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Director
American International School of Lesotho (Lesotho)

 

Director - American International School of Lesotho, Maseru (Lesotho)

The American International School of Lesotho Maseru, Lesotho, Southern Africa seeks a DIRECTOR effective August 2017

The School

The American International School of Lesotho (AISL) was founded in 1991 to serve the expatriate and local Basotho communities in Maseru, the capital. It is an independent, co-educational, not-for-profit school, offering an American curriculum from Pre-school to Grade 8. There are approximately 148 students on roll.

Following the resignation of the current Director, Mr. Greg Hughes, AISL anticipates the new Director will continue developing the school through this ongoing period of institutional development, and in doing so further enhance all aspects of the school.

AISL was re-accredited last school year by the Middles States Association, and is a member of the Association of International Schools in Africa (AISA).

Mission

The AISL Promise states that  “We are a caring community, following each child's path to a strong academic, physical and social foundation, nurturing responsible world citizens and life long learners”.

Vision

AISL has developed an extensive strategic development plan based around the following themes;

• AISL will differentiate instruction to allow all students to realize their potential in all of our core academic programs.
• AISL will develop academic programs that challenge all learners, via a comprehensively articulated curriculum.
• AISL will be resourced with up-to-date teaching resources that promotes inquiry based learning.
• AISL will integrate technology to support and enhance student learning and school operations.
• AISL will recruit, develop, appraise, and retain outstanding faculty and staff.
• AISL will develop a financial platform to ensure the schools sustainability and support investment for the future.
• AISL will develop its campus so that it is both safe and functional. By enhancing the aesthetics of the campus AISL will be better placed to market itself to prospective parents.

The Curriculum and Learning Resources

AISL provides a broad and balanced education, following an American curriculum, in an atmosphere that is supportive, encouraging and infused with a sense of community. The School believes that children learn best when they are happy, and that increased individual attention can really make a difference to student success.

AISL’s challenging academic program is supplemented by a variety of opportunities in sports, the arts, after-school activities, field trips, and community service opportunities. Students develop a life-long love of learning and a true sense of stewardship - to their community and the world.

A variety of resources including, U.S. textbooks and teaching materials are used throughout the school. Regular academic courses include language arts, mathematics, science, health, French and social studies. In addition to the regular academic courses, music, art, and physical education are offered at all grade levels.

Students are assessed internally and externally using NWEA Map Testing. Data from MAP testing is analyzed frequently as a means of reflecting upon individual student progress and the effectiveness of the academic program.  

Enrollment

 

At the beginning of the 2016 - 2017 school year, enrollment is 148. Approximately 18% are local Basotho students, 14% U.S. nationals, and the remaining 68% are third country nationals. Expatriate students are drawn from diplomatic, NGO and business families living and working in the country.

Class size is a targeted maximum of 22 - a policy exceeded under exceptional circumstances, occasionally - with the average being 16. Every class from Preschool to Grade 5 has an instructional assistant.

Faculty

The Faculty consists of 14 full time teachers (including a full-time Principal), and 2 part-time teachers, while 55% of the faculty are expatriates. Faculty are housed in secure, spacious and pleasant accommodation in the vicinity of the school.

Facilities

The School’s campus and facilities are not purpose-built, however over the past two years there has been a significant upgrading which includes extensive work on the school playgrounds and classrooms. The School consists of a multi-house complex with a total of 13 classrooms, which are all air-conditioned and have interactive touch-boards. The School has a library for reference work, supplemental reading, and pleasure reading. All classrooms have 2 or more computers with internet capabilities, and there is a modern computer lab. The School maintains self-contained classrooms through grade 5. There are grounds with ample area to play as well as playground equipment, a physical fitness course, a volleyball/basketball court, a synthetic soccer pitch, a covered play building and badminton. All families and members of the school community are also enrolled as members of the nearby Maseru Club which has a 25m swimming pool, soccer field, snooker hall and tennis courts.

Governance and Finance

An 8 to10-member Board of Advisors governs AISL. The AISL Parents' Association elects 5 of the Board members. The U.S. Ambassador appoints 2 Board members. Three more can be appointed by the Board itself. Membership of the Association is automatically conferred on the parents or guardians of children enrolled in the school.

In the 2016-2017 school year, about 95% of the School's income derives from regular tuition and fees.  Annual tuition rates are as follows: PS & PK: $3,960.00; K-grade 8: $15,165.00.  A door-to-door school bus service is available at an additional charge.  There is a one-time application fee of $193 and a one-time capital fee of $3,300.  All fees are payable in U.S. dollars or local currency. 

Maseru and Lesotho

The population of Lesotho is estimated at about 2 million. 'Basotho', as the inhabitants of Lesotho are known, are a people that pride themselves on living in one of Africa's last kingdoms, where Sesotho and English are the two official languages. With a population of 300 thousand, Maseru (Sesotho, meaning "place of the red sandstone"), the capital, is located on the northwest border with the Free State of South Africa.

Lesotho is landlocked within South Africa, making it the only such country of its kind in the world. Consequently, Lesotho and South Africa share a unique relationship. As the "Roof of Africa" it does not have what one normally would think of as an African climate, with warm summers and cold winters. Lesotho has the distinction of having the "highest low point" of any country on earth. Stated simply, this means that Lesotho's lowlands are a high plateau, and its highlands are very high. Commodities available in South Africa are generally available in Lesotho. Maseru boasts several malls and supermarkets. Travel within Lesotho and into South Africa is easy and convenient by car. Several flights each day link Maseru to OR Tambo airport in Johannesburg. Bloemfontein, Johannesburg and Durban are 1.5, 4, and 6 hours’ drive away from Maseru, respectively.

The Position

The Board is seeking an enthusiastic, dedicated Director who can lead the school to realize its strategic goals, and to be the responsible leader of the school in all sectors of the AISL and Maseru community. This exciting and challenging opportunity offers the right candidate the possibility to bring sustained leadership to bear on the physical and educational development of the school.

Who Should Apply?

The AISL Board welcomes applications from appropriately experienced international school administrators, of any nationality, and of any family circumstance. Applications from candidates currently in administrative roles are also encouraged, as well as those from candidates who are already experienced Head's of School. Given that the School requires the successful candidate to demonstrate prior leadership experience in a senior management position in a well-regarded, cutting-edge international school, we seek a creative leader capable of demonstrating all or most of the following personal and professional attributes:

    Cultural sensitivity, and a good listener.

    Entrepreneurial disposition and high ethical standards.

    Financial acumen and experience in budget development and management

    Fund-raising experience

    The ability to delegate and to foster collaboration, yet able to take responsibility for the entire work of the School.

    Sophisticated team-building skills, and an ability to show strong leadership in terms of maintaining academic standards.

    Experience in instructional supervision.

    Knowledge and understanding of the American International and other international curricula.

    The ability to supervise the work of all employees of the school.

    An innovative risk-taker with a keen eye for opportunity for the School.

    A visionary able to unite the community around agreed development goals.

    Strong interpersonal skills and an open, welcoming disposition

    Highly developed communication skills and effective socialization skills in a diverse range contexts

    The ability to work as the executive officer of a mainly parent-elected board implementing it mission and vision.

    An iron commitment to achieving the development goals of the School, and the drive to implement them.

    Ambition to succeed, reinforced by a pragmatic yet determined disposition.

    A genuine liking for children, a sense of fun, and a can-do attitude.

Salary and Benefits

The salary and benefits package will be regionally competitive and will depend on the qualifications and experience of the successful candidate.

Procedure for Filing Application

The American International School of Lesotho (AISL) has appointed Search Associates to act as consultant in the search for the new Director, with Gez Hayden being the lead consultant. The deadline for applications is 07 October 2016. Candidates are asked to submit a letter of interest and the requested materials listed below as early as possible as the Search Committee reserves the right to close the selection process at any time if the right candidate is identified. The review of files will begin as soon as applications are received. Finalists will be selected by the Search Committee as early in the process as possible. Finalist candidates together with their spouse (if applicable) will be invited to Lesotho for final interviews, to visit the school campus and meet with Board, faculty, parents, students, and non-teaching staff. The new Director will be selected immediately after the conclusion of the site visit and final interviews. The new Director takes up the post on August 01 2017.

Candidates should send the information listed below combined as a single pdf file attached in an email to: ghayden@searchassociates.com

     A letter of application, referring directly to the required personal and professional attributes listed above, explaining your strengths as a candidate and why you are a good fit for the Director position at AISL.

    A statement describing your management and educational philosophy, not to exceed two pages

    A current résumé (with photo preferred) in low resolution, not to exceed two pages

    A one-page list of references stating position/relationship to you, current addresses, emailaddresses, phone numbers and email addresses

    Total document size should be kept to less than three (3) MB if possible.