"As soon as we walked into the campus, we saw so many teachers welcoming us and greeting us. It made us really happy." On the afternoon when the first group of boarding students and their parents walked into Shanghai High School International Division Fengxian Campus, one parent described their first impression in this way.

That day, Shanghai High School International Division Fengxian Campus welcomed its first boarding students. The children made their beds and got to know their roommates, while the parents visited the campus and learned about the arrangements. As night fell, the lights in the dormitory rooms came on one by one, and boarding life at Fengxian Campus officially began.

Mr. Feng Zhigang, Principal of SHS, said that Fengxian Campus will actively explore the educational model of a "School of the Future," make full use of the advantages of boarding education, and allow students and parents to experience the consistently high standards of Shanghai High School International Division in terms of the campus environment, educational services and daily experience. For Fengxian Campus, the "School of the Future" is an educational pursuit focused on the holistic growth of students. It is reflected in the spaces and facilities on campus, as well as in the rich curriculum and high standards of teaching quality. More importantly, it is reflected in every interaction between teachers and students, every arrangement in daily life, and the school's continued and careful attention to every child.

Every Sense of Security Comes from Thorough Preparation

At 1:00 p.m., students and parents gradually arrived at Fengxian Campus. Teachers had already been waiting at various points along the way. From the school gate to the dormitories, and from check-in and collecting supplies to settling into the rooms, there was guidance at every step, and every family could receive a timely response. After entering their rooms, the children began making their beds and arranging their luggage. Each student also received a special welcome gift: a welcome card handwritten by their homeroom teacher, a Brighty panda plush toy from Fengxian Campus, and customised cookies printed with the SHSID and Fengxian Campus logos.

"Various welcome gifts and warm reminders were all prepared. The teachers are really so thoughtful," one parent said. A card and a small gift conveyed the school's welcome to the children as they moved into a new environment, while also bringing warmth to what had originally been an unfamiliar dormitory. The Grade 6 homeroom teachers and subject teachers then visited the dormitories one by one, communicating face to face with students and parents, learning about their preparations and settling-in situation, and bringing the first care and expectations into the children’s new living space.

The school's attention to safety details was also noticed by parents. "Teacher, you have really thought of everything. Even the corners of the walls and places where collisions might occur have been fitted with protective guards." Another parent commented after visiting the dormitory, "Compared with the schools we had previously learned about, the boarding conditions here are really good. We feel very reassured about our child living here." Spacious and tidy living spaces, a clear and orderly check-in process, and the teachers' patient and warm responses together formed the students' first formal encounter with Fengxian Campus. As the dormitory rooms gradually settled down, the children also began to move from "coming to the campus" to "living on the campus."

Boarding Is an Education in Life Skills

At 3:30 p.m., the first boarding parents' meeting at Fengxian Campus was held in the meeting room of the gymnasium. Under the theme of "Living Together, Growing Together," Ms. Shen Tianyuan, Principal of SHSID Fengxian Campus, introduced the boarding educational philosophy of Fengxian Campus to parents from four aspects: the boarding environment, ability development, awareness of rules, and home-school collaboration.

For boarding, the school has proposed the "SHARE" boarding educational philosophy, with Safe, Harmonious, Aspiring, Respectful, and Empathy as its core values. The first letters of the five English keywords together form “SHARE.” Through living together, the school hopes students will learn to share, understand one another and support each other, gradually develop self-management abilities, learn to respect others and take responsibility, and gradually build a sense of community in which they care for their peers.

At the parents' meeting,  Ms. Fu Bing, Assistant Principal of SHSID Fengxian Campus, looked back on the process of Fengxian Campus from preparation to opening. From the planning of campus spaces and improvement of facilities to round after round of safety inspections, environmental optimisation and adjustments to details of daily life during the holidays, teachers and staff from various departments consistently examined the campus from the perspective of students' actual use. She also wished the students continued growth in their new learning and living environment, gradually becoming independent learners and responsible global citizens.

Mr. Guo Lei, Grade 6 Supervisor, introduced the overall design of boarding life through three elements: "a daily schedule, a required course in growth, and a guide to everyday life." From morning wake-up, morning exercise, club activities and Family Time to evening study activities jointly supported by homeroom and subject teachers, the school will help students gradually establish time-management skills and independent learning habits through a stable and fulfilling rhythm of life.

Based on the SHARE philosophy, the campus will also offer boarding growth courses to guide students in learning about safety protection; communal living; self-management, communication, and cooperation; and peer support. In response to specific problems in daily life, the school proposes "TRY, ASK, ACT," encouraging children to first try to solve problems, actively ask for help when they encounter difficulties, and take action after receiving help. Every attempt, request for help and action will become a small step towards independence.

Ms. Ye Xing, Grade 1 Supervisor, drew on her own boarding experience to share with parents the emotional changes and growth process that children may experience during the early stages of boarding. She will also bring her years of experience in educational management and student work into the management of boarding students. She will work together with Grade 6 teachers and residential life teachers to pay attention to the children's adjustment and accompany them as they gradually develop a sense of security, belonging and confidence in daily life.

When Parents Turn to Leave, the Children's Journey of Growth Truly Begins

After the parents' meeting, the parents visited the teaching building, gymnasium, swimming pool, badminton hall, table tennis room, and other campus spaces together. Through the tour, conversations, and photographs along the way, everyone gained a more direct and complete understanding of the learning and living environment their children will have in the future.

That evening, students and parents had dinner together in the campus dining hall, experiencing the campus dining arrangements together. One parent said with a smile, "The school dinner was so delicious, and the child really liked it. There were surprises everywhere today!" This relaxed and sincere comment also became a reflection of the shared experience of many families on the day of check-in.

After dinner, the parents stayed to give their final reminders and gradually left the campus. For the children, this goodbye carried a new meaning. From this moment on, they would need to organise their own belongings, remember the time, express their needs, and begin learning how to live together with their roommates.

From 6:30 to 7:30 p.m., Fengxian Campus held a welcome icebreaker activity for its first boarding students. Students from different classes got to know each other through relaxed and interesting interactive games. Through communication and cooperation, they made new friends and, through each response, act of listening and act of helping, initially experienced the respect, empathy and mutual assistance advocated by SHARE.

The children, who had initially seemed somewhat reserved, gradually relaxed. Unfamiliar names began to become connected with one smiling face after another, and the first friendships of boarding life quietly began to take root that evening.

The successful check-in of the first boarding students also means that Fengxian Campus's exploration of the School of the Future has gained a more concrete and vivid form of practice. Today, the various surprises experienced by parents came from thorough preparation beforehand. In the future, the school hopes to turn these surprises into the sense of security, sense of order and sense of growth that children become accustomed to.

Here, children will not only learn knowledge, but will also learn how to live, and develop the abilities they need to face the future.

(Written by Die Yang

Pictures by Haijie Gong

Reviewed by Lei Guo, Shiyu Wu)