Countdown to opening day: Huili School makes final preparations

Less than eighty days are left before we welcome our first pupils for the opening day of Huili School Shanghai. All preparations are nearly complete and the whole team cannot wait to greet the founding pupils and their families on Tuesday 28 August 2018.

The construction work has been finished; the building has been handed over; the electrical and mechanical systems have been tested and adjusted; all furniture and teaching equipment is in place; and a thorough deep clean of the school is currently in progress. As the first phase of an ongoing development project, our new campus will have a construction area of 26,000 square metres, comprising state-of-the-art facilities. Apart from its 50 spacious classrooms, the school features two computer labs, a music technology room, music rooms, practice rooms, rehearsal rooms, visual art rooms, design and technology workshops, a dance studio, an indoor sports hall, dedicated science labs, two libraries, two pupil canteens, a V&A café, and a competition-length swimming pool, as well as outdoor sports pitches and courts. Every part of the campus has been built with world-class teaching and learning facilities in mind, as it supports high-end interactive whiteboards, projectors, a multimedia central controller, a broadcasting system and a high-tech security system.

New librarians have also joined the team to create a vibrant reading space with abundant resources for all Huili pupils. Early in July, a reliable engineering institution will be hired to carry out a comprehensive air quality test. Afterwards, a designated property management company will take over the campus, ensuring that our staff members moving into the building in late July will have every kind of support that they need to get things ready before welcoming the founding pupils to the start of their new learning journey. 

In addition to all Chinese and expatriate teachers, all our teaching assistants have now been successfully recruited as well. It is worth mentioning that a consistently high standard has been applied and maintained throughout the recruitment campaign. Most of our teaching assistants have graduated from well-known universities in China and abroad, bringing with them strong teaching skills and an extremely high standard of professionalism. Some of them have had several years’ experience of teaching but still value the opportunity to support classes at Huili, because they aspire to join a team with whom they can explore the best educational model for bilingual learners, develop a broader perspective, and improve their own teaching skills.

Our training programme for new staff members begins before they actually take up their position. Since last December, they have been working on the school’s cultural environment, curriculum, preparations and teaching methods, and have become heavily involved in the final stage of curriculum development, wishing to ensure a solid and efficient curriculum. Three days ago, all members of the team who are in Shanghai visited the new campus and were amazed at its superb environment and facilities. Coming from diverse cultural backgrounds, they utilised the occasion to get to know with each other, discussed their understanding of bilingual education and expressed great confidence and excitement about jointly writing the opening chapter of Huili School Shanghai. 

Following this initial meeting, new teachers will gather together for three weeks of induction and team building sessions before lessons begin. Career development plans will be made by each of them and ongoing training sessions will be provided throughout the coming year to allow each staff member to explore and reach their full potential. By providing information-rich and educational training, we hope that our teachers will develop a deep awareness of the unique bilingual model at Huili, take pride in being part of the school, and embrace the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead. 

Sufficient teaching preparations have been made: the annual development plan for the school has been agreed, teaching and learning policies completed, timetables for each year group finalised and the communication system installed. Primary pupils in lower grades will be divided into groups of around 12 according to their current English level and will receive regular assessments to help them quickly move forward. Fourteen subjects and a wide range of co-curricular activities will be offered to promote the holistic development of each child. Starting from grade 1, pupils will have performing arts classes and a swimming class every week. When they move up to the higher grades, ICT and design and technology classes will be added to their curriculum. These learning opportunities are designed to stimulate every pupil’s potential, build their characters, equip them with the Huili Values, and help them develop a deep sense of being Chinese while keeping a global perspective of the world around them.

We have also carefully planned various workshops, gatherings and sessions for Huili parents, as we value you as a very important part of our community. Our hope is that an engaging and interactive platform can be built not only to enhance communication and cooperation between us, but also to support you in dealing with problems you may encounter as your children grow older. On 27th June, we look forward to seeing all new parents in a pre-opening information session, where our Executive Master and Bursar will give an update about the school lunch, bus, uniform, induction day and the channels we use to communicate with you. We would also like to take this session as an opportunity to encourage you to learn about the heritage and culture of the school, as well as our shared values. We hope that you will feel the same pride that we have for being part of the Huili community.

At Huili School Shanghai, we feel confident that we are ready to provide Chinese parents a new option of education that combines the strength of Eastern and Western educational worlds. This option offers both the fish and the bear’s paw; where you do not have to choose one over the other. We are counting down the days until Huili opens its gates to its very first group of pupils and parents. We are excited, we are hopeful and we are getting ready: are you?