Written by: Damien Hehir, Mary Yu and Kian Ji

We regret to inform you that Ms. Amy Yang, our Head of Secondary Chinese, will leave YCIS Pudong at the end of this academic year to move to Hong Kong with her family. Ms. Yang joined YCIS Pudong in 2005 and has taken on various roles, such as Primary Chinese Co-Teacher, Secondary Chinese Teacher, Secondary Chinese as an Additional Language Group Leader, Chinese Coordinator, and most recently as the Head of Secondary Chinese. Whilst we will be sorry to see Ms. Yang leave, we are deeply grateful for her immense contributions over the past 16 years here at Pudong. She has made significant contributions to the Secondary Leadership Team, the Chinese programme, the positive learning culture at Century Park Campus and our Alumni. We greatly appreciate her strong work ethic and dedication We will definitely miss Ms. Yang and we wish her and her family the very best in their future endeavors, both professionally and personally.

We also would like to take this opportunity to announce that Ms. Teresa Tu will become the new Head of Secondary Chinese effective August 1, 2021. Ms. Tu joined our Secondary programme in 2007 as a Chinese teacher and was promoted to Chinese as an Additional Language Group Leader in 2010. She has experienced teaching various levels from Lower to Upper Secondary, and she is an IBDP Mandarin AB Initio Examiner. Years of experience teaching the IGCSE and IBDP courses will no doubt help Ms. Tu further develop the Secondary Chinese Language and Studies curriculum. Ms. Tu will also work closely with Ms. Jane Xie and Mr. Dusten Kent, the Secondary Vice Principals, and the other school leaders to support our students in continually achieving more success.   We congratulate Ms. Tu on her appointment and wish her well.

Written by: Damien Hehir, Mary Yu and Kian Ji, YCIS Pudong SLT 

We would like to share some news on leadership developments and appointments at YCIS Pudong for the 2021–22 school year.

Our Campus Leaders, Mr. Dusten Kentand Ms. Jane Xie(Century Park Campus) and Mr. Robert Watsonand Ms. Sissy Shen(Regency Park Campus), have been given increased responsibilities in leading their respective campuses as Vice Principals. Mr. Andy Clapperton, currently Head of Learning in Secondary, is transitioning into a whole-school role. Under Mr Clapperton’s leadership, we will continue to develop whole-school programmes for students related to curriculum, student leadership, service learning, student support, and co-curricular activities.

We are pleased to announce the following appointments, all commencing their respective roles in August 2021:

ECE

Ms. Joanne Beaumont-Bates – ECE Coordinator
Ms. Beaumont-Bates is currently a K2 teacher who began in November this academic year.  She also has extensive experience of running early childhood centres and schools in New Zealand. Ms. Beaumont-Bates will co-lead the ECE programme with Ms. Michelle Wang.

Ms. Miriam Shah – ECE Curriculum Coordinator 

This is a newly created position and expands on the previous Student Support Coordinator position. Ms. Shah is a new hire from the UK who will begin in August.  She has extensive ECE curriculum knowledge and currently trains teachers at university level.

Both Ms. Beaumont-Bates and Ms. Shah are studying to receive doctorates in Early Childhood Education and will be able to share their vast experience with our staff and parents next academic year.

Primary

Mr. Marc Lawrence – Character Education and Life Skills Coordinator.
Mr. Lawrence is currently a Year 1 teacher and has extensive leadership experience before joining us.  He will move into this full-time leadership role in August, leading character education,life skills, service learning and taking a lead role of student behaviour.

Secondary

Mr. Ian Lee – Secondary School Coordinator

This is a new leadership position which has been put in place to support our Vice Principals in the day-to-day running of the Secondary section. Mr Ian Lee has already assumed this role from the beginning of March. Mr Lee is well known to our parent community, having been with YCIS Pudong for many years. He will also continue to oversee the IGCSE programme.

Whole School

Ms Kimberley Oliver – Head of Student Support

Ms Oliver will assume this role of Head of Student Support for all YCIS Pudong.  Ms. Oliver is a new hire from the UK and is currently at an international school in Nigeria.

Further Chinese leadership appointments are to come.

We want to acknowledge the incredible efforts of Ms Andrea Griego, Ms Veronica Martin, Ms Juliette Broomhall and Ms Christine Carey, our long-term leaders leaving us at the end of the school year. Each of these leaders have had an incredible impact on the quality learning and care that takes place in the sections of the school as a real of their leadership.  They will be greatly missed.

The YCIS Pudong Service Learning programme aims to nurture our students as ‘Servant Leaders’, teaching them compassion and charitable service. Service Learning allows students to make a difference, become aware of global issues, and actively participate in ideas that can create change within their classroom, school, community, and beyond. Wherever possible, Service Learning is embedded in the curriculum, changing the mindset of the students through significant, authentic experiences from Early Childhood Education (ECE) to Primary and Secondary.

In ECE, teachers have actively investigated how they can meaningfully weave global goals into the emergent curriculum and authentically extend appropriate learning for young children. “We have committed to set ourselves achievable goals. This means responding to emerging interests with a Service Learning lens, such as recycled art, air pollution, and cleaning up the ocean,” said Ms Juliette Broomhall, Early Childhood Student Support Coordinator at YCIS Pudong.

In Primary, one of the yearly Service Learning experiences is the collaborative work of Year 1 and Year 4 with ‘Solar Buddies’. Students in both year groups work together to build lamps for childrenin Africa who need light to read and study in the evenings. Through this experience, students learn about places and people that are less fortunate and how the gift of light could impact learning. “Students gain valuable skills in building circuits and learn about the places where the lights are sent. They also learn collaboration and the importance of service to others who we do not know,” said Ms Andrea Griego, Character Education and Life Skills Coordinator at YCIS Pudong.

In Secondary, recent Service Learning projects include the ‘Stop Single Use Shanghai’ campaign to reduce the consumption of single-use plastic and a Year 10 campaign on issues related to their ‘Global Perspectives course. “Students have been hosting events to raise awareness on issues that they studied in class, such as the importance of exercise and health,” said Mr Danial Siddiqi, Economics, Business and Global Perspectives Teacher and Service Learning Coordinator at YCIS Pudong.

Another great example of Service Learning is the student-run ‘Hope Beans’ coffee initiative. Hope Beans is a Co-Curricular Activity (CCA) run by teachers and students who have set up a successful coffee business. The students source coffee beans from a supplier who works with growers in Yunnan and then sell it to YCIS Shanghai parents and staff under the Hope Beans brand for a slightly higher cost. They have successfully sold over 600 bags of coffee this year, persuaded the cafeteria provider to use their coffee across five campuses, and raised over 14,000 RMB for charitable donations to the Mekong Hope Surgical Fund, which helps children that require cleft palate surgery. The students also recently coordinated a coffee morning for parents at the Kerry Hotel Pudong, showcasing impressive public speaking, organisational skills, and a clear understanding of the Hope Beans business.

At YCIS Pudong, we commit to regularly evaluatingprogress in Service Learning projects and settingnew goals. We audit all Service Learning activities in each section of the school, providing staff with an opportunity to think of new projects and ways to engage with students. Recently, teachers participated in a training session with Cathryn Berger Kaye, a world-renowned Service Learning expert, author of books, and advisor for many schools worldwide. Teachers from Yew Chung and Yew Wah schools recentlyattended the event and, together with Ms Berger Kaye, explored innovative ways to embed Service Learning in the curriculum. “Ms Berger Kaye also showcased a useful tool called the ‘MISO model’, which we can use with our students to generate interest and ideas of Service Learning projects they would like to start,” said Ms Broomhall. “It was fantastic to have her lead the session,” Ms Broomhall added. Such events help further establish a culture of Service Learning in the school and inspire our staff and teachers with new ideas about how they work with the student body to deliver more opportunities in the future.

Furthermore, the school regularly holds events and webinars to keep parents informed about Service Learning activities and upcoming projects. For example, parents recently participated in a webinar where staff highlighted the school’s approach and provided a deeper insight into what actions the school is taking to create opportunities for all children to participate in Service Learning initiatives. Staff also highlighted the benefits these experiences provide for students in terms of leadership, empathy, global mindedness, and other meaningful skills.

We look forward to further integrating Service Learning in our everyday school experiences and showing our students the long-lasting benefits of their actions for the wider community. Such learning will prepare them for a life of leading with a servant’s heart, creating compassionate individuals who make tangible, positive changes in the world around them.

Written by: Michele Rowland Year 6 teacher and contributing organiser of Hope Beans CCA

Year 6 and Year 7’s running a real business with real money? No way. Not a chance. Nah uh…some may think. But here at YCIS we make learning as meaningful and real life as possible. And this, alongside the inherent need to help others is how Hope Beans started.

Hope Beans stands for simple principles.

Being ethical – the farmers who work with the coffee beans are paid fairly and looked after.
Being sustainable – using coffee grown in Yunnan means it is sustainable.
Being charitable – for each bag sold, 15-20 RMBis donated to the Mekong charity.
Being learners – all Hope Beans members learn through every step of this business process.
Being leaders – the students are involved in all aspects of the business and make important decisions.
Being memorable – our coffee tastes great. Fact.

Hope Beans started in January 2020 and in just one year we have achieved a lot. Most recently, a successful coffee launch with our YCIS community Parents.

Thursday March 4, parents were invited to taste our Hope Beans coffee and ask the students (the Hope Beans staff) behind Hope Beans, ‘What is Hope Beans Coffee?’, ‘What do you do?’, ‘Why should we buy your coffee?’

Our students did not disappoint. They spoke confidently with various parents and faculty staff from both YCIS Pudong and Puxi campuses. They were informative, polite and did what YCIS students do best- show how great we are! Parents were happy to find out about Service Learning and how the students are behind the wheel, steering, making choices and experiencing meaningful learning every step of the way. Dietrich Henne, Father of one of Hope Beans CEOs, Sonya, reflected on the event and told us, ‘Wonderful event and with this outstanding level of engagement from the whole community for Hope Beans, we will certainly continue to enjoy the coffee and support the charity for many years to come.’

Oh, and the coffee was a hit too. Parents, staff and guests enjoyed the taste and were eager to order a bag or 10 for themselves.

And we are not done yet! The students have lots of ideas of how to take the business forward, how to get more friends and family buying our coffee, more ways to help those who are in need and more ways to learn.

Written by: Emily Gu and Jaymee Hehir, Y10 students and Student Council Co-Presidents

These included: Handing out compliment slips, a Compliment Circle, the “Love” Letter for Yourself, Connect the Chains and a Free-Dress day. As for week-long events, we hosted the Rock Painting and the CARE Wall. Each of the events were planned and carried out by the members of the Student Council, encouraging the Homeroom Reps to take a leadership approach to the activities, with the goal of promoting thoughtfulness, and strengthening our school’s sense of community.

The activities were a major success, the response and the participation amongst the community was positive, and it was very interesting to see to contributions that students made for the CARE wall and the Rock Painting. We genuinely hope that everyone managed to learn something from this week, whether it is learning about something that they love about themselves or learning the importance of kindness. We’re looking forward to hosting even more events like this in the future!

Written by: Amy Yang, Secondary Chinese Coordinator; Vivien Bai, Primary Chinese Teacher and Inge Tang, Secondary Head of Chinese Studies

YCIS Learning Principle:

We know that we are part of an international community. Therefore, we place emphasis on cultural understanding, linguistic fluency and global citizenship.

The Chinese Talent Show Competition named “ Overseas Students’ View of Pudong” is a key cultural project of the Shanghai Pudong Education Bureau this year, to promote communication among the international schools and also to raise awareness of intangible cultural heritages in Shanghai. The competition attracted many international schools, masters of arts and crafts, and inheritors of intangible cultural heritage from all areas in Pudong.

Yukai ZHANG , Ganjian XU and Qiurong GU from Year 2; and Wendi WU, Nicholas SHAW and Angelique CABALLERO from Year 8represented our Pudong campus, and made in all the way to the final. Congratulation to those students and we would also share with you the stories behind it from their teachers’ perspective:

“In Primary，students knew reed，through the project of “looking for plants around”,. The Chinese study class was used to popularize some knowledge about reed, such as its habits and characteristics. After further study on reed, students learned that reed, a common plant, has great utilization value. For example, reed leaves can make Zongzi and reed poles can weave many articles for daily use.

Therefore, in the Chinese study class, the intangible cultural heritages of Pudong reed weaving was introduced to Year 2students. The students were aware of the significant value of preserving  this cultural heritage. In addition, through the interaction activity with the inheritor Mr Zhuang Jinsheng, who is over 90 years old, our students hadthe opportunity to learn how to weave a pony with reed leaves. The students were very excited about the opportunity to weave reed leaves by themselves. Although reed weaving is not so easy, the students were very excited to see the final product and even talked to their parents about the intangible cultural heritage in Shanghai. Some of the students recordeda video to express their feelings.

Our Year 2 students, Zhang Yukai  Xu Ganjian and Gu Qiurong, used their spare time to produce a short play about reed weaving to promote a non-material cultural heritage project. We were very pleased to know that the performance of these three students stood out in the competition.

—— Vivien Bai, Primary Chinese Teacher”

We were privileged to have the intangible inheritor of the ancient ship model making skills team, led by Zhang Yugi, visit Century Park Campus to give lessons to Year 8 students.  The student, Y8A Wendi WU, Nicholas SHAW and Y8B Angelique CABALLERO were guided to make a sand boat model. In the video the students gave an articulate description of their wonderful experience and also created and recited a poem with great feeling. In the original poem, they marveled at the craftsmanship of making ancient ships and the rapid development on both sides of Shanghai’s Huangpu River, as well as expressingtheir deep love for the city. They clearly represent the common aspirations of foreign students living in Shanghai today.

—— Inge Tang, Secondary Head of Chinese Studies

Written by: Nick Adgemis, Performing Arts Director

There has been a lot to take in for lovers of theatre over the past twelve months. Not the least of which has been getting used to live plays and musicals being in shorter supply. While we may have made some changes to the way we put on our shows here at YCIS Pudong, it has not stopped fabulous students and ourhardworking staff team from pulling out all the stops on their way to putting on two excellent musicals in Semester 2, 2021.

At the time of writing, our Secondary Musical Into The Woods is currently in production, with the curtain having just come down on a spirited matinee performance for our Year 5 and 6 students. The Secondary Musical really is a special event each year on the YCIS Pudong calendar, as it captures a unique energy and results in such great collaborations between students of different ages. With a cast, crew and orchestra comprised of students from every Secondary year group (Year 7 to 13), there is a fantastic mix of “old heads” and “new blood” in working together in the production cohort to bring this year’s show to life. Our parents and greater school community will have the chance to see Into The Woods sometime in mid-April, following a visit from our video production partners, Spark.  The professional film crew were there to film the final day of production;  an afternoon matinee for the whole of YCIS Pudong Secondary.

April will also see the theatre Neolithically transformed to accommodate the thrills, spills and historical satire of Rock Bottom, performed by our Year 5 and 6 students. The Upper Primary Musicals are always among the most treasured memories of students in these two year-levels, and we are excited to have it back in 2021 after a year’s hiatus.

In other news, the Performing Arts Team were also delighted with the recent news that Year 13 student, Kevin Du has been accepted to study in 2021-2022 at Berklee College of Music in Boston, USA with a first-year tuition scholarship. In his time at YCIS Pudong, Kevin has proven himself to be one of the most intuitive and hardworking students of music known to any members of our staff team. Anyone who has attended a YCIS event where music has featured or watched any of our recent online showcase events will be familiar with Kevin’s outstanding musicianship and sublime performances. Of course, on behalf of all members of the YCIS Pudong school community, we congratulate Kevin on an outstanding achievement and eagerly await his future exploits in the musical field.

Written by: Sean Sun, Year 10 Student

When I was in Year 7, I joined my first sports team, CISSA Touch Rugby. It was the first time that I’d ever joined a sport CCA, including previous schools as well. It was something I was not at all prepared for, but I came out of the experience having made new friends from the team, gained experience in a sport I’d never even touched before this, and having a newfound passion for sports in general.

This quickly snowballed into becoming an integral part of my life at YCIS. I attended badminton as well in Year 7, basketball and football in Year 8, and outside of CISSA, I played sports during recess, when outside with friends, basically, sports were always my first choice.

However, Year 9 proved to be a bit of an impediment to my love of sports, as the second semester I was at home E-Learning, and in the first semester I had not attended any sports CCAs, only casual sports at recess.

Undeterred, the moment I came back to school starting Year 10, I got back into sports. I signed up for Friday Football, played basketball every recess and lunch break with friends, and invested lots of time in sports. It had become essential to me, thanks to YCIS, and I wasn’t going to just drop it after a short hiatus.

Now, just a couple weeks ago I signed up for the school SISAC football team, and I can’t wait to see what’s in store for me as I get into yet another sports team, which I hope will help me grow as an athlete and give me new opportunities to represent YCIS as a member of one of its school teams!

Throughout all of this, none of it would’ve been available to me or available at such a high standard if I was anywhere but YCIS, and it seems like immense luck that allowed me to stay here for as long as I have, and really experience sports to the fullest like this.

Written by:  Roseline Yang, Parent Relations Officer

Kindness is essential in everyone’s lives, especially now during this worldwide pandemic. At YCIS, we are lucky to be surrounded by community members who possess this trait of character, which impacts positively on our wellbeing and inspires us to be bold and courageous. Let me share with you some examples of some acts of kindness.