August 14, 2026 - Secondary School Principal Blog

Dear Secondary School Families,

We are off to a great start

We are already off to a great start here at ISY. It has been so exciting to see the energy our teachers are bringing into their classrooms, as well as the wonderful enthusiasm from our students. Cultivating that high level of energy and keeping it going is our main goal for the rest of the year.

We’ve already held our first assembly, where our School Director, Mr. Mike Simpson, gave a wonderful introduction before passing the floor to me. I had the privilege of speaking with our secondary students about my background and sharing my first piece of advice: “Act like a friend to be a friend.”This idea ties directly into our Chinthe Way commitments. In their classrooms, students have already begun defining what it looks like on a daily basis to embody our four guiding principles:

Joy: A sustained way of being at school—not just a fleeting feeling, but a positive, resilient mindset we cultivate every day.
Connection: Fostering a genuine sense of belonging for every single person on campus.
Safety: Ensuring a community where students feel safe to be their authentic selves and express themselves honestly.
Growth: Continuous improvement—striving to get better every single day, which lies at the heart of our educational mission.

This shared framework will guide us throughout the year, and we are committed to building an environment where everyone feels motivated to live these values. As Chinthes, we seek to be the change we wish to see in the world.

I am incredibly excited for the year ahead!

Be Good,

Mr Ronnie Caldwell

Secondary School Principal

At ISY, academic learning is built on a strong social emotional learning foundation.

As part of our new family orientation on Monday, Mr. Simpson facilitated an introductory session on Creating the Conditions for our Children to Flourish. Six simple but powerful ideas were explored:

Connection before correction
Normalizing mistakes
Naming feelings
Offering age-appropriate independence
Repairing after conflict, and
Giving wise feedback.

These ideas describe small, everyday ways we can build relationships as teachers and parents that help our children feel known, supported, and capable of achieving their academic potential. They also provide a common language that teachers and parents can use in partnership to create the conditions for our children to flourish. Here are some simple summaries of these ideas and how you might communicate them to your children:

Thank you for choosing us as your partners in your children’s development. Together, we can create the conditions in which they will become their very best selves.

✨ What’s On: