Kang Chiao Spotlight Issue 19 (小學部)

　　Our campus, very quiet during the summer vacation, is once again full of excited students and teachers, eager to start on new learning journeys together. From the cover story, you will see how our devoted teachers prepared to get ready for a strong new school year. We believe teachers who feel organized and recharged will help students to get a fresh and successful start.

　　Learning the holidays and celebrations of different cultures gives children a chance to understand their traditions and histories and furthermore to see why people have different beliefs and practices. Last semester, our grade one Chinese English teachers led students to explore holiday celebrations and they made one-day plans for their foreign teachers to experience the traditions of their favorite holidays. Enjoy the students' great work and you may get some new ideas from their recommendations to celebrate holidays with your family in the future.

　　The parent-teacher conference will be held on September 21. Effective parent-teacher communication can promote positive outcomes for your child's learning. We sincerely invite all parents to attend the conference.

　　開學了！暑假期間安靜的校園，又開始忙碌，走廊、教室到處可見充滿熱情，準備好迎接新學年挑戰的師生。本期的封面報導讓您更了解老師們如何利用暑假充電進修，並做好開學準備，例如：規畫新學期教學計畫、調整班級經營策略和佈置教室。希望做好萬全準備的老師們，能幫助假期回來的孩子們盡早收心，迎接新學年的挑戰。

　　節慶教學是增進學生認識本國和外國文化習俗的最佳方式。上學期一年級中籍英師團隊設計的Holiday Celebration（歡慶佳節）專題，帶領孩子們討論自己喜歡的中外節日，並請他們為外師設計一天的節慶體驗活動。為了能推薦外師最道地的節慶活動，孩子們還利用iPad閱讀更多的資料，無形之中，也增進了他們對各個節慶相關文化習俗的認識。時間飛逝，這些小作者們如今都已升上二年級，閱讀他們真情流露的邀請信，並欣賞他們童稚的插畫，我們也彷彿再次回味這些重要的中西節慶。

　　良好的親師溝通與合作，是孩子們穩定學習和成長的最大助力，誠摯邀請所有家長參加9月21日舉行的班親會，也祝福您和孩子，新學期都能有個順利、美好的開始。

　　Packing schoolbags and waking up early with a ready heart, a new school year has finally begun. We hope the students all had time to fully recharge with the slow pace that summer brings as schoolwork is put aside. While students were still catching the tail-end of the summer vacation and feeling anxious about starting a new school year, our passionate teachers were preparing all the materials and lessons. We are now ready to accompany all our students as we embark on this journey of learning together.

　　It is always intriguing and exciting when a new school year begins. For first graders, they have to adjust themselves to a new environment, and learning style. For returning students, who are transitioning into big brothers and sisters, and a higher grade, the more responsibilities they are going to carry. In order to help students be well-prepared, our devoted teachers came back to school two weeks before the semester began.

　　● Warming up with Lively Decorations

　　To help students to adapt to their new class routines smoothly, teachers decorated their classrooms two weeks before the semester began. Some teachers filled their classrooms with encouraging quotes to make the first graders feel a warm welcome. Others turned pale classrooms into lively workplaces full of different themes related to upcoming projects. Grade 1 Chinese English Teacher, Ms. Cindy, decorated her classroom with a big tree depicting all her students, which is going to correlate with an upcoming project about family trees. She believes that with the help of this decoration, her students will be more familiar with this coming project.

　　Aside from helping new students, building up an inquiry and authentic learning environment that integrates with our updated curriculum policy is also crucial to the students. That is why our teachers attended different workshops since the beginning of the summer vacation. In those workshops, teachers were given a clear picture of what the 108 New Curriculum and Core Competencies are, and how they affect student learning. Through these workshops, our teachers are now ready to equip students with the knowledge and skills that they can apply throughout their entire lives.

　　For the purpose of helping students reach the goals of the different grade levels, teachers held meetings to decide the purpose of each project and how to lead students through the six stages of each project, one stage at a time. With respect to encouraging students to be responsible and independent learners, some teachers even shared their teaching strategies in the meetings. As our Grade 6 Chinese English teacher Ms. Helen shared, “There’s only one rule in my class; it is that we all show respect to ourselves, others, and our environment.” By respecting themselves, students will learn to manage their time and monitor the progress of their own learning.

　　So as a new school year begins, many challenges are awaiting to be discovered. We hope the students will have the capability to solve problems, the courage to cope with pressure, and the curiosity to welcome the unknown. That is why we encourage parents and teachers to work together. By joining hands together, we can offer our children a brighter future.