Is it spring yet?
Winter lingers in Sapporo but Spring is here and the feeling that it is spring is just around the corner. HIS will soon enter into its final quarter of this school year from April 2. There is much to look forward to as we already start looking ahead to the next school year.

Change, development and improvement are important themes this school year. At the end of April, HIS will be visited by members of the WASC accrediting organization. The lengthy process of evaluating the process and preparing the Self Study Report highlighted important areas for growth and the visit by WASC will help HIS to conclude our work and guide us towards school improvement so that we become a better place for learning.

Ahead of the WASC visit, school governance and administration worked to create a strategic plan document that will guide us in the next school year to be focused on the really important aspects that need our attention. This work will mesh with the WASC process and lead us forward.

It’s important that we remain focused and forward thinking. I appreciate the time and effort the community takes in participating in PTA, boards, teachers meetings and Think Tanks to push us forward in positive ways. In the 14 years that I have been working at HIS as a teacher and administrator, I know that this school has made steady improvements and I look forward to continuing to see this school develop and grow.

Please visit the HIS Calendar for details on upcoming events.

Mr. Barry Ratzliff

Latest Announcements

Monday, April 30, 2012

Thank you WASC Visiting Committee!
Hokkaido International School would like to extend a final thanks and farewell to our WASC accreditation Visiting Committee members, Mike Crilly, Meagan Pavey, Gary Melton and Jennie Munson. The VC team was friendly, thoughtful, helpful and critically insightful. We would like to wish them the best as they return to their homes, schools and lives. Their guidance will be their legacy as HIS takes on their recommendations and continues the job of improving the school for the sake of student learning.

The full WASC Hokkaido Report can be found by clicking Final WASC Hokkaido Report (PDF 1.2 MB).

A summary list of the schools Strengths and Areas for Growth are listed below:

Schoolwide Strengths:

1. The school culture is characterized by mutual respect and caring and welcomes parents and other community members to support student learning and personal growth. The school is a close, compassionate, family-like community.

2. The students are thriving within a caring, multi-cultural environment. They embrace learning opportunities within the school and the Hokkaido region.

3. The administrative team is committed to student learning by supporting teachers through professional development opportunities, collaborative structures, and shared accountability through the new teacher evaluation system.

4. Teachers demonstrate commitment and passion in their professional work in support of their students. Through collaboration and creative lesson planning, they strive to meet the needs of individual learners within the diverse classroom settings.

5. The International Primary Curriculum, and the adoption of the International Middle Years Curriculum (starting in 2012-13), provide clearly articulated units of study, including learning outcomes, and ample resource materials.

6. The dedicated and talented parent population benefits the school program and students through their involvement in the co-curricular program, the renewed PTA initiatives, the various parent groups, the Executive Board, and the Board of Councilors.

7. The professional staff of Hokkaido International School is committed to school improvement through structures such as the School Improvement Committee, strategic professional development, use of a variety of common assessments, and initiatives such as the Think Tank.

Critical Areas for Follow-up:

1. Further development, articulation and communication of a vertically aligned, standards based P-12 curriculum to inform assessment and instruction building on the existing curriculum. (Stay the course)

2. Systematic analysis of assessment data to inform curriculum development and instructional practices.

3. Development and implementation of a clear set of expected instructional practices based on research and the needs of the students at Hokkaido International School.

4. Provide a coordinated system of student support services that addresses all student needs.

5. Development of systems for assessing and reporting of the Transdisciplinary Skills and Dispositions (TADS).

6. Enhance communication systems, inclusive of all stakeholders, to support student learning and more broadly the curricular and co-curricular programs, and other community information.

7. Ensure an adequate strategy for redrafting The Action Plan and developing structures for monitoring progress in a systematic, timely manner.

Sincerely yours,
Barry Ratzliff / Head of School
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