Principal’s Message Beginning of Academic Year 2019-2020

Dear Parents and Students of Virginia International Private School (VIPS),

I would like to take this opportunity to thank you for entrusting me to be our school’s new Executive Principal. It is with great honor, responsibility and resolve that I join you in our school improvement journey as we go from strength to strength.  I would also like to state my and the staff’s commitment to ensuring high quality education with our primary focus on improving students’ outcomes.

To share a little about my educational background, I have been an educationalist for just over twenty years, the last fifteen in this great country that my family and I call home – the United Arab Emirates. I am passionate about and committed to student progress and achievement, school improvement, stakeholder satisfaction, and being a life-long learner. I believe in partnering and working closely with our key stakeholders – our students, parents, and staff – to shape and steer the strategic direction of our school in line with our vision, mission, and values. I ensure high standards and expectations for myself and others, the delivery of high-quality curriculum, and that best practices in education are embedded throughout the school community which result in improved, sustainable outcomes.

Since joining, it is evident that our school has established a vibrant learning culture in which our students’ personal and social development, values of Islam personally and in society, passion for mastering the Arabic language, as well as respect for the heritage and culture of the UAE are key strengths. It is our aim to build upon these great strengths, further developing our students’ engagement in, and responsibility for, their own learning. We aim for our students’ interactions, collaboration and communication skills to be those of model citizens, and that their application of learning to the UAE and the world over, as well as their innovation, enterprise, enquiry, research, critical thinking and use of learning technologies, will enable them to thrive and succeed as 21^st century learners.

May this year be a year in which we endeavor individually and collectively to live and fulfill the words of this great nation’s founding father, Sheikh Zayed, who said, “No matter how many buildings, foundations, schools and hospitals we build, or how many bridges we raise, all these are material entities. The real spirit behind the progress is the human spirit, the able man with his intellect and capabilities.”

Sincerely,