~ Sheryl Yu
English Teacher, International Department
Students and teachers are back to school after what feels like the longest summer vacation ever. At last, the school is full of positive and exciting vibes again! During class time, students have gotten more and more familiar with their new teachers and routines. During break time, students explore the campus to visit their old friends and teachers, hang out with new friends in classrooms, and bathe in the early-autumn sunshine on the track.
● Building Relationships
Walking around the campus, you can see all the new classroom decorations welcoming students to their new classes. After weeks of learning from home, teachers have helped students to reconnect with each other again. Our grade one, three, and five students got to know their new classmates too, and even with social distancing and masks, they can still be each other’s learning buddies and stay close mentally to support each other. This year, our new grade one students started their online transition camp in early August. It helped to build in them a sense of belonging even before the new semester began. Then when they met at school, they quickly recognized and bonded with their teachers which meant that they could immediately start learning in a secure and supportive environment.
● Getting Ready
From the experience of remote learning, both teachers’ and students’ technological skills have improved greatly. As teachers prepared for the new semester, they considered ways in which they could combine aspects of remote learning with face-to-face learning to keep kids even more engaged. Besides our school library’s online resources which help all the students maintain good reading habits and monitor their independent reading abilities, our grade three and four teachers also incorporate online review activities to extend the students’ learning at home. Our grade five and six students are gradually mastering their computing skills. They use their Chromebooks during class discussions as well as to complete some of the homework assignments. All of our teachers from grades one to six have given thoughtful consideration to effectively bridge the learning process for students to enable a smooth transition between distance, hybrid, and in-person learning.
● Boosting Student Motivation and Skills
We all value the benefits of working with the students in-person again. The students also appreciate their teachers’ assistance when they need help. We teach students how to keep themselves safe, and we also build their initiative competency by arranging whole class learning, group learning, and individual learning. Instead of listening to the teacher all the time, they need to be able to share ideas, evaluate their learning and formulate questions through individual practice. Cultivating an active learner takes time and effort. Together, teachers and parents can help every student to find the right trigger and motivation for their learning. Having started to use the social media app, Line, during distance learning, we will continue to use it to create closer and more instant communication with parents.
As we follow the weekly learning schedule that derives from our clear syllabi and goals, our students will grow from strength to strength as they adapt to become better learners in any circumstance or opportunity that life offers. The process of learning and growing never stops as we stay on the right path. And in the end we know that each child will enjoy learning and blossom in their own unique way. Day by day, let’s make this school year splendid together!
From the Editor
A New Start
國際處主任 賴國宜
It has been fantastic to see all the children back in school learning and playing together nicely. They have settled down so well and the teachers were all impressed by their adaptability. Through experiencing distance learning, both teachers' and students' digital skills have improved. Most teachers are continuing using technology tools, online platforms, and resources to increase students' collaboration and engagement. The emphasis on digital skills is not just preparation for another shutdown but more importantly to ensure that students develop crucial digital competency to tackle any challenges that they may have in the future.
睽違校園一百多天，學生會不會對學校的作息、常規，還有同儕人際感到生疏呢？出乎預料，這一次開學成為「史上最令人想回學校」的新學期，孩子們比大人預期的表現更好，他們熱誠期待回到學校，能在教室和老師面對面討論與學習，享受有同學在身邊的陪伴和互動。經歷此次的線上學習經驗，孩子們更加珍惜能回到實體教室與老師同學們一起上課。
這場突如其來的遠距學習，像是對這些年我們一直推動的科技融入和數位教學的試煉，老師和學生的數位能力大幅提升。即使恢復實體上課，數位化和科技化，持續改變教學現場。因應疫情的線上教學經驗，讓我們更堅定相信，為培養孩子面對未來生存的能力，學校行政與教師都需要善用科技的優勢，與時俱進新的學習型態，學生才會擁有終生受用的自主學習能力。
去年推行的Hooked on Books《深耕閱讀課程》成功提升全校學生的閱讀量，也培養學生主動閱讀的習慣，我們在英文校刊新增Quick Picks單元，每期為孩子推薦兩本不同級數的優良電子書，您可以和孩子一起共讀，或是鼓勵孩子與您分享閱讀的內容，增進幸福的親子時光。