Reflecting on Leadership

Last weekend I had the pleasure of attending the EARCOS Head’s of School Retreat in Yangon, Myanmar. 37 Heads of School from schools across the region met with Dr. Rob Evans to discuss challenges facing Heads of School in our region and across the world. It was a chance to reflect on the work we do and plan for the work ahead of us.

Global Impact of EARCOS Affiliation

SIS is the only EARCOS  affiliated school in Surabaya. This year our affiliation has affected us in many ways. Mr. Brown attended the Counselor’s Institute along with many prestigious university recruiters in Bangkok. This was a great opportunity for our counselor to promote our school to some of the top universities around the world.

Our Administration team and a board member attended the Leadership Conference in Bangkok to learn from some of the brightest leaders around the region. We also had inspiring guests from abroad leading workshops.

Eight of our teachers used part of their Spring Break to attend the Teachers’ Conference in Bangkok. Our own Mr. Wiest was one of the presenters. We have had teachers attend weekend workshops in Manila, Tokyo, and Chiang Mai. SIS was fortunate enough to host two weekend workshops this year. Our workshops focused on Inquiry in Science with John Stiles and Mathematics in the World Around Us with Ron Lancaster. These workshops allowed our staff to learn with others from across the region.

See also : A Message from Administration Alley: The Summer Reading Challenge!

Upcoming Expert Visit

Finally, I’m pleased to announce that we have received notification that we will be hosting Dr. Virginia Rojas  in November. She is a renowned expert in working with English Language Learners. We couldn’t do all of this without our fabulous EARCOS Teacher Representative, Rochelle Santiago, who works tirelessly to promote EARCOS activities to our staff.

Our staff’s commitment to professional development and willingness to give up time on their weekends and holidays is also crucial to the success of these endeavors. This affiliation has benefited our staff and, ultimately, our students in a variety of ways. It is another thing that sets us apart from local schools in Surabaya.