#172
In my role as Head of Admissions, I have always highlighted to prospective families our sense of community, our belief in rigorous academics within a holistic school philosophy and the importance of transitioning well from one school to another. I wholeheartedly believe the transition process starts before the physical transition and I see enormous importance in students building a R.A.F.T. (additional information thereof can be found at the International School of Dusseldorf’s page, Transitions and Third Culture Kids) as they prepare to transition.
Questions pertaining to the transition process are frequently asked by many of our prospective families and even more so now with the Covid-19 pandemic as families negotiate the notion of relocating and joining a new school with the added layers of PCR tests before flying, upon arrival, quarantine and so much more.
For many of those coming from international schools, they are aware of the notion of TCKs and building a R.A.F.T. For those unaware of the concept I share details of the concepts and in my follow up email include - as a resource for the preparation to transition to KL - a link to Linda Janssen’s post, A RAFT for Transitioning through Uncertainty and Disruption. In addition, to support the transition for both students and the family as a whole, we also have a range of strategies and support (including, but not limited to having an individualized orientation session, a meeting with the school counsellor for the individual students and their family, ensuring all new students have a well chosen buddy, connecting families to class parents, grade level reps, and country reps as well as hosting welcoming events) in place.
For those interested in learning more about the importance of transitioning well and how best to support the transition, I recommend following the work of Doug Ota, most notably his book, Safe Passage how mobility affects people & what international schools should do about it, and the Safe Passage Across Networks (SPAN) website.
References:
International School of Dusseldorf Transitions and Third Culture Kids
Janssen, L. (2020) A RAFT for Transitioning through Uncertainty and Disruption FIGT, Families in Global Transition
Ota, D. (2014) Safe Passage how mobility affects people & what international schools should do about it Summertime Publishing
Safe Passage Across Networks (2020) The Nest (Season 2 Episode 4)
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