Driving home one afternoon, Eva Lee spotted a sign for a new bilingual Chinese school. Two weeks later, she was listening to the first principal, Wendy Yu, share her vision for an institution that integrated language learning with primary curriculum. Ten years later,  all three of her daughters have attended International Chinese School, and she is still captivated by its vision. . 

“Growing up in the eighties and nineties in Sydney, as a Chinese student at a local public school, I hated, I’m sorry to say, going to Chinese school on a Saturday,” she told the crowd at the International Chinese School 10 Year Anniversary Celebration in April. “When I heard this school was opening, it seemed like quite a lovely opportunity for my children [to combine schooling and language learning]… ICS has been wonderful to our family."

"I see how my kids have grown strong in English and Chinese and have built a strong foundation for their Christian faith, which they carry to today.”

From an inaugural class of nine students, ICS has grown into a vibrant, Christ-centred community with over 100 students and 25 staff. Founded with the vision to provide accessible, bilingual Christian education to families on Sydney’s North Shore, ICS celebrates a decade of nurturing spiritually grounded, bilingual students for a global world.

At the celebration service, principal Alastair Walker reflected on the heart of ICS. “We thank God for his faithfulness over these ten years. Our school is not just about bilingual instruction — it’s about forming hearts and minds in Christ.” 

This has always been the vision.

When Rev Dr Brian Tung was the assistant minister of St Paul’s Chatswood, he believed that there was a need for this kind of education on the North Shore of Sydney. “The vision was simple, to provide accessible Christian, bilingual education for families,” he shared. “It would equip children to be global citizens. Most importantly, we believe that Christ, being rooted in him…would enable students to find a way in life to make sense of the world and live well in it. I am so grateful for the many who laboured… to bring that seed to life.” 

Foundation principal, Mrs Yu, felt God was with them from the beginning. “When ICS first started, there was only one kindergarten class of nine students, taught by me and the Mandarin teacher,” she says. “It was a close-knit community. We all had one goal — we wanted our school to succeed and have successful students. God sent incredible people to this school [to help it grow].”

Their anniversary service was delivered in both Mandarin and English, attended by present and past students and families, and founding members and supporters. More than a celebration, it was a recommitment to the vision of raising bilingual, faith-filled leaders for the next generation. 

Now with Mrs Lee’s eldest in high school, and her youngest in year two, she is thankful for the way ICS has not just shaped the character of her girls, but also brought the different generations of her family together. “My girls would recite poems that their grandparents learnt when they were in school,” she said. “Seeing them sing songs together brought so much joy to grandparents, parents and children alike. [I have also noticed] they have much more compassion and openness of mind when meeting friends from different cultures."

"For them to grow up identifying strongly in two cultures, and I’m so thankful to God that this is what ICS has given my children.”