Round Square schools access and leverage the potential benefits to our students of connecting with a community of likeminded schools on an international scale. We recognize that effective character education is not a series of isolated interventions, but a sustained and ingrained approach to teaching and learning that is supported, enhanced and brought to life through planned, integrated, projects, trips and adventures.
The Schools that gain the most from their Round Square Membership are those that seek to embed the Round Square themes – our IDEALS – throughout all aspects of school life. When a school’s curriculum, extra-curricular activities, pastoral care, mission and strategy are infused with the IDEALS, every interaction with other schools in the community is maximized because it has immediate resonance with core programming back-at-school.
Whilst this the utopia, we also recognize that it is not necessarily possible – or desirable – for every school. Because of this, we take a flexible approach that begins with a basic level of expectation in school culture, commitment and ethos, and invites schools to access the opportunities and resources that work for them, and does not mandate the ones that don’t.
As a Round Square school you have opportunities to collaborate with other schools in the network on everything from academic endeavours, to conference participation, to cultural trips and exchanges and everything in between. You might just swap resources or share ideas from time to time.
Here are some examples of collaborations between Round Square schools:
Students from Saint Andrews School and Fern Hill School collaborated on an enriching two-week adventure and service trip to Thailand. The activities were designed to develop the students’ leadership and teamwork skills and foster a spirit of giving and sense of responsibility.
Students from Holy Innocents’ Episcopal School in America held a video conference with representatives from Chittagong Grammar School in Bangladesh to learn more about the Rohingya crisis from the perspective of those living in Bangladesh.
As a Round Square school you can connect with other schools in the network to create exchange opportunities that enable students and teachers to study or work at another Round Square school for a short period of time. You can also welcome teachers and students from other RS schools on a visit to yours, which is a brilliant way of bringing a new global perspective into your school. A directory of exchange contacts facilitates connections and good practice documentation helps in establishing your own protocols and principles for how your exchanges will work.
"If it wasn’t for this exchange, then I may never have had the courage to join the army. Round Square has done so much for me and I look forward to giving back to the community. I am especially excited to be going to Canada for the international conference in September this year and I am honored to have been given a bursary to go.”
“being part of Round Square has opened the way for students from schools in different countries to communicate with and step into each other’s lives. If you can, go for it. Make the most of every opportunity, because you’re not going to see what you can see there here. It’s incredible to be able to go somewhere else, experience a different type of school, and be welcomed into someone else’s home and life.”
Students and teachers in Round Square schools have the chance to take part in age-appropriate local, regional and global conferences that bring them together with peers from different countries to share perspectives, debate topical issues, forge friendships, support local communities, and develop international understanding. Each year there are lots of different conference opportunities on offer, and these are advertised via a weekly e-newsletter sent to every school.
September 2017 saw the Round Square Community gather in Cape Town, South Africa, for the Round Square International Conference 2017. The Conference was hosted by three RS Global Member Schools: St George’s Grammar School, St Cyprian’s School and Bridge House School, who put on an outstanding and inspirational event over five days, bringing together 1,127 delegates from 47 different countries.
Nearly 400 delegates from 37 schools participated in a vibrant and well-organized conference at Welham Boys’ School in Dehradun from 24th to 29th January. The conference had a wide range of activities and opportunities for learning, making it an enriching wholesome experience for the students aged 12 to 13.
Students and teachers in Round Square schools can also apply to take part in a Round Square International Service Project. Run to the highest standards of quality and safety, and BS8848 accredited, these bring together participants from Member Schools all over the world to work together in truly international teams in support of communities in need. Recent projects have taken place in Nepal, Tanzania, Vietnam and Ecuador. Upcoming projects will see students working in Sri Lanka, Morocco and Borneo.
December 2017 saw the successful completion of our project in Vietnam where students worked together to complete two water dams, helping to improve the local farming infrastructure of a small rural village in Na Mon. The new dams will store water in the dry season and drain water during monsoon season.
July 2017 saw the successful completion of our second ever RSIS Big Build Project. This time our student team travelled to Tanzania where they built a new classroom and kitchen for Ng’aroni School.
Throughout each year there are opportunities for Heads of school, RS Reps, Curriculum Directors and Teachers to participate in formal and informal PD opportunities. Global and Regional presenter-led Workshops, and hands-on Praxis sessions, in particular themed around the Discovery Framework and Service Learning, provide opportunities to develop RS themed concepts and content to use back-at-school. The RS International Conference and Annual Regional Meetings offer networking opportunities and Good Practice Carousels that facilitate resource-sharing, collaboration, and group problem-solving.
