PAN-AMERICAN SCHOOL

Dear members of the Pan-American School community,

It is with great excitement that we welcome our Pan-American School students and families to the start of the 2022-2023 academic year as we continue to live our Mission and Vision, and strive to deliver on our strategic priorities by developing:

• Inspiring, personalized learning for all
• A welcoming, engaged and connected community for all and
• A sustainable and balanced future for all

It was wonderful to welcome new and returning families to our Back to School event last Saturday, and connect with our community in advance of the start of classes.  Our team has been working hard over recent weeks to prepare the campus for your child’s return, and we are eagerly awaiting the return of smiling faces to our classrooms and corridors on Wednesday 3 August.  In advance of the new school year, I would like to share some information that will be helpful to you.

New Faculty Members

We are delighted to welcome a range of excellent faculty to our team for the coming school year, and welcome existing members into new roles for the coming year.  To see new staff’s names, faces and roles please see here.

2022-2023 Handbook

Please find a copy of the 2022-2023 school handbook here. We will share the Spanish Language version when it has returned from translation. 

Please remember that you can find all important school policies in SIPAS. If you need help with accessing SIPAS, please contact computer@panam.ed.cr. 

Use of Masks on Campus

Please be advised that we will be continuing our policy of optional masks on campus at the start of the academic year, with the exception of the PAS Medical Center. However, we continue to strongly encourage the use of masks in enclosed spaces, particularly school transport.

Imagining the Future of Learning at PAS: NEASC-IB Reaccreditation

The coming academic year sees us engaged in a process of reimagining the future of learning at Pan-American School as we continue into our  second half-century as an educational leader in Costa Rica. We have partnered with our US accreditation partners NEASC (the New England Association of Schools and Colleges) and the International Baccalaureate (IB), to engage in a year long Collaborative Learning Protocol focused on the following 5 areas:

• Learning Community
• Learning Space and Time
• Inclusiveness of Learning
• Learner Engagement and Autonomy and
• Assessment of, for and as learning

In addition, we are also excited to start work on important initiatives such as the redevelopment of our beautiful campus, and restarting Service and Ecology initiatives in our shared community.  We look forward to inviting  feedback, perspectives and participation from our student and parent community as we look to  develop research-informed, evidence-based insights, reflections and suggestions which will help inform our learning continuum from PlayKids to Grade 12 and beyond.  

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Whether you have been with Pan-American School for many years, or are coming to our beautiful campus for the first time, and whether you are joining or returning from near or far - I trust that you will find a warm welcome from parents, guardians, faculty and staff over the coming year. We are committed to creating a welcoming, engaged and connected community for all and look forward to working with each member of our shared  community to deliver on that promise.

Thank you for entrusting that most important decision - the education of your children - to us for the coming year.  We will strive to deliver on our promise of an excellent international education.  

And thank you for your continued support for all that we do, and for the continued faith that you place in our team here at PAS.

Proud to be PAS,

Alan Wrafter

General Director