Our Community - PTA

The Parent Teacher Association (PTA), is a volunteer organization established to support The BISI Community: students, families, and staff.

Our goals are:

To welcome and connect families to the school community;
To facilitate communication among parents, students, teachers, and the school; and
To add some fun to the school year.

The PTA is led by an Executive Committee, of dedicated, parent volunteers and Senior Leadership Team members. Together, The BISI Community strives to organize memorable and meaningful events to support learning and fun.

Interested parents can find many exciting and interesting ways to support the PTA such as:

Join the PTA Committee Meetings. Meetings are announced prior to the date. Parents who want to be a part of the events of the school year are welcome to attend.
Volunteer at Events. Volunteer at school and PTA events. Whether it be to sort through donated clothes, sell cakes or welcome new parents, we always need volunteers. The more volunteers the better!

Events are a great way to meet other parents. We may not whistle while we work, but we do chat and laugh! PTA volunteering is great fun and helps build our sense of community.

Coffee Mornings. Coffee Mornings are held by the School Leadership. Specific topics may be discussed and informative presentations shared. Q&A sessions are useful for events coming up in the school calendar, and learning what is in store for your child/ren in the coming year! Of course, the coffee, tea and cakes are also greatly enjoyed.
Participate at events. Bring your family members and friends – the more the merrier! A great opportunity to get to know our school, make new friends and be an active part of our community.
Be A Class Parent or Key Stage Representative Parent. Each class in Pre-Primary and Primary has a parent assigned to be the “Class Parent”. These parents are the link between the teachers, the PTA and the parents in the class. In secondary section each key stage can have a parent representative as liaison.
Be a Country Representative. Meeting people from different cultures and nationalities is part of the fun of moving around. However, sometimes it can be helpful, fun or just comfortable to get in touch with others from your home country. Country Reps also contribute to the success of World Community celebrations. This list will be maintained by the PTA email pta@bis.k12.tr. Please feel free to become a representative of your own country.
Informal Gatherings and meet & greets. Casual “get togethers” are held on different days and times to encourage everyone’s participation given busy schedules. Zumba sessions, Forest walks and hikes, Midday Mingles and the likes are arranged and posted on the community WhatsApp pages and through word of mouth.

A Meet & Greet may be planned at least once a term by the PTA so please keep an eye out for news in your inbox of upcoming events and activities. Your participation makes the events more memorable. It’s a great time, and everybody is welcome.

PTA Fundraising. The BISI PTA holds fundraisers throughout the year, collecting donations of clothing, baked goods, toys, school supplies, etc. These are distributed amongst the community, and to our designated charities.

One of the PTA’s goals is “to create a communication platform for its stakeholders”. To achieve this, we may post on parents’ groups, community pages, school bulletin boards and connect via e-mail.

Please feel free to contact the PTA via our email address: pta@bis.k12.tr with any queries you may have.

PTA Committee

Meet our Parent Teacher Association team for this academic year.

David Price

PTA Chair

Hello I’m David Price, dad to Leyla in Year 5, originally from the UK, and delighted to serve as PTA Chairman this year. Professionally, I’m the managing partner of a firm that invests in and develops energy and industrial projects across several countries in the region.

Zena Habboush

Vice Chair

My name is Zena Habboush, mother of Faisal in Year 12. With 15 years of experience at the American Red Cross and a background in project management and operations, followed by my role as Chief of Staff in our family’s energy business, I hope to bring strong organizational and leadership skills to help foster a supportive, collaborative, and engaged school environment.

Ambereen Hussain

PTA Secretary

My name is Ambereen Hussain, mother of Daniyal Alavi in Year 12. With a background in marketing, branding, and strategy consulting, I hope to bring strong communication and organizational skills to my role as PTA Secretary, supporting a positive and well-connected school community.

Kristy Lopez

PTA Treasurer

Hello, I’m Kristy Lopez. We’ve been in Istanbul for 2.5 years now, originally from Australia, and I’m mum to a 3-year-old and a 5-year-old. I’m a CPA accountant with over 20 years of experience across New Zealand, the UK and Australia, mostly in the media and advertising space.

Esther Soulier - Seiffers

PTA Events Coordinator (Primary Section)

My name is Esther Soulier - Seiffers, mother of two (Year 4 and Year 6), originally from the Netherlands. We moved to Istanbul 5 years ago and I have been active in the PTA event committee since then.

Jackie Skelding

PTA Events Coordinator (Secondary Section)

Hi all, my name is Jackie Skelding. I’m from the U.K., North Yorkshire and I’m mum to Lorna in Year 11. Absolutely newly arrived in Türkiye and looking forward to creating a home here in Istanbul.