www.aisb.ro
1
Contents 4
Facts and Figures
6
Board of Trustees
7
Director’s Review
12
Early Learning Center
24
Elementary School
34
Secondary School
44
Admissions Report
50
Alumni Report
54
Human Resources
56
PTO Report
58
Gallery
ABOUT THE ANNUAL REPORT This report is produced by AISB’s Admissions & External Relations Department. To find out more about the school’s current activities, please visit www.aisb.ro The Annual Report is also available online For further information, please contact: Manager of Admissions & External Relations Mrs. Catalina Gardescu catalina@goaisb.ro © The American International School of Bucharest Designed by Mario Zamfir Produced by Aliant Brands Ltd., www.aliantbrands.co.uk Photography by Bogdan Greavu, www.bogdangreavu.com
2
AM ERICA N INT E R NAT IO NA L S CHO O L OF BU C H AREST
ANNUAL REPORT 2020
www.aisb.ro
3
FACTS AND FIGURES
1,700 over
1,030 65 from
students
countries
12 scholarship students
alumni in over 46 countries
34
languages spoken on campus
over
200 educators
60%
over
10 5
4
hectare campus
hold Master’s degrees and Doctorates
accreditation / affiliations
70%
international student body
20 1st
school in Romania to enable a Safe Zone for LGBTQ students
1962 6 founded in
state-of-the-art computer labs; school-wide, iPads, & SmartBoard technology in every classroom
maximum class size
over
the first and oldest private, international school in Romania
AM ERICA N INT E R NAT IO NA L S CHO O L OF BU C H AREST
indoor and outdoor sports facilities
state-of-the-art film media center
ANNUAL REPORT 2020
“We aspire to be a creative, courageous, & compassionate learning community�
www.aisb.ro
5
BOARD OF TRUSTEES Voting Members 2019-2020
Abigail Misciagno Rupp
George Mucibabici
James Stewart
Bryan Jardine
Peter Schretzmeir
Gabriel Zbârcea
Iosif Szavuj
Kim Vranceanu
Col. Scott Weston
Board Chair Governance Committee Chair Advancement Committee Member Advisory Committee Member DCM U.S. Embassy
Board Member Advisory Committee Chair Governance Committee Member Managing Partner Wolf Theiss Attorneys at Law
Board Member Facilities Committee Member Governance Committee Member Executive Director iNES
6
Board Vice Chair Finance Committee Member Chairman Deloitte Romania
Board Member Facilities Committee Chair Policy Committee Member Managing Director Liebherr Romania
Board Member Policy Committee Member Advancement Committee Member Bucharest Properties, REIT
AM ERICA N INT E R NAT IO NA L S CHO O L OF BU C H AREST
Board Member Treasurer and Finance Committee Chair Vice President Raiffeisen Bank
Board Member Advancement Committee Chair Advisory Committee Member Managing Partner Tuca Zbârcea & Asociatii
Policy Committee Chair Governance Committee Member Advisory Committee Member Defense Attache U.S. Embassy
ANNUAL REPORT 2020
Amos Rahat
Finance Committee Member Facilities Committee Member, VP Finance & IT, Tuborg Romania
Peter Welch Director
One of the social effects of the pandemic is that time seems to telescope. PreCovid days and the events of much of last year can seem a long time away. So, it is heartening to write this review and recall the future planning that we did as a community during the last academic year, 2019-20. These great discussions involved all the distinct voices in our community. Through focus groups, presentations, surveys, and inspirational talks, we challenged our community to go back to the most essential questions for education: How do you believe that the world we are preparing our students for is changing? What skills, knowledge, and mindsets will our students need to be successful in this changing world?
DIRECTOR’S REVIEW At AISB, what should we do more of, or less of, or start doing for the first time? The thoughts and ideas in response to these questions gave rise to our new vision for AISB:
We aspire to be a creative, courageous, & compassionate learning community. It is remarkable to reflect that these core values arose from our conversation before the pandemic overtook us. These values could not have been more relevant and important during these past few months. Since last March, our educators have had to reinvent their craft
for both online and adapted learning. I am extremely appreciative of their creativity on a daily basis. Our students, too, have had to reinvent themselves as learners in these times. Their courage and the resilience of our families has been extraordinary. Above all else, these anxious times have affirmed our basic belief that taking care of one another, dealing with each other with compassion and kindness, is central to the human heart of education. Since the spring we have been preoccupied with keeping the community safe and adapting our programmes. Even so, behind the scenes, the professional team kept the faith in this vision and worked to put our new strategy in place. We need to move beyond words to concrete actions that enhance and update the student experience at AISB.
www.aisb.ro
7
We have the right team in place. This is the most talented and creative team that I have had the privilege to work with. Having the right people on the bus is vital and then, to borrow Jim Collins’ metaphor, we need to tune up the vehicle, agree on the destination and organize ourselves in the right seats. Last year, we began the important process of improving different systems across the school. We brought clarity to the organizational structure, began the process of linking the sections of the school together more meaningfully. We have put in place more effective budget management and monitoring systems and instituted new procurement processes. We have changed our accounting and legal representation. We have also brought in a new facilities management company to professionalize the short to long-term care of our wonderful campus. These continue to be challenging financial times for our school, but I am confident that we are planning effectively for different eventualities. In this work, I am grateful for the support of the AISB School Board of Trustees.
8
In this not-for-profit school, we rely on their volunteerism to steward the school’s strategy, particularly in these uncertain days. Our Chairperson, Ms. Abigail Rupp, led this group most ably for three years. Among other very important projects, Ms. Rupp worked with me and a small group of Board members to overhaul and rationalize the policy framework of the school, a process that offers clear guidance going forward. At the end of the 2019 - 2020 school year, Ms. Rupp departed for Moscow with her family having served the AISB Board of Trustees with good sense, an eye for detail, and admirable commitment to the role. The 2019 - 2020 school year also marked the retirement of our Board Secretary, Ms. Doina Andrian, after 26 years of extraordinary service to our school. In the fall of the 20192020 academic year, we completed our tenyear accreditation visit from our three awarding bodies - The Council of International Schools (CIS), the New England Association of Schools and Colleges (NEASC), and the International Baccalaureate Organization (IBO). After this week-long assessment, we received three detailed
AM ERICA N INT E R NAT IO NA L S CHO O L OF BU C H AREST
ANNUAL REPORT 2020
www.aisb.ro
9
evaluation reports. These very positive evaluations praised the schools for how far it has come over these last few years and set targets to complete the future planning process and further systematize academic and organizational structures across the school. I would like to express my sincere thanks to all parents in our community for their ongoing support of the school. I am especially grateful to the leadership of our Parent Teacher Organization (PTO) for all their efforts to bring us together through different social events. Last year, the new team put a lot of effort into new initiatives, such as the Thanksgiving celebrations, building a new ‘little’ library on campus and continuing to support the scholarship program through the first ever online Auction Gala. There was fantastic participation and more support than ever before for service projects such as ‘Stuff the Bus’ and the Terry Fox Run .
campus safely again, and manage all the complexities of communicating at this time. Thank you to our three Principals, Rosella Diliberto, Elyane Ruel, and Jon Cain. Thank you to Catalina Gardescu, our Manager of Admissions and External Relations, to Roxana Lungu, our Human Resources Manager, and to Liliana Stefenel, our Business Manager. Thank you, too, to my Executive Assistant, Cristina Marinescu. I am blessed to work with such talented, kind, and dedicated people. I trust that when we overcome this pandemic our school will emerge stronger and more clarified in our hopes and ambitions for the future. Peter Welch Director
In closing, I want to say thank you to my colleagues on the Leadership Team. You can see the real qualities of people in a crisis. We really pulled together as a team to keep the school going, to work hard on opening the
10
AM ERICA N INT E R NAT IO NA L S CHO O L OF BU C H AREST
ANNUAL REPORT 2020
www.aisb.ro
11
Rosella Diliberto ELC Principal
INFRASTRUCTURE HIGHLIGHTS Developed outdoor spaces, improving playground equipment and furniture. Improving indoor spaces to support more integrated learning spaces, professional conversations, more classroom spaces and comfort during learning. PROFESSIONAL LEARNING AND CURRICULUM DEVELOPMENT • External training with Innovative Global Education in the documentation cycle as part of the planning process • Music Atelier, and representatives from EC4 faculty attended Reggio Emilia International
12
EARLY LEARNING CENTER REPORT
Training and led AISB faculty learning • Wrote and shared our pedagogical beliefs around Early Childhood learning, including building a shared understanding of our ELC Image of a Child and Image of a Teacher • Began the process of infusing Professional Learning opportunities into Collaborative Planning • Highlighted Social Emotional Learning in the planning and reflection process and included counselor support with curriculum planning • Began to use a process of Data Driven Dialogues to focus on KG writing to make data informed decisions
AM ERICA N INT E R NAT IO NA L S CHO O L OF BU C H AREST
• Research project on further understanding the developmental stages of play and rest in different year groups • Keeping Safe (child protection) Training • Restructured how we intentionally plan for learning • Began a process of curriculum revision throughout ELC • Repositioned our Grade Leaders as working with teams as curricular and pedagogical leaders (leaders of learning) • Finalization of accreditation process and review of findings • Coaching and mentoring a team of teachers from OvidiuRo to help them
ANNUAL REPORT 2020
www.aisb.ro
13
build their programme and understanding • Continued quality education and teacher/ student communication at a distance through asynchronous video lessons, with student responses and teacher feedback on Seesaw, our digital portfolios • Implemented successful Zoom Art lessons for Kindergarten during online learning
• Ensured the ELC library systems considered sustainability of processes. Then began to document the processes for the wider community • Continued to consider diversity of the ELC collection • Hosted a book fair in November
• Implemented communication through photomontages, Zoom Art and Zoom Art Galleries, as a reflection of Zoom and asynchronous Art lessons on Seesaw
• Hosted Matt De La Pena (author) for a week long visit, working with each grade level in small groups
LIBRARY AND TECHNOLOGY INTEGRATION
• Planned systems for the the Distance Learning Drive by Library
• Added satellite libraries to the main collection which included beginning a Pedagogical/Professional Collection and Parenting Collection. Planning started for classroom collections
• Ensured the technology integration team considered sustainability of systems and processes, and began to be documented
• Began resourcing and ordering for a core KG classroom based library, with a plan for EC4/EC3 in the next academic year for AY 2020/21
THE CREATIVE ARTS (INCLUDING MAKERSPACE)
• Wrote rationale for ordering of focussed reading resources to support early literacy
14
development in KG and began the ordering process for AY 2020/21
• Organised a Story Writing unit for KG with Clare Vorster as Author in Residence
• Considered the role of the Art and Music artelista, and the development of mini-art and music ateliers in homeroom spaces
AM ERICA N INT E R NAT IO NA L S CHO O L OF BU C H AREST
ANNUAL REPORT 2020
www.aisb.ro
15
• Learner agency and the image of the child continued to prevail in Art and Music engagements • Reinforced our learners’ sense of agency during exploration time, through choice between specialisms- Art, Music and Maker Space • Used the outdoor space for music and sound exploration • Continued focus on small group learning; allowing learners to have more individual attention and share ideas, enhancing opportunities to document learning • Continued to use the Makerspace as a Design Thinking vehicle in classes • Began planning for Makerspace ‘Remida’ centre to be started August 2020 PE • PE lessons were arranged around a spiralled skill theme approach whereby differentiated open-ended movement provocations were presented within a free flow environment, encouraging the mastery of fundamental manipulative and movement skills. • Whole class active lesson starters encouraged students to move creatively and rhythmically
16
to music both individually and as part of a group. Students inquired into the movement concepts of space, direction, levels, shapes, pathways, force, time/speed and flow. • Students inquired into tag games as a way of developing fundamental movement skills, agility, balance and coordination and to the more complex movement concepts associated with playing invasion games, including space, pathways, force, speed, tactics and strategies (i.e. offensive and defensive) and the notions of sporting behaviour and ‘playing fair’ • KG made trips to the Casa Alba forest area to engage in outdoor learning.
CO-CURRICULAR ACTIVITIES • The co-curricular department continued modeling our CCA mission statement as the foundation for the 2019-20 school year encompassing all opportunities which our department creates for AISB students. We also started drafting a new mission statement to be used in the upcoming years. We will involve students’ voices, educators, and leadership in the discussion around the new mission to be launched in 2021-22. • In the ELC, the following
AM ERICA N INT E R NAT IO NA L S CHO O L OF BU C H AREST
ideology was continued: co-curricular activities have been purposefully selected to be movementbased and outdoor-based as much as possible, offering students opportunities to expand their daily engagements and exploration of the learning environment. • Kindergarten remains the only ELC section who benefits from CCAs, as the school day for the ELC is too soliciting of students and overextending their schedules to after-school would not age-appropriate and cannot replace valuable downtime, home play, or time spent with families. • The CCA framework consisted of three, 10week long seasons aligned schoolwide. Central Ideas continued being introduced for each co-curricular activity as purposeful learning descriptors available to students & families via the activity presentation prior to the registration periods.
COUNSELING & LEARNING SUPPORT • Provided parent workshops on a range of parenting topics • Continued to work with staff and parents on their understanding of Emotion Coaching • A collaborative
ANNUAL REPORT 2020
www.aisb.ro
17
student care process was enhanced and strengthened, including the start of a multi-layered (RTI) support system. • Keeping Safe child protection lessons were delivered to EC3 through to KG, a combination of counselor or teacher taught.
EC2-KG LEARNING LEADER INPUT PERTAINING TO AGE GROUP HIGHLIGHTS • EC3 initiated a food waste project, considering our consumption and exploring what happens to our garbage, recycling and food waste.The group collaborated with the Elementary School and advocated for community action, encouraging members to minimize and separate their food waste from other garbage, which would be delivered to a nearby farm for animal consumption. • The EC3 team inquired into the needs of our students in terms of their developmental resting/ sleeping needs. The team collaborated with families to adapt the afternoon resting program, allowing students to have agency in whether to rest, sleep or engage in other experiences • EC4 moved to an open investigation time rather than scheduled specialists.
18
This allowed the students to choose an area of interest for them each day either in the classroom or in one of the areas with a specialist teacher. As the children became more confident with the routine they were asked to give reasons for their choices each day and to share how they planned to use their time in the spaces. This promoted student agency and accountability. • A highlight from the EC4 student investigation time was an inquiry into dance that was inspired by a dancing robot that one of the children shared. The children began to think about how to share their understanding of the connection between music and movement through drawings and song choices. Guest teachers came and shared other ways we can observe and explore movement through gymnastics and break dancing. Unfortunately this investigation was not completed because of the school closure. However, it did help the teachers develop a greater appreciation for how to launch and maintain a student driven exploration • Two of the teachers participated in a weeklong study tour in Reggio Emilia, Italy. The teachers shared their learning experiences and ideas for how AISB might learn and adapt based on the
AM ERICA N INT E R NAT IO NA L S CHO O L OF BU C H AREST
ANNUAL REPORT 2020
www.aisb.ro
19
Reggio Approach in early childhood. There is still room and time to explore many of these initiatives • From January 2020, the EC4 teachers introduced the children to Seesaw tools that they could use to become more independent in sharing and reflecting on their learning • Two forest trips (Summer, Autumn) gave EC4 learners the opportunity to explore the concept of ‘change’, in the context of nature. This led to inquiries into plants, flowers, endangered animals and insects • Kindergarten visited Art Safari, to consider the concept of ‘light’ used by contemporary artists in art installations, and to discover the many details in the work of Romanian master painter Nicolae Tonitza • Kindergarten - under the theme “How We Organize Ourselves” TRANSPORTATION unit, assessed the Bike track and suggested some road signs. As a result these signs were installed on the bike track • Kindergarten collaborated on reorganizing the KG learning outdoor area, setting different provocations according to the children’s interests, allowing them to exercise their agency and ownership
20
• Each Kindergarten class received 65 new titles as mentor texts as part of our literacy programme development MOTHER TONGUE PROGRAM • 16 students in the Mother Tongue Program • Languages: Russian, Spanish, French, Chinese, Dutch • MT coordinator presented a workshop focused on the importance of students’ first language • MT coordinator supported Romanian students’ transition from EC4 to KG and from KG to G1 ROMANIAN MOTHER TONGUE • 22 Kindergarten students were enrolled in our Romanian Mother Tongue program • The RMT curriculum was adapted to meet needs through the Distance Learning Program • Interactive language classes were successfully taught on Zoom • Students explored the use of Romanian Mother Tongue both in physical and virtual environments
Rosella Diliberto ELC Principal
AM ERICA N INT E R NAT IO NA L S CHO O L OF BU C H AREST
ANNUAL REPORT 2020
www.aisb.ro
21
22
AM ERICA N INT E R NAT IO NA L S CHO O L OF BU C H AREST
ANNUAL REPORT 2020
www.aisb.ro
23
Elyane Ruel ES Principal
CURRICULUM DEVELOPMENT • Further restructuring the planning of curricular units through a concept-based approach • The assessment and reporting committee, in consultation with a parent group, rewrote the PYP assessment and reporting policy and timeline, resulting in more time spent monitoring and documenting learning, and less time on reporting on learning. Also, there is a shift away from performance-based reporting and towards more progress-based reporting • Developed a shared understanding of pedagogy that supports social-emotional learning,
24
ELEMENTARY SCHOOL REPORT
such as morning meetings, calm transitions, consistent language • Launched parent workshops on socialemotional learning as a focus in all academic areas and throughout the school day • Launched a new connection with the Chinese parent community by offering parent workshops about the PYP in Mandarin.
• Whole section focus on social-emotional learning, and the practices and pedagogy that support it • Teachers and TAs participated in professional learning communities around such topics as number talks, literacy conferencing, creativity, and documenting play and learning.
• Adopted a new math curriculum and supporting resource
• Intentional and responsive training for teaching assistants in such areas as conceptual learning, providing responsive support and classroom management
PROFESSIONAL LEARNING
STUDENT LEADERSHIP
• Many teachers participated in a coaching cycle with the PYP coordinator and/ or math coach
AM ERICA N INT E R NAT IO NA L S CHO O L OF BU C H AREST
• Grade 5 student hosts planned, coordinated and hosted Elementary assemblies on a weekly
ANNUAL REPORT 2020
www.aisb.ro
25
basis. These student leaders communicated with all ES faculty, coordinated the different items and celebrations of learning, and then scripted the 40 minute assemblies. They presented them on the stage and ensured they were upbeat, fun and engaging! • Student Service Leaders interviewed many members of our community and presented their interviews in assemblies, introducing many staff to the student body. Their aim was to ensure that we greeted people by name and got to know each other. These videos often included translations into or from Romanian, and provided a lovely, inclusive tone to our gatherings. TECHNOLOGY/ MAKER SPACE • Familiarity and comfort with 1:1 devices and applications such as Seesaw and Google Classroom • More than 30 Tech Mentors in the student leadership program, developing their passion for technology while helping others in their classroom and beyond • Code Week, organized and led by the ES Tech Mentors
26
• Exponential growth of technology and content creation skills during the Distance Learning Program for students and teachers alike • Expansion of the Makerspace resources and remodeling of the space • Additional lunch time sessions added to the makerspace schedule and access to space expanded to grades 1 and 2 LIBRARY • 24,903 books checked out, over 800 new books COUNSELING • Facilitated Circle of Security parenting program • Hosted screening of the documentary, “Angst” for parents and students • Supported teachers in the further growth of the social emotional program LEARNING SUPPORT • Supported 46 students across G1 - 5 with accessing the curriculum. • Coordinated internal LS professional learning opportunities to explore current LS systems and begin to map out the future direction of LS at AISB.
AM ERICA N INT E R NAT IO NA L S CHO O L OF BU C H AREST
ANNUAL REPORT 2020
www.aisb.ro
27
EXTENDED SUPPORT • 94 students from grades 1-5 participated in small pull-out groups for extended learning • Nine 5th grade students produced and published the 2nd ever ES Literary Magazine, and the 1st ever online • Fourth AISB Math Olympiad Team
gym. This enhanced the PE experience for all PYP students. • Playground football games were reorganized to ensure maximum participation. • PE Ambassadors assisted with the new playground set up and offered support with looking after the equipment. MUSIC
EAL • 68 students received direct support during the language rotation blocks • EAL team facilitated a number of parent workshops • Developed an online language proficiency assessment to inform language placement for incoming students MOTHER TONGUE PROGRAM • Restructured the program to allow for more Mother Tongue lessons during the school day schedule • More than 60 students in the Mother Tongue Program PHYSICAL EDUCATION • New gymnastics and climbing equipment was installed in the auxiliary
28
• Further enhanced the cross-curricular links (i.e.integrated math unit connecting fractions to note values for grade 4 students) • Designed and implemented a new ukulele program for upper elementary students • Put on a successful musical with grade 4 & 5 students and winter performances ART • Pioneered a virtual art gallery for distance learning online assembly • Further enhanced the cross-curricular links (i.e Aesthetics of Architecture Unit: Geometry Through Two Lenses, Integrated with Grade 2 Properties of Matter UoI with The Properties of Clay, Changes UoI )
AM ERICA N INT E R NAT IO NA L S CHO O L OF BU C H AREST
ANNUAL REPORT 2020
www.aisb.ro
29
ROMANIAN • Refined the rubrics for the writing units in grades 3-5 and for oral expression for kindergarten to grade 2. • Created a new unit in Grade 5 called Cultural Identity and Global Citizenship and linked it to our Bucharest: a case study unit.
FRENCH/SPANISH • Integrated aspects of concept-based approach in the curriculum CO-CURRICULAR ACTIVITIES • The co-curricular department continued modeling our CCA mission statement as the foundation for the 2019-20 school year encompassing all opportunities which our department creates for AISB students. We also started drafting a new mission statement to be used in the upcoming years.
• The Spring Season CCAs were organized online via Zoom and Google Sites. The following choices for CCAs were consistently on offer during distance learning: karate, lines & pattern drawing (studentlead), basketball ballhandling, gymnastics & fitness, zumba kids dance. • There were a total of nineteen (19) external specialists/coaches used in the ES CCA program in 2019-20, six (6 of which were AISB parents). • Thirteen (13) CCAs were year-long commitments. • Central Ideas continued being introduced for each co-curricular activity as purposeful learning descriptors available to students and families via the activity presentation prior to the registration periods. Elyane Ruel ES Principal
• The CCA framework consisted of three, 10week long seasons aligned between all divisions of the school. • The activities included: ES Camp-Out, Football, Living Sports Library, Fencing, Cross Country, Basketball.
30
AM ERICA N INT E R NAT IO NA L S CHO O L OF BU C H AREST
ANNUAL REPORT 2020
www.aisb.ro
31
94
students from grades 1-5 participated in small pull-out groups for extended learning
32
AM ERICA N INT E R NAT IO NA L S CHO O L OF BU C H AREST
ANNUAL REPORT 2020
New gymnastics and climbing equipment was installed in the auxiliary gym
www.aisb.ro
33
Jon Cain Secondary Principal
PROFESSIONAL LEARNING • Individualized Professional Learning Goals based off of Learning Principles • Upskilling on tech related platforms and online learning • Working committees on Space and Schedule
pathway, including adding the School-supported Selftaught pathway at DP for Grade 11 • Launch of MYP Student Portfolios and Student-led conferences • Added DP Psychology as a course for Grade 10s to choose based on prior & present student interest
CURRICULAR LEARNING
CO-CURRICULARS
• Created school wide Learning Principles
• Experiential Week in September
• Continued mapping of skills and concepts
• Grade 6, 11, & 12 out for experiential learning in Romania
• Grade 8 Science and Design Interdisciplinary Learning course • Mother Tongue program continued to grow and flourish, supporting more students on this bilingual
34
SECONDARY SCHOOL REPORT
• Launched our Secondary House System with a full collaborative community day for Grades 7-10 • Hosted CEESA High School Boys Volleyball in
AM ERICA N INT E R NAT IO NA L S CHO O L OF BU C H AREST
the fall season and CEESA HS Robotics in the spring season, welcoming over 100 students from CEESA schools to our community • Basketball All Community Event to celebrate end of season as travel restrictions came into place DISTANCE LEARNING • Successful move to Distance Learning through Zoom, educators and students demonstrating resilience, compassion, risk-taking and community. • Safeguarding guidelines created for Adapted Learning program • Focus on MYP Key concepts and skills, as essentials to maximize learning
ANNUAL REPORT 2020
www.aisb.ro
35
• Flexible schedule for Distance, Adapted and Face to Face learning COMMUNITY • Wellness Council & Service Learning Council joined to expand our StudentLed Council program to 10 Different councils. Parliament of Councils formed to provide overall direction • Virtual Student-led Earth Week, Assemblies, Spirit Week • Initiation of our first ever Human Rights Week (Student-led) • Student Ambassador program created to assist with 2020 Orientation for new students
STUDENT SUPPORT
DP RESULTS
• Implementation of a Response to Intervention program for Grade 6 in Reading and Writing
Considering the impact of Covid-19, the Diploma results of this year’s graduating class are a cause for celebration. In order to put these results in some context, here is a short overview of what the Class of 2020 experienced in the last part of their HS education:
• Student Safeguarding committee formed and schoolwide safeguarding audit completed • Leadership discussion and review on our inclusion journey and current inclusion policy • SAFE Zone training for educators and Mental Health Awareness Week led by counseling team • Student-led initiation of DP Wellness Week • Angst Movie showing and debrief to community by counseling team
• The Bite Student Newspaper continued to keep us informed and celebrate community events
• On Sunday 22nd March the IB announced that the May 2020 examinations were cancelled • From Monday 23rd to Wednesday 25th March, Grade 12 completed their mock examinations, knowing now that the final exams had been cancelled. All students attended all exams and we were really impressed with the students’ resilience and positivity • Following the mock exams, students in Visual Arts, Theatre and Film
IB DIPLOMA RESULTS 2018-2020
36
AISB
Year
% of grad class
Diplomas Awarded
AISB Avg.
World Avg.
AISB Avg. Grade
World Avg. Grade
Grade
2020
92%
98.2%
35
29.92
5.59
4.80
2019
88%
93.8%
35
29.63
5.49
4.76
2018
89.5%
88%
34
29.8
5.27
4.79
AM ERICA N INT E R NAT IO NA L S CHO O L OF BU C H AREST
45-40
35-39
30-34
44
8
20
44
6
28
43
6
13
Highest
ANNUAL REPORT 2020
25-29
20-24
15-19
23
5
1
0
18
10
3
0
18
10
3
1
www.aisb.ro
37
(all subjects with 100% coursework) had to work incredibly hard and under severe limitations in order to produce final assignments that depended on collaboration and practical work • After the Spring break and in the absence of examinations to revise for, Grade 12 teachers offered optional mini-courses for Grade 12 students. These were very well attended and were engaging learning experiences for the students • In addition to all of this, students and their families had to agree as plans for graduation and all the usual celebrations to mark the end of High School had to be moved online • After an anxious wait, Diploma results were released on 6th July, based on students’ coursework, predicted grades and historical data. Overall, AISB’s results were in line with previous years, although some students had to agree with the way the IB’s algorithm impacted their grades • Our class of 2020 achieved an outstanding set of results, with a pass rate of 98.2% and an average score of 35 points Jon Cain Secondary Principal
38
AM ERICA N INT E R NAT IO NA L S CHO O L OF BU C H AREST
ANNUAL REPORT 2020
www.aisb.ro
39
CLASS OF 2020
40
AM ERICA N INT E R NAT IO NA L S CHO O L OF BU C H AREST
ANNUAL REPORT 2020
www.aisb.ro
41
42
AM ERICA N INT E R NAT IO NA L S CHO O L OF BU C H AREST
ANNUAL REPORT 2020
www.aisb.ro
43
Catalina Gardescu Manager of Admissions & External Relations
ADMISSIONS The 2019-2020 school year started with the highest enrolment AISB has ever had - 1033 students from 65 countries. For the first time in the school’s history, some of the AISB grades surpassed the four form structure and waiting lists were created for several grades. After the February break, when the pandemic hit Romania, enrolment froze, after growing slightly during the school year, to 1033 which is the number of students we said goodbye to in June 2020. In order to support prospective families who, due to the pandemic limitations, were unable to organize campus visits as in the past years, the
44
ADMISSIONS REPORT
Admissions office designed and implemented a system of virtual tours which were offered to each family, according to their needs and wishes. By June 2020 the Admissions office had enrolled 120 students for the new school year 2020-2021. COMMUNICATIONS In August 2019 AISB welcomed Peter Welch as new Director. We were excited to create new messages and update our website to reflect this important change. From day one it was clear that Mr. Welch’s priorities were related to future planning, community building and making sure that everything that happens at AISB is going to take our students forward.
AM ERICA N INT E R NAT IO NA L S CHO O L OF BU C H AREST
The Vision and Mission of the school were revisited, in light of the new decade and redrafted based on surveys, focus groups, meetings that included staff, parents, alumni, students and the Board of Trustees. When the pandemic had us turn a different corner, the school was getting ready to start rebranding according to the revamped vision and mission statement. The pandemic was first and foremost a test in communication. Once the gates of the campus were closed and we only had the internet to rely on to teach, connect and support each other, it became even more important that we communicate clearly, efficiently and to the point.
ANNUAL REPORT 2020
www.aisb.ro
45
AISB STRATEGIC PLAN 2020-2024
46
AM ERICA N INT E R NAT IO NA L S CHO O L OF BU C H AREST
ANNUAL REPORT 2020
www.aisb.ro
47
The voice of school Director, Peter Welch, was behind all messages, coordinating, informing and outlining the “new normal�. ALUMNI Organized in collaboration with the Secondary Counselors team, Career Day supported students of 10th Grade, in their preparation for Course Selection in the IB Diploma Program. Eight alumni from eight different industries participated and spoke to the students about their university and career paths, changes during their personal journey and answered questions about their profession and industry. The pandemic impacted alumni events as well. The Senior Brunch was cancelled and the Letting Go event was transformed into a special series of online
48
events for each country/ region where our seniors had applied to go study. Our alumni who study and work in various countries/ regions globally shared vital and helpful information about all aspects of moving to, living and studying in the respective areas. Though online, these events were well attended. The Alumni Association kept in touch with AISB Alumni worldwide during the lockdown period and organized a variety of support activities including a major fundraiser to benefit one of the local hospitals, in cooperation with other sponsors affiliated with the school. Catalina Gardescu Manager of Admissions & External Relations
AM ERICA N INT E R NAT IO NA L S CHO O L OF BU C H AREST
ANNUAL REPORT 2020
www.aisb.ro
49
2019-2020 STUDENT NATIONALITIES
NATIONALITIES
LANGUAGES
AUSTRIA
1.3%
SPAIN
1.5%
RUSSIA
1.6%
KOREA
2.0%
CANADDA
2.8%
FRANCE
3.1%
NETHERLANDS 3.0%
50
2019-2020 NATIVE LANGUAGES
GREEK
1.0%
KOREAN
2.0%
ITALIAN
2.2%
DUTCH
2.2%
HEBREW
3.0%
FRENCH
3.3%
RUSSIAN
3.3%
SPANISH
3.4%
UNITED KINGDOM
2.9%
ITALY
3.9%
GERMAN
3.9%
GERMANY
3.7%
TURKISH
4.0%
ISRAEL
4.0%
CHINESE
4.2%
CHINA
4.4%
ROMANIAN
29.0%
TURKEY
5.1%
ENGLISH
30.1%
UNITED STATES
14.1%
ROMANIA
28.4%
AM ERICA N INT E R NAT IO NA L S CHO O L OF BU C H AREST
ANNUAL REPORT 2020
www.aisb.ro
51
52
AM ERICA N INT E R NAT IO NA L S CHO O L OF BU C H AREST
ANNUAL REPORT 2020
www.aisb.ro
53
Roxana Lungu HR Manager
The 2019-2020 academic year started with great prospects, a new Director at the helm, amazing setup and the highest enrollment number in the history of the school. The professional body was structured appropriately to serve this community and to deliver an outstanding educational environment. AISB contracted 307 professionals during the academic year, out of which 67 new colleagues, 50 new teachers and 17 colleagues in other support roles. Little did we know that during the second half of the year the school will have all
54
HUMAN RESOURCES REPORT
its systems and processes turn on their heads, and “pivoting� would be the word of the day. When the pandemic hit Romania and started to influence the AISB processes, we were wrapping up a successful hiring process for the 20202021 school year. The school maintained all agreed upon contracts and we were able to organize a successful transition, in unprecedented conditions for all new staff during the summer. Roxana Lungu HR Manager
AM ERICA N INT E R NAT IO NA L S CHO O L OF BU C H AREST
ANNUAL REPORT 2020
2019-2020 NEW TEACHING STAFF
2019-2020 TOTAL TEACHING STAFF
2019-2020 AISB STAFF
UNITED KINGDOM
10%
UNITED KINGDOM
10%
TEACHING
NORTH AMERICA
38%
NORTH AMERICA
37%
ADMINISTRATIVE 15%
AUSTRALIA / NEW ZEELAND
10%
AUSTRALIA / NEW ZEELAND
7%
FACILITIES
OTHER EUROPEAN COUNTRIES
22%
OTHER EUROPEAN COUNTRIES
13%
MANAGEMENT 3%
OTHER NATIONALITY
2%
OTHER NATIONALITY
4%
ROMANIA 18%
67%
15%
ROMANIA 29%
www.aisb.ro
55
Monica Bommer-Neuner PTO President
The 2019-2020 academic year was a very challenging year for all of us! As PTO we worked hard from the start of the school year to engage the AISB community, raise funds and support our children and the school community in many different ways; before and, of course, also after the COVID crisis hit Romania and AISB. I would like to thank each and everyone of you for your support during this exceptional school year. We’ve managed to organize a lot of events and sponsor quite a number of initiatives. From Newcomer Coffees to Links Drinks, from Halloween Parties to the amazing Zombie Run, from Winter Holiday celebrations to Friendship Week, from Uniform & Book Sales to
56
PTO REPORT
Sharing Cooking skills and recipes online, from sponsoring small projects to supporting big events like the Angst movie or Freedom from Drug and Chemical Dependency workshop, from Fruits for the Secondary students to Cooking workshops for the parents, from tours around Bucharest to Workshops. We even sent Vampy around the globe! The main community highlight this school year was the 3-day Harvest Festival in November. Unfortunately two big events, our traditional annual Gala in April and the beloved International Festival in May, had to be cancelled due to Covid-19 restrictions. With the help of our sponsors, country reps and a group of very dedicated
AM ERICA N INT E R NAT IO NA L S CHO O L OF BU C H AREST
parents, we still managed to organize the Auction part of the Gala as a very successful online event, thus being able to sponsor 3 scholarships for very talented Romanian students. We’d like to thank all of YOU for your continued support and contribution during the 2019/2020 school year! It’s been a very active year with lots of events, projects and happenings at school as well as online. We could not have done it without you! Go Vampires! Thanks so much, Multumim frumos! Monica Bommer-Neuner PTO President 2019/2020
ANNUAL REPORT 2020
www.aisb.ro
57
DISTANCE LEARNING
58
AM ERICA N INT E R NAT IO NA L S CHO O L OF BU C H AREST
ANNUAL REPORT 2020
www.aisb.ro
59
60
AM ERICA N INT E R NAT IO NA L S CHO O L OF BU C H AREST
ANNUAL REPORT 2020
www.aisb.ro
61
Designed by Mario Zamfir Produced by Aliant Brands Ltd. www.aliantbrands.co.uk
Blvd. Pipera 196 Voluntari, Jud. Ilfov 077190, Romania Tel: (40-21) 204-4300 Fax: (40-21) 204-4384 office@aisb.ro www.aisb.ro
62
AM ERICA N INT E R NAT IO NA L S CHO O L OF BU C H AREST
Photography by Bogdan Greavu www.bogdangreavu.com
ANNUAL REPORT 2020
