Footprints International School held its first-ever Festival of Learning on February 11th, 2023, at both our TK and TTP campuses, which was well-attended by members of our school community, such as parents, students, teachers, support staff, and other family members.
The festival showcased the incredible talents of our students, with a wide range of exciting performances that delighted the audience. Visitors had the opportunity to tour our classrooms and see the impressive displays of student creations, including stunning artwork, fascinating experiments, and innovative projects. Additionally, coffee and snack stalls were available throughout the day to keep everyone fueled and energised.
Our partners, such as Tous les Jours Bakery, Springboard4Education, Bright Consultant Education and Travel, CamEd Business School, and HouSheng Phnom Penh Eye Clinic, helped create a festive atmosphere throughout the day. We are thrilled with the community’s support and the success of the student-led initiatives, including the STUCO and Rotary Interact Club, in raising funds for charities.
The festival was a celebration of the school’s commitment to providing an exceptional learning experience for its students. It was also a fantastic opportunity for parents and the community to learn more about our Schoolwide Learner Outcomes (SLOs), the guiding principles of our school that are embedded in our educational practice and approaches to learning.
Stay tuned for more updates and information about upcoming events at Footprints International School. Don’t forget to check out our social media pages and use the hashtag #Footprintsfestivaloflearning2023 to share your experience!
On behalf of every member of the Footprints Community, we wish to extend our deepest appreciation to the four members of the ACS WASC visiting committee for their encouragement, support and valuable guidance during their virtual visits this November.
Over the past months, Footprints International School has been engaged in a rigorous self-study process in order to renew our ACS WASC Accreditation.
The Accrediting Commission for Schools (ACS), Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC), is an internationally acclaimed accrediting association whose mission is to ensure school improvement and quality by supporting a diligent and relevant self-evaluation and peer review process that focuses on student learning.
With support from all Footprints stakeholders, the thorough and transparent preparation of the self-evaluation resulted in a detailed accreditation report, submitted to the ACS WASC committee in the first week of October, 2022.
During the virtual visits from the 21st to the 24th of November, 2022, the WASC committee toured both our TK and TTP campuses, met with various members of our school community including our Focus on Learning Committee, the Footprints Student Council (StuCo), our Administrative and Leader Teams, Operations Teams, Board of Directors and Governors, teachers, and other members of the Footprints faculty and staff.
Furthermore, the WASC Committee evaluated safety measures of both campuses, inspected student work, observed various lessons from the Early Childhood through to the Secondary Programmes, and engaged in many meetings focused on reflective and constructive discussions surrounding every aspect of Footprints International School’s final self-study accreditation report, our strengths, areas for growth, and our 2022-2023 Schoolwide Action Plan.
We are grateful to the ACS WASC Visiting Committee for so effectively creating a trusting environment in which to build rapport with our school community and to foster sincere communication, for ensuring rigour, accuracy and trustworthiness in the process and for taking the time to so thoroughly evaluate every aspect of the school.
Over the past two weeks, G5 students have been hard at work preparing and delivering presentations related to their Global Perspectives unit: “If I were an Educational Leader”.
In close connection with the schoolwide learner outcomes, the Sharks and Walruses students practised their global competencies as well as communication, research, analysis and collaboration skills.
Students diligently researched education in Cambodia, identified challenges that they would address if they were elected, created posters of their group goals, held campaigns and presentations and finally, held elections.
Yesterday, all primary students voted for their favourite team and educational platform. The initiative provided our students with first-hand experience of democratic processes. A big thank you to our Grade 5 teachers for making this possible. We are tremendously proud of our students who campaigned with great determination, and also appreciate all the classes who participated in the election.
In August 2022, Footprints began the transition to the International Early Years Curriculum (IEYC) for our Early Childhood programme, comprising Nursery, PreK1, PreK2 and Kindergarten. The Kindergarten level serves as a transition stage from the IEYC to the Cambridge Assessment International Examination (CAIE) curriculum framework, with Kindergarten corresponding to stage one of the CAIE curriculum.
What is the International Early Years Curriculum (IEYC)?
Developed by Fieldwork Education, the IEYC is a current, evidence-based curriculum that takes into account the developmental requirements of children as well as global best practices in early childhood education. Through comprehensive inquiry and play-based approaches that address all subject areas of the curriculum including personal, social, and emotional development, the IEYC supports key learning areas.
What are the Guiding principles of this curriculum?
(adapted from: https://americas.britishcouncil.org)
Why has Footprints chosen to integrate this curriculum?
The IEYC offers the very best of contemporary education to our young learners, emphasising holistic, child-centred and playful approaches to learning and development. The IEYC integrates perfectly with both national and international curriculums, and works well for the transition phase between early years and primary education. Providing 24+ learning units which are rich in content and based around exciting themes that capture children’s curiosity, the IEYC integrates creativity, art, environment and play-based learning into all units.
