Forge ahead with determination and pursue excellence with practical action. As the 2024-2025 academic year is about to begin, NKCS is at a crucial turning point, mapping out a development blueprint that aims to elevate the school from good to excellent. Over the past few months, Dipont Group leadership and the school management team have engaged in in-depth discussions and reached a consensus that the next phase of NKCS's development should focus on comprehensively enhancing the quality of education.

As the ancient Chinese saying goes, 'For one who has traveled a hundred miles, the journey is only half completed at ninety,' highlighting that the most challenging part of any journey is often the final stretch. These final ten steps mark the crucial gap between good and great. In this rapidly changing era, only by forging ahead and pushing against the current can we achieve the final leap. On the path to pursuing excellence, the effort to improve quality is the most challenging yet the most valuable.

"The staff meeting for the new academic year was not only a summary and review of the past year but also a planning and outlook for the new year. Guided by Dipont's philosophy of 'holistic education that supports individual growth,' the 2023-2024 academic year has officially set sail.

New Academic Year Staff Meeting

01  Mr. Jeff Zhu：Embracing Change, Envisioning Excellence

At the beginning of the meeting, Mr. Jeff Zhu, a member of the Board of Directors of Wuxi Dipont School of Arts and Science and Vice President of Dipont Education Group, took the stage first and took the audience back to ten years ago. At that time, Dipont Group began to envision and create a new educational model on this land rich in historical and cultural heritage—one that advocates diversity, creativity, and holistic development, with the firm belief that every child is unique and deserves an extraordinary, multifaceted definition. After six years of practice, NKCS has now become a successful model of holistic education, blending the essence of Eastern and Western educational philosophies.

To better align the school's structure with its development strategy, NKCS will initiate a series of structural reforms in the new academic year. After an in-depth analysis of the roles and responsibilities of the Wuxi school management team, it was decided to adjust the top management structure to better promote the school's future development.

02 Ms. Fiona You：A New Chapter for NKCS

Amidst enthusiastic applause, the newly appointed Executive Principal, Ms. Fiona You, took the stage and delivered a speech themed 'Innovation and Quality.' She noted that the past six years have been a time of both opportunities and challenges for NKCS, testing the educational model we envisioned and upheld—wisdom, innovation, and quick response are the keys to overcoming difficulties and will be the solid foundation for future development. These abilities don’t provide direct answers but rather equip us with positive ways of thinking and action strategies to help us face future challenges.

● The strategic development objectives of the school for future：

A Holistic Education Supporting Individual Growth for Excellence

From the very beginning of the school, NKCS has always strived to maintain its ‘internationalisation’ - 1:1 ratio of Chinese and expat teachers, 20% international students. 20% international students. We believe that the cultural exchange between teachers and students from different countries can lay the foundation for students' future global lifestyles and career paths.

Learner Profile：NKCS is dedicated to cultivating exceptional future talents, advocating for holistic education and the freedom to explore individual gifts. This ensures that NKCS students acquire future-oriented knowledge, skills, and competencies, becoming well-rounded, balanced, and versatile young leaders.

Mission：To build a future-oriented school, focused on empowering scholars to thrive in a rapidly changing economic and social environment. We will educate them to become competent for the work that is yet to be created, to apply the technology that is yet to be invented and to solve the social problems that we cannot imagine today.

Vision：To be a world-class learning community that integrates the best of international and Chinese education to maximize each student’spotential.

Our strategy is to focus on the individual growth of our students: the development of outstanding and innovative talents led by the Summit Programme, and the individual educational needs guaranteed by the Student Support Centre, so that each student can find his or her own growth map and development path.

● Discovering each child's strengths and advantages
● Encourage your child to seize every learning opportunity.
● Seeing and motivating each child's progress.
● Believe that everything is an educational opportunity.

03 Mr. Shen Maode：Working together, we reach new heights

In his speech, Mr. Shen Maode, the Chinese Principal, suggested that at this stage, we already have very good visions, values and advanced concepts, but how to make the visions become visible in the campus life and the advanced concepts be presented in the growth process of the students? He discussed this from the perspectives of improving academic quality, reflecting an ability-oriented educational model, and developing a good home-school co-operation relationship, etc. He emphasised the need to move from ‘I’ to ‘We’ ,to establish a team culture of ‘mutual respect and integration’, and called on everyone here to recognise and agree with the development path of international schools, urging each individual to 'share the common responsibility' and cultivate behaviors that reflect 'dedication' and 'professionalism.'

Principal Shen emphasized that in the new semester, every teacher should fully recognize the power of Chinese culture and the actual circumstances, continuously adjusting and enhancing their teaching levels to provide personalized growth support for each student.

New Teacher Training

Understanding a school’s education often starts with its teachers. Teachers are the main implementers of the educational philosophy; the realization and enforcement of educational ideals and concepts rely on them. In the new academic year, new teachers with their unique educational philosophies and methods, has arrived at NKCS. They have been selected through rigorous processes, providing educational support for the students and injecting energy into the school’s work.

Head of Secondary Richard N.

Being part of the Dipont group of schools, and enjoying robust partnerships with Kings College London and Nanjing Foreign Language School, provides our teachers with unparalleled professional learning opportunities. Tailored to individual needs, our induction includes a mix of internal and external training. Highlights include:

● Heads of Academic Departments participated in the Dipont Annual Schools Conference, engaging with educational leaders from top schools in China to exchange innovative practices.
●Leanne Grundy, Dipont’s Director of Education for Independent Schools, led workshops to enhance lesson observation, coaching, and reflective practices. She also conducted an in-depth session with Middle Leaders to elevate academic and student support standards.
● ADD IN LS, PRIMARY, KG EXTERNAL PARTS

Our commitment to quality education extends throughout the year with continuous professional learning opportunities, including:

● The Educator Advancement Programme, designed to elevate excellent teachers to expert levels in their fields.
● The NASSEA Course, which helps subject teachers integrate language learning seamlessly into their lessons.
● Evidence-Based Education Courses, ensuring that our teaching strategies are grounded in the latest research and brain science.
● Collaborative Learning with Kings College Schools worldwide, covering areas such as pedagogy, holistic learning, safeguarding, and subject-specific training.

Post-induction, our teachers will continue to engage in collaborative professional development each week, diligently reviewing student progress and refining their teaching methods. This ongoing commitment ensures that every student receives the best possible holistic education and achieves outstanding outcomes. Together, we’re not just talking the talk—we’re walking the walk as a ‘learning community aspiring for excellence’.

Upgrading of environmental facilities to create an advanced educational environment

In order to provide a more conducive environment for students to learn, NKCS undertook a series of renovations to the school during the holidays, giving the entire campus a fabulous start.

KG

KG Gate

Outdoor Development

Upgrade of New Reception Area

New Sensory Room

Space Playground

STEAM Classroom

Upper Secondary

Re-layout of library

Dormitory Building

Social Area

New Updates

New Bridge Leading to Planting Zone

Parkour

2024-2025, let's step into a new chapter together in the context of new blueprints, new requirements and new tasks, assisting in the exceptional growth of every child and creating the next five glorious years of NKCS!