Concordia Chronicle

Concordia Shanghai Newsroom

Brandon Fisher

Brandon Fisher

Recent Posts

How to Ensure Your Family Continues to Thrive During Shanghai Lockdown

As the Shanghai lockdown continues, Concordia remains proud of our employees and parents who have been partnering with one another through these challenging times in order to meet the learning needs of our students. Their shared support and resilience have made it possible for the school to successfully and seamlessly pivot towards a Distance Learning environment. Though teachers are continually seeking new ways to keep their classes... Read More

Home-based Learning: Popular Elementary Video Lessons

Concordia Elementary School teacher Miss Melissa Swartzkopf and her trusty companion, Gus, a plush green and gold dragon are creating popular home-based learning videos for her students. Together they go on learning adventures helping students as they grow in their understanding of language, spelling, and grammar conventions. Her virtual lessons and informative videos have been highly acclaimed by students, parents and even her fellow teachers.... Read More

Encouraging Adaptability: A Skill Children Need to Succeed

These past few weeks, we as humans, have had to make shifts, changes and adjustments that we may have never had to before. Adaptability is one of the most important life skills for us to develop. As parents, we often focus on our children's grades, making sure they excel and perform. With our ever changing environment, health needs and emotional dilemmas, we ourselves may struggle to adapt. Read More

How to reduce stress sign
Helping Your Family Reduce Stress During Trying Times

We are in the midst of some uncertain and trying times, where remaining calm (let alone having energy for all the tasks facing us) is not an easy feat. Spending day in and day out at home with our families while dealing with a million other things can be incredibly stressful. Since every family member has their own unique way of dealing with stressful situations, it is important to stay connected through open communication. It is also important... Read More

Ideas to Encourage Learning During the Holiday Break

Winter break is a great time for students to relax, enjoy some freedom, and spend time with family and friends. However, keeping students busy, engaged and energized during this time requires some creative thinking and planning. Below you will find a few tips for keeping young minds active and learning during this holiday season. Read More

Concordia 5th Grader Joins the Cast of Broadway's Evita

Have you ever dreamed of being in a Broadway musical? Amazingly, that happened to me! Would you like to hear about it? Read More

A Brief History of Healthcare in China
A Brief History of Healthcare in China

Given the physical size and population of China, the development of a modern healthcare system has been a long process. Understandably, that process has involved both progress and setbacks as new phases of development have been implemented. Read More

Pearl of the Orient: A Short History of Shanghai
Pearl of the Orient: A Short History of Shanghai

Shanghai’s historical evolution from a sleepy fishing and textile port on the Yangtze Delta to a fully fledged world-class city has been formed by lucrative Chinese-Western trading relationships, cheap and plentiful labor from rural areas and the city’s relative peace compared with the rest of China in the 19th and 20th centuries. Read More

Shanghai Neighborhoods: Hongqiao and Gubei
Shanghai Neighborhoods: Hongqiao and Gubei

Situated between the Inner and Outer Ring Roads on both the north and south sides of Yan An Elevated Road is the Hongqiao area of Shanghai. The area is primarily residential and made up of villa compounds, low-rise apartments and sprinklings of high rise buildings. With the opening of the Hongqiao Transportation Hub – the world’s largest - a few years ago and the development of the adjoining Hongqiao CBD area, the pace of life in Hongqiao’s busy... Read More

Shanghai Day Trips
Shanghai Day Trips

While Shanghai has a lot to offer within the confines of the city proper, there are a number of great places to visit not far from the city. With the opening of the high-speed rail system, nearby cities that would normally require an overnight stay can now be reached with ease providing residents of Shanghai even more options for weekend getaways. Read More

Food Safety in China
Food Safety in China

Food safety is an issue regardless of what country you live in. The ongoing and intense global debate over genetically modified food (GMO) and the unknown impact those foods are having on the long-term health of humans is a prime example. These genetic modifications are often intended to increase productivity by changing the characteristics of a plant or animal so that they become stronger in some way. That new strength could mean higher yields... Read More

How to Prepare for Your Shanghai Look-See Trip
How to Prepare for Your Shanghai Look-See Trip

In the months prior to actually making the big move to Shanghai, you may have the opportunity to visit the city for a look-see trip. These trips are usually brief – a week or less – because employment obligations usually don’t allow for more. The primary objective of the look-see trip is to choose a school and accommodation and due to the limited amount of time allowed for the trip, the process is usually a bit frantic. Read More

Shanghai map
Get to Know the Geography of Shanghai

If it’s a clear day, whether you are flying into either of Shanghai’s Pudong or Hongqiao International airports, you will be able to see the scale of development of the Yangtze River Delta that extends from the shore of the Pacific Ocean inward as far as the eye can see. Land is put to use without exception in this part of the world. From the ground much of what is happening in terms of development is hidden behind tree lines and fences except... Read More

Entering and Exiting China with Pets
Entering and Exiting China with Pets

Whether you have brought your beloved pets with you to China or adopted them locally, it’s never too early to learn about exit requirements to ensure a smooth departure when preparing to take your pets with you when you leave China. Read More

7 Golden Rules for Traveling in China
7 Golden Rules for Traveling in China

There are dos and don’ts for most things in most countries and for travel in China the dos and don’ts are particularly important. These rules apply equally to expats traveling to China from another part of Asia and also to those traveling from within China. Read More

Everything You Need to Know about Concordia's New Fall University Fair

Concordia International School Shanghai will host the 2nd Annual Concordia Fall University Fair (CFUF), an event that gives high school students in Shanghai access to college reps from top universities around the globe. Last year over 125 universities attended. Below, are some of the unique features of the new fall fair and some advice to students on how to best prepare for their encounter with representatives from prospective universities. Read More

Luke, Class of '18-- Brigham Young University
Luke, Class of '18-- Brigham Young University

WHICH UNIVERSITY ARE YOU PLANNING TO ATTEND AND WHAT INFLUENCED YOUR CHOICE? I am attending Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah. This choice was mostly influenced by the location. I have lots of family nearby and am very familiar with the school. Read More

Taylor, Class of '18- Yale University
Taylor, Class of '18- Yale University

WHICH UNIVERSITY ARE YOU PLANNING TO ATTEND AND WHAT INFLUENCED YOUR CHOICE? A large factor in my decision to enroll at Yale is the fact that they have the top humanities program in the United States, which is my current major/career interest. Also, when I visited the campus last summer, the school just seemed to fit me. There was no concrete explanation for it, but between the students I met and the overall feeling of the campus, I could just... Read More