As we close 2024, we reflect on our accomplishments this year!
Cognia Accreditation: ASB is now a Cognia member and has already completed its Engagement Review in October. ASB's Candidacy Review is planned for April 2025.
More space: As evident in the acquisition of the new school premises, we made a concerted effort to provide students with more space, at a location that is more communicative and central, with access to numerous options for eating and sports (as close as we could ever dream of getting to the Sea Garden and the Primorski Park Pool Complex).
Our new location in the Greek Quarter New Staff Hires: ASB now employs a full-time PE teacher (Mr. Marian), a Student Support Counselor (Ms. Elena), and an Academic Counselor (Ms. Irene).
Academic Counseling: With the help of our academic counselor (Ms. Irene) we are providing students with various opportunities to attend career shows, to attend onsite career workshops, as well as support with the creation of their CVs, motivation letters, and portfolios. Ms. Irene is providing students with invaluable support with their university applications.
Less turnover in teachers: To that end, we have offered teachers better remuneration packages, a three-day, all-paid, team-building event; an abundance of opportunities for self-development, paid training, monthly workshops, instituting performance appraisals and observations and linking them to full-salary bonuses at the end of each academic year, and access to paid coaches and therapists.
Teacher Training and Support: All teachers were rigorously trained over a two-week period (internally and through Cognia) and now have a thorough understanding of their roles and responsibilities in helping students in all aspects of the learning process.
Lead Teachers: We have assigned Ms. Leonie as the lead teacher at AHSB to help observe, mentor, guide, and evaluate teachers during their journey. Ms. Tzvety and Ms. Lisa were also assigned as Lead teachers at AFSB for Middle-school and Primary-school, respectively.
Full-time Administrator: As our full-time administrator, Ms. Ivanna assists both students and teachers with requests as they arise, handles school-wide communication, and is responsible for organizing various school events.
Extended Administration Hours: Administration is now available until 4:50 to allow for more time to be allocated to address students' special needs and any concerns from parents.
Extended Learning Schedules: We have extended the learning schedule until 2:50 (for required attendance) and until 4:50 for elective subjects and extracurricular activities. Despite the extended hours, we have reduced gaps in student schedules and optimized their time. Students now have no more than one hour for required general labs, during which they are encouraged to do homework, not just by using computers, but also handwritten homework which teachers will give them.
Full IT Support: We have hired Mr. Petkov (Tseko) as a full-time IT staff member to address all technical issues that may arise, and to help students with technology-related questions at both AFSB and AHSB.
Upgraded Internet: We have upgraded our internet network at AHSB to a speed of 300 GB (versus 100 last year), to allow students a faster and more stable internet connection throughout the campus.
Study/Break Room: We have provided students at AHSB with a study/break room, which they can use during their lunch hour or to do homework.
Test Preparation: We have now incorporated mid-term and final exams into English, Math, and Science subjects in an effort to help prepare students for testing that they will face outside of AHSB (such as AP and university entry tests).
Attendance Policy: We have adopted a stricter attendance policy to allow students to stay on track and not lose focus.
Standard Grading Policy: The general rubrics we have adopted will allow uniformity in grading and will allow students to learn more and rely less on AI (Artificial Intelligence tools). Our aim is to help students leverage AI as a tool, but not to develop a complete reliance on it as a way to advance through their schooling.
Access to more courses: In years past, the tuition paid limited students to 6 subjects. Starting in 2024, students have access to as many courses as we are able to offer (depending on staff availability and competence), so long as they are able to handle the workload.
Advanced Placement Courses: We have made over 10 courses available to our students this year. These courses are available to students to work on autonomously if they choose to enroll.
More Electives: As requested by many parents, this year, we are offering IT and Language courses (Spanish by a native speaker).
Physical Education Credits: Due to the limited opportunities for physical activities onsite, we are offering students the opportunity to do a self-study Personal Fitness course, allowing them to have the freedom of choosing their sport while getting credit for tracking their progress. We also plan on holding various physical fitness/competition events at our Sea Garden location and at various sports facilities throughout the city.
Math Olympiad: This academic year, we are planning to hold an English-only Math Olympiad.
Global Citizenship: We are doing more in the areas of global citizenship and community service, with events such as holiday auctions, the proceeds from which were donated to an orphanage. AHSB raised 650 levs and AFSB raised 950 levs.
Student Council Body: AHSB voted 5 student council members into office and Venecia Abuhantash was chosen as the school president.
Extracurricular Activities: We are continuing to offer students various chances for joining social clubs which include the Book club, Music club, and Art club. The reading club is an intrinsic part of the schedules for grades 8 and 9. Field trips are organized monthly.
TEDx Talks: Now that we have a license with TEDx, we plan on hosting TEDx Talks by our students.
Community Service: We will be providing students with several opportunities throughout the year to participate in community service activities and rewarding them with certificates to recognize their efforts and participation.
ESL Support: We are going to offer strong ESL support for new students, in 8th grade at AHSB and in various grades at AFSB, to help prepare them for the rigors of high school. We are also adopting a strict English-only policy to help our students excel in their English language learning and acquisition.
School Transportation Plan: We are now offering AHSB parents the opportunity to participate in the school bus program. Parents who are interested are welcome to let us know.
Our goals for 2025 include:
Continuing on the path to obtain full Cognia accreditation as the only school in Bulgaria to have this accreditation
Aimimg for an increased engagement in Math learning
Increasing the English language level of students, and improving writing proficiency
Establishing baseline metrics in Math and English
Creating more engaging courses that we can offer to our students in the future
Establishing additional affiliations and collaborations with other institutions (such as a Foreign Exchange program)
Improving parent involvement
Improving overall communication, both internally and externally
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