At YCIS Chongqing, the new semester has begun smoothly as we welcomed new students from all around the globe to our learning community. There is no doubt we have all enjoyed the relatively warm January temperatures that greeted our return to Chongqing from vacations abroad.

On the 6^th January, all teachers participated in a Professional Development Day, where teachers debated the essence of ‘what is learning’ and developed ‘learning principles’ that will guide all teachers in their planning moving forward. The senior Secondary students were welcomed to their IGCSE and IBDP Mock examinations to begin the week, requiring significant use of their Winter break to review work in readiness for this week.

We thank all those students, parents and teachers who have donated gifts that gathered under the Christmas tree in the School Reception that are vital to the Seeds of Hope Gift Bag project and also extend a big thank you to the Parent Organisation for displaying Christmas decorations in December, which they have now dismantled and packed away for next year.

On Friday, 10^th January, we welcomed all parents to meet with teachers to discuss the progress of their students, which is extremely important so that parents can assist their children in their learning journey.

The new building continues to grow, with expectations that the external structure will be completed by the end of February and the focus will then turn to internal fittings, ensuring that students and teachers can look forward to celebrating the opening of this wonderful learning environment during Semester 1 of 2020/21.