Annual Report 2025-2026

2025-2026

Our purpose and our mission is to provide an internationally accredited education serving the business and Bergen communities.

Welcome

Welcome to ISB’s Annual Report, which gives you a summary of the current school year, including the financial, academic and strategic outcomes. Our mission is to to provide an internationally accredited education to the business and Bergen communities.

Having celebrated our 50th jubilee in September 2025, we are now focusing on bringing the school to the next chapter. Outdoor education and efficient digital solutions may seem to be opposing themes, but we see that with the wish to model our motto of being life-long learner they are key components.

Both areas are increasing important in teaching across platforms and arenas whilst using tools that inspire learning and prepare the next generation of decision-makers. Our vision is to shape the future with caring and confident citizens of the world.

About Us

ISB was founded back in 1975 as a result of the need for an English-speaking educational institution welcoming internationally mobile families. And 50 years later, we continue to do so.

We assist our students in becoming life-long learners, and model this as staff. ISB teachers continually engage in developing their pedagogical practice. Professional development is a part of our strategic plan.

ISB’s Core Values are Community, Integrity, Respect and Responsibility. These are lived by our community and are modelled throughout our school. We see our staff as life-defining mentors who support our students in the classroom and beyond, in engaging learning experiences.

Our collaborative, inclusive and truly international environment is immensely important to all of us. We continue to look for new ways to best accommodate students, making sure that we make conscious decisions in how we want our learning and teaching environment to be.

Norway is a country where progressive social values and high educational standards are deeply embedded and at ISB we add to this a genuinely international perspective.

Director’s Team

Leanne Hagen Joe Cook

Deptuty Director and Lower School Principal

Joining the school 15 years ago, Ms Hagen is an experienced teacher who joined the Leadership Team in 2020 and is Deputy Director as of last year.

Alyssa Dyrdal

Early Childhood Center Principal

In her 2nd year as the ECC principal, Alyssa Dyrdal draws from her experience teaching preschool at ISB since 2011.

Upper School Principal

This is his first year in the role of Upper School Principal and part of the Leadership Team, after working for 10 years at ISB teaching Maths and Science to grades 6-10.

Laura McGuffie

HR and Finance Manager

Laura McGuffie is responsible for tasks linked to the school’s facilities, administrative staff, Human Resources and finances.

Frederik Mohn, Chair of the Board

Board of Trustees

Negotiations with Bergen Kommune over annual per-student grants were finalised and negotiations over extending the lease for Sandslihaugen 36 is well underway.

The Board’s Goals 2025-2026

1. Strategy: To renegotiate the lease agreement with Bergen Municipality to secure a long-term stability.

2. Finance: Work with Bergen Municipality to negotiate to secure a long term sustainable future for ISB regarding student grants.

3. Continuity: To recruit new parent-elected Board members (Completed).

After an 11 months period of negotiations we were able to land an agreement with Bergen Kommune regarding the annual per-student grant. Bergen Kommune’s original ask was that the grants would be reduced by NOK 5.7 mill in 2025 followed by deeper cuts the two following years and reaching NOK 9 mill by 2028. Needless to say, such an outcome would mean the closure of ISB. While the cuts for 2025 were reduced to NOK 4.7 mill, we finally agreed with Bergen Kommune that the annual grants from 2026 were to be cut by NOK 3 mill per annum until 2029.

In order to counter the deficit the school decided to look at its cost structure and make the necessary cuts where possible. More importantly, the campaign ‘I Love ISB’ was launched. As a result of this initiative, a total of 15 new students were recruited. A warm thanks to all of you who contributed and recruited students to our school.

Overall, the finances of ISB are good. We budget a surplus of NOK 1.2 mill for 2026 due to the increased

number of students, which at the time counts 252 including the ECC.

Our balance sheet is strong, with net assets amounting to NOK 18 652 000. We do know, however, that ISB is vulnerable to downturns in the economy. 2025 also showed us that we were not immune from cuts from the municipality either. To maintain a solid balance sheet is thus imperative to ISB.

In the light of the negotiations with Bergen Kommune, the Board decided to increase tuition fees by 5% for the school year 2026-2027. The inflation in Norway is currently 3.6% and we believe an increase of 5% is balanced.

In April, the Board decided to award Peter Ledger a permanent contract as Director of ISB. Mr Ledger has been at ISB since 2011 and In order to secure continuity, but also further progress for ISB, it was important for the board to give Mr. Ledger a permanent contract as a sign of confidence.

Tina Pavlin and Alexander Lundervold will leave the Board after serving their maximum term of 6 years each. The Board thanks them for their valuable contributions to the school.

New board members are Kelly Moulton and Jan Brøgger. Kelly works as a private equity advisor and brings financial expertise to the Board, while Jan Brøgger is a consultant neurophysiologist at

Haukeland Sykehus. The latter has previously served as chair of board of ISB.

Finally, as a school we have always been the outsiders and we will continue to be outsiders as well. We appreciate your business and your engagement towards ISB.

On behalf of the Board of ISB, I wish you a happy summer.

Peter Ledger, Director

Director’s Report

Back in August we started the new school year, 2025-2026, full of excitement for the year ahead with batteries recharged from a good summer break ready for the challenges, opportunities and celebrations to come.

Foremost in our thoughts were a number of key matters; Our upcoming 50th anniversary celebrations in September, our continued dialogue with Bergen kommune regarding our ongoing cooperation, our focus for the year on outdoor education, and our pending accreditations from the Council of International School (CIS) and New England Association of Schools and Colleges (NEASC) and paramount in all of these was the determination to provide the best possible learning opportunities for our students irrespective of the challenges we faced.

September 17th 2025, 50 Years of ISB

On this day ISB officially celebrated its 50th Birthday. An amazing achievement. The school marked the occasion by holding 3 major events in the week for all members of our community and those who had been supporters of the school during its 50 years. These events were made up of a Carnival Day for students complete with a whole range of fun activities. A 50th Birthday BBQ for all parents, staff, students and alumni, and finally a cheese and wine evening for staff past and present, distinguished guests, Board and older alumni. The three events were an excellent way in which to celebrate the half century. A huge debt of gratitude is owed to our generous benefactors whose donations made these events possible and to our organiser Karen Laubscher.

Our relationship with Bergen kommune

In October Bergen kommune were true to their word and upheld their decision to reduce the cuts to ISB over the period to 2029. Additionally, in April 2026, we gained assurances that support for our premises would be ongoing and finalised in the autumn. These developments were a massive boost to the long term security of ISB. You can read further details in the Board Chairs contribution to the Annual Report.

A New Initiative; The Business Breakfast

As the situation with Bergen kommune developed it was clear that an understanding of what ISB provides for the wider Bergen community had been lost within Bergen

kommune itself. In order to address this we took the decision to launch a new initiative which we dubbed “The Business Breakfast”. The Idea was to create an annual seminar for the Bergen business community to highlight how ISB might help in attracting workforce talent to the city and wider region. We presented the idea to the Bergen Chamber of Commerce who were very keen to partner with us to deliver the seminar. Guest speakers were Tom Christer Nilsen, COO Bergen Chamber, Martijn Bergink, MD Framo & President Alfa Laval Marine Division, Pablo Mazo, Head of Biology and Quality Benchmark Genetics, Tone Vangsnes, HR OneSubsea and Freyr Alexandersson Head Coach Sports Club Brann. The initiative was a great success in its first year and will be repeated annually. Many thanks to Tom Christer Nilsen and Nikoline Wiederstøm at Bergen Chamber for their collaboration.

Safer Staff Recruitment

During the year we experienced some challenges with staff recruitment. This led to the review of current practice by the Board and by the Leadership team. As a result new more rigorous procedures have been introduced and implemented that we expect to ensure more secure recruitment going forward. We would like to acknowledge important parental contributions to address this challenge during the school year and for their understanding and support.

Accreditation and Learning Experiences

At the time of publication ISB will have just completed

the Preliminary visit by our joint accreditation agencies the Council for International Schools (CIS) and the New England Association of Schools and Colleges (NEASC). The outcome of this visit will be the identification of a number of Development Goals that the school will work on over the coming 18 month period to enhance the learning experiences and well being of our students. The visit follows a self study undertaken by the school since the start of the academic year. This self insight will inform the development goals. We are excited to be part of this process and receiving advice from our accreditation partners. In the new school year we will also embark on the parallel process with the IB leading to a joint Accreditation Visit in late 2027 or early 2028.

Notable Achievements

This year has been full of wonderful achievements. Academic achievement in National Tests and ISA’s remains high when compared to schools both in Norway and globally. Student satisfaction with ISB also remains very positive. Noteworthy achievements are widespread across the school in many areas. This year our Gr9 First Lego League teams performed extremely well with our innovations team making it all the way to the Invitational Canada Cup of Robotics Niagara in Ontario Canada hosted at Brock University. Once again we have students in Gr10 who have secured places at the renowned United World College, this time to Eswatini in Southern Africa and Flekke here in Norway.

We have once again national Champions in chess at ISB along with other students competing internationally in swimming and cycling. In Maths again keeping up tradition we have notable achievements in the Kanguru and Ung Abel competitions. Presentations this year for the Gr5 Exhibition and the Gr10 Personal Project were of the highest standards.

For the Future: Accreditation, Outdoor Education and Erasmus+ continued

So as this school year comes to an end we look forward to the new school year 2026/27. On a personal note I am thankful to the Board for the renewal of my tenure as Director of ISB going forward on a permanent basis. As the discussions with Bergen kommune draw to a close I am looking forward to a year of greater stability and predictability. Our focus for the next year, along with the Development Goals and ongoing accreditation process will be on Outdoor Education. Norway has the most wonderful natural environment and at ISB we hope to make even greater use of this amazing resource than we already do by exploring ways in which to take the classroom outside. To help facilitate this I am delighted to announce that ISB has successfully been awarded a considerable grant from the Erasmus+ organisation for the coming school year ensuring unique learning opportunities for our students in the year ahead.

Community Profile

Icelander Freyr Alexandersson moved to Bergen with his wife and children last year after taking on the role as the head coach of city’s football team, Brann. The existance of an international school was decisive in choosing to accept the job.

How did there being an international school in Bergen influence your decision?

When you’re a football coach with a family, then you have to look into many aspects before making a decision to join a football club or not. One of the main reasons that I could choose SK Brann is that they had an international school here in Bergen. And not just any international school, they had an international school with a great reputation. This is something that we looked into before we made a decision and we are extremely happy about our decision.

From day one, the communication with the school has been great: All the information that we needed in terms of our children, how things are done and run at the school. Top class!

How has it been setling in to a new city and a new school?

We moved here last summer with the whole family. I arrived in January 2025. I have to say that we are very fortunate. We have one girl that is going to the 10th class and one boy in second class. So big age difference. Both of our children are extremely happy and we are lucky that they have had such great teachers that ISB provides them.

I can say from bottom of my heart that for my girl that is in the school that this is something that she really needed. She is extremely happy. She is taking education much more seriously than she has ever done and socially she is very happy and for a parent this is obviously very important.

Our young boy is settling in very well in second grade. He is very happy with his teacher and comes home from school every day and tells me stories about playing football during breaks and he is just very happy.

One thing is your first impression, but now, after almost an entire school year, what is your takeaway from International School of Bergen as an educational institution?

We have noticed improvement for both kids. The methods used in teaching is motivating them and our oldest has reached an academic level that broaden her possibilties for further education in a way that we did not expect. And our boy shows interest in different aspects of learning in a beautiful way. The teaching methods used are motivating them. Both my wife and I are very impressed by the work of the teachers. They inspire the children and the knowledge is deeper. We see that they feel at home at the same time as they are allowed to be themselves. We are even more happy than we were when we first got to know the school. There is also a nice and helpful connection between parents and we have made good friends. The only thing I would complain about it the parking for drop off and pick up.

What are your thoughts on the importance of international schools and education?

So, we as parents couldn’t recommend ISB more and for us as a people that travel around the world a little bit it’s extremely important that cities like Bergen have this option of international schools.

I also strongly believe that for children to have a multicultural environment around them is very educational. That’s our experience. We have been in Iceland, obviously, with our girls and then in Denmark homeschooling in Qatar and Belgium and now in Norway.

My best recommendation to everyone that is looking for an international option in Bergen: ISB is a top choice!

Laura McGuffie, HR and Finance Manager

Enrolment

Over the past ten years, student numbers have increased significantly, especially after the school moved to new and upgraded facilities in Sandsli in 2019.

Number of student per school year 2016 - 2026

Record high student numbers

This school year saw the highest number of student enrolment in the history of ISB with the total number being 252 students across all sections. This corresponds to last year’s predictions. With a 95% reenrolment rate, which is significatly higher than other international schools around the world.

Capacity and double classses per grade level

The Early Childhood Center was at full capacity with 45 students in total, including both preschool and kindergarten. In Lower School, Grade 1 was at full capacity and in Upper School grade 7, grade 9 and grade 10 all had double classes per grade level. Next year’s grade 2 and 5 is already at full capacity.

Laura McGuffie, HR and Finance Manager

Operations

In 2025, ISB has 57 staff members from the age of 25 - 67 years. Employees consist of 42 staff members working full-time and 15 working part-time. Sick leave is at 3.6%.

Number of staff according to age groups and gender representations Women Men

Staff representation Staff Academic Qualifications

Laura McGuffie, HR and Finance Manager

Revenues

The enrolment predictions for the 2025-2026 school year was that of 190 students in grades 1-10 in addtion to ECC at full capacity with 54 students.

However, the student numbers exceeded our expections and we ended up with eleven more students than budgeted for. This continues with the trend we had in both 2022 and 2024, with the exception of last year which saw a slight dip in student enrolment numbers.

All income is either:

• Re-invested towards improving the school’s infrastructure.

• Enhancing student experience.

• Supporting programmes which enrich the learning experience.

• Saved to guarantee financial stability for years to come.

Both the school’s and ECC revenues are split between grants from Bergen Kommune and tuition fees. ECC revenue 9,346,119 NOK

School revenue 39,928,023 NOK

Laura McGuffie, HR and Finance Manager

Financial oversight

School expenses

The core of the school’s expenses are related to salaries, which constitute over 80% of all costs. The remaining costs are related to IT, teaching materials, supplies, cleaning, heating, marketing, professional development and maintance of the facilities.

The main Investments for 2025-2026 have been new iPads for LS, upgrades of laptops for staff and an interactive board for reception. In addition, the administration transferred over to UNimicro a new accounting system.

Voluntary levy has been spent on outdoor equipment to develop our outdoor learning and play environment.

The total costs in 2025 for the school 40,814,166 NOK.

Early Childhood Center expenses

The main expense for the ECC is related to salaries, which constitute 92% of all costs.

The remaining costs are related to IT, indoor and outdoor maintenance and professional development.

Total costs in 2025, for the Early Childhood Center A/S is 8,894,643 NOK.

Seeing the need for inclusivity in professional development, we applied for and received special grant money earmarked for raising competencies amongst staff in the preschool. Not only does this improve the working environment, but also raises the bar of the pedagogical quality in our ECC. While professional development is something we consistently work towards, the grant money allows for more flexibility and more extensive work in more specific areas (i.e., outdoor learning).

Alyssa Dyrdal, ECC Principal

Early Childhood Center

While “well-being” might be a buzz word in education these days, it is a deeply held value for everyone that works with children. In a preschool setting, a child’s well-being is at the heart of every decision we make as we look after the best interests of all children in our care.

At ISB, we have a well-being team, and in the ECC we assess children’s well-being on a daily basis. Well-being is comprehensive, and needs context. I want to shed light on well-being from the perspective of the Norwegian Framework Plan, and how good wellbeing practice in ECC means focusing on increasing what we offer for outdoor learning.

Variety of Learning Areas

The framework plan defines a variety of learning areas in preschools, chosen to “reflect topics of interest and intrinsic value to children….and promote well-being…” It has an entire section devoted to “body, movement, food, and health.”

It is in this section that it becomes our mandate as a preschool to help the children to “experience wellbeing, joy and achievement through a variety of physical activities, indoors and out, all year round.”

We have incredible facilities at and around ISB, and we use them in an intentional way when planning for motor development and risky play.

In the ECC, we recognize that our outdoor learning environment shouldn’t be limited to motor development, but also include setting and respecting boundaries: physically, mentally, and emotionally. Most importantly, we recognize that outdoor learning should include all learning areas.

With the gift of grant money for pedagogical development work in preschools, the ECC has had the benefit and opportunity to plan and implement an enriching outdoor learning curriculum.

Play-based learning

All ECC staff are included in the project, and we are using the framework plan as our guide. Much of what we plan might not be teacher-led, but rather “teacher-facilitated.” That is to say, we intentionally plan for experiences that promote and inspire intrinsic, play-based learning.

Here is a brief break down of some of the learning areas and what you might see for outdoor learning:

• Communication, language and text: writing letters in the sand with sticks, pinecones or other natural materials;

• Body, movement, food and health: risky play including climbing, jumping, balancing;

• Art, culture and creativity: outdoor circle times, drum circles in the “grillhytte,” painting outside on the ground/in the snow/on the shed, drawing on clipboards in the forest;

• Nature, environment and technology: community walks, outdoor building/construction materials, sustainability projects like gardening/ composting;

• Quantities, spaces and shapes: exploring numbers, quantities, and counting with natural materials found in our forest (sticks, stones, pinecones) and facilitating role play where it can be used (e.g., turning the play house into a store and “paying” with rocks or woodchips).

By embracing and improving our outdoor learning environment, we are elevating ISB’s core value of responsibility. We are creating a stimulating learning environment and teaching our youngest students how to embrace nature and take care of the environment. In quoting the classic Norwegian saying “there’s no bad weather, only bad clothes,” I encourage everyone to put your rain pants on and get outside!

Leanne Hagen, Lower School Principal

Lower School

We continue to strengthen our connection to the local community and natural environment through a growing focus on outdoor education and service learning.

A major focus this year has been the development of an Outdoor Learning Continuum, which will be implemented across Grades 1–5 from August.

The continuum is designed to progressively develop outdoor skills, confidence, teamwork, and environmental awareness while fostering a strong connection to the nature on our doorstep. To support this initiative, three Lower School teachers attended an outdoor education workshop in Italy, focusing on the benefits of outdoor learning for physical and mental wellbeing.

Our commitment to collaboration locally, nationally, and internationally has remained central to Lower School life. Through partnerships connected to the IB programmes, including the NIBS and Nordic Network organisations, our teachers have attended conferences and job alike meetings, both in person and online and this has helped us to build stronger connections and extend our professional learning beyond our school walls.

A particularly valuable aspect of this collaboration is our internship programme. This year, we welcomed nine interns from Germany, the Netherlands, and Slovenia through the Erasmus+ programme, which provides opportunities for international internships and professional learning experiences.

Having interns join us for extended periods enriches our school community in many ways. They provide invaluable support to teachers and students while also bringing fresh ideas, new perspectives, and insights into different cultures and educational approaches. These meaningful exchanges help foster curiosity, openmindedness, and a greater appreciation of the diverse world around us.

Service learning has also continued to positively influence our contribution to the wider Bergen community. Our ongoing visits to Sandsli bo- og aktivitetssenter have provided meaningful opportunities for students to connect with residents through crafts, conversations, and seasonal activities like making fastelavensris and decorating gingerbread houses together.

The annual 17th of May parade remains a particularly special tradition, bringing joy and community spirit to

the residents who might not otherwise get to be a part of Norway’s Constitution day celebrations.

Through these experiences, the Lower School continues to promote ISB’s values, mission, and vision by nurturing caring, reflective, and engaged learners who understand the importance of both local and global connections.

Joe Cook, Upper School Principal

Upper School

Whilst the focus is the students well being and progress, part of the picture remains offering opportunities to develop within the IB learner profiles and gain new and unique experiences for learning and building relationships.

Offering service to our communiy, sharing experiences and caring for the environment are all part of this. Therefore, Upper School continues to be engaged in a number of internal and external initiatives, supported by a variety of sources.

Erasmus projects

There have been 4 Erasmus supported trips this year. By June 2026, small groups of Grade 7 and 8 students have visited Appeldoorn in the Netherlands, Obernburg in Germany and Honfleur in France as part of an ongoing project called “Make a Difference”, which deals with Environmental and Social Justice issues. This project will continue into the next school year, finalising with a visit to Bergen in April 2027. Grade 9 had a small group visit in France, as a part of

a conservation and cultural focus, with elements of outdoor physical education. Concluding the project, named “Water sustainability”, French students visited us here in Bergen in May 2026, even experiencing snowy weather.

We also sent 3 teachers to Sicily as part of embedding Outdoor Education into our Curriculum for Lowers School, which will also have some influence on how this is done in Upper School linked to the Duke of Edinburgh Award.

Electives

As a part of well being, homeroom and elective time has been used to support students. Activities have changed throughout the school year, ranging from board games, study hall and basketball, to baking activities, Model United Nations and Duke of Edinburgh. Support and involvement from non-Homeroom Teachers has also allowed for follow up linked with student well being.

Performing Arts

This continues to be a proud part of the school calendar. This has included a visit in November to see Blood Brothers in Manchester on the back of a study of the script as part of a Grade 9 Unit, using of elective time for the student directed pantomime, and in June 2026 the compilation of all the preparation for the school’s major production, Annie, which will take place at Fyllingsdalen Theatre on the 2nd and 3rd of June. Grades 7 to 10 also took part in an Oscars Unit, using Performance Arts to recreate shortened versions of famous movies. This culminated in the Oscars Assembly, run by students with awards voted for by their peers. It was a wonderful morning and again exemplifies the excellent work of our students.

Little Monsters

First Lego League

The topic is archeology and they have made a database to sort artifacts. They are going to the Invitational Canada Cup of Robotics in June 2026.

STEAM Activities

Amazing achievements in First Lego League competition this year by both Grade 9 classes, achieving awards for innovations and qualification progress further in the competition than ever before. Our 9JH, Eivind’s Disciples, qualified for the Scandinavian Innovation Awards, and 9LM’s team, called Little Monsters, qualified for the Invitational Canada Cup of Robotics which is taking place during the last week of the school term. Amazing achievements of both groups, and thanks to all the generous support of our benefactors to make this happen. Both students and teachers’ efforts exemplify everything within the IB Learner Profile, and we are so proud of their efforts and achievements.

Every year the school also takes part in a number of Mathematics Competitions run by the Norwegian Centre for Mathematics. This has become an annual event we are proud to be a part of and give students a chance to have their abilities recognised on a national level. The school takes part in the Abel, Ung-abel and Kenguru Mathematics Competitions organised by the Norwegian Institute of Mathematics. In the Abel Competition (aimed at students up to VG3) we had 1 student qualify for round 2 and 3 further students receiving a commendation. In Kenguru there were 6 students in the top 10 in the country in their relevant grade levels.

Eivind’s Disciples

First Lego League

This team’s innovative project called OxyBox which enables careful artifacts recovery, reducing damage and corrosion.

Shivi Tiwari, Chair; Sophia Mohn, Secretary; Christy Dayhoff, advisor

Student Council

Executive Committee

Chair: Shivi Tiwari, Grade 10

Vice Chair: Julia Meidell, Grade 9

Secretary: Sophia Mohn, Grade 9

Treasurer: Eva Mohn, Grade 9

The group is supported by two staff members: Susan Lonnberg (counselor) and Christy Dayhoff.

The Upper School Student Council is composed of two elected representatives from each class Grades 6 through 10. For the 2025-2026 school year, this brought our full Council of representatives to sixteen students representing eight classes.

Aleksandar Karan, Grade 10, and Eva Mohn, Grade 9, represented the student body on the Coordinating and Environmental Committee (CEC), the school’s highest advisory group, which also includes teacher and parent representatives.

The Student Council held regular meetings fortnightly. The advisors this year were staff members Christy Dayhoff and Susan Lonnberg

The Chair and Vice Chair have met regularly with Mr. Joe Cook, Upper School Principal, to share feedback and proposals raised during Council meetings.

Topics addressed this year included:

• Electives process and options for Upper School scheduling

• Funds and fundraising possibilities for the year

• School environment and needs

• ISB Handbook and policy

• Upper School AI survey and update to Tech Committee

• Spirit Week planning and promotion

• 17th may Flaggtog participation for ISB

• Collaboration for House events

• Student Survey analysis.

Jules Crossley-Nilsen, Community Cove Coordinator

Community Cove

Updating and modernising the digital tools to facilitate the use of the school’s library resources has been a focus area of mine for the past year. We decided to update our Community Cove library system as costs for the system were increasing each year and it was for a system that was fairly old and not progressive in its use.

There are a few library systems on the market and it was also good to touch base with many librarians from the Librarian’s Peace, which is a group of over 200 librarians from around the world in international schools. Their guidance and real life experience of systems made a difference in the system we chose. We purchased Accessit, which is owned by Follett, our last supplier.

The integration has gone fairly smoothly and it is also an advantage that the Accessit IT Support is open at the same time as ISB as it is UK based rather than coming from the United States. Costs involved are much lower than the previous system opening up for purchasing more physical resources. Accessit is much more user friendly and interactive although it is taking a lot longer to set up than originally planned.

We will be purchasing more e-books as our shelving is becoming over full and we will be weeding many books on our return to school in August. It is also important to keep digital records clean and up to date and this process will be carried out in conjunction with the weeding process next school year. At ISB students learn in their classrooms and Cove to ask the question whether a piece of work is high quality and credible and the decision whether to use it or not and seamlessly work between physical pages and digital.

Staying on the digital front, our lower school students are still working on Digital Citizenship. Preparing and discussing how to be careful online and to ensure that they have a balance with other activities and family life. Digital citizenship also has a place with the Community Cove on the Technology Committee. There are strong links with the Technology Committee, who are working

on guidelines and procedures to support all staff and students in the ever developing world of AI. I really appreciate the diversity of the materials both digital and physical resources, and the ways of learning that are now utilised in education and specifically in the Community Cove. It is very interesting to watch the basic blocks students engage with building their journey within ISB or on the global stage.

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Erla Súsanna Þórisdóttir, PTO Secretary

PTO Parent-Teacher Organisation

Our mission is to strengthen the school community, support student experiences, and build positive connections between families, staff, and teachers. Through fundraising efforts, volunteer involvement, and community events, we contributed to both the social and educational environment of the school.

PTO Committee

This year’s PTO committee included:

Chairs: Nina Williams Smith and Daria Kamelkova

Secretary: Erla Súsanna Þórisdóttir

Treasurer: Sam Subbey

Additional support from parent volunteers was essential to the success of all activities and events throughout the year.

Communication and Parent Involvement

At the beginning of the school year, an open PTO meeting was held where all parents interested in participating in parent collaboration and PTO activities were welcome to attend. During this meeting, the PTO board was elected for the school year.

To support communication throughout the year, a PTO WhatsApp group was created for board members and parents involved in PTO activities. Class contacts were also included in the communication network. The PTO Secretary regularly shared information with the class contacts via email, and they then distributed updates through each class WhatsApp group.

School division leaders also helped communicate important information when needed, and PTO updates were shared through the school newsletter throughout the year.

Meetings were organized around major events and activities to coordinate planning and volunteer efforts, and an additional meeting is planned for the end of the school year.

Community Events and Activities

During the 2025-2026 school year, the PTO organized and supported several events, including:

1. 50 year birthday BBQ for the whole school community

2. Halloween Party

3. Christmas Craft Fair

4. Valentine’s Bake Sale

5. Staff Appreciation Day

6. Hot Lunch Fundraisers

There were several major events before Christmas, but one of the biggest highlights was the school’s 50th anniversary celebration, which involved the entire school community. A BBQ party was organized, featuring performances by students, a lottery, and a beverage sale run by Grade 10 students as a fundraiser for their school trip. The event had a wonderful atmosphere, great food, and brought together students, families, teachers, and staff for a memorable celebration.

We received tremendous support from the school community, and many parents volunteered their time and effort to help make the event such a success by grilling, baking, setting up, serving food and drinks, and helping with cleaning afterwards.

The PTO organized the annual Halloween Party for Lower School students, which included games, crafts, dancing, food, and the popular haunted tunnel experience. The event created a fun and festive atmosphere for the students and was made possible through the support of many parent volunteers who helped with decorating, making food, organizing music

and entertainment, and cleaning up afterwards. Grade 10 students also contributed by helping with face painting and craft activities during the event. In return, they received financial support toward their school trip fundraising efforts.

The annual Christmas Craft Fair was one of the highlights of the holiday season and created a warm, festive, and welcoming atmosphere throughout the school. Parents contributed an impressive selection of homemade cakes, desserts, and holiday treats for a large buffet that was very popular among visitors. The event also included a raffle with a variety of prizes, as well as several craft stations for children throughout the school. Activities included making Christmas cards, Christmas elves, decorating gingerbread cookies, creating holiday wreaths, and other seasonal crafts. A visit from Santa Claus was another special highlight for many children.

Preparing for the event required a tremendous group effort from the school community. Parents volunteered their time to decorate the entire school, which took a full day of preparation, as well as organizing the buffet and setting up activity areas. Grade 10 students helped run the craft stations and received financial support toward their class trip. In addition, volunteers helped with sales during the event and participated in the clean-up afterwards. The event was very successful.

In February, the Grade 10 students organized a Valentine’s Bake Sale as part of their fundraising efforts for their school trip. Students sold a variety of homemade cakes, baked goods, and sweet treats, which were well received by students, staff, and families. The event added a fun and festive atmosphere to the school day while successfully supporting the Grade 10 trip fundraising efforts.

Staff Appreciation Day gave the PTO and school community an opportunity to recognize and thank the teachers and staff for their dedication and hard work throughout the year. The PTO organized and coordinated the event, and many families generously donated food for the occasion.

A large buffet was prepared upstairs with a wonderful variety of homemade dishes, desserts, snacks, and traditional foods from different home countries, which the teachers and staff especially enjoyed. The PTO worked to create a cozy and welcoming atmosphere in the space, and volunteers also helped with setting up and cleaning afterwards.

The PTO organized a hot lunch fundraiser for both Lower School and Upper School students, where Subway

sandwiches were offered for lunch. The event was well received by the students and required support from volunteers to organize orders, prepare and serve the lunches, and clean up afterwards.

The fundraiser helped support PTO initiatives and student activities while also providing students with an enjoyable lunch experience during the school day.

Fundraising Efforts

The PTO organized multiple fundraising initiatives throughout the year, including:

• Hot lunches

• Bake sales

• Craft fair activities

• Other fundraising campaigns

Funds raised during the year supported various school initiatives and student experiences.

Volunteer and Community Involvement

The PTO greatly values the involvement of parents, teachers, staff, and volunteers. Many events and activities were only possible because of the time, effort, and generosity contributed by members of the school community.

Reflection and Looking Ahead

This year once again demonstrated the strength and generosity of the ISB community. At the same time, organizing large school events and fundraising activities requires a considerable amount of planning, coordination, and volunteer support. While the school staff and leadership have always been highly supportive and willing to help, many of these events would not be possible without the dedication of parent volunteers. The PTO also recognized that a large number of major events take place before Christmas compared to the second half of the school year. This often results in a high volume of communication and requests being shared with families during the autumn term. Moving forward, it would be valuable to receive more feedback from parents regarding the balance of activities, communication, and whether there are areas where families would like to see changes or additional support.The PTO appreciates the continued involvement and support from families, staff, and students and looks forward to building on this collaboration in the coming school year.

The PTO would like to sincerely thank all families, teachers, staff members, interns, and volunteers for their continued support throughout the year.

Mr Ledger would like to express his deep gratitude for all the sterling work of our fantastic PTO.

Meet our Staff

Our new business coordinators, Jaana Askeland and Sneha Parekh, both agree that it feels good to support the administrative running of ISB. Being part of an international community is their favourite thing about working at school.

What are your roles and tasks at the school?

Jaana: I am resposible for salaries and all the reporting related to them, as well as invoicing all tuition for the school. In addition, I keep track of the student records and enrollment numbers and predictions for the year to come.

Sneha: I do daily book-keeping and related reports to both internal and external authorities. Then there’s the ECC students registrations, enrollment and tuition invoicing.

How do you work as a team?

Jaana: While we have clearly defined roles and responsibilities, our tasks are intertwined and we work together with all these things.

Sneha: There are always things we need to clarify. We consult each other for reporting. It’s good to have someone who can check and know what needs to be done. We share information and back each other up.

What is your favourite things about working in a school?

Jaana: The international aspect is one of my favourite things about ISB. This is my first time working in a school. It feels good supporting its mission and to make a school function. It’s a special community and it has it’s own rhytm. The working environment is very friendly. It does not feel like work-work.

Sneha: I agree with Jaana about the international aspect being my favourite thing. It is great to get to know and learn through ISB’s diversity. There is the respect for the diversity and it’s fun to have colleagues and students from all over the world. Then there are also the celebrations linked to the different countries and cultures. There is always something to celebrate here.

At ISB, learning is facilitated by a team of dedicated, skilled, inquiry-based educators and pastoral staff devoted to creating an inclusive, supported, joyful environment.

Thanks

Thank you for showing interest in the every day life and operations of International School of Bergen.

We believe that learning starts a lifelong process of inquiry that develops skills, competencies and transferable conceptual understanding in authentic real world settings. There is an integral focus on the character of the individual, their collaborations within the community, having agency and taking action in a changing world.

Our vision is to shape the future with caring and confident citizens of the world.