ASC International

ASC INTERNATIONAL

AS C

INTERNATIONAL

Part of The Anglican Schools Commission (Inc.)

WELCOME BACK

When WA’s borders opened to the world in March, there was much excitement for a group of international students who had been waiting to start their studies in Australia.

ASC International recruits and supports students from all over the world to study in their choice of ASC school or the ASC Language School, but for many of their students it has been a long wait to start their educational journey. Newly arrived from Hong Kong, Year 11 students Chung Tai (Jasper) Chan and Ying Chit (Bruce) Chan said they were both very excited when they heard they could finally come to Perth Jasper, who loves nature and the outdoors, has spent the past two years studying remotely at home. He was excited to start in Year 11 at St Mark’s Anglican Community School which he chose because of its natural environment and outdoor facilities.

Bruce, who had come to stay with his aunt, was looking forward to studying a variety of subjects that were not available at home, including engineering. For St George’s Anglican Grammar School student Yan (Nicole) Ni, the return to Perth was a joyful one after completing Year 7 and 8 in Perth, before studying remotely from China for two years when the borders closed. While she found the remote learning was more relaxed than formal classes, Nicole said she had missed the many friends she had made at St George’s in Year 8. “I have a lot of local friends and would chat with them online. I wondered if they would remember me but when I came into the classroom, they all screamed,” she said. The Year 11 student was looking forward to studying six ATAR subjects and enjoying the Perth lifestyle. Erkang (Frank) Fu, also from China, was both excited and anxious when he was able to travel to Australia to start his Year 11 studies. He said the experience at St George’s Anglican Grammar School had been a positive one so far. “The people here are nice and warm-hearted,” he said. ASC International Director Amanda Fritz said many international students had been waiting to return or start their schooling in Australia. “There was a lot of relief when students were able to book their flights and make plans to start school,” she said. “Some of our students have stayed with ASC International throughout 2020 and 2021, studying remotely and patiently waiting to come to Australia and we are so excited to welcome them here to study with us.” Mrs Fritz said more students were planning to start in ASC schools in Term 2 and Term 3, while there had also been strong interest from some countries interested in sending students for shorter study tours.

Homestay an Exciting Journey

Homestay host Kristie Sampson is a great advocate for the homestay program. With a long history of hosting international students, she outlines the many advantages for both the students and their Australian families.

Hosting students for over 15 years I have gained strong bonds with my students and have fond memories of the students we have supported. It is also a fantastic way for my children to gain new friendships, understand other cultures, and learn how to assist in English communication with many different nationalities.

Homestay is an exciting journey that is rewarding in so many ways and a privilege to see my students succeed into amazing adults that achieved their life goals. I am proud to say my family played an integral part in assisting our students with their successes, learning new life skills, making new friends and fond memories whilst in our care. Inclusion and feeling part of the family is important in a safe, confident and loved environment is crucial to students’ success.

I couldn’t imagine not having an international student in my life. It has also given me the opportunity to support young individuals and showcase how amazing Perth Australia is and how accepting and multicultural we are as a community.

Images 1. From left are international students Ying Chit (Bruce) Chan, and Chung

Tai (Jasper) Chan from Hong Kong, Yan (Nicole) Ni and Erkang (Frank)

Fu from China, Van Son (Sonny) Nguyen and Dang Khoa Nguyen from

Vietnam, and Zhijie (Leo) Wen from China.