Water sports facilities in Beijing are somewhat limited, so opportunities for kids to take part in water-based activities are few. However, O’le Sports has had success with its new venture O’le Afloat programs and summer camps. The latest addition to the raft of activities is a week-long sailing course that culminates in a certification. If you prefer to be up in the trees rather than on the water, try zip lining, climbing, and trapeze at Happy Gorilla Treetop Adventure Park (which has a location in Shunyi). As we head towards the start of the fall term for the international schools, we also have some news from two of our Shunyi schools, BSB and DCB.
Learn to Sail
O’le Sports has teamed up with a sailing club to provide its Learn to Sail program, where participants will learn to sail an Optimist boat by themselves and obtain a certificate upon completion of the course. The Optimist is a small, single-handed sailing dinghy intended for use by children. In between sailing, participants will also have the opportunity to do some kayaking, paddle boarding, rafting, and other water-based games. It’s a fantastic way to keep fit, have fun, and make new friends.
The course runs every Monday to Friday from 10am to 4pm, and is best-suited for children between 7 and 17 years of age. The whole week costs RMB 2,500.To book your place,email peter@ole-sports.org. For more info, visitwww.ole-sports.org.
Learn to Zip
Happy Gorilla Treetop Adventure Park is an aerial course built inthe trees. The course comprises ladders, bridges, swings, nets, trapezes, and giant zip lines. Participants are equipped with a harness and attached to a safety line, and it takes between one and two hours to complete the course, depending on how fit or competitive you are.
The course is open to the general public, groups of family and friends, and makes for a great venue for corporate team bonding away days. The different courses provided are pitched at three difficulty levels. Minimum height requirements are 1.1mfor the junior continuous course, and 1.4mfor the other courses, and the maximum weight is 130kg. It’s recommended to book in advance as courses can get booked up, especially during weekends.
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Schools News
BSB Shunyi
Campus renovations have been taking place during the summer. In Early Years, work has included improvements to corridors on the ground floor, in the library, and on an outdoor deck. The third floor of the central building has been upgraded, ready for a new Secondary Library and Study Centre.
Philip Allman will take up the role of Primary Headteache, when the fall term begins on Monday, August 25. Allman graduated from the University of Bedfordshire with a Bachelor of Education degree. Since then, he has worked at six schools in the UK, catering for children ranging from 6 months to 13 years of age within both the state and independent sectors. Outside of school life, he is the father of three children.
There are limited places available at the Shunyi campus for the coming academic year. To apply, visit BSB’s website.
Dulwich College Beijing (DCB)
DCB received a very strong report from its first Independent Schools Inspectorate (ISI) evaluation, with sixteen of the twenty grades marked as “Excellent” and the four remaining marked as “Good.”
ISI is approved by the UK Department for Education to assess whether British international schools are meeting quality standards. ISI inspected DCB in March 2014 and confirmed that their standards in all areas, compared to the best of the UK and the world, are indeed high.
These standards are reflected in the set of IB results from the class of 2014. The average IB Diploma point score was 37.35 points, which is well above the world average of 29.81 points, and 35 percent of DCB’s students achieved scores of 40+ points.
The new term at DCB starts on Monday, August 18. To celebrate, the school is hosting a Welcome Back BBQ on Friday, August 22 from 5-7pm at the Legend Garden Campus.
Photos: Courtesy of Happy Gorilla Adventure Park and O’le Afloat
