ManageBac

User Group Conference

Dubai 2014

Conference Programme
December 12-13, 2014

Welcome!
Welcome to our first user group conference in the Middle East! A special thanks goes to
GEMS Wellington Academy - Silicon Oasis for graciously hosting this event. As we look
back on the last seven years, we celebrate the schools and coordinators who challenged
us to evolve beyond CAS Manager in 2007 and serve the full IB continuum for curriculum
planning, assessment and reporting.
Today we are thrilled to work with over 1,500 schools in 110+ countries, and our users
continue to challenge and impress us every day. From the leadership teams creating school
workflows, to the technology integration coordinators who train teachers, students, and
staff, to the acadmic directors who alert us to new curriculum changes, to the principals
who produce report cards more varied and beautiful than we imagined, to everyone who
sends us feature requests and suggestions - we remain grateful to all of you.
Thanks for your patience and faith in us. This conference is for you.
Best Regards,

The ManageBac Team

Angelica
1

RVenus

Kevin

Kirsten

Susan

SCHEDULE
Day One / Friday - December 12, 2014
7:30 AM
8:30 AM
9:00 AM
10:00 AM
10:30 AM
11:30 AM
12:00 PM

Restaurant

12:30 PM
2:00 PM

Restaurant

Auditorium
Auditorium
Restaurant
Auditorium
Auditorium
Auditorium

Room 3114
Room 3116
Room 3118
Room 3120
Room 3124
Room 3122

4:00 PM
6:30 PM

Auditorium
Imperium

Registration
Welcoming Remarks
Angelica Nierras
Keynote: Are We There Yet?
Michael Gernon
Coffee Break
ManageBac at GEMS World Academy
Andrew MacRae & Rhonda Zaharko
ManageBac Company Update
Angelica Nierras
A Seamless Communication Platform
Clive Ungless
ManageBac & Finalsite
Lunch
Admissions: The Customer Journey
Sally Rummel
Three Perspectives on IBCC
Alexander H., Peter S. & Michael W.
MYP Next Chapter and Implementation
Kirsten A. & Carolyn Mason P.
Curriculum Planning, Assessment, and
Ali Ezzeddine
School-to-Home Communication in PYP
ManageBac, OpenApply, Finalsite Support Workshop
Establishing In-House Protocols
Brycen Davis
IB e-Coursework: A special preview from IB Cardiff Assessment Operations
Dinner

Day Two / Saturday - December 13, 2014

7:30 AM
8:00 AM
10:30 AM

Restaurant
Auditorium
Room 3114
Room 3116
Room 3118
Room 3120
Room 3124
Room 3122

12:30 PM
2:00 PM

Restaurant
Room 3114
Room 3116
Room 3118
Room 3122
Room 3124
Room 3122

Coffee
Keynote: ATL and the Teaching Revolution
Lance King
Cross-Cultural Harmony In Admissions
Nivin El Aawar
DP Coordinator Meeting
Nausheen Arif
Curriculum Design after the Next Chapter
Bob Smith
Using ManageBac to Support PYP Learning
David Gerber
ManageBac, OpenApply, Finalsite Support Workshop
Implementing ManageBac (and other technologies)
Farah Misquitta
Lunch
Managing Expectations Across Admissions
Natalie Kvackova
Reporting for Diploma
Joe Hamkari
Assessment and Reporting in MYP
Andrew MacRae & Rhonda Zaharko
PYP Reporting
Kirsten Anderson
ManageBac, OpenApply, Finalsite Support Workshop
Flipping the Classroom with ManageBac
Frank Peterson

Legends
Admissions
Diploma

General
IBCC

Middle Years
Networking

Primary Years
Support

Technology

SESSION DESCRIPTIONS
Welcoming Remarks

Day One
Auditorium

8:30 AM - 9:00 AM

Angelica Nierras
Managing Director
In 2014, ManageBac celebrated its seventh year of operation. We owe you our sincere thanks, and we look forward
to many more years of working closely with our schools. Welcome to our first user group conference in Dubai!

Keynote: Are We There Yet?

Auditorium

9:00 AM - 10:00 AM

Michael Gernon
CEO and Principal
A thought-provoking and interactive session looking at whether schools are genuinely catering for C21st learning
and preparing young people for the world in which they will live. The session will explore the suitability of school
structures and systems, the appropriateness of school curricula, C21st skills, the use of technology, and initial
teacher training.

ManageBac at GEMS World Academy

Auditorium

10:30 AM - 11:30 AM

Andrew MacRae

Rhonda Zaharko

Technology Integration Specialist

MYP Coordinator / Senior Leadership Team

In this presentation Communication and Student Attainment through ManageBac, you will see how GEMS World
Academy utilizes ManageBac as an effective communication tool for assessment and attainment for teachers,
students and parents. Andrew and Rhonda will present how ManageBac is developed to support the educational
and curricular needs of the School as it is our primary communication tool. We will also discuss the benefits of
using the Web Platform and the impacts on teaching and learning at GWA.

ManageBac Company Update

Auditorium

11:30 AM - 12:00 PM

Angelica Nierras
Managing Director
In 2015, we will be introducing ManageBac on Rails 4, which is a complete re-architecture that will provide:
Modern and responsive user interface design that will support web and mobile access via your phone & tablet.
Real-time and collaborative curriculum planning with an accordion-style unit plan editor.
Support for IBCC.
French and Spanish language support.
We are also committed to:
Continuing our work with admissions offices through OpenApply,
Improving international school management with InterSIS,
Offering single sign-on integration with FinalSite, and
Delivering an e-submission platform for IB world schools.
Together we remain inspired and excited to fulfill our original promise:
To ensure that IB World schools have a state-of-the-art technology infrastructure.
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A Seamless Communication Platform

ManageBac and Finalsite

Room 3114

12:00 AM - 12:30 PM

Clive Ungless
Director of International Operations
Clive Ungless from Finalsite will show how international schools are leveraging Finalsites products and services
to push information through portals, LMS, email, mobile and social media. Soon schools will be able to move
seamlessly between the Finalsite portals and ManageBac with the new single sign-on (SSO) integration.

Admissions: The Customer Journey

Room 3114

2:00 PM - 4:00 PM

Sally Rummel
Director of Development and Admissions
Knowing when and where the customer journey begins and who makes the decisions will help all admissions
professionals to focus their skill and energy into the right place. In this workshop/breakout session Sally will
present The Customer Journey including managing first Impressions, The Tour & The Values Match. Participants
will also have the opportunity to work collaboratively to share and uncover best practice. Come share the
similarities and differences that exist in schools all around the world and take away valuable insights that can then
be applied to your school.

Three Perspectives on IBCC

Room 3116

2:00 PM - 4:00 PM

Alexander Harrison

Peter Stoddart

Michael Worth

IBCC Coordinator

IBCC Coordinator

IBCC Coordinator

Hear three perspectives on the IBCC from experienced coordinators on:

Planning and Implementation of the IBCC - Putting the pieces together, rationale and how the IBCC benefits the
learners. (Peter)
Developing the IBCC exploring the core programme (Michael)
Enterprise for IB an insight into the possible ways Enterprise can diffuse through the CAS and C&S system in
your schools and how Enterprise can look and be misinterpreted! (Alexander)

MYP Next Chapter and Implementation

Room 3118

Kirsten Anderson

Carolyn Mason Parker

ManageBac Team

MYP Coordinator/Assistant Principal

2:00 PM - 4:00 PM

ManageBac staff will present a brief overview of the key changes in the system for MYP Next Chapter. Next, Carolyn
Parker will look at starting a new school, and developing a new MYP curriculum using ManageBac. The session will
focus on using the task features to create rubrics, the grade book to track assessments, and the service as action
components of the MYP.
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Curriculum Planning, Assessment, and

School-to-Home Communication in PYP

Room 3120

2:00 PM - 4:00 PM

Ali Ezzeddine
PYP Coordinator
All the PYP coordinators around the world need to have in place the below practices and requirements in their
schools related to the standard C2 the written curriculum:
1. The school ensures that there is a coherent, horizontally and vertically articulated programme of inquiry. There
is documented evidence that the curriculum developed addresses the five essential elements.
2. The written curriculum is available to the school community.
3. There is a system for regular review and refinement of the programme of inquiry, individual units of inquiry and
the subject-specific scope and sequences.
Programme standards and practices January 2014
We all know how difficult this task is, especially in large schools, new schools or even schools that are looking for
innovation and best practices. Change is a key word in our daily life these days Change on all levels. Teachers,
parents and students want stability, accountability and day to day communication regarding the learning process
in the classroom.
In this session we will share how SEK International School in Qatar is using ManagBac to make sure that we are
providing a structured, virtual learning environment for all our community members where the planning process,
the assessment and the daily communication are all connected!

ManageBac, OpenApply, Finalsite

Support Workshop
MB

ManageBac Team

Room 3124

2:00 PM - 4:00 PM

Clive Ungless
Director of International Operations

Hoping for 1-1 hands-on support time? Join ManageBac, OpenApply, and Finalsite staff for an open Q&A workshop.

Establishing In-House Protocols

Room 3122

2:00 PM - 4:00 PM

Brycen Davis
Technology Integration Specialist
These days it seems we are inundated with a constant flow of new and exciting tools in technology. However,
it is important to focus on a core set of tools that allow teachers to streamline communications and maintain
consistency in their messaging. ManageBac allows Istanbul International Community School to do just that!
This session will outline how ManageBac can act as a conduit to effectively communicate deadlines to students /
parents as well as provide real-time feedback for formative assessments. We will cover the many tips and tricks IICS
has learned during our rollout of the tool and give insight into some best practices for providing orientation to
new students and easing the minds of parents before Back-2-School night.

IB e-Coursework: A special preview

from IB Cardiff

Auditorium

4:00 PM - 4:30 PM

IB Cardiff: Assessment Operations Team

A special preview of the IBs new e-Coursework system for the IB Diploma covering Visual Arts, Theory of
Knowledge and Language Orals from the Assessment Operations team at IB Cardiff.

Day Two
Keynote: ATL and the Teaching Revolution

Auditorium

8:00 AM - 10:00 AM

Lance King
Founder The Art of Learning
When all the information in the world is available at the fingertips of every student then the key skills needed
for success both academically and in the world of business and enterprise will be the skills of the self-regulated
learner. At that point the development of self-regulated (self-managed, self-directed, independent, autonomous)
learners will become the primary focus of schooling which will require all forms of transmission teaching to be
replaced by process oriented, skills based, teaching. The ATL Skills programme at both the MYP and DP levels has
been designed with this idea in mind because this is not the future, this is now.
This presentation will focus on how the successful design and implementation of an ATL Skills programme in any
school could revolutionise teaching and learning, improve academic success rates and give all students the skills
they need to create success for themselves in the 21st Century.

Cross-Cultural Harmony In Admissions

Room 3114

10:30 AM - 12:30 PM

Nivin El Aawar
Head of Admissions
The core of international schools admissions practice is maintaining cross-cultural harmony. This session will start
with a brief introduction to Qatar and the International School of London in Qatar, and show how international
schools relate to a host countrys culture. We will discuss how admissions departments balance cultural harmony
through external and internal challenges, share experiences with other admissions officers, and build a common
structure of common global admissions dashboard. The session will end by focusing on your own well-being and the
importance of managing your own internal harmony, plus an EQ activity highlighting accomplishments and values.

DP Coordinator Meeting

Room 3114

10:30 AM - 12:30 PM

Nausheen Arif
IBDP Coordinator
From its inception ManageBac has been a vital tool in assisting coordinators to manage the IB Diploma programme
efficiently. The aim of the session is to explore the use of ManageBac within the Diploma programme, ranging from
the core, to internal assessments, unit planning, and its use as a communication tool for students and parents.
Participants may have varying levels of expertise with ManageBac and may not be using all the tools available
within the software. The session will allow the sharing of expertise and enable participants to extend its use within
the DP programme at individual schools.

Curriculum Design after the Next Chapter

Room 3114

10:30 AM - 12:30 PM

Bob Smith
Partner, Cornerstone Educational Consulting, LLC
Come inquire into an inquiry planner!
This session will look at the structure and function of the new disciplinary and interdisciplinary unit templates
recently published by the IB MYP. The two-hour session will explore:
Connections and relationships within and between the new unit planners to better understand how it can
transform teaching and learning in the classroom.
Improvements the IB MYP has made to better support teachers.
Design and implementation units of study.
Designing units that support culminating projects through action and service opportunities.
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Using ManageBac to Support PYP Learning

Room 3120

10:30 PM - 12:30 PM

David Gerber
PYP Coordinator
In this presentation, you will see how GEMS World Academy went through the transition of implementing
ManageBac into the program and where we are today in the use of the curriculum tool. David will explain the
training system GWA uses to give parents, students and staff the skills to use ManageBac to support learning.
Finally, he will walk you through the roadblocks to look out for when transitioning, implementing and building
your program and how ManageBac helps to troubleshoot and problem solve.

ManageBac, OpenApply, Finalsite

Support Workshop
MB

ManageBac Team

Room 3124

10:30 PM - 12:30 PM

Clive Ungless
Director of International Operations

Hoping for 1-1 hands-on support time? Join ManageBac, OpenApply, and Finalsite staff for an open Q&A workshop.

Implementing ManageBac
(and other technologies)

Room 3122

2:00 PM - 4:00 PM

Farah Misquitta
Technology Coordinator
This session will focus on the roll-out of ManageBac for MYP and DP at Ecole Mondiale World School, featuring
classroom management, the Personal Project, CAS, and reporting.
The session will include training session videos, testimonies, suggested feature requests and feedback sessions
with Teachers, Students & Parents.
Lastly, an overview of other technologies in use at Ecole Mondiale will be provided:
Implementation of Google Docs
Google Sites
Touch On Cloud
iPad Apps Sketches, Math Bingo, iBooks, Coop Fractions, Movenote etc
iTune-U

Managing Expectations Across Admissions

Room 3114

2:00 PM - 4:00 PM

Natalie Kvackova
Admissions and Communications Manager
The only way to succeed in running admissions at an international private school is to properly manage
expectations across the board. In her break out session/workshop, Natalie will open several different internal
processes including client development (the school tour), lead nurturing, admissions, retention and reenrollment and discuss the importance of expectation management within each. The workshop will be an
exchange of ideas followed by a self-reflection activity.

Reporting for Diploma

Room 3116

2:00 PM - 4:00 PM

Joe Hamkari
IBDP Coordinator
This session will look at:
The route that ISL has used to introduce ManageBac as our major curricular tool in the DP and MYP. This will
include use of the grade book and reporting.
The use of ManageBac as a classroom tool to enhance student learning.
Where do we go from here, the possible route we will take in the future to include what changes ManageBac are
bringing in and what else we may ask for.
The session runs through how various tasks may be achieved, but will also be interactive and I look forward to
participants input to help us all improve student learning.

Assessment and Reporting in MYP

Room 3118

2:00 PM - 4:00 PM

Andrew MacRae

Rhonda Zaharko

Technology Integration Specialist

MYP Coordinator / Senior Leadership Team

By developing Rubrics and Options for both IB courses and Middle School/High School subjects you will be shown
how to create effective report cards and templates to suit your school needs. Participants will learn how to address
key areas of the MYP in regards to ATL skills, how to export and track student data, and utilizing the calendar for
Assessment and Homework Tracking. Examples of Templates will be shown throughout this workshop session.

PYP Reporting

Room 3122

2:00 PM - 4:00 PM

Kirsten Anderson
Associate
Kirsten will walk through ManageBac report cards for the IB Primary Years, and showcase a few exemplar report
cards from existing schools.
Our report cards are based on the most popular forms of PYP assessment:
Display assessed units of inquiry, custom assessment criteria, learning outcomes, and teacher feedback.
Display the IB Learner Profile, Trandisciplinary Skills, and Attitudes.
Use the IB Scope & Sequence or customize your account to local/national standards.

ManageBac, OpenApply, Finalsite

Support Workshop
MB

ManageBac Team

Room 3124

2:00 PM - 4:00 PM

Clive Ungless
Director of International Operations

Hoping for 1-1 hands-on support time? Join ManageBac, OpenApply, and Finalsite staff for an open Q&A workshop.

Flipping the Classroom with ManageBac

Room 3122

2:00 PM - 4:00 PM

Frank Peterson
ICT Specialist
Flip ManageBac: How embedding YouTube videos into events can powerfully prepare your students for class.
The session has 3 parts:
Short presentation on Flipping the Classroom.
Demonstration of embedding videos within ManageBac.
Discussion about favorite resources for teachers.
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SPECIAL THANKS
GEMS Wellington Academy - Silicon Oasis
Inspire; Innovate; Transform

We offer a uniquely crafted progression from the Early Years Foundation Stage,
through an enriched and developed National Curriculum for England into personalised
qualification pathways incorporating IGCSE, GCSE, BTEC. These culminate in one of the
richest IBDP and IBCC offers in the region.

PARTNERS
Cornerstone Educational Consulting LLC
Our professionals model inquiry-based, hands-on activities
that inspire teachers to implement a student-centered
learning approach in their own classrooms. We also offer
follow-up and ongoing support for your school using webbased technologies.
http://cornerstone-ed.com

The Art of Learning

The Art of Learning
Lance King

Specialist in the direct teaching of learning skills.

Developing the Approaches to Learning programme in the
new MYP within the IB.
http://www.taolearn.com

Finalsite
Easily maintain and update your website with our content
management system that gives you full control to distribute
responsibility responsibly.
http://finalsite.com

FARIA SYSTEMS
Faria Systems was founded in 2006 by three former IB students.
We have built the first cloud-based integrated school management suite for
international schools. We design integrated information systems to enhance
efficiency in education globally.
We serve over 1,500 schools in over 110 countries, and we measure our success
by the amount of time saved and paperwork eliminated.

ManageBac
Planning, Assessment and Reporting for the IB Continuum
ManageBac is the leading online learning platform for IB world schools
and the trusted choice of over 1,500 IB schools worldwide. ManageBac
provides coordinators, teachers, students and parents with a more
efficient alternative to paper forms, Word documents on shared drives
and Excel spreadsheets. It is designed as a turnkey system to support
effective implementation and management of the IB programmes.

OpenApply
The Better Way to Manage your Admissions Online
OpenApply is designed for the modern admissions office. OpenApply
helps to streamline and organize your admissions process by eliminating
paperwork, improving organization and providing real-time insight into
your applicant pool. It simplifies the admissions process for applicants &
families from enquiry to enrollment.

InterSIS
International School Information System
InterSIS provides a single integrated school information system
designed for international schools with demographics, behavior,
analytics and seamless integration with ManageBac, OpenApply and
third party timetables. Together with Xero and Stripe payments, you
can manage billing and invoicing online with a state-of-the-art cloud
accounting system.
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ManageBac

Telephone
Faria
Systems
Integrated Information Systems
for International Education

+1 866 297 7022

+44 208 133 7489

E-mail
sales@managebac.com

+852 8175 8152

Website

+61 2 8006 2335

http://managebac.com

Office Address
Faria Systems Inc.

Taipei Office

548 Market Street #40438

San Francisco, CA 94104
USA

2/F, No.3, Lane 27

Section 4, RenAi Road
Daan District, Taipei City 106,
Taiwan