Weekly Message from Head of School 2025/4/20-2025/4/25
Dear Keystonians,
Welcome back to the students and teachers who enjoyed their ELP trips this week. We look forward to hearing your stories of learning, risk taking, and adventure!
This week I am happy to share an exciting update about an important initiative that has been in the works this year: a revision of our primary school daily class schedule. This effort emerged as a key strategic opportunity during our planning process nearly a year ago, and since the first semester, two dedicated committees of teachers—coordinated by the Teaching and Learning Center (TLC) leadership—have been hard at work designing thoughtful revisions.?
Teachers and leaders honored our New World School ethos as they dove into research about time can be arranged to best support student learning. They also examined schedule models from around the world in our proud tradition of blending the best of global wisdom to innovate in our Chinese context.
These changes reflect not only our ongoing commitment to academic excellence of our already outstanding bilingual program and wisdom of our seasoned faculty, but also address valuable feedback from teachers and families, including the desire for more outdoor playtime and lunch. We’re delighted to announce that the work has progressed to the point where we can begin planning to implement the first version of the new schedule in?Fall 2025!
Some Key Highlights of the New Schedule:?
??More outdoor playtime?to support students’ well-being and development.?
??Increased instructional time?for English & Chinese literacy and math across all grade levels.?
? Fewer transitions between classrooms, allowing us to recapture that time for meaningful learning.
? Sustained commitment to interdisciplinary learning and the arts at the core of our Chinese Thread.
Over the next few months, we’ll focus on staffing assignments and supporting teachers in making any necessary adjustments to curriculum and routines. This careful planning ensures a smooth transition and the best possible experience for our students.?
We are particularly excited about the possibilities this new schedule brings—and with our talented, devoted teachers leading the way, there’s nothing our students can’t achieve!?
We’ll share more details as we move forward, including opportunities to learn more about the changes. Thank you for your continued partnership and support as we work together to make our New World School even stronger.?
Warm regards,?
Emily
