2023-24 School Year Orientation Day

Primary students and parents’ orientation was led by homeroom teachers and teaching assistants, with an icebreaking game that allowed students, parents, and teachers to get acquainted quickly. Teachers also introduced the school rules in detail, such as the uniform requirement and the language requirement of speaking English. Both the icebreaking game and the introduction of the school rules were conducted in small groups or in round tables. This equal discussion method emphasizes the core values of “Respect”, ” Collaboration” and “Innovation” that we implemented into the games and activities in a fun and educational way.

Primary Language Teacher, Jingjing Li, introduced parents to the Chinese language program, mentioning that Chinese program is just as important as English. With the goal of dual-language development, primary students have one Chinese lesson every day. How do we ensure that our students’ Chinese is at native level in the limited class time available? The secret lies in the fact that we choose classical and key content to teach, dig into the culture behind the language, and focus on the development of students’ lasting comprehension and comprehensive language literacy.

Finally, Mr. Wang Wei, the parent representative, shared his heartfelt experience with the parents of the new students. He expressed that he understands very well the anxiety and nervousness of the new students’ parents about the unknown and hoped that the parents can fully trust the school, and make use of the various communication channels between home and school such as the Parent Council, so that the home and school can be closely connected and work together to support the growth of their children.

During the meeting with the Director of Secondary School, Mr. Scott Pare shared with the new students the secondary school life, introduced the students to the student handbook, explained and emphasized on the rules concerning the school uniform, academic integrity, the use of electronic devices and the English policy on campus, etc. Mr. Pare encouraged the new students saying that a new semester is a fresh start and hopefully students set new goals for themselves, learn to cooperate with peers, help and support each other to continue to surpass themselves.

Ms. Laura Zhang, the secondary counselor, also welcomed the new students and said that her goal is to support the wellbeing and success of every student, and that she will do her best to provide a safe and comfortable space for students, and she will always have a heart to listen, care and support them.

Ms. Amy Zou, College Counselor Coordinator, welcomed the middle school students to knock on her office door anytime to talk with them. The college counseling department will provide students and parents with a wealth of college guidance services to support every high school student’s college application and help them realize their ideal life in a full and meaningful way.

Ms. Joy Zhou, Student Activities Coordinator, introduced the wide variety of clubs and extracurricular activities, sports, and competitions available at THIS. There are also domestic and international study tours, exchange programs, and competitions, among other programs. Students were so excited to hear about the clubs and activities they were interested in and were eager to join them for the new semester!

After the new student training, students met with their homeroom teachers and classmates to learn about the activities and rules of the class. Teachers also prepared different fun activities to let students introduce themselves to each other. With the sound of laughter, students’ friendship between peers is slowly sprouting.

In the afternoon, students from the Secondary Section received a writing and reading workshop from the English teachers, as well as tests. This part is to accelerate their language adaptation and to be well prepared for the start of the school year! The Grade 9 students also participated in a meeting with the college counselor team, to familiarize themselves with the College Counselling Program in advance.