Written by Andrea Griego (Student Support Coordinator)

Lukas Sanders and Yeseo Kim both received English awards at the Year 2 curriculum assembly on October 27.  Read more about their achievements.

Lukas Sanders and Yeseo Kim both received English awards at the Year 2 curriculum assembly on October 27^th.  The awards were recognition of them successfully completing the English as an Additional Language programme (EAL) and moving to the mainstream English programme.

Lukas was excited to enter the mainstream class. “I like my new English class” stated Lukas. Yeseo was also very happy to be promoted and join her new English classmates.  Both students are in the same class so they can support each other in their transition.

At YCIS, the EAL programme is rigorous and taught by specialist teachers in this field.  The classes are small and focused and students generally make great progress in the EAL.  As the programme is well established and organized, the parents of EAL students can be well assured that when their child does graduate from EAL, they will be very well prepared to be successful in the Mainstream English class.

Congratulations to Lukas and Yeseo; another success story for the EAL programme.

Written by Roseline Yang (Community Relations Officer)

The school is constantly looking at ways to improve the learning experience of the children. A new role was created to provide PE for ECE students and support Mr. Lennart. Mr. Watson completed his student teaching at YCIS last year, and did such a great job that the school hired him full-time. Let’s meet David Watson.

Tell us a bit about you and why you chose to join YCIS full-time?
I’m from Newcastle in England, and I have been living in Shanghai for 4 years already. Hired as a Sports Coach with my Degree in Sports and Exercise Management, I was coaching from babies in the water to Master swim classes for adults as well as a large variety of sports. Last year in particular, in order to validate my PGCE Degree focused on PE, I did my teaching practice at YCIS, as well as coaching ASAs such as Swimming, Football and Gymnastic.

I chose to join YCIS full-time because I wanted to feel part of a school community and I was inspired by Lennart’s enthusiasm and passion in what he is doing. Moreover, every time I came to YCIS to teach, I always felt welcome as people were greeting me. It was warm and friendly. That is why I applied to teach here and I’m very happy the school accepted me.

What is your exact role and how come you are so popular at school among our children and parents?
I am a PE Teacher for ECE & Primary. I work closely with Teacher Lennart van Verklen to teach our PE curriculum and to help him coordinate some ASA sports and Y2 Ivy League (football).
About popularity (timid smile), I guess that being a specialist teacher gives the opportunity to work with more students. I’m teaching all ECE level classes as well as Primary level classes from Y1 to Y3. In total, I interact with about 350 children that I see once a week for PE class. It is about one third of the school, right? As for parents, I believe ECE parents were not used to a PE teacher and they may be happy to see their children enjoying PE class and developing their gross motor skills!

It makes sense! Now I understand why so many children were calling your name and giving you a high five as we were standing near the courtyard the other day.

Let’s go back to our interview. How have you settled in and how do you work with this new role as there never used to be PE teacher in ECE?
I have settled quite well in my role thanks to class teachers being very supportive, especially to help with the children’s name. In Primary classes, we place emphasis on encouraging participation, knowledge, health and well being. During the first six weeks, we focused on body management skills such as developing agility by jumping, running and also sportsmanship, communication, team spirit. We have now moved on to football. In ECE, co-teachers also used to do PE classes by themselves. What is different this year is that this subject is run by me, in a more systematic and coordinated way since I’m teaching all ECE year levels. For the moment, I have tried to follow the topics children are learning but also adapt the class according to the interest of the age-level. For example, with K2 children, we have learnt to move like animals such walking like a bear, crawling like a snake, walking like a penguin. With K3-K4 children, we tried to improve their listening with traffic light games as their topic was about cars and buses. I can see that they are more aware of their surrounding now and we can start with developing their body management such as going through tunnels.

That’s quite a lot to do! What are the main sports do you like most? And which one have you practiced or keep practicing?
I like all kind of sports: team sports as well as individual sports. In my childhood and teenage years, I was practicing Ice Skating and Swimming at a national competition level and I also love football that I can still practice now.

Here we are! You are so discreet. There was a real reason behind this popularity!

Written by Roseline Yang (Community Relations Officer)

Diwali or “Festival of Light” is India’s biggest and most important holiday of the year, in the exact same way that the Spring Festival is to Chinese people and Christmas is to many western countries. This festival is celebrated for five continuous days with great enthusiasm and happiness in India.  Click here for more information about Diwali.

This year, Diwali fell on October 30^th.  It was an extremely busy time for our Indian parents, especially because two of them- Anubhuti and Priyanka- were also part of the organization of the POP Picnic & Bazaar. Despite their busy schedule preparing this huge celebration outside of their country, they still found time to share stories about Diwali and organize artwork in some of the classes.

See in pictures the different activities the children experienced and their reactions:

ECE’s short video presentation about why and how we celebrate Diwali

“It was the first time we did the presentation in ECE. ECE children were fascinated by the fireworks and also by the pictures of me and Nandini celebrating Diwali in our house in Shanghai, probably because they could relate to their classmate and me as her mom” Priyanka Chaturvedi, K3A Mom

ECE – Diya artwork in K3A and in K4C

“My mother-in-law was here and helped with the activity. Children could see what an Indian grandma looked like.” Priyanka Chaturvedi, K3B Mom

Y1 – Presentation during Assembly

“Like every year, the presentation of Diwali was just perfect as it matches with our unit “My Home country”. Children get to see a life-illustration of what they are learning at school.”  Y1D Co-teacher Cindy Zhang

Y2 – Book reading on Diwali followed with short video presentation

“Y2 asked many mythological questions about Indian gods, why the Demon king has 10 heads? Children were fascinated by the characters of the story.”

“During my presentation, I shared about 9 steps for preparing Diwali and Mr Cork asked children to compare it with Chinese New Year. 7 out of 9 steps were similar. It was one of my first presentation. Therefore, I used this aspect for other classes to attract children’s attention.” Priyanka Chaturvedi, Y2A Mom

Y3C – Diya artwork activity

“The Children were so happy to decorate their own Diya and be able to bring it home” Y3C Co-teachers

I am always curious about different cultures so I also went to attend some of their activities and presentation. But what I am mostly fascinated about is the impact it can have on children’s learning journey. So, I interviewed two of the mums to know more about their involvement and after-sharing experience with the children.

Why did you take the time to share about Indian festival at school?
For me, apart from sharing my culture with the school community, it is also a good opportunity for my kids to know about their own culture. Thus they can understand about the importance of their own celebration even if they are not in India. Children can also learn about celebrations from other countries. Besides, when my child sees me at school, it gives him self-confidence. He can explain things to his classmates and he is also very  excited and happy about this because he becomes the center of attention, especially when he appears on the TV.

What do you think your contribution bring to the school?
Apart from getting awareness on cultural diversity for children and for teachers, it also brings new ideas and content for school resources. For example, after reading the stories about the origins of Diwali, the teachers seemed to be interested in adding these stories to the library. The book author has written a collection about Hindu mythology. She is actually a mom who is explaining to her own child, leaving outside of India.

What do you think the children are getting out of your presentation?
This is the third year I’m doing a presentation about Diwali and every year, I see a growth in the kid since the majority of them have heard of the presentation for 3 years. At the beginning, they had questions regarding why we join our hands when greeting “Namaste”, why we have a tattoo on the front or why we are wearing bangles and rings on the toes. At that time, they were interested in the physical aspect. Now, they are getting into the depth of it. Children have gone into the meaning of Diwali and asked “why do we burn the candle?, “why we worship female gods?”

A very big thank you again to our Indian parents from YCIS Community Family!

 

Written by Nathan Tomochko (CP Campus CAS Coordinator)

The Lower Secondary Community and Service (CAS) programme at Century Park campus enhances YCIS’s commitment to holistic education by encouraging students to become active, contributing, and reflective members of their communities. The programme encourages students to take on new responsibilities, develop new skills, and work collaboratively with others.

Year 7-9 students are required to fulfill a minimum of 10 service hours per semester (15 for years 10 & 11), as well as complete one written reflection per semester based on their experiences.  Activities and reflections are entered by students onto the school’s Managebac system, and monitored by the student’s CAS Advisor (Homeroom Teacher).

Our year 7-11 Community and Service programme also serves as preparation for CAS at the year 12 and 13 IB Diploma year levels. Creativity, Activity, Service (CAS), along with Theory of Knowledge (TOK) and the Extended Essay, is at the core of the IB Diploma. The CAS programme aims to provide a ‘counterbalance’ to the academic rigour of the IB academic programme, and encourages students to engage in experiential learning and reflection. IB Diploma students are expected to extend themselves in meaningful ways through creative endeavours, physical challenges, and service of their communities. Students must successfully fulfill the CAS requirements, including an extended collaborative project, in order to receive the IB Diploma.

CAS projects have been especially rewarding when IB students have created opportunities for others within the school community to get involved. Examples have included the now annual Make a Difference (MAD) Run to raise funds for cancer treatment and research, a student who planned and taught English lessons (along with recruited classmates) at a local migrant school, and a student who organized and ran a successful debate competition for lower secondary students. The projects encourage students to explore their interests while serving others, and at the same develop collaborative and leadership skills.

Written by John McEnhill (Primary Coordinator)

Last week’s Charity Week was an example of our students’ commitment to Love and Charity put into action through a series of events designed to show kindness to others, both inside and outside the school community.

Events took place at both Regency Park and Century Park campuses. Activities such as the mini games organised by Years 5&6, the Kindness Rocks designed by Year 3 and the Cookie Decorating organised by Year 2 were a great way for students to show charity and kindness to their peers. The basket raffle organised by Year 1 had some fantastic prizes on show, and Year 4 really got into the spirit of charity by making winter scarves to share with less fortunate children through the Seeds of Hope project. The ECE students took part in several activities such as making hand prints, rainbow catches and many more. During each activity, students demonstrated their leadership skills through working with and guiding their peers through their activity.

YCIS Parents and Students also showed their generosity by donating at least 100 RMB per student to go to worthy causes. This year we are supporting Chunhui Children and Seeds of Hope, and from Charity Week alone we have raised in excess of 45,000 RMB. As Year 4 student Nicholas remarked: “it has been great fun, and we got to do something good at the same time!”.

Written by Bethany Watson (Year 6A Student)

Today is the big day! Today is my first swimming meet of the year for the YCIS Swim Squad! This is how my day unfolded…

I woke up at five o’clock, because Ginger (my Golden Retriever) came up the stairs and jumped on my bed.

So I got out of bed half awake, half asleep and called Ginger to come. I led her downstairs. I looked around sleepily, and saw my dad. When he said it’s the swimming meet TODAY, I scrambled up and started to pack everything…I had to triple check that we HAD everything…and then we set off. For swimming meets, we always have to set off very early…and this was highlighted by the fact that it as still dark outside!

Once we arrived, we had to go straight to the warm up pool. I tried as hard as I could because I knew today would be pretty hard to get into the top three. Not long after our warm up, it was my turn to do my first race. Thankfully it was a relay, meaning that there were four of us which helped bring my nerves down. In our team we had Tony who was first to go, Wendy second, then Aria and finally, I went last. The race seemed to go very fast, and I remember being on the block waiting for my turn to dive as far as I could…GO! I dived in, rushing to get up to the surface, kicking hard, making lots of white splashes making it look like snowflakes dropping in the water and melting. When I was about to reach the wall… BAM! I tumbled, looking up at the water, then I quickly turned onto my front, using the butterfly kick. I gasped for air as soon as I reached to the top. I moved my arms as fast as I could, plunk splash, plunk splash. Nearly there as I thought to myself. HIT! I touched the wall. When I scrambled up out of the swimming pool, Coach Craig gave me a high-five and said well done. I smiled and walked downstairs.

Throughout the day, there were three other races which I was involved in. The 50metre freestyle was a little disappointing as I was 2 seconds outside my personal best. But I made up for it with the next race which was the 50m Butterfly. This is the hardest of the strokes (in my opinion), and Coach Craig wanted me to get under the 1minute mark. For the first few pulls I kept my head down trying not to breathe. But on my way back I was breathing franticly every pull. I smacked the wall as hard as I could. When I climbed out of the pool, I felt warm again.  I saw Coach Craig and asked him if I got under 1 minute. Then he said that my time was…57 seconds. On the outside I just said yes! But on the inside my heart was singing joyfully, and felt like I had just won the Olympics!

As with all swimming meets there is often quite a lot of waiting time, and it is quite difficult keeping yourself occupied. However, after about a 2-hour wait, it was time for my favourite race – 50m Breaststroke. It was a tough race, but I managed to knock a second off my personal best, which made it all worth while.

The day before this I felt so nervous and I didn’t want to do it, but I learnt my lesson: if you don’t try, how do you know if you can do it or not. Today turned out to be the best day of my weekend! Now looking forward to just one thing…CAMP… BRING IT ON, I’M READY TO TRY ANYTHING!!!

Written by Melissa Shaw and John McEnhill (Primary Coordinators)

Dedicate a regular time for homework: Establishing a routine for children will make homework less of a chore, and more of a habit. When you do it depends on your child’s schedule and preference, but aim for a regular time for homework each night.

Make the homework space special: If you can, use a dedicated desk, which belongs to the child. It should be quiet, well lit, and have all the necessary supplies such as pencils, colour pencils, scissors and glue.

Allow your children a break between tasks: Described by child psychologist Mihály Csíkszentmihályi as “flow time”, allowing children a break to do something they really enjoy will reenergize them and means homework takes less time overall.

Communicate with the teacher: If homework is taking too long, or seems too difficult, use the diary or email to talk to the teacher so they can help your child and make the necessary adjustments.

Be positive: Not always easy! Try to use positive language when you talk about homework, as opposed to making it seem a chore. Make sure you praise their efforts both as they complete their work, and after.

Use a timer: Particularly with older students, this can give them a sense of scale to the task. You can use the timer on your smartphone, or there are many more visual timer apps to download.

Don’t do the work for them-but do model it: If your child is stuck on a tricky Mathematics problem, don’t solve it for them, but model for them how you can do a similar problem. You can ask their teacher for help with the methods they are using in class!

Thanks to all parents who attended our recent Homework Workshop. If you were unable to attend, please head to your child’s Year Level Blog. Under the ‘Resources’ tab, you will find our recent homework presentation with further information.

Written by Veronica Martin (ECE Coordinator)

The ECE has recently installed a new artificial stream for the ECE children allowing them to build and explore the world using their senses, which creates a stream of joy!  And better yet, the idea came from the students themselves.

Water and Mud play allows children to build and explore the world using their senses. They can investigate, observe and predict what will happen in a medium of their choosing. As each child squishes their fingers and toes through the mud or whirls them in water little tiny brain connections are being made. Each child is experiencing the learning in their own way and not being directed by sometimes restrictive adults. They can explore how things sink or float, how to pour water onto something dry and turn it into something else.

At YCIS, we believe that all children have the ability to control their own learning environment and that each child should be able to contribute to it.

Last year for example, the K4 students came up with the idea to build and add an item to their outdoor play space. They created some plans and the teachers along with other departments saw it come to fruition. And this is how the ECE stream was born.

The children have been playing and laughing in it with their rain-boots on or just in their feet feeling the water rushing past them, floating their boats, digging in the mud or building with the leaves as they fall from the trees.

Have a look one day after school and have your child explain how they are using this new play area. You may also create some new learning memories along the way.