Welcome Back!

To all of those returning to ISPP, I would like to say a huge welcome back and I hope that everyone had a wonderful relaxing holiday with their families. To new families, I am delighted to welcome you to our school. If you are new to Phnom Penh, I hope that you have enjoyed a smooth transition. Along with those families already living in Cambodia but new to our school, I hope you all make great friends within the ISPP community. We welcome and value everyone in our community and the positive energy and dedication they make towards ensuring that ISPP is a wonderful learning environment.

Each year we are sad to say goodbye to faculty members, but we welcome wonderful new teachers to the Elementary team who you can read more about within the new faculty biographies in this issue of the Pulse. We are especially excited to welcome Anika Sommer as our new PYP Coordinator who you will get to know over the coming weeks. We are already in the process of planning several workshops and coffee mornings for families to get to know each other, for you to understand us more and to develop a truly collaborative community. Two of the most important people in the Elementary school are Sokanha Menh and Chark Rya Pum, who you will find in the office, ensuring that everything runs smoothly and warmly welcoming our students throughout the day. They have been working tirelessly all summer to ensure everything is set up for this coming year and I hope you take the time to come by the office and say hello to them.

During the first week of school, all Elementary parents were invited to a Settling-In Conference with their child’s homeroom teacher which took place online. This was an opportunity for parents and teachers to introduce themselves and for parents to share a little about what they hope for their child in the coming school year and any concerns that they may have. We wanted to hear what you may have to say about your child no matter if they are new to ISPP, starting school for the first time or have been with us for many years. These conferences were low key and no preparation was necessary. Still, feedback from previous years from both families and teachers was that they are invaluable in ensuring a positive year ahead for students.

A great deal of time and thought has gone into the process of student placement for the 2023-2024 school year. Classrooms have been balanced academically and socially and are structured to provide equitable class sizes at each grade level. Moving students is difficult without causing imbalances and inequities and we have confidence that all students will be happy in the classes they have been placed in. All our teachers and assistants work hard to make school a positive student experience. It may take a few weeks for a child to acclimatise to a new grade, peer group and teacher and the Settling-In Conference helped in this transition period.

ISPP values every member of the community! Please stop by the Elementary office and say hello to us. We look forward to a fantastic year ahead.