Dear Parents and Guardians,
As the weather starts to cool off, our second week of term was packed with activity that included donning wild hairdos to raise funds for charity, coming together to welcome new families and celebrate incoming students to the IB Diploma Programme.
On Tuesday, we saw some outrageous hairdos on Crazy Hair Day, including ramen bowls complete with soft-boiled egg and chashu pork slices, a coke bottle being poured into a glass, rainbows, pigtails, and lots of bright colours! Our Primary School Charity Team raised 316,000 KRW that will be donated to The Beautiful Foundation.
I had the pleasure of meeting long-time Dulwich supporters and partners, British Ambassador Colin Crooks and Executive Director of the British Chamber of Commerce in Korea (BCCK), Lucinda Walker at the Ambassador’s residence on Wednesday. The ties between Dulwich, the British embassy and BCCK go deep, and I am looking forward to further strengthening our close partnership during my tenure. As you may know, Amb. Crooks is a former Dulwich College Beijing parent who also spoke at a Dulwich Talk here two years ago about his experience as British Ambassador to North Korea. He has attended our Founder’s Day two years in a row, and we are currently partnering on a Gender & Inclusion campaign with the embassy to raise awareness around gender equity and inclusion issues that are aligned with our core values and Diversity Equity Inclusion Justice (DEIJ) efforts.
Lucinda at BCCK has also been a wonderful champion and we look forward to continuing our close partnership with the chamber. I am honoured to be serving on the chamber’s Executive Committee.
We are pleased to report we had our largest ever group of 129 new students starting in Term 1. It was wonderful to welcome our new families and parent leaders for the New Families Welcome Coffee Morning on Thursday. It was a great opportunity for parents to meet each other, as well as our leadership and parent ambassadors, and make connections over a cup of coffee. I would like to extend my gratitude to our Admissions team, Friends of Dulwich, and TAP Ambassadors for organizing and participating in this event to make our new families feel part of our community.
On Thursday evening, our Year 12 students and their families were treated to a very special dinner in the IB Centre celebrating their entry into the two-year IB Diploma Programme. As a parent whose child went through the IBDP and having served as the IB lead in a previous role, I could attest to how the IBDP is a journey not only for the student but also for the parents who are closely involved throughout the process. We aimed to celebrate the beginning of this very journey – certainly with its ups and not without its challenges – and let all the Year 12 families know that we are here to support you.
This week, we also welcomed representatives from various US universities, offering our students insights into a wide range of higher education options. These visits are an essential part of our University Career and Counselling (UCC) Programme, and they play a crucial role in helping our students make informed decisions about their future academic and career paths.
Last but not least, I’m excited to meet all of you at today’s Welcome Picnic! This annual event is always a highlight and offers a perfect opportunity for families, students, and staff to come together, enjoy some delicious food (just added: soft serve ice cream!), and relax under a clear sky. It’s a fantastic way to celebrate the start of the school year and to strengthen our community bonds.
With warm regards,
Ms Alison Derbyshire