Since his appointment as the Head of School at Global Jaya School in July 2024, Indonesia Expat reconnects with Howard Menand to know about this current journey and insights on how he manages the school.
In this talk, he shares his approach to supporting students in achieving strong academic performance, preparing for their future, and fostering harmony among the school’s diverse students.
It’s been a while since the last time we talked. What is Global Jaya School up to now?
As of today, I am now more than halfway through my first year as the Head of School at Global Jaya, and we have been very active and engaged with our community. In October, we hosted the Asia Pacific Regional Workshop for IB educators. In November, we hosted IB Day, which was a two-day event open to any school interested in becoming an IB school. We also held Global Connect, an annual event designed to help students and parents learn more about universities in Indonesia and around the world. Our Year 10 students recently took part in their Personal Project Exhibition; Year 6 students presented their PYPX projects to the community, and our talented Primary and Secondary students performed the musical Mary Poppins Jr. All in all, Global Jaya continues to be a busy, student-focused school.
You were appointed as the head of school in July 2024. What has been the most surprising or unexpected challenge you’ve encountered since taking on the role of Head of School at Global Jaya?
While it’s true that I started my role as Head of School in July 2024, I was actually the Secondary Principal last year at Global Jaya, and it was announced in October 2023 that I would take on the role of Head of School for this academic year. This transition year allowed me to hit the ground running when I officially started as the Head of School in July 2024. Having said that, the biggest challenge as Head of School is knowing that I am responsible for all areas of the school—successes and failures. To navigate this challenge, I work hard to empower the leadership team so that they make effective decisions. Moreover, I am fortunate to be part of a strong team that really understands the importance of putting children at the heart of our decision-making process. It’s a priority for me to get to know our stakeholders–parents, teachers, students, and community members—so that I am aware of their hopes and dreams for the school. The end result is that our school is able to successfully maneuver within a complex world to support the many different needs and goals of our students.
Could you please briefly tell us about Global Jaya School and what makes it different to any other international schools in Indonesia?
The word that best describes Global Jaya is community. We are a school that prides itself on creating an open, inclusive community that values the contributions of all of our students, teachers, and parents. When you visit our school, there is a tangible sense that you are welcome and that Global Jaya is a happy oasis where learning and student agency are at the forefront of our community.
Aside from the sense of community, we are an international school with a strong sense of Indonesian pride and commitment to the values, traditions, and language of Indonesia. Our school is made up of 85% Indonesian students, and our mission and vision emphasize a commitment to our national heritage.
Finally, our school was founded in 1995, and as an IB World School, offering the PYP, MYP, and DP, we develop students who are problem solvers, creative and critical thinkers, and fully prepared for the rigors they will face once they leave Global Jaya to attend university.
How do you ensure that students at Global Jaya School are equipped with the skills and mindset needed for the future?
To begin with, we have hard-working, dedicated, professionally trained teachers. Our teachers ensure that student learning is their main focus each and every day. Also, for students who need extra support, our Student Success Services team is ready to step in to provide differentiated instruction, whether for students who need extra guidance or for students who are gifted and talented.
Also, we have several tools in place to measure the success of our students and to ensure they stay on track with their learning. Through the use of iReady testing, we measure our students’ abilities in math and literacy and then provide extra focused instruction based on this data. It’s also important to highlight that we are one of the first schools in Indonesia to introduce the eAssessments for our Year 10 students. The eAssessments are external, application-based assessments offered by the IB, and these assessments help us to make sure our students are ready for the Diploma Programme in Year 11 and 12.
The end result is that our students acquire the skills, knowledge, and mindset to succeed in a world of many unknown challenges. When our students return to the school after their first year at university, they often tell us how prepared they were for university, thanks in large part to their experiences at Global Jaya.
Many parents today have high expectations for their children’s academic success. What is your message to parents about fostering a holistic education beyond just grades?
At Global Jaya, we also have high expectations for our students. But we believe that success for students occurs in and outside of the classroom. We offer our students rigorous academic classes to help ensure our students are ready to attend the best universities in the world. At the same time, we know that students are part of a larger, global community. As a result, we provide our students with community engagement experiences, athletics, and the opportunity to become well-rounded, internationally minded individuals. In fact, the holistic learning environment is at the heart of the IB education. Students must focus on their academics while in the classroom and also find ways to give back to the community outside of the classroom. One recent example comes from our Green School Committee, where students held a silent auction to raise money to redevelop a local soccer pitch in need of repair. This was a completely student led project that allowed our students to support the local community.
What initiatives or programmes are you planning to introduce at Global Jaya to enhance both student and teacher development?
We are in the process of developing a Gifted and Talented Education Program to help accelerate the learning for students identified as being on the gifted spectrum. This program will include a process to identify academically gifted students, and we will then support their learning through our Student Success Services department. To ensure this program is a success, we are providing professional development to the teachers who will be supporting this initiative so that they are skilled in teaching academically gifted students.
For teacher development, we introduced Professional Learning Communities this year so that our teachers can pursue deep learning into their professional areas of interest. As a result, our teachers engage in professional, research-based dialogue, exploring various areas of interest and then applying their new skills in the classroom. Outcomes of this program include enhanced teaching practices and fostering a sense of professional agency for our teachers.
How do you foster a strong sense of community among students, teachers, and parents, especially in an international school setting with diverse backgrounds?
On one level, our sense of community is the result of bringing our vision and mission to life. Our students, parents, and teachers are very inclusive and welcoming, which means that our sense of community is one that is uplifting and supportive of each other. Our students feel comfortable as risk takers, trying new experiences, as is evident when our students get on stage to perform at assemblies, participate in athletic events, and take part in international competitions. We all come together to support one another.
In practical terms, we are grateful to have a strong Parent Association that works closely with the school to support school events, serve as year-level parent representatives, and to host community-oriented experiences like Family Fun Day. Our athletics and arts department build community through the various activities they lead, such as sporting competitions or our recent theatrical performance of Mary Poppins Jr. Overall, the sense of community at Global Jaya results from a team effort to provide enriching experiences for our students and to create an inclusive environment.
If you could give one piece of advice to students who aspire to be future leaders in any field, what would it be?
Seek out mentors in your prospective field of interest. Learn from these individuals by asking questions, shadowing them, and being open to their input. By learning from mentors, students will find out many aspects about a possible career pathway. One, a mentor partnership will help a student to assess whether or not this is the right field for them. Two, mentors can help accelerate a student’s pathway to success in a particular field. Finally, students should not be afraid to seek out mentors because not only is this a way for students to gain valuable insight into a possible profession, but mentors also appreciate the opportunity to give back to others and to guide students on their personal and professional journey.
What’s next for Global Jaya School?
We will continue our focus on academic excellence moving into next year. Along with our Gifted and Talented Program, we have completely restructured our university counselling program so that students begin to build their university portfolio in year 9. Our counselling team recognizes that the sooner students begin preparing for the university application process, the more successful they will be in gaining acceptance to their first-choice schools.
We are also introducing a new DP course for our year 11 and 12 students. It’s called Global Politics. This course will help to enhance our students’ sense of international politics so that they can better navigate the professional world they will encounter in the very near future.
Finally, we will become a National Honor Society School, which means our students will receive formal recognition for their academic excellence. The National Honor Society has strict guidelines regarding the selection of students who can join this prestigious organization, and we are excited to partner with NHS so that we can officially acknowledge the hard work of our students.