As the bell welcomed students to begin the New Year, the SUIS Qingpu Parent Support Group contributed their valuable insights to the school, helping to foster a close partnership between home and the campus. At this juncture of the old year and the new, parent representatives stepped onto the campus to extend their blessings to teachers and children, illuminating the start of our new year.
As we returned to school after the New Year holiday, the dads from the Parent Support Group presented new-year sweets to the arriving students. Each sweet symbolized the abundant affection of fathers, conveying heartfelt wishes for the students. In the coming year, the Dragon Year’s paternal energy will continue, with dads using their strong arms to build a loving home for their children. This ‘sweet gift’ of fatherly love will accompany the children as they grow, collectively crafting stories of happiness.
On the afternoon of 3 January, SUIS Qingpu parents gathered, reflecting on the past and looking towards the future. The Parent Support Group held an appreciation event with the theme “Home-School Collaboration: Helping Children Soar Like Dragons,” attended by parents and representatives from the school.
Parent representatives led the audience in a group dance, officially opening the appreciation event. This unique beginning added a touch of vibrancy to the formal proceedings and also built a bridge for future collaboration between the parents and the school.
Principal Sunny Huang then delivered a welcome speech. Ms. Huang said that home-school collaboration has always been key to the school’s development and a powerful driving force for the well-rounded growth of its students. Sincerely thanking parents for their robust support of various school activities over the past year, she acknowledged their promotion of effective interaction and communication between teachers and students. Ms. Huang encouraged parents to continue actively participating in their children’s growth, sharing their love and wisdom to help nurture the next generation.
School representatives awarded certificates of appreciation to parent representatives.
Together, the administrative team and parent representatives performed a dragon dance, adding dragon-themed decorations to the school. As the dragon’s head moved, the performers gave their sincere blessings to the school.
Parents and school representatives raised their arms and sang together, performing “Heirs of the Dragon” in a robust melody exuding confidence and majesty. Subsequently, a medley of energetic songs once again ignited the enthusiasm of the entire audience.
In a much-anticipated game, applause and laughter intertwined. The exciting and amusing “Dragon Soars, Tiger Leaps”, a game of idiomatic expressions related to the Year of the Dragon, began with the school team and parent team engaging in fierce competition. Each team sent out six representatives to connect idioms related to the Dragon Year, with no repetition allowed. As the game progressed, both teams demonstrated excellent teamwork and individual wit.
The cheers and laughter of the game gradually subsided, and the appreciation event was about to end. School representatives awarded certificates of appreciation to parent representatives. Following this, parents and school representatives sang the song “Loving Each Other, One Family” with the choir’s voices brimming with warmth. The appreciation event concluded with this touching home-school chorus. On this heartwarming afternoon, parents and school representatives painted a beautiful picture of home-school collaboration, growing together.
As the enthusiastic applause for the Parent-Teacher Appreciation Event gradually faded away, parents, filled with anticipation, moved to the Grand Theatre to enjoy a very special new-year concert, a concert consisting of a performance from a visiting student orchestra from Australia, the Cloud Concert Youth Orchestra (CCYO), and performances from several of SUIS Qingpu’s school teams: the Primary School Choir (The Nightingale Choir), the Middle School Choir, and the SUIS Qingpu Orchestra and Drama teams. This musical extravaganza combined Eastern and Western musical forms, representing the meeting of music and the exchange of cultures. The symphony and dance created a visual and auditory feast, captivating everyone in the audience.
The old year has passed, and a new dawn is about to break. In the coming year, the school will continue to hold high expectations for its students’ bright futures, joining hands with parents to promote home-school collaboration, the development of the school, and the sustained growth and success of the children.
