Principal’s Monthly Letter In September 2024

Principal’s Monthly Letter

30^th September, 2024

Dear colleagues,

      In September’s autumn wind, we have welcomed the new 2024 academic year. As children return, every corner of the school brims with the joy of growth again. “Carry on the past and strive forward”, a new journey has started. Looking back over the past month or so, both G1 in primary school and G6 in middle school have marked their one-month celebration. Every achievement during this moment is due to everyone’s efforts. Now, let’s take a look back what we have achieved!

TEACHING AND LEARNING：

        Primary School, further develops the moral-education tutorial system, providing personalized care and overall guidance for holistic development of students. The second “Around the World in 80 Days” inquiry-based integrated project and extended extracurricular courses have been successfully launched. Course projects such as the G1 entrance ceremony, academic specialty courses for G2-G5 in competitions, the G2 library reading activity, and the G4-G5 PM English reading have been gradually initiated, continuously empowering students’ academic and personal development.

         Middle school, with the support of moral education, equal emphasis has been placed on students’ academic and pastoral aspects. A series of “enlightening” moral-education activities organized by classes and year groups, such as the G6 summer camp, speech contests, the resumption of the “Shining Stage” for G6 and G7, and the “Happy Melody” Open-Day events, have effectively built up home-school communication. In teaching, the initial assessment and teaching activities guided by “solving real-world problems” encourage innovation, breakthroughs, and the improvement of teaching quality.

SCHOOL DEVELOPMENT：

        In September, it’s time to start anew. This year, the Trivium programme has been officially launched, and its diverse teaching forms indicate a transformation in the educational ecology. The Overseas Training Plan and the Degree-study Plan have been released. The teachers’ congress promotes the standardization of school management, and being elected as an executive school in the Shanghai Private Education Association, these are showing the school’s determination in different aspects.

        September is also the harvest season. The achievements of the 2024 graduates in both primary school Grade 5 and middle school Grade 9 are inspiring. The high learning efficiency in primary school and the historical breakthroughs in middle school have further enhanced the teaching quality and reputations of our school.

STUDENTS DEVELOPMENT：

        Since the “Ring – Bell” signaled the start of the new school term, events such as Academician Fan Chunhai’s “First Lesson” at the opening ceremony and the art celebrations for Mid-Autumn Festival and National Day have provided a solid platform for students’ development, not only in the classroom but also across the campus. Since July, students have excelled in various competitions. I sincerely congratulate: Ms. Li Xiwen and Mr. Heath along with their students in the World Scholar’s Cup, Mr. Gu Xuefeng and his students in science-tech competitions, Ms. He Jingyun and her music students, Ms. Xing Zhenzhen and her art students, as well as all the teachers in the Middle School English Department for their great achievements in various events and competitions.

TEACHERS DEVELOPMENT：

        Thanks to all of your kind support, that the signing of the “Professional Ethics Commitment” and “Safety Work Responsibility Statement” provides a strong safeguarding to our students. The “PD Day”, Mentor-ship programme, Essay focuses on school development, teaching evaluation and competitions have indicated an overall assurance to school development. Since this July, my sincere congratulations to: Ms Shu Bolan and Mr Zheng Huasheng with their excellent performance in CPC; Ms Yan Kewen and Ms Bu Xiaolan with their selection of Shanghai demo classes; Ms Han Jing with her teaching competitions in homeroom teaching; Ms Guo Ziwei with her teaching competitions; Mr Yan Liwei with his award of guide teacher; Ms Zhang Xia with her honor in Wujing; Mr Wei Yanan with his national first-prize in choir; and Mr Li Qianlei, Ms Guo Ziwei, and Ms Bai Peiyu showing their good demo teaching.

SCHOOL QUALITY：

        This September, amid autumn breezes and typhoons, our administrative and operational teams ensured a smooth school start while strictly implementing safety measures and resource allocation, successfully safeguarding our campus. The addition of the deer added natural charm and extra protection for our children. Continuous improvements in safety, accommodation, dining, transportation, and living spaces provide robust support for teacher and student well-being. Special thanks to the primary and middle school departments, development center, and year-group teams for their unwavering commitment to following our new School values and cultures, fostering educational diversity, learning pluralism, and curriculum quality. These efforts build stronger trust between home and school. As we prepare for the Lanxiang Lake campus relocation, let us embrace our new beginning with “healthy and robust school content.”

        Colleagues, as we celebrate the 75th anniversary of our motherland, wishing you all have a nice holiday break, and looking forward to a new and prosperous October!

         As holiday break comes, I’d like to wish you a nice and safe travelling, and a kind reminder to all colleagues, please keep your line manager in loop in the event of any major emergencies. And finally, please also take a look at the key arrangements ahead in October:

Warm regards,

Leo GE

Principal