From the Principal 24.02.2024
“It’s just the tip of the iceberg”
An expression we have all heard many, many times before.
What makes icebergs so interesting, beyond their geographical and climatic locations and the unique ecosystems that they can support, is that what you see on the surface is only a glimpse of what lies beneath the water line.
Schools in many ways are like icebergs. What is publicly presented and viewable; the achievements, the events, the experiences and individual pupil progress; is but a fraction of what a school does. Below the surface there is always a significant amount of work going on to support and enable what takes place at the tip of the iceberg.
This week was an incredibly busy one for the school and in many ways this week may be remembered as one of the most pivotal in recent years.
Aside from the incredible work of our U13 FOBISIA team at the Orange Group games (an enormous congratulations to all involved with this – please see more information from Ms. Watt and Mrs. Renshaw in their newsletter pieces), many of our staff have been working incredibly hard below the surface on initiatives and actions that will shape our future for the years to come.
This week saw the first phase roll-out of iSAMs, our new school management information system. While this is a decidedly unglamorous process to undertake, the platform will greatly enhance efficiency as well as the student and staff experience at KIS. The roll-out of the system has taken many weeks of work and will fully go live in Term 3. We are very excited to see the impact of the system across the school and will be rolling out features over the coming months. A special thanks to all staff who have been involved in the launch of this system.
Additionally this week our Senior Leadership Team, supported by Mr. Stuart Bromley, launched the re-accreditation process for our Council of International Schools (CIS) accreditation. The launch took place in two sessions, one with our Board of Governors and the other with all KIS staff.
To achieve full CIS status is a process many years in the making and achieving accreditation is validation that our school is up there with the best in the world. We are incredibly proud of the fact that KIS is the only CIS accredited school in East Malaysia. The re- accreditation process is entirely focused on school improvement and enhancing what we do here at KIS. In the coming months everyone in our community (parents, teachers, students, support staff) will have the opportunity to play a role in shaping our schools future through this process.
For further information on the importance and value of CIS accreditation, see the the graphic below:
If you have any questions about CIS, the process of re-accreditation or its value, please do not hesitate to reach out.
While it is always fantastic to celebrate what takes place at the tip of the iceberg, it is always beneficial to celebrate the continued work taking place under the surface to support and enable our students and community to flourish. Thank you to everyone in our community for your continued efforts, whether below the water-line or above, for making KIS such a wonderful school.
