As we approach the end of Term 2, I want to take this opportunity to sincerely thank and recognise all SSIS staff, students and parents that have made the return to school after Chinese New Year a success. It has been a very busy term with many rescheduled in-person events. We are also busy planning for Term 3 and end of year celebratory events.
Thank you to our Parent Support Group (PSG) for organising the Hello Spring Charity Sale Event. While it was, of course, disappointing that the Christmas event was cancelled, it was great to welcome Spring with hot chocolate, snacks and more importantly the charity sale.
It is fantastic to have over 500 of the SSIS community coming together in the Performing Arts Centre (PAC) for the first-ever SSIS Movie Night! As the weather warms, we are looking forward to the all the upcoming events now we can fully utilise our 21st century learning facilities for both students and parents.
It is with great excitement that I reshare the announcement that SSIS is now officially approved as a Duke of Edinburgh International Award Centre.
This new accreditation for SSIS further Complements out current service-learning offerings by providing our students with the opportunity to participate in a prestigious and internationally recognised qualification. This programme develops essential life skills such as teamwork, leadership, and problem-solving while engaging in physical activity, volunteering, and scope for personal development.
We are already planning International Award opportunities for the end of this year and next year. While this external award, is open to grade 9 students and above, we are already using the framework to inform our grade 7 & 8 curriculum. The G7&8 students that signed up for the experiential learning CCA have the opportunity to visit Sheshan Botanical Gardens on Friday, 16th March. On this day, they will experience orienteering and experiential learning activities modelled after the International Award. Exciting times are ahead!
Last week, saw the announcement of the return of the World Scholars Cup, Shanghai regional round. This will be the first time the Shanghai event has occurred since April 2019. This event provides our students with the opportunity to enrich their learning and participate in an academic yet social and fun competition. The ASP training sessions will occur on Tuesday and Thursday. Thanks to Tanisha CHAUDHURY and Erika TONG (Grade 7) for their initiative and leadership in announcing this event and the supporting ASP (Tuesday & Thursday) session at this week’s assembly at such short notice.
With the grade 10 & 12 mock exams next week, I am resharing a link to the Science of Learning and Effective Learning Strategies video workshop. Please also refer to the Science of Learning guide shared on ManageBac to complement this workshop and as a basis for discussion with your children.
I also understand that mock examinations can be an especially stressful time for students. In many ways, the shorter time period students complete the full array of exams is more intense than the final exams. The infographic below and the accompanying article summarise the benefits of mock exams and how they help prepare students for the higher stakes external IGCSE and IBDP examinations.
All the information regarding excursions has been shared via SchoolsBuddy and student grade level information meetings are scheduled for next Tuesday. Please do contact Mr. Johnson (matthewjohnson@ssis.asia) with any questions you may have.
Parents and students are encouraged to speak to their teachers or academic coordinators if they have any questions about the application process. The application deadline is Friday 7th April.
I am looking forward to reviewing applications and the exciting new Scholarship initiatives.
I would like to remind you about the rescheduled school day and Parent-Teacher Conference on Saturday, 18th March. Due to the early winter holiday school closure, the scheduled Parent Conferences on Saturday 18th March will also be a school day for students. Students will follow a shortened lesson schedule and have enrichment activities in the afternoon. Parents can arrange meetings with individual teachers based on their availability throughout the day. As students will be in normal lessons for most of this day, most conferences will be between parents and teachers. Parents that would like to meet teachers with their child can book afternoon interviews
The detailed schedule for this day is as follows:
Rearranged School Day (Wednesday Week B) And PTC/SLC (40 min lessons)
Form Time: 8:15 – 8:25
Period 1: 8:30 – 9:10
Period 2: 9:13 – 9:53
Period 3: 9:56 – 10:36
Period 4: 10:39 – 11:19
Period 5: 11:22 – 12:02 (G7&8 off timetable)
Period 6: 12:05 – 12:45 (G7&8 off timetable)
11:30 to 12:30 G7&8 Maths Competition (4th Floor).
The Maths Dept will take all G7-8 students for a Maths interhouse competition during periods 5-6
Lunch: 12:45-1:30
Extended time for Parent Student Meetings 12:50 – 3:50
Afternoon Activities & Events
Students can sign up for
watch the grade 11 Group 4 Project presentations
sports day training (coaching clinics/track and field warm up/training sessions)
G10 & G12 independent study in the Knowledge Hub
SLC meetings with their parents
SchoolsBuddy is now closed to parent bookings.
Senior School term 2 report cards will be accessible from ManageBac on Thursday 16th March at 4 pm.
With gratitude
Mr Steven Gaynor, Senior School Principal
Dates for your Diary
Monday 13th March – Friday 24th March : G10 & G12 Mock Examinations
Wednesday 15th March : G8 Science Fair
Friday 17th – Saturday 18th March : G11 Group 4 Project
Saturday 18th March : School Day & Parent Teacher Conferences (PTC/SLC)
Monday 13th – Friday 27th March: Chinese Culture Week
Wednesday 29th March: Senior School Sports Day
Monday 3rd April –Tuesday 4th April: School Day
Wednesday 5th – Friday 7th April: Tomb Sweeping Day
Friday 14th April: International Friendship Day (IFD)
Student Wellbeing
Dear parents,
Last week’s Well-Being Lesson focus was ‘Inclusion and understanding other people’s needs’. Much of the form class discussions and activities centered around how students integrate with each other as well as how they accept those students who are different – be it in terms of nationality, race, gender, learning needs and or physical appearances. This led to Tuesday’s assembly where we invited an NGO, Special Slices (Xiersen) in to address our student body on ‘Inclusion with people of special needs’. It was a very touching presentation that covered how we can get involved and inspired much enthusiasm with its Manga comics and career choices. We look forward to more events where we work collaboratively and get our students participating in such wonderful initiatives.
It is also exciting to see our students take to the stage. This week our senior boys sang the school song whilst Venisze & Jocelyn in Grade 9 performed a poem. They were all outstanding!
Wednesday 8th March was also International Women’s Day and this year the theme is: Embrace Equity. In assembly, we spoke about a gender equal world, one free of bias & discrimination and a world where difference is valued, celebrated and inclusive.
So, I take this opportunity to wish every one of you lovely ladies out there: A happy International Women’s Day!
We have a very action-packed couple of weeks ahead. We are finalising comments and gradebooks for Term 2. We are looking forward to learning about the fascinating investigations done by the Grade 8 students during the Science Fair on Wednesday, 15th March. We are also looking forward to opening the school to the Parent Teacher Conferences on Saturday, 18th of March. Please sign up through SchoolsBuddy to meet with subject teachers. This will also be a compulsory curriculum day with regular classes, an Inter-House Mathematics Competition and a session to practice for the upcoming Inter-House Sports Day. As previously mentioned, on 20th March, we will then be going out on excursion to Nanbei Hu!
This is a busy and exciting time of the year for our IGCSE students. For our Grade 9 students, the excursion is coming, taking place between 20 and 24 March. It has been a while since our students were able to travel outside Shanghai for a school excursion, and we are very excited for them. The Grade 10 students are about to begin their mock exams, with the Art mocks taking place this week and the rest of the subjects next week.
It is an exciting time of year as the final visual art exhibits are going up in the foyer of the school. These impressive displays showcase the students’ two years of art projects. In a similar manner, the other courses are nearing their completion and students are completing syllabus content and consolidating the knowledge gained. Earlier this week we went over effective revision strategies. Check your inbox for a message from me through Managebac; you can review and discuss with your child the surprising conclusions of modern research on the most effective ways to learn and revise.
If your child is absent, please email your child’s form teacher as soon as possible with a reason. A reminder that students should arrive at school wearing full school uniform, including smart black shoes, dark socks and ties.
As the weather warms, students should no longer be wearing outer jackets and instead wear their school blazer as the first outer layer of clothing.
Please email me with any questions you may have, and we can arrange a follow-up phone call or meeting through my PA, Katharine Chen.
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