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Dear Students & Parents,
Happy New Year of the Horse and welcome back to Semester 2.
As we begin this new semester together, I would like to wish all of our families a joyful, healthy, and prosperous Year of the Horse.
The start of a new term always brings a sense of renewal. It is time to reflect, reset, and move forward with energy and purpose. That feels especially fitting in the Year of the Horse — a symbol of spirit, determination, progress, and resilience. These are qualities we hope to nurture in all of our students this semester as they continue to grow academically, socially, and personally.
I would also like to extend a particularly warm welcome to the new families joining our school community this term, alongside our many returning families. It has been a pleasure meeting parents who are beginning their journey with us, and one of the most common themes that comes through in those conversations is both reassuring and inspiring: families are looking not only for academic excellence, but also for a school experience that helps their children grow through sport, the arts, wider opportunities, and meaningful challenge.
That balance matters deeply.
Our families want their children to achieve highly, to access strong university pathways, and to succeed in academic competitions — but they also want them to become confident, capable young people who can collaborate, communicate, and build healthy relationships. In other words, they want a truly holistic education. We share that ambition wholeheartedly.
As students move closer to university and life beyond school, this balance becomes even more important.Academic success opens doors, but it is often a young person’s ability to manage themselves, connect with others, and contribute positively to a community that helps them thrive once those doors are open. Learning how to balance rigorous study with sport, creativity, service, friendship, and responsibility is part of preparing for the real world.
For families considering boarding, this is one of the most valuable aspects of the boarding experience. Boarding gives students an outstanding opportunity to develop independence, manage their own time, build routines, and experience life away from home in a safe and supportive environment — all of which helps prepare them for university, especially for those planning to study overseas. It is never too late to consider boarding, and we are always happy to offer boarding trials throughout this semester. We warmly encourage families from both Lower School and Upper School to come in, see the facilities, and explore whether boarding could be the right next step for their child.
As we look ahead, there is much to be excited about this semester. Across the school, students will have opportunities to learn, perform, compete, and grow through a rich programme of events and experiences. We are looking forward to major community moments including our Pops Concert and Culture Festival, which always bring students, staff, and families together in a wonderful celebration of talent, creativity, and community spirit. We are also excited for the upcoming Talent Show, where students are encouraged to be brave, expressive, and fully themselves in front of their peers.
This semester will also bring important opportunities for students to challenge themselves beyond the classroom. We look forward to students representing the school in events such as the Speech Festival at our sister school in Hong Kong, as well as continued participation in academic and wider enrichment opportunities. For many of our younger learners, YLE will be an important milestone this semester, and we are proud of the way students build confidence and language skills through that process.
We also hope to see more strong achievements from our sports teams, and we are especially excited by the progress of our inaugural robotics team, whose students are already enjoying regular scrimmages around China. In particular, our senior robotics students are training and preparing not only to compete, but also to become mentors for the junior teams next academic year — a wonderful example of leadership, teamwork, and the kind of student culture we want to build.
We are also proud of the exciting university offers our students have already received this year from leading institutions around the world. These offers reflect not only academic achievement, but years of hard work, support from teachers and families, and the wider development of students as confident, capable young adults. They are a reminder to all of us — especially our younger students — of what is possible when ambition is matched by consistency, resilience, and good habits.
We work together through home‑school partnership to guide children in the responsible use of technology.A growing body of evidence suggests that clearer boundaries around smartphone and social media use lead to better focus, stronger sleep, and healthier peer relationships — and we see this in our students. This is not a school issue or a home issue in isolation; it is shared ground. At school we will continue to educate students around digital citizenship and wellbeing. At home, your conversations and routines make an enormous difference. When we are consistent together, we give young people the best chance to develop habits that serve them long after school.
Above all, this semester is about community. It is about the shared excitement of seeing students return, reconnecting with families, and continuing the important work of helping every child grow. We are genuinely delighted to welcome your children back, and we look forward to a semester that is joyful, ambitious, and — in the truest spirit of the Horse — full of forward momentum.
Thank you, as always, for your trust, your support, and your partnership.
With warm wishes for the term ahead and for a happy Year of the Horse,
David Aitchison
WASCZ Executive Headmaster
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