SkyGems Academy

SkyGems Academy Podcast Series 1 – 36th speaker is Iain Sallis.

Iain is the Campus Principal at Tenby International School, Setia-Eco Park, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Iain has been in the education industry for 21 years, 17 years of them as a senior leader.

In 2014, he started his International journey with a Headship at Tenby International School, Kuala Lumpur. In 2016 he was promoted to Campus Principal at Tenby Schools Penang and in 2019 he moved to the flagship campus in Kuala Lumpur as Campus Principal at Setia Eco-Park which has approximately 2000 students and 260 staff.

“We've got this Yin and Yang. We've got this paradox where we've been in isolation but we continue to work effectively as a team to achieve success in the shortest period of time,’ said Iain.

Now, we are pleased to present to you … Iain Sallis.

SkyGems Academy Podcast 35th speaker is Günter Boos.

Günter had started his teaching career at Grammar Schools, since 1970. Since then, he has been a teacher's trainer, a university teacher at University of Frankfurt for 19 years, principal of Albert-Einstein-Gymnasiums (Grammar School) in Maintal, Germany, until the year 2000.

In the year 2000, he came to Singapore and was the Principal of German European School Singapore for 9 years. He was back in Europe and had held many positions, before settling down to his current position as the Principal at Swiss International Boarding School (SIBSS).

Günter enjoys exploring new ways for learning. He has a motto that is close to his heart: Nothing is made for eternity and carved in stone!

“Nothing is stable. Something can happen every time, every moment, every day. And we have to react rapidly, in a good way, in a positive way. Embrace change and new ways of doing things,” said Günter.

Now, we are pleased to present to you … Günter Boos!

SkyGems Academy Podcast Series 1 – 35th speaker is Gunter Boos.

Gunter is the Principal at Swiss International Boarding School.

Born in Frankfurt, Germany in the year 1948, he has been married for forty-six years. He has a daughter and a grand daughter. His hobbies are working, reading, travelling, being curious of all things in the world and of course, spending time with his grand daughter.

“Don't be depressed. Pay attention. To our future generations; take this opportunity to learn. There's no excuse to say ‘I can't learn because it's Covid-19’,” said Gunter.

Now, we are pleased to present to you … Gunter Boos.

SkyGems Academy Podcast 34th speaker is Marcela Rueda.

As a child and young adult, Marcela loved practicing different sports such as basketball, horseback riding and squash and participated in different competitions in all those sports. As a hobby Marcela loved cooking with her father every weekend and this instill in her a passion for cooking all sorts of different dishes and flavours. She believes that food connects people, cultures and shows how diverse and rich is our world.

Since very young, Marcela became an Early childhood educator and has been passionate about how children learn, grow and build their own image of the world with our guidance and support. She has worked in education for more than 35 years and still in love with this amazing and never boring career!

After following different curriculums and approaches, Marcela fell in love with PYP and for the last 18 years have worked following this programme which offers children a fantastic way to construct their learning.

As an educational leader for many years, Marcela learns every day from the educators and children around her. Being a leader is more like being a facilitator, as teachers and children will do it all.

“I do think that the current Covid-19 pandemic situation has made us think as human beings, our relationships with the world. It has made us rethink education, relationships, jobs, essential things in life, what's essential, what it's not. Covid-19 has proven to us that we as human beings have to stop and think about how do we relate with the world around us. As educators, how do we educate children in difficult situations, and empower them not only academic content, but different skills to be able to survive, live and learn during these challenging times,” said Marcela.

Now, we are pleased to present to you … Marcela Rueda!

SkyGems Academy Podcast Series 1 – 34th speaker is Marcela Rueda.

Marcela was born in Bogotá, Colombia in a family of six children with two different nationalities and backgrounds. Two American siblings from the first marriage of her father and 4 Colombians. This particular characteristic made her family diverse and created a need to speak English and understand another culture since she was very young.

“Focus on developing those 21st Century skills and do not be afraid of change and challenges. This pandemic has shown us that we are capable of embracing difficulties,” said Marcela.

Now, we are pleased to present to you … Marcela Rueda.

SkyGems Academy Podcast 33rd speaker is Marlon Dominguez.

Marlon is a passionate educator who strives to establish relationships between students, teachers, and parents to create a dynamic learning environment. He has taught multiple subjects in a variety of grade levels.

Marlon holds a bachelor's degree in Philosophy and a master's degree in Education. He also completed specializations in Education Mediated by Technology, Teaching English as a Second Language, and earned a professional certificate in Leadership and Management in Education. After working as a Spanish Teacher and Instructional Technology Coordinator in Tianjin, China, he returned to his native Colombia where he is currently the Secondary Principal at La Sierra International School.

“It has been an interesting time. We have struggled.  We have cried. We have been frustrated. We have been insulted by people who are frustrated. We have listened, we have understood and we have shown compassion. We have shown care and concern. We have supported each other. We have taught and we have learned as well. We have been a team. I keep saying ‘we’, ‘we’, ‘we’. That's why we have been successful," said Marlon.

Now, we are pleased to present to you … Marlon Dominguez!

SkyGems Academy Podcast Series 1 – 33rd  speaker is Marlon Dominguez.

Marlon is the Secondary Principal at La Sierra International School. Marlon believes that caring, flexibility, consistency, and teamwork are essential skills for success.

“How does Covid-19 pandemic make me feel?  Well, it reminds me that I am a human being, a learner, a teacher, a leader who can help others to be successful and be happy,” said Marlon.

Now, we are pleased to present to you … Marlon Dominguez.

SkyGems Academy Podcast 32nd  speaker is Emma Rowlands.

Emma was born in Brisbane, Australia, but grew up in Cork, Ireland. She was educated in Ireland, Germany, France, and America. At university, she read Pure Mathematics and Philosophy for her Bachelor's Degree, was awarded a Masters of Arts in Mathematics Education. Emma is currently the Dean of Academics and Student Culture at True North Classical Academy in Miami, Florida, USA.

A Singapore Math Specialist, Emma has acted as a consultant

“It became an adventure, a very humbling adventure, trying to figure out how best to teach in a way we had never taught before. The students became our guide,” said Emma.

Now, we are pleased to present to you … Emma Rowlands!

SkyGems Academy Podcast Series 1 – 32nd speaker is Emma Rowlands.

Emma was born in Brisbane, Australia, but grew up in Cork, Ireland. She was educated in Ireland, Germany, France and America. Emma is the Dean of Academics and Student Culture, Singapore Math Specialist at True North Classical Academy. Emma is based in Miami, Florida, USA.

“To generations in the future, learn from the past. Be proactive. Turn every situation into something positive and that you can learn from,” said Emma.

Now I am pleased to present to you … Emma Rowlands.

SkyGems Academy Podcast 31st speaker is Hatem Mahmoud.

Hatem started developing his passion towards teaching in 2005. His K-12 education career started at Oasis, a leading IB school in Cairo, Egypt in 2012 and never looked back. From teaching adults to training teachers, then teaching k-12 and joining the International Baccalaureate Educator Network (IBEN), Hatem finally found his purpose.

Transformational leadership and change management drive Hatem’s day to day practices in educational leadership positions he takes. Having a clear vision and empowering teams to deliver and reach their goals in a timely manner without adding much stress to the process is a practice he enjoys.

Hatem looks forward to positively influencing educational reform in the middle east and helping curriculum development and enhancement as well as schooling practices in general, affecting students, parents, teachers and non-academic staff concerned.

“We need to provide the learners of today with the lifelong learning tools and effective 21st century skills that help them prepare themselves in their own way, at their own pace, for their own future,” said Hatem.

Now, we are pleased to present to you … Hatem Mahmoud!