Welcome, new parents, to TIS!

With the start of our second semester, we’ve joyfully welcomed new members to our community: new students and, with them, their parents. After preparing students for their first day of school, which began this week, we held our New Parent Day event. Knowing that parents actively support their children in their academic journeys by seeking out the best opportunities and setting them on paths for success, we are glad to extend a hand of support to these parents and to put their worries to rest. Through our New Parent Day, questions were answered, our mission, vision, and divisions were explained in more detail, and parents learned about community events specifically designed for them.

Beginning the day, our Head of School, Mr. Ryan Witt, provided parents with an overview of our school’s main goals, communication efforts, and the benefits of our partnerships across the country and the world. One of the primary goals of our school is to engage students in learning. With a holistic curriculum, students take general education classes, special courses in arts, robotics, and more, and are strengthened in their social skills through the guidance of the LifePlus 9 Qualities for Life. “Education is about preparing people for the next step,” Mr. Witt said. Equipping students with a meaningful education prepares them for both entering university and life beyond schooling.

To continuously maintain our high standards of education, our staff members collaborate with those in our LifePlus partner schools, exchanging feedback on lessons. Rather than standing only as an individual school, we have the support and resources of our four partner schools in China and our partner school in the United Arab Emirates, as well as the support of LifePlus team members in the U.S. “Teachers have a collaboration network, which is rare in international education,” and it ensures students receive the best education possible.

"Teachers have a collaboration network, which is rare in international education."

Following Mr. Witt, our PTO President, Mr. Moshey Chumble, welcomed parents to our community and shared about upcoming events and PTO clubs that are open to them. This year, we’ve offered six PTO clubs: Parenthood, Chinese, Korean, English, PingPong, and Cooking clubs. These clubs have been wonderful foundations for parents to meet others and form friendships, especially for those just transitioning into Tianjin or China.

Our ECC and Elementary Principal, Miss Dani Beth Barsalou, presented next. Speaking first on our ECC division, she shared about our curricular tactics of learning through play. Even at the youngest age of three, our students rapidly grow in their academic and English language skills through positive support and encouraging exploration in the classroom. In our Elementary division, Miss Barsalou explained, there is a continuation of hands-on learning and an emphasis on nurturing relationships, so students learn to work together, to solve problems, and to work with their peers from different countries and backgrounds.

Our Secondary Principal, Mr. Jacob Way, next spoke on our ELS classes and English-only policy. He reminded that while many students are learning in their second or even third language, patience is key. English, as with all areas of education, is a journey. “Sometimes language learning involves struggle,” he said, and he encouraged parents to remember the expectations of their children. “We don’t want to expect students to run when they are just starting to walk in their language journey. They’ll get there eventually.”

Speaking also of our 20+ AP courses offered on campus and online, Mr. Way explained that our English-only policy is also enforced so students can succeed in these courses. More countries, including the U.S., Korea, and select European nations, are accepting certain AP test scores as university credit. “Some students enter into university as Sophomores because of AP credits,” Mr. Way said.

"Some students enter into university as Sophomores because of AP credits."

Finishing our New Parent Day presentation, our Marketing, Admissions, and Communications Director, Mr. John Dochow, shared with parents how our school and teachers maintain contact so that parents can remain involved in their children’s education.

We’re thrilled to welcome new students and parents into our community and look forward to sharing some of this year’s best moments.