Hi everyone,

If you’re lying on a beach or spending time with loved ones after a busy school year, I hope you’re not reading this!  If you still have a few days/weeks to go until the end of the school year, I hope those crazy last few days go well.  The global reach of MARIO has been fantastic to witness this year.  I’m not a great traveller in that I’m tall and I don’t fit well into airplane seats – I was definitely built for business class!  However, travelling to a number of countries this year to visit schools has been such a privilege.  The overriding feeling I had from all school visits and speaking with teachers at conferences, is that (at least in international schools) the post-pandemic recovery is well underway.  

For many, this year has felt harder than others and perhaps tougher than many expected.  Whilst it’s true that some young people appear to have sailed through the last two years unscathed, most have not, and I feel we’ll be dealing with the impact of Covid-19 for many years to come.  Here in the UK, the spotlight for some seems to be on ‘curriculum catch-up’, whereas international schools appear to be focusing more on ‘social recovery.’  In some parts of the world, for almost two years, many children have missed out on playing together, collaborating, disagreeing, problem solving, and generally developing the social skills that are foundational to them thriving now and in their future.  Here at MARIO, we have been contacted by a number of schools whose students have been going through a really tough time.  Again, it’s a privilege to help all of our schools measure, monitor and improve wellbeing.  

We now have a significant cohort of schools signed up for multi-year partnerships with us, and so many schools on our August pilot program that we’ve had to open an additional pilot in September.  This summer sees a whole raft of enhancements to our software, the launch of our primary/elementary school software, and a new survey builder tool to go alongside our IEP builder.  And of course, the launch of our new website and the fact we are now MARIO Education.  All in all, a busy few weeks ahead.

The entire MARIO team wishes you all a safe and pleasant holiday, and if you’re on a southern hemisphere calendar, a great second half of the year!

Graeme