A Semester of Aspiration and Achievement

Dear VIMSIA Families, 

Happy holidays! As we close out the first semester of the 2022-20203 school year, it’s worth noting how far we’ve come as a community in a short time and where we go from here.

In many ways, this has been a transitional and pivotal year, from new faces of academic and administrative leadership to resuming our travel and study abroad programs. We’ve approached it with high hopes, focusing above all on the continued improvement of our programs. Already it has been enormously rewarding to see so many of those hopes become reality, and I am so grateful to our educators, staff, parents, and students for your dedication to our shared mission, vision, and values which continue to drive programs, decisions, and big-picture goals.

As I’m sure you’re aware, the breadth and quality of the opportunities our kids enjoy at VIMISA is remarkable. This semester alone brought dynamic and competitive athletic events, stand-out academic achievements at all levels, learning through international travel, world-class theater and music productions in VIMSIA’s history, and so much more. We’ve captured a lot of these on and off-campus achievements on the school blog–be sure to take a look. 

On the PGIA front, Volts Wednesdays have proven the perfect outlet for students to explore a range of non-traditional life skills, from mechanics to personal fitness to Japanese language and culture, along with academic extension time for our 11th and 12th-grade Diploma Program students. Ask our teachers and they’ll tell you: we see that "light bulb" moment everywhere on Wednesdays as students so often find their fit through new experimentation during these dedicated spaces. These periods also help develop unity amongst students. The mutual support and bonding, especially through the all-PGIA assemblies each week, is evident and inspiring.

Meanwhile, our 4th-5th Grade program has found its rhythm and is blending the Montessori pedagogy and the IB approach to teaching and learning throughout the school day. Students are engaging in meaningful work through Montessori Work Cycles, Reader & Writer’s Workshop, vigorous math lessons, Social-Emotional lessons with our School Counselor, and more.

We have great programming coming up and continuing for our afternoon Primary programs as well! Each full-day Montessori child will take part in a 4-week long swim session with lessons two days a week. Our Extended day students will now have a Montessori-esque activity room adjacent to the nap room to engage in when they are moving away from their naps. This room will consist of a Creative Corner, a Story Corner, and a Peace Corner and be supported by a trained Montessori guide. 

Lower El will be starting Swim at the Swim Association, Semester 2. We have offered this program to our Primary students and now will be extending it to our Lower Elementary students. Additionally, Lower El has commenced weekly SEL courses with Ms. Rowe to learn about the brain, emotional regulation techniques, and how to be a good friend.

Our Casa team has been working hard to continue holding beautifully prepared Montessori environments. They’ve brought a fish tank into a classroom, collaborated on joint class snack and lunchtime, and are keeping a steady stream of new materials at our little one’s fingertips!

This semester has set a fantastic tone for the next year and beyond. In 2023, we look to build on this progress in the second half of the school year. 

Thank you for your partnership,

Kevin McLean
Head of School