06
Dec
Students from the British School of Bahrain (BSB) competed in their very first debate competition in “Debate Dubai 2012”, hosted by Jumeirah College.
Over 30 schools from the Middle East competed, with the BSB entering both the under 16-year-old and open categories.
The BSB U16 team, consisting of Kevin Orme, Christina Phillips, Tala Nasr and Aakif Rahman aided by Suad El Jawhari from St. Christopher’s School, successfully won their first debate which earned them a place in the quarterfinals, then a place in the semi-finals. Sadly, they were defeated by a strong sixth form team from the Dubai School.
The BSB Open Team was equally successful winning a place in the quarterfinals, only to be defeated by the over-all Championship winning team from Jumeirah College. The BSB Open team debaters were Hannah Sheikh, Isabel Gilbert and Bhagyata Kinger.
It took many weeks to prepare for the competition to concentrate on the sensitive subjects debated during the event, such as “The sale of organs should be legalized”, “Prosecutors should never offer reduced sentences in return for testifying against others” and “The Euro was a mistake”, to name a few.
With the experience gained in this event, the BSB Debate Team is now looking forward to next year’s competition.
05
Dec
Melbourne: An 11-year-old girl brought a hand grenade to her class in an Australian school for a 'show and tell' activity on Wednesday, prompting evacuation of over 500 students and teachers.
Police were called to Hunter Christian School in Sydney after a teacher discovered that a girl had brought a "pineapple" hand grenade, a model of weapon used in the World War-II and the Vietnam War.
Some 450 students and 60 teachers of the school were evacuated to a park near the school and allowed back after the New South Wales Police Bomb and Rescue Unit declared the school safe.
Police Inspector Gerrard Lawson said authorities wanted to reassure parents that all students were safe.
"At this time we anticipate an early resolution to this issue but we will await specialist advice as to the safety of moving the item," he said.
The girl "understood it to be a dummy hand grenade that had been deactivated as there was no firing pin, just the body of the grenade," Principal Boyd Allen told The Newcastle Herald.
"We understand it was from a family friend and many years old. It was heavy, but I assume practice grenades would weigh that much too," he said.
Mr Allen said the student was not in trouble.
"She's bewildered, embarrassed," he said. "I tried to make her aware she is not in trouble. She's a sweet young lady from a lovely family."
04
Dec
The Dexter Community Schools Board of Education approved adding nine new International Baccalaureate courses for 2013-14, according to a report on Patch.com.
The website reported the new curriculum was given the green light in a 5-2 vote at Monday’s regular school board meeting.
The new I.B. courses are part of the I.B. program phase-in at the high school. The new classes will be offered starting in September, the Patch article said. Dexter accepted its first cohort of about 25 I.B. students this school year.
DHS Principal Kit Moran told AnnArbor.com there were 10 I.B. classes made available this fall, so the offerings will nearly double in size by the 2012-13 academic year.
Moran described I.B. courses as, in a way, similar to Advanced Placement courses.
“Several years ago, we as a district decided we needed more rigorous courses at the high school,” Moran said. “We decided to go down the path of I.B as opposed to adding a bunch more traditional AP classes. … We liked the instruction, thought it was a little more appropriate and integrated … part of our district strategic plan is to have our students have a world view and I.B. classes have a world view.”
He said there is no cap for enrolling students in the I.B. diploma program. The district's only limit for accepting students into I.B. is course availability. Otherwise the I.B. courses are scheduled the same way as other courses at DHS, Moran said.
If there are 25 to 30 students that sign up for a course, there will be one section. If 50 to 60 students sign up, there likely will be two sections, Moran said.
Dexter also recently approved opening seats at the high school during the second semester to out-of-district sophomores via School of Choice, with the intent that the students will join the I.B. program as juniors next fall.
Opening the spots help the district as a whole to become eligible for an extra $180,000 in state funding.
02
Dec
The Alliance Francaise was recently praised by the Ministry of Education for playing a significant role in the development of students and teachers in nation building.
At the institute’s graduation ceremony, Mrs. Ionie Liburd Willett, Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Education, stated that the Ministry is pleased with its collaboration with the institute as students are now receiving a well-rounded education.
She explained that the Ministry deems it important for students to learn another language because of globalization and the encouragement to travel due to the benefits of the CARICOM Single Market and Economy.
“Communication among nations, states and organizations dictate a huge need for knowing more than the mother tongue in the areas of trade, tourism, international relations between and among other governments, technology media and science.”
The Ministry’s mandate is to focus on providing students with a relevant education that meaningfully and strategically equips students with the knowledge, skills and attitudes that they need for a successful education and careers in today’s workforce,” Mrs. Willett noted.
The activities at Alliance Francaise are directly aligned with the theme of the Ministry’s White Paper on Education Development and Policies, 2009-2019, which speaks to raising the standard, maximising resources and aligning with best practices promoting success for all.
The Ministry hopes that the institute can help them to realize an expansion of the French program in other high schools and primary schools.
02
Dec
Prospective students entering Kindergarten through eighth grades in the 2013-2014 school year are encouraged to attend.
Wesley International Academy is hosting an Open House on Thursday, Dec. 6, 2012, from 6 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. at 1049 Custer Ave.
Wesley International Academy offers students a highly rigorous academic environment which focuses on a unique foundation of three core principles: an authorized International Baccalaureate (IB) Program, single gender classroom setting and daily Chinese Mandarin instruction for all students.
Discover what makes this tuition-free, public charter school unique
Meet Principal, Mr. Duke Bradley and Vice Principal, Dr. Keisha Nalty
Observe a Chinese class demonstration
Learn about the IB Program
Tour the Wesley campus
Prospective students entering Kindergarten through eighth grades in the 2013-2014 school year are encouraged to attend. New student applications will be accepted Jan. 1, 2013. To stay up-to-date on the enrollment dates, deadlines and process, visit the website at www.wesleyacademy.org. Wesley International Academy is open to any student residing within the City Limits of Atlanta. There are no primary and secondary enrollment zones. To view the Atlanta Public Schools’ attendance zones, please visit http://www.atlanta.k12.ga.us/Page/831.
Wesley International Academy is a K-8th grade, tuition-free public school chartered by the Atlanta Public Schools. Located in Southeast Atlanta's Custer/McDonough / Guice community, it provides an academically rigorous curriculum including daily Mandarin Chinese instruction, an authorized International Baccalaureate Program (IB) and single gender classroom instruction built around a racially, ethnically, and economically diverse education community. Wesley International Academy offers enrollment to students residing anywhere in the city of Atlanta and holds deep roots within the Southeast Atlanta community.
For questions regarding the Open House or enrollment, please contact enrollment@wesleyacademy.org.
— Debra Bryant, Wesley International Academy
02
Dec
Enrollment jump reflects national trend, growing local ties
BY NOLAN ROSENKRANS
Ruihan Hu didn’t buy the Marina District or the Docks, but she’s as much the face of a growing tie between Toledo and China as are the businessmen who made those high-profile deals.
The 17-year-old from Guangzhou plans to study film at the University of Toledo once she finishes UT’s intensive English program at its American Language Institute.
Guangzhou is a long way away from Toledo, but she’s got a friend at UT, and the campus is beautiful.
“And the University of Toledo has great geographical location,” Ms. Hu said.
While Toledo’s connection to China tends to be framed around economic concerns, bonds are growing elsewhere, especially in the region’s schools.
Enrollment of Chinese students at local universities, prep schools, and parochial high schools is on the rise, part of a national trend that has students from mainland China becoming the leading nationality for international enrollment in American higher education institutions.
Part of the increase is program-specific, with schools recruiting international students into specific degrees. But much of it stems from China’s rapid economic growth and the emergence of a middle class that has the financial means to choose where they send their children to school.
“They are coming here with more money and more choices,” said Peter Thomas, the University of Toledo’s director of international student services.
Some of those financial means are significant. Mr. Thomas said he saw a student attending the university’s English language immersion program driving a Maserati, an Italian sports car.
The number of international students at UT has more than doubled between 2003 and 2012, from 621 students to 1,385.
The increase was even sharper among Chinese students; only 141 Chinese students enrolled at UT in 2003, but 558 enrolled this fall.
That trend mirrors a nationwide one, and Toledo is less in the vanguard than riding a wave of Chinese student immigration into American schools.
More Chinese students were at American universities and colleges last year than any other country, and Chinese enrollment grew 23 percent from the prior year, according to the Institute of International Education.
Enrollment of Chinese students at Bowling Green State University has also grown, from 149 in 2010 to 233 this fall. While that growth has been universitywide, it’s also in part because of programs that have intentional exchange programs between Chinese institutions, said Sue Houston, vice provost for undergraduate education, citing programs in BGSU’s college of business.
Bowling Green wants to boost its international enrollment, and it sees continual growth opportunities in China.
“We are definitely looking at the regions of the world that are growing,” said Albert Colom, BGSU’s vice president for enrollment management.
International students also tend to pay full tuition to universities, providing an economic incentive to recruit them.
The region’s large research universities also have experienced an influx of Chinese students. Chinese enrollment at Ohio State University has ballooned in the past decade.
This fall, 3,438 undergraduate and graduate students from China enrolled at OSU, by far the largest group among international students and more than four times as many who enrolled in 2002.
Of the 5,937 international students at the University of Michigan this year, 2,104 were undergraduate or graduate students from China.
Chinese students are also enrolling in increasing numbers at local high schools, many with the belief that a degree from those schools will improve their chances for admission at American universities. Of Maumee Valley Country Day School’s 30 international students, two-thirds are Chinese, said Gary Boehm, head of school.
Though the school long has had international students, the influx of students from China is a recent phenomena, especially in the past three years.
Unlike traditional high-school exchange students, the students from China plan to earn their diploma in America. That’s because leaving and then returning to China during high school can adversely impact students’ chances to get into top-tier Chinese universities, Mr. Boehm said.
The independent school is not the only school in Toledo adding to its Chinese ranks. St. Francis de Sales High School announced in the spring plans to enroll about a half-dozen Chinese students in the fall, with the expectation of adding a class each year.
The students the school is targeting are also diploma-seeking students, not those who plan to spend a year in America.
The program is part of a push by the Toledo Diocese to add international students.
“What we learned is if they are going to come here, they have to graduate from here,” Mr. Boehm said, “and they see this as an opportunity for placement in an American university.”
Maumee Valley plans to build an on-campus residence hall to board international and regional high school students, and many of those students will be from China.
It’s hard to tell if those students will end up going to regional universities at similar rates as domestic students, or if they’ll fan out across the country. There doesn’t appear to be any direct regional or demographic link between the types of Chinese students who end up coming to the Toledo area for college.
The University of Toledo does draw many students from Qinhuangdao, Toledo’s sister city, but just as many students come from other areas in China, said Michael Klug of UT’s American Language Institute. International students who aren’t proficient in English must go through the institute before taking for-credit classes, and they can take up to five terms of intensive language courses to prepare them for the university.
Mr. Klug says there’s significant word-of-mouth about Toledo in China, part of the reason students would choose to enroll at a university in a city they may have never heard of before when looking for a school. Others who don’t have friends or classmates who went to college in Ohio had to learn about UT the way most young people learn about things these days: the Internet.
Yuan Fang, a 22-year-old from Shanghai, said he chose Toledo after reading good things about the university’s pharmacy program online. He started looking for American schools with his parents, he said, because they believed a degree from a U.S. school was an advantage in China.
“My parents think the universities in America are better than Chinese universities as a pathway,” he said.
02
Dec
A private high school in Vermont is planning to open a campus in South Korea. St. Johnsbury Academy was the first American school chosen to operate at the Jeju Global Education City, school officials said Thursday. The education city is being built on an island off the southern coast of South Korea and was established by the Korean government to help meet an increasing demand in that country for overseas studies and language training. St. Johnsbury Academy was selected from schools throughout the United States. It is scheduled to open in fall 2015. The international school for grades 4-12 will offer an American-style education with curriculum much like what is offered in St. Johnsbury to students from around the world, said John Suitor, the academy’s acting director of marketing and communications.
24
Nov
The Ministry of Education (MoE), Sri Lanka, and Oracle Corporation Singapore Pte Ltd, have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to implement the Oracle Academy’s Introduction to Computer Science curriculum, including the Oracle Academy’s Java Fundamentals curriculum and ‘Getting Started with Java Using Alice’ workshops, into the MoE’s 1000 Secondary Schools Development Program.
This effort will allow MoE to build a strong foundation of technology programs, help foster student knowledge and interest in computer science, engineering and technology, help prepare 25,000 students and 1,000 teachers in secondary schools across Sri Lanka for successful IT careers, and help meet growing local demand for a highly-skilled technology workforce.
The Oracle Academy announced their new Java curriculum earlier this year as part of Oracle’s longstanding commitment to supporting education that helps students graduate with industry-relevant skills that prepare them for 21st century careers. Java is one of the world’s most popular computing platforms, it is used by more than 9 million developers and powers more than 3 billion devices. As the steward of Java, Oracle is committed both to the investment in Java technology and educate a new generation about Java and the opportunities it brings in a creative way. The Oracle Academy helps 1.9 million students in 97 countries gain industry-relevant skills prior to entering the workforce.
“Under the direct guidance of the Minister of Education, Bandula Gunawardhana and under the purview of S. M. Gotabhaya Jayaratne, Secretary, Ministry of Education, Sri Lanka is dedicated in developing technology education programs that foster a highly-trained and entrepreneurial workforce to drive innovation”, said Anura Dissanayake, Additional Secretary, Ministry of Education/Project Director Education for Knowledge Society Project. “A shortage of skilled IT staff can limit productivity and growth. By working with the Oracle Academy, we can help strengthen our technology education programs in Sri Lanka and help our students develop industry-relevant that provides a competitive edge as they prepare to enter the workplace”.
“The Oracle Academy provides educational institutions with access to curriculum and leading technology that enables students to gain 21st century skills for successful IT careers”, said Krishna Sistla, Senior Director, Oracle Education Initiatives, Oracle Asia Pacific. “Our aim is to support the development of students with the computer science and technology skills needed in the marketplace today and into the future”.
24
Nov
The British School Manila in the Philippines is seeking a Head of Senior School effective August 2013.
The British School Manila (BSM) is a not-for-profit, independent school catering for local and expatriate students aged 3 to 18. The school was established in 1976 and now serves 860 students representing 43 nationalities and has an outstanding sense of community. BSM has an excellent reputation in the region and strong results in external assessments and examinations. The school, families, students and staff are committed to making education personalized, challenging and fun. BSM follows the National Curriculum of England, with some adaptations designed to suit the multi-cultural and international student body. The Senior School follows a UK curriculum model at KS3, the (I)GCSE at KS4 and the International Baccalaureate Diploma Program (IBDP) at KS5. The Senior School has over 400 students from Y7 – Y13, supported by 36 teachers. There is a very wide range of After School Activities on offer, with a strong focus on sport, service and the visual and performing arts.
The Position
We are looking for a forward thinking and experienced educational leader who will help drive the school’s goal of preparing students for the 21st Century. We aim to produce intrinsically motivated students who have ownership and leadership both of their own learning and the learning of others. Learning, social and collaborative skills, inquiry, questioning, creative problem solving and digital literacy are central to our goals. We aim to develop independence in our students, whilst maintaining and developing our excellent IGCSE and IBDP results, thus preparing them for and allowing them access to top universities around the world. The Head of Senior School is a key member of the team which promotes the underlying school values outlined in our Vision and Mission Statement.
The Head of Senior School is responsible for:
- The quality of learning, welfare and development of all Senior School students so they reach their potential
- Inspiring staff to guide the physical, mental, social and emotional growth of the students
- The development of a curriculum and delivery model that is inspirational, relevant and flexible and which prepares BSM students both for top universities and for life beyond education
- The leadership of professional learning for Senior School staff
- Communication and partnerships with families and the wider community
- The development, implementation and evaluation of an improvement plan aligned with BSM’s strategic goals
The person appointed will have:
- A passion for learning
- The ability to lead by example and to inspire and challenge a team of teachers
- High expectations which instill a desire for lifelong learning and a commitment to student welfare which ensures that our learning environment is a happy one
- A commitment to a skills based curriculum
- Excellent organizational and leadership skills.
- High quality communication skills and the ability to engage the wider community in supporting student learning
- The vision and foresight to build successful and creative teams, implement new initiatives and continue to improve educational standards
- A sense of humor
We can offer you:
- A team of highly motivated, well-qualified, friendly, supportive and enthusiastic teachers
- Over 400 fantastic, confident, motivated and happy students representing more than 40 nationalities
- An extensive program of extra-curricular activities, to which all staff contribute
- A supportive and committed leadership team
- A modern and well-maintained learning environment
- An attractive and competitive salary and benefits package
- A wonderfully friendly country to live in and in which English is widely spoken
For more information, please link to our soon to be launched new website: http://www.britishschoolmanila.org/staging/
If you require any further details, please contact: headsPA@britishschoolmanila.org
To apply, please send a letter of application describing how you meet the requirements of
The position, together with a passport size photograph of yourself and a detailed CV which includes the names, addresses and contact details of three (3) professional referees, to:
Simon Mann, Head of British School (head@britishschoolmanila.org)
Candidates should send applications at the earliest possible time and no later than 7 December 2012.
Interviews will take place at BSM during the week 9 - 15 December 2012. In the event of an outstanding candidate being identified, BSM reserves the right to make an appointment before the closing date for applications.
24
Nov
It is widely agreed that educational settings provide one of the best platforms for deep and meaningful international exchanges. Every day throughout the world, children, youth, and adults engage in experiences that stretch beyond their familiar domestic boundaries. These exchanges offer new perspectives on the lives of others, as participants are exposed to an increasingly complex and integrated world.
An education platform that opens doors to international dialogue provides a unique opportunity to reflect upon, analyze, and synthesize the knowledge gained often with the guidance of a teacher. This type of guided exchange greatly enhances the value of overall educational experiences among its participants.
In the United States, the U.S. Department of State and the U.S. Department of Education held International Education Week (November 12th-16th, 2012) to celebrate the transformative nature of international education exchanges that are taking place across the world. ACEI encourages all nations and communities to hold similar celebrations to recognize the value of exchanges that promote international understanding.
Research related to study-abroad programs provide evidence of transformative learning[1] taking place through intercultural exchanges within a foreign context. Such learning involves critical reflection of one’s perception of others, which leads to being less defensive against and more accepting of new ideas. These are key skills in boosting “global competency.”