Principal's Pen

ECC & Elementary

Dear Parents,

It is a joy to be back in school with your children this year, marking our 40th year of having the privilege of educating young people and walking with them for a season of their lives. We look forward to the months ahead and the many opportunities to partner with you in your child’s learning and growth.

This year, we will continue with Elementary Clubs and Parent Wednesdays, both of which provide great ways for students to connect and for families to be involved in our school community. We are also excited to introduce a new tradition — the Elementary Kick-Off Event, scheduled for Friday, September 5th. During this extended assembly, students will participate in a fun activity designed to celebrate the start of the year and build school spirit.

Thank you to all parents who plan on attending our Open House tonight. It is always wonderful to see so many of you in person, to share the vision for this school year, and to have conversations that strengthen the partnership between home and school. Your presence and support are a vital part of your child’s education, and we are grateful for the chance to work together.

We look forward to a wonderful year ahead!

Warmly,

Miss Barsalou

Secondary

Dear Parents,

We look forward to seeing you tonight at our Open House event. You will have a chance to go to five different teachers and learn about them, the classes they teach, and how your child can be successful. We will also get a chance to hear about the year from Mr. Witt. I can’t wait to see you tonight! And as a gentle reminder, besides tonight, you can always email teachers or set up appointments to meet in person.

Another event we have this year is celebrating Tianjin International School’s 40th anniversary. Ever since 1986, TIS has joyfully partnered with this community to provide an excellent education in a loving environment. On September 26th, we will have International Day event combined with this monumental milestone to showcase the cultures of our school family. I encourage you to come, prepare some food from your home country, play some games, and watch performances together as we mark 40 years here in Tianjin. Here’s to another 40!

Another few events to put on your radar is Fall Camp on September 18th - 19th. This year we will head to JiXian, and our Houses will compete for the Fall Camp Cup as they play games, do challenges, and bond together. This is largely run by our House leaders and House section leaders and is always a memorable time. Look for more communication and a permission slip in the next few weeks.

Other events include our season 1 sports traveling for the LifePlus tournaments in early October. These are competitive opportunities for our teams to show how much they have achieved together throughout the season. I can’t wait to see how we do. Go Eagles!

Sincerely,

Mr. Way

School Wide Announcements

Open House

Open House is tonight, August 22, from 7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.

This event is an opportunity to meet and greet your child's teacher, gain a better understanding of what is being taught, and to experience the classroom environment. Busing will be provided. Please refer to the schedule below.

Busing - Sixth-Grade Dinner

4:20 AC -> 4:40 BDHT (back gate) -> 4:45 YSY -> 4:50 BDHT (front gate) -> 5:10 QYC LSY -> 5:20 TIS

Busing - Open House

Apple line: 6:00 AC -> 6:40 TIS
Orange line: 6:00 AC -> 6:40 TIS
Grape line: 5:40 TJ Hotel -> 6:00 AC -> 6:40 TIS
Litchi line: 5:45 YG100 -> 6:00 AC -> 6:40 TIS
Mango line: 6:00 HYCZ (back gate) -> 6:05 BDHT (back gate) -> 6:10 YSY -> 6:15 BDHT (front gate) -> 6:35 QYC LSY -> 6:36 QYC QRY -> 6:40 TIS

Open House Schedule

If your child is in ECC or Elementary:

If you have specific questions about the class or your child, please contact the teacher for a private conference.

We will provide a movie night for parents who cannot arrange childcare for ECC and Elementary children. The movie will be shown in the choir room. Children must be dropped off after 6:45 p.m. and picked up before 8:40 p.m.

Please note that this is offered to TIS students only who can watch a movie independently. We ask that you remain in the choir room if your child needs additional attention. TIS teachers will chaperone the event. Only water will be allowed in the choir room.

If your child is in Secondary:

Secondary teacher presentations will include a short introduction about themselves and general information about class expectations. They will not be able to give information about each individual class in such a short period of time.

We highly encourage you to sit down with your child, discuss their schedule, and decide which teachers you want to see before you arrive for Open House.

We look forward to seeing you tonight.

LifePlus Passport

Please scan the QR code to register for your 2025-2026 passport. If you are a returning parent, please bring in your badge on or after Friday, August 22 to get the insert changed over. For new parents, your badge will be ready for collection on Friday, August 22 at Open House.

It is important that you wear your parent badge on campus so that you are easily identifiable. Thank you for your cooperation.

School Communication 2025-2026

Email

If your email has changed and needs updating, please inform the Admissions office. It is essential that the school has your updated email to ensure important communication reaches you.

WeChat

The Admissions office has set up a “TIS Notices 2025-2026” WeChat group. If you have not been added to this group, please contact your respective liaison. Please ensure you have notifications turned on for this group as news and announcements will be regularly posted there.

School Schedule Change

Throughout the past month, we have closely monitored the upcoming Shanghai Cooperation Organization meetings scheduled for Sunday, August 31st, and Monday, September 1st, to determine their impact on our daily school operations. The traffic control zone for the meetings lasts through 5:00 p.m. on Tuesday, September 2nd, and conflicts with our school's location. This makes it impossible for our school operations to take place. As a result, our school will be closed on Monday, September 1st, and Tuesday, September 2nd.

To make up for the lost time, teachers will assign extra practice for students to complete, and we are adjusting our Student-led Conferences from Thursday, October 30th, and Friday, October 31st, to Friday, October 31st, and Saturday, November 1st, to gain an additional school day before the semester's end. Please keep an eye out for further details, which our Divisional Principals will send in the coming weeks.

Divisional News

ECC

Elementary

6th Grade Dinner

Upcoming Dates:

• Sixth-Grade Parent Dinner: August 22 at 5:30 p.m. – 6:45 p.m.
• Open House: August 22 at 7:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m.
• Elementary Parents’ Lunch begins: September 10
• ECC Parents come to Outdoor Classroom: September 17
• 1st-5th Grade Clubs: September 22 - December 4

Guidance Counselor

Upcoming SAT Dates:

• August 23
• September 13
• November 8
• December 6

Register for upcoming SATs here: https://satsuite.collegeboard.org/sat/dates-deadlines

AP Self-Study Sign Up

An email has been sent to all students and parents regarding AP Self-Study Sign Up. Please review this email with your child and complete all action steps before the deadline of November 14th.

Schedule Changes

The Add/Drop Deadline for Semester 1 is August 26th at 3:20 p.m. After this time, any drops will be recorded as a Withdrawal “W” on a student’s transcript.

University Visit

On September 4th from 11:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m., a representative from the University of Calgary (Canada) will be on campus to talk about their admissions process and opportunities to study in Canada. We invite all interested students and parents to attend.

Athletics

• High School Boys and Girls Volleyball - Season ON
• Middle School Boys and Girls Soccer - Season ON

Let's go, Eagles!

House Points Total