Julie Misenti

Sky Garden 1 - 2C-6-11 Phu My Hung District 7 Ho Chi Minh City

Tel: 01264381663 Email: juliemisenti@gmail.com


26
th
October 2014

Dear Mr Battersby,

I would like to be considered for the position of Deputy Head Teacher at the Tu Xuong campus of BIS. I believe that it
would be an excellent opportunity to enhance my leadership skills, in a positive and progressive school that has a
vision, mission and ethos that reflects that of my current school.

As a member of the SLT at BVIS I have had a unique opportunity to influence the development of the school from the
beginning. I have been involved in the review and enhancement of all areas of school life. After three years, the
impact of these developments is clear, and has recently been recognised by a number of outside organisations (i.e.
CIS and FOBISIA) and individuals (e.g. Peeter Mehisto through the bilingual audit).

As KS2 Coordinator I am currently responsible for 13 teachers and 10 teaching assistants. Over the past three years I
have supported many new teachers in their first teaching positions and guided the experienced teachers through a
challenging but rewarding period at the school. I have been responsible for training, observing and recruiting new
teachers as well as conducting performance management for a variety of staff including specialists. I have run
workshops and coordinated sessions on writing moderation and target setting. Each year, the KS2 development
plans I have written have enhanced key aspects of my department and have also addressed the main targets of the
Primary school development plan.

One of my professional interests over the past 5 years has been in the area of pupil self-assessment. I have had great
success in creating and using genre-specific self-assessment grids in Years 5 and 6, which have enabled children to
recognise their strengths and areas for development in writing. By empowering children with an understanding of
what teachers do and the process that they aim to facilitate, I have been able to turn the children into teachers and
enable them to set targets for themselves. I believe that my work in this area will complement and enhance the
focus on Visible Learning that you are currently using to evaluate excellence in learning at Tu Xuong.

I am also aware that you are in the process of enhancing the impact of the key elements of the school Aide Memoire,
which is an area that I have also been looking at as chair of the CIS Guiding Statements committee. I would be keen
to share our committees findings and to work together on the goal to embed these themes in the fabric of everyday
teaching and learning at the school.

My main accomplishment in my role as Coordinator has been to establish excellent relationships with all staff at the
school. By creating an environment of positivity and mutual respect I have been able to bridge the gap between
Vietnamese and western staff and really nurture everyones strengths. I run my Key Stage in the same way as my
classroom in a clear, organised manner, with high expectations, respect and care for others and with a sense of
humour. Members of my staff are happy, productive, reflective and keen to improve.

An effective leadership team has the capacity to motivate and inspire others to support the vision of the school. In
the brief time I spent at Tu Xuong, I felt a connection to the school and a strong belief that I would be able to
contribute to the development of its current and future goals. Furthermore, through the educational discussions
that took place during my visit, I am also confident that our shared enthusiasm for the evaluation and improvement
of teaching and learning would make us an excellent team.

I look forward to meeting again to discuss how we could move the school forward together.

Yours Sincerely,

Julie Misenti


Your requirements My experience
Essential
A university degree and a teaching
qualification
PGCE (Primary) and QTS
A minimum of 10 years teaching experience
in an English National Curriculum school

10 years teaching experience in a variety of UK and International schools
teaching: English National Curriculum, IPC, Cambridge International
Primary Programme and EAL Kindergarten programmes
A proven record of successful leadership at
a senior level in a primary school
KS2 Coordinator and member of Primary SLT for 3 years at BVIS.
One of the founding members of staff at the school.
Desirable
A Masters degree in the field of education
or an NPQH qualification
I intend to begin my Masters in Education in 2015.
Previous international experience

7.5 years of international teaching experience in Vietnam, Egypt and
Taiwan
Experience of the International Primary
Curriculum (IPC)
Taught in IPC schools for the past 5 years
Received training on how to implement the IPC
Created/modified topics for Milepost 3
Professional Qualities Sought
Be able to think strategically Formulated KS2 development plans
Set the focus for Learning Walks that raised the profile of concepts from
the school Aide Memoire
Developed a method of evaluating student progress and achievement on
SIMS
Be able to communicate a coherent vision
and inspire, motivate and empower others
to help implement the vision
Set up a review of KS2 Lien Ket topics to evaluate and raise the profile of
the following skills: Art & Design, Geography, History and Technology
Increased parent communication and involvement in each year group in
KS2 through Lien Ket Exit Points
Developed a progressive system for Year 6 transition to Secondary,
working with Secondary SMT, Coordinators and teachers
Enhanced the use of KS2 LTRs (Learning Together Rooms) to improve their
purpose/ functionality as a learning environment
Developed a more streamlined system for Literacy planning to increase
collaboration with EAL and other support teachers
Built on the existing commitment to bilingualism through focus on
functions and structures of language in Vietnamese Literacy and English
Lien Ket
Be an ICT visionary who has an
understanding of Information and
Communication Technology in a
learning context across the whole
curriculum
Created a Year 6 website with information, blogs and forums for the
students to use
Used multimedia resources in classroom activities, assemblies and
productions
Be able to acknowledge excellence and
challenge poor teaching
Monitored and evaluated teaching across the school and shared examples
of good practice
Managed some difficult and delicate situations effectively
Be able to monitor, evaluate and review
classroom practice
Involved in:
Learning Walks as an observer
Teacher Training / observations and feedback
Performance Management as an appraiser
Be able to set and articulate demanding
expectations
Raised expected student attainment targets each year
Encouraged staff to take on additional areas of responsibility
Increased number of school events and set high expectations for
progression and development of these events by staff
Be able to foster a climate where people
treat each other fairly, equitably and with
dignity and respect to establish a positive
school culture
Developed positive relationships with all teaching and non-teaching staff
in the school
Fostered a positive and open atmosphere between members of the Key
Stage
Be able to commit to shared leadership and
effective team building
Fostered an excellent relationship with Primary Head Teacher
Worked closely with Head Teacher, Assistant Head Teacher and
Coordinators
Developed effective KS2 team comprising 13 teachers and 10 TAs
Be able to establish and sustain
appropriate school systems and structures
Involved in the development and maintenance of all school systems since
the school was established.
Reviewed and modified school policies relating to bullying, marking and
presentation, assessment, discipline, teaching and learning etc.
Be able to manage the school efficiently on
a day-today basis
Responsible for overseeing the Primary School in the absence of the Head
Teacher and Assistant Head Teacher
Be able to make professional, managerial
and organisational decisions based on
informed judgements
Involved in whole-school decision-making as a member of the SLT
Be committed and able to establish a
rigorous system of school self-evaluation

Chaired the CIS Guiding Statements committee at BVIS
Member of the CIS Teaching and Learning committee for English
Be able to ensure that individual staff are
accountable
Through involvement in:
Annual target setting
Book monitoring
Performance Management
Learning Walks
Observations