Zimplicity

To all of our special guests, faculty, staff, administration, parents, friends, and family members – we thank you for your pride and presence as we celebrate this, our 26th commencement exercises for the class of 2019.

Thank you to Ray for stepping in for Ambassador Mosbacher.  Our partnership with the US Embassy is again enhanced and affirmed by your words and your presence stands as a shining example of a life of service and commitment.

Mr. Sheehan, thank you again for ushering through our graduation under unique circumstances this year.  Our ability as a community to adjust and adapt is due in great measure to your leadership and counsel.  My thanks to you and your amazing cadre of administrators and teachers who usher in each day with enthusiasm and passion for their subjects, their profession, and our students.

Felix and Lucas, thank you for representing your classmates so eloquently.  You both brought light and focus to the challenges you have faced and the wisdom you have gleaned from your experiences.  You have represented your classmates brilliantly.

Dr. Kirkpatrick, I thank you for your message as you bring your time here at ASW to a close.  It is a wonderful tribute that you were selected by the students you have so diligently served in your classroom and throughout their school life. In this way, and through your words today, you have inspired yet another generation which brings powerful punctuation to a career full of accomplishment.

Our thanks also to the High School Choir and their wonderful performances here tonight. It has been a year filled with stellar moments and these will be counted as brightest among them.

Before I proceed, my own words of thanks to an important person that has been instrumental tonight, as she has been for many years before this.  Malgosia Hydzik, the class godmother, has served ASW faithfully for 26 years.  That means, and I checked, she has been in our midst for every graduation since ASW has had graduates.  She joined the school during its 40^th anniversary in the 1992-93 school year and watched the very first graduating class cross that stage.  Teacher, mentor, coordinator, organizer, historian, colleague, friend.  We can never adequately thank you for all that you have done.  While other opportunities will come in the days ahead to recognize your retirement and contributions over more than a quarter century, this event is a cornerstone to your connection to the students you have served.  My special thanks and recognition to you tonight!

We know as an international community that many here on this stage have had other schooling experiences before joining us here in Warsaw. Also, some stay with us for a time, leave for a bit, and then return. It is part of being an international school that we embrace this constant flux of change and transition. Over twenty nationalities sit on this stage tonight.  But, as has been my tradition in many schools over a number of years, I’d like to recognize some special Warriors, nurtured at ASW from the beginning of their schooling experience all the way to graduation. As I call these names, would you please stand and remain standing so that we can recognize all of you as a group:

8? Students have been identified as having been here since either Pre-Kindergarten or Kindergarten:

Kindergarten:
Viktor Czernin-Morzin
Grace Oh
Denice Visalda
Michal Gasiejewski
Ji Eun You
Grzegorz Telejko

Pre-Kindergarten:
Agata Buksowicz
Mateusz Pietruszkiewicz

Please recognize these students and their families as this year’s Warriors of longest standing.

So, the time is almost upon us.  I have but one question for the class of 2019:  So, What’s the T?

For those in the audience with bewildered looks, you can look this up in your Urban Dictionary and you’ll find that it means What’s up?  What’s the latest gossip?  How’s it going, maybe?

So, what’s the T, graduates?

I find myself in an odd situation that I’ve experienced only once before in my life.  For the second, and final time, an offspring of mine is sitting on this stage.  Owing to where our surname falls in the alphabet, you can easily find her in the very last seat in the back.  Sorry about that, dear!

So, it is no surprise that I find myself just a bit closer to the class of 2019.  Not too close mind you, because that would have made my daughter’s time here that much more uncomfortable beyond the already hellish reality of being the Director’s daughter.  Despite that, our move here was rather smooth, due in part to the efforts of faculty, talented administrators, and my daughter’s special friends. Because of that deeper insight gleaned through my daughter’s experience, my comments yesterday at the awards assembly ring as true tonight as they did yesterday – I’m not sure I want to let you go.  And I definitely know I don’t want to let her go.

It is the parent’s truth tonight that we are conflicted between our pride and our concern.  We know you are prepared because we’ve watched you grow, strive, struggle, stumble and survive along this journey.  There are a few scars, both physical and emotional, and yet, you are sitting on this stage tonight and that says a lot.  I’ve watched you so engaged in your learning that you literally plastered it on your bedroom walls in order to find success in your exams.  But, I’ve also watched you find the moments to chill with each other through coffee houses, the dance floor, or just kicking back on the carpets of the guitar room with a microphone in hand jamming in a chosen key.

As a parent, and representing all of the parents here assembled, we want you to know how much we care about you.  I know that’s hard sometimes to accept.  The occasional angst between adolescent and parent is well documented.  We expect it because we know we did it to our own parents, too.  It’s hard to be very mad at you when we remember how disagreeable we were in our own youth.  Even in my own house, I’m currently vacillating back and forth between being called Dad or Jon.  That’s usually dependent on how “mean” I’m being in the moment or whether I’m paying attention.

I can only say that I must warn you all now that sometime later in life, you are likely to mutter words to this effect:  Parents, just when you think you’ve got them pegged, they turn around and show you how much they love you.

For tonight, I would suggest we all find forgiveness in our hearts and enjoy this crucial evening together in earnest embrace with family and friends, cementing a connection that must now survive distance and adulthood.

Remember always: Parents paint the colors of your rainbow through love and sacrifice.  Take their palette and inspiration as your own and change the world for the better.

Students, I ask you to embrace the journey that is now before you.  You face a great challenge.  As a planet, we are seemingly mired in deceit, decay, and despair.  But, there is hope and I’m encouraged because I know you launch with character intact, inspired by your close bond with us and each other, and a demonstrated insight into the issues you will face.  We encouraged you to be thinkers, inquirers, and doers.  You’ve shown it here and I’m quite confident in your ability confront all that comes with invention, passion, and purpose.

To my darling daughter – and as a parent representing all parents – there are no words to adequately express my love and pride.  I’m sorry if I’ve occasionally been tough. But, you can always count on knowing that, when I look at you, no matter your age or which name you call me, I will always see the child that I held in the first moments of life.  I embrace your creativity and compassion, in awe of your playful spirit.  I am truly amazed at your becoming.  But, please, for me, Starbucks buddies forever, OK?!

Class of 2019 – we love and admire you, proud of all you do.  Be well and be warriors, now and always.

At this time, I ask Principal Michael Sheehan and Chair of the ASW Board of Trustees, Mr. Ray Banks to please join me on stage for the conferring of diplomas.

A note this week to honor our fathers and mothers.  We are just coming out of a couple of weeks of recognizing and celebrating mothers through the many national dates including the U.S. on May 12, Poland on May 26, and UK Mother’s Day back in March.  Similarly, Father’s Day in the U.S. on June 16, in Poland on June 23 and, again, also back in March in the UK.  While the day of recognition is widespread across nationalities and dates throughout the year, the sentiment is the same as we recognize and embrace the tremendous importance of parents to their children.

Raising a child is the most significant and important accomplishment of life.  While education is a close second, the commitment and engagement of family will always be the most important part of what any individual achieves and becomes in life.  It’s particularly important to remember this as we move into graduation this weekend, celebrating a significant milestone.  It’s an event that suggests a child is now grown and ready to embark on their own.  We know this is not really the case, because of family connections and networks of support that last well beyond the preparatory years.  But, there is something special and important about this critical step and we celebrate and embrace it with all the pomp and circumstance we can muster.

But, the central theme remains.  Schools are places of parenting.  More than any other social system, we depend on parents and thrive on the opportunity to create a partnership in supporting your efforts raising your children.  In part, when we say “Work Together,” we are talking about that important collaborative activity of raising a child.  Without you, we are nothing.  Together, we open wide the doorway to opportunity for your child. To all the mothers and fathers of the ASW community, we honor and value you through all your contributions!  Thank you!

A Note About Upcoming Survey

Next week we send out our annual Student/Parent satisfaction survey.  We started this tradition in our accreditation process and this survey is the second year of an annual commitment going forward.  Much of the survey is the same with a small number of adds and adjustments.  Our purpose is to track year on year movement on key issues, so the stability of the instrument is important.  We use the results for critical planning and reported the full survey results in my report to the board back in September. Throughout the year we have reflected on the results and set goals associated with the feedback to help inform our operational and strategic work.  I want to thank you in advance for your participation in this survey.  Remember, if you have multiple children at the school, you may be filling out the survey multiple times in order to get each child’s point of view.  Surveys are customized based on the division of the child.  Separate links will be sent for each child in the family and each parent will get their set of invitations if their email address is properly registered in Powerschool.

It has been a busy week of preparation this week at ASW.  In recent days, we welcomed new board members through our election process.  While we will have final confirmation at the board meeting on Monday, please welcome the following to their new role as Trustees.  I also thought you would enjoy links to their campaign posters and videos as a reminder:

• Ms. Ajla van Heel Merdanovi? (US seat candidate) – video
• Ms. Anna Hutten-Czapska (non-US seat candidate) – video

There are always many roles in a school for all of us to contribute.  We are all reflecting now on our cover value of step forward and making things happen.  When partnered with our value of “We’re all in this together,” it becomes clear that our village is being called to action in growing and important ways.  Our thanks to all who step forward – Ajla, Anna, and Ezra — and the many others who continue to serve in leadership roles through appointment or election.  But, equally, we value and need all the parents that meet, plan, and serve daily as volunteers in our PTO events, classrooms, and in general service to the school.  It’s a big boat and plenty of room for all of us to help steer toward achieving vision and mission together!  Without us all, we’re nothing!

A few extra notes:

• Saw a sneak peek of the HS Production, The Crucible at assembly – MUST SEE!!  Thursday and Friday, both at 6 pm – Come one, come all!!
• Concerts kick off next week with MS Band/Choir on Tuesday night – 6 pm.
• Prom! – This weekend for grades 11/12.  Many thanks to the students and parents who helped bring this to fruition!! Saturday night at 9 pm.
• And – Graduation!!  It’s really that time already – next Friday evening at 6:00 p.m. at the POLIN Museum.  By invitation, but look for links next week for the live stream of this important event!!

IB Exams

This is the time of year for our IB students in 12th grade to take their final examinations, the culmination of two years of work in the Diploma Programme.  It’s a testament to their studies and integration of the material to answer both knowledge and process questions in their six subject areas.  My youngest has been diligently studying (well, most of the time) since the last day of classes for seniors and the exam experience has been a complex mix of stress, sleepless, studious, and Starbucks.  It is challenging to prepare and perform in a challenging high stakes exam of this nature and I feel for the kids each day.  But, the life lesson of surmounting challenges is critical to our learning process and the precept behind summative experiences of all kinds.  The sense of accomplishment can be profound and celebratory, while defeat can give us insight into how to prepare more effectively in the future.  Experiences like these carry well to the college level in preparing students for even higher stakes, and life in general.  While I struggle with watching the suffering of preparation (not for all), I also enjoy seeing how the kids prepare.  My favorite was the “wall of knowledge” I saw one student preparing, copying notes onto a large piece of butcher paper in order to uncover the connections over two years of material. I know they emptied highlighters in recent weeks from all the colors of the rainbow!

As testing comes to a close, students deserve a break while they prepare for graduation.  The test results are on the horizon in July, so all eyes can focus on celebrating the accomplishment of earning a diploma.  In my heart I know all have done well and I look forward to wishing them well from the stage in a few short weeks!

PYPx

Our next major project is coming to a close and our 5th graders take the stage on Friday, May 17, with their culminating project.  Not unlike our seniors above and our MYP students in their Personal Project, they are experiencing what it feels like to bring a project to completion and experiencing agency and action in the context of their integrated learning.  More below in the Elementary bulletin, but please join us starting in the theater at 8:45 a.m.

A Sad Note

The ASW community has experienced a sad loss of our former ASW employee Stanis?aw St?pie?, lovingly known as Stan, who passed away on May 10th at his home in Warsaw.

Stan worked at ASW for nine years (1998-2007) in the capacity of Maintenance Director. Stan was the one to first create and then supervise the security and facility maintenance departments.  He was the one to oversee the construction process of the new ASW campus (where the school is currently located) and was also in charge of organizing the move to this location.

Stan will be remembered as a very warm and friendly person, a highly motivated, hard-working, and dedicated employee who was always ready to help everyone in need.  Please share your memories of Stan in the comments of this post on Zimplicity and we will share them with the family.

Please join us for PTO tomorrow, Thursday, at 8:45a in the Cafeteria for a wonderful agenda that will consider the future, both for the PTO and the school.  After the introduction of the new PTO Executive Board and their annual election, they have kindly given me a spot to introduce work that has been progressing since January on the school’s new mission and vision, which will formally launch in the 2019-2020 school year.  We will enjoy a highly collaborative process and engaging around our hopes and aspiration, all gleaned from the work we have been doing together over the last two years.  This is one of many opportunities for community input and engagement.

Please come and join us!

Board Election Update

You should have received your election ballot and many of you have voted – Thank you!  Your last day to vote is this coming Friday.  We will send two more reminders only to those who have not yet voted.  We ask you to kindly check your Junk Mail folder to make sure the ballot did not accidentally get there.  If you did not receive a folder and would still like one, please contact the election address at aswtrustees@aswarsaw.org !  Results of the election will be shared after they are reviewed and certified by the Board Governance Committee.

Maker – def. – From Wikipedia:

Maker culture emphasizes learning-through-doing (active learning) in a social environment. Maker culture emphasizes informal, networked, peer-led, and shared learning motivated by fun and self-fulfillment. Maker culture encourages novel applications of technologies, and the exploration of intersections between traditionally separate domains and ways of working including metal-working, calligraphy, film making, and computer programming. Community interaction and knowledge sharing are often mediated through networked technologies, with websites and social media tools forming the basis of knowledge repositories and a central channel for information sharing and exchange of ideas, and focused through social meetings in shared spaces such as hackspaces. Maker culture has attracted the interest of educators concerned about students’ STEM subjects (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) in formal educational settings. Maker culture is seen as having the potential to contribute to a more participatory approach and create new pathways into topics that will make them more alive and relevant to learners.

Bottom line:  Come and have some amazing fun tomorrow in our latest iteration of the ASW Maker Faire!!  The fun kicks off at 9:00 a. m. tomorrow!!

Board Elections

Tomorrow (Thursday) you will receive your personalized ballot for ASW Board of Trustee Elections.  As a reminder, here are our candidates:

• Ms. Ajla van Heel Merdanovi? (US seat candidate) – video
• Ms. Anna Hutten-Czapska (non-US seat candidate) – video
• Ms. Esra Yavuz (non-US seat candidate) – video

Ms. van Heel Merdanovic will be running unopposed, whereas Ms. Hutten-Czapska and Ms. Esra Yavuz will compete for the available non-US citizen seat.  Your ballot will include a personalized link that can only be used by you.  An invite will be sent to all parents registered in our system at your registered email.  Please contact us at director@aswarsaw.org if you do not receive your ballot by the end of the day on Thursday.  You will receive reminders until you cast your ballot and click on submit.  The voting closes on May 10 and the results will be certified by the board at their regular meeting on May 27.

FCD  – A data point…

Our survey data is starting to return from our time with FCD, but the pre and post data for the presentations were reviewed today and this one result demonstrated a strong validation of the sessions and the visit of our specialist John Tummon:

One of the key protective factors for our students is having the knowledge to help a friend.  This tremendous growth in student reported reflections on their overall experience speaks volumes about the importance of open dialog and factual information so that students can make healthy choices confidently on their own, and help their friends in doing the same.  More survey data from the core instrument will be shared shortly after the break.

Last week, we had a wonderfully informative parent meeting with John Tummon, our representative from FCD (Freedom from Chemical Dependency).  It is important that all parents get the important messages from this meeting and that you should look to talk to parents who were in attendance as well as reviewing the contents of the slides that John graciously shared with us:

ASW FCD Parent April 10 2019

Some of the key myth-busting facts that are important to note:

• Myth: students learning to drink alcohol in the home at earlier ages protect them later in life.  WRONG!  All research supports the opposite for adolescents – the earlier an adolescent drinks, the greater the risk for later problems.
• Myth: Cigarette alternatives (vaping, chewing, etc.) are better for your health than smoking – WRONG! There are a number of slides in the presentation that dispel this myth and confirm that marketing campaigns are trying to sell this message in order to market newer products to adolescents, who are more likely to develop lifelong habits and negative health impacts when starting during adolescence.  You should be VERY concerned about the ease of access to vaping products in our general area!

An important book reference for the above and consistent with much of the presentation can be found here:  Age of Possibility by Dr. Laurence Steinberg.

There is much more to continue to discuss and we are awaiting our compiled survey results in the coming days that will help us understand the challenges we face here at ASW.  We are fully prepared to continue this conversation and make plans to address any concerns as warranted.  We are not done with this topic and are already planning for the enhancements to our health curriculum and policies as we identify areas of needed impact.  If you have any questions, please reach out to us!

Maker Faire

https://youtu.be/vNi7vPUFuII

Maker Faire is still looking for adult helpers.  We need everyone to help make it a great success for our students!  Signup is here:

• https://www.signupgenius.com/go/5080b44a9af28a6fd0-makerfaire

Badges

First, a thank you to all the parents who have been working hard to remember to wear their badges on the school campus at all times.  We appreciate your attention to this important regulation and practice!

Please be reminded that showing your badge at the entrance, whether in a car or on foot, is just the first step.  You should then promptly put your badge on and wear it while on campus.  Please register all visitors that you are escorting with the guards at the gate or at the front security desk.  Parents and visitors not wearing badges will be increasingly stopped and checked for this necessary credential.

School Hours

Just need to confirm with everyone that official school hours (except holidays) are as follows:

Monday to Friday – 8:00 am to 4:30 pm

Access to the campus outside of these operational hours (including weekends and holidays) is as follows:

• Students who are on campus during operational hours, but depart after these hours may not return except according to the following stipulations.
• Students in Grades 6-12 must show school identification to be allowed on campus after hours and only for approved activities.  
• Elementary students in grades PK-5 may be on campus after hours only under the direct supervision of their parent/adult guardian.
• Adults must have a parent identification to gain access to the campus after hours and must wear this identification at all times.
• No outside visitors or guests are allowed on campus after hours without prior arrangement.  Visitors at all times require prior approval by the appropriate divisional or departmental office and clearance by security.

The school will announce in advance our operational hours during vacations and holidays and campus closures when the school will not be accessible to anyone due to maintenance or other concerns.

Parent Meeting – Wednesday, April 10 in the ASW Theater for all parents…

In a couple of previous Zimplicity articles, I suggested that we should all be diligent in combating the issues that our children are facing.  Articles on sleep and, more recently, electronic cigarettes were well received.

As part of our ongoing commitment to prevention and wellness, we have invited prevention specialists from FCD Prevention Works to join our community during the week of April 8-13. A part of the Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation, FCD (Freedom from Chemical Dependency) is a non-profit organization that provides substance abuse prevention services for schools. Since 1976, they have taught over a million students of all ages. Their mission is to:

• Encourage and support the non-use of alcohol and other illegal or illicit drugs during the growing years.
• Empower young people to make healthy, responsible choices regarding alcohol and other drug use
• Teach students and adults how to recognize the early warning signs of substance abuse and to intervene appropriately
• Educate students, parents, teachers, and administrators on the physiological and psychological effects of alcohol and other drugs
• Promote awareness of drug addiction, including alcoholism, as a progressive, chronic, and often fatal disease
• Provide educational communities with the guidance and training necessary to implement comprehensive, effective approaches to substance abuse prevention

FCD prevention specialists are highly trained professionals who have achieved healthy recovery from alcohol or other drug addictions. This unique perspective enhances the credibility of their message and provides students with role models for happy, healthy, drug-free living.  The FCD prevention specialist will present a parent workshop to offer support and guidance in helping your children enjoy drug-free adolescence on Wednesday, April 10 at 6:00 p.m. in our ASW Theater. This is appropriate for parents of children of all ages.  Some of the topics to be addressed include:

• Effective ways to communicate with your child about drugs and drug use
• Up-to-date facts about current drug use and trends
• What to say about your own experiences with alcohol and/or drug experimentation
• How to spot early warning signs of use and effective ways to respond.

This program presents a perfect opportunity for discussing alcohol and other drug-related issues with your children. Parental involvement is crucial to our efforts to reduce the risks teenagers face. We want our students to hear from both school and home that we are concerned about alcohol, nicotine, and other drugs use by adolescents, and that we are committed to keeping our children safe.

See you all there!!

Board Member Application/Nomination

This is a reminder that your applications are due this Friday if you want to become a member of the Board of Trustees. You can find more information about the BoT, including the composition of the board and qualifications at the following link:

https://www.aswarsaw.org/community/board-of-trustees

The link to our form is here:

https://goo.gl/forms/3Vg4LemowAyfBTNA3

Serving the students of our school in this capacity is a truly rewarding experience.  Please consider whether you can potentially contribute and fill out our simple application form today.  We’ll be in touch with you shortly thereafter.

Spring Forward

It’s our turn to push clocks forward this weekend, catching up with most states in the U.S. and other countries that observe this strategy.  At 2:00 a.m. on Sunday morning, all clocks will “spring forward” to 3:00 a.m.  Suggest you get to bed early to avoid the sleep loss!

Shuttle Service

We are coming up on your last chance to try the shuttle bus service before our deadline of March 29.  Numbers are currently low and it is not clear whether we price and continue the service.  If you haven’t had a chance to ride it yet, this would be the week to try it and give us an indication of interest by doing so.

Each year, about this time, we sum up the recruiting season and update the community with the pending changes for the next school year. It’s that time of the year again and you will find our page of departing and new staff updated and ready for your review. The nature of international schools is the constant movement of our population in and out of the school at all levels. For students, we average about 10-12% turnover each year. Staff turnover is about the same with age and adventure calling to some in our midst to take on either retirement (or reinvention) or a new challenge somewhere in the world. On our page of updates, you’ll also find a few shifts of current staff into new roles for next year and we are excited for their interest in taking on a new responsibility and their growing as leaders in the process.

Our update page is here: https://zimplicity.org/?page_id=370

We have a wonderful team of recruiters here that have scoured the planet for our new colleagues. My thanks to their diligence and talent in this regard. We look forward to welcoming all of our new Warriors in August. Similarly, in June we will bid farewell to some of our current Warriors. But, in the midst of our tears, we’ll remind them as we always do – Once a Warrior, Always a Warrior!!

Aspiring Board Member Training

A final reminder about our training session tomorrow! There is still time to sign up and join us. Will take place as follows:

Thursday, March 21, 2018 at 6:00 p.m. in the TLC

If you would like to participate, you can sign up by clicking here:

https://goo.gl/forms/ICzpzehhgO3y5qLg2

Personal Project

Please note the information further down in the Upper School section regarding the Personal Project Expo on Tuesday evening, March 19 from 6:00 – 8:00 p.m.  This is a culmination of a year of work for our oldest MYP learners and constitutes a tremendous cross-disciplinary journey of planning, learning, and reflection.  We saw a waypoint of this during an earlier showcase, but this is, as Mr. Sheehan noted, the Red Carpet event that will provide an opportunity for students to share their insights into selected areas of study.  This is not just an event for Middle School, but one that may be good for some of our upper elementary students to introduce them to activities on their horizon. The IB, in founding documents suggests the following:

Interdisciplinary teaching and learning builds a connected curriculum that addresses the developmental needs of students and prepares them for further academic study and life in an increasingly interconnected world…. The personal project encourages students to practise and strengthen their ATL (Approaches to Learning) skills, to connect classroom learning engagements with personal experience, and to develop their own interests for lifelong learning.

This is fun for the whole family and a great way of understanding the rich insights that students have gleaned from their deep dive.  Join us.  Take a look. Celebrate accomplishment!

#MyFreedomDay

Recently on CNN, a project that started at Atlanta International School was showcased. I’m connected to multiple organizations that support this effort and it has been growing now since its inception. I encouraged students to consider participating on their own this year, in hopes of inspiring student involvement and planning towards next year.  Please take a look at the following links and watch what transpires during the day tomorrow. This activity has the potential to have some strong correlations to our mission, vision, and core values.

#MyFreedomDay– Thursday, March 14, 2019:

• https://edition.cnn.com/specials/world/myfreedomday
• http://cdn.cnn.com/cnn/2019/images/01/30/myfreedomday2019.pdf

You can watch our work via two hashtags: #MyFreedomDay and #ASW_Warsaw

Aspiring Board Member Training

A reminder to mark your calendars for the next session of the New and Aspiring Board Member training in advance of our appointments and elections this year.  I’ll be leading a session on School and non-profit board membership. If you have an interest in a position on the ASW board, as a leader in PTO, or if you are looking to serve on other non-profit boards in the future, this training will help provide some of the key understandings associated with good governance in a non-profit setting.  The content of this training includes insights into ASW specifically.  We’ll explore selected ASW Board documents and will give some insight into ASW structures and policy.  Our session will take place as follows:

Thursday, March 21, 2018 at 6:00 p.m. in the MPR

If you would like to participate, you can still sign up by clicking here:

https://goo.gl/forms/ICzpzehhgO3y5qLg2

Next week, ASW welcomes the 29th Annual CEESA (Central and Eastern European Schools Association) Conference to our fair city.  We will be welcoming 500 participants representing 70 schools from our region and around the world. Included in this mix is our own consultant, Ewan MacIntosh, along with a wide range of other key presenters on strategic planning, change management, leadership, literacy, service learning, exceptional talents, sports, activities, design, STEM, and a full range of educational innovation.  Presented by outside speakers and a range of both regional and members of our own faculty, it is a robust two-day experience that forms the foundation of our regional and global collaboration.  If you want to learn more about our activities next week, you can see more conference information here:  https://www.ceesaconference.com/2019/

We’ll have many of these participants at school on Thursday for Pre-Conference sessions.  A variety of guests touring our classrooms will be part of our sharing of programs from Early Childhood to Design Center to MYP/DP programmes.  And, of course, we have a previously scheduled Professional Development day on Friday, March 15, with no school for students so that all staff can participate in the conference on both Friday and Saturday.

We’ll also be welcoming our representatives from the United States State Department, including our Regional Educational Officer, Mary Russman.  Mary will be in meetings on campus and at the Embassy during her time here as well as participating in the conference.  Please look for us on Monday through Thursday as we tour her around the building, giving updates on our various programs.  She’ll have other officers of the State Department joining her at different times as well.

Message from the Chair of the Board of Trustees:

February 27, 2019

Dear American School of Warsaw Community,

Congratulations on the successful completion of the first semester of this school year! I hope you all had plenty of time with your family and friends over the mid-winter break. The Board of Trustees (BoT) has also been busy. We have launched a Corporate Sponsorship Program, improved sustainability of BoT’s governance, and adopted a new mission and vision statement based on our core values.

Similar to last year, the BoT is seeking candidates for Trustees (U.S. citizens and Non-U.S. citizens) who will begin serving in the 2019-2020 school year. This process, overseen by the BoT Governance Committee, begins now with a call for both applications for appointment and nominations for election through a unified form completed by March 29, 2019. The link to our form is here:

https://goo.gl/forms/3Vg4LemowAyfBTNA3

The Board is currently seeking community members with experience in fields like human resources, fundraising, development, and strategic planning. We are also seeking members with strong social networks within both ASW and our host community. Most importantly, the BoT needs parents who are committed to the values, mission, and vision of our community and the long-term wellbeing of our school and its students.

You can find more information about the BoT, including the composition of the board and qualifications at the following link:

https://www.aswarsaw.org/community/board-of-trustees

I want to thank all of you who have volunteered to support our school this year. Whether hosting visiting students, serving as room parents, or by supporting the PTO, your efforts are key to making ASW a community that changes the world for the better.

Ray Banks
Chairperson, Board of Trustees

Additional Note: Shuttle Bus Update

Our new collaboration with TRANSPORT AND INFRASTRUCTURE MANAGEMENT Sp. z o.o., which began on Tuesday, is off to a good start with a number of riders. The picture included here is the shuttle ready for an afternoon run.

Please note we have an updated bus schedule that provides for adjusted times on Wednesday mornings, as would be expected for our weekly schedule for students.  This schedule is available at the front reception desk and at the following link:

Shuttle Bus Schedule