Dear Parents and Guardians,
It was so wonderful to see all the splashes of colour around school today, and smartly dressed students wearing their hanboks with such pride and grace. My first Chuseok celebration here could not have been more memorable with the amazing students’ singing, dancing and drama performances at the Chuseok Assembly.
This year’s theme, Traveling in Cities of South Korea, seems timely as many of our students returned from adventure trips last week. Our five Year 11-12 students who MC-ed the event did a great job in keeping us on track and engaged throughout. Our talented students from various year groups wowed a full house of parents and staff in the gymnasium with their songs, mask and fan dances, drama performances of Korean classics such as the Story of Chunhyang, as well as traditional percussion instruments like janggu, buk and gwanggwari. The annual staff video was also well-received with lots of laughter shared as staff created their own version of the popular song We’re Going on a Trip, by Cho Yong-pil. Please do take a moment to watch the video shared here.
I’d like to thank Jude Lee for leading a stellar Chuseok Assembly, and Mark Knights and the music team, as well as all the staff who worked to ensure it was such a resounding success. Special thanks to Dr Anna Yates-Lu, who’s a parent and professor at Seoul National University’s Music department, Korean traditional music, and helped our students rehearse the traditional musical instruments performed at the assembly.
Also this week, we welcomed our parent representatives from Primary and Senior Schools. Huge thanks to all who volunteered to represent their year groups’ parents. We look forward to continuing to work with you to make it another great year.
Our campus walls, classrooms and hallways were abuzz with student council and house captain candidates campaigning for a vote from their peers. I am so impressed by the sheer enthusiasm of our candidates to make a difference within our community. Congratulations to all who were elected. For those who were not elected, don’t lose heart as there’s always other opportunities to contribute!
Looking ahead, we are looking forward to celebrating World Peace Day on 21 September and inviting North Korean defector-turned-advocate Ilhwa Choe of Liberty in North Korea to speak at our very first Dulwich Talk of the year on 26 September. The talk will launch the Global Citizenship & Sustainability Series.
I wish you a happy and restful Chuseok Holiday with your loved ones.
With warm regards,
Ms Alison Derbyshire