With just over a week to go before the start of the 2019 – 2020 school year, staff and students alike are eager to give a warm welcome to our new group of learners at Yew Chung International School of Beijing. A record number of enrollments hailing from countries such as Australia, Japan, Canada and Hong Kong have joined the YCIS family in the past two years; further contributing to the ever growing diverse community of our school. 

When searching for schools for their young ones, parents are specific about what a school has to offer to meet their needs and those of their children. When asked what factors influence parents to decide on YCIS Beijing, Peter Bezuidenhout, Head of Admissions mentions that “Families choose YCIS for our renowned bilingual programme and our educational approach to integrating the best of Eastern and Western cultures as part of our curriculum.  Parents also find that our Learning Communities play a great role in the positive development of their children”.

Our values and teaching approach are not the only factors, however, a strong sense of community is also a prominent aspect of decision making for parents. Due to a majority of the students enrolled being first time learners at our school, it is essential that we provide the support needed from our community at large to ensure a smooth transition for new additions.

Fortunately, there is a myriad of systems and activities in place to assist in the smooth transition into the new environment. An example is the Primary School Buddy System where a new student is paired with their returning counterpart who is tasked with aiding the new student around our campus with finding the canteen, library, gym and other facilities they may not be familiar with at first. Secondary school students on the other hand can sign up to become Student Ambassadors where they have the opportunity to support and interact with different stakeholders during important and popular school events.

The above are all in addition to the Welcome BBQ which serves to connect new families with current YCIS Beijing families and members of our Parent Organisation. In relation to academic support, Vice Principals and Academic Coordinators for ECE, Primary and Secondary School are the go-to people for any academic related queries and assistance.

Peter also emphasized the significance of parents familiarizing themselves with different Department Heads and staff to ensure that their concerns are addressed in a timely manner by relevant staff.

For parents who would like to enroll their children for the next semester, our Admissions Department encourages you to apply now!

To our new students, the warmest welcome to YCIS Beijing. We hope you settle in well in your new community.