Sally Allnutt

Sally is from Victoria, Australia. She completed her Bachelor of Education, Visual Arts, in Melbourne and has been involved in Primary and Secondary education in rural and metropolitan schools in Victoria, the Northern Territory and Queensland for many years. Sally has taught in a variety of institutions including hospital and correctional centre facilities.

Sally is new to International Education although she has been closely involved in Visual Arts and Media Education organizations throughout Australia and internationally. She comes to China with a great sense of excitement to embark on a new challenge teaching the PYP Early Childhood program of the Elementary School of BCIS.

Sally’s interests include traveling, digital media and photography, painting and exploring all cultural diversity China has to offer.

Sheila Ascencio

Sheila is from Chiapas, Mexico and has been teaching internationally since 2005.  Besides being a passionate educator, she loves travelling and experiencing different cultures, enjoys cooking Mexican cuisine, is keen on photography, and loves swimming.

She worked for the American School Foundation of Chiapas, Mexico and then moved to Eritrea where she was the PYP Coordinator and Grade 2 Classroom teacher at the Asmara International Community School before moving to Dubai to work as Grade level Coordinator in Grades 2 and 3.  In 2008, she moved to Uzbekistan to be part of Tashkent International School where she taught Grade 3 and 5 and became the TIS’s Personnel Committee Chair.  She is extensively trained in the IB PYP.

Sheila completed her Bachelor of Education and English Language Teaching Certification from the Autonomous National University of Mexico in 2004 and is currently undertaking a Masters Degree in Education.

Sheila considers herself to be incredibly fortunate to be part of the BCIS community and is excited to be living in such a vibrant, culturally rich and unique country.

Erin Breheny

Erin comes from Melbourne, Australia. She completed her Bachelor of Early Childhood Development (Primary Education) Degree at the University of Melbourne in 2007. During her university studies Erin spent time in Malmo, Sweden as part of a student exchange program, where she gained valuable experience at multiple international schools. It was in Malmo that she discovered her passion for working within the international education community.

Since 2007 Erin has been teaching primary school students in their first year of school, in her home town. She has also enjoyed working with students of all ages as the Student Representative Council Co-Advisor as well as during joint projects with upper primary classes. Erin has a keen interest in all areas of the curriculum and giving all students a chance to share their abilities and interests with the school community.  She was involved in giving a presentation at the STAVCON conference at La Trobe University in 2008 with a colleague, in regards to Science in the primary school classroom.  Currently Erin is the Mathematics Coordinator for the Elementary school and a Kindergarten homeroom teacher.

In her spare time Erin enjoys traveling, exploring new cultures, cooking, reading, listening to music and spending time with friends and family. She is really enjoying exploring Beijing by bike and learning mandarin. Erin is looking forward to another great year of teaching and learning at BCIS!

Alan Cox

Having earned both his undergraduate and graduate degrees in Elementary Education from The Ohio State University, Mr. Cox spent three years honing his teaching skills in southern Maryland from 1997 to 2000. He then journeyed to Berlin, Germany where he taught at the John F. Kennedy Schule, a bilingual school in the German public school system, for the next two years. In 2002 Mr. Cox joined an IBPYP international school in Beijing teaching Grades 5 and 6. It is here that he first became an IBPYP Coordinator and helped to facilitate the school’s 3-year IBPYP self-study report and evaluation. In 2005 Mr. Cox qualified to be trained as an IBPYP workshop leader for the Asia Pacific region and has since continued to conduct IB workshops and school evaluations in the region. Mr Cox joined BCIS in 2006. Mr Cox is currently the Elementary School Deputy Principal.

April Carter

April Carter is from Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. She graduated from the University of Victoria with a Bachelors of Education, and a concentration in Learning Support. April loves to travel and experience new cultures and has been fortunate enough to have taught in British Columbia as well as abroad in Taipei, Guangzhou and in her new home, Beijing. Though she has taught a range of grades from kindergarten to high school, her experience and love lies in teaching primary school. April is a very passionate, creative and reflective teacher who genuinely cares about her students. She believes in a student-centered, inquiry-based learning environment where students are encouraged to take risks and be life-long learners. She knows that she is not just teaching students, but helping to create future citizens of the world. As such, she takes her job very seriously and treats every day as an opportunity to impact the lives of her students and help them achieve.

Mary Carman

Mary is originally from Queensland, Australia. Her husband Anthony (Australian) also works at BCIS as the Whole School Guidance Counselor.

Mary has a Diploma of Teaching, majoring in Early Childhood Studies, from the University of Southern Queensland and a Bachelor of Education from the Queensland University of Technology. She also has a Diploma in TEFL from the English Language Centre in London and has a Master of Education – Teaching Second Languages.

After a long and successful teaching career in the state education system in Australia, where she spent periods working in government primary and preschools, working with children in isolated circumstances, and also with ill children in a hospital school, Mary decided to take up the challenge of working overseas in international schools. She taught Preschool and Kindergarten classes at the International School of Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, and was the Grade Two teacher at the Bavarian International School in Munich, Germany, before a three-year period as Grade One and ELL teacher at the Beijing BISS International School here in Beijing. Mary joined BCIS in 2005 and is currently an ELL teacher for the elementary school.

Noella Cornelis

Noella Cornelis is from Ontario, Canada. In 2004 she graduated the University of Toronto with a Bachelor in Education.  In 2009 she completed her Masters in Reading and Mathematics from Walden University in the United States.  Noella joins the BCIS community after three years of teaching art at another International school here in Beijing.  Prior to China, Noella taught in Kuwait.  Familiar with Beijing, Noella enjoys the vastness of the metropolis as well as the never ending places to explore.

Outside of school, Noella enjoys all realms of fitness from boxing and running to bike riding through the houtongs.  She also enjoys travelling, reading, creating art, volunteering in the community and coaching volleyball.

Sarah Dapueto

Sarah appreciates the opportunity to implement the International Baccalaureate PYP in a truly international setting. The diverse student body, collegial staff, and supportive community at BCIS make it an ideal setting. Sarah comes to us via the Arabian Gulf, where she spent three years teaching at international schools, first in Kuwait, and then in Abu Dhabi, UAE.

Born and raised in Canada, specifically London, Ontario. She began her traditional Art Education at BealArt. This foundation program afforded her the opportunity to sample a wide variety of media. The resulting portfolio gained her acceptance to Concordia University, in Montreal, where she completed a Bachelor of Fine Art. She has a double-major in Art History and Studio Art. Sarah's Bachelor of Education is from the University of Western Ontario.

Dean Eddington

Dean Eddington is currently working as the Elementary Nursery to Grade 1 P.E teacher. He was born and raised in Tasmania, where he also received his Bachelor of Human Movement Degree, majoring in Health and Physical Education. Past teaching experiences have led Dean to teach in China, Hong Kong and Australia. Before joining the BCIS team in 2008, Dean held a teaching position at Holy Rosary Primary School, Tasmania. During his time at Holy Rosary, he taught Physical Education and Grade 3/4 classroom. He is excited about enriching children's lives through exercise and sport.

When Dean is not teaching he enjoys spending time with his family, bike riding, having dinner at Hot Pot restaurants and playing a variety of sports. Dean's family is also a part of BCIS with his two children enrolled in the elementary school and his wife, Megan, teaching in the Upper School English department.

Jane Farrelly

Jane Farrelly, is a member of the BCIS 4th grade teaching team. She started her teaching career in Adelaide, South Australia, and for the past 16 years has worked in international schools in Indonesia, Malaysia, Germany and Venezuela. For her, living in a culturally rich country like China, and working in a dynamic international school like BCIS, is a most rewarding.

Jane completed her Diploma of Teaching and Bachelor of Education at the University of South Australia. She is an experienced International Baccalaureate Primary Years teacher, and has worked predominantly with 5th grade students preparing for the the PYP Exhibition.

Jane has a passion for the inquiry approach to learning, and together with her colleagues and students likes to take risks, inquire, think critically, and reflect on learning. Jane also enjoys the creative aspect of teaching the Dramatic and Visual Arts as part of her program, and works enthusiastically with the students on productions and creative presentations.

Jane is joined at BCIS by her husband, Phillip Clarke, the Middle/High School Dramatic Arts teacher, and their young son, Leo. Their older son, Louis, is living and working in Australia.

Jane is happy to have found her way to BCIS, and her home in international education.

Renee Fort

Renee hails from the beautiful coastal city of Adelaide, South Australia. It was in Adelaide that she completed her combined Bachelor of Education and Bachelor of Arts degrees through Flinders University. Upon completion of her degrees Renee taught a wide variety of subjects and year levels at Cabra Dominican College in Adelaide, taking every opportunity to extend her experience and skills.

As a passionate teacher and traveler, Renee sees being a member of the BCIS community as an exciting progression in her endeavors to expand her life experience and immerse herself in various cultures. She enjoys the richness of being a part of such a multi-cultural community and enjoys sharing the quirks of the diverse Australian culture with staff and students at BCIS.

Glenn Fitzpatrick

Glenn Fitzpatrick is Australian and has taught throughout Australia and also in International schools in Kuwait, Ukraine, Germany and Angola before joining BCIS in 2006.

In his time at BCIS he has been a classroom teacher an ELL teacher and is currently teacher Librarian. He is currently studying a Masters in ESL.

Outside of work Glenn enjoys horse racing, Australian Rules Football, tennis, running, surfing and skiing.

Tracy Gong

Tracy Gong graduated with a BA in vocal music and has served as a Vocalist Singer with Qingdao Opera & Dance-Drama Theater for 5 years. After that, Tracy Gong came to Beijing to fulfill her other dream of being a music teacher in a well-known music school. Meanwhile, she went to the Central Conservatory of Music to study music education and Kodaly & Orff music pedagogy. Tracy has been teaching music from K-12 for 7 years when she worked in other two international schools. She always enjoys working with children and teachers. Tracy believes music is for every child and music has the power to transform lives.

In her free time, Tracy loves classical music and collecingt music CDs as well as cooking, reading and travel.

Kieran Grady

Kieran is from Melbourne, Australia and completed his Bachelor of Arts from Victoria University in 2004. After university he spent six months living in Malmo, Sweden, before returning to Melbourne to work for the Victorian Department of Education. During this time, he also spent 12 months volunteering to teach English to recently arrived Sudanese migrants in Melbourne.

He came to Beijing on holidays in 2008, and enjoyed the city so much that he moved permanently in 2009, with his partner Kate, who is also the IBPYP Coordinator at BCIS. He has worked previously at BCIS and other international schools as a substitute teacher and has also spent time teaching English at Beijing City University.  Kieran joined BCIS as a Grade 5 teacher in 2010.

Kieran assists in coaching the boys basketball squads at BCIS, and looks forward  continuing to coach at BCIS.

Outside of the classroom, Kieran enjoys sports, music, traveling and spending time with his friends.

Jessica Greene

Jessica is from the United States and earned her BA in History and Psychology from the University of Arizona. She is originally from Massachusetts, and that is where she returned to complete her Masters Degree in School Counselling.  Before joining BCIS, Jessica was an Elementary School Adjustment Counselor in the Boston area.  Jessica’s role at BCIS is as the Elementary School Counselor, and she is excited to support and encourage the students in a way which will help them grow, and mature.

Outside of school, Jessica loves to cook, attend concerts, and travel. She is happy to be living in Beijing and looks forward to exploring China and all it has to offer.

Cheryl Hawkins

Cheryl comes from the state of Colorado where she grew up surrounded by the Rocky Mountains.  In 2003, she received her degree in Elementary Education.  Cheryl began her teaching career at a small private school in her hometown of Grand Junction.  She worked there for fours years, teaching several grade levels.  She enjoyed her time there, but the desire to travel and see the world prompted her to pursue an international teaching career.  She spent two years teaching pre-kindergarten in Seoul, South Korea.  She is now in her eighth year of teaching and enjoys working at BCIS.

In her free time, Cheryl enjoys taking long walks, reading, and taking pictures.  She loves eating Chinese food and learning more about the culture.  She is excited to be here and has a passion for teaching.

Xinbo He

XinBo is Chinese and has been a Chinese language teacher and form teacher for 11 years at the Beijing No. 2 Experimental Primary School, one of the best primary schools in Beijing. She loves to teach and has written dozens of theses to summarize her teaching experience. She has also won many awards from educational authorities in Beijing as an outstanding teacher. She is teaching advanced-level Chinese language classes at BCIS and supports the coordination between BCIS and the No. 2 Experimental Primary School.

Lyndsay Janzen

Lyndsay is originally from Rochester, NY, USA. She has taught in international schools for most of her career. She earned her graduate degree in Instructional Systems Development and ESL/Bilingual Education.

Lyndsay is an experienced classroom teacher and EAL teacher and coordinator. She is experienced with the International Baccalaureate Primary Years Programme, with the bulk of her experience with 5th grade students preparing for the PYP Exhibition. This is her first year at Beijing City International School. Before this, she has taught at international schools in Turkey, Tanzania, China, Thailand and Italy.

In the classroom, Lyndsay encourages and provides opportunities for students to be critical thinkers, problem solvers and effective communicators. Her aim is to create a learning environment where students take responsibility for themselves, their actions and their own learning.  In her classroom community, students are acquiring the skills necessary to become independent, responsible, reflective and caring individuals. Students are provided with opportunities to further their social and emotional development in order to promote a positive sense of self, good interpersonal relationships and to build confidence.

Diba Kader

Diba Kader is from Bangladesh and has taught in Beijing international schools since 1989, specializing in early childhood education. She taught in Lido Kindergarten, the first kindergarten in Beijing for expatriate children, for eleven years, where she was a member of the curriculum writing core team. In 2000, Diba pioneered the full day preschool programme at the International School of Beijing (ISB), where she taught for 5 years. Diba joined BCIS in its opening year.

Diba has a Masters degree in English (Bangladesh) and a Diploma in Child Care (USA). She also has a Master of Arts in Education / Elementary Teacher Education (MAED/TED-E) from University of Phoenix (USA).

Diba is married to Mamnoon with two children, Sanam and Maher. Beijing is home for Sanam and Maher, as they were raised here. Spending time with her family, reading and travelling are a few of Diba’s favourite things. Diba loves living in China and is passionate about teaching. She feels privileged to have been a part of the founding team of BCIS, which she finds to be a truly outstanding international school, with a genuine essence of and respect for Chinese people and culture.

Chris Leighton

Chris has been teaching in England at a school delivering the PYP curriculum for 4 years where he has taught a variety of age groups. Chris first developed an interest in International Education whilst working at Saint Michael’s College, Worcester. Here, he provided Sports and Social activities for the students on site.

Chris has attended various  PYP workshops which further developed his interest in international education. He has enjoyed being part of the PYP exhibition at his previous school and in particular the sense of responsibility and achievement that the children gained.

Chris is interested in sports and he enjoys travelling to experience different cultures, this is something he looks forward to further experiencing whilst living in Beijing.

Weiwei Ma

Weiwei is from Tangshan, Hebei province. She graduated with a BA in English. She also holds a teacher certificate in Elementary Education. Weiwei has been working at BCIS since the school opened. She had three years working experience in Kindergarten before she joined BCIS.

Weiwei enjoys working in the international school because she can interact with people from all around the world. During her time at BCIS, Weiwei has received a lot of PYP training. She also shows a keen interest in teaching Chinese as a foreign language. In Weiwei’s Chinese class, she teaches her students not only the Chinese language but also Chinese culture. She values the opportunity of working in this IB school.

Weiwei has a wide range of interests. She likes singing, dancing, swimming and playing badminton. She also likes watching movies and playing with her daughter.

Katherine Mancarella

Kate Mancarella comes from Melbourne, Australia and has been teaching since 2007. Kate graduated from Melbourne University in 2006 with a Bachelor of Primary Education and completed her post-graduate studies in TESOL in 2008. During her studies, Kate spent a semester in Malmo, Sweden where she undertook a placement at Bladins International School. Since returning to Melbourne in 2006, Kate has participated in a number of TESOL programs, including tutoring recently arrived African migrants in Melbourne, as well as teaching primary age students at the Western English Language School. Kate has also taught a range of classes at Williamstown North Primary School since she began teaching there in 2007. Kate joined BCIS in 2009 as a Grade 5 teacher and she is  now currently the Elementary School PYP Coordinator.

Derek Markey

Derek Markey’s hometown is Cairns, Australia, and he has happily been a teacher for the last twelve years. After completing a Bachelor of Teaching degree at Griffith University and a Graduate Diploma in Early Childhood at Queensland University of Technology, Derek taught in public schools in his home state, Queensland.

His first full-time posting was in the aboriginal community, Lockhart River. As well as teaching Grades one through three in Lockhart River, his support for cultural learning and education involved him in a variety of school-directed projects, as well as led him to be nominated by local elders to sit on the education council.

In 2000, Derek moved overseas and taught Grades one and three at North Jakarta International School, (NJIS). Displaying an interest in the NJIS performing arts, Derek helped coordinate the Lower School choir and involved himself in school play productions. He also joined the NJIS Community Service Committee and later became the Coordinator for Lower School and Whole School aid projects.

Aside from teaching, Derek also loves to spend time with his wife and daughter. Other pastimes he enjoys include music, eating good food, exploring local areas, and the odd game of golf.

As a teacher, Derek aims to help students reach their potential and guide them to be life-long learners. He sets his focus on how to facilitate learning, offer a challenging and stimulating environment, and encourage students to make educational and personal growth. Derek Markey joined the BCIS team in 2008, and continues to look forward to each rewarding and positive year.

Jenny McGuire

Jenny comes from Tasmania, Australia and has been teaching for the last 6 years. After a wide range of work experience, she completed her Bachelor of Primary Teaching at Murdoch University in Perth and taught within rural schools in Western Australia for 5 years before starting her overseas teaching experience.

While in Australia, Jenny taught students from Kindergarten to Grade 6. In addition to being a class teacher, Jenny has worked with students and fellow teachers to support their numeracy learning through her role as Getting It Right Numeracy Teacher, using First Steps strategies. Jenny also has an enthusiasm for facilitating students’ learning through science and inquiry.

After completing a year of teaching at an international school in Guandong Province, Jenny is glad to continue exploring, living and working in China. Other interests besides travelling include reading, cooking and outdoor activities such as bushwalking.

Jenny looks forward to challenging and fulfilling experiences teaching at BCIS.

Suzanne McKemey

Suzanne comes from the United States where she received her Bachelor of Science in Elementary Education degree from Ball State University in Indiana. She has taught in schools in Indiana and Oregon and most recently at the Antwerp International School in Belgium. Suzanne has experience teaching children from pre-kindergarten to grade 6. Her passion is literature and she enjoys helping her students develop their own love of reading by bringing books alive in the classroom. Suzanne also enjoys traveling and learning about the history of new places, watching movies both old and new, and spending time with friends. She is very excited to be a member of the BCIS community and to spend time exploring the wonders of China.

Elaine McKibben

Elaine is originally from the United States. She is a certified elementary teacher with more than 10 years of classroom experience across a wide range of settings and student populations.  Teaching has taken her from public schools in California, Florida and New York, to the American School of Alexandria (Egypt) on to Tokyo, Japan where she and her husband ran a small international special needs school.

In her spare time Elaine enjoys traveling and playing volleyball with her husband and son. She is enjoying her time in Beijing and hopes to explore and discover more of China.

Emma McLean

Emma is from Central Otago in the South Island of New Zealand. She has six years experience as a teacher of Health and Physical Education and ICT in both Primary and Secondary sectors.She Graduated from Otago University, Dunedin, New Zealand with a Bachelor in Physical Education in 1994 and from Wellington College of Education with a Post Graduate Diploma in Teaching.Emma has travelled and worked in a number of countries and is very excited about the opportunity to teach and be part of the BCIS community.

She has moved to China with her partner Scott who is geologist and from New Zealand as well. Emma loves to travel, experience different cultures and is especially keen on mountain biking and snowboarding.

Pamela McManus

Pamela is from the United States, specifically Lavallette, New Jersey.

Pamela earned her Bachelor of Science in special education and elementary education from Monmouth University in 2003. She is currently pursuing her Master’s Degree from Monmouth University, as a reading specialist. Pamela has spent the past six years teaching in schools across the United States. She has taught a variety of subjects and grade levels including kindergarten, second grade, third grade, fifth grade as well as middle school and high school special education.

Pamela greatly enjoys being a part of the BCIS community. She is passionate about differentiation and looks forward to helping her students grow, learn and develop a love for learning!

In her spare time Pamela enjoys traveling, biking, and spending time with her family and friends. She has relocated from the United States with her husband, Brian, who is also teaching in Beijing.

Elizabeth Melia

Liz is from South-East of England where she has spent the last two years teaching Reception age children. She completed her BA Hons Early Childhood Studies Degree at Canterbury Christ University in 2008 then continued onto to do a Post Graduate Certificate of Education at Primary level, also at Canterbury Christ Church. Liz thoroughly enjoyed teaching in England but then decided to pursue her teaching career abroad with the opportunity to travel. Liz has a real passion to work with children, exploring their ideas and findings.

During her spare time Liz enjoys spending time with her friends or going to the theatre, especially musicals, taking a run or reading a good book. Liz is enjoying exploring China, and is hoping to learn the language.

Monica Meng

Monica Meng is Chinese and has a Master Degree in Educational Administration from Beijing Capital Normal University and Bachelor Degree in English from Beijing Foreign Language University. She holds certifications as a qualified Elementary and Senior High school teacher. Before joining BCIS she taught English and Chinese in public and international schools.

She enjoys teaching children and using diverse activities to cultivate their interest in learning. She believes that interest is the best teacher and  Chinese is a language with rich culture, history and interest.

In her spare time, Monica enjoys  reading, seeing movies, swimming and traveling. Talking and playing with her lovely daughter is her enjoyment. Monica will work hard to encourage her students to learn Chinese with great interest. 

 

Shannon Newman-Lindberg

Shannon Newman-Lindberg continues to feel fortunate as part of the BCIS community’s elementary team. She was born and raised in Seattle, Washington where her love for adventure developed. She graduated from Pacific Lutheran University with a Bachelor of Arts in Education Degree and an emphasis in Elementary English and Language Arts. Upon graduation, she joined the International teaching community at the International School of Dakar. Within her three years at ISD, she enhanced her classroom skills and strategies to meet the needs of her students. She is continuing her education by working towards her master’s degree in International Education (M.Ed.) through Endicott College.

In her spare time, Shannon enjoys reading, salsa dancing, and exploring local arts. Shannon has had the opportunity to travel to several African and European countries. She is excited to teach and discover Beijing and learn about the surrounding culture.

Yooah Nguyen

Yooah grew up in New York City and Montreal, Canada and was born in Seoul, Korea. She majored in Social Sciences at Marianopolis College and earned her undergraduate degree at McGill University in Elementary Education, in Montreal. She has taught in Canada for a few years before making her way over to Beijing in 2008 with her husband, Dave Nguyen who teaches in the Middle and High School.   Currently Yooah is a Grade 4 homeroom teacher Science and Social Studies Coordinator for the Elementary School.  Yooah and Dave had a new addition to their family when their daughter Sidney was born in Beijing in 2009.

Yooah also speaks Korean, English and some French. She is enjoying learning Chinese. In her spare time, she enjoys playing badminton, reading, traveling and knitting.

Lynn Opitz-Hsiao

Lynn Opitz-Hsiao, a sixth generation Texan, grew up in San Antonio, but for the last 25 years has taught in many different places all over the world. Lynn is currently a member of the BCIS preschool team.

After completing a Bachelor degree in French at the University of Texas, Lynn lived and taught elementary school in Sange, Central African Republic. Upon returning to the University of Texas she completed a graduate degree in Bilingual Studies with a specialty in ESL and then earned her teaching certificate at the University of Phoenix in Arizona where she taught 6th and 7th graders.

Lynn’s teaching career spans from university students and middle school students to nursery classes. Not only has it included several years at the National Hualien University of Education in Hualien, Department of Teacher Training, Taiwan but also teaching two-year-olds at the Taipei American School Tiger Tots Preschool. In 2002, she was the interim director of the Tiger Tots Preschool for six months. Most recently, she worked with 3rd 4th and 5th grade students at the Osceola Intermediate School, Department of Special Education, Wisconsin.

In her spare time, Lynn likes to go camping with her husband and two children. She also enjoys quilting and cooking. She has volunteered on both the state and national level with TESOL (Teacher’s of English to Speakers of other Languages).

Lynn strives to create exciting learning environments with an understanding of the individual needs and backgrounds of her students. She encourages both educational and personal growth in her students and believes that learning is a lifelong experience. Lynn looks forward each year to working with three-year-olds in Beijing.

Dr. Reed Rhodes

Dr. Reed Rhodes holds a Ph.D. in special education. From 1978 to 1995, he taught students with a wide range of exceptional learning needs in a variety of settings, including preschool, resource room, self-contained, co-teaching, and Juvenile Hall. In 1996 he was hired to set up and coordinate the special needs program at the International School of Phnom Penh (ISPP) in Cambodia where he taught until 2005. During this time, ISPP became an IBO World school, and Reed worked collaboratively with teachers at the PYP, MYP, and DP levels. From 2005 until 2007 he worked as an assistant professor in special education at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette where he was named Outstanding Professor in 2007 by the Services for Students with Disabilities program.

Reed’s interests include mind maps, emotional intelligence skills, thinking hats, and other tools that assist students with different abilities to become more successful. He also enjoys designing and conducting workshops and presentations.

Mary Richards

Mary Richards joined BCIS in 2010 and is happily settled into the BCIS community. She comes from England where she did her Bachelor of Education specializing in Maths, Expressive Arts and Early Years teaching. During her teaching career in England she worked in a local primary school and was asked to take responsibility for setting up a new nursery class catering for three to five year olds. While working in England she participated in a year long teaching exchange to Canada, her first experience of working abroad.

Over the past nine years Mary has worked in an international school in Hong Kong. She enjoys the cultural diversity that international schools bring to their students and staff. She has always been a great supporter of an integrated approach to education and feels that the PYP curriculum offered at BCIS motivates and inspires students.

While living in Hong Kong Mary has participated in many cultural events including being on a dragon boat team. She loves traveling and some of her most memorable experiences have been traveling the Silk Road, riding on the Trans Siberian Railway, exploring parts of India, trekking and elephant riding in Sumatra and walking sections of the Great Wall.

Matthew Richmond

Matthew comes from England where he completed a Bachelor of Arts degree in Education at Goldsmiths College, London.  After completing his studies, he spent two years teaching at local, village primary schools before making the decision to move overseas and further his career and teaching experiences.

Matthew moved to Kuwait in 2001 and has spent the past ten years teaching at a large international school.  Whilst originally he taught between Grades 2 and 5, in recent years he has enjoyed teaching younger children and has taught most recently in Grade 1.  Whilst living in Kuwait, Matthew enjoyed working with colleagues from around the world and working with children from over 60 different countries.  In August 2011 he completed a Masters course and, after 3 years of study, is now looking forward to once again being able to read for pleasure.

When not working, Matthew enjoys spending time with his wife, Sally, and two children, Jacob and Annabel.  He enjoys reading and travelling and is also a keen sportsman.  He enjoys playing and watching a variety of sports, including football, cricket and golf.  In recent years he has been active in helping to raise funds for charity and has organised two successful charity dinners.

Sally Richmond

Sally comes from England and gained her Bachelor of Arts in Education and English Literature at The University of Winchester.  During her time at university she took part in an exchange program with The University of Wisconsin and spent some time teaching in an American Elementary School.   After leaving university, she spent 4 years teaching at a local, village primary school and gained experience of teaching children between the ages of 4 and 10.  However, working overseas was always something Sally was keen to try and in 2001 she moved to Kuwait to work at a large international school.

For the past ten years she has been Head of Reception (Pre-KG) and has thoroughly enjoyed the challenges she has faced when working with children for whom English is a second language, whilst also working with native speakers.  Whilst in Kuwait, Sally enjoyed working with colleagues from around the world and also children from over 60 different countries.

When not working, Sally enjoys spending time with her husband, Matthew, and children, Jacob and Annabel.  She has a number of interests and enjoys reading, photography and trying out different types of exercise.   She enjoys learning more about other cultures and people and is trying to learn more Chinese!

Alicia Ritter

Alicia Ritter grew up in Dallas, Texas. She has loved music and playing piano from an early age, and received degrees in piano and elementary education from Ouachita in the United States. She studied abroad at Peking University in Beijing in 2001 and since then has always wanted to return to China, particularly to Beijing in 2008 for the Olympics! Alicia has taught 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and 5th grades and now looks forward to the challenge of teaching music at BCIS this year.

In 2005, Alicia received the Rotary Ambassadorial Scholarship to New Zealand and pursued a Masters Degree in Reading from the University of Auckland, while simultaneously coordinating piano concerts and fundraising efforts through Rotary International for the Joseph House of Hope school near Mombassa, Kenya. She visited the Joseph House of Hope in 2007 after two years of fund raising to additionally help train teachers in techniques of classroom management and teaching elementary reading. Upon returning to the United States, Alicia completed her administrative license and hopes to become an international school principal in the future.

In free time, Alicia loves wakeboarding, photography, spending time with family and friends, trying new things, and traveling the world. From seeing the penguins in Antarctica to climbing the Great Wall here, Alicia has explored and photographed all seven continents! She enjoys working with children and encouraging them to adopt the idea that anything is possible!

Jennifer Rouse

Jennifer began her professional career as a paediatric nurse in her hometown of Ottawa, Canada. She later completed her Bachelor of Education and taught Grade 4 and French as a Second Language. After several years working in the public school system of Ontario, she sought a new experience and accepted a position at an international school in Ukraine.  In addition to her wonderful experience there teaching in the Primary Years Programme, she enjoyed the opportunity to become a teacher trainer for instructing English as a Second Language.  Jennifer is pleased to continue developing as an educator here at Beijing City International School.

Some of her interests include travel, swimming and photography and she is keen to enjoy these while exploring her new and exciting home, China.

Adam Schembri

Adam Schembri was born and grew up in Adelaide, South Australia. After honing his interpersonal relationship skills working in sales for a major electronics chain he decided on a change of career and took up the most noble of professions, teaching. He studied at the University of South Australia in a four year education degree specializing in Design and Technology. It is through his keen interest of all things technological that Adam has developed a very broad range of skills to do with electronic equipment, particularly with computers. He really enjoys the challenge of assisting colleagues and students with interesting requests for products and solutions within his area of expertise, relishing the opportunity to learn new skills and techniques through enquiry.

After graduating from his Education Degree Adam spent the next twelve months working in England. This experience included a number of schools ranging in year levels from Nursery to Upper Elementary. Upon returning he took up a position at Cardijn College, a secondary college in the Southern Vales of Adelaide. During his five year position as Senior Information Technology and Multimedia teacher he taught years eight through to twelve.

Adam is joined at BCIS by his wife, Liz Schembri, and son Joseph. He is very much looking forward to immersing himself and his family in Chinese culture and the rewarding experience of working at BCIS and all that an international school has to offer.

Liz Schembri

Liz Schembri is from Adelaide in Australia. She completed her Bachelor of Education Junior Primary/Primary at Flinders University. Liz has taught in a number of schools in Adelaide and in the UK. With a passion for literacy and ‘Reading Recovery’ trained Liz was a Key Literacy Coordinator at Holy Family Catholic School prior to travelling to the UK. She travelled to China in October 2007 to visit her sister who lives in Beijing. Whilst in Beijing Liz had the opportunity to tour BCIS and thinks it will be an inspiring place in which to teach and a wonderful environment for her son to go to school.

Stacey Shine

Stacey grew up in a small country town called Wonthaggi, Victoria Australia. She completed both her Diploma of Education Primary Degree and her Graduate Diploma in Special Education at Melbourne University Australia. She then went on to complete a Master’s Degree in Educational Psychology at Sydney University, Australia. Stacey spent the early part of her career teaching in Special Education Schools in Sydney and has also taught in various Primary Schools in Country Victoria. She taught for 5 years at Southern Autistic School in Mentone, Victoria. A highlight of Stacey’s teaching career was teaching art to students at a Lawrence Hargraves School in Sydney, a school which then catered for student’s with emotional and behaviour difficulties. In 2001, Stacey was enticed by the travel industry and took an exciting opportunity to come and lead tours in Asia. She went onto manage China operations for Intrepid Travel and then Peregrine Adventures both of which are Australian based international adventure travel companies. She has been based in Beijing for the past 4 years running cross cultural training programs.

Stacey’s interests include tango dancing, salsa dancing, painting, hiking, drama and most sports, especially netball and basketball.

Stephanie Sneed

Stephanie has always had a passion for teaching young learners.  After she received her bachelor’s degree from Loyola University New Orleans, she moved to South Korea to share her language and culture, teaching English as a second language.  During her first trip to China, Stephanie fell in love with Beijing and knew she had to make a move. Stephanie first taught ESL at the Korean International School Beijing.  She later went on to teach Grade 2 for two years at another international bilingual school.  Stephanie has taught students from kindergarten to grade 6 in private and international schools and is continually inspired by her students’ drive and inquiry!

Stephanie now has her master’s in elementary education from The College of New Jersey, and is currently working on lesson plans for local kindergartens and after school programs to accompany a computer assisted language learning software.

When Stephanie is not teaching, she is also passionate about cooking and sports. She loves hiking around the mountains surrounding Beijing and riding her bicycle throughout the city’s hutongs and parks.

 

Yue Song

Song Yue is from northern China and is currently a Chinese Language B teacher at BCIS. She graduated with a BA degree in English Education, then taught for three years in a number of schools before joining BCIS. This teaching experience helped her learn to be a good teacher and how to be a friend to her students. She has received a great deal of IB PYP training at BCIS and has attended a number of workshops on Chinese language teaching. These professional development opportunities have helped her develop as an international school teacher.

Song Yue has been working at BCIS since 2007. She is very excited to be working with people from around the world, and she loves to celebrate cultural diversity in her classroom. In her spare time, she likes reading, cooking, traveling, and spending time with family and friends.

Jocelyn Sutherland

Jocelyn Sutherland is pleased to join the BCIS team.  She started her teaching career in 2006, after graduating from McGill University (Canada) with her Bachelor of Education. Her international teaching career began in Kiev, Ukraine, where she first discovered her passion for the PYP and inquiry based learning. In addition to her five years of teaching experience, she is also a certified First Steps Reading facilitator and has enjoyed the opportunity to train teachers in this valuable resource.

As a teacher, Jocelyn works with her students to create a caring classroom community, and promotes risk-taking and independent learning on a daily basis. She enjoys communicating with parents and often seeks their involvement in classroom activities. Jocelyn hopes to build strong relationships with the BCIS community.

To maintain a balanced lifestyle, Jocelyn enjoys running, language learning, creative arts and yoga. This is her first time in China and she looks forward to learning more about the culture while developing herself professionally.

Yan Long Tai

Tai Yang was born in Anhui China. He completed his BA at Beijing Normal University and PE teaching qualification at Huang Shang University. Tai Yang has been teaching in another international school in Beijing for 5 years in both primary and secondary school before moving to BCIS.

Tai Yang’s family is also a part of BCIS, his wife Lizzie teaches grade 1 ELL and their little boy Isaac was born in Beijing in 2010.

Tai Yang enjoys spending time with his family and friends. He loves playing sport and exercising at the gym. His favorite sport is basketball.

Lizzie Tai

Lizzie has experience in both Early Years and Primary teaching. Although originally from Australia, she spent much of her youth in New Zealand. Lizzie has now been living in Beijing since 2003 and began working at BCIS in 2008.  In June of  2011 she also completed a Masters in TESOL Education which she enjoys applying practically through working with the talented and multilingual ELL students at BCIS.

Lizzie enjoys bringing her passion and enthusiasm for both education and extra curricular activities into the classroom. When she’s not teaching Lizzie likes to travel and is an active sports enthusiast. She is joined in the BCIS community by her husband Taiyang (Mr. Tai) and son Isaac.  They all enjoy being part of the friendly school neighborhood and meeting with families from all over the world.

Ruijun Wang

Ruijun was born in Shanghai, China. She came to Beijing to study at university in 2003. She graduated with a BA in Preschool Education and holds the teacher's certification. Her great interest in teaching young children in an international and multicultural environment brought her to BCIS in 2007.

During her time at BCIS, Ruijun took an active part in all kinds of school activities. She received PYP training and ESOL workshop training, provided by the school. Ruijun has great passion and enthusiasm in teaching Chinese as a foreign language. She loves teaching children everything that she knows and will try her best to teach Chinese and introduce Chinese culture in a joyful way through games, songs, rhymes and vivid practice.

Vikki Wright

Vikki has been teaching for nine years in England.  She graduated from Edge Hill University in 2002 with a BA (Hons) in Education and PE and in 2005 received an MA in Education.  Vikki has taught in four different primary school across the north west of England, and has taught a variety of ages, but specialises in early years teaching.

Vikki enjoyed working at a school which was preparing to become an authorised IB school, and was able to experience teaching the PYP curriculum.  It was during this time she attended an IB conference in Zurich and began to communicate with colleagues from all around the world.  It was during these discussions she started to look into international education and the enjoyment this can bring.

Vikki enjoys a variety of sporting activities in her free time and reading (particularly on holiday).  She is hoping to explore more of East Asia whilst working in Beijing.

Happy Zhang

Happy is from Beijing. She graduated with a BA degree in Chinese Language and Literature. Happy previously worked for 9 years as a Homeroom and Chinese teacher in a local Beijing primary school. During this time she received several awards for excellence in teaching. Happy then went on to teach Chinese as a second language for 8 years.

She is passionate about teaching and is very excited to be part of the BCIS Chinese teaching team.

In her spare time, Happy likes traveling, reading, cooking and spending time with friends and family.

Hua Zheng

Hua Zheng is Chinese and has a Masters Degree in Educational Studies with Honors from the Katholieke University of Leuven, Belgium. She holds certification as a qualified teacher. Hua Zheng joined BCIS as a Chinese teacher in 2009. Before this she taught Chinese and English in a number of educational establishments in both China and Belgium.

She is enthusiastic about teaching children and adept in creating an interactive learning atmosphere in her classroom through vivid practices. She believes that a Chinese teacher should introduce Chinese culture while teaching Chinese language, thereby helping children learn and improve their Chinese language.

In her spare time, Hua Zheng enjoys a variety of interests, such as listening to music, playing badminton and traveling to explore other cultures. Recently she has developed a new interest in swimming. Hua Zheng’s everlasting pursuit is to be helpful to others and a good teacher to her students.