Back to School

發佈日期: 作者:

Back to School

Written by Mr. Robertson

Welcome back again! Another school year has come to CTBC International Academy. Each year, the excitement and tension that builds up leading into the new school year fills the air. New books, new clothes, new lesson plans and syllabi: the teachers and the students are busy and excited. The 2025-26 school year is no different. And as with each year, there are some new things and people at our school.

First and easiest is our newest staff. Miss Thabile Mkhatshwa from the tiny African nation of Eswatini has joined us to teach science. The rumor is that she will be offering Earth Sciences and that has excited some at our school. Miss Tiffany Lin is an American and will be joining our staff to teach digital arts and fitness. And Edmundo Horna is from Spain and has joined our P.E. team and will also be teaching Spanish. Earth Sciences, Digital Arts, and Spanish are all new subjects we are excited to bring to our student body and we hope that our students will enjoy their presence in our curriculum.

From left to Right, Miss Mkhatschwa, Miss Lin, and Mr. Horna

But new teachers and new curriculum are not the only thing new at CIA. We have also expanded our Advanced Placement (AP) offerings. Last year, we had our first official AP course at the school (AP Composition) and it was received very well. This year, we have expanded it to include AP composition as well as AP Literature. These two classes should be able to both push the English levels of our students but also challenge our academically advanced students in more rigorous ways. We are excited for this development and hope that it may continue. Who knows what the future might hold?

First and easiest is our newest staff. Miss Thabile Mkhatshwa from the tiny African nation of Eswatini has joined us to teach science. The rumor is that she will be offering Earth Sciences and that has excited some at our school. Miss Tiffany Lin is an American and will be joining our staff to teach digital arts and fitness. And Edmundo Horna is from Spain and has joined our P.E. team and will also be teaching Spanish. Earth Sciences, Digital Arts, and Spanish are all new subjects we are excited to bring to our student body and we hope that our students will enjoy their presence in our curriculum.

Mr. Robertson delivering a less in AP English Language Arts to Chelsea Liu and Phil Chen

And, of course, it is not just new or evolving programs at CIA. Our curriculum continues to deliver excellent programs like the Independent Study Program, the Student Council, and the reading Program as well as perennial favorite courses like Japanese, IELTS (a test preparation course), and Tennis.

Mr. Herbert teaching students about Receive Pronunciation in CIA’s IELTS course.

There is a very old expression from the U.S.A.: “Busy as a beaver.” It is a famously busy hard-working animal in the U.S., and we are already putting the busy beaver to shame at CIA. It is not even the end of the first week yet and we are already hard at work learning, teaching, enjoying our lives, making new friends, reconnecting to old friends, and everything else a healthy and happy school life includes. Have you asked your students about their day yet? I am sure they have nothing but great things to say.