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? 

• Children should be encouraged to grow and learn at their own unique pace.
• International mindedness is built on independent and interdependent learning experiences, which provide a context for personal development.
• Knowledge and skills development lead to an increasing sense of understanding when children are provided with opportunities to explore and express their ideas in various ways.
• Learning occurs when children’s innate curiosity is tapped into through developmentally appropriate, teacher-scaffolded, and child-initiated experiences in a supportive setting.
• Learning should be motivating, engaging and fun, opening up a world of wonder for children where personal interests can flourish.
• Continuous evaluation and reflection that incorporate a learning connection to the home are excellent forms of ongoing assessment.
• Play is an essential aspect of all children’s learning and development.
• The earliest years of life are valuable in their own right.

(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.

The Board of Governors of Footprints International School (FIS) acts as the legal authorising body of the school and operates in line with the school’s By-Laws. The main role of the Board is to support and promote the vision, mission, values and beliefs of FIS. In addition, the Board strives to ensure the fiscal health of the school, and maintain good governance and risk management. The Board plays an advisory role to the Director of FIS, and delegates the day-to-day administration and operational decisions to the Focus on Learning (FoL) Steering Committee which acts as the School Leadership Team (SLT). The Board drives the creation of a strategic framework, in collaboration with contributions from the school community.
In September 2021, the Board approved a strategic plan for 2021-2025 that focuses on four major goals: Responsible Growth, Creating a Nurturing Learning Eco-System, Developing an Effective and Efficient Management Platform, and Building Capacity. The Board has overarching responsibility to ensure that these strategic goals are being operationalised and implemented well.
The Board is responsible for adopting financial policies, approving projects, generating revenue, ensuring effective financial budgeting and planning, and reviewing the administration’s short and long-term plans”.
The Board shall be responsible for liaison with appropriate Cambodian government officials to ensure the proper management of the school and its compliance with the Rule of Law under the Cambodian Constitution. The Board also has a duty to have the school accounts audited annually by a qualified independent accounting firm.

Congratulations to the newly elected Student Council (StuCo) officers of Footprints International School’s  Toul Kork and Toul Tom Poung Campuses, for the 2022-2023 academic year. At the beginning of each academic year, students hold an assembly in which class representatives from various grades deliver speeches, hoping to win the majority vote for their desired position: President, Vice President, Secretary or Treasurer.

The purpose of StuCo is to act as a channel for student-led activities in coordination with School management and to be the voice of the student body.

StuCo aims to represent the rights of the student body at Footprints International School, promote harmonious relationships between students within and among grade levels, foster the improvement of student involvement in school activities and promote school spirit, pride, and morale, as well as encourage the development of citizenship and leadership among members of the student body.

The Footprints community is proud of our students for taking on these roles with the compassion, determination and responsibility exemplified by Footprints International School students.