K1 Monkey Class

Dear Monkey Class families, This week, we embarked on a little detour from our Sharing the Planet unit of inquiry to embrace the spirit of Halloween and indulge in some festive fun. The discovery of real pumpkins in our Monkey class pumpkin patch sparked the children's curiosity, leading us to crafting our very own class Jack-o'-lanterns. The children also expressed a keen interest in trick or treating, so we made some pretend candy together to add our role play.  Given that our pumpkins seemed unlikely to survive for long, we decided to transform our Jack o'lanterns into erupting pumpkin volcanoes—a thrilling and educational experience for all. The children's fascination with lava only added to the excitement! Furthermore, our Halloween festivities included a fun Halloween fashion show where the children had the opportunity to showcase their chosen costumes. This activity was purely optional, and I was pleasantly surprised by the confidence displayed by those who parti...

Dear Monkey Class Families, Thank you for taking the time out of your busy schedules to meet with me during the recent Parent-Teacher Conferences. It is invaluable to share insights about how each child is doing at home and at school. Together, we can continue to help each child be their own personal best. As the saying goes, it takes a village to raise a child, and in this case, the Monkey Class community is essential. I truly value your commitment to working together. Sharing the Planet Unit of Inquiry In our "Sharing the Planet" unit, we explored elements of nature. The children engaged in discussions about what nature is—and what it is not. They sorted pictures of nature into different categories based on similarities, giving each category a title. It was wonderful to see how confidently the children shared their findings and challenged each other's thinking by suggesting new pictures to include. A week later, during arrival play, we revisited the images and asked the...

As we have embarked on a new Unit of Inquiry, "Sharing the Planet," we have been exploring the natural world through the children's curiosities. To build upon our learning from before the half-term break, we read the story "我的家" (My Family) and then shared the story "我家是动物园" (My Home is a Zoo) about a boy who imagines himself living with his family members as different animals in a zoo. We are tuning in to the new unit by playing an animal sound lotto game to initiate conversations with children. They shared their prior knowledge about animals and animal sounds through the activity to make connections to our new unit. The children enjoyed playing the animal sound lotto game, which allowed them to listen to and identify the different animal sounds. Thank you for your continued support and involvement in your child's education. Please let me know if you have any questions or concerns. Class Blog:  Monkey Chinese Albums: Monkey AM               Monk...

The K1 children are well into the "tuning in" stage of their new Unit of Inquiry  Sharing the Planet . All learning supports children to understand and process the world around them, and this unit is especially opportune in providing them with the opportunity to tap into their curiosities and develop an appreciation for the ever-changing natural world around them.  If you would like to learn more along with some concrete examples of what the learning might look like for your child, feel free to hear me walk through the unit in finer detail. It's a 3-min video and you may press the full screen button for a clearer view. A main focus of this unit is supporting children to develop their research skills by learning about various topics of interest using different sources of information. Children can do research by reading, watching videos, interviewing others, and directing lots of questions at their peers and teachers! One of the best ways to support this at home is for pare...

Dear Monkey Class Families, As we approach the mid-term break, I wanted to take a moment to wish you all a wonderful and rejuvenating holiday with your loved ones. I hope this break brings you exciting adventures, precious moments, and plenty of time to relax and recharge. Sharing The Planet  This past week, we delved into our "Sharing the Planet" unit, beginning our exploration of the wonders of the natural world around us. I'd like to highlight some of the activities we engaged in as we delved into this unit and share some of the valuable conversations and moments of sharing we've witnessed. During circle time, we explored various images where children selected a picture to share what they saw. All the images were connected to the natural world. After displaying all the images, we asked the children if they thought these were all linked to the natural world. We inquired about their perceptions of the natural world and what they believed it included and excluded. It ...

Dear Parents and Caregivers, Thank you for joining us last Friday at the Chinese Webinar. We hope you found the information useful in supporting your children's Chinese learning. In the past two weeks, we have focused on reinforcing Chinese greetings and exploring our families as part of our Unit of Inquiry, "Who We Are." Through the story "你好" (Hello), the children practised greeting all the K1 teachers and created their own greeting videos.  They also learned the Chinese names of family members through the story "小象的家人" (Baby Elephant's Family). Utilizing the reading machine, students engaged in repetitive practice that significantly enhanced their vocabulary memorization. Additionally, the children enjoyed singing "动作歌" (Movement Song) and "我的家人" (My Family), which helped strengthen their listening and speaking skills. Thank you for your ongoing support in your child's learning journey! Wishing you all a restful and enjoy...