Zahrat Al-Sahraa International School

Vision and Purpose

Vision and Purpose

In ZSIS we believe that:

  • Adaptable social skills are required to help each individual accommodate with new experiences. This is achieved through accurately planned activities (both curricular and extra-curricular).
  • All individuals must be treated based on equality. Members 0f staff, students, and parents must all feel and understand that they are receiving fair treatment in order to ensure their comfort which in return will contribute to a positive learning atmosphere.
  • Superlative knowledge is translated into average to high scores, excelled academic performance, and adequate general knowledge.
  • Updated technology and resources are essential to maintain high quality education that ensures that any student at ZSIS is ready to succeed in other schools or even colleges.
  • Every child and adult must seek knowledge. We can only achieve this by inducing the love of learning into our students’ minds. With challenges and rewards, activities and encouragements, students can reach a satisfactory level of enthusiasm.
  • Quality assurance and conscientiousness go hand in hand as each individual works with loyalty, integrity, sincerity, consistency, and reliability.

 

CURRENT SCHOOL IMPROVEMENT PLAN
Status Activity Activity Overview Activity Type Begin Date End Date

Peer Tutoriting (Students) High School students will have the chance to tutor each other at specified times Student Support Jan-19 Ongoing

Student Extra Support All students will have the chance to meet with their teachers two times per day, every day for extra support. Student Support Apr-18 Ongoing

Differentiation Teachers will provide extra work (reteach) for low performers and assign in to them either in the classroom or as homework on the system. Teachers will also provide high-level work/activities for high performers to stay occupied as the low-achievers meet the grade-level standards. Students will be grouped either by mixing or separation of levels, according to the teaching strategy applied. Student Support Jan-19 Ongoing

Collaboration Students will collaborate inside the classrooms to complete tasks and activities. Student Support Jan-19 Ongoing

High School Classes by Subject High School classes at the boys' department will be subject-based and students will move around. This will ensure class teachers' flexibility in applying differentiation methods and BYOD. Student Support Dec-18 Jan-19

Annual Book Fair The school will hold an annual book fair at the end of each year with famous book titles to encourage students to read during their summer breaks. Student Support Apr-16 Annual

Peer Coaching (Teachers) Teachers will share their experience by allowing their peers to attend their classes to share their knowledge on specific areas. Professional Development Jan-19 Ongoing

In-House Workshops School staff memebrs will share their knowledge by holding workshops and presentations to their peers. The workshops will be personalized to fit the school's specific needs. Professional Development Jan-16 Ongoing

Professional Learning Communities Teachers of shared interest (same grade level) will be meeting to discuss new ideas and share knowledge. Professional Development Jan-19 Ongoing

Curriculum Mapping Curriculum mapping using the Understanding by Design reverse model will be done for ELA and Math. The maps will be done using CurriculumTrak. Curriculum Alignment Apr-18 Mar-19

Curriculum Guides Curriculum guides will be created based on lessons and benchmarksfor all subjects and will be shared with parents. Curriculum Alignment Oct-18 Nov-18

School Management System A school management system will be implemented. It will contain student, parent, teacher, and admin platforms. It will cover academic, behavioral, financial, and demographic informaton. Technology Sep-15 Sep-16

Student eBooks Student ebooks for Math, Science, and English will be given to students to assign homework and prepare engaging lesson openers. Technology Sep-16 Ongoing

New Mobile App The school will release an updated mobile application aligned with its new website and school management system. Technology Sep-17 Dec-17

Updated Website The school will update its website to be aligned with the new school management system and with a new user-friendly interface. Technology Sep-18 Dec-18

Technology Use by Students The school will provide an activity room with technology such as tablets and smartboards. Common rooms will be equipped with smartboards. Tablet bundles will be distributed to classrooms. BYOD is applied to High School Technology Oct-18 Jan-19

Student Teacher Evaluation Students will have the chance to anonymously evaluate their teachers. Evaluation Oct-16 Ongoing

Surveys All stakeholders will have the chance to evaluate different aspects of the school anonymously via surveys. The surveys will be for school evaluation, program evaluation, and stakeholder engagement. Evaluation Dec-16 Ongoing

Teacher Evaluation Plans Teachers will be evaluated by the administration and subject coordinators via walk-throughs and class observations (using a personal observation form and the eleot® tool). Evaluation Oct-15 Ongoing

Standardized Data Analysis Standardized data collected since 2013 will be collected, organized, analyzed, and used to implement action plans for improvement. Data Analysis Dec-16 Ongoing

Standardized Exams Students will participate in reliable standardized exams (MAP, PSAT), yearly. Standardized Assessments Nov-13 Ongoing

Fast-Check Entrance Exams The school will register in GradePen to speed up its admissions process. Entrance exams will be corrected within a few minutes after the students submit their papers. Admissions Mar-18 Apr-18
FUTURE SCHOOL IMPROVEMENT PLAN
Status Activity Activity Overview Activity Type Begin Date End Date

Student Administrative Roles Students of Grades 11 and 12 are given the chance to help out in administrative tasks to gain work experience and understand how work and decisions are made at school. This will be a plus for their university applications. Student Support Sep-19 Nov-19

Learning Management System An addition to the current school management system used by the school is the learning management system, where homework and classwork with rubrics can be done online and linked to the student report cards. Student Support Jan-19 Jan-20

Behavior Team This team will be able to meet and discuss student behavior issues. They can set action plans for entire classrooms or indiviudal students to improve overall behavior. Student Support Sep-19 Nov-19

Grade 3 Boys' New Campus Trip Students graduating from Grade 3 to go onto the new campus of the boys' school can visit the building at the end of their Grade 3 year, meet the teachers, and get to know the campus. Student Support Apr-19 Ongoing

Senior Student Overseas Trip Students will travel to destinations for educational, cultural, and social purposes. Student Support Mar-20 Ongoing

Reteach Classes Students will be asked to stay around 45 minutes after the school day ends with their teachers to have the lessons reexplained to them. Teachers and student scores will determine who should attend. Student Support Sep-19 Nov-19

Manners Classes An organized Manners course will be introduced to students of Grades 1 through 8. Student Support Apr-19 Oct-19

Monthly Newsletter (by students) Students will prepare a monthly newsletter announcing the school's latest changes, events, success stories, and plans. Communication Oct-19 Ongoing

Social Media Dependecy Stakeholders can rely more on social media in order to follow the school's latest news, announcements, events, etc. Communication Oct-19 Ongoing

Curriculum Mapping (Sciences) Curriculum mapping using the Understanding by Design reverse model will be done for Sciences following the NGSS. This might allow the school to implement STEM programs. Curriculum Alignment Oct-19 Jan-20

Standards-based Assessment The school will be able to identify which standards are being assessed in each assessment. The scores will reflect scores by benchmarks, which will allow specific skill reteaching when needed. Curriculum Alignment Oct-19 Ongoing

Electronic Assessment Correction All school major examinations will be corrected using an OCR machine. Curriculum Alignment Sep-20 Ongoing

Parent Council A parent council will be formed to visit the school on timely basis to discuss administrative decisions, participate in activities, and support new procedures. Parent Involvement Nov-19 Ongoing

Bimonthly Parent Visits Instead of one parents' meeting per term, two can take place. Parent Involvement Oct-19 Ongoing

Open House (Grades 1 and 4) As is currently done at the Kindergarten department, all parents of Grades 1 and 4 will have the chance to visit the school, meet the staff members, and see the classrooms at the beginning of the school year. Parent Involvement Oct-19 Ongoing

Equip Classrooms with Technology Classrooms will be equipped with tablets or smartboards according to grade-level and need. The new technology is to be used by students to improve learning experiences. However, the new technology will not be the main classroom resource. Technology Oct-19 Jan-20

Suggestion Surveys Day-to-day operations surveys to be posted at the reception area and submitted in locked boxes to increase parent involvement and improve school operations. Evaluation Apr-19 Ongoing

Sports Competitions There will be formal school soccer and basketball teams that will compete against each other, other schools, and participate in international competitions. Physical Education Oct-19 Ongoing

Biweekly In-House Workshops An obligatory in-house workshop every other Saturday for the whole school or the concerned department or age group. Professional Development Sep-19 Ongoing