Message from the Principal

02 December 2016

As advent calendars begin to open all over the school community, marking the official countdown to Christmas, I wanted to take a moment to thank everyone who supported and attended the Christmas Bazaar last Sunday. I am sure you will join me in agreeing that the day was a resounding success, filled with community spirit and good family fun. A staggering 49,022 RMB was raised for our school charities, which include organisations such as Shanghai Sunrise, Heart to Heart and Stepping Stones, to name a few. A special thanks to our Community Group volunteers who worked tirelessly behind the scenes to really ensure the day ran like clockwork, they even managed to pull out all the stops with the fantastic weather, enjoyed by all.

One of the highlights of the day was certainly the choral performances, from our youngest to our adults, all participants really raised the bar this year and provided an exceptional day of entertainment. Please do come and support our choirs on 8^th December at our annual Carol Concert; mulled wine and mince pies will be on sale thanks to the continued support of our Community Group. If you’re a parent in Early Years and Infants I’m sure you are also getting excited as the dates of our Christmas performances loom. A reminder that our Early Years performance ‘The Nativity’ will take place at 9.00am on Tuesday 6^th December. Our Infants performance ‘Lights, Camel, Action!’ will take place on Monday 12^th December at 1.30pm and Tuesday 13^th December at 6.00pm.

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This week also we had the opportunity to meet with secondary families who have just started their journey into the world of IGCSE choices and IB. We had a packed C Block as parents engaged in information sessions on GCSE, the IB Diploma and a presentation on Higher Education from Mrs Watson. We have a long history of fantastic academic success with our students, and in order to support and drive this further I am delighted to confirm the appointment of a new Head of Secondary joining us next academic year. Mr. Andrew Joy, current Head of the IB Academy at our sister school BISS Puxi, will join our talented secondary leadership team in August. Mr. Joy brings with him a wealth of leadership experience across all areas of school life and a proven track record here in Shanghai of delivering high quality education. Prior to joining BISS Puxi he was Head of Secondary in Gabon, Africa. I look forward to him joining our team; he will of course be supported by our two Deputy Heads, Miss Carol Camargo and Miss Therese Andrews, who continue to lead the secondary school supported by Mr. Michael Watson, Mr. Clement Parrish and Mr. Bevan Graham in their respective leadership roles. Our leadership team have gone from strength to strength this year, their collaborative approach has ensured high standards across all areas of our Be Ambitious philosophy. Together they ensure academic, personal and social ambition is fostered and cultivated in our secondary ethos.

Finally a reminder that CCAs for next term are available for viewing from later today, and registration starts on Monday. For any issues please contact Mr. Wallace directly who will assist you. I’m also very happy to promote the start of our new online merchandising available to order online here. Many parents frequently request that we offer the branded hoodies and fleeces sported by our staff, and as such we have started to work with Kukri to develop opportunities to purchase goods. We are trialing a small winter collection which you can view here . Orders placed by midnight on Thursday 8^th December should arrive before Chinese New Year. Now you too can show you are proud to be a Pudong Tiger and a member of our school community.