教育王國
標題: Vic Kindy to IS? [打印本頁]
作者: Atecila 時間: 17-7-20 19:50 標題: Vic Kindy to IS?
Wondering if it is possible for graduates of Victoria Kindergartens to go to IS primary or reception levels? I am wondering if Vic kindies can prepare children's English level well enough to deal with IS interviews. Any parents with children in Vic kindies can share ? Thanks in advance!
作者: Activehealth 時間: 17-7-20 19:54
Atecila 發表於 17-7-20 19:50 
Wondering if it is possible for graduates of Victoria Kindergartens to go to IS primary or reception ...
So many ESF Y1 students from Victoria in my boy's year.
作者: babyjip 時間: 17-7-20 21:32
For those Victoria students I know, they are all proficient in bilingual or even trilingual languages. Personalities wise they are outgoing, pleasant and confident to meet IS environment. You can check Vic school website for their graduate admission stat into IS.
作者: siubotze 時間: 17-7-20 22:12
babyjip 發表於 17-7-20 21:32
For those Victoria students I know, they are all proficient in bilingual or even trilingual language ...
The stats on Victoria's website cannot fully reflect how many of its students got admitted by IS, as students left for IS would have left Vic after K2 but the stats only shows where their students go after K3.
My personal experience with Victoria is unless you speak English at home, you cannot solely rely on the teaching from Victoria to train your kid for IS.
作者: Jane1983 時間: 17-7-20 22:33
我女都係Victoria畢業生，佢和同屆同學考到IS都有好幾個，考到的IS亦有好幾間唔同類型。有些係家庭提供到語境，父或母操流利英語，或根本係混血兒，所以英文好唔係完全歸功學校。
但亦有一個同學仔，對佢印象特别深。係廣東話家庭，講開係爸爸情意結，覺得自己有才華但被英文拖後脚，所以一定要個仔讀IS，結果佢仔亦係K2升IS。呢個case學校係幫到，個男仔亦係非常開朗多言的類型。
作者: bamalamb 時間: 17-7-20 23:28 標題: 回覆樓主：
本帖最後由 bamalamb 於 17-7-20 23:45 編輯
My child completed K2 in Vic and is now in ESF. We are a Cantonese speaking family, we speak 7:3 Cantonese to English with her at home. My suggestion is to send your child to Vic bilingual class as early as possible for better English environment. My child's case is that she couldn't understand Mandarin at first so was forced to communicate in pure English during the whole period of PN and K1. Her English progressed very well in just one year. By the end of K1, she was able to pick up Mandarin as well and was confident to speak in both languages at school. By mid-K2, both her English and Mandarin were already pretty proficient for IS interviews! Hope this help!
作者: Atecila 時間: 17-7-21 00:31
siubotze 發表於 17-7-20 22:12
The stats on Victoria's website cannot fully reflect how many of its students got admitted by IS, a ...
Yes actually the stats on the website only shows graduates of K3. I just wonder how many kids would leave after K2 for IS. Did your little one attend Vic before and go for IS?
作者: Atecila 時間: 17-7-21 00:37
bamalamb 發表於 17-7-20 23:28
My child completed K2 in Vic and is now in ESF. We are a Cantonese speaking family, we speak 7:3 Can ...
Thanks for your sharing indeed! Does Vic offer bilingual class at PN level ? I thought they only offer that in K1 but I am not sure. Would you mind sharing which campus of Vic your child attended? Am just wondering whether all campuses have sufficiently good English environment. Thanks in advance again!!
作者: bamalamb 時間: 17-7-21 07:04
Atecila 發表於 17-7-21 00:37
Thanks for your sharing indeed! Does Vic offer bilingual class at PN level ? I thought they only of ...
Only CWB campus offers PN bilingual, but if you are in other campuses you can apply bilingual stream for K1.
https://www.victoria.edu.hk/eng/Programs/Nursery_And_Kindergarten/Program_and_Activity_Times.php
作者: Atecila 時間: 17-7-21 09:11
Jane1983 發表於 17-7-20 22:33
我女都係Victoria畢業生，佢和同屆同學考到IS都有好幾個，考到的IS亦有好幾間唔同類型。有些係家庭提供到語 ...
Oh I see- thanks for sharing! Just curious- which campus your child attended before? Um ... seems family would need to speak to the child in English if Aiming for IS....
作者: Atecila 時間: 17-7-21 09:13
bamalamb 發表於 17-7-21 07:04
Only CWB campus offers PN bilingual, but if you are in other campuses you can apply bilingual strea ...
Thanks for the link! Got it - seems CWB campus offers better language environment with bilingual PN. But it's very difficult to get in.
作者: siubotze 時間: 17-7-21 10:33
Atecila 發表於 17-7-21 00:31
Yes actually the stats on the website only shows graduates of K3. I just wonder how many kids would ...
My girl was with Victoria PN. We left for ESF K1 because we felt the school does not provide sufficient English immersion if we aim at IS. It was a hard decision for us because my girl learnt a lot at Victoria as well but her English was not up to standard for IS year 1 interview after a year with the school. The decision to change school turned out to be right. After a year's time, my girl's English improves drastically and she got a number of offers from the recent interviews.
作者: Jane1983 時間: 17-7-21 10:38
回覆 Atecila 的帖子
理論上，父母應該用母語跟小朋友溝通，咁樣最利溝通，可以將自己人生的精華教育小朋友。如果父母英文麻麻，用詞貧乏，但又堅持用英文，咁仔女學唔到乜嘢好英文之餘，亦學唔到父母的人生智慧。
不過實際上，interview前，你多少睇佢情况幫佢準備。如果對答和反應唔得，你都要多d同佢練習。
作者: bamalamb 時間: 17-7-21 10:48
Atecila 發表於 17-7-21 09:13
Thanks for the link! Got it - seems CWB campus offers better language environment with bilingual PN ...
當然課室以外都一定要提供足夠語境。我哋幼稚園期間所有興趣班同埋summer school全部native英文直至佢考到IS offers。除咗IS Kinder, 我個人認為Vic英普班語境已經非常好。咁當然不能同IS kinder比，但亦要考慮IS kinder中文真的非常弱！
作者: thirdculture 時間: 17-7-21 14:04
Atecila 發表於 17-7-21 00:31
Yes actually the stats on the website only shows graduates of K3. I just wonder how many kids would ...
I think the majority of kids at Victoria who plan to go to IS would have left before K3. It is much easier getting into the pre-reception and reception classes of IS since those are the largest cohorts, hence they would leave after PN and K1. The ones who enter ESF Y1 would leave after K2.
作者: Atecila 時間: 17-7-21 14:29
bamalamb 發表於 17-7-21 10:48
當然課室以外都一定要提供足夠語境。我哋幼稚園期間所有興趣班同埋summer school全部native英文直至佢考到 ...
Thanks -very helpful advice indeed! Am still a bit struggling whether to go for pure IS or bilingual schools like VSA. Hence wondering if going to Vic kindies can get me both ways.. ha ha ; re 中文程度，你指IS 中文差？yes I guess probably so; would you mind sharing what IS your child get into after Vic K1? Thanks again for sharing your experience indeed; very valuable-!
作者: bamalamb 時間: 17-7-21 22:51
Atecila 發表於 17-7-21 14:29
Thanks -very helpful advice indeed! Am still a bit struggling whether to go for pure IS or bilingua ...
My daughter went to ESF after K2. Compared to local kinders, I can't say Vic's Chinese is strong (not until K3 at least) but am sure it is stronger than ESF kinder. Vic (VSA) has a very good balance between English and Chinese, but I personally like the cultural mix in ESF where my daughter enjoys playing and learning with children from different parts of the world. Both schools have their pros and cons of course, your decisions should be made based on what your family values the most.. Chinese level? International experiences? British or Asian style IB school? Peer mix? Values?
作者: Jmachi 時間: 17-7-21 23:24
Atecila 發表於 17-7-20 19:50
Wondering if it is possible for graduates of Victoria Kindergartens to go to IS primary or reception ...
I know quite a number of Victoria kids who left for IS after PN and K1. My son completed K1 with Victoria and will be joining IS this Aug. I think if you are aiming for IS, you need to let your kids to have more exposure to English outside school.
作者: Atecila 時間: 17-7-22 15:56
siubotze 發表於 17-7-21 10:33
My girl was with Victoria PN. We left for ESF K1 because we felt the school does not provide suffi ...
Many thanks for the sharing again! My boy is a December baby - so I think the chance for him getting into esf K1 is quite low. So am thinking letting him attend Vic PN but not sure if it prepares him for the IS route. If not may have to go for anfield or Kingston. Of course if he gets into EsF kinder, I won't need to worry about his English level then.....do u mind sharing what other IS offers you r child has got after ESf ? Many thanks in advance!!!!
作者: Atecila 時間: 17-7-22 15:58
bamalamb 發表於 17-7-21 22:51
My daughter went to ESF after K2. Compared to local kinders, I can't say Vic's Chinese is strong (n ...
Many thanks - you have listed a very useful issues list for us to consider indeed! Guess we do want the international exposure while keeping some level of Chinese if possible. Seems difficult to have both worlds though ...
作者: siubotze 時間: 17-7-22 17:39
Atecila 發表於 17-7-22 15:56
Many thanks for the sharing again! My boy is a December baby - so I think the chance for him gettin ...
She has got GSIS, SIS and NAIS.
作者: Atecila 時間: 17-7-22 18:06
siubotze 發表於 17-7-22 17:39
She has got GSIS, SIS and NAIS.
Wow very impressive! Both At least GSIS and SIS are super competitive. Congrats!! Would you say it is the ESf English environment that was useful for your daughter? Anyways she must be very bright to be able to get to GSIS. Which school would she go to?
作者: 964000 時間: 17-7-22 18:13
siubotze 發表於 17-7-22 17:39
She has got GSIS, SIS and NAIS.
Congrats, do you get GSIS k1 or k2 offer?
作者: siubotze 時間: 17-7-22 20:31
Atecila 發表於 17-7-22 18:06
Wow very impressive! Both At least GSIS and SIS are super competitive. Congrats!! Would you say it ...
本帖最後由 siubotze 於 17-7-22 22:33 編輯
Thank you.I think ESF does provide the English immersion but I would like 3 hours a day is barely sufficient for someone to be proficient in a language.You should either have the language at home or create other opportunities for her to expose to English out of school time.For me, I organised lots of play dates with her classmates and also have some NETs to come and play with her.Besides, I am quite lucky that we are at Abacus and there are lots of expat kids fromthe Sai Kung/CWB area.The informal interaction with other kids do help her progress on her English.We only speak Cantonese at home as we believe that kids should learn a second language by mastering their mother tongue first.
作者: siubotze 時間: 17-7-22 20:35
Atecila 發表於 17-7-22 18:06
Wow very impressive! Both At least GSIS and SIS are super competitive. Congrats!! Would you say it ...
To many friends' surprise, we finally picked NAIS instead because we plan to send her to boarding school after year 6. British curriculum may suit her better.
She is a September baby. The GSIS offer is for k1 because of their cutoff date is end of Aug. SIS is too hardcore for us and I would rather her to be burdened by less homework and test in the early years.
作者: 964000 時間: 17-7-22 21:17
siubotze 發表於 17-7-22 20:35
To many friends' surprise, we finally picked NAIS instead because we plan to send her to boarding s ...
I think GSIS is also running British curriculum for the primary. But NAIS is great too with robust academic and good ECA support, and probably better for your girl to go to reception year directly.
作者: 964000 時間: 17-7-22 21:28
siubotze 發表於 17-7-22 20:31
Thank you. I think ESF does provide the English immersion but I would like 3 hours a day is barely ...
You also mentioned you only speak English at home, may I ask would you be bothered if your daughter will not speak Cantonese at the end? Are you from local Hong Kong? Sometimes I think to strike a balance between English and Cantonese, not to mention mandarin, is not easy.
作者: Atecila 時間: 17-7-22 22:23
siubotze 發表於 17-7-22 20:31
Thank you. I think ESF does provide the English immersion but I would like 3 hours a day is barely ...
Thanks for the tips indeed! guess I will try hiring A NEt to play with my son when he's a bit older (as he's only 18 months old now). You said mastering mother tongue would equip a child better to speak a second language. Am struggling these days whether we should stick with mother tongue at home - my son is a late bloomer and I think he's not very talented in language. Wondering if we should let him master Cantonese first before English but we r afraid he can't pass those interviews for IS....that's why I don't dare to expose him to mandarin yet (as that would be a third language which would be quite hard for him to bear as he still can't talk that much at 18 months , although he understands both Cantonese and English well) ...
作者: Atecila 時間: 17-7-22 22:27
siubotze 發表於 17-7-22 20:35
To many friends' surprise, we finally picked NAIS instead because we plan to send her to boarding s ...
I see- it makes sense so that she doesn't need to repeat K1. will NAIS reception be in sai Kung or Lam tin now ? Am also considering this school too as it's near us. I also have plans to send my son to boarding after year 9 or so. Hence am also looking for British curriculum schools if possible (and Also because I have some reserves on IB PYP, which is a bit new; need to do more research on the PYP curriculum).
作者: siubotze 時間: 17-7-22 22:33
964000 發表於 17-7-22 21:28
You also mentioned you only speak English at home, may I ask would you be bothered if your daughter ...
Sorry my bad, it's a typo and let me correct that. We only speak Cantonese at home only. Cantonese is my mother tongue. I was educated in HK all the way long till university. I believe it's better for us to communicate to my girl in our first language instead.
GSIS's primary curriculum is a mixture of everything, not entirely British curriculum. I think it's great too but what's lacking is the Chinese language. Although I m not expecting my girl to be very advanced in Chinese, I would expect her to be able to read Chinese newspaper at the end. Learning Chinese as a third language is not desirable for us.
作者: siubotze 時間: 17-7-22 22:41
Atecila 發表於 17-7-22 22:23
Thanks for the tips indeed! guess I will try hiring A NEt to play with my son when he's a bit olde ...
It's still early stage for you but it's good to be fully prepared! Many of the boys in my girl's class can barely talk when they were in PN. Boys' speech development is generally a bit delayed than girls.
My personal preference is to communicate to kid in my first language. I have seen many of my friends' kid not fully able to communicate until very late stage because they got mixed up with languages. There were many successful cases too. It's just my preference and somehow worked for me.
作者: Dear-Valerie 時間: 17-7-22 22:48
本帖最後由 Dear-Valerie 於 18-3-29 11:12 編輯
del.
作者: 964000 時間: 17-7-23 07:36
siubotze 發表於 17-7-22 22:33
Sorry my bad, it's a typo and let me correct that. We only speak Cantonese at home only. Cantones ...
Thanks for clarifying, that's what I am doing right now. But sometimes I would doubt if her English will be temporarily " dragged down" this way. But anyway I will stick to this because I don't want her not able to speak the mother tongue.
Btw lot of my friends from ESF take outside Chinese tuition in traditional Chinese and Cantonese, the experience is it's more effective and interesting as the child can relate to the environment, so we will not rely on the school which is usually taught in simplified Chinese and mandarin.
作者: siubotze 時間: 17-7-23 07:55
964000 發表於 17-7-23 07:36
Thanks for clarifying, that's what I am doing right now. But sometimes I would doubt if her English ...
It's a tough call. I questioned myself whether I should just speak to her in English along the way, especially when I heard 90% of people surrounding me only talks to kid in English regardless of how fluent their English is. At the end, I would rather stay true to my belief and let her English to be 'dragged down temporarily'. Her Chinese is great now compared to most of her classmates.
I also sent her to mandarin playgroup once a week. Nothing hardcore but I think supplementary Chinese classics inevitable if you decide to put your kid in the international stream. Simply cannot rely on school on Chinese.
作者: Atecila 時間: 17-7-23 11:22
Dear-Valerie 發表於 17-7-22 22:48
回覆 Atecila 的帖子
when my son was at ur son's age... he understood cantonese and english but he c ...
Thanks for the sharing Valerie! That gives me some comfort - perhaps boys can't be compared with girls indeed in terms of language. Did u speak you son at home only in Cantonese when he's under 2 ?
作者: Atecila 時間: 17-7-23 11:30
siubotze 發表於 17-7-23 07:55
It's a tough call. I questioned myself whether I should just speak to her in English along the way ...
Thanks for your sharing again, siubotze! I also heard about the theory that having a strong foundation of mother tongue would help a child acquire a second language better. In ur case, u use Cantonese at home - so when did ur child get exposed to English ? When she attend Vic PN or other playgroups ? Thanks again for any insights.
作者: siubotze 時間: 17-7-23 11:41
Atecila 發表於 17-7-23 11:30
Thanks for your sharing again, siubotze! I also heard about the theory that having a strong foundat ...
You are welcome! It's good to have some constructive discussions here in this group. We used to have a Filipino helper when my girl was 6 months to 2.5 years. I guess that's her first exposure English. She only joined Tutortime playgroup once a week when she was 9 months till 1.5 years old. In hindsight, it's probably a waste of money for putting her there because she was just too young to understand anything.
作者: 貝珠 時間: 17-7-23 15:20 標題: 回覆樓主：
本帖最後由 貝珠 於 17-7-23 16:46 編輯
I knew one who studies in Vic k1, I never understand what she says in English. Actually, she was born in a local family with parents keep saying broken English with her only. She doesn't have any Chinese exposure apart from school.
作者: Atecila 時間: 17-7-23 15:45
siubotze 發表於 17-7-23 11:41
You are welcome! It's good to have some constructive discussions here in this group. We used to h ...
Thanks for your sharing again ! Good to learn from fellow parents who also have IS plans! I also have a Filipino helper -my son then attended artplus and later Vic playgroups (with half of the time by NET); and now he's in anfield Summer school. I guess his exposure now is 50/50 Cantonese and English. Our whole family speaks to him in Cantonese with just me in English (and I work full time so I am not the one being with him all day). Now wondering if we all should focus on Cantonese first. Thanks for sharing - very helpful!!
作者: mandy_ng207 時間: 17-7-23 15:56
回覆 siubotze 的帖子
Congratulations on your girl's achievement. I'm just curious, why didn't you hire a Filipino maid after your girl is 2.5 years old? Did you switch to be a full time mom?In fact I tried to speak more English to my son after I decide to switch him from local to IS when he was 2.5 years old...but I failed, because when I need to be serious I tend to use Cantonese, and he was quite used to reply to me in Cantonese indeed.
Though a bit delayed in speech when compared to his peers, my son is finally talking in Cantonese sentences now. And he's going to IS K1.
We did hear him speaking some "inaccurately pronounced" English, and also Japanese(!!), probably learnt from Youtube...I hope by sending him to a true IS, he can learn how to pronounce those English properly.
Guess every child is different and a method that works for one may not work for all. Anyway it's good to share our experiences on this platform and to wisely take the advice that suits our own children.
作者: Atecila 時間: 17-7-23 16:01
貝珠 發表於 17-7-23 15:20
I knew one who is study in Vic k1, I never understand what she says in English. Actually, she was bo ...
Thanks for the example! Yes we don't want to exclude Cantonese all together as it's the family language which he needs to master for bonding with relatives and grannies etc. i also avoid broken English (but need to stop my in laws from saying things in half English and Cantonese to him). I am actually comfortable in speaking English to him (given I have to speak mostly English at work all along in my career for over 10 years). Just thinking if it's the right/effective way for my son.
作者: Dear-Valerie 時間: 17-7-23 16:28
本帖最後由 Dear-Valerie 於 18-3-29 11:12 編輯
del.
作者: ratafan 時間: 17-7-23 17:32
Atecila 發表於 17-7-23 16:01
Thanks for the example! Yes we don't want to exclude Cantonese all together as it's the family lan ...
I guess it is not only bonding with the old generation, it is also the love and bonding between mother and son/daughter. I believe you need to pick a language which you feel most comfortable and carefree to communicate with your child. The conversation between parents and kids is not just functional, it has to include a lot of implicit feelings which can only be effectively expressed in your true first language.
作者: 964000 時間: 17-7-23 18:59
ratafan 發表於 17-7-23 17:32
I guess it is not only bonding with the old generation, it is also the love and bonding between mot ...
That's what I thought too. But sometimes I saw couple of a white man with a south East Asian wife who speak quite poor English, and yet they seem to work out quite well, so I start to reflect how does this work and can it be extrapolated to parents and offsprings relationship?
作者: siubotze 時間: 17-7-23 20:01
mandy_ng207 發表於 17-7-23 15:56
回覆 siubotze 的帖子
Congratulations on your girl's achievement. I'm just curious, why didn't you h ...
After our Filipino helper finished her contract and left HK, we hired an Indonesian helper who used to work for my friend for years until she no longer need a helper. She speaks fluent Cantonese with very little English. I do hope that I can spend more time with my girl but I have always been a working mom.
Overall, sending a kid to international school is not only a matter of different medium of instruction, but also the acceptance to a different culture than what I was brought up. I do believe the kid absorbs other language like a sponge and we should not worry too much on her fluency at this age. Stuff ranging from socialising with fellow parents, organising play date to close to zero homework but with projects of a variety of topics are things I found it harder to adapt.
作者: Atecila 時間: 17-7-24 09:53
siubotze 發表於 17-7-23 20:01
After our Filipino helper finished her contract and left HK, we hired an Indonesian helper who used ...
Thanks siubotze for your experience. Right - Probably we need to adapt to a new way of teaching at IS and language is not everything. Yet, Just wondering if you mind sharing - seems you also want your girl to have some level of Chinese (hence you have withdrawn the GSIS offer). Have you considered applying for CIS for your child?
作者: chocosub 時間: 17-7-24 12:16
My girl is 3 now (finished Vic PN, going on K1) and I think she is pretty much bilingual in Cantonese and English.
We are a Cantonese speaking family with relatively good English. I am a ESF graduate while my husband is local school graduate but university educated abroad.
My baby's first language is English as we are both working parents and she is exposed to filipino helper all day. When we hired the helper, one of the key things we looked for was good english and grammar. When she started learning to talk at 1-2 years, she clearly preferred english and my husband and I just continued to speak to her in English as it was easier to get her to understand. Of course we would try to communicate to her in Cantonese too but she clearly preferred English.
However, when she started PN at 2 at Vic, I was slightly concerned because at our campus at least, majority of parents are cantonese speaking, and hence her classmates are also cantonese speaking. From one some of their interactions, I felt that she wasn't socialising as much as she could since her friends couldn't understand what she was saying in English (and she didn't understand the cantonese). Hence I increased the effort to speak to her more in Cantonese at home, but it wasn't until Christmas when we took a weeklong trip together (without helper, so full cantonese immersion) that I felt her cantonese greatly improved. In the second semester, I found that she seemed more happy at school and was better at socializing.
Her english hasn't deteriorated as it is still used everyday and I can easily get her to switch languages depending on who she is talking to. So I feel that it is pretty easy to get kids to pick up languages at this age as long as they are fully immersed in the environment for a while. I am currently very happy with her language abilities in both Canto and English and the next battle for us is the Putonghua which we dont use at home regularly but slowly she is beginning to sing songs and communicate in simple answers. This ability I solely attribute to the teaching at Vic, but she is definately not fluent in PTH so I'd imagine if I had no english at all at home, her english may be at a similar level.
So I think overall, Vic provides the medium for all 3 languages but whether your child can be fluent really depends on your work at home.
作者: mandy_ng207 時間: 17-7-24 13:17
本帖最後由 mandy_ng207 於 17-7-24 13:20 編輯
回覆 siubotze 的帖子
oic. Thanks for your reply.
I was quite scared of the difference in culture before I apply for IS but I've been actually looking forward to it after I decided to switch from local to IS. I think my family does not teach in a "local" way, although I was brought up in a traditional girls' school also. Do you enjoy getting along with parents from IS?
作者: 964000 時間: 17-7-24 14:15
mandy_ng207 發表於 17-7-24 13:17
回覆 siubotze 的帖子
oic. Thanks for your reply.
Actually one of the reason I choose IS is because I think I cannot get along with the local school parents myself. Well I am not saying it in a bad way but just we are different types, they are generally more obsessed with rankings and grades and comparisons and competitions. Not to mention the culture of schools and teachers.
作者: halvard 時間: 17-7-24 14:38
本帖最後由 halvard 於 17-7-24 15:03 編輯
I am very impressed by this thread of conversation as this has been one of the most constructive and friendly chats I have come across!
I am also a working mom and my child is going to attend vic's PN this summer. The drilling and all sorts of competitions in local school appear to be visual nightmares and I am seriously considering going into the other stream instead.
I agree with 964000 that one of the many reasons not going to local schools are the parents who focuses only on academic achievement!!
I am currently looking into IS/ESF/VSA and exploring which is the best for our child and family.
Can I ask
1) what do I have to prepare for my child to get into one of them?
2) if it is difficult for cantonese speaking family (conversant with English) to mingle in one of the schools listed in the above?
3) other than school tuition, are there a lot of misc fees to pay?
作者: siubotze 時間: 17-7-24 18:42
Atecila 發表於 17-7-24 09:53
Thanks siubotze for your experience. Right - Probably we need to adapt to a new way of teaching at ...
To be frank, I did consider applying for CIS but I ended up give up. I know a couple of CIS graduates or parents. They are all from very well off family. We are just ordinary working class and I would rather bringing up my girl in a more down to earth environment. At the end of the day, we are planning to send her to boarding school in UK hence it is important for her to get familiarised with Brit culture too.
作者: siubotze 時間: 17-7-24 18:47
mandy_ng207 發表於 17-7-24 13:17
回覆 siubotze 的帖子
oic. Thanks for your reply.
I quite enjoy spending time with expat or more westernised parents because my working environment is like that for the past 15 years. For me, the only difficulty is most expats are ftm but I am not. I may not have sufficient time to socialise with them to build that relationship.
I do agree that I cannot stand the local HK culture of comparing academic results. However, even at ESF nowadays, you will find lots of parents like that and some send their kids to tutorial class every day. The world is not perfect.
作者: 964000 時間: 17-7-24 19:07
siubotze 發表於 17-7-24 18:47
I quite enjoy spending time with expat or more westernised parents because my working environment i ...
Yes, I like hang out with families of similar values too and usually the western families, usually we only discuss where the play dates are going to be. Even some of the classmates do worry about yr 1 ESF interview next year, we just decide we will arrange more play dates for the kids.
On the other hand it's the same school there are parents that have commented the activities I arranged for my daughter ( e.g. Mandarin playgroup, sports etc) are not too " fruitful" and " nothing much to learn", and suggested some formal Chinese tutorial and English phonics class for me. I just don't want to bore my daughter with these classes before any formal learning.
作者: Atecila 時間: 17-7-24 19:35
chocosub 發表於 17-7-24 12:16
My girl is 3 now (finished Vic PN, going on K1) and I think she is pretty much bilingual in Cantones ...
Thanks so much for you sharing indeed! I must say I have been very touched by all the useful and constructive comments/sharing. Am glad that I started this post - indeed not expecting so many good sharing. My heartfelt thanks again to you all - you don't know how useful these are for me - as I am constantly anxious with the language ability of my son vis-a-Vis an intended IS route. Particularly now I still can't tell whether Cantonese or English is his dominant language as he doesn't talk yet.
作者: Atecila 時間: 17-7-24 19:41
964000 發表於 17-7-24 19:07
Yes, I like hang out with families of similar values too and usually the western families, usually ...
Thanks for this sharing - giving us a peek of what it's like to be a parent in an IS environment. Re ESf, just wondering : do u see any small bs (like December baby which my son is) got passed the K1 interview ? Am just trying to assess how likely it is for him to get got a place - we are looking at ESF Abacus as that's nearest to us. If he can't get in- I need to have other back up options like Vic PN (as he may hopefully have a higher chance being super big b?)....
作者: Atecila 時間: 17-7-24 19:50
siubotze 發表於 17-7-24 18:42
To be frank, I did consider applying for CIS but I ended up give up. I know a couple of CIS gradua ...
Oh I see- true: actually all CIS graduates I know are super rich too (like living at the peak). Guess most of the students there are quite wealthy.
作者: siubotze 時間: 17-7-24 20:48
964000 發表於 17-7-24 19:07
Yes, I like hang out with families of similar values too and usually the western families, usually ...
Totally! It's funny enough when I tried to organise playdate, only a few local kids would join because most of them need to attend academic classes after school.
作者: siubotze 時間: 17-7-24 20:52
Atecila 發表於 17-7-24 19:41
Thanks for this sharing - giving us a peek of what it's like to be a parent in an IS environment. R ...
In my girl's K1 class, the youngest kid is Nov born boy. I guess being a small b does have disadvantages in interview. You may want to broaden your choice to those with August as cutoff date.
If you eye on Abacus, I would advise you joining the Abacus playgroup which is on Saturday. It does not give you admission priority for K1 but help getting your girl familiarised with the environment for the interview. A few of her classmates were from the playgroup.
作者: siubotze 時間: 17-7-24 21:01
halvard 發表於 17-7-24 14:38
I am very impressed by this thread of conversation as this has been one of the most constructive and ...
Being a local parent with Cantonese as mother tongue, i can offer my 2% for you:
1) your kid needs to be close to native in English for the interview. K1 interview will not be too demanding though. It will be enough if he/she understands English instructions and responds. Organise lots of play dates with native speakers will help.
2) not hard, it's a matter of openness. Expat parents are generally very nice. The schools you listed are, however, predominantly attended by local HKers, even though some ESFs have higher ratio of expat parents. Overall, I don't see any issue to communicate with these parents.
3) apart from school fee + capital levy/enrolment fee, you need to pay for school bus and ECAs. There is not much other hidden routine cost.
作者: Atecila 時間: 17-7-24 22:50
siubotze 發表於 17-7-24 20:52
In my girl's K1 class, the youngest kid is Nov born boy. I guess being a small b does have disadva ...
Thanks for the info! Yes I know they have playgroups at Abacus - on Mondays or weds now. Let me check again! Btw re esf:
- how do you think of the teachers in Abacus ? Nice and caring?
- And what's the class size?
Sign - my case is quite bad as mine is a boy and a December baby. Seems the chance of him getting in esf is close to zero. Am looking for 31 aug cut off indeed. I just realize NAIS will have nursery class - but their new campus is a bit far in Sai Kung. Will your daughter be joining their reception at the Lam Tin campus instead ?
作者: siubotze 時間: 17-7-24 23:28
Atecila 發表於 17-7-24 22:50
Thanks for the info! Yes I know they have playgroups at Abacus - on Mondays or weds now. Let me che ...
The teachers are nice and caring, but the turnover rate in the recent 2 years are high for EAs. The admin staff sucks. The class size is around 24 if I remember correctly. Quite a number of kids drops out in K2 for HKA, Kellet or other IS.
There is no reception class in Lam Tin. My girl will be in Sai Kung for a year returning to Lam Tin for year 1.
作者: Atecila 時間: 17-7-25 01:08
siubotze 發表於 17-7-24 23:28
The teachers are nice and caring, but the turnover rate in the recent 2 years are high for EAs. Th ...
Thanks for the quick response! 24 students to 2 teachers? Then the ratio is not bad. Seems ESF loses a quite a few students to other IS for K2- meaning their students are competitive. Wondering how it is when compared to other IS kindies like anfield or Kingston. Oh -have you considered Kellet as well (as it's also a British curriculum school)?
作者: 964000 時間: 17-7-25 07:22
Atecila 發表於 17-7-24 22:50
Thanks for the info! Yes I know they have playgroups at Abacus - on Mondays or weds now. Let me che ...
Actually where do you live? That decide where your choices are.
I knew at least two ESF kids who are Dec girls. One is sibling the other got no priority. However both kids got commented at teacher review to be "slow in language".
I think Anfield, Tutortimes and boxhill are good choice for nursery then ESF k1, if fail then stay at the above school k1. Then applied reception years and k1 again with cutoff at sept.
I know you are still wavering between bilingual and English heavy route, I recommend you to join both types of playgroups first and decide. At my time just after school visits my impression with bilingual schools were all not so good, and I went for Anfield.
作者: halvard 時間: 17-7-25 08:56
回覆 siubotze 的帖子
thank you so much for your sharing =) i will bare that in mind!!
after reading all your insights about schooling, i think i have a better idea!
its so true that we should always find the right school for the child and family, hopefully we could all walk the right paths *V*.
作者: siubotze 時間: 17-7-25 09:18
Atecila 發表於 17-7-25 01:08
Thanks for the quick response! 24 students to 2 teachers? Then the ratio is not bad. Seems ESF lose ...
It's 24 teachers with 1 class teacher and 2 EAs. The ratio is not bad. However, you have to bear in mind that the teacher and EAs will not take care of your kid to the degree normal kindergartens do. For example, my girl needs to go to washroom, which is a little bit of walk for a 3 year-old, by herself. She also needs to change clothes by herself, as the kids there get messy and wet all the time. Teachers will only help if necessary. This is a good way to train them to be independent.
作者: siubotze 時間: 17-7-25 09:18
Atecila 發表於 17-7-25 01:08
Thanks for the quick response! 24 students to 2 teachers? Then the ratio is not bad. Seems ESF lose ...
Anfield is a good school. We have been offered a PN place before joining Victoria but we declined the offer because the commute is too long from our home. I don't have experience with Kingston to comment. For Kellet, it's August cutoff and I don't want to delay my girl for a year. Chinese is a concern too.
作者: mandy_ng207 時間: 17-7-25 13:45
回覆 siubotze 的帖子
Oh it's nice to know that ESF schools do focus on training self-care skills.
I think this is more important than the academic achievements.
What I want my kid to learn from the kindergarten is self-care skills, socialising with others, but not difficult words or maths.
作者: Atecila 時間: 17-7-26 00:02
964000 發表於 17-7-25 07:22
Actually where do you live? That decide where your choices are.
I knew at least two ESF kids who a ...
Many thanks 964000- your comments and suggestions have always been so helpful!! I live in Lam Tin - so Vic PN (in kornhill) is 15 mins drive Away similar as Anfield or other schools in Kowloon tong. Thanks for the info re ESF- guess I shouldn't expect my boy to get in or thrive in K1 as a dec boy. I have registered for schools tours for ISf (and also VSA later) to help me decide or eliminate any choices. Hope I can be able to pick a school that fits my son and our family !!
作者: siubotze 時間: 17-7-26 07:40
Atecila 發表於 17-7-26 00:02
Many thanks 964000- your comments and suggestions have always been so helpful!! I live in Lam Tin - ...
You may want to know that ISF does not accept small baby. Most of the kids are before August born.
作者: Atecila 時間: 17-7-26 09:15
siubotze 發表於 17-7-26 07:40
You may want to know that ISF does not accept small baby. Most of the kids are before August born. ...
Thanks Siubotze. I dunno about the cut off of ISF; but yes it makes sense for me to pick aug cut off schools indeed! Oh u also feel Anfield is good?Actually Am attending Anfield's summer camp and feels its English immersion is superb. There are older kids who have attended pg for a year there and they can all easily switch from Cantonese to English when speaking with different people which is quite good. Resources wise seems Vic has better environment (as my boy has been attending pg at their lower kornhill campus) - but just 50% English - although having in mind intended IS interviews, I also wanna somehow lay a foundation of Chinese for him - so that's why am also considering Vic. Both PGs have a lot of free play which I like but not sure how different they are at PN or K1.
作者: siubotze 時間: 17-7-26 18:55
Atecila 發表於 17-7-26 09:15
Thanks Siubotze. I dunno about the cut off of ISF; but yes it makes sense for me to pick aug cut of ...
ISF does not specify an August cutoff, but they only pick big kid in reality. I like Anfield. I have to say it's the most impressive interview I attended. The teachers are dedicated and caring and it's well structured. If it's not because of the commute, I would have taken the offer.
作者: Atecila 時間: 17-7-26 19:24
siubotze 發表於 17-7-26 18:55
ISF does not specify an August cutoff, but they only pick big kid in reality. I like Anfield. I h ...
Oh really? Good to know. Which campus of anfield did you attend the interview?
作者: siubotze 時間: 17-7-26 22:38
Atecila 發表於 17-7-26 19:24
Oh really? Good to know. Which campus of anfield did you attend the interview?
Whompoa...it was already 2.5 years ago.
作者: Atecila 時間: 17-7-27 19:25
siubotze 發表於 17-7-26 22:38
Whompoa...it was already 2.5 years ago.
Thanks -- seems anfield whampoa does have a lot of good comments. I wonder if the Kowloon tong campus is similar. Re NAIS reception, do you know if the Chinese level will be stronger than anfield or esf? Thanks in advance for any insights again!
作者: siubotze 時間: 17-7-29 00:43 標題: 回覆樓主
NAIS's reception has daily Chinese class of an hour and ESF has daily class of 30-45mins. Both schools' Chinese class are streamed from year 1. I would say that both are very similar while NAIS's Chinese class is slightly longer.
作者: Atecila 時間: 17-7-30 13:49
siubotze 發表於 17-7-29 00:43
NAIS's reception has daily Chinese class of an hour and ESF has daily class of 30-45mins. Both scho ...
Thanks for the info! I think I will also apply for NAIS now that they have kindergarten. Will Pupils got full train to their primary ? Just a bit afraid of the distance as NAIS is in sai Kung.
作者: siubotze 時間: 17-7-30 15:38 標題: 回覆樓主
It's through train all the way to year 11 and highly likely to be extended to year 13 in the early future. Distance is something that you may need to consider for a small baby. I have not gotten then school bus information yet. It's hard for me to advise now.
作者: Atecila 時間: 17-7-30 17:19
siubotze 發表於 17-7-30 15:38
It's through train all the way to year 11 and highly likely to be extended to year 13 in the early f ...
Thanks - yes, distance is a consideration. We are in Lam tin ... if it's within 20 mins drive away, then it should still be ok for us.
作者: Atecila 時間: 17-9-25 11:23
siubotze 發表於 17-7-30 15:38
It's through train all the way to year 11 and highly likely to be extended to year 13 in the early f ...
Hihi siubotze , I have just attended the school tour of NAIS and remember that ur girl should now be at NAIS reception? Just wondering how do u think of the school/curriculum so far? Many thanks in advance!! I will apply for school tour of the sai Kung campus later.
作者: siubotze 時間: 17-9-25 12:18
Atecila 發表於 17-9-25 11:23
Hihi siubotze , I have just attended the school tour of NAIS and remember that ur girl should now b ...
Hi, it's still in early days to comment, but what I really like is the close communication between school and parents. The curriculum is British national so it's quite structured. It's easier to keep track on their progress.
作者: Atecila 時間: 17-9-25 13:11
siubotze 發表於 17-9-25 12:18
Hi, it's still in early days to comment, but what I really like is the close communication between ...
Thanks for your helpful sharing again !!! So u believe EYFS is more structured than IBPYP? Their sai Kung campus seems very nice with outdoor space too. Do children get enough free play time in the outdoor space ?
作者: siubotze 時間: 17-9-25 15:07
回覆 Atecila 的帖子
That is solely based on my observations and sharing with friends in the educational field. EYFS is more of a traditional curriculum to build the foundations of students, whereas IBPYP is more exploratory based. There is no boundary for an IBPYP program, which means your kid can either learn a lot or learn nothing. The effectiveness of the PYP are based on how the teacher/school run the program and whether your kid is receptive to exploratory based learning. To me, building a sound foundation at this stage is very important. I would rather go for a more step-by-step approach than completely go wild at this stage.
The NAIS Sai Kung campus has a lovely outdoor area, however, it can never be compared to the outdoor playground at Abacus. If you don't mind your little one got muddy, wet and messy every day after school and potentially fell sick because of the temperature difference of indoor and outdoor area, Abacus is the way to go.
作者: Atecila 時間: 17-9-25 19:08
siubotze 發表於 17-9-25 15:07
回覆 Atecila 的帖子
That is solely based on my observations and sharing with friends in the educati ...
Thanks as always for your very detailed and helpful insights ! My preference is also for a more solid foundation of basic knowledge at primary ears and hence looking into primary schools that adopt EYFS. That's why am looking at NAIS too alongside Abacus. at the same time I also have the belief of learning through play. Btw what is the class size at NAIS? In terms of culture mix, At least from my visit on their campus, I see quite a lot of westerners.
作者: siubotze 時間: 17-9-25 19:20
Atecila 發表於 17-9-25 19:08
Thanks as always for your very detailed and helpful insights ! My preference is also for a more sol ...
For the first year of opening, we are privileged to have a class size of 6 only. It will increase to around 12 in the future. Half of our class is westerners. Compared to Abacus, the number of foreigners are similar, if not more.
作者: Atecila 時間: 17-9-25 19:26
siubotze 發表於 17-9-25 19:20
For the first year of opening, we are privileged to have a class size of 6 only. It will increase ...
Oh I see - so the max class size for reception is 12 ? To how many teachers? Thanks!! If so it's a very good ratio indeed!
作者: siubotze 時間: 17-9-25 20:13
Atecila 發表於 17-9-25 19:26
Oh I see - so the max class size for reception is 12 ? To how many teachers? Thanks!! If so it's a ...
Each class with 1 teacher, maximum around 12 pupils. Two classes are sharing one class room, so there will be 24 students with 2 teachers there.
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