Regency Park Campus Newsletter

Kasey Zhang, K2C Co-Teacher

Ms. Kasey has been working as ECE teacher for six years. Originally, Ms. Kasey worked as a class teacher in a demonstration kindergarten, and taught Mandarin for K2 and Year 1 children in another international school in Shanghai.

Ms. Kasey graduated from Shanghai Normal University where she received an undergraduate degree in early childhood education. She embarked on a  masters degree from Nankai University where she specialized in psychotechnics.

Ms. Kasey is an open-minded, caring and a whole life scholar who likes to explore her love for education. She is always thinking about how to bring out the best in children. Ms. Kasey strives to motivate the children to learn problem-solving skills, emotional management skills and the habit of inquiry.

In her spare time, she likes playing guzheng, belly dancing and listening to Xiangsheng (stand-up comedy).

Laura NAND, K3B Co-Teacher

Miss Laura joined YCIS Pudong in 2020 as an ECE teacher. Originally from the UK, Miss Laura studied dance at university and then moved to China in 2014 to begin her career in full-time English Teaching. After gaining her Postgraduate Certificate in Primary Education at the University of Southampton she moved to Bucharest for a year to teach Early Years. She is thrilled to be returning to Shanghai, a city that she feels has become her second home.

Miss Laura is passionate about growing each learner as an individual and providing a nurturing environment for children to explore the world around them. She likes to use music and movement in her class and finds creative ways to encourage early reading and writing development.

In her spare time, Miss Laura enjoys cooking & baking, reading fiction books, running, dancing, playing board games and travelling.

Harriet Chan, K3D Co-Teacher

Ms. Harriet is a passionate, patient early childhood teacher with 4 years’ experience teaching in Hong Kong. Originally from Hong Kong, Ms. Harriet completed her bachelor’s degree in early childhood education at Yew Chung College of Early Childhood Education (YCCECE) in 2020. She is certified as a kindergarten teacher, special childcare worker, and childcare supervisor.

While studying at YCCECE, Ms. Harriet taught in both local and international schools and spent her after-school time teaching English to a range of different age groups in a Hong Kong learning center.

After gaining 4 valuable years of learning in YCCECE, Ms. Harriet has a well-rounded understanding of the Early Childhood Education (ECE) programme at Yew Chung International School.

As well as being passionate about her subject area, Ms. Harriet enjoys promoting healthy eating. She has spent her final year of studies researching about food choices at home.

Beyond teaching, Ms. Harriet loves reading, traveling, and connecting with people from other cultures.

Joanne BEAUMONT-BATES, K2 Co-Teacher

Ms Joanne is joining YCIS Pudong as a member of the ECE team. She is from Nelson, New Zealand and hopes to be arriving in Shanghai early November 2020 to take up her position as an ECE co-teacher. Prior to moving to YCIS, Ms Joanne has been teaching and researching for over twelve years.

Ms Joanne values academic knowledge and this is reflected in her own academic transcript. She holds a Bachelor of Teaching (BTchg), a Post Graduate Diploma in Education (PGDIPEd), a Master of Education (MEd) and is currently working on her doctoral thesis for the qualification of Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) through the University of Canterbury, New Zealand.

Ms Joanne is passionate about play based child-centered pedagogy, digital technologies, inclusive and equitable learning and children’s rights. She believes that every child is a unique individual and has the right to realize their full potential. This begins in the classroom by developing responsive, reciprocal, relationships with children and their families from the outset.

Ms Joanne believes in creating supportive learning environments that encourage curiosity, active exploration, critical thinking skills, self-regulation and resilience. These are some of the key skills essential for developing a positive character and shaping capable and confident global citizens.

In her spare time Ms Joanne enjoys playing ‘the great highland bagpipes’ and in 2019 she travelled to Scotland to participate in the World Pipe Band Championships. She also enjoys travelling, good food and spending quality time with her family and friends.

Ms Joanne is joined by her son, Brock who will be attending YCIS Pudong at the Century Park Campus. Brock is also excited about starting his new adventure at YCIS.

Marc LAWRENCE, Y1A Co-Teacher

Mr Marc Lawrence joined YCIS Shanghai, Pudong in 2020. Originally for Australia, Marc completed his Bachelor of Primary Education at the Australia Catholic University. He went on to achieve a Masters of Education, majoring in School Leadership, at the University of New England.

Marc began his career in 2008 in Canberra, Australia teaching a lower primary class. In 2010 and 2011, Marc worked for two years in London, England at Pembridge Hall, teaching a Year 2 class. In 2012 and 2013, he taught for two years in Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea at the Ela Murray International School working in the upper primary.  For the last five years, he has been teaching in Sydney, Australia as an assistant principal at Dobroyd Point Public School. He possesses an abundance of enthusiasm, a passion for student progress and achievement and is committed to all aspects of school life.

Mr. Marc Lawrence is joined by his wife Megan and his two daughters, Harriet and Charlotte who are also very excited about starting their journeys at YCIS Pudong.

Beyond the classroom, Mr Marc Lawrence enjoys watching and participating in world sports, exploring new places and experiencing their respective local customs, traditions and foods.

Sherry Cui , Y1D Co-Teacher

Ms. Sherry Cui began working at YCIS Pudong in 2019.

Ms. Cui obtained her Master degree of Teaching Chinese to Students of Other Languages in East China Normal University. Ms. Cui always believes that each student is unique and full of potential, she often encourages kids to solve problems in different ways. She likes working with students and teaching Chinese with some interesting activities. Ms. Cui is also a good learner, she enjoys learning new methods and improving her teaching skills.

Beyond teaching, Ms. Cui also loves reading, travelling, listening to music and Chinese traditional instruments. She likes playing the Chinese zither in her spare time.

Lei LEI , Y3D Co- Teacher

Ms. Lei joined YCIS Pudong in 2019 as a Chinese co-teacher.

She obtained a MA Degree in Teaching Chinese as a Foreign Language from East China Normal University and a BA degree in literature from Wuhan University. Ms. Lei loves spending time in class and teaching Chinese to students from different cultural backgrounds. Before taking up teaching posts at YCIS, she worked as a Mandarin teacher in Australia and USA.

Ms. Lei believes that Interest is the best teacher; her teaching pedagogy includes a strong focus on building interest in students through reading and activities. As an educator, she alsobelieves that each child is unique and she encourages students to discover their own way of learning with positive learning attitudes.

Beyond education, Ms. Lei enjoys yoga, photography, hiking and travelling the world. She recently tried to develop the skills on vlogging life to keep the memories alive.

Xing LYU ,Y4B Co-Teacher

Xing Lyu holds a master’s degree in teaching and learning Chinese language from Hong Kong University, and a bachelor’s degree and post-graduate diploma in Education (PGDE) from Nanyang Technological University in Singapore. Xing was originally from Shanghai and has been studying and living in Singapore for 15 years.

For the past 7 years, Xing has been a class form teacher as well as a Mandarin teacher in a Singapore public school, where she gained teaching experience working with a group of Chinese and non-Chinese students across 6 levels.

Xing believes in the concept that “Every student can learn”. To her, every student is unique and has great enthusiasm to learn. With this in mind, Xing does all that she can to help students in her class to unlock their potential. Xing always find innovative ways to make her Chinese lessons engaging and inspiring. It is so heart-warming for her to witness pupils embracing challenges, overcoming difficulties, and achieving their best.

Outside of the classroom, Xing loves to explore new things, experience new cultures, meet new friends. This is how she keeps herself open-minded and satisfies her curiosity of discovering this fascinating world.

Angelica Escobar ,Y4C Co-Teacher

Ms. Angelica Escobar is originally from Colombia in South America. Her studies include a B.A. in psychology, a teaching certificate and a Master’s in Education. She is certified as an International Positive Discipline Trainer for teachers and parents and has completed additional training in all areas of the education field, including ESL and safeguarding level 3.

Back in Colombia, Angelica worked for 7 years in an IB school, supporting children and teachers in and out of the classroom as the Learning Support Coordinator. She also taught pastoral and wellbeing to all the students in the primary school.

Later, Angelica moved to Tianjin, China, where she taught Year Three for three years and Year Four for two years in an international school. She was also the Years Three and Four leader,aHead of House and one of the boarding house assistants.

Angelica is joined by her husband, Saul, along with their daughter Emilia and their son Mati, who will attend the Primary School at YCIS Pudong.

Angelica is a creative and active person. She loves dancing, traveling and discovering more about people and their culture.

Lilian Liu, Y4D Co-Teacher

Ms Liu has worked at YCIS Pudong since 2019. She has been studying Chinese language and literature over seven years and has obtained a master’s degree in this field in Shanghai.

Ms Liu is an enthusiastic and responsible teacher who believes that every student is distinctive. She sees that her role is to motivate them to play imaginatively and creatively in the course of Chinese learning. Ms Liu encourages students to learn Chinese both in and out of the classroom.

In her spare time, she prefers to improve her teaching skills through different media and enjoy splendid languages and cultures.

James Dyke, Year 4E Co-Teacher

Mr. James Dyke is adynamic, passionate, primary teacher with over 15 years’ experience teaching at outstanding schools around the world.

Originally from England in the UK, Mr. Dyke completed his Bachelors degree in English Language and Linguistics at the University of Surrey. He went on to gain a PGCE from the University of Worcester before taking up his first post teaching a Year 1 class in England.

After gaining 4 valuable years of experience teaching the English National Curriculum, Mr. Dyke took up his first international teaching position in Bangkok, Thailand. Here Mr. Dyke spent 6 years teaching a range of different year groups. For the past 5 years Mr. Dyke has been working in Abu Dhabi in the UAE.

Mr. Dyke combines education with entertainment, ensuring all those who are taught by him make maximum progress as well as having a great time.

Mr. Dyke is joined by his wife Paweena and his two sons, Eddie and Nicholas who are also very excited about starting their journeys at YCIS Pudong.

Outside of the classroom Mr. Dyke enjoys most sports and is a huge England cricket fan!

Ruby CHEN, Y5A Co-Teacher

Ms. Chen began working at YCIS Pudong in 2016. Before working as Year 5 Co-Teacher, Ms. Chen was a Year 7 Co-Teacher in the Secondary school at YCIS. She was also the Chinese teacher, teaching both CAL and CFL courses. In Primary, Ms. Chen will focus on teaching CFL courses for students.

Before joining YCIS, Ms. Chen worked as a Chinese teacher in Donghua University. She earned her Bachelor’s degree of Teaching Chinese as a Foreign Language in Shanghai International Studies University. She likes kids and enjoys spending time with them. She pays attention to the development of every student and focuses on cultivating students’ interest and good study habits.

As well as a passionate teacher, Ms. Chen likes to play Tai Chi. She offers Tai Chi CCAs to students at YCIS Pudong. She also loves DIY, cooking, playing badminton, and traveling.

Kelly Lyons, Y5C Co-Teacher

Ms Lyons is originally from Sydney, Australia. She gained her Bachelor of Teaching/ Bachelor of Social Science from the University of Newcastle, Australia. Ms Lyons has over 18 years’ experience, having taught in Australia before embarking on her international teaching career 2 years ago. She has taught the Australian curriculum, as well as the IB PYP curriculum across a range of year groups.

Ms Lyons is passionate about Mathematics, student engagement through making connections with their learning and the world around them and student’s achieving their personal best through having a growth mindset.

Ms Lyons is joined by her 2 children, Chelsea and Tristan who will join YCIS Pudong in the Secondary section.

Ms Lyons enjoys participating and watching a variety of sports, trying new activities, creating quilts and exploring new places. She enjoys being part of a team and was a patrolling surf life saver at her local beach before moving to China.

Caroline Haigh, Y6C Co-Teacher

Miss Haigh is joining YCIS Pudong in 2020 as a Year 6 teacher. Originally from the north of England, Miss Haigh started her career working in Early Childhood Education with a BA (Hons) in Early Childhood Studies. This entailed working in Early Childhood settings in London and in Australia. She then completed a PGCE specialising in Upper Primary and teaching various year groups in the North of England.

Alongside teaching Miss Haigh completed a Masters in Education where she carried out research looking at different education systems in Finland, Zambia and Hong Kong. In her previous school she carried out the role of Special Educational Needs Co-ordinator which entailed completing the NASENCO qualification. In addition to this, she was the assistant safeguard lead and formed part of the senior leader team in her previous role. Miss Haigh has experience leading KS2 school performance, sporting activities and residential visits which she values as part of developing the whole child.

In addition to teaching Miss Haigh likes to keep active though running, dancing and exploring new destinations around the world to learn about different cultures. Miss Haigh is very excited to be joining the YCIS team and continuing to develop her passion for teaching and learning in an international setting

Claudia Du, Y6B Co-Teacher

Ms.Claudia Du began working at YCIS Pudong in 2019.

Ms. Du obtained her Master’s Degree in Teaching Chinese as a Foreign Language in Capital Normal University. Ms. Du worked as a Chinese teacher in Confucius school in Bilbao, Spain before joining YCIS Pudong. She has a passion for Chinese teachingand class management. Ms.Du enjoys maintaining a good relationship with her students, and likes to motivate them in different ways.

Beyond education, Ms. Du has a passion for life. She loves swimming, travelling and she is also keen to learn about different cultures.

Temisha S. Willis, Primary EAL Teacher

Miss Willis joined YCIS Pudong this year as a member of the EAL team. She is from the United States but has resided in Shanghai since 2018. Prior to moving to Shanghai, Miss Willis taught in the USA for 21 years.

Miss Willis has a Bachelor of Science degree in Elementary Education K-8 and a MA in Teaching and Learning K-12. Prior to moving to China, Miss Willis started studies towards her EdD in Leadership and Management.

While living and teaching in the USA, Miss Willis taught grades K and G5-G8 as well as served as a Curriculum and Instruction Specialist for schools servicing grades K-8^th.

Miss Willis knew that teaching was in her blood from a young age. While her peers were outside playing, she would be inside holding class with her baby dolls and teddy bears. Nothing delights her more than seeing a child light up and the “I did it” glow when they have acquired a new skill or figured out a solution to a problem.

The one thing Miss Willis does with passion is to encourage children to read. Read as much as possible and whenever possible is her mantra. She always shares with students that reading allows them the ability to see new places and explore the unknown without ever leaving the room.

Aside from working with scholars, Miss Willis loves to cook, tries to travel as often as possible and loves spontaneous photography. Shopping used to be at the top of the list prior to moving abroad.

Song Wong, Y5 EAL / Resource Teacher

Ms. Song joined YCIS this academic year as a Y5 EAL Teacher and Resource Teacher. Originally from California, Ms. Song has an undergraduate degree from Cornell University and an MBA from Harvard University. She worked for a number of years in the hotel, real estate and finance industries in San Francisco, Singapore and Shanghai. Keen to explore entrepreneurship while raising a family, Ms. Song started Shanghai’s first American-style bakery in 2008, called Sweet Ever After.

Mother to four little ones, ages 2 to 9, Ms. Song loves being around children. Motivated by her interest in the field of education and teaching, Ms. Song completed her certificate of teaching from Moreland University and completed her student teacher practical in a Y2 classroom at YCIS Pudong during 2019.

Ms. Song believes that learning never ends and growth is always on the horizon. It is with a passion for learning and growth that Ms. Song approaches teaching.

Kevin Pham, Music Teacher

Mr. Pham joined YCIS Pudong in 2020 as a Primary and Secondary Music Teacher. He completed his undergraduate degrees in music education and secondary education at Fort Hays State University in Kansas, USA. Before working at YCIS, he taught band and general music at Plainville High School and coached the percussion sections at Shawnee Mission East High School and Olathe South High School in Kansas City. YCIS marks Mr. Pham’s sixth year of teaching and his first year at an international school.

Mr. Pham seeks to inspire students to help them find a passion in music in hopes that it becomes a meaningful and enriching part of their daily lives. In addition to teaching, Mr. Pham pursues his own musical ventures through performing and arranging. He also has interests in recording music and video editing. Outside of music, Mr. Pham enjoys exercising, pretending to know to how cook, and going on adventures to learn more about different cultures of the world.

Danny Howe, PE Teacher

Mr. Danny will be joining YCIS Pudong this year as a member of the Physical Education Team. Originally from Chicago in the USA, he received his BA degree in Physical Education & Health for levels K-12 from Northeastern Illinois University. After spending three years teaching PE in the USA, he started his international teaching career in Shanghai where he spent six years educating students in PE & Health covering a range of different year groups. He has spent the past year teaching in Romania and is very excited to be returning to Shanghai.

Mr. Danny is passionate about encouraging students to challenge themselves in physical activity, and helping them achieve their personal bests. He believes that educators have the wonderful opportunity to help shape the overall character of their students and provide them with the tools they need to be successful in the future.

In his spare time, Mr. Danny is a true adventurer! He has visited 76 countries around the world and has future plans to visit many more. When he is not trekking around the globe, he enjoys playing competitive sports such as softball, basketball and golf. Discovering new music is one of his true passions, and you will rarely see him without a pair of headphones in his ears.

Kyndra Douglass, University Guidance Counsellor

Kyndra Douglass joined YCIS Pudong in 2020 and has been working in Shanghai as a University Counsellor for the previous 4 years. She grew up in Los Angeles, California and after finishing her B.A. in Global Studies from the University of California at Santa Barbara, Kyndra has been living around the world.

After teaching English in Seoul, South Korea and Tainan, Taiwan for several years she went on to earn a Masters degree in International Higher Education through Loyola University Chicago. Kyndra is extremely excited to be a part of the YCIS community after hearing about it’s amazing reputation. She feels extraordinarily fortunate to support such hardworking and unique students in their university preparations and applications.

Carolyn Chieng, Mathematics Teacher

Ms. Chieng joined YCIS Pudong in 2020 as a Secondary Mathematics Teacher. She has a Bachelor’s Degree in Mathematics from the National University of Singapore and a Master’s Degree in Mathematics Education from Columbia University. She started her career in banking before pursuing her passion in teaching. With over 14 years of experience teaching in Singapore and New York, Ms. Chieng was also a Tech Mentor who led teachers in using technology to enhance students’ learning.

When Ms. Chieng was in primary school, she was among the first group of students to learn Mathematics using the Singapore Math method and was always fascinated by the visual representation of Mathematics. She was curious about the connections between Mathematics and the real world, and wants her students to appreciate the beauty of Mathematics.

Outside the classroom, Ms. Chieng enjoys cooking with her two sons who are enrolled at YCIS Pudong. They love making costumes and look forward to exploring Shanghai on their bicycles and trying new cuisine.

Holly Mason, Science Teacher

Miss Mason joined YCIS Pudong in 2020 as a Secondary Science teacher. She is originally from the UK and studied Mathematics, Biology and Chemistry at A level then continued on to higher education where she studied a Bachelor of Science degree in pharmacology at Newcastle University.  Upon completion of her degree, she realized teaching would fulfil her passion for Science and enjoyment of working with children. Miss Mason completed her teacher training in 2016 and has taught Science in a secondary school and sixth form until 2020.

Miss Mason aims to inspire a scientific curiosity in her students and together explore new scientific ideas and theories.

When she isn’t teaching, Miss Mason enjoys traveling, reading and walking.

Jennifer Hecker, English Teacher

Ms. Hecker joined YCIS Shanghai Pudong in 2020 as a Secondary English teacher.  Originally from California, Ms. Hecker has a BA in international relations and Spanish language and literature from the University of San Diego.  She completed a post-baccalaureate degree in writing at UC Berkeley.  After obtaining a teaching credential in Secondary English, Ms. Hecker earned a Master’s in Secondary Education from California State University Fullerton. Ms. Hecker has taught English and Spanish in the USA, Korea, and China.

Ms. Hecker enjoys reading fiction and non-fiction in order to learn more about the world around her.   She enjoys traveling in order to learn about the culture and politics of nations, and to gain understanding of the universal human experience.  She strongly believes that understanding and compassion are the key to a better planet.

When she isn’t teaching, traveling, or learning Ms. Hecker enjoys exploring Shanghai and finding the hidden gems of the city.

Mahriar Hussain, Social Sciences Teacher

Mr Hussain joined YCIS Pudong in 2020 as a Humanities and ICGSE History teacher. Originally born and raised in Hong Kong, he moved to the UK in 2002 where he obtained a degree from Oxford Brookes University in 2005 and then moved to London and obtained a Masters degree at the London School of Economics in 2006.  After working for a number of years he decided to turn his childhood passion of history as a means to develop a fulfilling career, so he trained as a history teacher and obtained his PGCE in 2017 and taught history in schools in London.

As a passionate historian Mr Hussain likes to continually update his subject and pedagogical knowledge in order to deliver enjoyable lessons. He believes history is an incredibly important subject as it teaches students how to analyse and think critically. If you were to walk into his classroom you would see Mr Hussain encouraging his students through discussion to interrogate the past with analytical rigour. In addition to teaching he also worked as a GCSE history examiner for one of the UK exam boards and has shared the insights gained there to teach students how to write and communicate effectively.

Aside from teaching History, Mr Hussain enjoys practising martial arts, reading and travelling.

Michael Henderson, PE Teacher

Mr. Henderson joins the Physical Education department at YCIS after 11 year’s experience of teaching internationally. Originally from the city of Glasgow in Scotland, Mr. Henderson completed his BSc with Honours in Sports Coaching and Development in 2005. After a short spell coaching football in The United States, he returned to his studies to gain his PGDE in Physical Education at the University of Strathclyde. Eager to see more of the world, Mr. Henderson moved to Qatar in 2009 for a P.E. teaching position. Since then he has held Head of P.E. department roles in Oman, Malaysia and most recently in the United Arab Emirates.

Enthusiastic about the opportunities and skill acquisition that sport can provide students both in and out of school; Mr. Henderson is an ardent supporter of extra-curricular activities for all age groups and for any level of expertise.

Away from teaching, Mr. Henderson enjoys playing golf and football and has an interest in aviation.

Richard Garrison, Mathematics Teacher

Mr. Garrison is originally from Cleveland, Ohio in the United states where he got his degree in Mathematics at John Carroll University.  He taught for 2 years in the United States, then for 1 year in Guangzhou, and for the past 4 years he has been teaching at Tsinghua International School in Beijing.

This year will be Mr. Garrison’s first year at YCIS and he will be teaching Mathematics from Years 8 through 12 as well as coaching volleyball.

In his spare time, Mr. Garrison enjoys watching live music, playing sports and scuba diving.

Vish Kapila, Computer Science Teacher / Technology Integrator

Mr Kapila joined YCIS Pudong in 2020.  Originally from North Manchester, UK.  he studied in London, Manchester and West Yorkshire to complete his BSc Computing.  He then completed his PGCE (QTS) in 2003.  Since then Mr Kapila has achieved a TESOL (English language teacher qualification) and a Master of Education MEd – Leadership and Management (from the UK).  As far as teaching goes, Mr Kapila has been working as a teacher in the UK from 2003 to 2014 up to leadership level.  However, due to an interest of travel – over the last seven years Mr Kapila has worked in Kazakhstan as a Teacher Trainer, Director of IT Education in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Computer Science teacher in Suzhou and now proudly working at YCIS.

Mr Kapila believes that Education is the way forward of making our world better.

Mr Kapila has his son aged 11 with him and his wife who is also a qualified primary school teacher.  His interests include internet technology, cars, cooking, learning about cultures, playing and watching football, studying history, etymology and philosophy.  Mr Kapila speaks fluent Arabic, Punjabi (Hindi/Urdu) and has basic level French, Russian and Chinese.