Weekly Message from HOS 2026/05/04-2026/05/08
Dear Keystonians,
This week we welcomed Eowyn Crisfield to campus as a visiting educator and consultant to support our continued growth as a school, specifically as it relates to our first keystone: bilingual immersion in Chinese and English.
She met with leaders, faculty, and parents, visited classrooms, and gathered data about our programs to support the school’s continual development. Thank you to Marcelle van Leenen, Head of Primary School, for helping to launch and lead this school-wide inquiry.
In our 12th year, it makes sense to return to our guiding documents—including our “keystones.” This first keystone, bilingual immersion in Chinese and English, is such an important part of our identity. It defines the learning experience on our campus. Many of us who work here are drawn to this multilingual and multicultural environment. And we have a deep appreciation for the power it has for children.
One of the important facts she shared from the research on language learning is that academic language takes anywhere from five to nine years to fully develop—and that is in a full immersion model in one language. We have two.
That means that our students are not just learning to speak two languages, they are learning to think, analyze, argue, and create in two languages. That takes time and patience. And it takes a school community that understands the long arc of this work.
All the way through Keystone—from Foundation Year to Grade 12—our students are developing their language skills. There are no shortcuts. There is only consistent, high-quality exposure, expert teaching, parent engagement and a language-rich home environment (more talking and reading, less time on screens) and a belief that this investment is worth it.
And every year, we see the incredible results of these collective efforts. Our graduates leave with deep, clear cultural and linguistic identities. They are confident in who they are and where they come from. And they also possess English skills at a level that allows them to enter—and thrive in—the best universities in the English-speaking world.
It is amazing, but it is not magic. It is the outcome of a school community that has committed, for 12 years, to getting this right. And we are only getting better.
Thank you to Eowyn Crisfield for reminding us of the research behind our mission and our work every day. And thank you to our teachers, students, and families for living this commitment. Let’s get better and better!
Warmly,
Emily
