“I believe that education is not just about mastering knowledge and skills, but about building character, developing empathy, and cultivating the skills needed to support a life of continuous adaption and learning.”
—— Rosalie Pietsch
Primary School Principal and
Head of Wuding Campus
Pao School recognizes the significance of cultivating an atmosphere of inclusivity amongst its students. To achieve this, the school organizes a wide range of activities, such as Unity day and Cultural Carnival, that promote the importance of solidarity within a diverse world. By engaging in these activities, students learn the value of unity and develop an appreciation for individuals from various backgrounds.
One of the most anticipated events this year at the Primary School was Odd Socks Day. Students and staff were encouraged to wear colourful, mismatched socks as a way to embrace and celebrate differences. The day was a valuable opportunity for students to learn how our individuality shapes us, making us unique and interesting. By exploring multiple perspectives and respecting one another's differences, the school promotes a sense of unity and discourages division.
Odd Socks Day is part of a theme week designed to raise Anti-Bullying awareness. The week was filled with activities and lessons across various subject areas, emphasizing the importance of bullying prevention and the promotion of a safe community within the school. Duncan Brown, the Director of Upper Primary, said that through these activities, students learned how to recognize and combat bullying while developing their Pao characteristics and social interaction skills. By actively participating in Anti-Bullying Week, they learned to become ‘upstanders’ who contribute to creating a safer and more inclusive school community.
On Unity Day, everyone in the school was asked to wear an item of white clothing to symbolize our unity against bullying. During CCA time, the entire school gathered for a group photo before separating into year groups for anti-bullying activities. Students from different years engaged in a range of anti-bullying activities, such as rap battles, singing songs against bullying, creating supportive messages, presenting an awareness video, and promoting the recognition and prevention of bullying.
Pao School places great importance on the well-being and healthy development of its students. To ensure this, the school has implemented a comprehensive system. One of the crucial aspects of this system is the emphasis on every staff member valuing, respecting, and actively listening to children and young people. To further foster a safe environment, beyond staff trainings, the school also actively shares information about child protection and good practices with the students and their parents or caregivers.
“What strikes me most about the YK Pao School is the deep care that is afforded to every member of the community. I believe that we are all learners, regardless of our role at the school. Together, we seek to build purposeful and respectful relationships with each other and to foster confidence, curiosity, commitment, and creativity."
—— Rosalie Pietsch
Primary School Principal
and Head of Wuding Campus
The Primary School welcomes a new principal this school year, Mrs. Rosalie Pietsch, a highly accomplished and experienced educator. Rosalie comes to Pao School with a wealth of experience, having served in various leadership roles at prestigious educational institutions both in Australia and China.
Rosalie’s impressive resume includes ten years of successful leadership and management as the former Primary School Principal at Canberra Grammar School; one of Australia's most distinguished and well-respected schools. During her tenure, Rosalie led several teacher and student visits to China, which sparked a keen interest in teaching and learning in a bilingual setting.
Rosalie has built a reputation for being a passionate and dedicated educator who brings out the best in her team. Her extensive experience in leadership and her deep commitment to student-centred learning will contribute the continuous growth and development of Pao School as it pursues the goal of becoming a world class school.
This year, one priority of the whole school is development of global citizenship allied with an understanding and celebration of Chinese culture. The theme of the Year 2 traditional ‘Cultural Carnival’ event echoes this agenda. During the opening fashion show, the students showed off cultural clothing from across all continents. These ranged from Chinese Tang suits and cheongsams to American cowboy clothing. The students also took part in games from across the world and tasted various local delicacies.
The Cultural Carnival gives students a special opportunity to explore different cultures, including folk customs, while taking part in activities that build their social skills. It is also a valuable way to use play to learn how to improve cross-cultural communication, educating better global citizens.
