At this time of year, the mid-autumn festival draws our focus to the Moon and family gatherings. At its brightest on this night - so tradition states - it represents good fortune and a successful future. However, as we approach the first national holiday of the school year, my focus has been drawn to far brighter objects – our students and their own successful futures.
Our oldest students, studying for their A-levels, certainly got to focus on their own futures recently with the visit of Ellen You from The Hong Kong Polytechnic University. Ellen discussed the range of subjects that you can study, with our students showing particular interest in information from the School of Design and the Faculty of Engineering. With students increasingly looking to study in universities outside their home countries, there is a huge pool of excellent universities and engaging courses available. Making sense of this and navigating these choices is not always easy and it’s great that our students have started this process early. With Ellen leaving plenty of material for food for thought, our Head of Sixth Form, Mrs Aston, will be supporting the students as they begin to look at life beyond school.
Looking to the skies, meant my eyes were also drawn to the flags, proudly representing each nationality that forms our school, hanging in our atrium this week. Those flags, in turn, remind me of our upcoming United Nations Day on Friday October 25th.
Each year we come together as a family, with members from around the world to celebrate what not only makes us each unique, but also that which brings us together – our willingness to listen to and learn from each other. This year, as every year, we encourage all our families to take part in this important day by running a stall in our fantastic “International Fair”. Our new Parent Association will be leading from the front, ensuring families connect to each other and we have stalls representing as many of our 40 plus nationalities as possible. So, look out in the coming weeks for more information about how you can get involved with the fun, food and festivities!
