在我們的學校里，有這樣一群初中生，他們來自不同的背景：從公立出走，從體制外轉學，與狄邦華曜在創校之初牽手，或中途加入相伴至今。
(相關資料圖)
這些學者與他們的家長選擇這里，究竟是看中了什么？期待著什么？懷抱著這樣的期待，孩子學習生活下來，又是否收獲了一份滿意的答卷呢？
我們采訪了Yolanda、Eline兩位7年級學者的家長。她們的孩子曾經是同班同學，在小升初的階段，先后進入狄邦華曜。轉學適應的這段時期，面對孩子的變化，她們有很多話想說……
In our school, there is a group of Middle Grades scholars who come from different backgrounds: those who left public schools, those who transferred from bilingual school, those who joined hands with Dipont Huayao Collegiate School at the beginning of the school"s establishment, or those who joined halfway and have been accompanying us until now.
What did these scholars and their parents see and expect when they chose this school? With such expectations, did their children"s learning and life yield a satisfactory answer?
We interviewed the parents of Yolanda and Eline, two Grade 7 scholars who were once classmates and entered HC successively in the transition to Middle Grades. In this period of adaptation to the transfer, faced with their children"s changes, they had a lot to say...
分層激勵
學習自主性的養成
Yolanda進入到小學高年級時，媽媽帶她去參加了課外純美式教學的英語培訓。晚間3個小時的學習，課程內容豐富且充滿趣味性，讓她每次都覺得意猶未盡，也變得更加敢于開口用英文去表達和交流了。
這一發現牽動了Yolanda媽媽的心：如果把孩子送到環境和培訓班一樣的學校里，身邊圍繞著類似配置的老師，學習正有點泄勁的孩子會不會更愿意去努力？
作為體制內教育出身的人，Yolanda媽媽在向往著西方教育模式的同時，也對打好基礎這件事非常看重。她很早就認識到，所謂的精英教育，并不是讓孩子在條件優渥的學校里被放養，而是能夠利用資源，接受較為全面的訓練。
她立刻想到了曾經參訪過的狄邦華曜學校，和自己對于理想中的學校的想象十分吻合。盡管當時已經拿下了其他離家更近的學校的Offer，Yolanda一家還是決定選擇昆山，開啟新生活。
學校針對來自不同背景的學者，會進行學術能力評估，采取靈活的分層制指導教學，分層的學科不僅有常見的數學、英語，還包括語文、科學。
初中分為CP、CP-A、ECP、ECP-I四個層級，剛剛轉學過來的孩子因為沒有參加學校的測驗，是從最基礎的層級開始上課。在好勝心的驅動下，Yolanda通過不到一個月的努力，不斷調整自己的層級，目前已經基本都升入了最高的ECP-I。
Y同學課表：英語CP-A，物理ECP-I，數學ECP-I，語文ECP，化學ECP
這樣的進步并不是個例，在入學一段時間后，Yolanda發覺盡管學習氛圍寬松，身邊的同學卻沒有一個人是不在乎成績的。大家為了更好的個人表現、更高層級知識的掌握、為班級做出更多的貢獻，持續地提升著自我。
也正因如此，浸潤于良性競爭的氛圍里，同學之間互相影響、互相促進。
Yolanda媽媽明顯地感受到了孩子身上發生的變化：
“以前孩子的作業我都是要檢查的，也會發現很多錯誤，但現在我已經不怎么去關心她的作業了。一方面是制度給予的便利，很多作業通過網絡提交，家長可以使用IntSchool隨時查看反饋；另一方面她確實變得主動在意起作業的質量，老師的意見或是鼓勵，都會吸收成為下一次改正和提高的動力。”
不僅是文字類的作業，很多個性化的Project，Yolanda和小伙伴也從不會把它當成差事去應付。任務布置下來后，需要準備的設備或材料，她都會主動請家長幫忙，約同學一起商討、互相督促著完成各自負責的部分。幾次的項目在最終評分上，Yolanda的小組都拿到了滿分的好成績。
Eline媽媽對于學習主動性這件事也抱有同感。
小升初這一時期，在她看來正值孩子自我意識萌芽的階段。不少初中生在這個年齡愛玩，愛打游戲，也會對家長敦促學習產生抵觸情緒。
但通過Eline的表現，她發現孩子身邊的同學們，會有學業上的比拼。分班層級制度的存在，讓大家對于自己的成績有所要求，主動報名不同的課程，從旁觀者角度來看甚至有些“內卷”。這種“內卷”并非負面意義的，而是在適當的壓力之下，尋求提升的表現。
學校老師定期輸出針對每個學生的個性化成長報告，根據評估體系做出哪些方面表現優異、哪些方便仍待加強的反饋。當Eline在轉學初的適應期發現自己英語還不夠好的時候，除了平時在學校多抓住機會練習，年級尚低的她還開始思考：是不是可以參加例如托福一類的英語測試，嘗試看看自己的水平在哪里。
狄邦華曜的教學及評價設置，正是這樣能從根源激發孩子們的學習動力，進而在初中階段打好學習習慣及思維習慣的基礎，幫助學者們運用到更多的學習場景之中。
學生活動
音體美精彩不斷，沉浸式英語氛圍
Eline和Yolanda在轉學過來之后，快速地融入了這里。豐富的Life-Block課程以及各類社團活動讓她們感受到了不同于往的校園生活，也在各類極具特色的實踐中，找到了自己的價值及熱情所在。
一直以來，Eline媽媽都認為她是個比較內秀、不愛表達的孩子。但在一次好友家庭聚會上，面對其他家長對于Eline轉學后的體驗的提問，她侃侃而談，說出了很多學校的優點和自己的真實感受。
這一刻Eline媽媽發現也許孩子并非性格膽怯，而是有表達的意愿和想法，卻缺乏鼓勵和機會。在狄邦華曜的歷練，讓她在語言或是個人的表達上都實現了量變到質變的進化。
在最近學校主辦的反霸凌展演上，Eline擔任了戲劇演出的主角之一。整出作品是戲劇老師Matt帶領學生們在兩周內排出來的。牽動人心的劇情和飽滿的情緒表演感染了現場的許多人，Eline媽媽在被女兒的表現驚艷之余，也深深帶入了角色之中而感動落淚。首次扛起主角大旗，收獲如此的贊譽，也讓她對于戲劇表演產生濃厚的興趣。
Eline去年加入了學生會，加入之初，面臨諸多需要對外溝通的工作，顯得有些退縮。十分關注個人狀態的導師并沒有放過這個細節，她認為Eline有能力、也有資格去完成學生會的工作，于是一步又一步推動并肯定著Eline的表現。
“自信和經驗是共同體，沒有自信是因為沒有經驗，積累了足夠的經驗之后會變得更加自信。學生會的主持工作Eline輪到過兩次，老師反饋她可能還是會怯場，但在鼓勵和支持之下，能看得到孩子的進步是很快的。有進步的趨勢，我相信她的表達能力就會越來越好。”
Yolanda也充分地利用著校內的條件，拓展自己的興趣愛好。上學期她加入了游泳社，享受著運動帶來的暢快；這學期則報名了延展課，跟著老師學習直播相關的知識和技術，在學校的大型音樂會、體育賽事時，完成整個現場的直播。
她作為攝影，參加了學校籃球比賽的全程直播。活動當天持續到很晚，回家后的Yolanda難掩激動之情，和家人分享了許多現場的細節，拍攝了哪些畫面，在什么平臺發布。言語中的自豪與熱切讓Yolanda媽媽十分觸動。
“她可能只是一個初學者，拍攝出來的東西不一定是最精美的。但完全由學生主導的事務，讓她其中發揮了屬于自己的作用，收獲了經驗和積極的能量，我覺得這是特別有意義的。”
直播的成就感，讓Yolanda對攝影越發感興趣，主動申請在春游等活動中擔當記錄者。她還進一步考慮，是不是可以將這一愛好深入地探索下去，作為未來可能的發展方向之一。
演講課也幫助Yolanda向自信邁步。她學會了怎么樣富有邏輯地闡述觀點，怎樣自如大方地表達自我。演講課的助益延展到之后每一次的Presentation上，她的語言梳理更具條理，與臺下觀眾的交流和互動也顯得成熟流暢。
狄邦華曜的延展課程和課外活動多至上百項，涵蓋了音樂、體育、美術、戲劇等多元豐富的內容。在學校中，活動均有外教教學，在學科教育之余，持續性地提供著沉浸式的語言環境。
與學科教育相輔相成的活動，所承載的意義不單單是為學生們拓展興趣愛好，更是為初中生提供一個機會，讓他們能夠看到自己日常生活以外的世界。投身其中用自己的行動贏得成就感，進而深挖發現更多、更大的可能性。
享受資源
在競賽經歷中快速成長
除了課程的廣度，狄邦華曜在學術的深度挖掘上也處于高水準。這就不可不提競賽培養了。
我們自創校起便開始組織學生參加競賽，至今也進入體系越加完善的第三年，以往以高中為重點的競賽相關安排，開始逐漸向初中部滲透。可參加的競賽不僅包含了廣為人知的各類數學大賽，也有人文、科學等其他領域的項目。
Yolanda曾參加過地理競賽。在賽前準備的一兩周，她幾乎每天都和家人一起，圍繞地理相關主題展開討論。地貌的特征、地形圖的解讀、地理現象發生的原因……隨著學習得愈多，她愈加發現知識如黑洞一般，每一個知識點都連結著更多的知識面。
準備的時間緊張，訓練不夠充足，Yolanda首次參賽并沒有入圍。但探索帶來的興奮感，讓她深感不滿足，積極地表示希望做更全面的準備，能再參加一次。
“在此之前，我們得不到競賽相關的信息，孩子也好家長也好，都對競賽的方式、內容、過程沒什么了解。而現在學校這個平臺，給孩子提供了信息和眼界，讓她可以嘗試參加，在備賽中習得相關的知識和能力，也可以測試看看自己的水平在哪里。”
學校并不僅僅是一個平臺或活動的組織者，針對競賽，也不斷在完善相應的配套體系。
以數學競賽為例，學校開設了專門的Life block課程，根據賽程的不同，在不同學期有針對性地設置相應培訓。課上會講解真題，按照比賽要求實際操練，讓學生提前適應和感受真實的賽制；
除此之外，每周一、三、五老師也會利用額外的時間進行競賽答疑，為有需要的學生們隨時提供輔導。競賽協同工作的不斷精進，讓狄邦華曜也收獲了一年比一年更好的成績。
在今年，為了鼓勵和支持孩子們通過競賽挑戰自我，正式推出了學科競賽獎學金，凡是G7及以上的學者，在教育部門組織的學科競賽中獲得二等獎以上，或是在國際權威競賽中拿下重要獎項的均可以申請，最高獎學金金額可達50,000元。
學校時不時還會舉辦相關活動，在類似競賽的比拼里，讓學生們于趣味中感受學科的魅力。
像是中學部數學周的“數學尋寶”活動，孩子們先要找到圖片上指定的位置，再開始做題。活動一邊加深著學者對校園的了解，一邊激發起他們對數學的興趣和用數學解決實際問題的能力。
Yolanda也參與到了其中，發揮著主導作用，她和同組的伙伴們分工協作，忙忙碌碌，最終拿到了獎牌。為小組爭取到榮譽的成就感，推動著她也對數學的興趣更大了。
“我們看到的僅僅是結果，但我相信背后整個教學團隊在活動內容、日程安排的組織中付出了很多心血。這份用心以及孩子經歷之后所表現出來的狀態，都是讓我覺得受益匪淺的。”
作為一所美式寄宿學校，寄宿生活同樣是全人教育的重要部分。一方面，學術輔助到位，每天的晚自習都有資深學科老師值班，以確保學者的疑問能夠被及時解答，幫助同學們查缺補漏； 另一方面，小到鋪床疊被、大到如何理財，寄宿學者需要完成49項重要生活技能的必修和考核。在生活自理、社交能力、時間規劃等方面給予指導和助力。
一點一滴的集體生活體驗，讓步入青春期的孩子們在得到自由空間的同時，逐步學會如何與他人相處，如何處理好自己的時間行程。
盡管對于7年級的學者來說，留學申請規劃看起來時間尚早，但包括Yolanda媽媽和Eline媽媽在內的家長們，希望能夠得到個人成長和未來規劃上的專業交流。
我們從7年級便開啟職業初期探索，家長可以預約富有經驗、且了解每名學生個體的升學指導，進行一對一的溝通。到了更高的年級，我們將為每一位學者配備升學指導，協助他們認識自己、找到適合自己專業和大學。
轉學適應+青春期教育的雙重挑戰，在狄邦華曜這里被潤物細無聲地化解了。老師們對每個學者個性的關注和把握，給諸如Yolanda媽媽、Eline媽媽這樣的家長打了一劑強心針。很多細小到家人可能忽略了的問題，老師也會不吝反饋。家長會上針對孩子本身實際情況所做的對談，能讓爸爸媽媽們感受到學校的專業性和認真負責的態度。
學校以學生為中心，學生積極的反饋讓家長們對學校更加放心。在這樣的良性循環下，只需要放手讓孩子們自由、茁壯地成長就好。
Layered Incentives:
Fostering Learning Autonomy
When Yolanda entered the upper grades of elementary school, her mother took her to participate in extracurricular American-style English training. The three-hour evening study was rich and interesting, making her always feel unsatisfied and more willing to speak and communicate in English.
This discovery touched Yolanda"s mother"s heart: if she sent her child to a school with an environment and training class similar to this one, with teachers surrounded by a similar configuration, would the child who is currently feeling a bit lackluster be more willing to work hard?
As someone with an education background from the public school, Yolanda"s mother longed for Western education models while also attaching great importance to laying a good foundation. She realized early on that so-called elite education is not about letting children run wild in well-equipped schools but about utilizing resources and receiving more comprehensive training.
She immediately thought of Dipont Huayao Collegiate school she had visited before, which perfectly matched her ideal school vision. Although she had already received offers from other schools closer to home, the Yolanda family still decided to choose Kunshan and start a new life.
The school conducts academic ability assessments for scholars from different backgrounds and adopts flexible layered teaching guidance, with layered subjects not only in common subjects such as Mathematics and English but also in Chinese and science.
Middle Grads is divided into four levels: CP, CP-A, ECP, and ECP-I. Children who have just transferred to the school and did not participate in the school"s assessment start from the most basic level. Driven by the desire to win, Yolanda continuously adjusted her level in less than a month and has now basically moved up to the highest level, ECP-I.
This kind of progress is not exceptional. After a period of enrollment, Yolanda realized that even though the learning atmosphere was relaxed, none of her classmates did not care about their grades. Everyone continues to improve themselves for better personal performance, mastery of higher-level knowledge, and making more contributions to the class.
Therefore, immersed in a benign competitive atmosphere, classmates influence and promote each other.
Yolanda"s mother clearly felt the changes in her child:
"I used to check my child"s homework and often found mistakes, but now I don"t pay as much attention to it. On the one hand, the system provides convenience, as many assignments are submitted online and parents can use IntSchool to check feedback at any time. On the other hand, she has become more proactive in caring about the quality of her homework. She absorbs feedback from teachers or encouragement as motivation for improvement in the next round.
Not only with written assignments, but also with many personalized projects, my child and her friends never treated them as chores to be dealt with. After the task is assigned, she takes the initiative to ask her parents for help with the equipment or materials needed, and collaborates with classmates to discuss and encourage each other to complete their respective parts. In several projects, Yolanda"s group received full marks in the final evaluation.
Eline"s mother also shares the same feeling about learning initiative. In her opinion, the period of entering middle school is a stage of children"s self-awareness. Many middle school students at this age love to play games and may have resistance to their parents urging them to study.
However, through Eline"s performance, she found that her child"s classmates also have academic competition. The existence of the class level system makes everyone have certain requirements for their own grades and voluntarily sign up for different courses, which may even seem somewhat "competitive" from a bystander"s perspective. This "competition" is not a negative connotation, but rather seeking improvement under appropriate pressure.
School teachers regularly output personalized growth reports for each student, providing feedback on which areas of performance are excellent and which areas still need improvement based on the evaluation system. When Eline realized during her adaptation period after transferring schools that her English was not good enough, she not only took the opportunity to practice more in school but also started thinking about whether she could take an English test like TOEFL to see where her level was.
HC"s teaching and evaluation system can inspire children"s learning motivation from the root, and lay the foundation for good study habits and thinking habits in middle school, helping scholars apply them to more learning scenarios."
Student Activities
Exciting experiences in physical education, arts, and immersive English environment
After transferring to this school, Eline and Yolanda quickly integrated into the school community. The rich Life-Block courses and various club activities allowed them to experience a different kind of campus life, and they found their own value and passion in various distinctive practices.
Eline"s mother had always thought of her as a relatively introverted child who didn"t like to express herself. But at a friend"s family gathering, facing questions from other parents about Eline"s experience after transferring, she spoke eloquently, sharing many of the school"s advantages and her own true feelings.
At that moment, Eline"s mother realized that perhaps her child was not timid in personality, but had the willingness and ideas to express herself, but lacked encouragement and opportunities. Through Diligent and Brilliant"s training, Eline has achieved a qualitative transformation in both language and personal expression.
At a recent school anti-bullying exhibition, Eline played one of the lead roles in the drama. The play was created by drama teacher Matt and the students in just two weeks. The touching plot and full emotional performances infected many people in the audience. Eline"s mother was deeply moved and shed tears as she was amazed by her daughter"s performance. Carrying the banner of the lead role for the first time and receiving such praise, she also developed a strong interest in drama performance.
Last year, Eline joined the Student Council. At the beginning of her membership, she faced many tasks that required communication with the outside world, and she seemed a bit hesitant. However, her adviser, who was very concerned about her personal state, did not miss this detail. She believed that Eline was capable and qualified to complete the work of the Student Council, and she pushed and affirmed Eline"s performance step by step.
"Confidence and experience are a community. Lack of confidence is due to lack of experience. After accumulating enough experience, confidence will increase. Eline has hosted the Student Council"s work twice, and the teacher feedback was that she may still be nervous on stage, but with encouragement and support, the progress of the child can be seen to be very fast. With the trend of improvement, I believe her expression ability will get better and better."
Yolanda also fully utilizes the school"s conditions to expand her interests and hobbies. Last semester, she joined the swimming club and enjoyed the pleasure of sports. This semester, she enrolled in an extension course and learned live streaming-related knowledge and techniques from the teacher. During the school"s large-scale music concerts and sports events, she completed the live broadcasting of the entire event.
As a photographer, she participated in the full live broadcast of the school basketball game. The activity lasted until very late on the day, and Yolanda couldn"t conceal her excitement when she got home. She shared many details of the scene with her family, such as which scenes she had captured and on which platform she had published them. Yolanda"s mother was deeply touched by her pride and enthusiasm in her words.
"She may only be a beginner, and what she captures may not be the most beautiful. But the completely student-led affairs have allowed her to play her own role, gain experience and positive energy, which I think is particularly meaningful."
The sense of accomplishment from live streaming has made Yolanda even more interested in photography, and she took the initiative to apply to be the recorder in activities such as spring outings. She also further considered whether she could explore this hobby in-depth as one of the possible directions for future development.
The public speaking class also helped Yolanda take confident steps forward. She learned how to logically articulate her viewpoints and express herself freely and confidently. The benefits of the public speaking class extended to every subsequent presentation. Her language organization became more structured, and her communication and interaction with the audience became more mature and fluent.
Deerfield Academy"s extended curriculum and extracurricular activities include hundreds of diverse and rich contents, covering music, sports, art, drama, and more. In the school, activities are taught by foreign teachers, and in addition to subject education, they provide a continuous immersive language environment.
The meaning carried by activities that complement subject education is not only to expand scholars" interests but also to provide an opportunity for middle grades scholars to see the world beyond their daily lives. By immersing themselves in activities and gaining a sense of accomplishment through their actions, they can further dig deeper and discover more significant possibilities.
Enjoying resources
Rapid growth in competition experience
In addition to the breadth of the curriculum, HC also excels in academic depth exploration. This is largely due to the school"s emphasis on competition training.
Since its establishment, the school has been organizing students to participate in competitions. Now in its third year, the system has become more and more perfect, and competitions are no longer just for high school students, but have begun to penetrate the middle grade div. The competitions available include not only well-known math competitions, but also projects in humanities, sciences, and other fields.
Yolanda participated in a geography competition. For one or two weeks before the competition, she and her family would discuss geography-related topics almost every day. The features of landforms, the interpretation of topographic maps, the causes of geographical phenomena...the more she learned, the more she realized that knowledge is like a black hole, with each knowledge point connected to more knowledge.
Although Yolanda did not qualify in her first competition due to a lack of preparation time and training, the excitement of exploration made her unsatisfied and eager to make more comprehensive preparations and participate again.
"Before this, we could not obtain information about competitions. Both children and parents were not familiar with the methods, content, and process of competitions. Now the school platform provides information and perspectives for children to participate and gain relevant knowledge and skills through preparation, and they can also test their own level."
The school is not only a platform or organizer of activities but also continuously improves the corresponding supporting system for competitions. For example, in math competitions, the school has established a dedicated Life Block course and provides targeted training in different semesters according to different schedules. During class, real questions are explained, and actual practice is done according to the requirements of the competition, allowing students to adapt and experience the real competition in advance.
In addition, teachers also use extra time on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays to provide competition counseling for students in need. The continuous improvement of competition cooperation work has also brought better results for HC year by year.
This year, to encourage and support students to challenge themselves through competitions, the school officially launched academic competition scholarships. Scholars in G7 and above who win second place or above in subject competitions organized by the education department or win important awards in international authoritative competitions can apply, with the highest scholarship amounting to 50,000 yuan.
The school also occasionally organizes related activities, allowing students to experience the charm of subjects in fun competition-like contests. For example, the "Math Treasure Hunt" activity during Middle School Math Week requires students to first find the specified locations in the pictures before starting to solve problems. The activity deepens students" understanding of the campus and inspires their interest in and ability to solve practical problems with math.
Yolanda also participated, playing a leading role. She and her teammates worked together, busy and productive, and ultimately won a medal for their group. The achievement of obtaining honor for the group pushed her to become more interested in math.
"What we see is just the result, but I believe that the entire teaching team has put in a lot of effort in organizing the activities and schedule behind the scenes. The dedication and the state exhibited by the children after the experience have greatly benefited me."
As an American boarding school, boarding life is also an important part of holistic education. On the one hand, academic assistance is in place, with senior subject teachers on duty during evening self-study every day to ensure that scholars" questions can be answered in a timely manner and help classmates fill in gaps in their knowledge. On the other hand, from making beds to managing finances, boarding scholars need to complete 49 essential life skills as a compulsory and assessed course. Guidance and assistance are provided in self-care, social skills, time management, and more.
The collective living experience bit by bit allows children who have entered adolescence to gradually learn how to get along with others and how to manage their own time schedule while gaining freedom.
Although it may seem early for G7 scholars to plan for studying abroad, parents including Yolanda"s and Eline"s hope to have personal growth and professional communication in future planning.
We begin exploring early career development from G7. Parents can make appointments for experienced college counseling that understands each student individually and have a communication. In higher grades, we will provide college counseling for each scholar to assist them in understanding themselves and finding suitable majors and universities.
The dual challenges of transferring and adapting to a new environment and adolescent education have been quietly resolved at HC. Teachers" attention and grasp of each scholar"s personality have given a boost to parents like Yolanda"s and Eline"s. Teachers will not hesitate to provide feedback on many issues that may be overlooked by family members. Dialogues based on the actual situation of the child during parent meetings can make parents feel the professionalism and responsible attitude of the school.
The school centers around the scholars, and the positive feedback from the scholars reassures parents about the school. In this virtuous cycle, all that is needed is to let the children grow freely and healthily.
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昆山狄邦華曜學校
原(昆山市上海華二學校)
2023-2024學年 招生計劃
幼兒園至高一 (10年級)
5年級開始提供住宿
2-16歲中外籍學生
由狄邦教育集團與華東師范大學第二附屬中學共同創辦
以”勇于探索、追求卓越”為使命
融匯中西、著眼未來的創新型、雙語學校
關鍵詞：
營業執照公示信息