The interest started in the Learning Commons where Miss Mango was making some of the children kites.

At lunchtime, the children who had been involved were talking about them. Other children said they wanted a kite too.

We discussed the material the kites were made from, how well they flew and how long they lasted before they broke.

We decided that the next day, we would ask Miss Mango about using different materials that might be a little stronger.

However, it soon became clear that for the children, at this early stage of settling in, having a kite of their own was their main priority and using the tissue paper and red straws like the others was what they wanted for now.

Choosing the colour of their kite was very important.

Having seen how Miss Mango made the kites for the girls and having had a good look at the process, we felt it was important the children had a go at making for themselves in order to use their fine motor skills and increase their confidence and independence.

Through questioning and encouragement, we were of assistance from the sidelines as the children drew and cut their own shapes, then decided where the straws should go to support the paper. Some children drew designs first, which really helped their thinking process.

Using the tape and dispensers was a real favourite for the children and in most cases, the amount of tape used ensured a stronger kite.

As the children’s confidence with the making process increased, different shapes began to appear, including butterfly shapes and many unique shapes resulting from independent scissor use!

Everyone who had decided to make a kite had their own exclusive design, a one off, distinctive to their skills, observation and patience!

Wind was not a factor for flying their kites. Running as fast as they could was. Fortunately, their choice of light tissue paper assisted the kites to fly around the Learning Commons and the playground!

As the weeks have gone on, the children still sometimes choose to make kites during Emergent Playtime or when they come in to class before Registration. A photograph of a butterfly kite has been inspirational, as has the story of the Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle.

Through their interest in kite making and flying, the children are becoming aware of symmetry and the life-cycle of a butterfly.

We wonder what this will lead to next…?

 

K4B Co-Teachers – Anna KING & Kiwi CHEN

Year 6 have been having a great time getting to know each other and learning how to work together in teams and within our classroom cohort. We have looked at leadership skills, collaboration, team work and how to develop healthy relationships with others. These are lifelong skills that will enable students to negotiate the challenges of life more successfully. We will continue to use these skills throughout the year with our students role modelling this to the rest of the school through the manner in which they interact with each other and the rest of school.

 

Year 6 Leader & Y6A Co-Teacher – Ruth Ferguson

At the very beginning of this semester, Year 5 students had their first topic study in their Chinese Studies Classes—Chinese Valentine’s Day.

In the Lunar Calendar, July 7^th is traditional Chinese Valentine’s Festival for Han People. Being the most romantic traditional festival in Chinese culture, it is widely appreciated by people and has been passed on for many years. Originated from the beautiful tale between the cowherd and the fairy, this festival has become a symbol of love and was called Eastern Valentine’s Day. Through the Chinese Studies Classes, Year 5 students not only learned the origin and customs of Chinese Valentine’s Day, but also knew about the tale between the cowherd and the fairy. The students were so absorbed in the tale and compared the festival with western Valentine’s Day. Through the group work in class, they have captured a better understanding of the festival by creating the posters of comparison between eastern and western Valentine’s Day.

In the Han Dynasty, Chinese Valentine’s Day has developed the custom for people to pray for wisdom and skills from the fairy. Based on this tradition, Year 5 students were involved in the various skillful activities. Among these activities, the most popular ones are picking up glass balls and cutting paper patterns. With a pair of bamboo chopsticks and several glass balls, they challenged each others’ chopstick skills; With a piece of colored paper and a pair of scissors, they brought their creativity and imagination into full play. At the end of the activity, each child wrote down their wishes of being more skillful: I wish I could learn how to use chopsticks someday; I wish I could have more beautiful handwritings in Chinese; I wish I could bake yummy bread like my mum in the future.

Y5C Co-Teacher – Sarah ZHANG

In the past two weeks, Puxi Primary hosted two very special guests to present to the Years 3 to 6 students and teachers.

On Friday, September 14, Mr. Rob Lilwall visited to talk about being adventurous and challenging ourselves. Rob is a British adventurer, writer and speaker based in Hong Kong. Rob has travelled the world – over 80,000 kilometers by foot and bicycle. As one can imagine, in the course of these travels he has met and overcome many challenges and obstacles.  Rob had been presenting to Yew Chung and Yew Wah leaders and teachers at a conference we held the previous days at the Yew Wah school in Tong Xiang. Rob very graciously was able to fit in time after that to come speak with our children. He described and showed us his 50,000km, three-year bicycle trip from Siberia to England, from the bitter cold of Northern Russia, through the heat and mud of the Borneo jungle. As he said, he is just an ordinary person who manages to do extraordinary things, and encouraged all of us to live our lives to the fullest by challenging ourselves.

Following this, former NASA astronaut Ms. Barbara Morgan came to Puxi Primary to talk of her experiences with the NASA Space Programme, which included a space shuttle trip to the International Space Station. Barbara described the journey into space and students were able to ask questions about what she learnt and her experiences. She told students about how important Mathematics and physics are to calculating a safe landing. Students were able to see one of Barbara’s favourite tasks on the space station where she worked with a robotic arm! She talked of the immense privilege of being able to view our planet Earth from space and consider from that perspective, the enormous human potential and responsibility we share.

Our students have certainly been inspired to challenge themselves to go on adventures on land or in space!

For more information on our special speakers, visit:

https://roblilwall.com/

https://www.biography.com/people/barbara-morgan-241439

 

Puxi Primary Vice Principal – Jim Wilcox

Last week, all Year 10 Science classes enjoyed a trip to the Shanghai Ocean Aquarium. Many of us did not know what fascinating things would await us there.

We were lucky to have the Aquarium almost entirely to ourselves, as there were no other schools visiting on the day. This way, we were free to look at whatever we wanted without having to wait for others to finish first.

As soon as we walked into the group entrance of the aquarium, I was amazed. I had always known that marine life is very diverse, but I didn’t expect to see so many extraordinary looking fish all in one place. It was very entertaining to look at the often somewhat funny-looking fish move around in their habitats. There were also perplexingly many fish with extraordinary appearances and patterns on their scales which I had never seen before.

Further into the Aquarium, we were able to walk through a short underwater tunnel with seals left and right of us. Their swift and elegant movements in the water left us standing there amazed. We even got to see several penguins and how they went about their daily lives, swimming, waddling, or simple standing tall with their heads high.

My favourite part was the underwater tunnel that led to the exit. Apparently, it is the longest underwater tunnel in the world, and just being able to stand on the travellator and being carried through a tunnel with sharks, stingrays and turtles all around us was a fascinating experience. It was the perfect end to the trip.

After everyone was finished in the Aquarium, we relaxed for a while in the restaurants and proceeded to take the buses back to school, all very satisfied by the experience.

 

Y10A – Sophia Roehr

YCIS Puxi Secondary after-school activities run in three sessions, the first of which will start on October 15. On offer will be wellness, languages, creative writing, debating and various craft groups. Other clubs include the Model United Nations, Science Club, youth group and a variety of sports. Each allows our students to develop a vast array of skills and as young people, enriching their experiences and having fun with their school friends all at the same time.

CCA Coordinator – Nick Marsh

When your son or daughter first starts to attend an international school, following all classes in English is a daunting experience. Often, we see that extra effort is put into the acquisition of English with the help of outside institutions or native tutors. Of course, this is very beneficial for the English language development. However, parents must be aware of not falling in the trap of putting all extra time into the development of this new language. Maintaining the first language of the child is of equal importance for the student’s personal, social, intellectual, educational, and later, economic development. (Ms. Karin Zijlmans)

Below is an article from IDRA Newsletter by the Intercultural Development Research Association that discusses the importance of maintaining first language fluency.

Why is it Important to Maintain the Native Language?

Children who speak a language other than English enter U.S. schools with abilities and talents similar to those of native English-speaking children. In addition, these children have the ability to speak another language that, if properly nurtured, will benefit them throughout their lives. In school, children who speak other languages will learn to speak, read and write English. However, unless parents and teachers actively encourage maintenance of the native language, the child is in danger of losing it and with that loss, the benefits of bilingualism. Maintaining the native language matters for the following reasons.

Personal:
The child’s first language is critical to his or her identity. Maintaining this language helps the child value his or her culture and heritage, which contributes to a positive self-concept.

Social:
When the native language is not maintained, important links to family and other community members may be lost. By encouraging native language use, parents can prepare the child to interact with the native language community, both in the United States and overseas.

Intellectual:
Students need uninterrupted intellectual development. When students who are not yet fluent in English switch to using only English, they are functioning at an intellectual level below their age. Interrupting intellectual development in this manner is likely to result in academic failure. However, when parents and children speak the language they know best with one another, they are both working at their actual level of intellectual maturity.

Educational:
Students who learn English and continue to develop their native language have higher academic achievement in later years than do students who learn English at the expense of their first language.

Economic:
Better employment opportunities in this country and overseas are available for individuals who are fluent in English and another language.

Resources

Collier, V. “Acquiring a Second Language for School,” Directions in Language and Education (1995) 1(4).

Cummins, J. Bilingualism and Minority-Language Children (Toronto, Ontario: The Ontario Institute for Studies in Education, 1981).

Cummins, J. et.al. Schooling and Language-Minority Students: A Theoretical Framework (Los Angeles, California: California State University, School of Education, 1994).

Wong-Fillmore, L. “When Learning a Second Language Means Losing the First,” Early Childhood Research Quarterly (1991) 6, 323-346.

Reprinted with permission from the National Clearinghouse for Bilingual Education’s “AskNCBE” web site (www.ncbe.gwu.edu/askncbe/faqs). NCBE is funded by the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Bilingual Education and Minority Languages Affairs (OBEMLA) and is operated by the George Washington University, Graduate School of Education and Human Development, Center for the Study of Language and Education.

[©2000, IDRA. This article originally appeared in the January 2000 IDRA Newsletter by the Intercultural Development Research Association. Permission to reproduce this article is granted provided the article is reprinted in its entirety and proper credit is given to IDRA and the author.]

Learning Resource Office

 

YCIS Puxi Secondary is very pleased to announce that Ms. Mitchell will be joining our Wellbeing Department from Monday 8^th October. Ms. Mitchell is originally from The Isle of Man and will replace Ms. Campbell who is repatriating back to Australia with her family over the National Holiday break. Ms. Mitchell will predominately work with our Lower Secondary students but will also teach several Year 10 and 11 Wellbeing classes.

Puxi Secondary Vice Principal – Terence Dayes

 

It was the great French artist, Henry Matisse who said drawing was putting a line around an idea. That is how we start our Year 8 project to Zhujiajiao water village; we take the students to explore part of our host culture, and though we use observational drawing as a means to record, it is being in the situation, being able to smell the food, taste the local cuisine and interact with the place and people and hear the range of dialects and language that give us a sense of what a Chinese water town is really like. Using both traditional art technology (sketchbooks and pencil) and our digital devices, the students are encouraged to capture the environment as they participate in it. This beats any Google search or holiday snap! Students get to experience the environment in situation like an artist, being there as it changes – seeing the crowds of people moving back and forth, observing the subtle changes of light being reflected on the water as the clouds cover the sun.

Through a range of drawing activities and photography, students gather and record as much first-hand observations as possible, ready for the follow up lessons in image selection, tone, compositional arrangement and personalisation of the project. Look out later on throughout the semester for the work that follows and develops from the starting point of the hands-on experience.

Head of Visual Arts – Martin Cockram