The International COMMUNITY School

Last Friday night the student council hosted a Back to School Barbecue attended by more than 80 students. They played music, danced, basketball, volleyball, ate some excellent grass fed beef, and most importantly spent some quality time with each other. While grilling hamburgers with the assistance of Michael Ryan, IB English teacher, I admired how well our staff and students interacted in genuine and fun ways. Everyone was engaged as groups morphed, and moved freely the individual members finding meaning wherever they ended up. The teaching staff that freely attended also moved from play to conversation to imbibing, all the time supervising the students. It was another positive sign of the direction that ICS is taking in recognizing the value of Community.

Wednesday night’s Back to School Night reinforced this message as hundreds of parents followed their children’s foot step from class to class. Key values that were evident were the need for parents to be aware and participating in their student’s education. Embedded in our single over arching goal is the idea that we are a community of reflective learners that uses feedback for improvement. As I observed the interaction between the staff and parents the common goal of improving student learning was clear. What was not as clear, but just as important was the strengthening of the community through this venue. I want to thank everyone in the community that took the opportunity to strengthen our bonds.