Quito, August 25, 2010

Dear Parents:

I would like to extend a warm welcome for the 2010-2011 school year. We look forward to working with your children this year and wish them success in all of their activities.

This year, we will be working on the following initiatives:

• New process for teacher evaluation: This process was developed by six International schools in the region (Colegio Americano de Quito, Academia Cotopaxi, Academia Alianza, Colegio Bolivar de Cali, Colombia, Colegio Roosevelt de Lima, Peru and Escuela Americana de Campiñas, Brazil.
• Continued implementation of MAP (Measure of Academic Progress): This is an online instrument to measure each student’s progress in Reading Comprehension, Language Usage and Math in English. This year we will complete the implementation by administering this test, twice a year, in Grades 4 to 8. Our students are tested in Spanish using the Aprenda test in which they are benchmarked with students in other Latin American countries, such as Chile, Argentina, Peru, among others.
• Continued follow-up on the Balanced Scorecard and the projects that need to be developed.
• Hosting the SAAC Basketball Tournament: We will host the following schools’ teams: Escuela Lincoln, Buenos Aires, Colegio Americano, Montevideo, Nido de Aguilas, Santiago, Colegio Roosevelt, Lima at the end of March.

Additionally, the school will continue to work on our existing programs to ensure improvement in all areas.

I would like to take this opportunity to mention the following recognitions the school received in celebration of our 70th anniversary this past year:

MINISTERIO DE EDUCACIÓN
Condecoración “AL MÉRITO EDUCATIVO DE PRIMERA CLASE” al pabellón del Colegio Americano de Quito

CÁMARA DE COMERCIO DE QUITO
Condecoración al Mérito Cultural “Federico González Suárez” a la Fundación Colegio Americano de Quito.

ASAMBLEA NACIONAL
Condecoración “ASAMBLEA NACIONAL DE LA REPÚBLICA DEL ECUADOR, DR. VICENTE ROCAFUERTE”

ALCALDÍA METROPOLITANA DE QUITO
Condecoración MENCIÓN DE HONOR INSTITUCIONAL a la Fundación Colegio Americano

MINISTERIO DEL DEPORTE
Acuerdo No. 0760 de Felicitación a la Fundación Colegio Americano de Quito

As you know, we had our accreditation visit last year as well from SACSCASI/AdvancEd and the school was fully accredited without observation but with the following commendations and required actions:

Commendations:

• Understanding of and commitment to their role as the strategic planning and policy-focused governance body, the Board recognizes and preserves the authority for school administration to the Director General.
• Sustaining a high and admirable level of alumni identification with, royalty to, and affection to the institution.
• Providing a comprehensive school-wide support system to address the social and emotional needs of all children and to facilitate their academic success.
• Maintaining a sustainable economic position characterized by effective operations, consistently balanced budgets and conservative fiscal management.
• Identifying and adopting the Balanced Scorecard to implement, monitor, and measure progress.

Required Actions:

• Implement measures to ensure that student achievement data are systemically and systematically used to guide instruction and improve individual student performance at all levels.
• Explore the desirability and benefits of enhancing opportunities for interaction and integration among students and faculty in the national and International program tracks.
• Identify and utilize an expanded variety of communication Tools to ensure all stakeholders are informed about the Balanced Scorecard and all elements of the strategic plan.
• Maximize the use of the Balanced Scorecard to ensure school improvement initiatives are realized.

Therefore, we foresee a very busy year and thank you, once again, for your continued support. May you and your children have a wonderful year!

Kind regards,

Susan A. Williams
Director General