K1 Monkey Class

Dear Monkey Class Families, I can't believe this will be my final blog post, and tomorrow marks our last day of the school year! The year has truly flown by, and while I'm certainly looking forward to the upcoming holiday, I feel a mixture of emotions. First, I am so incredibly proud of all the Monkey children. Each and every one of them has shown tremendous growth this year, and in so many different areas. The children started the year unfamiliar with their classmates and teachers, and together we've developed a beautiful community – one where each child is valued, loved, and appreciated. New friendships have blossomed, and with those new friendships, we've seen growing confidence, stronger ideas, and clear opinions, which has also meant learning how to navigate conflict together. I've watched the children support and help each other, celebrate each other's growth, and simply "be there." Coming to school each day is an absolute joy for me. Our Monkey ...

Following our celebration of the Dragon Boat Festival, we began preparing for the transition to K2 by exploring our school community. The children reflected on various areas of the school where they enjoyed playing this past year. To introduce the concept of summer, we read the story "Katie Discovers Summer" (凯蒂在夏天). This prompted the children to share their favorite summer activities, including swimming and enjoying ice cream. In a creative activity, we made ice cream artwork using a mixture of glue, shaving foam, and food coloring. As the children learned about their new K2 classes, we aimed to reinforce their sense of belonging. To achieve this, we invited them to create new name badges featuring their K2 class logos. We appreciate your continued support in enhancing the children’s learning experiences and your volunteer efforts in Chinese activities. Wishing you a wonderful summer, and we look forward to seeing everyone next school year. Class Blog:  Monkey Chinese Album...

Dear Monkey Class Families, Just a quick update, but I simply couldn't wait to share the highlight of my week: the Monkey Class children's performances! The true magic for me was watching their show, especially when we faced a challenge: we didn't have every character mask we needed. But guess what? The children used their "in the moment" creativity and expressions, making improvisations. It was magic to watch them adapt and shine! When the children said performing arts was their favorite art form, I knew I had a challenge on my hands. But we embraced it, and we did it! This project took us over a month, from the first idea to its completion on our classroom stage. Every moment was worth it. This journey has been a highlight of the year for me, showing our young communicators as they shared ideas and listened to each other, and our thinkers as they brought their worlds to reality. So, get ready to dive into the worlds they dreamed up (with a bit of teacher refinem...

Dear Monkey Class Families, I know I say this every week, but it's true: we've had another super busy but fun-filled week in Monkey Class! We've been busy bringing stories to life, recreating famous artworks, and exploring new concepts as we question, create, and work together. Here is a quick peek at some of the highlights of our week. Our Social & Play Skills Flourish! We've been absolutely delighted to see a wonderful increase in collaborative play lately! Children are working together more, sharing ideas, and truly understanding that playing with others can be incredibly fun and supportive for developing new skills. This wonderful surge in teamwork does mean our classroom environment is a little noisier at times, but it's a small sacrifice for the joy of seeing and hearing children cooperate and build together. The Monkey Class Playhouse Presents... Our classroom is turning into a stage! This week, each group of friends will perform the stories they created ...

Dear Monkey Class Families, We've been incredibly busy in the classroom, and I can't believe we are already in June, the last month of the school year! We continue to explore a variety of exciting new activities and expand on familiar favourites. It's wonderful to see the children's creativity and engagement blossom. As you'll see, many of our projects are still very much works in progress as we nurture their development and focus on fine-tuning our own skills and observations. How We Express Ourselves Our current Unit of Inquiry, "How We Express Ourselves," has really come alive through a rich exploration of the arts! The children have been enthusiastically engaging with different forms of expression, and it's been a joy to witness their growing creativity . We've been spending time on the stage with music exploration , encouraging the children to discover sounds and rhythms, as well as allowing them the opportunity to explore their own interests...