Written by:Cathy Yang, Primary Chinese Coordinator

In YCIS primary, while we are committed to cultivating language ability, we are also helping students develop from the primary cognitive thinking of “memory, understanding and application” to the high-level thinking of “analysis, evaluation and creation.”  Through debate competitions, language activities and project-based learning, students improve their critical thinking skills. We have made significant progresses in terms of how we teach and the emphaisis we place on the individual needs of our students. We keep trying our best to create more and more chances for collaboration.

What would life be like without animals? Why do animals need our help and protection nowadays? And also, what should I do to protect animals? Recently, CFL-5 students have been doing a project, “People and Animals”, in which students raise their voices for endangered animals in our community.

After launching the project, students worked in small groups, each group chose an animal which they wanted to help with. In group discussions, they talked about things like: why the animals were endangered, the problems these animals are facing and how we can help them. The students wrote the description of the animals and studied facts about them. They then included pictures and videos. Finally, the students presented their projects in different forms, such as poster, presentation, and interviews.

Through such a project, students not only had the opportunity to do anin-depth exploration of the relationship between people and animals, but also developed a range of learning skills such as researching, writing and editing, planning and reflecting. Concepts such as thinking, enquiry and research happen in both CAL and CFL as well as in Chinese Studies. We also provide students with opportunities to enhance their teamwork skills and collaboration which are core requirements for their future.

Happy New Year of the Ox! The biggest event on Chinese calendars is upon us once more: Chinese New Year. As always, staff and students at YCIS Shanghai celebrated the breadth of our host country’s culture. Here is a roundup of how the proceedings went in the 2021 celebrations.

Chinese Culture Week in ECE & Primary 

From February 1–5, YCIS Pudong ECE and Primary hosted the ‘Chinese Culture Week’, a week of cultural activities, allowing students and teachers to explore different aspects of Chinese culture, which helped them gain greater insight and connection to China. During the week, ECE and Primary students experienced traditional arts and crafts making, learned traditional dances, tasted Chinese food, and participated in art projects with the school’s Artist-in-Residence (AIR).

Chinese Cultural Interactions in Secondary 

In Secondary, Year 7 and Year 9 participated in Chinese Studies lessons, exploring the origins of their last names and then sharing their findings and thoughts with the whole school community. Year 8 students explored China’s eight regional cuisines and prepared final dishes, which they presented to a food-tasting panel of teachers. Finally, during lunch recesses, students played many different Chinese traditional sports and had a grand final ‘CNY House Competition’ on Friday.

Chinese New Year Celebration Day on Friday, February 5 

Without any doubt, the highlight of the week was the Chinese New Year Celebration Day that took place on Friday, February 5. Even though parents, unfortunately, were still not able to enter the campuses, students had the chance to enjoy a variety of exciting activities throughout the day.

Some Highlights of the Celebration Day included:

• Dress Up Day: Students and staff alike came to school dressed up in amazing Chinese traditional or red clothes!
• Game Rooms: In the morning, Primary students explored various activities to fully engage with different Chinese cultural themes, including art, handicrafts, and games. ECE students had the opportunity to play numerous traditional Chinese games, such as stilt-walking, kicking shuttlecocks, rolling a hoop, diabolo, pitch-pot, and book reading, to name but a few. The games were run by Year 5 and Year 6 students as part of their Service Learning programme.
• House Activity: Secondary students participated in various Chinese traditional sporting games on the playground with opportunities to win House points. Each House also completed a group artwork and made House videos.
• Performance:

  After lunchtime, the Regency Park campus courtyard transformed into a festive theatre, when ECE and Primary students performed together to celebrate the spirit of Chinese New Year. The event was live-streamed for parents and the YCIS Shanghai community to enjoy. If you missed it, watch the recording here.

Overall, it was another wonderful celebration had by all involved! We wish everyone a healthy and prosperous Chinese New Year, and we look forward to a memorable year ahead!

YCIS Shanghai highly values its relationships with parents, supports their involvement and interest in being part of the school community, and maintains open communication with them. This is reflected in this year’s YCIS Connected theme, which, among many other initiatives, includes a series of information sessions, workshops, and webinars for parents of ECE, Primary, and Secondary students alike.

During the events so far, experts from YCIS Pudong have included our Co-Principals, Vice Principals, University Guidance Counsellors, Curriculum Coordinators, Child Protection and Student Support staff, as well as external speakers.

      

Despite ongoing  campus restrictions, YCIS Pudong has been organizing off-site events at the nearby Kerry Hotel. Over 150 parents attended the Pathway to University evening to hear about what universities look for in applicants today and how the school sets a foundation for university throughout the students’ educational journeys, starting from ECE.

At the recent Future of Education event, over 60 parents participated in an interactive workshop, taking a deep dive into what it means to be purposeful and resilient in an increasingly complex world. They also learned about the importance of preparing children for the highest level of success in life beyond school.

Additionally, a series of online webinars for parents of ECE, Primary, and Secondary students, included:

• Whole Student Success – Social and Emotional Well-being for Academic Excellence: This highlighted how School Counselling, Student Support Services, Child Protection, Life Skills and Behavioural Policies work together to promote the social and emotional well-being necessary to support every student for success, and how parents can support the well-being of their children at home.
• Myth-Busting & Exam Prep: Here, our school expert discussed the effectiveness of agencies that promise student success in nearly every category of their lives, and what affects they have on students.
• Student Success – How Data Drives Learning in Primary: This event stressed the positive influence of data on teaching and learning, and how gathering and using information about what students have learned is pivotal to the role of educators to ensure progress in the classroom.
• Supporting Child Engagement with Reading in ECE & Primary: Children’s book author Ms Annette Bay Pimentel shared strategies based on professional and personal experiences as a writer and mother, intending to help parents support their child’s engagement with reading.
• Big Emotions & Challenging Behaviours: Our school’s experts shared practical tips and strategies with parents to support young children’s positive behaviour and emotional intelligence.
• Global Competency: A presentation of the ‘YCIS CARES’ model for global competency, which aims to support students to become highly competent international learners, leaders, and future professionals.

At the Parents and Alumni Christmas gathering on December 8, parents had a chance to connect face-to-face with school leaders, socialise with other parents, and hear stories from an Alumni and Parents panel discussion, all while enjoying the Christmas atmosphere, food, and drinks at the Kerry Hotel.

And the fun continues! Parents will be able to participate at the Plugged-in Parenting online workshop on December 14, our school’s experts will share ideas about how to balance media use as a family, find quality content, and set expectations around healthy use to prevent conflict and raise media-savvy consumers and creators.

Such sessions are very well received by parents as they help to strengthen their relationship with the school and ensure they feel informed at all times about their children’s education and future. We look forward to more such opportunities to connect this school year, so stay tuned for announcements of our upcoming YCIS Connected events in 2021!

Written by:   Laura Muir, School Counsellor & Child Protection Officer, Century Park Campus (Year 5-13)

Resilience is a buzzword amongst psychologists and educators but what does it mean? Resilience is letting the emotion hit you, processing it, and then recovering. It is that ability to walk through challenges and come out the other side even stronger.

Resilience is a major predictor of long-term mental health.  Among those factors is another buzzword – grit. Grit was developed by the Asian American academic, Angela Lee Duckworth. Grit means sticking with things that you’re passionate about. It is what drives world-class athletes and artists. It is also what drives our students, who manage school, CCAs, and various commitments.

A growth mindset works with grit to help predict resilience. Carol Dweck developed growth mindset, which means learning from mistakes and be willing to take the risk of making mistakes. During adolescence, young people experience the height of their brain’s ability. Simultaneously, teens are dealing with frontal lobes that aren’t fully developed yet. In simple terms, that means they physiologically lack the same inhibition, emotional regulation, organisation, decision making, and problem-solving skills as adults. In that light, we ask a lot and, very often, they deliver because they have a growth mindset. All of that, though, can lead to stress and studentsneed the tools to handle that stress.

Managing stress and challenges, building resilience and growth mindset, and helping young people find their motivation are all intertwined. It all links back to love and support. These healthy attachments predict long-term achievement and workplace success. Supportive relationships model empathy and help a young person build a positive sense of identity. It all builds confidence and belief in their own self-efficacy. This self-worth also encourages self-care and stress management.

As part of mental health awareness in November at our Century Park Campus, student leaders encouraged everyone to find ways to mindfully de-stress. Activities included yoga, meditation, a walkathon, sensory spaces, and connecting with each other in meaningful ways. It comes full circle when this self-care ensures sustainable success and achievement for our students.

Written by: Nathan Pearson, Physical Education Specialist (ECE & Primary) & Regency Park Campus House Leader 

This year, the Primary section at YCIS Pudong has launched an exciting new student led initiative that is aimed to provide an inclusive and exciting house competition, taking in events and activities from across the curriculum. Students across Year 1-6 will be able to compete in several events and competitions throughout the year. Students have already competed in events such as Book Week poster making and Christmas Card Cover design competition. Students at Regency Park Campus will be participating in a paper plane throwing competition next week, which will give them an opportunity to apply their STEM skills. The students are also able to earn points for achieving their Bronze, Silver and Gold Helping Hands, to acknowledge their commitment towards a positive attitude atschool. Events will run throughout the year for all year levels, so please look out for some of our exciting competitions that your child and the whole family will be able to be involved in for the coming year.

To support this exciting initiative, we have introduced a leadership opportunity for our Year Four students at Regency Park Campus.  Recently 24 students nominated to be the captain of their respective houses. In week 10, our Year Three and Four students elected two students who they felt should be their house captain.  These 8 students will be our leadership team for the year and will drive the house captain program, not only supporting their teams, but also leading and planning events. We look forward to supporting and developing the leadership skills ofthese students. We would like to congratulate the Year 4 Students who have been elected as House Captains for 2020-21:

Yellow

• JIN Elizabeth (Elise): 4B
• SUDAK Giray Han (GIRAY): 4A

Red

• OSTLEY Ren Gabriel (Ren): 4E
• CHANG Emma Kai Pin (Emma): 4D

Blue

• WU Yuk Pak (Eric): 4A
• SHAW Mia Louise (Mia): 4B

Green

• WANG Tianze (Alexander): 4C
• LEWIS Daniel Xavier: 4D

Written by:  Ian Lee, IGCSE Coordinator 

The House system has undergone quite a few changes this year. First of all, reigning champions Green House lost their teacher leader at the end of the year, but Ms. Gregorius has now taken over. She was hand-picked by Ms. Bryant so we know Green House is in safe hands.

We have also changed the model of House to better reflect the school’s mission to foster leaders who work for the benefit of others. The structure of House, for those who are new to the school, is four House Leaders from the teaching team, and two House Prefects who oversee a team of 12 House Captains from Upper Secondary. This group develops ideas and leads the House Events that happen through the year. It took some time to adapt our plans to allow for safe physical distancing, but we are now up and running.

So far this year, we have had a hugely successful Founder’s Day, a House Literary Character Dress Up Day, and we are currently in the middle of a House Football tournament. The buzz of the crowd around the games during recess has been amazing. Coming up next, the House Captains will be organizing an e-Games tournament for the final week of the semester.

 

We are pleased to name the following students as House Captains for Century Park Campus for 2020-21:

Blue

• Troy Wu (Y13)
• Hayley Chu (Y13)
• Sean Sun (Y10)
• Cherry Liu (Y6)

Yellow

• Oufan Li (Y13)
• Yang Yang Xu (Y13)
• Bethany Watson (Y10)
• Lin Kai Shen (Y10)
• Samuel Watson (Y6)

Red

• Ann Huang (Y13)
• Zeke McDaniels (Y11)
• Shuyang Fei (Y10)
• Cayden Nip (Y6)

Green

• Elena Yu (Y13)
• Alexis Pableo (Y12)
• Skylah Rose (Y10)
• Jessica Hehir (Y6)

Written by:  Suzanne Watt & Rainbow Duan, K3 Leaders

The early years of a child’s education is fundamental to the progress of their academic, social, emotional and physical development. It is well known that children learn best through their engagement with the world around them. It is for this reason that in the ECE at YCIS we follow a child led, play-based curriculum allowing the curiosity of the group or individual student to direct the project or theme that we then teach our skills around. This means that what and how we teach is dynamically coordinated with what our students want to learn and their individualised skill level at each developmental stage. This approach appeals to children’s natural curiosity and desire to engage in experiences based on their interests, strengths and developing skills as they make sense of their world around them. Our highly trained co-teachers use the children’s ideas and collaborate together to move their learning forward.

In our K3 classrooms, you will see many different, exciting projects occurring. Each class follows their students’ interests which allows the students to develop curiosity, discover and create knowledge through their environment whilst encouraging skills such as problem solving and resilience. Each class may look different to an outsider; however, the main principles and objectives are continually being taught in each ECE classroom. We believe that eachof our classrooms area ‘unique’ learning space that fosters a curiosity and willingness to learn and continually develop.

Within our K3A classroom, the teachers found that the children were becoming more and more interested in dinosaurs. They would use the resources that had been placed out whilst also re-enacting what dinosaurs do. This is how the topic of Dinosaurs became K3A’s project. The K3A studentseven had our Artist In Residence, Haruka, join them to create a large dinosaur for the corridor.

Within the K3B classroom, the teachers noticed that the children would consistently use the medical equipment and act out being in a doctor’s surgery. As a result, the teachers planned visits to see the on-site nurses in the health care room and a virtual visit to a local clinic has also been arranged for the children so they could witness real life experiences of what medical professionals do.

K3C’s project came from a group time where the class teachers were reading ‘The Very Hungry Caterpillar’. From this, the children were asking lots of questions such as how do caterpillars turn into butterflies and what we need to eat to stay healthy. Again, our amazing Artist In Residence came to create some wonderful artwork with the children.

During a bilingual group time, K3D were discussing what they aspire to be when they grow up. One child explained that he would like to be a firefighter as this was always his dream. This sparked excitement amongst the class and the children began to make their own fire engines and read books about firefighters. They even went on a hunt around the school to find fire safety equipment.

Although all of the projects are completely different, each class still encapsulates the seven learning areas within their classroom environment, group times, displays and resources. The children all learn the fundamental skills and develop in age appropriates ways, but through their own interests. Through this approach, teachers gain a greater understanding of each child’s individual needs, allowing for thoughtful and individualised planning. Children are more motivated to learn and develop a positive attitude towards their learning when they are involved in experiences that are meaningful and encourage them to develop lifelong skills.

Written by:  Tania Jordan, Teacher Librarian

Every year, our ECE & Primary school is fortunate to host an International children’s author for a week to celebrate books and reading. This year, with travel restrictions and the context of COVID-19, there were necessary changes to the format of Book Week with the author visit being the most obvious departure from tradition.

Would a virtual author session be engaging? The resounding answer is yes! Primary students across both Pudong and Puxi campuses, were able to meet, virtually, three international authors of picture-book style biographies.

The authors spoke with passion about their books, their work as an author and their lives beyond being authors. Written to serve a purpose, the authors talked about writing inspiring true stories of people who had overcome substantial challenges. Their essentially non-fiction books presented in the style of picture books, required persistent and thorough research and told stories that both young and old can aspire to.

Age-appropriate sessions were given for students from K4 to Year 6, with all students having read the book of the author that we were focusing on. A question from each class based on their response to each book, formed the Q&A section of each author session.

Besides the author sessions, many students took part in the poster activity in the lead-up to Book Week. During the week itself, students enjoyed the uncommon thrill of wearing pyjamas to school for some comfortable reading, wearing the costume of someone significant on the Friday and in many cases, enjoying a story read by a classroom visitor or by a parent, virtually.

While challenging to do something different than previous years, it was a beneficial experience. Our school learnt that by using technology, we can come together across campuses and tap into a wider pool of celebrated international authors – united by reading!

Written by:  Arnav Patel, Y12 student

When I was in Year 7, I was introduced to the idea of community service and the idea of working to better some part of our society. This got me thinking, what would be something that I can do to directly contribute to the YCIS community, while also helping me develop my personal skillset, like initiative planning and leadership? I wanted to create something that was both fun and also educational, and after much thought and preparation, myself and a few teachers created a Minecraft co-curricular activity for our younger students in Regency Park Campus to join after school. It’s been a few years since its conception, and now that we have brought it over to our secondary school, the Minecraft CCA is more popular than ever, bringing students together every Friday here at Century Park Campus.

Building a community at school has been an invaluable experience for me, I have become a much better public speaker and I am more confident in leadership positions. Even though it was initially very nerve-wracking and exhausting to moderate over 20 kids, excited to be able to play their favourite video game in school, I learned how to be a better student teacher, keeping them on track without taking away any of the fun, and maybe even teaching them a thing or two about Maths and Science along the way!

As for the YCIS Shanghai community, I think this extra-circular activity has helped introduce the idea of non-conventional teaching methods in the classroom. Gamification in education is a great way to teach without making the process boring. In fact, many students find it easier to grasp concepts when it is presented in a relatable, visual manner. For example, many teachers in RP teach area and perimeter, by having students create houses and apartments with given dimensions in Minecraft. The CCA has also helped foster collaborative skills in participating students, teaching them to communicate and work together to make awesome creations!

All in all, this co-circular activity has been a great experience for myself and the participating students, and I encourage all my fellow peers to take the initiative and create your own student led activity in our YCIS Shanghai community.

Written by:  Andrea Griego, Character Education and Life Skills Coordinator 

This summer with travel restrictions in place, many students found new sports in Shanghai to keep them busy while still having fun. This held true for Austin Gong who started playing golf this summer. “I started to play golf this summer and I got to play golf with my Dad,” said Austin. He has continued to play golf and takes lesson to improve his golf swing. He mostly plays on the weekend but wishes he could play golf every day. Austin says he hopes to become a professional golfer one day because he enjoys the sport so much. Austin says, “It’s so fun to hit the ball far!”

Austin’s classroom teachers were surprised at all of the sports that Austin participated in. Ms. Song said, “I didn’t know Austin liked so many sports, that’s wonderful.” She went on to say that, “He puts forth his best effort in his studies while managing a busy schedule outside of school with various sports and social activities.”

Ms. Xie says, “Austin is my student, and as a teacher I like to know what interests my students, what they are passionate about. With Austin, the answer is obvious. He is passionate about sports.” Ms. Xie also says, “I have encouraged Austin to read books about sports heroes.” For Book Week, naturally Austin decided to make a poster about Yao Ming, China’s national basketball hero! In addition, his teachers also mentioned that Austin is a kind and caring student who displays the Helping Hands traits every day at school.

In addition to playing golf, Austin really enjoys swimming, which he has practiced for four years, and playing basketball. He has a great time playing basketball at the park near his home. Austin thinks it is important to play sports because it keeps us strong and fit, but it is also fun. Austin hopes to play football on a team soon and thinks he will try many different sports in the future. He also says that golf will always be his favourite though.