Welcome to QAIS! As we begin another school year it is a good time to reflect on the nature of our past success while we continue to strive toward our collective future.
The journey of QAIS has been one of phenomenal growth and achievement. Our enrollment continues to soar and now includes approximately 260 students from 27 nations from 2 to 18 years old. The QAIS family of staff now consists of representatives from 19 different nations, all of whom are certified in their content and specialty areas; over 75% of them have Masters or advanced degrees, and five have doctoral degrees. In addition, staff this year have teaching experience in over 50 different nations around the world and on all six inhabitable continents, giving us access to a true “global perspective”. This international mindedness is one of the tenets that underlie the IB philosophy and will be one of our greatest strengths this year as we strive to instill the attributes of the Learner Profile, grace, and courtesy in all our students. We look forward to this global collaboration and sharing of best practices as we continue our search for “more right answers.”
While the QAIS community has become more global, it has also demonstrated a commitment to excellence that has enabled us to take our place as the first AMS-accredited Montessori school in all of Asia, the first IB World School in Shandong Province, and the 17th IB continuum school in China offering the Primary Years Programme (PYP), Middle Years Programme (MYP), and Diploma Programme (DP). We are also pleased and proud to announce our most recent accreditation with the Council of International Schools (CIS), the “Gold Standard” in international education. We should celebrate these accomplishments and take pride in such monumental achievements.
Although these accreditations and authorizations symbolize a full school effort to raise our standard of academic excellence, the measure of our success lies not in whether or not we have achieved these “end goals,” but rather, how we got there. I continue to stand proud of a community that faces all challenges with great optimism, a deep faith in one another, and a love for life and learning that has become the hallmark of the QAIS family.
In the end, we have been called to partake in a great journey of transformation. Our child-centered, inquiry-based, holistic approach aims for each student to self-actualize. For when individuals begin to discover their true nature and lift themselves toward their highest potential, they learn to value and cherish one another, live without prejudice, create more democratic communities, and use their powers of reason and creativity to solve the multitude of complex problems that currently afflict the human race. And as we strive to develop internationally-minded leaders, we allow our students to express themselves freely while surrounding them with unconditional support and love. In the words of Maria Montessori, it is precisely this freedom to discover the nature of the Self that will allow our children to “penetrate life’s secrets, and win its rewards, not only for themselves but for all.”
I want to thank all staff, parents, and students for their support of the QAIS mission and vision and look forward to our journey of continued collaboration throughout the 2021-2022 school year.
With warmest regards,
Chris Vicari, Ed.D
Director