2 April 2016
Dear Schutz Alumni Family,
Greetings from Schutz American School. My wife, Salli, and I arrived on campus in August 2015. I was hired to serve as a one year Interim Head of School and Salli as the School Counselor. We soon fell in love with the school so in October we agreed to continue on in our roles for at least until July 2017.
Salli and I grew up in the state of Washington and met at Whitworth College, a small Presbyterian College in Spokane, Washington in 1971. We have three grown children living in the United States. All are graduates of International School Bangkok.
My first overseas experience was as an AFS exchange student to Finland during high school. This experience sparked a life-long interest in exploring the world and immersing myself in different cultures. Since that time we have had the privilege to live and work at international schools in Tanzania, Thailand, and Norway where I was Head of School at Oslo International School. We are now thrilled to have the opportunity to serve at Schutz and are enjoying the rich culture and history of Alexandria and Egypt.
Schutz is to be commended for its many successes over its amazing 90 year history. As the premiere international school in Alexandria, it has embraced a comprehensive program of studies with clear international aims that has been effective in developing capable, confident, and caring students. I fully support the school’s mission “to empower all … students with the knowledge, skills, and confidence to fulfill their life-long aspirations and to act to better their communities.” I was also drawn to school because of its size as I thrive in an environment where I can develop personal relationships with students, families, and the faculty. “Schutz is family,” is our motto, and we really do live by it. We have a wonderful culture of support among the students, teachers, parents, and administration. Schutz continues to be a great place to be!
My theme for this school year has been “listening, learning, and collaborating … to carry on and move forward our efforts to ensure a quality school environment and excellent learning results for all students.” In the fall we set an ambitious annual plan for improvement towards this end which has been the focus of our efforts together this year. (Read the Schutz School Annual Improvement Plan)
One of the overall mid-range goals for the school is to grow student enrollment to two classes per grade level within the next ten years. Currently, we have the highest enrollment in the school’s history of 335 students from PK-3 to Grade 12 with two classes in PK-3 to Grade Two. Next year we are anticipating up to 350 students and two classes in Grade Three as well. At their last meeting, the Board of Trustees approved a modified Masters Facilities Plan to accommodate this school growth. In the next months we will initiate a project to build nine new faculty resident apartments on the 4rd floor of the Elementary School, Walters Hall. We are also beginning projects to refurnish and upgrade all classrooms as well create three new classroom in the Elementary School. Our next project is to build a new Gymnasium, Auditorium, and Office building and an artificial turf playfield on the school-owned land next to the Elementary school within the next two to three years.
With almost a century in existence, Schutz American School has a rich history and hundreds of loyal alumni like you around the world. I’m pleased to a part of the school’s future and look forward to working with you as we carry the proud tradition of SAS into the 21st century.
Best regards,
Tom Baker
Head of School
Schutz American School
P.S. I’ve attached three promotional video created by Schutz students for a class project for your enjoyment.
School Promo Video by Student Sherif Borhan
School Promo Video by Student Gloria Hur
School Promo Video by Student Aly El Sharkawy