Pao School began the 2018-19 academic year this week.
The campus that was peaceful over the summer
came alive with the return of the students.
First Day of School 2018-2019
For this new school year, Pao School welcomes more than 40 teachers and administrative staff from all over the world, as well as 280 new students. Most exciting of all, Pao School's three campuses all have new executive principals.
Siobhian Allum
Primary Principal and Head of Wuding Campus
As an educator joining this ambitious and extremely well reputed school, I am well aware that my challenge to help the school exceed its already high expectations is not going to be an easy one, but I am looking forward to it and I am confident that we have the right team of educators to make this happen.
Over 20 years of experiences in education; Former EAL teacher, English and Humanities specialist teacher, Head of English, Senior tutor in charge of Pastoral Care and Deputy Head; Former Head of Preparatory at St. Paul’s School in Sao Paulo, Brazil
Lori Marek
Middle School Principal and Head of Hongqiao Campus
Our middle school program bridges the gap between primary and high school, and is focused on giving students a distinctly middle school experience. We seek to balance the academic rigor of our strong bi-lingual and global curriculum by allowing students to explore a variety of interests as well as beginning to realize a purpose beyond themselves. We are fortunate to have a very dedicated and knowledgeable team who focus on supporting the unique developmental needs of emerging adolescents and inspire students to achieve excellence in all areas of life.
26 years' experience in education; Secondary level teacher in IB and AP systems; Former Principal at the International School Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago and Devine Independent School District, Texas, U.S.A.; Assistant Principal at the American International School Kuwait
Mark Bishop
High School Principal and Head of Songjiang Campus
My commitment to every YK Pao student is that they will acquire new knowledge, skills and interests, as well as a strong set of values, so that when they leave us, parents will be proud of their child’s achievements and be delighted by the person they have become.
Over 30 years of work experience in school leadership roles, educated at Charterhouse School and Oxford University; Former teacher, school counsellor, rugby coach, Head of Department and Head of Year at the Royal Grammar School, Guildford; Former Deputy Head at Caterham School, Head of Trinity School, CEO at Perrett Laver
The facilities of all three Pao School campuses were upgraded over the summer:
The second floor of the East Building was remodeled to create classrooms for Year 1 students. ICT rooms, Maker Space and group classrooms were also renovated.
On the fourth and fifth floors, a total of 1,800 square meters of space was renovated. The renovated space houses six standard classrooms, meeting rooms that can be used for video conferences, laboratories for science class, music classrooms, arts and crafts classrooms and offices for teachers and administrative staff.
A professional design team worked on the common space in student residence halls. The design team gave the area a brand new look by updating the interior decor. The Day-student Centre has also been refurnished.
In the 2018-19 academic year, one of Pao School's paramount goals is to enhance students' classroom learning experience. A key part of that endeavor will involve boosting teacher training and overall teaching quality. The school aims to provide more professional learning opportunities, mentoring and coaching, and a better-designed feedback system for teachers. Under our experienced leadership team, our teachers - both Pao veterans and new arrivals - will provide the students with a richer educational experience.
Executive Headmaster
We shifted our Vision Statement and Motto just a little to reinforce the importance to us of creating a diverse community here at Pao School. We want our Chinese students, who will always make up the very significant majority of the roll, to be able to mix with students from all over the world, so we can truly produce young people to lead in China’s global future. Our aim is to offer "A School for Tomorrow’s China. An Education for Tomorrow’s World.” The new vision statement sums this up well: "To build a world-class school for tomorrow’s China, educating global citizens and future leaders on a foundation of strong values and academic excellence.” This year Pao students will, like last, gain a great academic education, excellent results and be offered places at world leading schools and universities, but they will also grow a depth of character that will stand them in good stead wherever they end up studying, working and living.
President of YK Pao School
"Are you similar to other people? What makes you unique as a person? Do you like to be different from others?" Our teacher will ask these three questions to Year 1 students when they enter Pao School. These seemingly straightforward questions have profound philosophical undertones. The famous Greek philosopher Heraclitus once said, "You can't step into the same river twice." The reason is that the river is in a constant state of flux; the currents vary from moment to moment. When we step into the river a second time, we encounter different currents than the first, and when we emerge, we are changed. Heraclitus also said, "The sun is new every day." Similarly, a teacher will never encounter two identical students in his/her educational career, because every student is unique. Every teacher and administrative staff member should also be distinct. So is YK Pao School. This concept captures the underlying spirit of "whole-person education." I wish our students all the best for this new academic year!
