SIS HoS News - August 22nd, 2025

Dear SIS Community,

"What makes a good school?" is a question I am often asked.

There is no single answer of course, but there are some things that are always true.

1. Quality teaching.

2. A safe and supportive environment.

3. A culture that nurtures curiosity and growth.

4. Strong relationships.

I'd like to share a little about how research has found that parent/school relationships make a real difference. 

Several studies show that students with supportive and engaged parents are 81% more likely to graduate from high school and that family engagement boosts attendance, social-emotional development, and academic outcomes at every age.

A meta-analysis of 50 studies revealed that parental involvement generally boosts achievement, and that conversations about school, setting learning expectations, and building motivation—were the strongest predictor of success.

The American Psychological Association reviewed 448 independent studies and concluded that parent involvement leads to improved academic outcomes, motivation, engagement, and enhanced social-emotional skills.

I'm sure that these findings are not a surprise to you, and they are well understood by our educators as well. It is this understanding of the immense value brought by engaged parents that makes our Parent Support Association (PSA) such a key part of our community. 

The PSA has always been a part of the SIS experience and even though the association has constantly evolved through the years, the core goal has remained the same; Enrich the experience of our students. There have been so many wonderfully innovative ways of enriching experiences that they are beyond counting. There are opportunities for every parent to play a role in our PSA and to contribute to achieving that goal and I invite everyone to feel welcome to participate as you may. Whether you have time to lead a project, volunteer for an event, or simply share your ideas, your involvement matters. It is certainly true that some activities are intended to raise funds, but the real outcome is fun raising. 

I am very appreciative that I am part of a school community which values the involvement and partnership of our families. I have, like many of you, enjoyed a movie night, or watched the excitement of our children eating PSA popcorn.  

I sincerely thank those volunteers who have taken on executive roles in our PSA, as their commitment and energy helps immensely. I am excited to continue building a strong PSA which works with a single focus on enriching the educational experience of our students while bringing our community together. Thank you all.

亲爱的SIS社区成员：

大家常常会问我：“究竟什么样的学校，才算得上是好学校呢？”

这个问题，其实并没有一个固定的答案。但总有一些特质，是大家普遍认同的好学校的标志。

1. 优质的教学质量。

2. 一个既安全又充满支持与关爱的环境。

3. 一种培养好奇心和促进成长的文化氛围。

4. 紧密的人际关系。

今天，我想分享一些研究发现，它们表明家长与学校之间的关系能带来实实在在的改变。

多项研究都表明，那些有支持且积极参与的家长陪伴的学生，从高中顺利毕业的可能性要高出81%，而且家庭参与能提升各个年龄段学生的出勤率、社交情感发展和学业成绩。

还有一项对50项研究的综合分析发现，家长的参与通常都能提升学生的学业表现。特别是当家长和孩子聊学校的事情、一起设定学习目标、激发孩子的学习动力时，这些更是成为预测孩子能否成功的关键因素。

美国心理学会也对448项独立研究进行了仔细回顾，结果同样显示：家长的参与能让孩子们的学业成绩更好，学习动力更足，参与度更高，还能提升他们的社交情感技能。

我相信，这些发现对大家来说并不陌生，我们的教育工作者们更是深谙此道。正因为大家都明白积极参与的家长能为孩子们带来巨大的价值，所以我们的家委会（PSA）才成为了我们社区中不可或缺的一部分。

家委会一直以来都是SIS体验的重要组成部分。虽然多年来，家委会的形式和内容都在不断发展和变化，但我们的核心目标始终没有变过：那就是丰富孩子们的校园体验。丰富学生体验的创新方式不胜枚举。在这里，每一位家长都有机会在家委会中发挥作用，为这个目标贡献一份力量。我真心邀请大家积极参与进来，无论您是愿意带领一个项目，还是为某个活动做志愿者，或者只是简单地分享一下您的想法和建议，您的参与都将是非常宝贵的。当然，有些活动是为了筹集资金，但真正的结果是筹集欢乐。

我真的很感激自己能够成为这样一个重视家庭参与和合作的学校社区的一员。就像你们中的许多人一样，我也享受过和大家一起看电影的夜晚，看过孩子们兴奋地吃着家委会准备的爆米花。

在这里，我衷心感谢那些在我们家委会中担任执行职务的志愿者们，他们的奉献和精力提供了极大的帮助。我期待着继续建设一个强大的家委会，它专注于丰富学生的教育体验，同时将我们的社区凝聚在一起。感谢大家。