Dear Parents, Students, and Employees,
亲爱的家长朋友们、同学们、各教职工同事：
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!
祝愿大家圣诞和元旦快乐！
Throughout my life, I have memorized one-line quotes, aphorisms, and proverbs. Below are three quotes I have been memorizing this week:
在我的一生中，我记得许多格言警句以及谚语。以下是本周萦绕在我脑海里的三句话：
People are made of flesh and blood and a miracle fibre called courage.
人皆是血肉之躯，并且拥有可堪奇迹的勇气。
—Mignon McLaughlin
——米格农·麦克劳林
Courage is not simply one of the virtues, but the form of every virtue at the testing point.
勇气不仅仅是一种美德，而且是每种其他美德在面临考验时的呈现形式。
—C.S. Lewis
——C.S.路易斯
True courage is not the brutal force of vulgar heroes, but the firm resolve of virtue and reason.
真正的勇气不是鲁莽英雄的野蛮力量，而是美德和理性的坚定决心。
—Alfred North Whitehead

——阿尔弗雷德·诺斯·怀特黑德

I encourage a habit of memorizing great words, which visit you like a friend in times of need or solitude.
我鼓励大家养成诵记名言的习惯，在你需要或孤独的时候，它会像朋友一样出现在你身边。
School highlights for December 13–18 include:
12月13-18日的学校重要事项包括：
# 期末考试
From December 14–16, students finished taking their Semester 1 final exams. Each exam tests new knowledge and skills. Many students performed exceptionally well, and the average GPA has risen again. For admission to top universities, students should aim for a cumulative GPA of 3.5 or higher.
12月14日至16日，同学们完成了学期的期末考试。每次考试都测验新的知识和技能。许多同学表现得很好，整体平均绩点又上升了。对于想进入大学的同学们来说，你们的学习目标应该是把累积平均绩点提升到3.5或更高的水平。
# 圣诞典礼
From December 14–16, students finished taking their Semester 1 final exams. Each exam tests new knowledge and skills. Many students performed exceptionally well, and the average GPA has risen again. For admission to top universities, students should aim for a cumulative GPA of 3.5 or higher.
12月14日至16日，同学们完成了学期的期末考试。每次考试都测验新的知识和技能。许多同学表现得很好，整体平均绩点又上升了。对于想进入大学的同学们来说，你们的学习目标应该是把累积平均绩点提升到3.5或更高的水平。

# 仪仗队表演
On Thursday afternoon, December 17, the RDF Marching Band marched through Dapeng and performed at the park in Dapeng Center, in front of Vanguard Grocery Store, and on the Stage at the KPR Shopping Mall, each for audiences of local residents who looked on with awe and enthusiastically applauded the band’s impressive performance. Thank you, Mr. Arvid Lorimer-Olsson and students, for representing RDF School so well!
12月17日星期四下午，RDF仪仗乐队穿过大鹏街道，行进到大鹏中心的公园和佳兆业购物中心，并登上舞台表演，每个路过的当地市民，都怀着赞叹的目光，热情地为我们乐队精彩的表演鼓掌。感谢Arvid老师和同学们，感谢你们呈现了如此出色的表演！

# 圣诞嘉年华
On Thursday evening, December 17, the Christmas Ball, Youth Bakery Diner, and Pioneer Leader Club Activity (games, karaoke, and reception) were a success. At the dance, students enjoyed Waltz, Cha-Cha, and Swing music, plus popular Christmas music. Students enjoyed the baked and fried snacks prepared by the Youth Bakery. The students also enjoyed taking photos by the Christmas trees around campus and singing karaoke music in the library.
12月17日星期四晚上，圣诞舞会、烘焙晚餐和领导先锋社的活动（比赛、卡拉OK和招待会）都进行很顺利。在舞会上，同学们沉浸于华尔兹、恰恰舞、摇摆乐之中，我们还欣赏了流行的圣诞音乐。大家享用着烘焙社制作的糕饼点心和小吃。同学们还开心地一起在校园里精心布置的圣诞树旁拍照和在图书馆前唱歌

Additionally, in reflecting on 2020, we note the following.
此外，在总结反思2020年时，我们指出以下几点：
We mourn for those who have suffered because of COVID-19 or for other reasons. We wish all of our school community peace, joy, and prosperity.
我们为那些因COVID-19新冠疫情或其他原因而遭受痛苦的人表示哀悼。我们祝愿我们学校所有家庭享受平静、快乐和成功。

We are committed to the continue safety of the school.
我们将继续致力于保证学校的安全。
From February to May 2020, during the epidemic-related school closures, the online instruction was successful. Although online instruction was difficult for some, the outcomes were quite stable, and even superior in some regards (e.g. some English classes made big gains in reading scores during the epidemic closures).
从2020年2月至5月，在由于新冠肺炎疫情导致的学校关闭期间，网络教学取得了成功。虽然网上教学对一些人来说很困难，但教学结果相当稳定，在某些方面甚至更优秀（例如，一些英语班在新冠疫情导致学校关闭期间，阅读成绩有了很大提高）。

The June and July 2020 summer school program was also successful and well received by participating students.
2020年6月和7月的夏校项目也顺利开展，受到了与参与同学们的好评。
School enrollment continues to grow, with high rates of retention among students and faculty due to a warm and engaging culture. We are pleased with the success and growth of the school.
学校的招生人数继续增长，由于热情和有吸引力的文化，学生和教师的留校率很高。我们对学校的发展感到由衷的高兴。
During Fall 2020, students have been receiving face-to-face instruction in almost every class.
在2020年秋季，几乎所有课堂的同学们都开展了面对面的教学。
Measures of GPA, student service, and student leadership all continue forward and upward.
GPA评估、学生服务和学生领导能力都在不断向上向前发展。

The school continues its improvement journey. Your input is welcome. Please feel free to email your suggestions for school improvement to Principal Leland Anderson at leland.a@rdfis.com.
学校将继续稳步改进，持续提升。我们欢迎您的宝贵意见。若有任何建议，请随时通过邮箱——leland.a@rdfis.comLeland校长。
We also look forward to seeing students again on Sunday, January 3, 2021.
期待2021年1月3日星期天与返校的同学们再次相见。
Meanwhile, we wish you a restful and Merry Christmas and a very Happy New Year!
最后，我们祝您圣诞快乐，新年快乐！