Dear Parents and Guardians,
This week we were greeted by bone-chilling weather and fluffy snow all around. We all stayed warm inside on Wednesday when it was the coldest, and yesterday, the children took full advantage of the fresh blanket of snow. There were snowmen, snowballs and snow angels, and even some very determined snow shovelling!
Even short weeks like this one are full of activities. Our Year 5 students went on a fun outing to some museums yesterday, and the Year 3s were bursting with excitement when their mums and dads visited their classrooms for their Celebration of Learning.
We had Youjin Choi, Co-founder and CEO of the Ed-tech startup CLASSUM join us as our special guest for Wednesday’s Dulwich Talk. Youjin spoke candidly about the rewards and challenges she has faced as a young woman in the tech world, and stressed the importance of taking risks and being willing to fail. She compared launching a startup to “building an aeroplane while falling”, but offered words of encouragement to our students to help them better appreciate their own future potential. I would like to thank Youjin for taking the time to inspire us with her story.
The College Cookery was buzzing today for the Friends of Dulwich (FoD) cooking class. They made mandu-guk, a traditional Korean dish of dumplings in a savoury soup. The aroma from the kitchen filled the air all morning, causing many passersby to experience pangs of hunger and doing double takes to see what was going on. I am ever grateful to the FoD for arranging these regular community building events. The next Social Coffee Morning-cum-Used Uniform Sale is 9 February, and please mark your calendars for the upcoming big FoD event – the Dulwich College Seoul Gala on Tuesday 28 February at Conrad Seoul.
Today, we had two alumni of our Dulwich Family of Schools, Alice O. (2017 DCSZ) and Jack K. (2011 DCB), visit us for a fascinating Q&A session with our current IB students. Graduated from Seoul National University, Alice currently works at SC Bank and recalled fondly her time as an IB student. In fact, Alice said her favourite teacher in school was none other than our current Senior School Head of English Frank Ventham, who also happened to be in the room with us. What a lovely moment!
Jack attended Cornell University and then transferred to Yonsei University. He currently works for an investment company. Both alumni gave tips and advice to the students with one common thread – that the IB was challenging but it prepared them for university. Overheard: “Once you survive IB, university will be easier.”
As of writing, our Senior School girls and boys varsity basketball teams are engaged in a fierce and healthy competition with the visiting teams from International Christian School of Uijeongbu (ICSU). The level of intensity on the court is matched only by the level of sportsmanship on display. As a one-time basketballer myself, I must say I’m extremely impressed with the level of play exhibited by both teams this season. The skill and athleticism they bring to the court is remarkable. We will have a full update on the results of the games in next week’s e-update.
In today’s Parent Workshop, Ms Chamberlain and Mr Fitzgibbon explained why maths textbooks will soon be a thing of the past. This interactive workshop was the first in the Senior School series of curriculum workshops and offered parents from Year 5 to Year 11 an opportunity to explore the main platforms used to support children in their mathematical journey.
Beginning Monday next week, the mask mandate that has been in effect for almost three years will be lifted. The Korean Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) still recommends the wearing of masks, but it will now be optional. Please note that children will still need to wear masks on the bus to and from school and we ask that children with COVID-19 symptoms stay home. Please see the email communication that was sent to all parents earlier this week for more information. Thank you for keeping our community safe.
With my best wishes,
Mr Guðmundur Hegner Jónsson
Head of College