Today marks yet another milestone on our school’s journey toward CIS Accreditation. We have now completed our 5-day CIS Preparatory Visit, during which every facet of our school has been put under the microscope – not in an “inspectorial” way but in an “aspirational” way.
It has been a fabulous week of organizational learning, self-reflection and validation. Our CIS visitors have expressed genuine surprise in how far EIS has come in such a short period of time. Most of all, they are delighted to see our absolute commitment to continuous school improvement, converting challenging goals into hard-earned achievements. Of course school improvement never ends – no matter where we are in our educational journey – we will always find plenty of ways to be better. And, that’s what the CIS process is all about!
Having said that, CIS accredidation isn’t easy; in fact, it’s an arduous process that requires high amounts of skill and will. Therefore, our success is not assured. In other words, we have now reached the stage where we must roll up our sleeves and bear down for some really hard work! Our next phase is the “Two-year Self-study”, which is the most difficult and important stage. It involves eight specialized committees each focusing on one of the following domains: A) Mission & Vision, B) Leadership, C) Curriculum, D) Teaching & Learning, E) Well-being, F) Staffing, G) Facilities and H) Partnerships. Each committee will evaluate our school against specific CIS standards and then find ways to meet or exceed all of them.
Indeed, the past five days have been incredibly helpful as a source of actionable feedback from CIS and for showing CIS that we are fully committed to excellence. For this, I am truly grateful to all our stakeholders. Thank you, students, for making such a great impression during the CIS lesson visits and small group meetings. Thank you, PAC members, for being so honest and well-intentioned during your CIS meeting. Thank you, teachers, for finding creative ways to keep your students learning whilst joining the CIS meetings and trainings. Thank you, support staff, for participating in CIS meetings and keeping our school functioning beautifully. And, finally, thank you school leaders and owners for your enduring commitment to the fulfillment of our EIS Mission & Vision.
Again, thank you everyone for coming together as one in pursuit of high-quality learning, well-being, varied success and a better world for all.