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Dear Colleague,
I write to you from the COBIS Primary Games in Stantonbury, UK, where the athletics competition is currently underway. The competition is fierce and the atmosphere electric with 17 teams vying for the title. You can follow all the action as it happens on Twitter #COBISGamesUK. In just over a month it will be the turn of the secondary students with the COBIS Secondary Games kicking off in Sheffield, UK, on 19 May. Good luck to all the teams involved and safe travels.
Before attending the COBIS Primary Games, I was in Asia for three weeks attending the IPSEF Asia Forum in Kuala Lumpar before heading to Japan for the COBIS Conference for Marketing, Development and Admissions staff held at The British School in Tokyo. I was honoured to be invited by IPSEF to join a panel discussion on child protection in international schools as well as deliver a presentation on the new COBIS Patron's Accreditation and Compliance which became the primary route to membership for COBIS schools from 1 April 2017. This presentation will be shared with colleagues at the forthcoming COBIS Annual Conference which takes place in London on 6-8 May. Time is running out to book your place so if you have not completed the registration form, do it today!
A huge thank you to the team at The British School in Tokyo for delivering such a fantastic Marketing, Development and Admissions conference. Over 60 colleagues from schools in countries including Peru, Romania, Kazakhstan and Malaysia came together to learn from each other and from our speakers. What a worthwhile two days we had – and everyone relished the opportunity to sample the Japanese culture and cuisine too! Thank you to Brian and his team for hosting.
Before I rush back to the athletics action, just a reminder for the final time to join us at the COBIS Annual Conference in three weeks' time, if you are not already. This is a fantastic opportunity to network with your fellow COBIS members, learn more about the latest developments in British international schools and exchange ideas. Unity in our diversity. For those of you attending; we look forward to seeing you there. For those of you considering attending; you will not be disappointed. With over 600 attendees already registered, this will be our largest Annual Conference to date and we want you to be a part of it.
On behalf of all of us at COBIS, we look forward to seeing you in London on 6-8 May.
Colin Bell
CEO
COBIS NEWS
36TH COBIS ANNUAL CONFERENCE - 6-8 MAY 2017
The 36th COBIS Annual Conference is only a few weeks away. We look forward to welcoming more than 600 delegates, exhibitors, speakers and guests to the InterContinental London – The O2, 6-8 May 2017. The conference is sponsored by Naviance by Hobsons. To view the draft programme, please click here.
If you have not yet booked your place, please visit www.cobis.org.uk/AC2017. Delegates are also invited to register for shoulder courses on Advanced Child Protection, Safer Recruitment in International Schools, CPML Facilitator Training, or Expanding Your School Brand Overseas. If you have already registered as a delegate, please submit your seminar choices here
COBIS AGM - 6 MAY 2017
The COBIS Annual General Meeting will be held at the InterContinental London - The O2, Greenwich, London on Saturday 6 May 2017, 16:15-17:15, at the start of the COBIS Annual Conference. Accredited Members have a responsibility to attend. Member and Candidate Member Schools are welcome to attend as well.
Please click here to view a copy of the draft agenda.
Schools are reminded that the deadline for nominations for the COBIS Board is 19 April . For more information, please email pa@cobis.org.uk.
COBIS EXECUTIVE TEAM UPDATES
The COBIS Executive Team continues to grow as staff take on new positions at the COBIS Head Office in Russell Square!
We were delighted to welcome Andrea Berta to the COBIS Team in March 2017 as our new Executive Assistant to the CEO and Office Manager. She is an experienced Personal Assistant with history of working in the real estate development industry. Her responsibility is to look after Colin's diary and assist the team in the office while getting involved in various exciting projects. She will also be your first point of contact when getting in touch with the COBIS Office. She has previously worked within the hospitality industry which gave her the opportunity to interact with people from all over the world and use her language skills. Andrea has a degree in Business Administration and Management. Andrea's email address is pa@cobis.org.uk.
Following the official launch of the Patron's Accreditation and Compliance scheme on 1 April, it became clear that we would need more capacity to provide the efficient and friendly service our members expect. In order to meet this need, Sharon Gallagher has moved to become our new Accreditation Officer, working alongside Director of Accreditation Peter Simpson. Sharon is now your point of contact for all enquiries relating to the COBIS Patron's Accreditation and Compliance and can be found at quality@cobis.org.uk.
Natalie Friend has taken over the role of Membership Officer and can be found at members@cobis.org.uk. Jamie Ralph can once again be contacted at comms@cobis.org.uk.
Come and meet the expanded COBIS Team at the Annual Conference in London next month!
In a new feature for Connect, we are giving you the chance to get to know members of the COBIS network a little bit better by asking them ten questions about their achievements, wishes and hidden talents! This month, we talked to Jenny Condron, Founder and Owner of the British International School and Montessori Education Freetown, the only COBIS Member School in Sierra Leone.
1. Which living person do you most admire?
I admire Shauna Tominey. She is the director of early childhood programming and teacher education at the Yale Center for Emotional Intelligence. I admire her strength and skills.
2. Which talent would you most like to have?
Writing. I would love to write a book someday.
3. What do you consider your greatest achievement?
Following my vision of setting up a successful learning environment and making it a reality.
4. Where would you most like to live?
I would like to live in Ireland. I love the green and the fact that there are no snakes, so I can roll on the grass without fear.
5. What is your favourite book?
Little Women by Louisa May Alcott.
6. Which historical figure do you most identify with?
Eva Perron
7. When you were a child what did you want to be when you grew up?
I wanted to be a doctor.
8. What do you like to do in your spare time?
I love to read and bake.
9. What is on your bucket list?
Wow!! This is tricky.
10. What is one thing people would be surprised to know about you?
My creative skills.
Each month we will be showcasing one of our alumni from any of our 276 schools around the world. COBIS students are doing amazing things and we want to showcase the talent of past students from our schools, in order to celebrate what they have achieved and to inspire the next generation of students.
This month Hannah spoke to Tudor Atanasiu who graduated from the British School of Bucharest in 2013. Tudor returned to work at the British School of Bucharest after university and now runs the Innovation Hub, an extracurricular activity centred around problem solving in engineering and practical learning.
Click below to read more about Tudor's time at British School of Bucharest, his work with current students, and his hopes for the future.
PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT and EVENTS NEWS
COBIS CONFERENCE FOR MARKETING, DEVELOPMENT AND ADMISSIONS STAFF
The British School in Tokyo hosted the fourth COBIS Conference for Marketing, Development and Admissions Staff, 27-28 March 2017.
The conference was attended by more than 75 delegates, speakers and exhibitors who travelled to Tokyo from nearly 20 different countries including Malaysia, China, Peru, Romania, Denmark and Kazakhstan.
COBIS would like to thank the colleagues from The British School in Tokyo who did a tremendous job organising this event. During the conference, students from The British School in Tokyo worked with Eye Film to create a conference film. Click here to view the final film.
COBIS SEMINAR FOR NEW INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL TEACHERS - SATURDAY 10 JUNE - LONDON UK
COBIS is working in partnership with Supporting Member Protocol Education to run two half-day seminars for teachers who are about to embark on their first job in a British International School.
The sessions, which support schools' own induction programmes, will cover topics such as dealing with cultural change, safeguarding and child protection in an international context, financial planning, and more.
COBIS ON CAMERA - SHARE YOUR STORY
COBIS is pleased to be working with Eye Film for the third year running to prepare an exciting new film that will be showcased at the COBIS Annual Conference in London in May.
This project will showcase the global COBIS family of schools and we would love to invite your school to contribute to the project.
This film will showcase the stories and journeys of COBIS students and staff. We particularly want to hear from your students about the transformations they have experienced throughout their time at school.
For full details, technical information, and instructions about how to submit your films, please click here.
STUDENT ENGAGEMENT NEWS
COBIS PRIMARY CREATIVE CHALLENGE – WINNING ENTRIES ANNOUNCED
For 2017, the COBIS Primary Creative Challenge looked at Life Lessons. Students were tasked to tell us, and ask others, what they thought students need to know.
In total, 21 films were submitted with suggestions on what students should know – from making pizza, to always striving to learn, to making friends, to respecting one another – the list goes one with some great, inspiring and funny ideas!
To watch all the films that were submitted, click here to go to the COBIS YouTube Channel, where we have created a playlist of the films.
Well done to all the students who took part and thank you to all the staff and parents who helped them.
Thank you as well to Oddizzi for partnering with COBIS to run the competition and for providing the prizes of a free subscription to Oddizzi.com.
Key Stage One Winners
- Best Film – International School of Moscow
- Most Creative Film – Corona School Apapa
Key Stage Two Winners
- Best Film – Transylvania College
- Most Creative Film – International School of Moscow
THE 2017 COBIS PRIMARY GAMES
As you read this, the COBIS Primary Games will be mid-way through competition! Good luck to all the 17 schools who have travelled to the UK to take part.
To keep up to date with all the events and results, please follow @COBISatGriffin on Twitter or visit the COBIS Games Primary Website – cobisatgriffin.com.
We have some fantastic athletes attending the COBIS Primary Games, including; swimmer Joanna Jackson – Olympic Bronze medallist and former world record holder, swimmer Joe Roebuck – Commonwealth Games Silver medallist, triple jumper Nathan Fox, and Alistair Patrick Heselton, a footballer who won a Silver medal at the London 2012 Paralympic Games.
We would like to thank our sponsors including O'Neills, Headline Sponsor of the COBIS Primary and Secondary Games, Gulf Youth Sport and Travel Places and the teams at Griffin School Trust and Stantonbury for partnering with COBIS to host and organise the COBIS Primary Games.
Please do share your activities related to the Games on Twitter, using the hashtag #COBISGamesUK.
THANK YOU!
A big thank you to all who submitted poems, pieces of art and films of their science experiments to our COBIS Student Competitions.
We are really enjoying judging these currently and will update the COBIS website with details of the winning entries shortly.
NEWS FROM COBIS SCHOOLS
RECOGNITION AND NEW DEVELOPMENTS FOR KING'S GROUP
King's Group will shortly be opening the tenth school in their network. King's College, The British School of Bahrain is expected to be completed in the second half of 2018, while its opening has been projected for no later than September 2019.
Having been at the forefront of British education internationally for almost 50 years, primarily in Europe and Latin America, King's Group felt it was only natural that they look to the Gulf Region to continue their growth. CEO Elena Benito says "I am certain that this new sister school in our network will add a unique flavour to our already established portfolio."
COBIS would also like to congratulate King's Group on receiving the AGCAS award for excellence in career and employability service engagement. A fantastic achievement - congratulations to all in the Group!
COBIS SCHOOLS TO COMPETE IN FINALS OF QATAR PRIMARY SCHOOL CHOIR OF THE YEAR 2017
Following three heats hosted by Shangri-La Doha in March, we are delighted that two COBIS schools have made it through to the finals of the "Qatar Primary School Choir of the Year 2017" competition.
Doha English Speaking School and two teams from Doha College will compete against three other schools in Qatar to win the competition on 15 May.
Choirs have recently received their set piece, written especially for the event by Dana Al Fardan. The piece is called "Wings of the Falcon" and it is an inspirational message to children to "spread your wings and fly." Best of luck to our schools as the prepare for the finals!
ALUMNI AND BUSINESS NETWORKING AT THE ALICE SMITH SCHOOL
Partnership with the wider community has always been one of the priorities of The Alice Smith School. Following on from the success of last year's business lunch, the Alice Smith-Chamber Brunch jointly organised in collaboration with the business chambers in Malaysia was a great success.
The forum was enhanced by alumni of the Alice Smith School attending as speakers. Martin Gilbert, Co-founder and Chief Executive Officer of Aberdeen Asset Management PLC and Mark Lankester, Chief Executive Officer, Real Estate and Partnerships, Tune Hotels Group were dynamic and entertaining contributors to the event.
The Alice Smith School is grateful for the support of the business chambers in Malaysia and looks forward to more opportunities to work together.
NEWS FROM COBIS SUPPORTING MEMBERS
TEACHING, LEARNING AND ASSESSMENT IN BRITISH INTERNATIONAL SCHOOLS
COBIS Supporting Member Frog Education is an operating system for education and is used in 23 countries and by over 12 million students, teachers and parents. COBIS Accredited Member and Frog school, British International School Riyadh, are hosting a webinar on behalf of Frog Education on 2nd May at 10am (BST).
This webinar will provide you with an insight into how Frog is used in a British international school for teaching, learning and assessment. We hope you can join us for this webinar - click here to register.
You can see Frog for yourself at the COBIS Annual Conference in London – pop along to stand number 20 for a demo and to collect your Frog bag!
SCHOOL LOOKS THE PART THANKS TO GFORCE!
Pupils from the British School of Bucharest are standing out from the crowd on the playing field thanks to a Leicester-based sportswear firm.
The school, which provides a high quality British education for children aged two-18 in Romania, has recently placed an order for a range of sportswear and kit from COBIS Supporting Member GFORCE Sportswear.
Mark Hooper, from the British School of Bucharest, said: "The kit was meant to celebrate our Britishness in a standout memorable kit design and it has certainly achieved our aims. We are really pleased with the final product – the design is great and the quality is also impressive. I've also had great feedback from the staff and students. This was our first order with GFORCE sportswear but we hope it will be the first of many!
Sponsorship for the sports uniform was kindly provided by Delamode International Logistics.
April 2017
COBIS CPD AND EVENTS 2016/17
Spring Term
COBIS Wellbeing Conference
Dubai
14-15 April 2017
COBIS Four-Day Middle Leaders' Course
Dubai
16-19 April 2017
COBIS Four-Day Middle Leaders' Course
New York
18-21 April 2017
Summer Term
COBIS Safer Recruitment Course
London
6 May 2017
36th COBIS Annual Conference
London
6-8 May 2017
Advanced Child Protection Course
London
9 May 2017
COBIS Four-Day Middle Leaders' Course
Stavanger
26-29 May 2017
COBIS Seminar for New International School Teachers
London
10 June 2017
STUDENT EVENTS CALENDAR
COBIS Primary Games
UK
11-13 April 2017
COBIS Secondary Games
UK
19-21 May 2017
COBIS Senior School Music Festival
Murcia
26-28 May 2017
COBIS SERVICES FOR SCHOOLS
COBIS Disclosure and Barring Service
Helping your school to recruit safely
Contact dbs@cobis.org.uk for more information
COBIS Consultancy Service
Offering support to schools, commercial organisations and private investors globally.
COBIS Diploma for International Teaching Assistants
Giving International Teaching Assistants the knowledge, skills and understanding to work effectively alongside teachers whilst maximising learning opportunities for children.
NEW COBIS SCHOOLS
Mount Kelly School Hong Kong
Candidate School
Kent College Dubai
Candidate School
Jeddah Prep and Grammar School
Member
Edison Primary School
Member
Wellington College International Tianjin
Member
Jebel Ali School
Member
GEMS FirstPoint School, The Villa
Accredited Member
The British School of Barcelona
Accredited Member
International Community School, Amman, Jordan
Accredited Member
NEW COBIS SUPPORTING MEMBERS
Teaching Abroad Direct
Recruitment
Infant and Toddlers Corner International Ltd
Curriculum Resources and Publishers
SAM Labs
ICT
Making Stuff Better Ltd
Consultancy and Professional Development
Cambridge English Class Limited
Consultancy and Professional Development
Tido
Curriculum Resources and Publishers
Duke of Edinburgh's International Award Foundation
Student Development
Music + Movement
Consultancy and Professional Development
Zeco Schoolwear
Schoolwear
Nasco Education
Curriculum Resources and Publishers
Genesis Debate Programmes
Student Development
Educater
Assessment and Qualifications
ECO Seek Foundation
Consultancy and Professional Development
Macmillan Education
Curriculum Resources and Publishers
Reed Brand Communications
School Marketing Services
SUBMISSIONS
We welcome submissions from both schools and supporting members for the COBIS newsletter, Connect.
Please read our editorial guidelines before making your submission.
There will not be an issue of Connect in May due to the COBIS Annual Conference. Therefore, all submissions for the June Connect should be sent to: intern@cobis.org.uk
by 5 June 2017.
CONTACT US
If you have any comments or requests, please contact us. We'd love to hear from you.
By Telephone: +44 20 3826 7190
COBIS Head Office, 55-56 Russell Square, Bloomsbury, London, WC1B 4HP, UK
Compiled and produced by Hannah Porritt, Communications and Events Executive
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