With the end of the first semester of the school year in sight, Beijing City International School (BCIS) recently held its first round of Parent Teacher Conferences to share student's learning accomplishments and discuss learning goals going forward.

In the Elementary School, these conferences provided a more personal opportunity for parents and homeroom teachers to engage on the specifics of students' learning as well as have a deeper conversation on how BCIS implements its inquiry-based curriculum. By holding individual exchanges, parents can also share areas of concern or developmental objectives they have for their child, informing the teacher's approach.

In the Secondary School (SS), parents and students meet together with Advisors and Counselors, with student involvement very important in these sessions to ensure students are engaged as well as encouraging greater trust and honesty. Students' performance is analyzed in line with our SS Learning Model, on the four key impacts of being a critical thinker, creative thinker, purposeful doer and connected learner. Student's work is evaluated in how they meet these four criteria in their exploration, analysis, expression, cooperation, empathy, action and self-reflection.

Maintaining communication between home and the classroom is crucial to supporting student's learning at all ages, resulting in a better school experience for all. These fruitful sessions reinforce bonds between families and the school, further enhancing the student learning experience and bolstering belief in our educational mission.