News

Leadership and Learning: SIFC Supervisory Principal's interview


1.jpg


SIFC Supervisory Principal:Peter Rizzardini


Peter has held senior leadership positions in Australia, the UK and China. He was the Academic Registrar and Head of Prep at Harrow Beijing, one of the leading International Schools in Asia. Before that he was the Head of Middle School at a popular UK Prep School.

 

Peter has been involved in a number of major school projects in China, including the design, fit out and completion ofschools. He has also led staff through major change. Peter has detailed knowledge of the Chinese education system including the requirements for schools and thevarious licenses that exist.




2.jpg

click 'read more' at the end of the article to check the report from Shenzhen Evening News




Add  'value’ to students : Peter Rizzardini's interview

In December 2018, Shenzhen Evening News interviewed Mr. Peter, Supervisory Principal. of Shenzhen International Foundation College. Among the 12 questions raised by Shenzhen Evening News , some are of great concern to parents. The following are compiled for reference by parents and teachers who care about education and children.





01

Could you tell me something about your experience in the international education field?



未命名-5.jpg

I have been involved in education and leadership for more than thirty years. During that time I have been lucky enough to have lived and worked in Australia, Canada, England and now China. However, people are surprised to learn that I haven’t always been a teacher, in fact my first two pay packets were as a professional footballer and an author! I still enjoy writing today, but sadly my football days are long behind me.


3.jpg

■ SIFC teachers and students in Mid-Autumn festival activities    

SIFC Mid-Autumn Festival Celebration!



02

Under what circumstances did you come to China to launch your education career?



未命名-5.jpg

My career in education began in Australia where I worked at various independent schools including one of the leading boarding schools, Riverview in Sydney, where I was the Sportsmaster. In fact, it was my love of sport that drew me to teaching. Schools in Australia are always interested in teachers that can also coach sports. Apart from teaching, I specialized in football and basketball and during that time my teams won two state championships and were runners up on another occasion. Sport is a great way to learn about teamwork and leadership and it also involves training, hard work, dedication and commitment, so it is the perfect partner for education which requires all of the same things.


In England, I was the Head of Middle School at a beautiful Prep School called The Ryleys. This was my first chance to learn about the UK National Curriculum and how they focus on skills and measuring attainment. I took that experience and moved from there to China in 2012 where I served as the Head of Prep for Harrow in Beijing and then also as their Academic Registrar. Harrow is a big school and the section of the school that I ran in Beijing was three times the size of the current SIFC. In big schools it is easy to get lost in the crowd so we used a House system to help make a big school feel small and friendly.



03


What qualities do you think a good international school should possess?



未命名-5.jpg

There are many different types of international schools, such as selective, where students are only enrolled based on their ability and non-selective where all students are welcomed equally. There are also different curriculums such British A levels, American Common Core and IB. Each type of school has slightly different aims and aspirations. However, what most schools have in common is the desire to ‘add value’ to their students. Good schools focus on making students better, so if a student enters as a ‘C’ they want them to leave with at least a ‘B’ or if they have a GPA of 3.5 they want them to try to get a 4.

 

However, good grades alone are not enough to get you into the best universities. So good international schools like SIFC also focus on building each student's ‘portfolio of achievement’ which shows the all of the student’s achievements as a complete ‘package’. SIFC has 5 counselors whose main focus is helping students to develop their portfolio to help show their achievements in the best possible way.


4.jpg

■ SIFC teachers and students in National Day activities

SIFC Celebrates  National Day


04

How do you feel about Shenzhen International Foundation College?



未命名-5.jpg

I love SIFC. There is something special about at working at small boutique schools where you get to know all of the staff and students personally. SIFC reminds me a lot of my time working in England, where everyone knows and cares about each other. Traditional schools in China tend to be very big with very large class sizes. This greatly impacts on the style of teaching you can use. Even at full capacity our current SIFC campus will never hold many more than 350 students so it already has that exclusive, small and friendly atmosphere.




05

As the Supervisory Principal, what are your goals in SIFC?


未命名-5.jpg

I said to a parent at an admissions event last year that my job was to make SIFC the best school that I possibly could, that is still my aim. A lot of my early focus has been on getting the staff and students to understand and believe in the school’s mission and aims of being a leading international school, inspiring the minds of tomorrow’s future generation of leaders.


5.jpg


■ SIFC teachers and students in Halloween activities

SIFC Celebrates Halloween


06

What role do you think a teacher should play?



未命名-5.jpg

I am a big fan of the Chinese proverb that says teachers open doors but students must walk through them. I believe that teachers are facilitators, they guide and nurture, but it is always up to the student to do the work. That is what real life is like. With small class sizes it is easy for teachers to know each student personally and help guide them on their journey. It is the same for the Counsellors in the High School they are always available to support and guide students with their university applications.



■  SIFC teachers and students in the English speech and debate contest

6.jpg

Speak out ! SIFC took part in two speech and debate competitions



07

What qualities do you expect children to have when they graduate from SIFC?



未命名-5.jpg

Graduates from SIFC will be equipped to take on the world. They will have independence, strength, leadership, integrity and compassion. An appreciation of Chinese culture and an understanding of internationalism. As a youth I was offered the chance to study in Italy but I was too immature and scared to take on the challenge alone. Graduates from SIFC would easily take on such a challenge and be successful ambassadors for their country.




08

For parents, send their children to SIFC, what they want to know most is what kind of management model the school is?



未命名-5.jpg

SIFC is operated by a Board who employ a number of foreign experts, such as myself, to advise and assist them. The Board sets the overall vison and aims of the school e.g. ‘to be a leading international school’ and then the Senior Leadership Team (SLT) of the school work hard to make the Board's vison come true. This model follows the school's motto, which roughly translated is about putting Chinese and western ideas into action. The Board and the SLT are like a partnership that work together to put western and Chinese words into action.


7.jpg


■ SIFC teachers and parents in Santa Run

Santa was Coming… Everyone was Running.



09

Good family-school communication is an important standard to measure the success of a school, how to implement the family-school communication in SIFC?


未命名-5.jpg

This year at SIFC we have introduced two new methods of communication with parents. In the Primary School the teachers are using ClassDojo with daily updates and photos of class activities. This online program is a little like a private WeChat account for each class. It can also translate personal comments between the teacher and the parent so that they can communicate in private. For the parents in the Middle and High School we have begun a series of ‘parent salons’ where parents, counselors and the school’s leadership meet to discuss relevant issues. These forums can be open ended so that parents can raise any issues and concerns or built around a topic such as the G8 salon which focused on communication between parents and their children.



8.jpg


■ SIFC teachers on the Shenzhen 10th Charity Night

SIFC and Captivating Supporting Girls in Rural China



10

You have been in China for seven years and have a good understanding of the current situation of international education in China. What common mistakes do you think Chinese parents have about international education?



未命名-5.jpg

For most people, their only experience of education comes from when they were a student themselves, so this tends to form the basis of their understanding of how schools work. It is understandable that many parents are unfamiliar with western education and mistake the freedom given to students as a weakness. In truth, the freedom given to students in western education is one of its real strengths, the freedom to think for one self, the freedom to choose, the freedom to question are all important skills allowed in western classrooms. This freedom when balanced with traditional Chinese values and integrity make SIFC students well-grounded but with inquiring minds that are open to the challenges that lay ahead.


9.jpg

■ SIFC family at Christmas dinner

Merry Christmas!



11

How should a parent deal with possible problems after a child enters a new environment?



未命名-5.jpg

Everyone, even adults, can have trouble when dealing with new environments. One good tactic is to join a group or an activity, that way you get to share the experience with others. Schools like SIFC and colleges in America are full of opportunities to join in and have a go.




12

Is there anything else you would like to share with students, parents and friends of SIFC?



未命名-5.jpg

Take advantage of opportunities when they are presented to you. Life is short, so you never know whether the opportunity will come around again. If I wasn't a risk taker, I'd be still living in Sydney and never had experienced to opportunities that come from life in Canada, England and China.

 

It is also important to be able to embrace change. Change is one of the only certainties in life, yet surprisingly most of us never prepare for it. If you asked a graduate 20 years ago what they would be doing today, none of them would have mentioned IT or software design, as that technology had not been invented yet. The same is true today, many SIFC graduates will end up in industries that have not yet been discovered. So embrace change and take advantage of opportunities when they arise.







Contact

Address:No. 8 Yizhan 4th Road, International Art Exhibition Center, Baoan District, Shenzhen
Tel1:400-926-1666
Tel2:86-755-26534780
E-mail:admission@sifc.net.cn

SIFC