Introduction to Grade 3
Our Mission
Beijing World Youth Academy strives to provide members of our community excellent learning opportunities that incorporate critical investigation, exposure to different cultural perspectives and assessment against objective criteria.
Our mission is to develop principled, open-minded thinkers who are capable of integrating with diverse international communities and who are empowered to shape their environs for the improvement of quality of life for themselves and others.
Our Values
We are committed to excellence and united by our values:
Compassion
We respect and empathise with the rights, opinions, culture and feelings of others.
Trust
We believe that honesty, integrity and reliability in ourselves and others forms the cornerstone of our community.
Solidarity
We value harmony and oneness while recognising the individuality of each person in our community.
Collaboration
We recognise that the development of the student is the shared responsibility between the student, the family and the school.
Principal's Welcome Aaron Wise
I would like to take this opportunity to welcome all of our families to the 2020-2021 school year at BWYA. As we start the new school year I would like to invite all families to continue to work with us to make the primary school a fantastic place for all our students to learn and grow.
A famous person once said “the only real mistake we make is the one from which we learn nothing”. This year the students at BWYA, and in fact all of us whether we like to admit it or not, are all going to make a lot of mistakes. Some of the mistakes the students will make will simply stay mistakes, while the students will learn from others and become better people because of the mistakes they made.
As parents and educators, one thing we must realise is that how a child responds to a mistake depends on us. How we respond to our children’s mistakes, will teach them, in turn, how they should respond to their mistakes. If we simply identify a child’s mistake by telling them that they have done the wrong thing, then we have not really taught them anything except that they failed.
This year, as we commit once again to helping all the students at BWYA learn and grow to their full potential, I would ask all parents to join with us in the important task of helping the students learn from their mistakes so that they can improve for the future. Hopefully then, they will also help us to learn from the mistakes that we make as well.
Head of UPC Andrew Abbey
Last year was an extremely successful year for us, in spite of the difficulties faced both locally and globally by the COVID-19 pandemic, together with families, students and teachers worked extremely hard to give fantastic learning opportunities to our students.
I am very excited to see our students grow, both academically and socially over the course of this school year. I look forward to forming a strong partnership with all parents at the school and seeing all of our young students reach their potential.
Head of Learning Support Team
David Dee
Dear Parents,
My name is David Dee and I come from Scotland in the U.K. I have been a teacher for nearly twenty years now. This is my third year at BWYA and I have taught at both LPC and UPC. Beijing is an amazing place to live and I am enjoying learning about China.
I am very excited this year to be taking on a new role as the Head of the Learning Support Team. I am looking forward to working with the children, parents and staff at BWYA to make sure that every child has the support they need. We all want every child to reach their full potential.
Grade 3 Teachers
Head of Grade 3, G3Y Homeroom Teacher Mary Miller
Hello, I’m Ms. Miller, the G3Y homeroom teacher. This is my fifth year at BWYA and I’m excited to have all of our new Upper Primary students! As homeroom teacher I teach Language Arts, Science and Units of Inquiry.
This is my fifth year in Beijing and my eighth year in China. I have also lived and worked in several other countries and try to share my experiences with the students in order to expand their awareness of the world. In addition to this, we also strive to embody the core values of BWYA: Compassion, Trust, Solidarity and Collaboration.
I look forward to meeting all of you and having frequent conversations with you throughout the year. In this manner, together we can enable the students achieve their potential!
G3B Homeroom Teacher
Stephanie Wicomb
Welcome to the Upper Primary school. My name is Stephanie Wicomb and I am the Grade 3 Blue class homeroom teacher this year. I will be teaching Language Arts, Science and Units of Inquiry. It will be a wonderful and amazing year for the growth of the students.
I am from Cape Town South Africa and I have studied at Southampton in the UK for the past three years and obtained a Bachelor’s degree in General Education. I have lived in Beijing for the past five years teaching students of all age groups and love the rich history and culture. I am excited to work at BWYA this year as this year I have so many engaging and fun activities that will prepare you for the fourth grade. I believe that communication is key to your child success and to a great parent /teacher relationship. I look forward to working with you and your child as we teach them to reach their goals.
G3R Homeroom Teacher Megan Collier
My name is Megan Collier and I am the Grade 3 Red class homeroom teacher. I am from Ireland but now think of Beijing as my home. For the last two years I have been working in Beijing as a teacher and helping to create the Haidian Public Primary School curriculum for spoken English. I have also taught mental arithmetic and critical thinking.
As a homeroom teacher in BWYA I will be teaching Language Arts and Units of Inquiry. My aim is for students to find their own passion and become independent and confident learners. I do my best to provide students with an environment where they feel comfortable progressing and learn at their own pace and abilities.
I am looking forward to sharing in the growth and development of your children as they begin their journey in Upper Primary.
G3G Homeroom Teacher Lisa Andrews
Dear Parents,
I’m Ms. Andrews, the G3G homeroom teacher. It’s my third year at BWYA and my sixth-year teaching in China. I have always maintained a passion for education and prior to teaching in China, pursued this passion through work in publishing and education law. I’m a qualified teacher and admitted attorney and have a Bachelor of Economics (Honours), Bachelor of Laws and PGCE (Intermediate phase).
I look forward to continuing to foster the acquisition of knowledge in a dynamic learning environment. I firmly believe that education is a powerful tool to foster change, growth and development, both personally for students and on a macro scale. I am committed to my students and their success, and believe that the teaching philosophy and integration of a value-driven, student-centred and constructivist learning and teaching approach is the vessel for the development of curious and confident lifelong learners. I am certain that we will have a wonderful year!
G3P Homeroom Teacher
Darren Whitehouse
Dear Parents, my name is Darren Whitehouse, and I come from the UK. I have been working in international schools in Beijing since 2015, and this year I am the homeroom teacher of G3P. Prior to moving to Beijing with my wife and two sons, I worked for many years in positions of trust in the global finance industry in London. My qualifications include a bachelors degree in Arts & Humanities from the University of London, a PGCEi from the University of Nottingham, UK, and I am TEFL certified. As a life-long learner, I am currently studying for a Masters in Education with the Open University, UK. My interests include enjoying the amazing restaurants of Beijing, visiting the many wonderful countries of Asia, and watching football, especially my beloved Liverpool FC. What I offer to you are the dedication of a professional educator and also as a parent myself, empathy and understanding of the hopes and expectations you have for your child. This year you are part of my family, and working together I sincerely hope we can share a successful and enjoyable experience.
Chinese Teacher
Zhang Cai Hong
Chinese Teacher Zhang Ying
Chinese Teacher Ma Jian Hui
Chinese Teacher Xin Xin
Chinese Teacher
Wang Jun
Chinese Teacher Zhang Meng Xi
PE Teacher
Luan Kleynhans
Math Teacher Ioannes Oliveira
Math Teacher Fu Yan Yan
Math Teacher
George Marx
Math Teacher Zhao Dan
Math Teacher Zhang Ran
Drama Teacher Quintus Aslett
PE Teacher Andries Nel
PE Teacher Martinus Horters
Art Teacher Du Li Mei
Music Teacher
Alexandre Ferreira
What We Teach
Language Arts
Building and applying literacy skills (speaking, listening, reading and writing) in English.
Science
Building a deep understanding of a broad scope of scientific areas
Mathematics
Building fundamental numeracy skills.
Drama
Developing a student’s confidence and creativity in performing dramas on stage
Unit of Inquiry
In this class, we focus on achieving mainly Humanities and Science learning targets through topical units of inquiry. English literacy and numeracy skills are also built as part of these studies.
Chinese Language Arts
In Chinese class, we focus on building literacy skills (speaking, listening, reading and writing) in Chinese.
Physical Education & Health
In PE class, we focus on building spatial awareness, coordination, movement and teamwork. We also focus on topics that relate to healthy living and individual well-being.
Visual Arts
In Visual Arts class, we focus on building both knowledge of art history as well as familiarity and proficiency with different media and techniques.
Music
In Music class, we focus on both music appreciation and performance using voice and instruments.
Extended Homeroom
Every Friday morning, we focus on building understanding of different Virtues as part of our character development programme.
Technology
Technology tasks will be integrated into Unit of Inquiry and Language Arts activities.
Character Development
At BWYA Primary School, our definition of learning is:
Learning is a continual process of acquiring knowledge and developing skills, positive attitudes and dispositions that lead to a deeper understanding of ourselves and the world around us.
At BWYA Primary School, our definition of International Mindedness is:
Opening our eyes and minds to understand and develop our identity within our own culture while being mindful and respectful of others’ ideas, values and beliefs whether we see similarities or differences.
Cross-Campus
Counselling
Yanlin Zhang
Dear parents,
My name is Yanlin Zhang (Yan), I am the school counsellor for the Upper Primary. This marks my first year working at the BWYA and I am thrilled to be part of the BWYA family and counselling team.
I received a Master’s Degree of Social Work from University of Melbourne where I was honed to become a professional in counselling and youth work. Prior to joining BWYA, I have worked with children and parents/guardians for several years both in China and abroad including Australia and the United States.
Our counselling team offers quality counselling services to support the various needs of student and parents, including emotional, social, and/or behavioral needs. We aim to support students to build healthy self-esteem and essential life coping skills. You are very welcome to reach me via email at zhangyanlin@ibwya.net.
Programme Administration
Primary School Principal Aaron Wise awise@ibwya.net
Head of Lower Primary Betsy Greenway bgreenway@ibwya.net
Head of Upper Primary Andrew Abbey aabbey@ibwya.net
Primary School Campus Manager Ji Fei jifei@ibwya.net
IPC Programme Assistant Upper Primary Librarian Tona Miao miaocuiping@ibwya.net
Head of Learning Support Team David Dee ddee@ibwya.net
