Neuigkeiten von unserer Rektorin

August 28th, 2026

Dear Parents and Guardians,
Cc National Committees,

It was wonderful to be able to meet a number of you in person on arrivals day yesterday. However, I appreciate that in a school such as RBC, to be able to meet all of you during these next two years is quite improbable, so I will reach out to you all with regular letters in my capacity as Rektor.

I am delighted to say that all students due to arrive at UWC Robert Bosch College (RBC) have done so. Some had interesting journeys, battled with travel delays and lost luggage, but all made it. They have all been told to contact family and people of importance to them, to let them know they have arrived; I hope all have done so. 4 more are still awaiting their visas; we are continuing to work with the various authorities to get them here soon. Once we are all together, RBC’s 204 students will be from 87 countries and territories, only one of the measures of the significant diversities that we intentionally bring together.

The scheduled Student Orientation programme is now underway, with first years spending time getting to know their House communities as well as their Personal Tutors (PT). The PT is the member of staff who is the contact person for any concerns with regards to a student’s academic and pastoral well-being so they will be reaching out to parents / guardians of tutees in the next week or so to introduce themselves. Second years are busy collecting their summer storage items before getting ready for the Second-Year Retreat which takes place from Sunday at Schluchsee (about 1 hour away by car, up in the Black Forest, with limited mobile phone reception), for a few days of reconnecting and community building.

In this morning’s Welcome Assembly, I spoke about the complex and often difficult world our students are inheriting, one marked by a record number of armed conflicts globally, by the lived realities of climate change and instability for many of their families and communities, and by the deep political and cultural divides that UWC was founded, in the depths of the Cold War, to bridge. I shared how our students, simply by choosing to live and learn alongside peers from „the other side“ of those divides, are already doing something quietly extraordinary. I asked them to let the UWC values be their guide as they navigate these complexities: to rise above challenges, to act with courage and conviction, and to contribute to our community and the wider world with wisdom and compassion. As we begin this journey together, I encouraged them to embrace every opportunity, to challenge themselves and each other, and to remain steadfast in the ideals that brought them to RBC.

I know that many of you have your own version of this journey underway too, adjusting to a quieter house, or simply trusting that your child/ward is in good hands. Please know that our community here is already holding them well.

If you wish to write to me, please feel free to write in a language in which you are comfortable.

Warm regards,
Helen White, Rektor