Dear IAS Students, Teachers, Parents, Family and Friends,
I would like to welcome everyone back to the IAS community and offer greetings to those new members joining us for the 2023-24 school year. For those who do not know me, I have been teaching at IAS since 2013 and have served as Vice-principal from 2015 – 2020 and now Principal since September 2020.
I look forward to seeing new and old faces returning to our classrooms, with energy and enthusiasm for the new year.
I am available throughout the school year to all members of the school community. Students and teachers may contact me via Teams or by knocking on my door. Parents can contact me by email or, for urgent matters, by phone. Your feedback is a vital part of the continual improvement of IAS Warsaw.
Below are details of the opening ceremonies for both buildings which are different to past years so new and returning parents should review the details carefully.
Arthur O’Keeffe
Principal
IAS Warsaw
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Orientation Day for New Students – Thursday, 31st August 2023:
At Dembego 18 campus
Please attend at the time specified in the orientation day e-mail that was sent to you on Tuesday, 22nd August
Please note that we have new parents divided into three groups. At this meeting, you will meet the members of Administration and be made aware of important policies and procedures regarding the school year.
Opening Ceremony – Friday, 1st September 2023:
After opening remarks from members of the administration, classes will assemble with their homeroom teachers. Students will receive their class schedules and be informed of all relevant school policies and where to find them. If applicable, parents can pay for their textbooks at the main school office. All textbooks are distributed to students in class from September 4th. Students will also have their lockers assigned. To reduce queues, please make payments online by bank transfer or during the week preceding the opening ceremony.
Opening Ceremony schedule:
Dembego 12 (Pre-KG – Grade 4)
10:00 Opening Remarks
10:15 Meeting with homeroom teachers
Dembego 18 (Grades 5 – 8)
11:00 Opening Remarks
11:15 Meeting with homeroom teachers
Dembego 18 (Grades 9 – 10)
13:00 Opening Remarks
13:15 Meeting with homeroom teachers
Dembego 18 (Grades 11 – 12)
15:00 Opening Remarks
15:15 Meeting with homeroom teachers
Books
On the first day of school, parents that do not have books included in their tuition fees can collect the book list and pay for the books at the office. Note that the price of the books will depend on the program being studied (international or Polish). Please note that those with books included are obliged to return textbooks at the end of the school year and these should not be damaged or written in. This does not apply to workbooks, which may be kept and written in. All new books are distributed directly to students by the school librarian.
Lockers
Students must bring a padlock with them to school to secure their assigned locker. Padlocks should have relatively slender locks. Students will be assigned a locker by their homeroom teacher on September 1st. Combination locks are recommended.
The First Week of School
During the first week of school, teachers will review class expectations, procedures, routines, required materials and class syllabi. Students will be informed of the Wednesday after-school club options, leadership opportunities and get acquainted with the school’s Learning Management System, ManageBac.
School Hours
School hours are from 8:30 – 15:10 daily, with the following exceptions:
- Wednesday clubs: 15:15 – 16:00
- IB students: may have classes until 16:00 on any given day.
There is a small change to the morning schedule at Dembego 18. Registration time takes place daily from 8:30 – 8:38 (grades 5 – 10). During this time, students have their attendance taken and hear school announcements. First lesson for grades 5-12 will now be at 08:40.
Lessons in Dembego 12 (PreKG – Grade 4) begin promptly at 8:30 every day.
The school is open for administrative purposes from 8:00 – 16:00 daily.
After School Club/Świetlica
The Świetlica program is available for students from PreKG – grade 4 at Dembego 12. The school will be open from 8:00 to 17:00. The morning and after school programs are provided at no extra charge to parents and will include supervised games, art projects and homework time.
Communication Plan
Our primary means of communication is the weekly bulletin which is sent via email to the entire IAS community. The bulletin provides information about the upcoming week’s schedule, including field trips, parent meetings and school-wide events. Please check for school emails every Friday afternoon to prepare for the upcoming week. If you are not receiving the bulletins, please inform secretary@ias.edu.pl.
Join the IAS community on social media. “Like” the IAS Facebook page for regular updates on school events and announcements:
http://www.facebook.com/iaswarsaw
You can also Follow us on Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/iaswarsaw/ – @iaswarsaw
Calendar
The calendar for the 2022-2023 school year may be found at http://calendar.ias.edu.pl/
It can be uploaded to your electronic devices using the GoogleCal or iCal link. The calendar will feature all holidays, reporting periods, parent-teacher conferences, and school events.
Reporting Periods, Parent-Teacher Conferences
The academic year is broken into the fall and spring semesters. Each semester has a mid-term report and parent-teacher conference. These dates, as well as those for the final exam period at the end of the year, will be provided in a separate letter.
Mid-term and semester reports are delivered digitally to parents and students via the ManageBac system.
Attendance and Learning Management Systems
The school uses the following three communication platforms:
- Librus: Lesson attendance
- ManageBac: student curricula, assignments, gradebooks, and reports
- Seesaw: Student assignments (D12 only)
Parents and students will receive their ManageBac login information during the first week of school. If parents wish to have the Librus app on their phone, they should inform secretary@ias.edu.pl. Be advised that the Librus platform is only available in Polish. The Librus platform is used to take attendance and satisfy the Kuratorium statutory requirements.
Managebac is our primary learning management system.
ESL
All students that are recommended for ESL support will be tested to assess their level during the first two weeks of the year. It is worth noting that students attending the ESL program may not attend other language classes as a result of the intensive support they receive in the program.
Transport
Parents who require transport for their children should contact Mr. Michael Ceesay through the school’s main office or by calling +48603052955. Telephone numbers of all drivers will be given and all pick-up times will be provided by the drivers after the route is fixed. Parents will be called about pick-up times and locations by the drivers after orientation on the afternoon of Wednesday, September 1st.
Catering
Full details of the service will be shared in a separate email.
Student IDs
Students must present 3 passport sized photos to the main office at Dembego 18 in order to have their student IDs processed.
Phone Numbers
Office Manager: +48 22 649 1440
Administration: +48 507 052 402
Transportation: +48 603 952 955
We look forward to welcome all students, parents and teachers back on September 1st!
