Principal’s Weekly Message 2020-3-13

 

 

Dear Parents,

 

I hope that this letter finds you and your children well as we complete another week of online learning. We are very aware of the requirements placed on parents, as well as our teachers, by the online programme and thank you for your support during this testing time. We are confident that the boys and girls across the school are benefiting a great deal from the imaginative and engaging manner in which our teachers have been able to progress their learning online and hope that you share our appreciation of all the work that is going in from across the school community.

 

At the same time as overseeing the ongoing online programme, the ELT have been looking to the future and it is hence with excitement that I am able to share with you in this letter details of some curriculum improvements that we will be implementing in August. Many parents select Chaoyang Kaiwen Academy owing to the holistic education which we provide, combining both an outstanding academic education in traditional subjects and opportunities which extend far beyond this. Such a holistic approach to education is central also to the IB Diploma and it was wonderful, therefore, that the IB team recognised our school’s commitment to such an approach in their glowing endorsement of CKWA. The IB team particularly acknowledged our outstanding facilities in the arts and sport, our strong commitment and superbly qualified staff in the STEM subjects and our oven-ready Creativity, Activity and Service programme. Our reputation as a leading school in these areas is clearly growing.

 

Our children have always had the chance to take advantage of these opportunities through both ASA time and in regular lessons in the Sciences, Physical Education and the Arts. In the new school year however we will be expanding and improving these opportunities to ensure that every pupil benefits from a greater range of activities in a more structured and well supported manner. In the primary school, therefore, we will be embedding a new ‘Feature Programme’ into the regular school timetable. As a result, pupils will benefit from an additional four lessons each week (replacing ASA time) and a total of 16 ‘Feature Programme’ lessons every week. The Feature Programme will include opportunities to experience coding and technology classes as we promote STEM to our younger learners, to enjoy the arts through dance, drama, music and visual arts and to get priority access to our amazing sporting facilities, with opportunities to use the school ice rink, the football astros, the tennis courts, the Olympic sized swimming pool and both gymnasiums, under the guidance of our internationally qualified instructors.

 

In the secondary school too there will be an improved and more structured programme to support our holistic education. ASA periods will be retained and will present wider opportunities to our older pupils. One afternoon of ASAs each week will be devoted to Service activities, so that every pupil in the secondary school will, over time, be able to build up a portfolio of community service experiences to support their Diploma. Creative options will be presented on other ASA afternoons, along with Activity focused alternatives so that every pupil can achieve the balance that is essential within a holistic education. With an accompanying enhancement of our PE programme, so that middle school pupils gain more opportunity to access our unique sporting facilities during the regular school day, we are confident that pupils will be greatly excited by this newly developed programme.

 

Of course, given these facilities and our ever growing number of enthusiastic and active pupils, we will, from the start of the new academic year, be launching more opportunities for both boys and girls to represent CKWA in school sports teams. These teams will extend through both the primary and secondary school and will further enhance our ability to develop the crucial soft skills in our pupils that will be essential as they grow up and move on to fresh challenges. Leadership, gentlemanly conduct, modesty, good grace and team work are all skills which we look to build within Kaiwen children and we look forward to seeing these qualities in abundance on the football field, in baseball, on the tennis court, on the ice rink, in the pool and on the basketball court next academic year.

 

As August draws closer, I look forward to sharing more details of the feature programme and of our representative school teams, and in due course to seeing all of your sons and daughters thriving in the many different aspects of learning which contribute towards a holistic Kaiwen education.

 

 

Yours Sincerely

Andrew Leale

Deputy Head at CKWA

 

 

 

 

 

 

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