Annual Report 2010-11

Annual Report 2010-2011

I am pleased to present the 2010-2011 Annual Report on the performance of Vientiane International School. This was a busy year in which much was achieved and completed. I am proud to be part of this community in which we can celebrate diversity and common purpose together.

I trust that this new addition to the school’s communication processes will assist all members of the community to be informed and engaged participants in the school.

Inside these pages you will find facts and information on the activities and operations of the school across a wide spectrum of areas. What an Annual Report cannot convey adequately is the manner in which these achievements were made. To that end, I acknowledge and appreciate the support given by the Board of Trustees, senior administrators and staff throughout the year and in the development of this Annual Report. Without their active efforts and commitment to the school, VIS would have been unable to accomplish the many successes outlined in these pages.

Greg Smith Director

School Year Snapshot…………………….…2

Staff Overview……….…………………………..…7

Strategic Directions………………………….3

Student Activities…………………….……………8 & 9

Student Information…………………………4

Facilities and Buildings………….………………10

Student Performance ……………………...5

Service and Partnerships…………….…………11

Financial Information………………….……6

Events and Celebrations………….…………….12 1

Challenge, Inspire and Prepare Learners for Life

Dear VIS Community,

Annual Report 2010-2011 School Year Snapshot 2010-2011 School Year at a Glance The graduating class, our second class of graduates from the Diploma Programme, will be attending university around the world, well prepared for the rigours of college level courses. Students graduating this year have been accepted to a range of highly regarded institutions including Bristol University (UK), Curtin University (Aust), Middlebury College (US), University of Queensland (Aust), Erasmus University Rotterdam (Ned), Mahidol University (Thai), and National Chiao Tung University (Taiwan).

The school began the year with a new Director, Greg Smith, following the four year tenure of Steve Alexander. The Board reviewed their position and changed from a Board of Directors to a Board of Trustees reflecting their long term strategic role to ensure the future strength of the school. The student enrolment trend continued upwards with the budget being exceeded as Vientiane continued to grow.

Financially, the school continued to develop Capital Reserves for required completion of the facility Master Plan.

The Operational budget finished in balance after a forecast deficit of 300 000 USD thanks to school wide expenditure management and enhanced income. A range of minor building projects provided enhanced learning spaces for our students and staff.

Service and partnerships help to achieve our Mission of Inspiring, Challenging and Preparing Learners for Life. This year has seen three significant partnerships established with Dao-Heuang supporting the development of a new exhibition and meeting space, Phu Bia Mining initiating the Passport to the Future Scholarship for Lao students, and the creation of a sister school relationship with our local school in Ban Saphanthong Tai.

Staffing procedures continued to be a focus with new and enhanced Professional Growth and Evaluation Procedures developed. VIS staff are selected from hundreds of applicants for their qualifications and experience. Each teacher holds appropriate teaching qualifications and many have advanced degrees for their role in the school.

Additionally, the support staff are experienced and many also hold advanced degrees. Professional development of all staff is a key part of planning each year.

VIS is a founding member of the Vientiane City Basketball League providing competition for students from local high schools. Our teams did tremendously well in the inaugural year. That success flowed through to the MRISA competitions in basketball in particular. Hosting the MRISA Senior Basketball tournament was a major event for the school. The After School Activities programme continued to be an integral part of the fabric of the school, and significant expansion was undertaken this year.

Students undertake the International Baccalaureate curriculum and the final stage in authorization of the three programmes was completed this year.

In a year full of events, our Parents and Friends Association, Student Council, staff and Board of Trustees have managed to bring many activities to the VIS community showcasing individual skills and celebrating the diversity of VIS.

Transition of approximately 25% of students each year is a feature of VIS and the IB provides a sound framework for students who move internationally or to national systems.

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Annual Report 2010-2011 Strategic Direction In 2009 the Strategic Planning Committee developed key objectives to be reached by August, 2014.

Progress toward meeting these goals is shown below.

School Life: 

Curriculum:   



Be an authorized IB World School offering all 3 IB Programs; PYP, MYP, DP Fully Met Meet the needs of all by developing a community of learners On Track Support holistic learning with appropriate resources On Track



Overall Rating: On Track Personnel:

Overall Rating: Close to Complete   



Finance: Have established effective financial management practices.

On Track Offer its staff a competitive salary and benefits package On Track Have an established Development Community providing new income resources In Development





Be adequately staffed to meet the capacity enrollment of 550-600 students On Track Offer comprehensive professional development to all Lao Staff In Development  Have a good balance between work load and nonschool life for all staff On Track

Overall Rating: On Track The Annual Strategic Planning Review will be more substantial in 2011-2012 than in previous years, marking the mid point of the five year plan. The 2010-2011 review focused on the actions of the Board of Trustees and the Goals that Trustees undertook as a result of that review were:

Overall Rating: On Track 

Have a well developed intrinsic attitude towards community service On Track Have a positive community spirit promoting cross cultural understanding and open communication In Development Have a high level of student participation in a variety of school activities and events On Track

Facility: Have completed Phase III of the master construction plan with a Creative Arts Center and a Swimming Pool or have access to a Swimming Pool nearby.

On Track Have safe campus facilities that have wide access to the community On Track

   

Overall Rating: On Track

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To clarify the identity of Vientiane International School and ensure its communication.

To determine and ensure the communication of a Long term Land Resource Strategy Identify alternative Income streams that can enhance the sustainability of the school’s programs and growth.

To determine and ensure the communication of the Languages Policy for the school.

Annual Report 2010-2011 Student Information Students from around the world enroll at VIS with over 40 nationalities represented this year. The major nationalities are:

Support for language acquisition and development important to being an International Baccalaureate World School and VIS consolidated Lao and German Mother Tongue programs in 2010-11 to promote this.

Support for students in the English as an Additional Language (EAL) programme was expanded during the year. This can be expected to continue in coming years as the diversity of the population continues to reflect many nationalities.

Enrolment continued to increase across the school.

The school experiences approximately 25% transiency each year as families relocate. This combines with growth to mean that we welcomed over 130 students to the school. The growth trend over the past years shown on the graph below appears likely to continue.

The distribution of students reflects a pyramid with greater numbers in the lower primary and smaller cohort groups through secondary. Even with the higher growth rate that was experienced in secondary during the year, it is a feature of most international schools that higher populations exist in the primary grades.

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Annual Report 2010-2011 Student Performance The International Baccalaureate Diploma is available and encouraged for all students entering grade 11. The Diploma course covers a two year period during which students are required to meet three separate conditions to be awarded an IB Diploma. The students who are full IB Diploma Candidates must; 1. Successfully complete an Extended Essay and Theory of Knowledge course, and Creativity, Action, Service requirements.

2. Gain a total of 12 points in three higher level courses.

3. Gain a total of 24 points in all six courses taken.

Students who do not fulfill these requirements are awarded IB Certificates for the individual courses that are completed successfully.

The 2010-11 graduating class is the second to complete the IB Diploma Programme at VIS. The results of full IB Diploma candidates in this group are shown below.

Examination Session

Number of full IB Diploma Candidates

% IB Diplomas Awarded at VIS

May 2011

10

50%

% IB Bilingual % IB Diploma % IB Bilingual Diploma’s Awarded Awarded in Asia Diplomas Awarded at in Asia Pacific Pacific VIS

67%

60%

32%

Average point total for successful candidates at VIS

Average point total for successful candidates in South East Asia

31.5

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Students from four grades participated in a pilot scheme using a new diagnostic assessment called Measure of Academic Progress (MAP). This assessment provided diagnostic information on individuals and also enabled the school to make some judgments on the overall performance of the group. While this data is in its early stages of analysis and is not validated in the same way as a standardized test, it does give an indication of general student performance. These graphs show the result of pilot group.

Pleasingly, in each case the VIS mean (average) score is comparable to the international mean.

The school plans to expand the use of MAP in the 2011-12 school year to gather diagnostic information on students from grades 2-9. Additionally, in 2011-12 the school will commence the use of the International Schools Assessment, developed by the Australian Council for Educational Research for students from grades 3-10. This is an well established standardized test which will provide comparative performance data against in schools across the world.

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Annual Report 2010-2011 Financial Information 1. Instructional Expenses: Teacher salaries, teaching materials, and programme resources.

2. Administrative Expenses: Administrative staff salaries, audit costs, software licensing, printing and copying.

3. Supporting Expenses: Student activities (MRISA SALSA trips etc) Security, grounds and cleaning costs 4. Other Expenses: Utilities, transport, Maintenance, Furniture, and repairs.

VIS had a total Operational Income, including Tuition Fees, of $3,954,118 for the school year 2010-11.

This exceeded the budget forecast by approximately $280,000 and was due to increased enrolment. The total operating expenditure for the year was $4,012, 953 which is approximately $53,000 higher than budgeted, again due to increased student numbers.

Capital income of $712,445 was received from Capital Fees and from a donation of $29,000 for security equipment from the US Embassy. Of this amount $367,972 was spent on campus upgrades and improvements leaving $344,412 to be added to the Capital Fund for future major building projects.

School tuition and fees were compared with a group of benchmark schools during the year. Benchmark schools were selected for similar programmes and size within the region. This analysis showed that VIS fees and charges were among the lowest in the region at all levels. The chart below shows results for grades 6-8.

Benchmark Schools Comparison Tuition &Capital fee Benchmark School $11,500 Vientiane International School $14,000

Over the past four years the school has shown a steady increase in income as enrolment has grown.

This has been matched by increase in overall expenditure. The key measure of expenditure and income per student is shown in the graph above. As you will note, the level of expenditure per student has been maintained during this budget period.

Expenditure during this financial year can be divided into four major areas.

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Benchmark School (x 2 schools)

$14,000

Benchmark School

$14,500

Benchmark School

$15,000

Benchmark School

$16,000

Benchmark School (x 2 schools)

$18,000

Benchmark School (x 2 schools)

$19,000

Benchmark School (x 2 schools)

$20,000

Benchmark School

$24,000

Annual Report 2010-2011 Staff Overview Distribution of Staff VIS meets the standards for international school employment required through the Accreditation processes of the Council of International Schools (CIS), Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC) and International Baccalaureate (IB). The procedures for recruitment, registration, professional licensing, qualifications and professional development ensure that VIS staff meet staffing standards expected of international schools.

Teaching staff at VIS are fully qualified and many hold advanced degrees as shown below.

Teacher Qualifications A Staffing Strategy is under development to ensure that VIS is able to attract and retain quality staff in all areas. The staffing environment for teachers is expected to become more competitive over the next decade and it is vital that the school is poised to respond. The Strategy will encompass salary, benefits and conditions and aims to place VIS in the top 50% of benchmark schools within the region. In parallel, non teaching support staff salary and conditions will be reviewed in 2011-2012.

Bachelor

Masters

VIS values the contribution of staff who have been part of the development of our school and have chosen to move to new challenges. The following staff members left the school in 2010-11.

Professional development is an essential element of a teacher’s career in the 21st century. It is a feature of VIS that six teachers who have been awarded the status of workshop leaders or moderators for the International Baccalaureate. Professional Growth and Evaluation are key processes in ensuring the quality of staff. VIS reviewed and upgraded the Professional Growth and Evaluation procedures this year and will be implementing a standard-based process in 2011-2012 for all staff. Standards for teachers have been based on the USA National Staff Development Council and International Baccalaureate standards. Standards for support and administration staff follow the same format.

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Mala Dorset & Dan Foggo

Sharon & Tony Dent

Carmel McCormick

Whetu Seymour

Lin Reshocksay

Melinda & Tony Watters

Courtney Smedes

Noy Soukanouvong

Jamie Touttavong

Brian Walsh

Bencharat Chayuti

Peter Markham

Terese & Eric Sheers

Jiap Phommathep

Regina Huerlimann

Jeanette Brooker

Annual Report 2010-2011 Student Activities A new initiative, fostered by VIS staff in collaboration with the Lao Basketball Federation, launched the Vientiane City Basketball League this year. This involved ten high schools from Vientiane in a twelve week season. The Federation received financial and administrative support from the school which also hosted many of the games with VIS facilities being the highest quality available. VIS was the venue for the launch ceremony and finals, giving the school a high profile in the local community. Our girls’ team was the winning team, going undefeated for the last half of the season. The boys were defeated in the final in a very strong finish to the competition.

together to work through collaborative activities related to the Millennium Development Goals. Guest speakers supported the students to develop actions to assist regional bodies to meet the challenging MDG in the context of their own school.

Model United Nations (MUN) is a programme that provides a forum for secondary students to engage in discussion and debate with their peers from other international schools around the world. VIS sent a team to THIMUN and MRISA MUN where they delivered speeches on topical issues and helped to create resolutions in a manner similar to the UN. The After School programme operates throughout the year in four sessions. In each quarter a range of activities is offered to the students by school staff and community members. As a snapshot of the activities undertaken, in the fourth quarter there were 19 different activities on offer and these were enjoyed by 280 signups (a signup is one student in one activity.) During 2010-11 the management of the ASA programme was taken on by a parent volunteer, Ms Angela Fabling. The work undertaken by Angela has seen the number of community based ASA sponsors increase, providing greater opportunities for our students.

VIS sent a team of swimmers to the UNIS Invitational Swim Meet in May 2011. Individual excellence was on display in this competition which was well supported by families. Thanks must also be extended to the Australian Embassy for their generous support in making the Embassy Recreation Facility available for training, both as part of the general swimming programme within the physical education curriculum and for additional training . The strength of the swimming programme has been greatly enhanced by the support made available through the Australian Embassy staff and families.

We proudly wore our VIS Dragons logo on our sporting uniforms for the first time in 201011. This logo was the winning design from a school wide competition and will be a part of all VIS teams as they travel to international or representative competition.

VIS also hosted the MRISA Leadership Exchange in October 2010. This brought students from both MRISA and Vientiane 8

Annual Report 2010-2011 Student Activities The most successful year of MRISA involvement commenced with the collection of the first trophy in recent years when the Junior Boys Basketball team was crowned champion team. The Basketball strength for VIS continued through the year in MRISA tournaments. A strong showing by the junior boys in soccer showed that this group has the potential for continued success in MRISA tournaments.

The Mekong River International Schools Association is the key body for international competition in the region. VIS has performed above expectations in this Association in 2010-2011 with tournament championships achieved by the school. The wins in the basketball tournaments were matched by solid performances in other sports.

The hosting of the Senior Basketball tournament was a significant event for the school which was made possible by the support of the community in hosting of 127 students from regional international schools. The victory by our senior girls’ team on home courts was a great bonus to a well-organized and supported event. VIS community families gave great support by hosting students from the other MRISA schools Students from primary gave great support to the visitors as each class adopted one of the schools and cheered for them at games.

Secondary students not directly involved in games acted as scorers, officials, internet journalists and support crew during the tournament.

A total of 68 students participated in MRISA sporting tournaments during the 2010-11 school year. VIS is a foundation member of the MRISA and looks forward to continued involvement. The Association provides international sporting contact through the year for our students, an opportunity unique to VIS in Laos.

Table showing the final places in each MRISA sporting tournament 2010-2011 SPORT

HS BOYS VOLLEY

HS GIRLS VOLLEY

MS BOYS BASKET

MS GIRLS BASKET

HS BOYS SOCCER

HS GIRLS SOCCER

MS BOYS VOLLEY

MS GIRLS VOLLEY

HS BOYS BASKET

1st place

ISHCMC

ISPP

VIS

ISPP

UNIS

ISPP

ISHCMC

ISHCMC

SSIS

2nd place

SSIS

ISHCMC

ISPP

HIS

ISE

UNIS

ISPP

ISPP

3rd place

ISPP

SSIS

ISHCMC

UNIS

ISHCMC

ISHCMC

NISC

NISC

4th place

UNIS

UNIS

SSIS

SSIS

ISPP

SSIS

UNIS

SSIS A

5th place

NISC

ISE

UNIS A

ISE

HIS

ISE

ISE

6th place

HIS

NISC

NISC

ISHCMC

SSIS

VIS

7th place

ISE

HIS

ISE

NISC/UNIS

VIS

8th place

VIS

VIS

UNIS B

VIS

SPORTS

NISC

NISC

SSIS

UNIS

ISPP

HS GIRLS BASKET

MS BOYS SOCCER

MS GIRLS SOCCER

VIS

SSIS

UNIS

ISPP

ISHCMC

ISPP RED

ISHCMC

NISC

UNIS

ISHCMC

ISPP RED

VIS

ISPP

VIS

ISE

UNIS

ISHCMC

ISE

UNIS

SSIS

SSIS B

ISPP

UNIS

NICS

ISE

MR UN

MR UN

SSIS A

HIS

HIS

NISC

ISPP W

HIS

HIS

SSIS/IS

ISPP W

NISC

MR UN

HIS

ISPP

ISPP W

ISPP RED

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ISE UNIS

NISC

Annual Report 2010-2011 Facilities & Buildings This year has been a busy one with regard to the buildings and facilities on the campus. A number of significant projects have been completed through the year to provide additional teaching spaces, enhance collaborative work, and improve safety and efficiency of the buildings. A summary of the major projects is as follows; 

Upgrade of electrical systems—including addition of Residual Current Devices (RCD), expansion of switchboard capacity, additional power and network outlets to classrooms and balancing of load to prevent overloads.



Repairs to driveways and car parks.



Building of a new classroom space in Primary wing.



Building of chemical and equipment store and office space in Science area.



Renovation of Primary administration suite.



Enclosed and expanded storage and Facilities workroom.



Upgrade of the fibre optic network including extension of security cameras and computer network.



Installation of LCD projectors to every secondary teaching space.



In partnership with Dao-Heuang Group, the redevelopment of the cafeteria to add The Sala and The Glassroom.



In Partnership with the Parents and Friends Association, provision of additional shade through installation of salas within the playground.

A significant project undertaken through the year has been the development of the plans to complete the school Master Building Plan . The original school design included an additional wing of secondary classrooms . This was to be a two storey building running from the current Counselor Office out to the field.

In consultation with teaching staff, and responding to educational developments, the plan is now for a three storey building incorporating an enhanced Performing Arts space and increased technology spaces. Planning and discussion has been underway through the year and an architect and project manager was selected late in the year. Construction is expected to commence after the rainy season in 2011.

A second element of future planning has been the beginning of consultation for the Swimming Pool and Fitness Complex. This complex will provide for the school’s physical education curriculum needs with swimming, fitness and activity spaces. Planning for this phase of the Building Master Plan will include discussion on community access to school facilities.

Community consultation and development of this project will take place in 2011-2012.

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Annual Report 2010-2011 Service & Partnerships This year has seen the establishment of several important partnerships between the school and the community. These partnerships will assist the school to achieve the objectives of the Strategic Plan and further enhance the position of VIS as an integral part of the expatriate community.

Partnership 3. Ban Saphanthong Tai The VIS Student Council initiated a project in 2009 to build a library for the Ban Saphanthong Tai school, a school for 80 students in our local village. This year, the Student Council took the relationship further by creating a Sister School relationship which will include the ongoing development of the library, access to VIS facilities and sharing of activities.

Partnership 1. Dao-Heuang Group.

The development of a new exhibition and meeting space as part of the food service area in the school has provided a new large space, The Sala which can be used by the VIS community to gather in comfort. Within this space is a new meeting room, The Glassroom, which provides a collaborative working area for staff and small groups. Dao Coffee, a renowned local enterprise, undertook the redevelopment and VIS is proud to have such a great facility on our campus.

Partnership 4. Lao Basketball Federation The development of sport and opportunities for local youth has driven this partnership.

VIS is a foundation member of the Vientiane City Basketball League, which began this year. This league brought ten schools together to play regular interschool sport, largely on the VIS campus. The continued development of this partnership is a goal of the school so that more students of local schools can experience a quality sporting competition.

Partnership 2. Phu Bia Mining.

Other Partnerships

The establishment of the Phu Bia Mining Passport to the Future Scholarship provides a 50% scholarship to two Lao students to attend VIS until graduation.

This new scholarship is a reflection of the commitment to development of Lao education by both VIS and Phu Bia Mining and the first two students awarded the scholarship commence their studies in 2011-2012.

The school is establishing connections with communities throughout Laos through the Secondary Action Learning Service Adventure (SALSA) trips. In each the school is seeking to establish or build a partnership that will see each year group returning to the location each year to provide service based work while learning with the community’s children.

Service is integral to the ethos of the school. All students and staff have shown a commitment to service this year with some highlights being; Student initiated fund-raising support for the victims of the Japanese Tsunami and Earthquake disaster.

Donations of pencils and stationery to local Lao schools for Children’s Day. VIS community donations were made through the Peace One Day/ International Day commemoration.

Continued support for the Don Koi school through providing recycled paper.

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Annual Report 2010-2011 Events & Celebrations Boun Pii Mai Lao Celebrations

Service Successes

Organized in large part by the Lao staff, our celebration marking Boun Pii Mai Lao included a variety of games and events that reflect the celebrations across Laos. Our students learned of the traditions surrounding this important date in the calendar.

Establishment of the VIS Service logo which will be applied to all future partnerships established for Service related work by the school and students.

The development of the logo by grade 11 student Emily Lattanavong is a celebration of the creativity of our students.

Middle Years Authorization

One example of our service was the donation of pencils and notebooks to local children as part of the Peace One Day project.

Programme

Completing the formal authorization process for the third International Baccalaureate Programme brings VIS into a select group of schools. Out of over 3300 schools world-wide offering IB programmes, only 180 others have been authorized to offer all three. The Authorization visit commended the school for the curriculum development and provision of quality support for Language in particular.

Student Council The Student Council was active within the school, driving the development of the Sister School relationship with Ban Saphanthong Tai school. The Student Council’s major contribution to the relationship this year has been the completion of a new Library building for the school.

Parents and Friends Association The Parents and Friends Association provided great support to the school through arranging community ‘funraising’ events such as Halloween, Fun Fair, Giving Tree, and Garage Sale. They also provided the school with funds for Mangkon, our new mascot, vests for the band, matched donations in our Service activities and paid for the Salas in the playground.

Communications Upgrade The launch of the new website was followed by the updating of DragonTales to a new digital monthly format. A new publication, Dragon’s Flame was created and distributed each week.

Along with SMS contact and our YouTube channel, there are now more ways than ever before to stay in touch with events and information from the school.

Graduation Our new Graduation Ceremony format was developed by parents, staff and students and was a great success, allowing more people from the VIS community to be involved.

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