Study

Qimam Al-Hayat International Schools

CITA-AdvancED Self

Standard 1

Vision and Purpose

The school establishes and communicates a shared purpose and direction for improving the performance of students and the effectiveness of the school.
OPERATIONAL FUNCTIONALHIGHLY NOT EVIDENT EMERGING

QUALITY SCHOOL INDICATORS

IN FULFILLMENT OF THIS STANDARD, THE SCHOOL

1. 1

Establishes a vision for the school in collaboration with its stakeholders 1. Communicates the vision and purpose to 2 build stakeholder understanding and support. 1. Identifies goals to advance the vision
3 1. 4

Develops and continuously maintains a profile of the school, its students, and the community 1. Ensures that the schools vision and

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Qimam Al-Hayat International Schools

CITA-AdvancED Self

purpose guide the teaching and learning process 1. Reviews its vision and purpose 6 systematically and revises them when appropriate
1.1 Focus Indicators for Standard 1

1. The process for establishing and building understanding of and commitment to the vision statement among stakeholders

Qimam Al-Hayat Schools recently revisited the vision, mission and philosophy statements to reflect significant growth and
changes within the school population, that is swiftly and unexpectedly increasing, and the perspective of leadership. Core values were added in conjunction with the vision, mission, and philosophy revisions. The school organization is in place to support the mission of Qimam Al-Hayat School. We absolutely believe in being fiscally responsible as a school and we want the whole school to reflect leader like character. We want to reach children and their families with the ideology of Leadership and the practices of life skills. We want to train up children to live leading lives in todays world. 2. The schools process for developing a profile and systematically maintaining and using information that describes the school, its students, and their performance.

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Qimam Al-Hayat International Schools

CITA-AdvancED Self

The administrator annually surveys the staff, students, and parents to evaluate the schools effectiveness at orientating its beliefs and achieving its goals. The Board reviews and discusses the results of the surveys and together, with the administration, considers adjustments in strategies to better meet our expectations. 3. How leadership ensures that the schools vision, purpose, and goals guide the teaching and learning process We think it is important to give students an opportunity to develop leader-like character. Therefore, the School has recently adopted a new standardized curriculum which was carefully chosen by the 2008-2009 School Curriculum Committee. This curriculum promotes the data from a perspective of leaders in different realms while providing practical examples in daily life. We also gauge the spiritual health of our school by documenting discipline issues as it relates to characters of leader features. On-going positive, spiritual and religious communication and doing prayer with faculty and staff helps insure that teachers feel heard and validated which, in turn, translates into more Godly behavior in the classroom. The service opportunities allow us to work closely with the community and they improve the spiritual health of our school. We actively seek opportunities to support others who have suffered tragedy. We believe in alerting our students and parents to the needs of the greater community of Saudi Arabia and their homelands and beyond by giving them an opportunity to support and reach out accordingly. We also hope to arrange short term mission opportunities for our students and parents. Our goal is to expose students to different cultures and provide them opportunities to share different perspectives. We also intend to implement community service as part of the expectation for students at Qimam Al-Hayat School. Each high school student will create a portfolio that addresses all aspects of their academic life, including community service. We are brainstorming and seeking out other ways to promote the building of Leader-like character while promoting the spiritual health of our school.

4. The process used to ensure that the vision and purpose of the school remain current and aligned with the schools expectations for student learning and school effectiveness

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Qimam Al-Hayat International Schools

CITA-AdvancED Self

The administrator annually surveys the staff, students, and parents to evaluate the schools effectiveness at orientating its beliefs and achieving its goals. The Board reviews and discusses the results of the surveys and together, with the administration, considers adjustments in strategies to better meet our expectations. The school philosophy is stated in the School Student/Parent Handbook which is distributed on an annual basis at Back-To-School Time. It is also available throughout the school year upon request. The philosophy will also be posted on the schools website www.qimamalhayat.tk, which is under construction and communicated in different ways such as word walls, wall charts, bill boards, newsletters and the school magazine.

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Qimam Al-Hayat International Schools

CITA-AdvancED Self

1.3. Practices and Artifacts for Standard 1 1.3.1

School Vision

Our school society shelters and embraces all its stakeholders, providing wholesome and integral environment that helps make them feel secured, esteemed, well-minded, and taken care of. Morale, knowledge, respectfulness, peace, and tolerance are the main targets of the school society Our aim is to provide the community of the world with highly-educated figures who will be able to participate impressively and constructively in creating a new world enlightened by knowledge where tolerance and permissiveness overcome ignorance, radicalism and discrimination

1.3.2

School Mission

We save no efforts toward making the process of instructing and learning not only effective and fruitful, but exciting and enjoyable as well. We work to create an educational atmosphere that helps discover the rewards that come from looking for, and bringing out the best in one's self and others. We work to inspire and be inspired through working individually and in a team.

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Qimam Al-Hayat International Schools

CITA-AdvancED Self

We work to develop creative thinking skills, challenge tackling, unique innovation, and critical reasoning.

1.3.3

List of School Beliefs

We believe each student can show academic, behavioral and social success by being provided with daily opportunities to demonstrate personal independence. We believe each student is unique and worthy of praise, encouragement, respect, and having the opportunity to be challenged to their full potentials. We believe we will strive to be a collaborative entity to seek and honor diversity through academic venues thus promoting success in a safe and productive campus family. We believe in fostering positive relationships among all members in the school society We believe in consequences that teach, no punish We believe that homework should be designed to reinforce the lessons learned in school and to teach responsible study habits and the ability to work independently We believe that success comes from the combination of natural ability plus appropriate effort in a context of high expectations and confidence

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Qimam Al-Hayat International Schools

CITA-AdvancED Self

1. 4. Impact Statement
Excellent School Governance practices; fair and thorough Admissions and Solid Financial Practices are all reasons for effective implementation of our philosophy and mission. The school is successful in meeting this standard as it commits to a shared purpose and direction. The school establishes expectations for student learning aligned with the schools vision that is supported by school personnel and external stakeholders. These expectations serve as the focus for assessing student performance and school effectiveness. The schools vision guides allocations of time and human, material, and fiscal resources.

1.5. Important Findings

Core values were added in conjunction with the vision, mission, and philosophy revisions. The school organization is in place to support the mission of Qimam Al-Hayat School. The administrator annually surveys the staff, students, and parents to evaluate the schools effectiveness at orientating its beliefs and achieving its goals. The Board reviews and discusses the results of the surveys and together, with the administration, considers adjustments in strategies to better meet our expectations. The "We Make Leaders" slogan provides the framework for our schools educational philosophy and academic excellence. We provide opportunities to cultivate character that follows the example of ideal leaders.

Qimam Al-Hayat School recently adopted a new standardized curriculum which was carefully
chosen by the 2006-2007 School Curriculum Committee. We hosted the First Gulf Youth Festival to even ensure propagating our beliefs regionally.

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Qimam Al-Hayat International Schools

CITA-AdvancED Self

Each high school student will create a portfolio that addresses all aspects of their academic life, including community service. We are brainstorming and seeking out other ways to promote the building of Leader-like character while promoting the spiritual health of our school.

1.6. Major Strengths

1. The simplicity and continuity of the vision, mission, and philosophy statements for the school. 2. These statements have been widely distributed, revised, and voted on by all members of Qimam Al-Hayat School. 3. Administration, faculty, and staff meet daily at noon for prayer to commit their attitudes, reactions, and focus to Allah who will lead us aright to be leaders, the matter which lines up with the vision, mission and philosophy of the school.

1.7. Needed Improvements

1. Because we have a newly revised philosophy that includes the promotion of leader-like character, we need to further develop opportunities throughout the community and beyond to serve others in need as current events call us to do. a. Objective: To develop a system whereby students are expected to serve in varying capacities in both school community and outside. b. Person Responsible: Board, Administration, Faculty/Staff, Parents, Students. c. Plan for Monitoring Its Accomplishment: Survey various service ministries or organizations to determine needs. This survey needs to be followed with a system of tracking to student service opportunities.

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Qimam Al-Hayat International Schools

CITA-AdvancED Self

d. Resources Necessary to Carry Out the Plan: Time, community and ministry contacts, accountability system, and academic requirement. 2. Because we have a newly revised philosophy that includes the promotion of a Leader-like Worldview, we need to further develop curriculum and training opportunities for our staff so that they can better articulate that Leaderlike Worldview across the curriculum. a. Objective: To provide curriculum and in-service training to form a Leading Worldview framework for teachers to understand and articulate across the curriculum. To promote a healthy spiritual Worldview for students in all subject areas. b. Person Responsible: Administration, Faculty/Staff, Students. c. Plan for Monitoring Its Accomplishment: Administration will identify curriculum and provide training opportunities to enhance and promote a Leader-like Worldview. d. Resources Necessary to Carry Out the Plan: Curriculum, training, time, and money.

1.8. Interventions

1. A professional trainer and an accreditation facilitator were hired to instruct Leadership in a wide range to teachers and students. 2. A committee was held to enhance leadership in the curriculum and among stakeholders.

Steering Committee Members Member Position Mr. Hamdy Abdelrazek General Manager Mr. Ibrahim Mousa Deputy Manager Mr. Abdulhamid Al-Fadaly CITA Accreditation Facilitator Mrs. Mona . Girls Section Manager

Sub-Committee Members Member Position Nasser Ahmed Science Teacher Mohammad Bahazat Science Teacher Mohammad Saber Math Teacher Ahmed Rabea IT Teacher

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Qimam Al-Hayat International Schools

CITA-AdvancED Self

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