HSK K2 Learning Blog (2020-21)

The highly anticipated World Book Day is here and the children have certainly shown up for the occasion! We are so impressed with their storybook characters, it's as if they jumped right out of the book! 📚There was a buzz of excitement in the air as we celebrated the joy that books bring us, and children loved it when we were able to guess what storybook character they are dressed up as 😀 At the beginning of Open Play, all K2 classes participated in the Book Parade. Every class had their moment to shine as they walked up and down the "catwalk", with some children even striking a pose! The rest of us were an enthusiastic audience as we clapped to the music and cheered them on.  After all the classes had a turn, it was time for the teachers to strut their stuff! We paraded to the song The Freeze Dance  and some of the children got up to dance along with us.  Thank you all grown-ups at home who helped to make such creative costumes. What a memorable World Book Day it was! ...

During this month of April, our Chinese teachers, Yammi Lao Shi and Joey Lao Shi are tuning the children into the new Unit of Inquiry. Through weekly circle time and smaller group learning engagements, children acquire the Chinese language through play and exploration.  Parents are welcome to support your child's Chinese learning at home with the following stories, songs, and vocabulary sound bites. If you have any questions or would like clarification around the Chinese curriculum, please feel free to reach out to Yammi Lao Shi directly at yammi.cheng@hillside.edu.hk Happy learning!

At Hillside, children have ample opportunities to engage with all sorts of texts through weekly library sessions, accessing their classroom book baskets by themselves, learning in a print-rich environment, and through many other more structured learning engagements. As a PYP school, our children develop their reading skills alongside inquiry-based learning. Their innate curiosity and enthusiasm serves as the cornerstone for being self-motivated readers, as both fiction and non-fiction books helps them to acquire knowledge, develop empathy, and make sense of the world around them.  The PYP believes : Reading helps us to clarify our ideas, feelings, thoughts and opinions. Literature offers us a means of understanding ourselves and others, and has the power to influence and structure thinking.  Children learn to read by reading . Writing is a way of expressing ourselves. It is a personal act that grows and develops with the individual. From the earliest lines and marks of young l...

I hope you've all had a wonderful term break, indeed there was a lot of sun in the city and long lines at amusement parks! As I welcomed the children off the school bus today, and with Audrey & Laura greeting many at the front door, we saw big smiles from the children excited to be back at school, some telling us about turning 5 years old and getting new haircuts! It was a great first day back seeing their friends and teachers again as they settled swiftly into school routines and their learning environment.  During Open Play time this week, children are invited to play a game of "Silly Bananas" with their friends. It's a rule-based game and involves roles and cooperation. Ask your child to teach you how to play! More Open Play fun on their first day back: It's great to be back at school! 😃