CIS Voice | President's holiday message

December 20, 2024

Hi everyone,

I bring you a warm greeting this afternoon, a greeting that is filled with appreciation, thankfulness, and gratitude for what has been quite an amazing start to our CIS journey.

We are approaching the end of our very first semester, and I'm thrilled with what we have accomplished so far.

We’ve accomplished so much together. We’ve been working hard on establishing a community that is caring and genuine in who it intends to be—who we want to be for all of our community.

We’ve been working hard on establishing a learning community that is filled with academic excellence. We’re not there yet, of course, but that’s why it’s called a journey.We are on our way. 

As we near our very first major break—the winter break—for this school year, which will be two weeks, I trust that you will use this time to refresh, to take stock of what has been accomplished over the past number of months, and to be thankful and grateful for the opportunities that you have had and that we have shared together with all that has been accomplished here at CIS in Foshan.

I know there have been many wonderful events that have taken place, most recently our Charity Art Night and Winter Festival.

What a fabulous day that was indeed! It was so wonderful to see the hard work of our students in terms of the art they have been creating, the musicianship they have been developing, and their ability to perform on a stage with confidence.

Whether using their language skills within the context of a song, a speech, or a play, it was so wonderful to see all of our students.

It was also very special to experience the warmth, the hospitality, the friendliness, and the company of one another out on the field, celebrating with the outdoor stage and also in W Hall.

We’ve enjoyed so many events and experiences so far, but there is so much more to come in this semester. Very soon after our winter break, the first-semester reports will be released, and that will detail a lot of the academic achievements that have taken place across all subjects that the students have studied.

But for now, I want to wish you all a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. 

And I want to say thank you for your support:

• the support you have offered our teachers,

• the support you have offered one another,

• the support you have offered toward achieving our mission of establishing an environment focused on academic excellence and building a caring community.

This could not happen without togetherness, without unity, without everything being filled and influenced by a philosophy that suggests that education is truly all about love.

So, I thank you on behalf of our whole leadership team. I thank you on behalf of our board. And I say to everyone: well done on a first semester.

Congratulations, CIS! We have achieved so much, and I am confident that, together, we will achieve so much more.

Our potential here in this community, I want to say, is actually limitless. I look forward to seeing how it unfolds in the second semester after we return from our winter break and as we head toward the end of this school year.

Finally, I hope that your family stays safe. If you are traveling, safe travels.Wishing you wonderful times of celebration with your family, and I look forward to seeing you very soon.

Thanks, everyone, and bye for now.

Nathan Gray

Head of School