The new school year has begun, and whether you are a new or returning student/family, I extend a warm welcome to the 2021-22 academic year at the Franconian International School. At the end of what was a uniquely challenging academic year we all took a deep breath and enjoyed well-earned rest. That said, a school without its students has a very strange feel to it.
We were all very energized when on the first day of school our students breathed life and vibrancy back into the building. As an educator there is no greater feeling to see smiling faces and listen to the hubbub of conversations as students share summer stories, reacquaint themselves with old friends and initiate new and possibly lifelong friendships. It is also fun to see the relief on the faces of ’some’ parents as they are no longer on call 24/7.
I extend my gratitude for your understanding and patience as we continue with mandated testing and mask wearing. Your support is still essential in helping mitigate against this virus. Our COVID-19 measures can be found here. Included in our measures are guidelines on when, or if, your child can return to school when displaying symptoms. There are also useful next steps should you conduct a Rapid Antigen Test/Schnelltest at home and have a positive result.
New Educators
Change is an inevitable part of life and in international schools we are very much in the “change business”. We have the following new educators joining the FIS team this year (pictured above).
Sabine Farrar (Germany) – Physical and Health Education (not in the picture)
Martina Forde (Ireland) – English as an Additional Language (not in the picture)
Kelsey Horton (USA) – Grade 3
Callum Marshall (UK) – Maths
Becky Oliver (USA) – English
Arielle Polakos (USA) – Chemistry
Veronique Selmeci (Hungary) – Maths
Bonnie Tanz (USA) – Middle Years Programme Counselor
Jelena Vidovic (Croatia) – Chemistry
We are very privileged to have these wonderful educators join an already accomplished, experienced and dynamic team.
Virtual Back to School Parent Information Nights
Thank you to those families who attended Primary School Parent Information Night on Thursday, September 2. Positive engagement from our parent community is one of the essential attributes in a child’s education.
As I also explained during the Information Night, whatever change comes our way we will always hold at our core our commitment to care for and support the holistic development of our students as reflected in our Guiding Statements.
Our Secondary School Virtual Parent Information Night takes place on Thursday, September 9.
CIS/NEASC/IB Re-Accreditation
The FIS is accredited by the Council of International Schools (CIS), the New England Association of Secondary Schools and Colleges (NEASC), the International Baccalaureate (IB), and the International Primary Curriculum (IPC). Every CIS, NEASC and IB school must undergo re-accreditation every five years.
This year, the FIS will be conducting a detailed and extensive self-study as part of its accreditation process. Shortly after this, we will host a combined visiting team from CIS, NEASC and IB that will consist of 10-12 experienced international educators. This accreditation process is rigorous and demonstrates our commitment to delivering a quality education and continuous school improvement via external scrutiny. By the end of September next year, all community stakeholders at the FIS will be asked to complete a survey. More details on this will be communicated at a later stage.
New teachers and new students, and new Head of School, have appreciated the welcome the FIS community has extended to us over the last number of days. Routines are now being established and I would like to sincerely thank everyone for their contributions in making the start to this school year a pleasant and smooth one.
Liam Browne
Head of School
