Dear Parents, In case you were unable to attend

the new parents’ meeting this Thursday I am sending

you this transcript. If you were unable to attend, or you

are not a new parent and so did not come, you can still

be informed of the substance of what was said. I hope

you may find this useful. The transcript is not verbatim

as I sometimes tried to add some impromptu humour.

John Bastable, Principal ICS

Welcome to the International Community School in Amman. It is truly a pleasure to have you here. I would like to make a special welcome to our new students. Welcome to your new home and new community. I am also new to ICS and I am proud to inherit a school which has such a good reputation. That reputation has been built by the learning community over many years. Now that you have enrolled your child here you are a part of our family. This comes with some responsibilities on your part.

We believe in inquiry based education and your children will be asked to be imaginative and to take risks. We shall not be spoon feeding them. At first the education you receive here may be very different from what the children have experienced at a previous school or your own experience when you were at school. It is certainly very different from when I went to primary school. At that time all ages were in one class and we learnt our tables by rote and wrote on a slate with chalk. Things have changed a little!

At ICS we want children who can think for themselves, are confident, can communicate with others and who have a responsibility for their community and for their environment. Academic excellence is very important to us but exams are not the only thing that school is about. School is about developing the whole person. Here you will be expected to display tolerance for others, their culture and their views and to expect respect for yours. Paying school fees does not mean miracles can be performed on your children. Some of them will find learning easy, some will not. For those who find learning in some areas difficult we will give support and we have a team for that, for those who need English as a second language support we have another team and we are now developing a programme for the Gifted and Talented. Whatever your child’s strengths or weaknesses, your child will be safe in our hands. We believe in participating in sporting events and in outdoor education. We expect you to support field trips as they are a part of the education we offer. We do not offer any form of religious education, we leave that to you. When we tested or interviewed your son or daughter we looked to see not only that we could successfully educate them and offer them a suitable education but we looked to see what they could offer us. We want your child to contribute to the school, not just to turn up every day. We expect students to give their hearts to the school, to commit to learning and to promise to provide service to the community. Coming to school is not a one way activity. It is not something you can pay for and simply take off the shelf. At ICS students receive from others and are expected to give to others in return. We expect you as parents to play an active part in the ‘family’ that is looking after your children. Please find ways to do so and please give some service to the Parents and Staff Association, (PSA).

The teachers here are all well qualified. A couple of days ago we discovered that between us the team has 1236 years of experience. The school itself is fifty years old. It has traditions and ways of doing things. We welcome your ideas for improvement but please try to accept the school for the unique place it has become. It represents thousands and thousands of hours of commitment and dedication from all of those who served here in the previous years, the teachers, students, support staff, administrators and of course parents like you. They made it what it is so you may have to make some changes to accommodate to your new school. We may be different from what you are used to.

Please support functions whilst you are part of the community and attend events such as plays, assemblies and open days, even if your child is too young or too old for the particular activity – support for all the students is important. Please protect the good name of the school and tell others when we do well. I hope you will be very proud of your new school and your new family.

The school is in partnership with you and we cannot educate your child alone. You know your child best – let us know if he or she is not well or is not coping with something. Approach your class teacher first. If you are not satisfied, speak with the head of section, or in the case of more pressing matters the deputy head or head of school. If all else fails come to me. If I fail to satisfy you, only then approach the school board but this should be your last resort. Please do not try to get things done your way by jumping up this chain. The door to the school is open to you; if teachers are free they will talk with you there and then. If you need a longer discussion just call us for an interview. If we have a problem with your child you will hear from us. You will also hear from us through the reporting schedule. Of course your child will also tell you things at the dinner table. Perhaps they will tell you “all we did today was play.” Please do not take this for the literal truth. Indeed, if you promise not to believe everything you hear about us we promise not to believe everything we hear about you. If you have a worry please remember we are on the same side as you, working for the good of each child and sometimes a child’s account may not reflect the full picture or reveal to you all the facts. Please come in and discuss the problem before you write to the papers! The good name of a school is precious; the good name of a family is precious. You are joining a new family today please protect it and defend its good name, avoid gossip and try to find out the truth of any matter that concerns you. There are always at least two sides to everything.

George Walker, the Director General of the IBO reminds us it is important to understand that in many human interactions it is actually possible for both sides to be right. “People with their differences can also be right.” I look forward to a successful partnership and once again welcome you to our family, the learning community which is ICS.

"The way to gain a good reputation is to endeavour to be what you desire to appear." Socrates "It takes many good deeds to build a good reputation, and only one bad one to lose it" Benjamin Franklin