New Families
Strengthening your ability to respond intentionally to your own needs and interests
Transition Program
High mobility characterizes the international school context, creating an environment of ongoing change and transitions. People living and working internationally can experience challenges to their fundamental equilibrium when moving between countries. Dealing effectively with these issues presents significant challenges for both children and adults. This transient lifestyle has a significant impact on children in their developmental years, presenting the need for action within international schools. Seoul Foreign School seeks to provide guidance for the support and review of all school transition programs. An on-site transitions steering committee consists of a school administrator, the HR director, PTA community support parents, a counselor and a staff member.
Staff
Welcoming recently hired staff members to a new country, culture and work community, the HR Director, administrators, counselors and returning staff members offer a variety of assistance and support. Pen pals and mentors answer questions and provide useful pre-arrival information. Upon arrival, new staff members experience a dynamic, comprehensive new-staff orientation. Each spring external consultants conduct informative sessions on the leaving experience for staff members moving on from SFS.
Parents
Assisting new families in feeling welcome and comfortable at SFS and in the host community, the admissions office, division counselors and PTA Community Support parents provide an immediate connection for school and community resources. Conducted in September and January of each school year, New Parent Orientation introduces new parents to school board members and administrators. For those families moving on from SFS, informative sessions are offered each spring.
Students
Division counselors, teachers and returning students assist new students in adjusting to the school community. They offer information and assistance for those moving on, and support students who remain as friends leave. While programs vary between levels and divisions, the implications of mobility are recognized as important factors in the lives of all Third Culture Kids.
Third Culture Kids
How often have parents heard "I feel so weird!" or similar cries from their children? childhood is admittedly difficult to go through. When the requirements of international living are added, a series of specific needs and difficulties arise that research had shown to consistently appear in children living overseas. Then, when these children return to their "home" countries, they face additional issues during that transition. Even when children live in their native country but attend an international school, similar issues seem to arise. The reality is that all of these children belong to a particular category called "Third Culture Kids", or "TCKs", a term coined that signifies that fact that when a child from one culture moves to a second (or third, or fourth) culture for a significant length of time during their developmental years, a third culture is then created within that child.
This web page offers ideas of how to think about and what to do about some of the issues that come up when children leave their home cultures for a length of time, have an intense experience in another culture, and then return to their home culture. Even though the focus is on children, parents need to be aware that the same issues apply to them. In fact, research has shown that "reverse culture shock" (moving back to your home country) is much more severe for some adults than dealing with "culture shock". The first step in helping your children to deal with their issues is to make sure that you are getting help with your issues.
For further information on transitions please see the links below:
Families in Global Transition, Inc
Living in Seoul
HISTORY
Seoul is a city with a long history and blessed with natural beauty including the Han gang or Han River, rugged mountains and a rich cultural heritage.
Archeological remains show that the area was first inhabited as long ago as about 4000 B.C. during the Neolithic Age. However, it was not until the Early Three Kingdoms Period (Goguryeo, Shilla and Baekje, 57 B.C.- A.D. 668) that Koreans began to place much importance on the area politically. The Baekje Kingdom controlled the Hangang River basin and established its capital at the southwestern tip of present Seoul.
No other Korean city has ever approached the size of Seoul since 1394, when the founder of the Joseon Dynasty moved his capital, called Hanseongbu or Hanyang, to this area. Even though during several invasions by the Japanese and Manchus in the 16th and 17th centuries Seoul suffered badly, it maintained its position as the royal capital and eventually as the capital of the Republic of Korea.
The second Japanese invasion and occupation, extending from 1910 to 1945, and the Korean War (1950-1953) forever destroyed a significant portion of the city, including the old town and the royal palaces. Since the 1960s, Seoul has prospered from the unprecedented economic success and urbanization that has occurred. Today there are on-going efforts to preserve Seoul’s remaining historical buildings and sites, as witnessed by the world at the time of the 1988 Summer Olympic Games, the World Cup Games in 2002, and various other international events.
THE CITY TODAY
Seoul is a megalopolis with residents numbering about 10 million, which is about a quarter of the total population of the Republic of Korea. The mainstream of politico-economic and cultural activities runs through Seoul, making it a very colorful city encompassing a variety of elements.
Among ever-expanding business districts packed with modern high-rise buildings are local markets and a wealth of historical establishments such as palaces and tombs attesting to the history of the capital. The bustling central city is ringed by mountains and bisected by the Hangang River. Seoul suffers from heavy automobile traffic but the city has developed an extensive and advanced public transportation system, including one of the worlds largest subway systems.
Taken from Visitor’s Guide to Seoul, Seoul Metropolitan Government
For more information about Seoul and Korea please visit the following links.
http://english.metro.seoul.kr/
http://www.visitseoul.net/english_new/index.htm
http://welcome.seoul.go.kr/index.html
http://www.worldexecutive.com/cityguides/seoul/
http://www.lifeinkorea.com/Hotels/Korea/seoul/E
