The International Community School (ICS) is excited to welcome a number of new faces to the educational team for this coming academic year. We have two new teachers, a returning teacher and a new Primary Years Principal that we would like to introduce.
Starting this August, our new Primary Year’s Principal, Liz McLaughlin has already been working very closely with our Primary Year Programme (PYP) senior management team and brings a wealth of experience with her.As the primary school’s instructional leader, Liz will work closely with teachers and parents alike to ensure that decisions and learning engagements demonstrate ICS's philosophy about best learning practice.
Kicking off her educational career as an ‘inclusion teacher’, Liz worked with a variety of children with special educational requirements before going on to teach at an urban school in Honolulu. Following her time in Hawaii, Liz went on to receive a Master of Education at Queen's University in Ontario, Canada prior to joining a bilingual school in Milan where her love of the IB Primary Years Programme and second language learning began. And if that wasn’t enough, Liz then went on to add a Master of Education in school leadership from Harvard University to her repertoire. Speaking of her appointment, Liz is clearly thrilled to join us in the new year, “I am very excited to join the ICS community as it is the ideal educational setting for all children. My passion in education stems from the belief that all students can learn and be successful in a classroom that fosters inquiry-based and second language learning. I truly believe that ICS is at the forefront of this kind of learning within the UK.”
And we are equally excited to have her join the team. Our Head of Primary, Stuart Pollard said of the news, “We are extremely pleased to welcome Liz into our community this summer. With diverse experience in international education and a keen passion for the International Baccalaureate and its associated values, we believe Liz will be a great asset to the school.”
We are also very pleased to welcome back Courtney Dickens Rogers, from Dallas, Texas. Having enjoyed teaching both in the United States and in the UK, Courtney worked at the International Community School for several years. After which, she and her husband moved to the Outer Hebrides of Scotland, where they have been living in Stornoway on the Isle of Lewis. There, Courtney has been working with the nursery and reception classes and privately tutoring year 6 students. She has a Bachelor of Science in Elementary Education and a Masters in Curriculum Development and Instruction. Outside the classroom, Courtney loves to travel, read and go to festivals. “I'm excited about being back in London and look forward to working and learning together.”
Cara DeRosa is from the United States and grew up in Boston, Massachusetts. Cara holds an undergraduate degree in Psychology and Elementary Education and a Master’s degree in Elementary Education. For the past 8 years she has worked as a primary school teacher in an urban public school setting. “I enjoyed working with a diverse population of students with different language and learning needs. I am very excited to start my year with the International Community School and to meet your children”, says Cara on joining in the new year. Away from school she enjoys pilates, running, photography, and cheering on Boston sports teams.
And finally, but by no means least Julie Sarmah from the UK, qualified as a primary teacher in 1993 and has taught in various places in the UK, Macau and China. Her most recent teaching post was in Nottingham, where she taught from Reception through to Year 6, and primarily Year 5. Julie led her previous school in the area of Special Educational Needs and went on to pursue her passion in this subject, completing a Masters in special educational needs in 2001. Julie highlights that “It is important for me to get to know each child’s strengths and what they find challenging. I also co-ordinated Science and enjoy arranging Science Fairs. One of my passions outside school is listening to rock!”
We look forward to seeing everyone in August and wish everyone a great summer!