Lina Farrow
Head of Grade (HoG)

I come from Bogotá, Colombia.  I qualified and worked as a lawyer in Colombia for five years before completing my Master of Arts in Secondary Teacher Education with the University of Phoenix.  I have been teaching English B and Spanish at SSIS for the past five years. This is also my third year as the Head of Grade 6.  This year I am teaching Grade 6 English B Standard & Humanities and Grade 9 English B Advanced.  Aside my academic duties, I have advised the Middle School Student Council and I have been involved with the Apple Vanguard group and the High School girl’s soccer team.

You can contact me at linafarrow@ssis-suzhou.net

Michael Bastow (6E)
MS Mathematics Subject Leader

Hello, I am Mr Bastow. I come from Australia, and have been teaching mathematics for 20 years in the state of Western Australia. I studied Mathematics and Physics at the University of Western Australia and then educational qualifications at the same university.

I came to SSIS in 2008 as a Middle School Mathematics teacher. This year I am teaching grade 6, 7 and 8 mathematics, I am the coordinator of the grade 6 mathematics programme and a homeroom teacher for 6E. 


In addition to my regular duties, I am also involved in the MS Math Club that runs every lunchtime. The Math club is available for any G6, 7 or 8 student who wants help extra help with exercises or projects.

You can contact me at michaelbastow@ssis-suzhou.net

Kerry Haddon (6E)

I am from Geelong , Australia and have been teaching for many years in a variety of settings.  I have a Bachelor of Education from the University of Ballarat with Major Studies in English and Physical Education. I have spent a great deal of time teaching in both areas as well as Health, Outdoor Education and Humanities. Apart from working in Australian Schools I have also worked at the New International School of Thailand in Bangkok.  I have a Masters Certification in Neuro-Linguistic Programming, Certificate of Clinical Massage, and am also a trainer of Public Speaking. This year I am teaching Middle Years English and I am one of the homeroom teachers for 6E.

You can contact me at kerryhaddon@ssis-suzhou.net

Leeanne Smith (6A)

Hi.  I'm Leeanne Smith, known as Ms. Leeanne to my students. I come from Christchurch, New Zealand and am excited to be teaching Grade 6 Language/Humanities this year.  This year is my second year in China, after teaching for eight years in international schools in Laos and Tonga, and for many years in New Zealand. I am here with my husband and two children and we are very much looking forward to being a part of the SSIS community for yet another year.  I am also looking forward to establishing more great relationships between home and school and to getting to know your children well.

Please contact me on leeannesmith@ssis-suzhou.net.

Graham Bonar (6A)

Hi all, my name is Graham Bonar or Mr. or Coach Graham to the students.  I am the Athletic Director of the school and work with a couple of the grade 6 classes in physical education.  I am also one of the homeroom teachers for 6A.   I am a Canadian citizen and have been working at international schools for 6 years, previously in Kuwait and Damascus, Syria.  I have been an athletic director for 4 years and middle school teacher for 6 years.  I’ve got a bachelors degree in kinesiology and another in education. I also have a masters degree in school counseling.  I coach varsity boys volleyball, middle school soccer, volleyball and basketball.

You can contact me at grahambonar@ssis-suzhou.net

Susan Cover (6L)
English

Student Teaching in 1986 at the International School of Dusseldorf  launched my career as a teacher in international schools. Since then, I have lived and worked in eight different countries. I have taught students in grades 3-12.  I most enjoy interacting with middle schoolers because they constantly challenge me and keep me on my toes.  My husband and I came to SSIS with our two middle school-aged daughters in August of 2010. We enjoy living in Suzhou and stay involved in our school community by participating in/coaching many different activities. This year, in addition to being a homeroom teacher for 6L, I teach in our new JumpStart program, help with the grades 6-8 Student Council, and coach several sports from grades 6-12.  Please don’t hesitate to contact me if you have any questions or concerns. susancover@ssis-suzhou.net

Zou Lin Hua (6L)

I graduated from Soochow University majoring in English.
Previously I taught Chinese mother tongue in a local school. Since December 2001, I have been working in SSIS. This year I am teaching mandarin in secondary division and teach Chinese B Foundation to G6 LEA, G8 LEA, and Chinese B Standard to G7LEA.  I am also one of the homeroom teachers for 6L.  I am happy and look forward to working with my students. You can contact me at zoulinhua@ssis-suzhou.net

 

Brett Nugent (6R)
Arts

I come from Perth, Western Australia. I have been teaching for 20 years in schools in Australia, New Zealand and now SSIS. I have a background in both music and physical education which is why I teach music at SSIS but also run the intramural sports activities. In 2011/12 I am running the drumming group, advanced strings group, production music group, Glee club and D2 senior boys' basketball. My homeroom is 6R and I will teach all of grade 6 music this year.

 

Crystal Huang (6R)

I studied Chinese literature education at Hubei University in Wuhan. Last year I taught Chinese A G6-G8 . This year, I teach Grade 6-7 Chinese A , Grade 7-8 Chinese BA and I am homeroom teacher for 6R. Before teaching at SSIS, I taught in a local school for over 6 years. I love writing and sports.  My E-mail address is: crystalhuang@ssis-suzhou.net.