As the Head of Secondary School at NAIS Pudong, I am eager to share our commitment to fostering critical thinking and deep learning in the dynamic landscape of education.
As we get ever closer to the official first day of the new academic year on Monday, it was wonderful to be able to open the campus today to welcome our new students and their families for an orientation morning.
One considerable advantage of studying the IB Diploma is that it is an excellent preparation for study at university and beyond. The ways in which students learn to be responsible for their own learning and to be independent thinkers is a key feature both of the programme and also of the approach to teaching and learning adopted by NAIS Pudong. Underpinning the programme is the Theory of Knowledge component that sits alongside the Extended Essay and the CAS element and is a core requirement for passing the course.
It has been great to see our students back in school after the majority of them were involved in Project Week trips last week.
The trips themselves were extremely successful. We ask our students to have the confidence to step outside their comfort zones and to fully engage in the various challenges that are offered to them. It has been wonderful hearing from the teachers accompanying those students how well they have done this and how much they have learned in doing so. Our pupils were also great ambassadors for the school, conducting themselves, as we would expect, with politeness, respect and with a positive attitude. Each trip included an element of community service and our students can be justifiably proud that they have made a tangible difference in the lives of others in the work that they were able to do.
This week featured two Academic Review Evenings, and it was great to see so many parents of Key Stage 3 students in attendance. We have always believed that the dialogue that can take place in a short conversation between teacher, student and parent is far richer than any written communication can ever be which is why we hold three such events for each age group, with the exception of Years 11 and 13 who end their school year earlier with final examinations. Next Tuesday, it is the turn of Year 10 and Year 12.