Latest Newsletter

ACAMIS Newsletter Fall 2025

Message From Board President

Dear Members of the ACAMIS Community,

As the 2025–2026 school year begins, I am pleased to welcome you on behalf of the ACAMIS Board of Directors—seven dedicated colleagues from across the region who work to guide and strengthen our association in service to our schools.

At its heart, ACAMIS exists to enhance the educational experiences of both students and staff in our member schools. We do this by creating rich opportunities for student learning, supporting the ongoing professional growth for educators, fostering collaboration and communication among schools, encouraging cultural understanding and friendship, and building partnerships with organizations that share our values.

The months ahead hold much to anticipate. Our six annual faculty conferences will once again bring colleagues together for meaningful exchange, hosted this year by member schools in Shanghai (Pudong and Puxi), Guangzhou, Chengdu, and Shenzhen (Shekou). In addition, a diverse range of student events will continue to offer avenues for academic challenge, athletic competition, and cultural celebration.

This year also marks an important step forward, as we begin implementing the priorities outlined in our newly-adopted strategic plan. In the coming months, we look forward to sharing more about how these goals will shape our work and strengthen the impact of ACAMIS.

On behalf of the Board, thank you for your continued commitment to our association and our shared growth. May the year ahead be both rewarding and inspiring.

Warm regards,
Bill Elman
President, ACAMIS Board of Directors

Message From Executive Director

Dear Colleagues,

Welcome to the 2025–2026 School Year!

As the new academic year begins, many of us—myself included—feel a mix of optimism and anticipation. The transition from the quiet of summer to the vibrant energy of school life, welcoming students (many of them new), reconnecting with colleagues, and engaging with your school community is truly a unique and energizing experience for educators.

I sincerely hope you had the chance to enjoy a restful and well-earned break. Whether you spent it exploring new places or simply choosing your next favorite coffee shop, I trust it was a time of restoration and renewal.

Looking back on the past year, we were encouraged by the growing enthusiasm around the ACAMIS-sponsored Service Learning Grants and the Jim Koerschen Awards. In line with one of our newly adopted strategic goals—Promoting Student Voice—the Board has approved a significant increase in financial support for these initiatives. This will allow us to recognize even more student-led efforts in the coming year.

These programs will be actively promoted starting in January, and we look forward to celebrating outstanding student contributions during the Spring Leadership Conference, scheduled for March 20–21, 2026, hosted by the American International School of Guangzhou (AISG).

In addition, the Board of Directors has committed to a refreshed direction, with newly defined Strategic Goals and Purposes outlined below. These will guide our efforts and ensure that ACAMIS continues to grow and evolve in meaningful ways:

ACAMIS Purposes

• Expand learning opportunities for students across all member schools, particularly in academics, sports, arts, and culture.
• Enhance the professional development of educators within our network.
• Foster communication and collaboration among member schools.

ACAMIS Strategic Goals

• Empower Student Voice: Develop structures that allow student perspectives to shape ACAMIS programs and provide a broader range of offerings.
• Deliver Targeted, High-Impact Opportunities: Create innovative programs that meet the diverse needs of our member schools.
• Serve as an Information Hub: Gather insights and data to anticipate trends and share timely, relevant information with our community.

As we embark this new school year, I want to thank each of you for your dedication and contributions. It is your passion, professionalism, and spirit of collaboration that make ACAMIS a vibrant and forward-looking organization.

We welcome your ideas, feedback, and suggestions—together, we grow stronger.

With warm regards,
Larry Hobdell
Executive Director

In Memory of Dr. Maggie Koong
Founder and Head of Academy at Victoria Shanghai Academy

On behalf of the ACAMIS Board and Executive office, I would like to formally acknowledge the passing of Dr. Maggie Koong, BBS, JP, Founder and Head of Academy of Victoria Shanghai Academy.

Dr. Koong was internationally recognized for her leadership in early childhood education and her lifelong dedication to advancing the welfare and learning of children. She played a pivotal role in raising professional standards in early years education, childcare, and child rights in Hong Kong, mainland China, and on the global stage.

We extend our respect and gratitude for her lifelong service to education.

Well-Being

Across our member schools, one area continues to emerge as a clear priority: Well-Being. In response—and in alignment with our newly adopted Strategic Planning Goals: Provide innovative, high-impact, targeted opportunities to meet the varied needs of our member schools—we are excited to partner with 21st Century Learning to introduce an empowering new event:

Well-Being Leadership Retreat: Modeling What Matters

📍 Hosted by the International School of Nanshan Shenzhen (ISNS)
📅 Saturday, November 1st – Sunday morning, November 2nd

School leaders carry a profound responsibility—supporting staff, students, parents, and boards. But who supports the leaders?

This weekend retreat offers you the chance to refocus, recharge, and reconnect with what matters most—you.

Guided by the highly respected facilitator Kim Mizzone, this retreat is designed exclusively for 50–60 senior school leaders only—including Heads, Deputy Heads, and Principals. The small group setting will foster meaningful engagement, reflection, and connection—giving you space to grow, share, and return to your role with renewed purpose.

Take this time to invest in yourself—because great leadership begins with well-being.

A New Look

For our new website, hopefully many of you have already had a chance to explore, we are creating a dedicated space to highlight and promote member school Professional Development activities and related events. This initiative supports one of our Strategic Purposes - to Facilitate communication and cooperative action among member schools.

In the coming weeks, we will share details with Directors on how to submit your school’s events for inclusion on the website.

Partnerships Count

We will continue our close partnership with PDAcademia and PeerSphere with their offerings of complementary and vibrant in person and online workshop opportunities for a broad spectrum of the ACAMIS community.

In the coming weeks, we will share details with Directors on how to submit your school’s events for inclusion on the website.

Upcoming Workshops by PDAcademia

Upcoming ACE Events

In addition, we are grateful to continue our work with the three key Academic and Cultural Event (ACE) Coordinators, Caleb Doyel, Anna Yuen and Alex Rambaud in our mutual mission to broaden the learning opportunities for students of all ACAMIS member schools.

Upcoming Athletic Events

We are thankful for our continuing partnership with ACAMIS’ two Athletic Co-chairs, Thomas Mathews and Filipe Nogueira who work together with the Athletic Directors to coordinate and offer sports events during the Core Sports seasons and competitive invitational tournaments.

Launching ACAMIS’ Conference Season

We will continue to offer six annual conferences this year, beginning with two exciting events this fall.

First up is the Technology Conference, hosted by Shanghai American School at the Pudong campus on Saturday and Sunday, October 18–19. Soon after, the Early Childhood Education (ECE) Conference will be hosted by Yew Chung International School of Shanghai at the Hongqiao Ronghua campus on Saturday and Sunday, November 8–9.

Both conferences feature renowned keynote speakers and promise to deliver engaging, high-impact learning opportunities. You can find more details about each event in this newsletter.

Help Shape the Future of ACAMIS Conferences – Nominate a Star Teacher Today!

At the heart of every successful ACAMIS Annual Conference is a dedicated six-member Conference Planning Committee. These educators work closely with our team to design meaningful, engaging, and relevant conference experiences for all participants.

As we look ahead to the next two years, we are excited to form new Planning Committees—and we’re inviting you to help us identify outstanding educators to take part in this important work.

We welcome recommendations for passionate and committed teachers or coordinators to serve on one of the following Planning Committees:

• Technology Conference
• Early Childhood Education Conference
• Conference for the Arts
• English Language Learner Conference (We especially encourage nominations of homeroom teachers who collaborate closely with ELL teachers, ELL coordinators, or counselors.)
• Chinese Conference

What does Planning Committee service involve?

Each committee member:

• Joins five fellow educators for an onsite meeting at the host school approximately six months before the Conference (usually on a Saturday).
• Commits to attending three consecutive conferences (typically held over weekends).
• Helps shape every aspect of the Conference—developing themes, selecting keynote speakers, reviewing session proposals, and more.
• We recognize the demands on classroom teachers, so planning activities are spaced out to minimize disruptions to your school schedule. Teaching responsibilities always come first.

What support is needed from Heads of School?

We ask that school directors to:

• Approve the teacher’s participation in three successive Conferences and one annual onsite Planning Committee meeting.
• Cover travel and lodging costs for the onsite planning meeting (host school site) and for each of the three Conferences

ACAMIS will provide free registration for all three Conferences for every Planning Committee member.

Why get involved?

Planning Committee members consistently describe the experience as deeply rewarding. Here’s what they gain:

• Inspiration and insight from collaborating with fellow passionate educators.
• A voice in shaping impactful professional development opportunities.
• A return to their classrooms feeling re-energized, renewed with fresh ideas and stronger connections across the ACAMIS network.

We encourage you to consider how one of your outstanding educators could benefit from this unique leadership and learning opportunity. Your recommendation could help shape the next great ACAMIS Conference.

To nominate a teacher or for more information, please contact:

• Larry Hobdell at ed@acamis.org
• Alexa Wang at operations@acamis.org

We look forward to hearing from you!