January 30, 2026 - Elementary School Principal Blog

Dear Parents,

We have had a busy, learning, and fun-filled week in the Elementary School this week! Highlighted by our annual Chinthe Communities Olympiad. An Olympiad where students play games and compete in fun activities has long been an ISY tradition.

The Olympiad has been expanded in recent years as part of our Chinthe Communities initiatives. All students belong to one of six Chinthe Communities - Thanlwin, Irrawaddy, Chindwin, Maykha, Malikha, or Sittaung. These communities are named after Myanmar rivers. 

On Wednesday afternoon, students from Grades 1 to 12 came together in their communities to have fun and play games (the Chinthe Cubs had their own Olympiad in the morning, which was probably the cutest thing you would ever see!). 

As is tradition, we kept score to add more fun. Sittaung was this year’s champion community and the first winner of Stewart the Giraffe and Fred the Frog. 

Events like this Olympiad create powerful opportunities for older and younger students to learn alongside one another. It fosters leadership, empathy, and a real sense of belonging as students build relationships, encourage one another, and experience the joy of being part of a connected school community. Our Chinthe Communities are relatively new. We are already seeing the benefits of students coming together in this way and are imagining more ways to make this happen.

Last week at ISY, we had the privilege of learning alongside Kristine Mizzone in a series of sessions with students, parents, teachers, and school leaders. The focus was Social Emotional Learning. It was a powerful and affirming week that reinforced something both simple and profound: meaningful learning and growth begins with connection.

Kristine was the keynote speaker at our annual Teachers Teaching Teachers (TTT) Conference. Every year, ISY hosts teachers from other international schools in Yangon to learn and grow together. 

Our teachers presented on topics aligned to our strategic themes of belonging, learning, internationalism, and sustainability, and included workshops on artificial intelligence, inclusive instructional practices, service learning, and student motivation, to name just a few.

Young people are the ultimate beneficiaries of teachers collaborating and learning from each other, and we are proud of our faculty who are leading learning in this country.

We are excited to share our Semester Two reports today. Please take a moment to celebrate your child’s growth over the past 5.5 months. 

Have a wonderful weekend ahead!

Mr. Geoff Heney 
Elementary School Principal