Jom Riab Sua,

Dear Parents, Guardians and wider school community members, welcome to the  2023/2024 school year.

My name is André Struve and I serve as the School Director and Vice-President at Footprints International School.

It was wonderful to see both familiar and new faces during the first weeks of classes.

All of our new staff have arrived and those from overseas are settling in nicely. Our school has become even more diverse through the hiring of new teaching staff.

During our teacher orientation week, we celebrated the addition of teaching professionals. We are excited to welcome them to our team and to have them make their own unique contributions to our school.

Our international faculty now consists of professionals from more than 15 countries including America, Australia, Great Britain, Cambodia, Canada, The Philippines, Germany, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, Portugal, South Africa, Sri Lanka and Syria, who lead the learning of more than 1000 students across our two campuses.

Next, I would like to take this opportunity to announce the introduction of a new study pathway for our students: the International Programme with Khmer Language and Culture.

Currently, this pathway is on offer to G1-G5 students, and incorporates both the Cambridge International curriculum and Khmer language and culture lessons.

It provides students with our International High School diploma, which is equivalent to the National High School diploma and allows for acceptance into Cambodian universities.

The main benefits of this pathway include the opportunity for students to excel in the Cambridge curriculum while still having time to enjoy extracurricular clubs, social activities and school life.

Finally, let me share some thoughts about our Educational Anchors. It is important to us that the whole school community is familiar with the school’s Educational Anchors, a series of attributes that define the emphasis of educational practices in our school and reflect the school’s mission, vision and values which are meant to gear student learning towards the achievement of our Schoolwide Learner Outcomes. One fundamental concept underlying our daily educational practices here at Footprints is the Growth Mindset.

The Growth Mindset is a mental disposition researched by Ms. Carol Dweck, which has gained increasing popularity and acceptance among educators and neuroscientists worldwide since the publication of her book in 2011.

Dweck highlights a distinction between a fixed mindset, where people believe that qualities such as talent and intelligence are unchangeable, and a growth mindset, which suggests that our basic abilities can be advanced through hard work and commitment. 

With a fixed mindset, learners attribute their failures to a lack of ability. With a growth mindset, they will have more confidence and determination, learn at a faster rate and face challenges head-on. 

By promoting a growth mindset in our students, we empower them to realise their potential, take ownership of their education, and develop a love of lifelong learning.

All that remains is to wish you and your family all the very best for the new school year ahead. Please feel free to reach out to our family engagement team for any questions or concerns you may have.

We wish you and your family all the very best for the new school year ahead. 

Stay confident, 

Jom riab lia!

Andre Struve
Director

Dear Footprints Family and Community,

First and always, I would like to express my heartfelt thanks for your endless support for Footprints International School. Compassion, Determination, and Responsibility are our school values.

2023-2024 is my 3rd year as the Deputy School Director in Charge of Operations and 7th year as the National Programme (NP) Principal at Footprints International School, and my 16th year in the education sector. As the Deputy School Director, I work closely with the Head of Campus, Community/Family Engagement Team, Operation Managers, HR team, and Finance team while being the NP Principal, I support the NP Vice Principal, NP Coordinators, and NP Instructional Coaches.

In developing human capital, I believe that the best learning happens in a happy and supportive environment, and teachers and educators are the scaffoldings for assisting each student to reach their full potential. Students are my main focus. They have a right to a safe and secure quality learning environment. Each must be treated as whole people and receive equal opportunity to develop themselves. Everything we do and the decisions we make must be about what is best for our students.

I adhere to the holistic working approach, taking each individual’s feedback and concerns into consideration and valuing the inputs from janitors to top management and from students to families.

Kindest regards,

Pring Dara,
Deputy School Director in Charge of Operations/
National Programme Principal

Dear Parent/Guardian,

I would like to take this opportunity to introduce myself to those of you who are new to Footprints and welcome back all of our returning parents for a new school year. My name is Nicholas Brewer and I have been working in the education sector in Cambodia for nearly 12 years now. This year will be my fourth year working in school administration, and I am excited to move into my new role as Head of Campus for Toul Kork. In this role, I will be responsible for the day-to-day running of the campus and networking with all departments to ensure that everything runs smoothly.

I will be working closely with the Family Engagement Manager to ensure that we are listening to parents as we work to strengthen our connection with the parent community, especially during these difficult times when students are studying at home. I believe that through continual dialogue we can develop and improve our school together with the same compassion, responsibility, and determination that we teach to our students.

I will also be overseeing the operations department to ensure that our facilities are clean, safe, and well-equipped for the return of students. I am pleased to announce that we are in the process of upgrading our ECP campus with a new staircase and improved play area. In addition, we will be adding a sports pitch for Primary and Secondary PE lessons as well as upgrading our library to a larger, more comfortable space. I am really excited to share these plans in more detail with you all once they have been finalised.

Finally, I will be supporting the Principals and Vice Principals of all three academic departments (ECP, Primary and Secondary) to deliver the curriculum in a fun, engaging and effective way by ensuring that they have all of the resources and equipment needed.

Kind regards,

Nicholas Brewer. Head of Campus (TK)

Dear Footprints Family,

I am honoured to serve as the Early Years Programme Principal for the 2023/2024 school year.
This is my second year with FIS.
I have been a teacher for over 13 years and a large portion of my career has been spent in the Early Years classroom setting. I hold an administrator certification in Early Childhood Education, a BA in Elementary Education and an MS in Curriculum and Instruction. I am also certified in Applied Behaviour Analysis by the Autism Partnership Foundation and have experience working closely with young children who have specific learning differences.

I am excited for the opportunity to share my passion for whole child development, restorative practice in Early Years social-emotional learning and bridging the gap in foundational literacy skills among young learners with the ECP team at Footprints.

I look forward to a successful school year full of connection, learning and growth!

It is with great pleasure that I am afforded the opportunity to lead the Primary Programme at Footprints International School. I bring over twenty years of experience working in Primary Education around the world and will begin my 10th year working at Footprints this year. 

Facilitating Primary aged, academic, social and emotional development for children has been a passion throughout my career and with the help of our talented team of qualified teachers, we will continue to; maximise student learning, and social and emotional development for our students by providing them with dynamic instruction in nurturing learning environments.

Dear Footprints family and friends,

Welcome to the new school year 2023-2024!
As the Primary Vice Principal I feel honored and grateful to have been granted the opportunity to become part of the wonderful Footprints community. This will be my second year at Footprints International School and I feel privileged to be leading our highly qualified and dedicated Primary teachers at our TK campus.
I have been living and working in Southeast Asia for almost seven years, working both as a teacher and education manager in Cambodia for five years. Previous to that, I volunteered in a community development project and was, amongst others, involved in the establishment of a local community school and its English curriculum in the south of Cambodia. Having taught various grades from Preschool to upper Primary levels and having managed different teams of local and international teachers, I have been able to acquire a deep understanding of student needs, modern pedagogy and capacity building.
I am a dedicated and passionate education enthusiast and a strong advocate of the idea that, as modern educators, we must serve as facilitators, helping children to discover and foster their individual talents, abilities and creativity. I believe this is best done through guidance, empathy and the idea of learning by doing – as a famous Chinese proverb says: “Tell me and I’ll forget; show me and I may remember; involve me and I’ll understand.” This aligns perfectly with our teaching and learning philosophy here at Footprints and with our teaching approach of “I do. We do. You do.” Personally, I am very passionate about interactive and engaging learning activities and providing our students with an inspiring and visionary learning environment and hope to contribute to creating motivating and dynamic learning experiences for our students during these difficult times.
With the Cambridge International Assessment, we provide a comprehensive primary school curriculum that enables our students not only to develop academic excellence, but also valuable social and emotional skills. In line with our school’s mission, our school values are closely intertwined into the learning objectives of our subject areas, so we can build the foundation for our students to become life-long learners and more importantly, to be compassionate, determined and responsible citizens.
Concluding with a quote from Albert Einstein, I would like to wish the entire Footprints community a fun and successful school year 2023-2024:
“Education is not the learning of facts, but the training of the mind to think.”
Sincerely yours,
Christine Guenster

Dear Footprints Community, 

As I step up to the role of Principal, I do so with a heart full of gratitude and excitement. For the past six years, I’ve had the privilege of serving Footprints in various roles; as a Science teacher, STEM Department head, Academic Coordinator, and Secondary Vice Principal, witnessing firsthand the incredible spirit that defines our school community. I’ve seen the dedication of our teachers, the enthusiasm of our students, and the unwavering support of our parents and staff. Footprints isn’t just a school; it’s a community, and I am honoured to be a part of its story.

While my title may be new, my commitment remains the same and aligned with the school’s vision: to empower Footprints students to discover their potential in a nurturing environment through innovative instruction, challenging and collaborative activities, and exposure to diverse perspectives. We’ll achieve this by focusing on our three flagships:

1. Student Wellbeing: Every student deserves to feel safe, supported, and challenged to thrive emotionally, socially, and academically. We’ll continue to prioritize mental health initiatives, build a culture of kindness and respect, and offer personalized support systems.
2. Parent Engagement: We’ll foster open communication, create meaningful opportunities for collaboration, and empower parents to be active participants in their child’s learning journey.
3. Quality Teaching and Learning: Our dedicated faculty will continue to innovate, differentiate instruction, and create engaging learning experiences that cater to diverse needs and ignite curiosity. We’ll prioritize professional development and embrace technology.

I am eager to continue to collaborate with every one of you – students, faculty, parents, and community members – to create an even more vibrant and enriching learning environment. Your ideas, your energy, and your unwavering support are what truly make Footprints thrive.

With warm regards,

Carol Gawiden