Middle School

Parent of a Grade 7 Student

The Secondary School has organized many student workshops this semester. Teachers carefully select the topic for each workshop and offer solutions to important questions about the different stages of student growth. Workshops are great opportunities for students to learn and grow, and they are also great opportunities for parents to learn with their children. One workshop in particular, “How to learn effectively,” helped students learn how to schedule their learning tasks/exams every day, track their homework status, make plans and manage their time efficiently. The self-management and effective learning skills taught in the workshop will be a life-long benefit to students, which will enable them to finish their learning tasks on time. My experience is that OCAC teachers aim to develop students’ abilities through student agency and prepare them for future success in life beyond the classroom. I have a deep appreciation for the excellent educators at OCAC.

Parent of a Grade 8 Student:

My child entered Grade 8 this past September, his second year at OCAC Suzhou. During this period, my child has shown significant changes both physically and mentally. His growth was so rapid that it caught us off guard and we felt that we did not have enough experience to deal with it. Luckily, to help us navigate through this transition, the school provides support through their Advisory Program. After the first lesson, “New environment, New Start”, my child could not wait to share with us what he learned. During the lesson, students were introduced to topics, such as adapting to the new school life, building relationship effectively, protecting themselves, respecting teachers and learning to live and collaborate with others. I believe that my child benefited from this program and we were happy to see his progress. We would like to thank the school for arranging this timely lesson at the beginning of the semester.

Most of OCAC Suzhou students will live and study abroad in the future. Therefore, students must be trained in safety awareness, skills and habits before they travel to live in a different country. The Advisory Program enables them to become self-disciplined and stress-tolerant individuals who can adapt quickly to living and learning abroad. This is a forward-looking and effective program that positively influences students’ character traits. This kind of education at school is far more effective than parents nagging at home.

The second lesson is about academic integrity and time management. Those regular training sessions will definitely benefit my child for the rest of his life.