Dear CAISL Community,
After 4 days of school, we are truly back in the swing of things. I know I just posted a blog a few days ago but wanted to start the school year with some information about upcoming events and a reflection on our recent successes.
New Family Coffees
Parents new to the CAISL community are invited to a “New Family Coffee”. These informal sessions are designed to provide you with additional information about the school and to answer any questions which have arisen. I also want to hear from you about your and your children’s introduction to CAISL, first few days of school, and your thought on what went really well and what we can improve on to help future new families.
These New Family Coffees are scheduled for
Tuesday, September 25, 08h45
Thursday, September 27, 18h00
Thursday, October 4, 08h45
Those of you who are new to CAISL this year will shortly be receiving an invitation and a request to choose a date.
IB Diploma Student Successes
CAISL’s pass-rate for the IB Diploma Exams for May 2012 was 90%. This is an excellent result as the average pass rate worldwide for May 2012 was 78%. You can find further information on the May 2012 results as well as an overview of CAISL’s IB Results for the past 10 years on the CAISL web site here
Our results are particularly distinctive when you consider that CAISL does not refuse to allow students to try for the IB Diploma. It is quite common—in the highly competitive world of international schools—for students who are not predicted to “help” the school’s results to be refused entry or dis-enrolled part-way through the program. CAISL encourages students to try and only rarely and in extreme circumstances dis-enrolls students from the program.
Evaluation of CAISL
Over the past 18 months, CAISL has undergone external evaluation by 2 accrediting agencies as well as participated in the “Foundation Census” instituted by the Portuguese government.
Foundation Census:
The Portuguese government instituted an intensive review of entities constituted as “foundations.” The school CAISL is governed by the not-for-profit Fundação Escola Americana de Lisboa (FEAL) and thus was part of this census. The results, published in early August, were widely publicized by the local media as well as available on the Portal do Governo.
I am quite pleased to tell you that CAISL was ranked the 8th best-run out of 190 Foundations. The criteria were
Pertinência / relevância Pertinence/Relevance
Eficácia / eficiência Efficiency
Sustentabilidade Financial Sustainability
Accreditation by the New England Association of Schools and Colleges (NEASC) and the Council of International Schools (CIS)
The NEASC and CIS Visiting Team came to CAISL the last week of March 2012.
Many of you attended the Sunday afternoon community reception and/or the open-invitation meeting with the team Tuesday morning.
At the end of the week, the team met with the CAISL staff to summarize its findings but, since their report needed to go to the NEASC and CIS Board, they could not give much detail.
Accreditation is granted for 10 years (with interim reports and visits) and then must be re-applied for. Since our most recent Accreditation dated from 2002, we were scheduled for a re-accreditation visit in 2012.
Accreditation is not required for a school to exist but seeking accreditation does indicate that a school is striving for quality.
In June 2012, we were informed by both NEASC and CIS that we had been re-accredited for a further 10 years. Our re-accreditation was a “clean” report with commendations and recommendations but no “red flags.” In fact, having worked with the Accrediting Agencies myself for many years, both as a Chair and as a Team Member on the visits to other school and as a Director and Teacher at a school receiving a visit, I am delighted that there were more commendations than recommendations in the report (very unusual) and that the commendations were glowing and the recommendations mirror those we had already identified and support our efforts at continual growth and improvement.
Over the next two years, we will be analyzing and working to address the recommendations in the report. This update is due to the agencies in 2014.
The full report (quite lengthy!) as well as a summary of the Commendations and Recommendations is in the pass-worded section of the Parent Community tab on the CAISL web site here (If you are a current CAISL parent and do not know the password, it will be emailed out again in the Friday newsletters this week or you can email me.)
Over the next weeks and months, you will see quotes from the Visiting Team appear around school, in the press, and as the “sign-off” line in our email signature.
However, I think it is worth repeating just a few of the commendations and statements from the Team’s Conclusion below as they are truly glowing and I am quite pleased that the 10-member Visiting Team so quickly identified these as strengths of CAISL and that every aspect received praise:
NEASC and CIS Praise for
Our Program
CAISL has developed clear and broadly understood guiding statements; core values and expectations for learning that . . .help to create and sustain the engaged and energetic climate that characterizes the teaching and learning life of the community.
The Visiting Team commends the faculty and staff for their student-centered approach to learning.
Our School Culture
The Visiting Team commends the school for creating an environment between teachers and students that is respectful, caring and where all are excited about learning.
There is a pervading sense of calm, of students who are comfortable in their work and in their relationships with teachers.
Th[e] quality of ease ought not to be confused with a lack of vigor and challenge.
The school is a work place, but not one that wears students down. It is a busy environment, but not a hectic one.
Expectations are high, but a commitment to kindness is evident. Students clearly feel that this is their school.
Our Students
The Visiting Team highly commends CAISL students for their embodiment of the qualities embraced by the school’s Profile of the Learner.
The Board of Trustees
The Visiting Team noted the strong and sustained support of the School’s Board for all the efforts CAISL has undertaken. This small group has been steadfast, generous and diligent, through many difficulties, and continues to hold the school in trust in wise and essential ways.
Financial Sustainability
The Visiting Team commends the school for maintaining a sound fiscal policy in uncertain economic times thus ensuring that the expected quality of education continue.
I look forward to seeing each of you at Open Houses, the PTO Picnic toward the end of the month, PTO Meetings and just “around” campus. If you wish me to address any particular topic in this blog (or at a meeting or presentation), please post a comment or email me.
Blannie Curtis, Director
CAISLisbon.
