Keystone Academy Hosts Introductory Sessions
Ahead of its opening in the fall of 2014, Keystone Academy has started holding information sessions for families wanting to know more about the school’s curriculum, teaching methods, residential life, and admission processes. Up to 15 families can join each session, which feature a virtual tour of the campus, classrooms and facilities. Attendees can also speak with other parents and members of the leadership team, including the primary and middle school heads, the curriculum and Chinese coordinators, the dean of student life and the dean of admissions.
The school is now accepting applications for Grades 1-9. To apply for enrollment or to register for a curriculum information session, contact the Admissions department by calling 5825 6008 or emailing admission@keystoneacademy.cn.
Learning Support Specialist Joins Essential Learning Group
Education consultancy the Essential Learning Group has appointed a new learning support specialist to its Beijing team. Guillaume Palis holds a Master’s degree in kindergarten and primary school education from the French National School for Teachers and a degree in special education for children with cognitive disorders from the University of Cergy-
Pontoise in France. He has worked for six years as a special education teacher in primary school, as well as a special needs program coordinator in a middle school.
Palis’ new role will see him working with children and their families to help them meet their academic potential. For more info, visit www.chinaelg.com.
Dulwich Celebrates IB Results
The 2013 International Baccalaureate class at Dulwich College Beijing graduated with an average score of 36.6 and almost a third of students scoring 40 or above. Four of this year’s graduates – Biko Mizuno, Benjamin Tan, Christina Lin and Sharmaine Wong – recorded perfect scores of 45 out of 45, a result achieved by only 108 of the approximately 60,000 students who sat the exams in May.
Speaking about the exam scores, Head of the Senior School Simon Herbert said: “I am absolutely delighted that the hard work of our students has been well-rewarded by these remarkable results.”
Children’s Arts Center Appoints Drama Specialist
Art Bug Beijing has appointed a new teaching specialist and host, Wendy Lim, to work on its children’s speech and drama programs. An acting graduate from Lasalle College of the Arts in Singapore, Lim brings performance experience to her role through appearances in various plays, commercials and short films. She also has a background in teaching children, having previously worked at the Julia Gabriel Centre for Learning and as a freelance Chinese drama teacher with the Singapore arts group Shine & Grow.
Wendy will lead Art Bug’s speech and drama courses, which aim to cultivate language skills through role playing. For more information, visit www.artbug.cn.
Jiade Welcomes New Teacher
Jiade Montessori Bilingual Kindergarten welcomed new PE and Music Teacher Sayori Takahashi Tomaszun. Originally from Japan, she has seven years of teaching experience at international schools and speaks fluent English, Chinese and Japanese.
YCIS Pair Make the Grade
Two students from Yew Chung International School Beijing, Russell Ng and Nathan Drisner, received A and A* grades in every subject of their IGCSE exams. In addition, 98 percent of the school’s students achieved a distinction or merit.
Speaking of his success, Nathan Drisner (pictured left) said: “We all studied very hard. Our teachers helped so much in terms of preparing us sufficiently for our exams, but also within coursework. They allowed us a lot of creative space, which I personally enjoyed a lot and this probably added some extra motivation as we could really put a lot of passion into our work.”
Snow Joke: Language Camp Set for Winter Launch
Chinese language school That’s Mandarin is now offering a winter camp for kids and teens aged 7 to 17 at its Beijing campus. Participants will undertake a program of language learning, cultural activities and excursions. Morning, day and full camp programs are available. For more information, visit www.thatsmandarin.com or email info@thatsmandarin.com.
Language Arts Teacher Returns to The Learning Center
The Learning Center welcomes back elementary and middle school language arts teacher Joanne Harris-Bedford following a two-year teaching spell in Canada. A graduate from Ontario’s McMaster University, Harris-Bedford also has a teaching qualification from Charles Sturt University, where she completed programs in primary, intermediate, and special needs education. As well as running her own tutoring business in Canada, she has worked overseas developing and implementing innovative lesson plan strategies for second-language speakers.
New Pediatric Surgeon at BJU
Beijing United Family Hospital (BJU) has welcomed a new pediatric surgeon and Department Chair of Surgery, Dr. Cheng Wei. He has worked and trained at top pediatric medical centers around the world, including the Great Ormond Street Hospital (London), Sick Kids Hospital (Toronto), Royal Children Hospital (Melbourne), Queen Mary Hospital and Prince of Wales Hospital (Hong Kong). Dr. Cheng is from Australia and joined BJU from Monash University and Children’s Hospital in Melbourne.
To schedule an appointment, contact BJU’s Surgery Department at 5907 1266 or visit www.ufh.com.cn.
photos courtesy of Keystone, ELG, DCB, Art Bug Beijing, Jiade, YCIS, TLC, That’s Mandarin and BJU
This article originally appeared on p18-19 of the beijingkids October 2013 issue.
Check out the PDF version online at Issuu.com
