wab annual report 2013 2014

W e s t e r n A c a d e m y o f B e i j i n g

2013-2014

2013-2014

table of contents

3 from the Director

4 from the Deputy Director

5 from the board of trustees

6 Wab’s Guiding Principles

8 elementary school

10 Middle school

12 High school

14 admissions

16 community Relations & advancement

19 faculty & staff

20 finance

the 2013-14 school year went by very quickly, but it left us with several important accomplishments and enhancements to life and learning at Wab. as we prepare to welcome friends and family from around the world next year for our 20th anniversary year, there is much to celebrate.

our students are our most precious assets, and this year they distinguished themselves in many ways. You will discover in the sectional pages of this annual report their achievements in academics, the arts, athletics, and community service. We can all be proud of the exceptional work our students are doing as they strive to become the accomplished young men and women we know they can be. their involvement in charitable work, such as the 60+ initiative which serves the needs of a growing number of elderly beijing residents, also highlights their engagement with china and the people of beijing. the award-winning program was founded by students in the high school. students in other sections are encouraged to get involved with the community through grant proposals to our Wab charity fund, which has representative students from es, Ms, and Hs.

educationally, we established plans this year to help us focus our efforts in the future. through a cycle of attention on different subject areas and different dimensions of teaching and learning each year, we now know we will be able to review and refine our entire academic program before we are visited again for accreditation and authorization. With this effort, we are sure to continue to receive high marks from our accrediting bodies, as we did this year. though the planning is just the first step in the work to be done, it is gratifying to know we are synchronizing ourselves with the work of the Ib and best practices. our overall pedagogical focus for the 2014-15 school year will be on inquiry as a teaching tool, in time for the inquiry-driven changes to the Middle Years Program (MYP). In november 2014, we will also host a large Ib conference, bringing in educators from all over the region.

the Wab campus has always attracted attention. During our four-party accreditation visit this year, I was proud to hear how impressed our visitors were with the look and feel of our facilities. I have not been to an international school with a campus vision as unique as Wab’s, and I look forward to making plans to take this vision even further with the building of our new Middle school over the coming years. at the same time, we have substantially improved the function of the campus during the 2013-14 school year through our air quality efforts. the tiger l’air, our air-supported dome over the tennis courts, is the most visible of these enhancements. behind the scenes, however, there is much going on, and our plans for installing large-space filtration in the es library and atrium, the HUb Gym, and the Hs Gym are moving ahead in July 2014. With this new equipment, we will be even better able to provide healthy air to breathe when the inevitable beijing haze hits us.

these are just a few of the all-school highlights from the 2013-14 school year. I invite you to read the individual reports that follow for more details on the many committees and work groups our hard-working teachers and support staff took part in throughout the year. the fact that they accomplished so much while at the same time giving their utmost energy and professionalism to caring about your child in their classrooms and facilities is testament to the outstanding staff we have at Wab. I am proud to serve you and them, and I thank you for all your support and partnership.

J. Courtney Lowe, Ed.D. Director

Wab annUal RePoRt 2013-2014 3

From thE DirECtor fRoM tHe DePUtY fRoM tHe boaRD of tRUstees Wab’s GUIDInG DIRectoR PRIncIPles

fRoM tHe DIRectoR From thE DEputy fRoM tHe boaRD of tRUstees Wab’s GUIDInG DirECtor PRIncIPles

During the 2013-14 school year, due to the result of highly collaborative efforts of many people, the following school-wide projects were accomplished. Many of these projects will be further developed in 2014-15.

Chinese Language Developmentsince December 2012, Dr. shuhan Wang has been working with Wab as an external chinese language program consultant. the long-term goal of Dr. Wang’s work with Wab has been to help our chinese

teachers develop a Wab K-12 end-of-course articulation document that will give guidance to what students should know and be able to do as they progress through their chinese studies at Wab. Dr. Wang has completed an updated report for Wab (linked below). this report contains numerous commendations as well as recommendations for further growth.

Key Commendations: there has been observable growth in the following areas:• Intentional, increased communication to all stakeholders has been shown.• Teacher ownership/leadership has increased.• Real-world learning opportunities for students have been expanded.• School partnerships have been used to share, collaborate and showcase student work.• Student/parent surveys have showed increased satisfaction over 2012-13.• Student/parent feedback has been actively sought and incorporated.

Key recommendations:• Complete Draft Articulation Chart (Target date: January 2015).• Align various curriculum related documents (included in the above).• Continue providing targeted PD (in progress).• Continue the Curriculum Review Cycle (in progress).• Manage expectations to be realistic and achievable, while challenging (in progress).• Build WAB’s capacity for continuous improvement (in progress).

Next Steps – our chinese language articulation sub-committees are actively working on a Ws articulation chart. the committee will then create a plan and timeline for developing the identified proficiency levels based on the Ib program and actual student learning outcomes. the target date for publication is June 2015.

http://my.wab.edu/sites/default/files/27052014%20FINAL%20Wang%20WAB%20Y2%20Report%281%29.pdf

international mindedness indicatorsa cross-section committee has been working to determine indicators to help measure the extent that our vision of international mindedness is being lived at Wab. an initial draft of these indicators was completed in June 2014 and will be finalized in the 2014-15 school year.

Next Steps – after finalizing the indicators, this committee will work on interventions and planning for how we further develop, sustain and maintain our vision of international-mindedness. bernadette van Houten, cross-cultural coach, will work with our parents, staff and teachers, in october 2014, to support our goal of common language and common understanding of international mindedness at Wab.

WS Support Services Guidea cross-sectional committee, consisting of representatives from each area of support services has been working to complete a Ws support services Guide. this guide begins with a Ws Philosophy statement with umbrella statements for each section. this guide is near completion. the goal for publication of both soft and hard copy of Ws support services Document is september 2014.

technology task Forcea Ws technology task force was formed to confirm our Ws vision for technology, help ensure that this vision is happening across the school, facilitate ongoing dialogue between key stakeholders, and create recommendations and an action plan.this task force conducted over 20 interviews with teachers, staff, students and parents. the larger goal of these interviews has been to make sure that our technology vision is known to our community and tested by our community, as well as to gain a better understanding of how it is working school wide. this task force has analyzed the data and has prepared an internal report. Next Steps:• Create survey for wider school community (June 2014).• Implement Survey (September 2014).• Draw conclusions, determine areas for further growth, make recommendations, and prepare report for staff/parents.

mathematics Articulationerma anderson, mathematics consultant, has prepared a review of our mathematics documents focusing on consistent language and articulated sequence of standards and benchmarks from n to G12. our mathematics committee will then look through these recommendations and plan next steps from there.

CompLEtED DoCumENtSLanguage policy Status: Document complete and published. (february 2014).

Includes esol Rating scale alignment (linked to policy) http://my.wab.edu/sites/default/files/WAB%20Language%20Policy_v20140228.pdf

overseas trip proceduresStatus: Document and forms completed and Published (March 2014).

http://my.wab.edu/node/22005

international mindedness - Visual Definitionour visual definition of international mindedness was completed and launched in april 2014. this work was the collaboration of over 50 stakeholders, with student artists at the center. http://www.wab.edu/our-school/international-mindednessIf you would like further details on any of the information listed above, please do not hesitate to contact Donna connolly, Deputy Director.

Donna Connolly,Deputy Director

wab annual report 2013-2014 5

From the Director From the Deputy From the Board oF trustees wab’s GuiDinG Director principles

the board of trustees are tasked with ensuring the smooth administration of the school within the guidelines of its constitution and the fundamental documents, which are in turn guided by principles set down by the Founders in 1994. this includes performance management and overseeing the work of the school Director, planning for future development of the school, and ensuring the financial stability of the school. the board’s lighthouse document serves to concisely articulate this and shall be the basis upon which the school develops its strategies for how wab: will become a destination school, educates the whole child, reflects global diversity, offers quality chinese language, is actively china engaged and assures the future of the school.

the board of trustees is additional charged with maintaining and nurturing the collaborative and supportive culture of wab, something that has always been a core value of the school. as part of the on-going development and improvement of school facilities, the board approved the budget for refurbishment a number of projects around the school e.g. air handlers, refurbish of the es classrooms, light on the bridge, hs staircase renovation, refurbish of gym floor, west car park, to the benefit of the entire wab community.

the 2014-2015 year already promises to be a year full of excitement and achievement for our students and faculty alike, and a very special year as we celebrate wab’s 20th anniversary in multiple events for student, faculty, staff and parents.

the board is continuously committed to school governance, supporting the school’s mission and planned activities, and the Director in fulfilling the ambitions of wab. if you would like additional information about the board and board committees please see the board section of the community portal at http://my.wab.edu/groups/wab-board. if you have the time and are interested in helping with long term governance of the school, either by joining a board committee, task force or by applying to become a trustee, please feel free to contact the board secretary mrs. Jun Zheng, by e-mail: [email protected].

we hope you enjoy reading the western academy of beijing annual report, and look forward to seeing many of you at some of the annual wab community events.

yours sincerely,

WaB Board of trustees

tina Dige Kjaergaard (chair)

Jeffrey Krebs (Vice chair)

Frank marinaro (treasurer)

michael crook (school Founder & legal representative)

wang yan

James Zimmerman

Don Zhang

6 Wab annUal RePoRt 2013-2014

fRoM tHe DIRectoR fRoM tHe DePUtY fRoM tHe boaRD of tRUstees WAB’S GuiDiNG DIRectoR priNCipLES

mission philosophythe Western academy of beijing offers a challenging and caring community based educational environment in which students are active participants in the learning process.

Wab fosters critical thinking and enquiry-based skills to ensure its students achieve to their full potential as individuals and as members of the global community. In this setting, students, staff and parents co-operate in the educational process guided by the following principles.

WAB Educates the Whole Childthe Western academy of beijing seeks to develop the intellectual, social and emotional, physical and aesthetic potential of each child along with moral sensitivity. Wab students will learn how to analyze, synthesize and evaluate new situations, knowledge and rapidly changing technology with ease, confidence and creativity. Wab’s educational program provides its students with a fundamental respect for the beliefs and values of other peoples, and will take full advantage of the culture of its host country, china.

WAB Champions its Staffthe staff teach with an international perspective. they are selected for their professionalism, high qualifications, skills and creativity. Individual professional development is both supported and expected, while Wab creates an atmosphere in which the staff’s expertise and talents enrich the school community as a whole.

WAB involves the parentsParents are encouraged to participate as partners in the education of their children and in the continuing development of the school. Wab supports, respects and desires such an active role for parents. Wab, a community of students, staff and parents, is committed to the creation and support of a dynamic model school with high academic, social and ethical standards.


Core Values

Learner CenteredWhere all decisions are made and actions taken to enhance the lifelong learning process so that each member of the Wab family is an inquiring, critical and purposeful learner.

China Global CoherenceWhere we strive to nurture socially responsive global citizens bound together by china – the common thread woven throughout our diverse family mosaic.

mosaic of DiversityWhere each makes unique and irreplaceable contributions that, when combined, create the Wab family.

WAB 工合 Spirit (Gong he)Where with a spirit of commitment, enthusiasm and shared purpose, each member of the Wab family contributes to the whole.

CaringWhere by valuing and respecting each other and our environment, we sustain and nurture healthy relationships with and life-long responsibilities to self, family, and the world.

iB Learner profilethe aim of all Ib programmes is to develop internationally-minded people who, recognizing their common humanity and shared guardianship of the planet, help to create a better and more peaceful world.

Ib learners strive to be:

inquirersthey develop their natural curiosity. they acquire the skills necessary to conduct inquiry and research and show independence in learning. they actively enjoy learning and this love of learning will be sustained throughout their lives.

Knowledgeablethey explore concepts, ideas and issues that have local and global significance. In so doing, they acquire in-depth knowledge and develop understanding across a broad and balanced range of disciplines.

thinkersthey exercise initiative in applying thinking skills critically and creatively to recognize and approach complex problems, and make reasoned, ethical decisions.

Communicatorsthey understand and express ideas and information confidently and creatively in more than one language and in a variety of modes of communication. they work effectively and willingly in collaboration with others.

principledthey act with integrity and honesty, with a strong sense of fairness, justice and respect for the dignity of the individual, groups and communities. they take responsibility for their own actions and the consequences that accompany them.

open-mindedthey understand and appreciate their own cultures and personal histories, and are open to the perspectives, values and traditions of other individuals and communities. they are accustomed to seeking and evaluating a range of points of view, and are willing to grow from the experience.

Caringthey show empathy, compassion and respect towards the needs and feelings of others. they have a personal commitment to service, and act to make a positive difference to the lives of others and to the environment.

risk-takersthey approach unfamiliar situations and uncertainty with courage and forethought, and have the independence of spirit to explore new roles, ideas and strategies. they are brave and articulate in defending their beliefs.

Balancedthey understand the importance of intellectual, physical and emotional balance to achieve personal well-being for themselves and others.

reflectivethey give thoughtful consideration to their own learning and experience. they are able to assess and understand their strengths and limitations in order to support their learning and personal development.

fRoM tHe DIRectoR fRoM tHe DePUtY fRoM tHe boaRD of tRUstees WAB’S GuiDiNG DIRectoR priNCipLES


SChooL SECtioN SummAry ELEmENtAry SChooL MIDDle scHool HIGH scHool

the Wab elementary school is a truly inspiring learning institution where bright, enthusiastic and curious students enter daily wondering about the explorations of the day. a key component at Wab is that our programs are designed to give our students the chance to learn and grow in an inquiry-based approach where students make discoveries through a vast amount of learning engagements and experiences. these engagements allow our students to think deeply and critically and to develop their interests as well as their academic abilities. With a strong partnership between home and school, we are able to provide amazing learning opportunities for students every day. some of the highlights and enhancements that occurred during the 2013-2014 school year in the es are as follows:

Four party Accreditation Visitthe neasc, cIs, ncct and Ib accreditation visits occurred in December. the es received many exceptional commendations, as well as some valuable recommendations. the major strengths that were highlighted about Wab included:

• An ethos of inclusivity that considers the perspectives of all stakeholders.

• An exceptional and well-maintained facility.

• Superior teaching and learning resources.

• A well-qualified and supported faculty and staff.

• Board leadership and direction that focuses on meeting the school mission.

• Enthusiastic support for the school and its mission by all stakeholder groups.

Newly Designed report CardWith broad input from teachers and parents, the es launched an enhanced, streamlined Report card that visually represents a child’s progress throughout the year. this new report is sent home in January and June to inform parents and students of the progress made toward meeting the grade level benchmarks.

Focus on mathematical inquiry-Based teaching StrategiesResearcher and consultant Dr. cathy Marks-Krpan spent a week with the es teaching staff to provide training and modelling on effective inquiry-based and research-based mathematical teaching strategies. In addition, Dr. Marks Krpan also hosted a parent workshop to model and demonstrate conceptual teaching practices that lead to deep understanding of mathematical concepts.

A Systematic Assessment Cycleto systematically provide ongoing documentation and evidence of student learning, the es teaching staff created an annual assessment cycle to ensure regular monitoring of student’s progress. these assessment are used to guide the teacher’s next steps with regard to instructional targets. In addition, the assessments are used during conferences to provide evidence of student learning.

upgraded and modern playground Equipment for the main ES BuildingWith aging outdoor play equipment, our facilities committee approved the replacement of many key pieces of outdoor play equipment on the main es playground. after the summer holiday, our students were greeted with a renovated es playground that provided additional opportunities for fun, imaginative and innovative play times.

Construction of the tiger L’AirWith a need for additional indoor play spaces during times of inclement weather, the construction of the tiger l’air dome was very beneficial for our youngest learners. beginning in January of last year, our es students were able to be active and enjoy fresh, clean air during times when the outdoor beijing weather does not allow for outdoor play.

ES


SChooL SECtioN SummAry ELEmENtAry SChooL MIDDle scHool HIGH scHool

New Food Service provider and upgraded Equipmentas aramark was selected as our food service provider for the 2013-2014 school year, all es food service areas had a facelift too! the enhancements provided for additional hot and cold serving areas that enabled us to provide a wider variety of healthy food selections in a more efficient and safe manner.

higher Quality, Newly Designed pE Attireafter several models and samples by made and some of our students were able to trial them, all es students were greeted with higher quality and freshly designed Pe attire this year. this newly designed active wear enabled students to be dressed appropriately during active times and also be fashionable and comfortable while out in the community showcasing the Wab logo.

Artist in residency programWith support and funding from Parent link, our es Visual arts teachers engaged several artists in residency programs at Wab this year. these residencies enabled our students to inquire deeply into specific art mediums. In addition, parent workshops were hosted to engage the wider Wab community.

the highlights above serve as just a small indication of the wonderful opportunities that are available for students in the es at Wab. We have been very fortunate to have a very active, involved and supportive parent community that dedicates numerous hours to the students, teachers and classrooms in the es. this home-school partnership makes all of the above initiatives possible.

I am sincerely grateful for the opportunity to continue to serve as the elementary Principal at Wab. It is an honor to work with an experienced and dedicated staff and administration that puts the best interest of our students at the forefront of decisions as well as a positive and supportive parent community. Wab is truly one of the best schools in the world!

Casey CosgrayES Principal


the 2013-2014 year, once again, brought a myriad of opportunities for growth to the Middle school community, which students, parents, teachers and staff embraced with joy.

middle School priorities included:• Collaboration and School Climate: We gathered feedback on key aspects that impact collaboration and climate positively and developed action plans to sustain or enhance our practices regarding clarity of expectations, ensuring appropriate resources were available, incorporating strengths and talents of individuals, recognizing efforts and achievements, connecting at a personal level, valuing contributions, and surrounding ourselves with optimism.

• Assessment and Learning: We researched beset practice, utilized findings to reflect on our practices and discussed ways to better align our assessment for learning and assessment of learning in order to define our next steps. In addition, we asked students and parents for their perspectives on how meaningful and actionable our teachers’ feedback was in order to further refine our communication and reporting processes. all of this data has informed a plan to streamline our communication of what the students are learning, how we will provide formative feedback and how we will communicate learning growth and achievement for the 2014-2015 year. Instruments used as external and objective measures to provide additional data points to the internal MYP assessment included the Progressive achievement test and International schools assessment.

• Language instruction: as part of our Whole school efforts to implement recommendations by outside consultant Dr. shuhan Wang, Ms chinese teachers joined es and Hs teachers in planning meetings to map the language pathways to ensure a smoother transition from PYP to MYP to DP, to enrich the program by providing meaningful and contextualized experiences for students to utilize their developing literacy skills, and to develop shared understandings with the different sectors of our community.

for example, the beijing Youth Press association recruited students to report significant events to the community. In addition, we outlined plans for continued capacity building in teachers and students.

• mathematical Alignment: In our continued efforts to evaluate and improve our written, taught and assessed curriculum, we have increased our ES/MS/HS communication and collaboration so we all have a better understanding of the developmental needs of the students at the different stages and of the academic requirements of the programs. one of the most important achievements of the year was to further clarify the placement criteria for the standard and extended strands in the Ms and studies, standard and extended strands in the Hs. In addition, we have decided to engage an outside consultant to support the department in evaluating the written curriculum.

In order to maintain our school mission and values as our guiding principles, the Middle school engaged in maintaining some of our traditions and starting new initiatives:

• Connecting, inspiring and Challenging to make a Difference:

- We created a new interdisciplinary unit in Grade 6 where the students explored the connections between the literary and visual expressions of mythology through english a or b, art and Design.

- We developed a new G8 art unit, citizen Green, with an environmental and service learning theme.

- cyprian Yobera, one of the Kenyans who built the first school and is a founding member of Kanzi Kibera, visited Wab as a keynote speaker for the Global Issues conference and was available to work with our Grade 8 students to make international service learning more concrete, establish a relationship with Kanzi and build meaningful curricular connections.

- Grade 6 students were inspired by the connections built with homes for the elderly and migrant schools during their china studies trip and decided to lead a book

SChooL SECtioN SummAry eleMentaRY scHool miDDLE SChooL HIGH scHool

mS


drive throughout the year in order to make a donation to the migrant schools at the end of the year.

- Grade 7 students chose to encourage the community to buy only necessary items during 48 hours in order to increase our awareness of over-consumption habits, based on the learning in Humanities.

- the student council decided to plan fun activities for students to take meaningful action to service our community. they decided to support the victims of the Haiyan typhoon by donating funds to help rebuild tacloban in the Philippines.

- the fifth annual Poetry coffee House was an inspirational event with both students and teachers sharing poems written by a variety of authors, even their own compositions.

- We trialed a new model of having Global citizenship coordinators in each grade level. Upon reflection, we decided to consolidate our efforts as a school section and to provide a block of release to a single teacher next school year.

- the Parent link increased the number of coffee Mornings to strengthen the partnership with school.

- outside and school experts on a wide variety of topics such as nutrition, neurological development, health, active listening, sexual education and cybersafety held workshops with students and parents in order to develop shared understandings and to support home-school efforts to continue to develop our students’ intellectual, social and emotional, physical and ethical potential.

- freedom from chemical Dependency prevention specialists worked with students, parents and educators to learn about addiction, risk factors and mental and physical effects of alcohol, cigarettes and other drugs, and to explore the most effective preventive strategies.

- the student council increased the number of executive positions to promote more opportunities for student to develop leadership skills.

- leadership transitions in the Ms included Marina frias- Gavidia stepping into the role of Principal, Huiman cheng becoming the assistant Principal and Maggie Ma taking responsibility for leading the languages Department. thanks to the exceptional collaboration of our extremely talented and supportive community, the students continued their program smoothly.

- code Week was launched with a number of activities to promote computer programing.

- In order to gain honest feedback on the effectiveness of our teaching and learning, as well as of our communication with parents, we used anonymous surveys of parents and students. Data collected informed recommendations for 2014-2015. the most important change is to incorporate pre-unit information letters to inform parents of the key concepts and skills to be covered as well as the expected timeline for formative and summative assessment tasks.

marina Frias-GavidiaMS Principal

SChooL SECtioN SummAry eleMentaRY scHool miDDLE SChooL HIGH scHool


Wab High school is a dynamic, rigorous and nurturing secondary school, which values the whole-child model and provides unique opportunities for all students both inside and outside of the classroom. When students graduate from Wab, they are confident, knowledgeable individuals, prepared to put their learning into action by contributing to their own communities and to the world. at Wab we build a strong educational foundation, foster critical thinking and nurture compassionate hearts.

In the class of 2014, 89 students completed their exams toward the full Ib Diploma Programme while 16 students pursued a combination of Diploma and High school courses. of particular note this year in our Ib results was the fact that 24.7% of Wab Ib Diploma students achieved a 40 or above; one of our students also achieved a perfect score. our Ib Diploma average of 35 is well above the world average. University destinations for the class included approximately 16% to the UK, 9% europe, 8% asia, 9% canada, 50% Usa and 3% australia. the final 5% of graduates, as in past years, chose various activities for a gap year including studying chinese, taking an internship at nGos or elementary schools, engaging in global service projects, or completing national service. During the year, approximately 150 colleges and universities from around the world chose to actively recruit at Wab by scheduling visits and meeting with our students; it is clear that the best institutions abroad hope our students will choose to continue their studies with them.

Wab has now graduated eight classes. our students have gained places at many outstanding universities including oxford, cambridge, london school of economics, KaIst, (Korea advanced Institute of science and technology), Dartmouth, John Hopkins, McGill, Wellesley, Harvard, brown, University of chicago, Penn state, Peking University, University of edinburgh, nYU, northwestern, University of toronto, stanford, Waseda, Yale and Yonsei.

early in the school year, our china studies trips engaged students in our host country. the Grade 9 students went to shanghai and the surrounding water towns, while the Grade 10 students visited Inner Mongolia, Wu Yuan or Qufu. the

Grade 11 students chose from various trips such as Monks & Mountains- Yuantaishan, cas Jiashan trip- Gansu, chinese literature - southern china (in chinese), Harbin Honeymoon, Humanities long March – Yan’an, arts - 798, beijing, Photography – Ping Yao, Wutaishan and Datong. the china studies department continued its outstanding work to develop the educational details for each of these trips.

Wab continues to be a leading member of aPac (asia Pacific activities conference), acaMIs (association of china and Mongolia International schools) and Isac (International schools athletic conference) providing opportunities for every student to participate in athletics and the arts at different levels of challenge. students compete and perform at schools in beijing, throughout china, the Philippines, Vietnam, Japan and Korea.

major Awards Achievements • APAC Sportsmanship Boys’ and Girls’ Cross Country

• APAC Sportsmanship Girls’ Rugby

• APAC Sportsmanship Boys’ and Girls’ Tennis

• APAC Sportsmanship Girls’ Badminton

• APAC Champions Girls’ Tennis

• APAC Champions Boys’ Soccer

• ACAMIS Champions Girls’ Tennis

• ACAMIS Champions Badminton

• ISAC Division 1 Champions Girls’ Volleyball

• ISAC U.19 Champions Boys’ Cross Country

• ISAC Champions Boys’ Badminton

• Dragon Cup Champions Boys’ Soccer

• Tiger 7s’ Champions Boys’ Soccer

major homestay Events, hosted at WAB• WABX to the MAX Spring and Fall Editions

• APAC Softball

• APAC Dance

SChooL SECtioN SummAry eleMentaRY scHool MIDDle scHool hiGh SChooL

hS


• APAC Volleyball

• BISGL Golf

other Events hosted at WAB• ACAMIS Speech and Debate

• F1 in School China championship

• ISAC Division 1 Girls’ Volleyball

• Tiger Football Cup

• Winter Blast Basketball tournament

because we value the whole child experience, arts and athletics receive equal consideration at Wab. often, we combine arts and sport in a pioneering way. In the third year of WABX to the Max, dancers, volleyball players, swimmers, baseball players, artists, musicians and rugby players shared their commitment and their talents on tiger field and in the Peace Park. our spring and fall editions of WABX to the Max have become another

hallmark of our WAB spirit. The WABX Office also inspired us with their commitment to giving back; in just over 24 hours they managed to raise $5,500 UsD and nine bags of food to send with a traveling team to brent, Manila, to help with relief efforts there.

another initiative that took flight this year in the Hs was the opening of two branches of the beijing Youth Daily. In all 49 students kicked off the efforts. students had the chance to interview distinguished visitors to beijing, such as the Us ambassador. We are one of the only schools in beijing to have both a chinese and english language branch of beijing Youth Daily.

In March, the Hs mounted a very successful production of Rent. Many felt that this ambitious project was one of the most successful musicals staged at Wab. our chinese club students also performed the famous chinese language play “thunderstorm” to much critical acclaim. In april, Wab hosted our second student-led teDx talk in asia. a team of students continue to work collaboratively together as the teDxYouth@Wab club to organize what has become an annual event; this year’s theme was ‘Pathways’.

the cas (creativity-action-service) program, while a requirement of the Ib Diploma, is a program integral to the essential philosophy of Wab. through this program students are inspired to initiate projects that will benefit others. one such group, this year, was our V-Group: a group of students concerned about the rights and experiences of women in china. In addition to raising awareness among our community, this new group raised enough funds to provide university education for two needy women here in china.

our Wab “best buddies” continued their work with the students at shunyi special school and held two successful Unified Games this year. as a part of aPac Volleyball and soccer, students from shunyi special school participated in some friendly games with our aPac athletes, both from Wab and from our conference schools, as well as joined them in the opening march to the field and cheered on the athletes

during the tournament. best buddies also organized a touching Holiday assembly in December where students from Huiling training program performed and then lead us in a whole school dance of celebration and inclusion. our Huiling visitors inspired us to remember that diversity is important and that we all learn from one another.

this year Wab hosted an amazing array of guests who shared their expertise with our students in order to strengthen and extend our curriculum. efforts were also made to begin a database of expertise in the parent community. some of our wonderful visits included:

• Playwright David Lane

• Edvard Greig expert and Musician Erlin Dahl

• Psychologist Dr. Lyn Wren

• Psychologist Dr. Lyn Mao

• Educational Technology expert Alan November

• Japanese Butoh dancer Katsura Kan

• Biologist and diabetes expert Rasmus Jorgensen

• Wheelchair athlete Aaron Fotheringham

teachers worked hard to align their curriculum to our standards and benchmarks using standbench, our online curriculum tool. this system was designed by Hs Math teacher and Head of Department brent abrahams. this work allowed departments, particularly in Math and chinese, to further streamline transitions.

for the third year in a row, teachers conducted action research in their classrooms as a part of our iPad collaborative action Research program. their findings, as in past years, were published through itunes University. a group of teachers also joined together to study sIoP as a way to better their practice and provide more structured support to our esol students. a third group worked to kick off the Hs Writing lab, to help all students with their writing. clearly our teachers are passionate and engaged in their work with each other and their students.

every year students speak eloquently of the role Wab has played in their lives. this year, our graduating students said, “Wab is more than a school, it’s an experience;” “Wab has taught me to persevere;” “every year at Wab has taught me a little more about who I am and who I strive to be;” “Wab is truly a special school and I’m proud to have been part of it;” and “thank you for creating the most beautiful environment for me in which to thrive. It has been an honor to be surrounded by such loving individuals. I will always cherish my time spent here at Wab and beijing will always be in my heart.”

this was also my first year as Hs Principal at Wab. When I came to Wab it was because the spirit of family and community had shone through; this was confirmed in all I experienced over the course of the year. thank you for the opportunity to learn and grow with you.

melanie VrbaHS Principal

SChooL SECtioN SummAry eleMentaRY scHool MIDDle scHool hiGh SChooL


ADmiSSioNS coMMUnItY RelatIons facUltY & staff fInance & aDVanceMent

AdmissionsWab has an inclusive admissions policy. We seek to enrol a diverse student population representing a range of nationalities, languages, economic and cultural backgrounds and abilities.

the admissions Department at Wab is often the first point of contact with prospective families. the Department assists them with providing information about the school, assisting families through the admission process and trying to make the process as easy and stress free as possible.

our admissions team also includes student and parent volunteers who are happy to get in touch with new and prospective families to further welcome them to life at Wab and life in beijing.

Wab started the 2013-2014 school year just below full capacity, yet this was offset by a high number of students enrolling in the second semester.

Student profileWab’s student body included an impressively diverse group of 56 nationalities and 29 languages.

transitionHigh levels of turnover among student populations are a recognized feature of international schools. this is explained either by families relocating to other countries or returning home. the changes within Wab’s student population were slightly higher during the 2013-2014 school year due to the higher number of families relocating back to their home country.

4

2

0

8

10

6

14

12

16

18

11/1210/1109/1008/0907/08 12/13 13/14

15%16%

17.6%

14.5%

12%

15%14.4%


aDMIssIons CommuNity rELAtioNS facUltY & staff fInance & ADVANCEmENt

top 20 organizations at WABthe top 20 organizations whose families were represented in the student body at Wab were as follows:

NAmE oF orGANiZAtioN NumBEr oF StuDENtS

shell 43

nokia 31

Proctor & Gamble 22

embassy of Usa 18

Microsoft 18

ericsson 17

sony Mobile comm. 17

Hyundai Motor 16

embassy of canada 13

embassy of Royal netherlands 13

embassy of Israel 12

Danfoss 12

schlumberger 12

lG Group 11

IbM 11

sK Group 11

abb Group 11

bMW 11

embassy of sweden 10

chevron 9

bayer Group 9

siemens 9

16 wab annual report 2013-2014

Advancementadvancement at wab includes fundraising events such as the Gala, as well as stewardship of grants and major gifts received by the school, sponsorships, worldwide wab alumni network and external relations. the major goal is to expand the academic and co-curricular opportunities for our students and the broader community by securing private support from individuals, alumni, corporations and organizations. In addition, the advancement team assists in coordinating wab’s large-scale special events, major school-wide functions and international conferences on campus. the wab advancement office coordinates all fundraising activities for the school, following the strategic guidance provided by the Director and the board.

Giving At WABwe would like to recognize and honor all the members of our wab community who generously donated their time, energy and resources to many wab events, projects and activities throughout the 2013-14 year. Your support is highly appreciated and is invaluable to our whole community.

wab deeply appreciates receiving rMb4.1 million through our community’s generous donations in support of many wab initiatives held during this academic year.

‘One Night In Rio’ Fundraising Galathis year’s 6th wab Gala was held on the evening of Saturday, May 17, 2014, at the elegant beijing Four Seasons Hotel. It was an exuberant night, filled with great music showcasing our very own wab Steel pan Drums band, the first in China, and proudly funded by the 2013 Gala. the night also included

performances by wab’s String Quartet, Samba percussion band, african Drummers and Jazz band, as well as the wab Dance team, including faculty, parents and students.

together, our community raised in excess of rMb 420,000 through ticket and lucky draws sales, live and silent auctions as well as individual donations and corporate sponsorships. proceeds of the Gala were allocated to the new wab Innovation and Creativity Fund for student and community initiatives (rMb 260,000), wab’s 20th anniversary Celebrations (rMb 120,000), and wheelspluswings, a charity organization for differently-abled children in China (rMb 40,000).

Advancing the Dream Fundwe are thankful for additional private contributions to the advancing the Dream Fund, in the amount of rMb 350,000. this Fund now totals rMb 1.7 million.

Parent Link Grantswe would also like to reiterate our great appreciation to parent link for its generous donations of rMb 192,000 throughout the 2013-14 year, to support a variety of programs and initiatives throughout the school, including:

• FreedomFromChemicalDependencyWorkshop

• ESReadingProgramandVisitingArtistCarlaSonheim

•MS/HSGlobalIssuesLunch

•ParentLinkBookletsandCalendars

•HSDramaWorkshopandDanceCabinet

•WABXAwardsDinner,DisplayBoard,andTravelTeam bags and Shirts

•DistinguishedSpeakerAaronFotheringham

aDMISSIonS cOmmuNIty ReLAtIONs FaCultY & StaFF FInanCe & ADvANcemeNt


WAB’s 2013-2014 honor roll of DonorsMany of the events and activities at Wab are only possible thanks to the support and contributions of our community partners. We would like to express our thanks to the individuals and organizations that have helped make these possible.

individual Donorsaaliyah Wang, Wab student

elke Van Dongen

ernst obermaier

Fan Ming and Jia Yue Xiang

H. lin and c. li

Keary liu

Krebs family

li bing and liu Ping, and family

lei Deng & Qing Hua Zhang

li Hui

li family

lukas Draugelis, Wab student

Ma lei

shomura Mako

tanja Houwerzijl

teibido Yoshiko

Zhang Quan

Zhang Zhen Hu and Xie Yan Ling

Zimmerman family

Corporations and organizationsantonia sampson

asian express International Movers

beijing bao sheng air service company ltD

bespoke beijing

beijing chateau laffitte Hotel & caroline audet

beijing Marriott Hotel city Wall

beijing United family Hospital and clinics (bJU)

black tiger fight club & Vincent soberano

bodega catena Zapata

capital M beijing

catherine de france & catherine cozin

city Weekend

city Weekend Parents & Kids

chen Hao furniture

Dragonair/Cathay Pacific

flink china

four seasons Hotel

IDc Dental

Jasmine Jewelry

KaiDeXin

li’s Imperial cuisine

oM 42 Yoga

origin Water

Parkway Health

Potter’s Wheel International tennis academy

Qiu Jing Zhen

Red lantern folk art & susan sun

schoolhouse at Mutianyu & Julie Upton-Wang

signature Wine club

swire travel

tai tai

taj Pavillion

telefonica and the luijten Perona family, Wab alumni

the filling station & the Garage

timeout beijing

timeout beijing family

tRb Wine club

Wab Parent link

Wab chinese link

Wild china

While we have made every effort to ensure the accuracy of the 2013-14 Honor Roll of Donors, please contact Suzi Roberts at [email protected], if you have any questions.

WAB Alumni Networkthe Wab alumni network (Wan) is comprised of people who share a common experience by having been part of Wab, either as students, faculty, staff or parents. Its vision is to strengthen the Wab community over time, while keeping Wab alumni connected to the school and to each other, no matter where they are in the world. the Wab alumni network (Wan) continues to reconnect alumni with Wab via social media platforms, like facebook, Youtube, and twitter, as well as the Wan website.




During 2013-14, the alumni office hosted multiple international alumni reunions throughout the world, including london and bangkok, with the participation of school leaders or representatives.

the Wab alumni office hosted the alumni farewell ceremony in May, which was attended by more than 100 departing students, families and staff members. More than 70 alumni were welcomed back to visit the campus throughout the year, including alumni interning at the WABX or Music Departments, or speaking to our current high school students on their university or gap-year experiences. over 70 enthusiastic alumni parents, students, graduates and staff attended the 5th annual barbecue (bbQ) Reunion on campus, with our second alumni volleyball tournament. after the school’s 8th High school graduation, the bbQ Reunion utilized this opportunity to induct 109 new alumni from the class of 2014 to the Wan. these reunions and engagement opportunities strategically ensure that our Wabbies retain a stronger emotional affinity with Wab, no matter where they reside in the world.

high profile Guests and Special EventsDuring the 2013-14 academic year, guests who visited Wab included returning alumni and families, colleagues from international schools, college representatives, teachers and students from partner schools, and corporate executives. among these visitors, Wab hosted high-profile guests for the Distinguished speaker series, including Professor erling Dahl Jr., sarah brennan, alan november, Dr. shuhan c. Wang, and aaron “Wheelz” fotheringham.

Community EventsIn addition to the ‘one night In Rio’ Gala and the Distinguished speaker series, the communications and advancement department supported the following community events through organization and sponsorship:

• WABX to the MAX 2013 • New Student Orientation • WAB Community Picnic • APAC Soccer • Parent Link Quiz Night, Charity Bazaar and Fun Fair • Rock in the Park • Teatime Concert Series • WAB Idol • HS Career Fair and World of Work Internships • WAB World Run Day • High School Graduation

Communicationsthe 2013-14 school year saw further advancements in the way Wab communicates with our community and tells the story of Wab both locally and overseas.

some key highlights of achievements last year include:

• WAB Branding and Style Guide ‘How we tell our Story’ created and introduced in august 2013.

• A Creative Toolkit with branded email signatures, stationery designs and business templates created and introduced.

• New website launched - a responsive website that can be easily viewed on all platforms, bringing a clean, current look that is suitable to the way website users are now searching, reading and filtering information today. Designed for search engine optimization.

• New virtual tour produced, providing a unique online experience of Wab’s campuses.

• WAB APP re-launch with a new, updated look and usability.

• WAB Tiger Logo contest and selection of winning logo.

• Power Announcement introduced for email communications.

• Social Media development including Facebook, Alumni facebook, twitter, flickr, Instagram, linkedIn and Youtube.

• Annual advertising contracts negotiated with local magazines.

• Continued inclusion of WAB events in local and foreign media.

• Media Partnerships for main WAB events with City Weekend and time out.

• WAB promotional item and gift range developed.

• New front of school signage added in October 2013.

• Chamber Memberships and active participation in Chamber education Working Groups.

• Continuation of the Distinguished Speaker Series, bringing influential speakers to the Wab community, and also to the outside public via open invitation, live-streaming, and recording.

• New Advancement and Alumni database selected and developed.


aDMIssIons coMMUnItY RelatIons FACuLty & StAFF fInance & aDVanceMent

Faculty and StaffWab’s impressive reputation within the international school community, paired with our commitment to champion our staff helps us to recruit and retain highly-qualified and dedicated faculty and staff. the majority of our teachers come from the Usa, canada, the UK, and australia. a large number of our teachers are educational leaders, Ib trainers, examiners, moderators or curriculum writers.

1:8 School-wide teacher student ratio at WAB

the faculty at Wab is a diverse one; each member brings with them perspectives and expertise that enrich the learning of our students each and every day. In 2013-14, Wab faculty was made up of 21 nationalities as shown below.

Faculty nationalities graph

Support staff nationalities graph

20 wab annual report 2013-2014

admissions community relations faculty & staff finance & advancement

financein 2013-2014, wab continued in its role as a top-tier international school in beijing. similar to other international schools in the city, we never reached budgeted enrollment for the year and ended up with a 4.1% decrease in enrollment compared to the prior year. despite the lower enrollment, total school funding increased 1.4% over the previous year due to the increase in the average school fees.

in the face of increased inflation rates in beijing of over 3% during the 2013-2014 year, wab’s focus on operational efficiencies and reduced administrative and teaching personnel costs resulted in a lower growth of school operating expenses than inflation of 2.8% year over year.

School fundingwab derives its funding from tuition fees, capital levy fees, application fees, turnover, interest income and donations. tuition fees, capital levy fees, turnover and application fees are a function of enrollment.

remaining income is a function of bank balances (interest income) and community support (gifts and grants). this year rmb4.1 million was received in cash contributions and value-in-kind donations in support of wab programs and capital improvements.

cash Balance / Debtduring the entire 2013-2014 school year, the cash balance remained above the board mandated minimum emergency cash requirement.

as of the end of June 2014, wab does not have any outstanding bank or third-party loan commitments.

capital Spendingwab continued its investment in capital improvements to keep the campus facilities refreshed and up to date. the most significant capital improvement was the completion of the tiger l’air dome over the tennis courts. additional capital improvements included the standardization and refurbishments of the es classrooms, the resurfacing of the tennis courts, and the redesign and renovation of the west car park. in order to help the air quality within our buildings, we continued with the replacement of new triple glazed external doors and windows in our es classrooms and we also invested in a new enhanced air-filtration system in the es atrium and library, and in the Hub and Hs gyms.

P.O. Box 8547, 10 Lai Guang Ying Dong Lu, Chaoyang District 100102, Beijing, ChinaTel: (86-10) 5986 5588 | Fax: (86-10) 6432 2440

www.wab.edu

wab annual report 2013 2014

Documents

school year

high school

anniversary year

elementary school

international school

new middle school

representative students

wab campus