Babes at School

Ryan started Prep in August this year. This was going to be a big step for Ryan because not only would he be starting his formal education, he would be doing so in an environment very foreign to what he is used to. Having given it a lot of thought, Shad and I decided to send him to ISF (Independent Schools Foundation). This school offers a bilingual program with a strong emphasis on Putunghua from Foundation Year (Prep) to Grade 5, gradually shifting the balance in favour of English from Grade 6 onwards. In FY, the emphasis is 70% Mandarin and 30% English. We didn't make this decision lightly. Our worst fear would be for Ryan to feel so lost in the classroom that he loses his confidence and becomes withdrawn. On the other hand, we also feel that we are in a very unique position where we have a chance to give our children a real opportunity to immerse themselves in a different language and cultural environment. I can only hope that we have made the right decision.

A little about the school - "The ISF Academy is an independent Chinese school with a global perspective, deeply rooted in Chinese culture and values with a curriculum of world-class standards. Our students are immersed in a Putonghua-English bilingual learning environment that develops their multiple talents to realize their full potential ... By drawing the best from the East and the West, The ISF Academy seeks to educate students for life in the 21st century, nurturing global citizens who are problem solvers, lateral thinkers and leaders able to thrive amidst uncertainty and rapid social changes in today's fast-paced society."

The School's Core Values - Eight Virtues + One (八德一智)

Deeply rooted in Chinese culture and with a global prospective, The ISF Academy focuses on instilling in its students core values that draw from our Chinese heritage and which are updated to be relevant to today's world.

智 (zhi) and the Eight Virtues

Having strong academic standards is crucial to a successful school. However, beyond good test scores is a higher concept, the concept of 智(zhi). 智 implies having intelligence and wisdom, being able to use knowledge and experience to make decisions that benefit ourselves and our community. The ISF Academy believes that only by having the following eight virtues can an individual truly have 智 and thus reach academic, personal, and professional success.

忠 (zhong) – embodies the concept of loyalty and responsibility to others, making a commitment and being devoted to what is important to us.

孝(xiao) – recognizes that sometimes we are leaders and sometimes we are followers.

仁 (ren) – recognizes that we need to approach every person and all living things with kindness and care.

愛 (ai) – encourages a love for the community and a passion for knowledge.

禮 (li) – is how we do things at The ISF Academy and how our core values are manifested in our traditions, our habits and our daily routines.

義 (yi) – is being principled and standing up for our beliefs.

和 (he) – is approaching our world with moderation, tolerance, good humor, and joy.

平 (ping) – is balance, equality, fairness. It is closely tied to the concept of 和 and when the two characters are combined, they form the word "peace".

He Ban kid

Waiting in line with his new classmates

Walking back to their new classroom for the first time (with all their anxious parents crowding around)

Parents were invited to go along to the child's classroom for an hour on the first day.

A little present from Chen Laoshi, their Mandarin homeroom teacher

First school assignment of his schooling life! (Draw something you did on your holidays)

Play time

Snack time

A bit of reading after their snack

Getting to know each other at circle time

On Friday after the kids were a little more settled, they had their official "opening ceremony" during assembly in the gymnasium.

Very happy to see us at school (Jaden, his childhood friend, is the little boy behind him on the right)

Malcolm Pritchard, the Principal giving his official welcome speech (Interestingly enough, he is an Aussie from Melbourne who taught at Melbourne Grammar many years back)

Ryan's teacher, Chen Laoshi, is standing third from the left wearing a green top

Marching back to class

After the first week of riding in Mama's car, it was off to school on the school bus.

All ready for the bus with his bus pass in hand (in his PE uniform)

ISF Bus No 5

The following week, I went up to his class after school to have a look at the hand puppet he wanted to show me.

He Ban

The is a story behind this pencil case. On his first day of school, when the kids were asked to go and collect their pencil cases, Ryan walked up to the desk and picked up the one with his name on it, his face just dropped. It was pink! A few days later when I went to his class, he happily showed me this blue one. When I asked him what happened to the pink one, he said Chen Laoshi knew he didn't like pink, so the next day she changed it to a blue one. Very nice of her. She made his day!

His hand puppet

Jaden outside his classroom, Li Ban

September was also a big month for Mia. We started playgroup at Woodlands Pre-School two hours twice a week. It's been a long time since I took Ryan for playgroup, I'd forgotten what it was like to spend two hours with a fidgety kid trying to get her to participate in all the activities. Circle time at the end of class is always a little crazy, all the kids are tired and restless and honestly so are the Mamas. Mia seems to really like going to class, she enjoys the interaction with the other children, and especially loves art time.

All set for art, her favourite activity

Theme of the week - bears

We just love our colouring

She refused to stop!