the last weeks of July.
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ELEMENTARY SCHOOL Pre-K
Grade 1
Grade 2
3-5 years old
6-7 years old
7-8 years old
Grade 5
Grade 4
Grade 3
10-11 years old
9-10 years old
8-9 years old
Personalized Learning
Student Creativity
Personalized learning in elementary starts with
Despite some ongoing Covid restrictions this year,
our little ones in PreK. With their natural
our elementary teachers have continued to provide
inquisitive nature at this age, we have the amazing opportunity to nurture individual curiosity through exploration, questioning, conversations, reflections, and play.
Real World Exploration Inquiry based learning in all grade levels encouraged children to think and apply knowledge to real world situations. This year, experiential learning opportunities to enhance content understanding and embrace the wonderful local artifacts included class trips to:
learning experiences that cultivate each child's overall growth - academically, socially, and emotionally. This includes but is not limited to: Winter and spring concerts Performances such as the Grade 2 play (Rome: Past and Present) The Grade 3 Greek Myths readers theater The Grade 5 Lion King performance All of these performances, in addition to visual art creations, showcased student creativity and highlighted learning connections intentionally
La Fattoria Radiosa
established across content areas.
Explora Science Museum
Creative Learning Spaces
Ostia Antica Bioparco Colosseum Roman Forum An overnight trip to Abruzzo
Thanks to a wonderful donation, our elementary library has turned into an amazing space for supporting creativity, innovation, and a love of literacy! Students love settling into the cozy, quiet areas to read upstairs in the loft. Other additions to this interactive space include:
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ELEMENTARY SCHOOL Tables for kinetic sand and other hands-on explorations A lego wall to support the creative minds Comfy colorful chairs, rugs, and cushions to welcome the students to sit back and enjoy a good book! We know the incredible value in providing children with all of these experiences and we will continue to embrace these opportunities both inside and outside of AOSR!
Elementary Students as Global Citizens Throughout these experiences, our elementary students have epitomized and embraced our student profile attributes: Compassion Creativity Critical thinking Curiosity Ethical actions Open-mindedness Resilience
Parent Connections Even with ongoing parental access restrictions due to COVID, we have remained connected. We have come together for elementary coffee mornings on a variety of topics: The overall elementary program MAP results Technology resources The reading program Our approaches to math Inquiry - at school and at home The Italian program Writing over the summer Technology: Media balance and resources for over the summer We have celebrated student learning during parentteacher conferences and student-led conferences and come together for PTO community events such as a family fun day, Winterfest, Halloween, Carnevale celebrations, Popcorn Wednesday, and even a modified Mayfair! Wow! Working together, we can achieve great things!
They have persevered through all of the Covid restrictions and requirements while finding joy in school each and every day. Students have come together for a common cause, such as the grade 5 playground committee, and taken action to make a difference in the school community such as their participation in Eco Week. The grade 5 capstone inquiry project has encouraged continued growth as global citizens. These students have learned about the UN Sustainable Development Goals and applied this understanding to their local community so that they can continue to make a difference. We are so very proud of all of our students’ growth and thankful for their continued curiosity.
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AMERICAN OVERSEAS SCHOOL OF ROME
MIDDLE SCHOOL Grade 6
Grade 7
Grade 8
11-12 years old
12-13 years old
13-14 years old
Active Learning Builds Community In preparation for the 2021-2022 year, all middle school students and many teachers read The Seventh Most Important Thing by Shelley Pearsal. This is the fourth year of the AOSR Middle School’s Everybody Reads program which is generously supported by a grant from the AOSR PTO. The unifying event provided active learning in English classes including discussions surrounding the ethical stance of the characters, the value of reusing of unwanted materials, as well as creation of sculptures made from seven important things for each student which were on display in the AOSR cafeteria gallery. The program culminated with all of Middle School participating in a memorable virtual visit with the author. These events set the stage for an engaged year with student reading throughout the Middle School.
Social Engagement and Activities Social events led by the STUCO were able to commence this year, starting with an Under the Stars movie night in the fall, a holiday film and creative workshop night and even talent show and dance in the Spring! A fun, mid-winter Mix It Up day offered the opportunity for students to play and explore new activities together while taking a break from the usual class schedule. Some AOSR sports teams began to compete with other schools in Rome.
And finally, after 2 years of no overnight trips, the Grade 8 class was given priority for the first postcovid trip in the spring. The group demonstrated resilience and curiosity while exploring coastal Tuscany and Liguria during their week-long adventure.
Creative Experiences Stimulate Curiosity A record number of Middle School thespians collaborated for the production of The Greek Mythology Olympiaganza, which both educated and entertained the attendees of live and live stream shows. Additionally, this year a talented group of middle school students were involved in the High School performances of Beauty and the Beast, as well as the annual spring Shakespeare festival. The Middle School Concert Band and Choir entertained crowds in person at socially distanced concerts for parents which were also live streamed to the greater community. A highlight for our choir was a trip planned to a festival in Venice in the spring. All Middle School students had the opportunity to explore their design skills and creativity in the Art, Design Technology and Drama rotation courses each trimester.
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HIGH SCHOOL Grade 9
Grade10
Grade 11
14-15 years old
15-16 years old
16-17 years old
Grade 12 17-18 years old
Overcoming Challenges After the challenges of the pandemic, this year the High School endeavored to restore normalcy. Though pandemic-related disruptions continued, AOSR demonstrated perseverance and resilience in pursuing that goal. Teachers have grown adept at developing online learning resources and have shown flexibility and compassion. Students have demonstrated their dedication by attending classes online when possible and working hard to catch up when they have been out for extended periods. In our return to normalcy, we have maintained our focus on student learning.
Academic Excellence A commitment to robust academics remains at the core of that learning. More than 25% of our students in grades 11 and 12 pursued the IB Diploma, and enrollment in AP courses remained strong. The faculty worked to align curricula and assessments in lower grades to prepare students for the rigor and expectations of IB and AP courses. This year, for the first time, we administered the Measurement of Academic Progress (MAP) tests in grades 9 and 10 to gain a better understanding of individual student progress within the context of our program.
Also for the first time, we administered the PSAT in grade 9, giving students from grades 9-11 the opportunity to practice and determine their readiness for high stakes exams they take when applying to university. Restoring normalcy has also meant providing students with opportunities to be active and have fun: Our high school sports programs competed in tournaments in all three seasons; the Model United Nations team participated in two online conferences; music and theater students performed for live audiences of family and friends, and the choir took part in a festival; the Honor Societies continued their missions of service; the Go Green Club spearheaded Eco Week; our many other clubs and ASAs proceeded as always; we held a homecoming dance; we created a day of music, games, and basketball following semester exams; we added experiential outdoor trips for ninth and tenth-grade students. We remained committed to providing our students with a broad range of activities and experiences to foster their learning and support their development. The ongoing global situation did not allow for a full return to normalcy in the 2021-22 school year, and the year presented new challenges. However, our school continued to pursue its mission of inspiring students to meet those challenges with courage. We are proud of how they have done that, and we celebrate the successes they have had this year.
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AMERICAN OVERSEAS SCHOOL OF ROME
University Acceptances The Class of 2022 There is some special sauce with AOSR’s class of 2022. A major part of the college counseling process is having
The main takeaway: the majority of our students were accepted to their Reach schools and we doubled last year’s scholarship total.
students select a range of universities. We categorize these into Reach (very hard for the particular student to get accepted to about a 5% chance), Target (the student is in the range of admissibility- about a 50% chance), and Safety (the student should get accepted based on their grades- 90% chance of admission). Normally we expect students to see the bulk of their acceptances in the Target and Safety range, with an occasional Reach school acceptance. This was simply not the case this year. The majority of students who applied to the U.S. Canada, the U.K., and Italy, were accepted to one or more of their Reach schools. In my 12 years as a college counselor at highperforming college preparatory international schools, I have never seen results like this. What’s more is that they were exceptionally driven, organized, and hard-working. Their teachers wrote a total of 68 letters of recommendation, and they have doubled last year’s scholarship totals topping over a million dollars in scholarship awards. In Europe at the time of writing I only know of 2 denials. Otherwise, thus far, everywhere our students have applied they have been accepted. We are waiting on two students to make applications to India. One student will apply to Japan and one will apply to Australia, both of which have late admission cycles. Speaking of late admission cycles, 11 students will apply to Italian public universities this summer. Finally, three of our students have elected to take a gap year.
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Athletics, Clubs & ASA It was a busy year for sports, as we moved out of COVID and slide back into regular varsity DoDEA play and built opportunities for our younger student-athletes!
Some of the highlights included: AOSR hosted the 2021 boys volleyball DoDEA Mediterranean Championship with 8 schools represented AOSR boys volleyball were named DoDEA Mediterranean Champions for the second year in a row! XC qualified a boys team and sent three girls to the championship race! Girls Tennis doubles came in 3rd at the DoDEA Europe South Championships AOSR hosted a DoDEA South mid-season tournament with 6 schools represented Boys Basketball took 3rd at the DoDEA South Championship and 1st at the SCIS tournament in Munich, Germany Girls Basketball took 1st place at the DoDEA South Championship Our Cheer squad took 1st place at the DoDEA South Championship Track & Field qualified 5 student-athletes to the DoDEA European Championship Girls Soccer took 1st place at the Mediterranean Cup in Verona Boys Soccer took 3rd place at the Mediterranean Cup in Verona Girls Soccer took 3rd place at the DoDEA European Championship Boys soccer took 2nd place at the DoDEA European Championship
We had over 65 middle and elementary school soccer players participate in our program this year! AOSR hosted the annual AOSR Soccer Cup at the U7, U9, U11 and U14 levels for the first time since 2018! U14 Basketball and Volleyball teams competed in their first Mediterranean Cup tournaments in Venice this Spring! Basketball took 1st place Volleyball took 3rd place Our Cheer & Tumbling Squad cheered at JV basketball games and gave a show at our Mayfair We hosted our annual Gymnastics Cup for the first time since 2018!
Clubs and Activities Go Green Juniors raised funds and adopted local beehives! High School student council hosted our annual Homecoming Celebration, Senior Retreat and Lock-In and Prom
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Parent-Teacher Organization Building Community, Bringing Joy! Our family community is what makes AOSR unique
Faculty and Staff Appreciation Week
and this is why the PTO has continued to focus on
Halloween trunk or treat
building our community and bringing joy to the
Winterfest
AOSR families. Even with the hiccups that Covid
Egg hunt
put on us we were able to successfully have events for
Milestone activities for 12th, 8th, and 5th
our students in a safe environment and give everyone
grades
a sense of normalcy, fun, community, and continuity
Mayfair
of life for all our students, parents, and teachers.
Parent luncheons Parent Coffee
Yearly events
Fun Family Day
New Families Luncheon
Theater Production
New Families Virtual Meeting
Virtual PTO meetings
Popcorn Wednesday
Helped 5th-grade team fundraise for a new
Octoberfest
playground equipment
Seniors Breakfast
Volunteers aperitivo.
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Financial Report 2021-2022
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