any ESF Wu Kai Sha parents?

littlecat222

I am considering to enrol my son in Wu Kai Sha ESF Kinder K1, any comments from parents here?
are most of the students Chinese?

Arcana

Have you visited the school before?  I saw around 70-80% of their students are Chinese.  And the reception confirmed the figures.

My daughter will go there in coming school year.  I think the environment is nice.  With caring teaching staff, I expect my daughter will enjoy her school life so much.

In the past, I found some dissatisfaction came out.  Most parents have complained about their kids fail to enter ESF P1.  But I don’t think WKS ESF Kinder should be blamed.

As a Cat 2 applicant, enroll in ESF Kinder is a need if ESF P1 is the target.  What do you think?

可愛小肥媽

Yes, most of the students there are Chinese and basically there are not too many "gwai lou" in HK nowadays.
The school is good and teachers are caring.  However, you cannot expect that you kid will learn a lot in the school as other traditional kinders.  For me, studying in ESF kinder is only an admission ticket for P1 interview.

AmieMaMa

Totally agree.  Applying ESF K1 is only increase the change of get the admission ticket.  Please don't expect they will teach you a lot.  Furthermore, you need to take up some private English tutorial before ESF P1 interview.

AmieMaMa

Totally agree.  Applying ESF K1 is only increase the change of get the admission ticket.  Please don't expect they will teach you a lot.  Furthermore, you need to take up some private English tutorial before ESF P1 interview.

YMCAkids

Can I apply WKS and TY at the same time or I can only apply ONE ESF kinder. TKS!

Arcana

http://www.esf.org.hk/esf_kindergarten/admissions/application.asp states “You may only apply to one kindergarten.”.

littlecat222

thanks for all the feedback.
yes, i totally agreee that the major reason to join ESF kinder is its priority for interview for P1. but i have been thinking whether its really worth to spend 2 years in a school that it's not your favourite choice but for this interview priority. My husband is a foreigner so i guess we are in between Cat 1 or 2.
but i am surprise to hear the need of doing extra English tutorial for P1 interview. i thought this international kinder should provide sufficent teaching of English language for the kids.

可愛小肥媽

ESF kinders always emphasis that they teach in english but they are not teaching english.  

原帖由 littlecat222 於 11-3-9 11:44 發表
thanks for all the feedback.
yes, i totally agreee that the major reason to join ESF kinder is its priority for interview for P1. but i have been thinking whether its really worth to spend 2 years in  ...

littlecat222

May i ask why do you think so? of course they are not learning gammer this kind of stuff for their age. your kid is not learning good English there?

可愛小肥媽

For ESF P1 entry, they need the kids to answer questions in full sentences with correct tense and grammer.  Basically the kids cannot learn it from school.  They are only used to speak in English in the school environment.  If you would like to increase the chance to get a ESF P1 place, outside course is almost a must unless your daily practice is enough for your kids.  In my case, my kid is baby-sitting by grandparents so have to take extra english learning class.

原帖由 littlecat222 於 11-3-9 17:18 發表
May i ask why do you think so? of course they are not learning gammer this kind of stuff for their age. your kid is not learning good English there?

Arcana

My situation is, my hubby speaks Mandarin to her and I speak Cantonese to her in our family as both are our first languages.  We don’t give up our mother tongues and pretend to be an English speaking family as other families.  Instead, I’d plan to put my daughter to extra English classes although she will go to ESF kinder in coming school year.  It aims to boost her English speaking skill for P1 interview.

Although ESF kinder emphasizes they doesn’t teach English but teach in English, the situation in other international kindergartens are similar.  ESF kinder teaches children to read as well.  During the story time, children learn words and sentences.  Not bad.  I think the atmosphere in ESF kinder is quite good and able to stimulate children’s desire to learn by themselves.  I found children acquire basic knowledge in a fun way.  It isn’t worse than others.

mirimiri

I don't really think they need kids speak correct tenses and grammar coz at this age even native speakers make mistake.  I think as long as the kid understand what they say and can speak English with confident and answer questions correctly, not shy and can play along with other kids, it shouldn't be a problem.

原帖由 可愛小肥媽 於 11-3-10 08:46 發表
For ESF P1 entry, they need the kids to answer questions in full sentences with correct tense and grammer.  Basically the kids cannot learn it from school.  They are only used to speak in English in t ...

littlecat222

my case is that my husband is Italian so we speak English when we are altogether.Plus he speaks Italian to our boy and I speak cantonese to him. Actaully he is learning 3 languages quite well.
What i think we need to do extra for the ESF kinder kids is learning better Chinese. however it is difficult to find Chinese class therefore we are thinking to do one more local kindergarten maybe for 2-3 days a week.

junengai

我女兒宜家都係讀緊K1, 我對於呢間學校都好滿意, 因我個女返學返得真係好開心, 返到屋企都成日聽到佢提到老師嘅教導同佢嘅好朋友, 而我又的確覺得佢嘅英文係進步咗好多, 連啲TENSE都識用到, 而本嚟我入ESF KINDER都係同大家一樣想入返ESF PRIMARY, 但我又諗怕我哋係CAT 2, 機會都係一半半, 一半都可能冇添, 而我又唔想阿女有PRESSURE, 所以我同佢都係決定會讀埋6月就轉去第間有直升小學嘅IS比較安心啲! 因我自己覺得有時同小朋友報好多英文EXTRA LESSON, 係準備好晒所有野呀, 但始終4,5歲嘅小朋友都係神神化化咁, 去到INTERVIEW至有咩突發, 到時一大堆ESF PRIMARY唔收嘅小朋友再去一齊考其他IS, 到時就真係唔知点好! 所以阿女勁鍾意呢間學校, 我都要同佢轉呀! 我其實都唔知自己做得岩唔岩, 不過係買個保險囉!

ramen

Junengai,

I have the same concern as yours.  I learnt that it would be quite diffcult for Cat 2 children to get into ESF P.1 even they are studying in ESF kindies.  May I know which school your child will go to this coming academic year?  So you child is just with ESF for one year and then will transfer to another school?  What do you think of ESF(WKS)?  I am still considering ESF(WKS).

原帖由 junengai 於 11-3-12 01:09 發表
我女兒宜家都係讀緊K1, 我對於呢間學校都好滿意, 因我個女返學返得真係好開心, 返到屋企都成日聽到佢提到老師嘅教導同佢嘅好朋友, 而我又的確覺得佢嘅英文係進步咗好多, 連啲TENSE都識用到, 而本嚟我入ESF KINDER都 ...

junengai

你好呀! 我個女讀到今年6就唔再係esf(wks)讀架啦!今年8月會去japanese international school讀reception! 因呢間學校係冇k1架! 所以個個小朋友都係滿4歲至可以讀!而我哋住係大埔, 會近好多! 其實esf (wks)雖然唔係太大, 亦冇個大playground比小朋友玩, 但對於其他係學習上, 課室教學怖置, 老師, 校長, 我其實都好滿意架! 因我比阿女讀IS, 最大希望係見到佢鍾意返學, 開心, 冇PRESSURE, 係玩樂中學習! 所以ESF嘅教學就岩我要求囉! 其實如果唔係冇咩把握一定考到ESF PRIMARY, 我都會留低比佢讀埋個K2架! 因我上次帶佢去考JIS嗰陣, 佢已經係咁問我点解讀JIS, 唔係返ESF咩? 佢又問我有冇佢啲好朋友同老師一齊去JIS, 所以我知佢真係好鍾意ESF! 我只係不停同佢講佢會係JIS返學會有個好大嘅PLAYGROUND, 好大嘅泳池, 間學校又好大, 好靚嚟等佢會接受間新學校咋!

原帖由 ramen 於 11-3-12 16:50 發表
Junengai,

I have the same concern as yours.  I learnt that it would be quite diffcult for Cat 2 children to get into ESF P.1 even they are studying in ESF kindies.  May I know which school your child ...

littlecat222

i got the offer for ESF(WKS) for my son just now and i will most propably go for it.
Yes i think the major disadventage of ESF WKS is no outdoor playground, and the school itself is quite smaller considering there are 7 classes at the same time there. I imagine it would have been much better if they have 4-6 classes.
If you compare with Abacus, the school itself is much school but they have only 4 classes per session.

ramen

Littlecat222,

As far as I know the play visits (informal interviews) had been conducted throughout Jan and they have had given out offers in end Jan and Feb.  It is quite strange to me that you have just gotten the offer lately, coz I assume you are the Cat 1 candidate (based on your family background) and you should have the toppest proprity for admission.  How come? Did you apply just recently?

原帖由 littlecat222 於 11-3-14 13:27 發表
i got the offer for ESF(WKS) for my son just now and i will most propably go for it.
Yes i think the major disadventage of ESF WKS is no outdoor playground, and the school itself is quite smaller con ...

littlecat222

Hi ramen,
yes i just applied very recently and attended the play visit last week. there were many other kids doing the play visit too, i guess they were those on the waiting list.

i am quite worry about the low entry rent to ESF P.1 at the moment. Does any know about the result this year? any improvement?