Dear Parents:

I am writing to introduce myself as the new Foreign Vice Principal of THIS. In my brief time here, I have been extremely impressed with the students, teachers, and administrators that make up the THIS community. I hope that the school year has started well for your son or daughter, and I look forward to getting to know each of you.

We appreciate your patience in the opening days. THIS enters its second academic year with high hopes, but we are still maturing as an institution. I trust you have received messages from Debbie Kurtzberg and/or Martha Ortiz, our Directors of the Primary and Secondary Schools, respectively. You will soon also receive communication from your child's homeroom teacher, who will be your primary point of contact with the school.

We understand that you may have questions for the administration, and in the coming months, we will maintain office hours devoted listening to your concerns. For questions related to the Primary School, office hours will be 8:00 to 9:00 a.m. on Tuesdays in Room 302. For the Secondary School, hours are 8:00 to 9:00 a.m. on Wednesdays in Room 309. If you would like to make an appointment outside those times, we ask that you check contact Lydia Zhang, our capable receptionist at the desk at the school's main entrance, to schedule an appointment. Lydia can be reached at 6279-2930.

On Tuesday, September 21 at 3:45 p.m., we invite parents to come to our Curriculum Information Program, where teachers will explain the daily activities of the students and outline their plan for the year. Parents will have the opportunity to meet with both homeroom teachers and subject teachers, though the focus will be primarily on curriculum and program rather than the progress of individual students. The night's activities will begin in Room B-106.

We invite parents and students in grades 9-12 to come to school on Monday, September 13 at 6:30 p.m. (Room B-106) for an introduction to the college and university admission process. College Counselor Chris Haagen and I will provide information about THIS's support for students during the process, and we will then welcome Keith Hernandez, a former admissions officer at Columbia University, who will share his insight on the application process at U.S. institutions. (Keith will also meet with THIS students during the school day.) We have also scheduled visits from admissions officers from Brown University, Drexel University, Haverford College, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, University of Pennsylvania, Smith College, University of Southern California, and Temple University. THIS is committed to providing families with the strongest possible support in the admission process, and we look forward to helping students find an excellent college or university.

THIS prides itself on being an international institution. Our faculty hail from Australia, North America, Europe, and Asia. Our students represent more than a dozen countries, from Thailand to Canada, Ghana to Russia, and all points in-between. In some ways, the education at THIS will be familiar to students and parents, but in other ways it will be very different. We hope that students find THIS to be a challenging place that helps them think in new ways. They have an exciting educational journey ahead, and we are delighted to be part of it.

Sincerely,

Bruce G. Hammond
Foreign Vice Principal