Our children freely explore different areas in class and have been particularly interested in playing with sharks, fish and crabs. They have slowly been incorporating other sea animals in their pretend games. To support their interest the teachers have provided blue fabric to represent the ocean and the children like to put the sea animals on it so they can swim. The K2B children like to name each animal and show their peers which sea animal is their favourite.

Our children have also learned a new song called, ‘Baby Shark’ from Super Simple Songs.

The children enjoyed photos and a video about a group of fish swimming and being fed in an iguana reserve. This was taken in a Caribbean Island called, Roatan in Honduras.

K2B Co-teachers – Teresa LARA & Limei SUN

Take a look inside the Year 2 classrooms and around the school at the Year 2 students … you may notice a magnifying glass in their hand or witness someone looking closely at something and recording their observations. You may even notice teams of students working together to undergo weird and wonderful experiments. Year 2 students are currently questioning the world around them!

In classes, they have discussed what a Scientist is and participated in activities that enable them to carefully observe their world, learn how to make scientific questions based on their observations and ultimately predict and test their beliefs in experiments. This unit nurtures and engages students’ curiosity. It also promotes oral language, participation in discussions and develops teamwork skills. As well as these important educational goals, it is a lot of fun and you will hear laughter and joy throughout the Year 2 corridors as they delve into questioning the world around them!

Year 2 Leader & Y2B Co-teacher – Natalie GRAY

 

At the beginning of the new semester, Y5 students have been studying the theme of ‘Double Seventh Festival’ in Chinese Studies Class.

The seventh day of the seventh lunar month is the Double Seventh Festival. It began in the Han Dynasty and originated from the worship of nature. Later, the legend of ‘the Cowherd and the Weaving Maid’ made the festival a symbol of love, and is considered to be ‘the Chinese Valentine’s Day’. Our students not only learned the origin and the legend of Double Seventh Festival, but also imitated the ancient traditions. We held a competition. The competition required students to clip as many marbles as possible from one container to another in the allotted time. Some of the students were holding their breath, and soon they were able to clip all the marbles. Some students furrowed their brows, as if they were using chopsticks to fight with marbles. The rest of the students were eager to try, and were cheered on by their classmates.

By studying the theme of ‘the Double Seventh Festival ‘, students not only felt the charm of traditional Chinese culture, but also had a stronger interest in Chinese culture.

Y5E Co-teacher – June XU

Despite pouring rain, it was great to see many YCIS families join the Back to School Carnival last Saturday. It was a fun packed day with more than 50 games and activities that kept children entertained. Performances ranged from a dynamic Zumba dance to fun percussion music, from kids’ favourite bubble artist to a YCIS student magic show. The campus was filled with energy and laughter. The community was brought together and closer in this first whole school event of the year. There were also exciting raffle prizes and delicious food that kept everyone’s spirits high and stomachs full! It was a rainy day, but it was a happy rainy day! Parent Organisation Puxi would like to say a big thank you to all parent and student volunteers who devoted their time to making this event a success! And many thanks to everyone for your support of POP events.

Parent Relations Officer – Carol MAO

 

Where are you from?

India

How long have you been at YCIS HQ?

This is my third year.

What do you enjoy most about learning here?

My favourite subject is Mathematics because I enjoy doing calculations and problem solving is good for brain development.

Tell us an interesting fact about you?

 I have been playing soccer for 5 years now.

Can you share a favourite film?

My favourite film is Mission Impossible because it has a lot of action and conflict and is really about a battle between good and evil.

 

Interviewed by:

School Captains –  Owen Tianmiao BANKS & Qing Levona SHU

Where are you from?

Henan province.

How long have you been a teacher?

I have been a teacher for 6 years. This is my first year at YCIS.

What do you enjoy most about teaching here?

Playing the violin is my favourite thing to do. I feel fortunate to be able to teach children to play the violin and share my passion with them.

Tell us an interesting fact about you?

I played in the Birmingham Royal Conservatoire symphony orchestra for two years.

Can you share a favourite film?

My favourite film is Pride and Prejudice. It is a classic story and I am a fan of the actress.

 

Interviewed by:

School Captains –  Owen Tianmiao BANKS & Qing Levona SHU

K2A children are settling well into our class and are beginning to understand and follow the routines, play with the other children, make their own choices and join in singing both English and Chinese songs. To help our children with the settling in process we have been focusing on classroom routines such as holding the reins while walking outside, cleaning up the classroom after play, changing shoes, eating snack, drinking water at snack times and waiting for their own turn during transition times. We have also been encouraging our children to express their needs and wants verbally and as a result, the children are beginning to talk about their preferences. We look forward to a successful year with the children and their families and we wonder what the children will want to learn about this year. Will it be dinosaurs, cars, airplanes or something else?

 

K2A Co-teachers – Maria SZYMANSKA & Catherine REN

At YCIS, our focus is on ensuring the holistic development of each student. In Year One the children will learn the foundational skills to help them be successful lifelong learners. Not only will they learn to read and write, they will learn how to work with others and express their ideas. They will learn to add and subtract as well as how to resolve everyday conflicts with their peers. The children will learn about the world around them and how they can play their part in being a responsible and caring global citizen.

 

To ensure the best possible start to this exciting year of learning, our Year One children will participate in a six-week transition programme. For those first weeks of school the focus in each classroom will be on developing skills and knowledge such as; following classroom and school routines independently, how to make and maintain friendships, seeking help when necessary, holding a pencil correctly and having good posture when writing, forming letters and numbers correctly and sharing our thoughts and feelings. The overarching aims for these transition weeks are to help the children feel confident and comfortable in their new environment and to ensure that they are well prepared for Year One. We look forward to getting to know all of our students and supporting them this year.

 

Year 1 Leader & Y1D Co-teacher – Jennifer CAIRNS

School time again! Chinese Study Class is one of the most popular courses. Let’s take a look at some of the highlights of the first Chinese Study Class for Y5 and Y6.

First of all, under the guidance of the teacher, the students considered their prior knowledge of Chinese culture with a review of past events and the extracurricular activities they have taken part in. They also shared what they learnt in class and Chinese cultural elements they observed in daily life. Sometimes they discussed openly, and sometimes they reflected silently. All the students expressed their thoughts and feelings.

Y5 students’ assignment was to design the cover of their Chinese Study exercise book. Among the drawings, there was the Great Wall, the charmingly naive giant pandas, the scene of celebrating the Spring Festival together and the four great inventions from Chinese ancient wisdom, etc.

The class activity for Y6 was having a general understanding of the areas they are going to learn this semester. This will include ceramic, martial arts, embroidery and Chinese painting. Every theme will inspire great learning and enthusiasm.

Everyone is looking forward to learning more about Chinese culture and enjoying its charm this academic year.

Y6C Co-teacher – Jin WEI

 

Years 3 to 6 began swimming lessons last week.  This is a four-week programme, with lessons being held at the Maison des Artistes pool, and instructed by Multisport coaches. With the Shanghai heat of late, the students are definitely enjoying their time in the water!

Children have been placed in various groups depending on their swimming ability, the groups are open and children may be moved into different groups throughout the swimming unit. Children have learnt basic survival skills on how to float in the pool and the importance of safety in and around the pool. Our coaches from Multisport have been fantastic in encouraging the children to swim within their various groups. In the coming weeks, the children will be taught the four swim strokes, namely; freestyle, backstroke, breaststroke and butterfly. The children will also be learning to dive using the correct technique. In week 6 we conclude our swimming unit with the exception of a few classes who will have their final lesson in week 7. The final week is when children are assessed on what they have learnt and will receive a certificate with feedback as to how they have progressed throughout the swimming unit. We look forward to seeing their progress over the next few weeks.

Primary Coordinator – Jim WILCOX & Primary PE Teacher – Shane KNOX