As we swiftly move toward the end of the 2^nd academic term we find ourselves once again in what is probably the busiest period of the whole year. This is of course a fantastic time with all sorts of activities taking place culminating in end of year ceremonies for year groups 4 through 8 and Graduation for year 9.

Two recent events that I have been particularly pleased about have been the Creative Arts Evening held by our Junior School and the Charity Week organized and run by our Student Council.

The Junior School Creative Arts Evening put on display a startling array of IESE student talent in all its forms. I never cease to be amazed at the levels our students are able to reach. My thanks to our talented and dedicated staff who gave our students this opportunity?

The student council charity week has been a magnificent display of what can be achieved by young people when they strive together toward a common goal. I was very happy when our student council came to me earlier in the year with a plan to raise money for charity. They wanted to send help to the earthquake victims in Haiti via “Rädda Barnen.” Various activities were staged during week 18 which together with a 10 000 sek donation from the school raised a grand total of 50 000sek. This money will be handed over to a representative of “Rädda Barnen” here at the IESE on Monday 31^st May.

I am very proud to be the principal of this school.

Kindest Regards,

Robert Clark

At the present time staff and students are very busy with the assessments and reporting associated with our midterm development talks. These meetings are an essential part of our schools striving for academic excellence. Students are encouraged to do all that they can to reach the maximum of their potential whatever that may be.

This week our year 9 students have taken their English national test Part B. The final part C will take place during week 12. We are quietly confident that our students will again perform at a very high level. Congratulations to our English department who have for two years had the highest English national test results in the whole IES organization.

We have been very honored by the fact that our organization has, during the last two years, frequently chosen IESE to represent the IES as a whole when important guests have sought to find about our school system. This began with the UK shadow minister of education Mr. Gove who came to our school at the beginning of last year as part of a fact finding mission. This was then followed by a whole series of visit by various groups from many sections of UK Education and finance including senior officials from Cambridge University. In April we will be visited by the UK version of “Skolverket” who are keen to learn more about “Friskolor”. We look forward to their visit. Please check out our main website for more info on the exciting school developments taking place in the UK at the moment.

As the winter now slowly turns to spring the weather forecasters predict a fantastic May and June. Either way I am sure that we will have a great end to the school year.

To find out more about that which is happening in our school please look at our website update section.

Best Wishes,

Robert Clark

Principal IESE

A very warm welcome back to school and the new decennium.  I trust that everyone has had a fantastic winter holiday and that all are well rested and ready for another great term here at IESE.

Our non teaching staff have been busy over the break striving to improve our school. Teachers returned Thursday last week, working hard planning and preparing for the start of the spring term.

I look forward to working together with everyone in our common goal of helping our students reach the maximum of their potential.

For more information regarding the many interesting things taking place within our school please  go to the update section of our webpage.

Again Welcome.

Kindest Regards,

Robert Clark

Principal IESE

I trust that everyone has had a fantastic summer and that all are rested and relaxed, looking forward to the start of a fantastic new school year.  I would like to extend a warm welcome to everyone within our school community, both new and old. I am confident that we will together create another outstanding school year here at the IESE.

Our new students in year 4 are no doubt excited, and perhaps even a little nervous, as the startup day at their new school approaches. It is almost time for us to, together; begin our fantastic educational journey toward bilingualism and academic excellence. This is of course also true for a small number of students who will be joining us in other year groups.

IESE Staff have been busy for some time now, making sure that everything is ready for our students when they begin on Monday 17^th August.

Please refer to the update page on our website or to schoolsoft in order to get more information regarding that which is happening at our school.

I am confident that I speak for everyone working here at the IESE when I state that we are looking forward to meeting you all again and that we are committed to doing everything that we can to help our students get the best out of their school year.

 Best Regards,

Robert Clark

Principal

At the end of another successful and eventful school year I would like to wish all our students and their parents a nice summer vacation with time to relax and get new energy for more challenges to come. Thank you to all who have helped make this year a fantastic educational experience. Enjoy your summer! Our students are welcome back on Monday August 17^th.

När nu ännu ett såväl lyckosamt som händelserikt läsår ligger bakom oss, vill jag önska alla våra elever och deras föräldrar en trevlig sommar med tid för avkoppling och återhämtning inför nya utmaningar. Jag vill också rikta ett tack till alla som bidragit till att göra det gångna läsåret till en fantastisk och lärorik upplevelse. Njut av sommaren! Våra elever är välkomna tillbaka måndagen den 17 augusti.

Robert Clark

Principal/rektor IESE

Our fantastic new Junior School is again in full swing as we move into February. Our students have made wonderful progress in the relatively short time that they have been with us and are now well on the way toward becoming bilingual or indeed even multilingual.

Saturday 24th January saw our first ever year 4 intake day. It was heartwarming to see our Aula full of prospective students and parents who were eagerly looking forward to experiencing what it would be like to attend our school. The day went very well, with students and parents becoming familiar with our ethos and educational philosophy. My only regret is that we are not able to offer a place to all those who are on our waiting list.

I would like to take this opportunity of highlighting some of the many interesting and valuable activities and events taking place this term.

Yr. 5 students visited Historiska Muséet for an exhibition on the Middle Ages in January. This was part of their theme studies of “Medeltiden”.

Yr. 4 students have been working hard on their chess skills, fine-tuning their strategies in anticipation of upcoming battles. We have entered into the “Schackfyran” chess tournament which consists of a class competition held in Globen Annexet during the month of March.  

Year 5 classes have recently hosted prospective students for year 6. This was an opportunity for these boys and girls to see what it is like to spend a day at our school.

We will introduce our co-operation with the Friends organization this spring term. Buddies will be selected and receive training so that they can become active in maintaining our warm friendly, caring Junior School atmosphere.

Government legislation requires that we carry out national tests in year 5. These are carried out in English, Swedish and Maths. These evaluations are an integral part of our teaching in year 5 and will take place throughout most of the spring term.

February also sees the instigation of our IESE Junior talent show which I am sure will become an annual event.

During week 9 an interactive white board will be installed in our small lecture theatre. These cutting edge tools are another of the initiatives being taken here at the IESE in order to create an excellent learning environment for our motivated and capable students.

I would like to express my thanks to Mrs.  Dolk and everyone on the Junior School staff who have done such a magnificent job in establishing this new section of our 4 through 9 school.  A word of praise also to our friendly, positive, hard working and talented IESE students who make everything possible. Our Junior School is now to be the template for all of the Junior Schools soon to be established within the IES organization.  First out will be IES Gävle who are well on the way to starting their school in August 2009. I am sure that we all look forward to future exchanges as more and more schools are established.

Please view our update page to find out more about our fantastic school.

Best Regards,

Robert Clark

Principal

As the autumn term moves toward its conclusion we find ourselves thinking about events such as Lucia and the Christmas Holidays. This is a good time to reflect over the many initiatives that have taken place thus far this term and to look forward to that which is yet to come.

Our first term at Junior School

We are very proud of our fantastic new junior school. Students and staff  have together created a great school where students are free to learn and teachers are free to teach. Our students have together begun their journey toward becoming truly bilingual. The shadow minister of education from the UK was very impressed by what he observed when he visited us earlier this term. I was very proud of how our Junior School students were able to tell Mr. Gove how much they liked their new school.

Schoolsoft

This term has seen the introduction of our Student Information System – Schoolsoft. Prior to its implementation we were quietly confident that this system would be a powerful tool in helping to develop our school. Initial reactions from Parents, Students and Staff indicate that this is very much the case. I look forward to using this system to further enhance our ability to assist students in their learning.

Events and Competitions

The IES organisation believes in having fun events and competitions as recurring elements of school life. During this term our students have, for example, taken part in a theme day at Skansen and a fancy dress Halloween Dance. The student who produces the best Nobel Essay in our writing competition will be presented with a prize. Awards have also been given out for excellent performances in sports and art. Students have read hundreds of pages to meet the reading challenge that we have been running throughout the junior school. Last week our year 5 students took part in the selection competition for Vi i Femman. Our year 5 classes now eagerly await their results.

Our new playground

Our brand new, eagerly awaited, playground is now completed and in full use. Our students followed the building process with increasing interest and enthusiasm as one by one the different sections were made ready. I am sure that you can imagine their joy when it was opened after the autumn holiday. The facilities are excellent and our students love playing there.

Assessment

Our students in years 4 through 7 will be receiving written assessments for the first time at the end of this term. We see this as a very positive step in helping all of our students reach the maximum of their potential. At present these evaluations are based on local criteria and should not be confused with the grades given in years 8 and 9, which are based on nationally standardised goals and criteria established by the Swedish Educational Authority.  A new system of standardised assessment that includes the younger year groups is at present being developed by the Swedish Authorities. The IES organisation has always been in favour of giving grades, and strongly supports this new government level initiative.

Please visit the news section of the IESE webpage if you would like to find out more about that which is happening in our great school.

Kindest Regards,

Robert Clark

Principal IESE