Dear SIS Community,

Today concludes a very busy week for the school as we hosted our WASC Accreditation Visiting Team.

Quality schools across the world use the accreditation system to make certain that their students' report cards are recognized, allowing them to enter good universities or transfer between schools.
The Visiting Team of five experienced educators has spent the week looking into every aspect of the school. Their report to the Western Association of Schools and Colleges in the US will be made public in around two weeks. The major outcome that we want is that we gain a continuation of our accreditation for a further period of six years. As the oldest international school in Shenzhen, we highly value our long history as a quality school. We have been fully accredited since 1990.

Today, as the Visiting Team left, they provided an overview of their findings which I am pleased to share.

• Their first and most fundamental observation was the strength of the school community as a whole. They were highly impressed by the students, staff and parents as a caring, supportive, and continually learning community.
• The ability of the school to reflect our mission in all that we do was also highlighted. Our staff are able to inspire and provide learning that nurtures creativity and innovation and high achievement. They found our students to be reflective and articulate and engaged.
• Our commitment to providing extra value to students through a broad and inclusive co-curricular program was also noted. Being able to focus on the many interests of our students is part of a truly international educational experience.

Our staff have appreciated the opportunity to showcase our school to these visitors who have an appreciation of what good schools across the globe look like. They have celebrated many of the features that we love about SIS. When we receive the full report, I will be pleased to share it with you all.

The Spring Break comes at the right time for families to enjoy great weather with their children. I hope that many of you will be able to travel given the limitations that were in place during the New Year vacation. Please be safe and return to classes refreshed and renewed for some more great learning.


Best regards

 
Greg Smith

Head of School

Calendar, News and Important Events...

We Have Good News to Share...

We celebrate the many languages spoken in our truly international community. One of the most prominent is our French speaking community.
Our French Bilingual Program expanded this year to welcome non-French speakers to join the early years classes and begin the journey to learn both French and English. Due to the success of this expansion, we are opening places to students who wish to learn in both French and English across the Primary School.
This expansion of the primary grades program is supported by a Language plus track in our secondary school which gives students the chance to graduate with a Bilingual IB Diploma. This is a real advantage as university admissions departments look for students with a point of difference.

Look for more information in the coming weeks on the new expanded French Bilingual Program that seeks to promote and build the strength of the Francophone community in Southern China.