Updates from our Rector
October 21st , 2025
Dear Parents and Guardians,
The past few weeks at Robert Bosch College have been filled with learning, celebration, and meaningful connection across our community. On Open Day (September 27th), we welcomed around 450 visitors to our campus. The energy, commitment, and enthusiasm that went into everything from the show to workshops, activities, and tours prompted many visitors to share with me the joy they felt on entering the campus, and the hope for the world they felt on experiencing the spirit within our diverse community.
Following those festivities, our campus briefly closed as students embarked on the first Project Week of the year. This experience was full of valuable life lessons, with students (supported by our dedicated staff, especially our Director of Student Life, Cassie and Social Pedagogue / Outdoor Program Coordinator, Therese) overcoming challenges such as transportation cancellations, accommodation hiccups, and poor weather. They all returned safely, perhaps with a new appreciation for our Mensa food, and from my conversations with many, it’s clear they’ve gained a lot from this enriching experience.
On Oct 1st, we launched our new school website. While our primary goal was to make it more functional and easier to navigate, we also used the opportunity to give it a fresh look and feel whilst updating some content. A big thanks to Julia for all her work on this and Julien for the technical support throughout the process. We’d certainly welcome any feedback from you.
Another exciting event was our first Special Focus Day (SFD) on October 16th, dedicated to Interfaith dialogue. These SFDs are integral to our curriculum, allowing students to dive deeply into specific topics. Given UWC’s mission, fostering interfaith understanding is essential to promoting intercultural dialogue and peaceful communication. This day wasn’t about promoting any one belief or influencing students’ faith or atheistic positions. Instead, it focused on education, exchange, and respect. Students had access to more than 40 workshops and seminars, with over 20 faith communities represented through both internal and external speakers and workshop leaders. It was, as our keynote speaker (Tuncay Dinçkal) so perfectly expressed, a wonderful opportunity to encounter and engage, to listen, to question, and to learn from one another.
Hopefully, these encounters have offered moments of connection, insight, and discovery. They remind us of the richness that comes from learning about others’ traditions and values, and how, through dialogue, we can build bridges across difference.
We also encourage connection beyond the campus through our Host Family Programme which took place over the weekend 11/12 October an initiative that continues to be a much-valued opportunity for cultural exchange and for building lasting friendships beyond the campus.
While the term has been busy and enriching, we’re mindful of the fact that many in our community come from regions affected by conflict and suffering, some of which are highlighted in the media, while others remain less visible. UWC’s founding belief is that by bringing together students from around the world, we can foster friendships that transcend political, national, and ideological boundaries. In this spirit, an intensely moving Global Affairs held on Wednesday, October 8th, heard testimonies from our students from Gaza and Israel about the impact of the conflict on them, their families and friends, a call for Peace from our students from Myanmar followed by a Bonfire ritual.
The academic programme will pause for Fall Break from the evening of Friday, October 24th, to Sunday, November 2nd. For students who wish to leave campus for all or part of the break, we ask that they complete the Overnight Absence Form and return to campus by 19:00 on Sunday, November 2nd. Late arrivals are not permitted unless due to transport delays. In such cases, students should come back no earlier than breakfast on Monday 3rd, but in time for classes (08:30).
If you are fortunate to welcome your child home over the break, perhaps with a fellow RBC student in tow, I hope you see some changes, not just in their knowledge, but in their empathy, resilience, and global understanding and that they bring with them stories of the friendships and experiences that have shaped them over these past months.
If you wish to write to me, please feel free to do so in a language of your choice.
With best wishes,
Helen White, Rektor
