The annual All-Staff Conference

On August 20, 2026, all faculty and staff of Wuxi United international School gathered on campus for the annual All-Staff Conference, ushering in the 2026–2027 academic year after a summer of rest and preparation.

Co-Principal Meng Xiaodong opened the session by extending greetings to the entire staff and welcoming new teachers. New faces bring new energy; returning colleagues return with fresh insights. At the start of the new academic year, we reaffirm our commitment: Be the best I can be, and together we become better.

Work Report: “East-West Integration, Dual-Track Advancement”

Principal Meng Xiaodong delivered the 2026–2027 work report for Wuxi United International School under the theme “Integrating East and West, Advancing on Dual Tracks, and Building a New Paradigm of School Development.”

He opened with the 2026 Gaokao essay prompt: “The sun and moon do not lose their substance, therefore they are restored after eclipse; the Yangtze and Han rivers do not lose their sources, therefore they flow again after obstruction.” From this, he reflected on “preserving the essence and nurturing the source” and analyzed the current development landscape of international schools. He noted that amid intensifying stock competition, shifting parental expectations, and increasingly rational educational choices, schools must return to the core of education—winning trust through quality, building competitiveness through distinctiveness, and responding to families and society with genuine institutional strength.

Centered on the theme of “Integrating East and West, Advancing on Dual Tracks, and Building a New Paradigm of School Development,” Principal Meng further elaborated on the school’s future direction. “Integrating East and West” means deepening integration across curricula, faculty, campus life, and educational approaches. “Advancing on Dual Tracks” clarifies the distinct positioning of the Integrated Program and the Bilingual Program, establishing flexible and coherent multi-path routes across primary, middle, and high school levels—each with its own character—to provide tailored educational options for diverse students.

For the 2026–2027 academic year, the school will adopt “educating with a calm mind” as its guiding tone, making classroom instruction and extracurricular activities the twin engines of student development, and using measurable, visible, and trackable quality as a key benchmark. The action plan encompasses: fostering a focused and orderly campus atmosphere; designing “fewer but better” activities that are goal-oriented, engaging, and reflectively substantive; building quality classrooms centered on learning, where students genuinely gain knowledge; balancing enrichment and remediation while strengthening academic performance analysis; cultivating brand teachers with recognizability and impact; reinforcing safety, logistics, psychological support, and institutional safeguards; deepening home-school collaboration; and further expanding future-oriented learning scenarios such as STEM, PBL, community practice, and AI education. All these efforts ultimately converge on the most fundamental daily work of education—perfecting every routine, infusing warmth into every small task, and distilling successful cases into curriculum. With a calm mind, we do true education.

A Decade Together: Honoring Perseverance and Companionship

Ten years mark a measure of time and a testament to shared growth. At the conference, the school extended special gratitude and respect to the 20 faculty and staff members who have been with Wuxi United for a full decade.

Over these years, they have witnessed the school’s growth from their various posts and have woven their expertise, passion, and dedication into every detail of its development—from classrooms to activities, from student progress to campus changes. They have been both witnesses and builders of Wuxi United’s ten‑year journey.Time records their steadfastness; shared experience deepens our bonds. We thank every long‑standing companion and every “us” who has always stood shoulder to shoulder with the school.

Key Work Priorities for Each Division in the New Academic Year

Kindergarten | Principal Jane Zhu

Principal Jane reviewed the past year’s explorations and achievements from the perspective of the kindergarten’s distinctive development and educational practices. Looking ahead to the new academic year, the kindergarten will continue to feature “philosophy‑based education” as its core theme. Leveraging the district‑level key cultivation team of “Four‑Haves” excellent teachers in Xishan District, it will promote professional growth for teachers at different career stages. It will also integrate municipal research project outcomes into daily routines, picture‑book teaching, area activities, and thematic curricula, embedding children’s philosophy into every aspect of children’s daily learning and life. At the same time, the kindergarten will explore more life‑oriented and inquiry‑based project‑based learning, advance the integrated development of nursery and preschool education, improve parent‑school mechanisms and home‑kindergarten collaboration, support children’s growth through higher‑quality companionship and interaction, and continuously enrich the distinct character of the program.

Primary & Secondary Integration Division | Vice Principal Ella Zhang

From curriculum to classroom, from knowledge acquisition to competency development, Vice Principal Ella centers the new academic year’s keyword on “substance.” The Integration Division will further refine the “dual‑track” curriculum system integrating the Integrated Program and the Bilingual Program, continuously strengthen course offerings in English, STEM, and problem‑solving, deepen the reading initiative, and enrich arts and sports curricula to provide students with more diverse and solid learning experiences. Centered on “learning as the core,” each subject will consolidate regular teaching research and enhance interdisciplinary collaboration, directing more classroom attention to students’ authentic learning processes and capability development. Concurrently, the division will improve the quality and efficiency of campus activities and expand enrollment channels, reinforcing the educational quality of the primary and secondary stages through sustained curriculum optimization and genuine classroom improvement.

International High School | Vice Principal Rebecca Cao

Vice Principal Rebecca, under the theme “Striving for Excellence,” articulated two core objectives for the International High School Division in the new academic year: improving examination results and enhancing competitiveness for admission to top universities. To achieve these goals, the division will integrate three main strands—teaching and learning, student development, and university counseling. In the classroom, Professional Learning Communities (PLCs) will drive collective assessment, data analysis, and tiered support, making instruction more precise and effective. In student development, the “Star Program” and “Growth Program” will address both top‑tier and general advancement, identifying suitable pathways for every student. In university counseling, preparation will be moved forward to Grade 9, with continuous accumulation of portfolios, academic achievements, and activity records to gradually build a clear and compelling personal academic narrative. Counselors, subject teachers, mentors, and parents will work together to support students in reaching broader horizons.

Administration & Logistics | Secretary Alan Lu

Party Branch Secretary Lu Lei reviewed the previous semester’s administrative and logistical work, summarizing phased achievements in service support, campus environment, refined management, boarding education practices, and standardised school operations. He then outlined plans for the new academic year, proposing that administration and logistics adhere to the principles of “safety as the bottom line, service as the foundation, and quality as the pursuit.” Further measures include enhancing campus safety inspections and the first‑encounter responsibility system, improving logistical response efficiency, and streamlining service processes through the OA maintenance‑request system. The division will continue to deepen smart electricity usage, green office practices, and budget control to elevate the level of refined campus management. Additionally, it will strengthen student mental health support by establishing a closed‑loop mechanism of “one student, one file” and a “screening‑assessment‑intervention‑follow‑up” process, providing more precise and caring services to safeguard the daily lives of teachers and students and the high‑quality development of the school.

Closing Address: “Let Us Keep Climbing”

The meeting concluded with an address by Co-Principal Dr. Max Caruso, titled Let’s Keep Climbing: Journeys, Homecomings, and the Work Ahead. Drawing on his travels through Guizhou over the summer, Dr. Caruso reflected on waterfalls, bridges and journeys as metaphors for education. “As educators, we are bridge builders,” he said, describing how educators at WUIS build bridges between East and West, tradition and innovation, and between what a child can do alone and what they can achieve with support. His reflections on travel also led him to Homer’s Odyssey and the idea of nostos—a homecoming found not simply at the end of a journey, but within the journey itself. Since its founding in 2013, WUIS, too, has been on its own odyssey: growing, adapting and transforming, while returning each year to familiar rhythms, shared purpose and one another.

Returning to the heart of education, Dr. Caruso shared a philosophy that has guided both his personal and professional journey: Io Imparo—“I Learn.” He spoke of the three joys of learning—the joy of learning itself, the joy of discovery, and the joy of working together—and encouraged teachers to remain learners themselves, creating opportunities for students to think deeply, explore, discover and collaborate. As WUIS embarks on another academic year, he invited the whole community to “keep climbing” together. He closed with the philosophy of Ubuntu—“I am because we are”—a reminder that learning and growth are deeply rooted in connection and community. As he concluded: “Our journey connects us together. And every step we take brings us home. Let’s keep climbing. Io Imparo. I learn. We learn. Together.”