As we bid farewell to summer and embrace the onset of autumn, let's take a moment to reflect on the significant milestones of the 2023-2024 academic year. WASCZ has not just made achievements but has set new benchmarks, winning numerous accolades from esteemed organisations both at home and abroad:
HONORS
2023-2024
· WAS Changzhou was proudly recognised once again among the top 100 bilingual schools in China in the '2023 Hurun Education · China International Schools Ranking', ranking in the top 30 nationwide and top 2 in Jiangsu Province.
· In “The Spear’s Schools Index 2024,” published by the renowned European wealth management magazine Spear’s, WASCZ was highlighted as one of the 24 top-recommended schools in the Asia Pacific region for 2024. Two years ago, WASCZ was also recognised in 'The Spear's Schools Index 2022' as one of the top 100 schools globally and one of the Best Private Schools in China and Southeast Asia.
· In September 2023, we proudly welcomed the first group of 'Engage with China' scholars from overseas, a programme that has earned high praise from the Boarding Schools Association (BSA). Following our 'International School of the Year Award' in 2022, WASCZ was once again honoured by the BSA with the 'Supporting Excellence Award – Supporting International Boarders Award'. We are excited to welcome back our returning scholars and to welcome our new cohort for the 2024 academic year.
· In May 2024, we received our 5-year COBIS Patron’s accreditation, affirming that WASCZ delivers high-quality British education, in line with leading British and international schools worldwide. We are truly honoured to be part of this exclusive group, ensuring that we maintain the academic rigour and holistic approach to education expected of a COBIS school.
This year, our graduates have again made proud achievements. Many of our outstanding students have gained admission to world-renowned institutions to begin a new chapter in their future.
If the blossoming of education inevitably begins with the planting of a seed, a teacher's identity assumes a crucial role in germination, rooting, watering and growth. At the beginning of the new academic year, WAS CZ gathered a group of outstanding new hires, who joined our community with a common vision and enthusiasm.
Teachers are at the helm of the long river of life. In WASCZ, these excellent new staff members from a variety of fields also have a crucial role: guiding WAS students. WAS CZ has a clear educational mission and vision, while our holistic education profoundly influences the school's teaching mode and cultural atmosphere. So quickly adapting and integrating into WACZ is also a challenge every new teacher must face.
To help new teachers adjust, WAS CZ has carried out a systematic and comprehensive training program, helping them to fully prepare for their future teaching duties in the shortest possible time. The training for new teachers began in mid-August, with our executive headmaster, David Aitchison and the heads of departments introducing the school's history, educational mission and cultural values in detail with a series of lectures and interactive workshops. Through this training, new teachers have gained a macro understanding of the school and clarified their essential roles in realising its vision.
Equally, our teachers come from all over the world, with many cultural backgrounds. We also value the importance of communication and understanding among our teachers and the benefits of intercultural communication and multicultural awareness training to create an inclusive classroom environment for our students.
Walking on the ancient brick road, lingering over the black tiles and white walls of Qingguo Ally, our new teachers have a more profound sense of Changzhou, a city full of historical and cultural heritage; tiptoes leaping across the group building grounds, the meeting of eyes will prove the tacit understanding of each other. By communicating and supporting each other in group work, treating each other with sincerity and breaking down barriers in daily life, our teachers have slowly found a sense of belonging and warmth.
Kindred spirits have always built the long dike of education with professionalism and passion and a shared vision of education as the driving force to keep moving forward. Drawing on this analogy at this Monday's all-staff meeting, Executive Headmaster David Aitchison suggested, “A thing is easy to learn, but not easy to operate ...... We need to hold ourselves to the same standards we hold our students.” At WAS CZ, our teachers not only have deep and extensive knowledge and outstanding teaching standards but also can be lifelong learners who will continue to transcend themselves in their future care.
At the beginning of the academic year, David Aitchison, on behalf of the entire faculty and staff, also sent a heartfelt letter to the WAS students:
There is always a perseverance and passion that can cultivate more than one hundred thousand blossoming roses from a frozen inch of land. At WASCZ, we first believe and then we witness - every child can excel.
