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Please find the list of students who will be absent from school for the full day on Friday, November 13th to participate in the Westlake MUN.

There is an impressive lineup ofspeakers joining the EARCOS 2026–27 Webinar Series. With more than 20 webinar sessions scheduled throughout the school year, there are plenty of opportunities to connect, learn, and bring new ideas back to NIS community. Take a look at the upcoming lineup for November and December. Seize the opportunity to learn from leading educators, authors, researchers, consultants, and practitioners. Visit: www.earcos.org/webinars to explore the full series and register for the sessions that interest you!

Please find the list of students who will be absent from classes for the full day on Friday, November 6th to participate in the Robotics Scrimmage @ NIS.

Why do NIS Alumni Highlight their Discover China Experience as Impactful?

I have asked many of our visiting alumni from overseas why this experience meant so much to them. It’s funny in a way as I have used the word in my question which they tend to use in their answers – it was an experience, probably more authentic than many of their other China experiences. It’s worth reminding ourselves what our statement about Discover China states:

Discover China is one of NIS’s most anticipated annual events, giving students in Grades 3–12 the chance to connect classroom learning with real-life experiences and deepen their understanding of China. As part of our Burst the Bubble strategy, students step outside their comfort zones to make authentic connections with people, places, and culture, building empathy, responsibility, and skills that last a lifetime.

The programme focuses on three goals: authentic engagement with China’s people and culture, building strong bonds with peers, and stepping outside comfort zones through new challenges. 

On the trips teachers wrote daily summaries into a shared document. I then asked AI Copilot to highlight the four main areas highlighted by teachers in their summaries. The response was that experiences were principally designed around:

• Adventure & Challenge – camping, kayaking, climbing, hiking and cycling.
• Collaboration & Community – Team-building, shared problem-solving and group living.
• Cultural Connection – Traditional crafts, local villages, food, heritage.
• Independence & Growth – Leadership, reflection self-management, decision-making.

All of this with our stunning host country as the backdrop. The goals and the outcomes don’t just overlap, there is a match to what we are trying to achieve with students at NIS. No amount of technological advancement will impact the need for these real life skills. In fact, students who have developed these skills will have a profound advantage when leveraging technology to enhance collaboration, developing community and connection through the beauty of diversity. I am left asking myself why school is not more like Discover China, or is it similar just in a different location?

A huge shout-out of appreciation to our teachers who leave their families and homes to stay with the students during these trips. It is another examaple of how dedicated our teachers are to the full learning journey of our students.

Have a noble November,

Laurie McLellan

为何NIS校友始终将探索中国游学周的经历视作影响深远的成长印记？

我曾多次询问从海外返校探访的校友，这段经历为何在他们心中分量如此之重。有趣的是，我提问时用到的“经历”一词，恰恰也是他们回答里反复提及的关键词——或许，这段游学经历比他们在中国的许多其他经历都更为真实，也更贴近当地的生活。在此我们不妨重温“探索中国游学周”项目的理念：

探索中国游学周是NIS年度最受期待的学生活动之一，面向3至12年级全体学生，将课堂所学与真实生活体验深度联结，不断深化学生对中国的认知与理解。作为我校“破茧而出”教育战略的核心组成部分，学生们走出舒适区，与当地的人、土地和文化建立真实联结，逐步培养受益终身的共情力、责任感与综合能力。

该项目始终围绕三大核心目标推进：深度沉浸式接触中国本土人民与文化、与同伴建立深厚的情感联结、通过全新挑战突破个人舒适区边界。

游学期间，老师们每天都会将活动情况整理成简报，记录在一份共享文档中。之后我借助AI Copilot梳理老师们在这些记录中反复提及的重点，并归纳出四个主要方面：

· 探索与挑战：包含露营、皮划艇、攀岩、徒步与骑行等户外实践项目

· 协作与集体：涵盖团队建设、共同解决问题与集体生活体验

· 文化联结：体验传统手工艺、探访当地村落、体验特色美食与探访文化遗产

· 独立与成长：聚焦领导力培养、自我反思、自主管理与决策能力提升

所有这些成长体验，都在我们所在的中国这片秀美绝伦的壮丽土地上展开。值得注意的是，项目设定的目标与最终达成的成长成果并非简单重叠，而是与NIS长期以来对学生的培养方向高度契合。无论技术如何迭代进步，人类对这些真实生活技能的需求永远不会消失。事实上，已经掌握这些核心能力的学生，在借助技术深化协作、构建社群联结、在多元文化之美中建立深度链接时，将拥有无可比拟的显著优势。由此，我不仅思考：为什么学校的日常学习不能更多地呈现出“探索中国游学周”这样的样貌？又或者，二者本就内核相通，只是发生的场域不同而已？

在此向所有暂别家人、全程陪伴学生完成游学行程的教职人员致以最诚挚的谢意。这再次体现了NIS教师对学生完整成长历程的投入与担当。

树树皆秋色，山山唯落晖。愿您的十一月充实而丰盈。

Laurie McLellan

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from Purchasing Team

Assessment in a post-Thorndikian Era

This week, Scott Corbett and I had the opportunity to represent NIS at a meeting about New Metrics for International Schools (NMIS) in Bangkok. Laurie has written previously about our involvement, as we are now in our second year of the two-year pilot, which includes around 28 leading international schools from around the world.

The work and research around NMIS is important because it takes on the hard work of measuring the complex competencies learners need for life in a world that is increasingly volatile, uncertain, complex, and ambiguous — often described as VUCA. As a school, we are committed to learning that prepares our students for the future they will engage in. These include competencies such as those researched, explored, and measured through NMIS: Agency in Learning, Acting Ethically, Communication, Collaboration, Quality Thinking, Personal Development, and Socially Responsible Leadership.

This is complex and challenging work, but it is also exciting to know that we are not engaged in it alone. We are partnering with world-class researchers from the University of Melbourne and beyond, our accreditation partner, the Council of International Schools, and leading international schools, as highlighted in the image below. Alongside conversations with the International Baccalaureate and other educational governing bodies, including those in the tertiary education sector, this work gives depth and credence to much of what we have always believed and practiced at NIS.

This gathering in Bangkok was our third global gathering together, giving us the opportunity to deepen our understanding of the research and assessment tools being developed, while learning alongside leaders from other schools on this journey.

The conversations were rich, including a session with Dr. Sandra Milligan from the University of Melbourne, who shared how much of today’s assessment practices are still influenced by the work of Edward Thorndike, a psychologist whose ideas shaped standardized assessment over 100 years ago. His ideas made sense in an industrial era, when schools were expanding rapidly and needed standardized ways to manage and compare large numbers of students. However, we are now living in what might be called a “post-Thorndikian era”. With the rise of AI, geopolitical instability, uncertain jobs and economic futures, and urgent concerns around climate change, different measures are needed to support the skills our children need to thrive now and in the future. 

At NIS, we have been approaching this work thoughtfully and gradually, heeding the advice of schools that have been part of the research ahead of us. We are learning, planning collaboratively, and using the tools in small areas as we continue to build our understanding.

We will be sharing more with parents about our research involvement and plans for this work through our next ParentED session on November 11th. We invite the community to join us to gain a deeper understanding of the work.

It is rigorous, meaningful, and relevant. And as an NIS parent myself, I am grateful that my kids are part of a community that is preparing them for their future world, and not a world from 100 years ago.

Have an Onward-Oriented October!

Sandra Chow

Director of Learning

后桑代克时代的评估探索

本周，我与中学部副校长Scott Corbett老师一同代表NIS，前往曼谷参加“国际学校新评估体系”的专题会议。Laurie总校长此前曾撰文介绍过学校参与这一项目的情况。目前，我们已进入为期两年的试点项目的第二年。该项目汇聚了来自世界各地约28所优秀的国际学校。

NMIS相关的研究与实践意义重大，它直面了一项颇具挑战的课题：在这个日益动荡、不确定、复杂且模糊（即常说的VUCA环境）的世界中，如何精准衡量学习者立足未来所需的综合核心能力。NIS始终致力于让学生为真实未来做好准备，帮助他们能够积极参与并从容应对未来世界的挑战。而NMIS体系正在研究、探索并落地评估的核心能力，也与我们的育人目标高度契合，包括学习自主能动性、道德践行能力、沟通能力、协作能力、高质量思维、个人成长与具有社会责任感的领导力。

这项工作复杂且充满挑战，但令人振奋的是，我们并非独自探索。我们与墨尔本大学及其他机构的顶尖研究人员，我们的认证合作伙伴——国际学校理事会，以及众多领先的国际学校携手同行，相关合作伙伴也在下方图片中有所呈现。与此同时，我们也在和国际文凭组织及高等教育领域的各类教育治理机构展开交流。这些合作与对话，为我校长期以来秉持并践行的教育理念，提供了更深厚的研究依据与行业公信力。

此次曼谷之行是我们参与的第三次全球交流活动。借此机会，我们得以进一步理解正在开发的相关研究成果与评估工具，并与其他同样走在这条探索之路上的学校领导者共同学习、交流经验。

会议期间的讨论内容丰富而深入。其中，其中，来自墨尔本大学的Sandra Milligan博士分享了一个值得深思的观点：当今许多评估实践仍深受Edward Thorndike的思想影响，这位学者的理念在100多年前奠定了标准化评估的基础。在工业化时代，学校规模迅速扩大，教育系统需要通过标准化方式管理和比较大量学生，因此，这些理念在当时具有其合理性。然而，如今我们正步入一个可以称为“后桑代克时代”的新阶段。随着AI崛起、地缘政治局势的动荡、就业与经济前景的不确定性，以及气候变化带来的紧迫挑战，我们需要探索不同于传统模式的评估方式，以更好地支持孩子们发展所需的能力，让他们不仅能够适应当下，也能在未来的世界中充分成长、发挥所长。

在推进这项工作时，NIS始终秉持审慎、循序渐进的态度，并认真借鉴那些更早参与相关研究的学校所积累的经验。我们持续学习，与各方协同规划，并在部分领域小范围尝试运用相关工具，在实践中不断加深理解。

11月11日的家长课堂将为我们提供一个与家长分享更多相关信息的机会。届时，我们将介绍学校参与这项研究的情况，以及后续工作的规划。诚邀全体社区成员参加，一同深入了解这项工作的意义与进展。

这项研究严谨、有意义，且完全贴合时代需求。作为一名NIS家长，我也由衷感到欣慰：我的孩子能够在这样一个教育社区中成长。学校所做的一切，是为了帮助他们为自己即将面对的未来世界做好准备，而不是让他们接受一百年前的教育模式。

“黄金时代，不在我们背后，乃在我们面前；不在过去，乃在将来。”

愿您的十月，步履不停、向新而行！

Sandra Chow

Director of Learning