KCIS

Waiwaimom

I planned to let my son studying in international school and KCIS is one of my target. Yet, after visiting the school, it seems the school looks not very international. For example. the students there are mostly local students. Also some teachers are not westerners too. I have no doubt of its Putonghua teaching but how about the English standard? Can teach native English? Any KCIS parents can share your experiences? Many thanks!

ngmom

My son has been with KCIS for 3 years since Reception and his classmates include English, Swedish, Taiwanese and Japanese. Many of the Asian teachers are BBC or ABC and speak mother tongue English. I am very pleased with the English standard of my son, without any external private tutoring in English. BTW we speak Chinese at home as we want to strengthen his Chinese language.

keddy123

My son began his education in KCIS since K1.  So far so good.  Indeed he loves school.  Though it appears that some of the teachers are not foreigners, it does not mean that they speak English unwell.

As regards the composition of students, I believe that we have to accept there would be at least 50% of local children in every class, as after all, here we are living in Hong Kong.  If you are looking for a school with low proportion of local children, KCIS would not be your cup of tea.

However, as far as I concern, the software, i.e. the value of school, the curriculum, the qualities of teacher, say whether they are loving and caring, are more important elements.   So far the teachers of KCIS whom I have encountered are nice and caring.  The curriculum of the school is also comprehensive and is comparable to other international schools.

Waiwaimom

ngmom and keddy123,

Thanks for your reply! From your experiences, how are the Chinese & English standard of your kids after kinder education? Could they speak native or fluent Putonghua and English?

I understand local students may dominate in some international schools but my concerns are if the ratio is too high, they may have a higher chance to speak cantonese outside class, e.g. during recess. Also except teaching in class, I felt peers group is also one of the important factor to learn English. If peers are mainly Asian, they may speak fluent but not native English.

RTSMOM

More Western kids join the local section since they want to learn Putonghua.  They also merged very well with the local pupils but they are communicating in Putonghua.  Chinese , some Korean and Japanese are the majority in the int'l section.   

I understand your worries and I had the same before I put my son in KCIS.  After serious consideration and  for my son's well balanced language development, I chose this school.  Actually the pupils are talking in accurate UK English and fluent Putonghua.  My son is not good in Cantonese but I do not stop him from talking in Cantonese for his survival in Hong Kong and we must accept outside school, they are in a Cantonese environment.   It is important to learn to pronounce English in an accurate way.   Peer groups have influence but I don't know whether they are speaking English in an accurate way or not, just the Western accent.  If parents or one of the parents is English speaking, it is easier for the kids to learn.

Agreed that the teachers are very caring and keep encouraging every pupil they are teaching.  Some of them are Chinese in uutlook but speaks UK English.  It is totally the parents' value system to determine the choice.   The Kellet School and some ESF schools are having more Western kids.  You might wish to consider these also.

Waiwaimom

RTSMOM,

Thanks for sharing your experineces. How old is you son & and what form he is? So he can speak fluent & native Putognhu and English now?

I consider KCIS becasue it provides putongua teaching everyday. My son is studying in English speaking school since 2 yrs old and his classmates are mainly westerners. Yet, I want him to learn Chinese too.  Too greedy, rite? I think most parents put their kids in IS must also have the language concern and want their kids to pick up good language skills. Like me, I can speak & communicate in English and Putonghua but with strong HK ascent. I really hope my son can learn & speak both languages in correct ascent.

My son also speaks Cantonese at home and I won't stop him too. He can pick up Cantonese easily in HK due to Cantonese speaking enviroment. My parents speak with him in Cantonese, my maid speaks with him in English and I speak with him in English most of the time. He can also adjust very well.  So in the school,  I would rather want him to learn & speak native English/Putonghua with his teachers and peers to Cantonese. My another concern in considering KCIS is as most students there are Asians, would he learn putonghua at the expense of native English?

Of course, good learning environment, parent-teacher relations, creative & independent thinking, etc. are also prominent in choosing IS instead of local schools.

原文章由 RTSMOM 於 07-7-14 00:03 發表
More Western kids join the local section since they want to learn Putonghua.  They also merged very well with the local pupils but they are communicating in Putonghua.  Chinese , some Korean and  ...

keddy123

WAIWAIMOM,

Whether a kid can speak fluent English/Mandarin depends of course on various factors.  But I believe that if the kids are put in IS, sooner or later they could pick up the language that they speak at school.  Kids are very flexible and adaptable.  For my case, my son can speak understandable English after two years of study at KCIS.  This is a very good improvement, given he knew NO English on his first day to school.

Waiwaimom

Keddy123,

Thanks for your sharing! So your son is P1 now? Did you also put him in the local section? I heard many kids go for both sections. I wonder if it's too tough for them. BTW, is there any parent association in KCIS? Parents are well-informed of what their kids doing in school? By what means? Regular parent-teacher meetings? Or circulars only? The school said there is a PE class/week and sometimes they will also play in the playground. Is it true? How often is that? Do you know the schedule? I do feel PE lesson and outdoor activities are important for small kids. They can enjoy more the school life and will be happier and healthier.

keddy123

Waiwaimom,

Yes, my son is going to be p1 in sept.  He did not join the local section, as I prefer he spent more time to play/rest at home in the afternoon.  After all, he already needs to attend full day school at the age of 5.  

Parents are well informed of school activities/ latest teaching via a bi-weekly circular.  You would then know what subjects/topics that your children are taking up at school.  

As far as I know, there is no parent association, at least for the kindergarten.  I do not know the case in primary section.  But since there are lots of activities which welcome parents' joining, most of the parents know each other well.  They would have already been forming an internal circle among themselves.

As regards the outdoor activities, apart from the PE lesson once a week, it seems that whenever time allows, the teachers would bring the children to the school playground or the hall for playing.  Don't worry, I'm sure KCIS offers enough play time for the kids, both indoor and outdoor.

Threetoone

Dear all parents,

Sorry for my ignorance! May I know what is the full name of KCIS? Many thanks!

阿胡

Threetoone:

http://www.kcis.edu.hk


香港的一些縮寫真是有時會難倒不少人. :

Threetoone

Thank you Ah Woo for your information!

原文章由 阿胡 於 07-7-29 00:00 發表
Threetoone:

http://www.kcis.edu.hk


香港的一些縮寫真是有時會難倒不少人. :