Reflections on Our First Day of School | 回顾开学的第一天

It has been a week now since 1 September when our campus opened its doors to the first batch of students who were permitted to attend classes on campus. Learning spaces and playgrounds came alive once again as students and teachers alike restarted activities.

Easing Into the Week

The first day (and indeed the entire week) was spent on easing students into their new environment, especially those joining our community for the first time this semester. A number of icebreaker activities for all ages were designed by co-teaching teams. Different introductory activities were undertaken with Year 1 students that enabled them to get to know more of their classmates.

Year 6 students also participated in a similar “about me” activity where they designed and drew their nametags. Teachers also let them introduce their favourite things in Chinese, something that will be useful in designing activities for the rest of the academic year, according to Ms Joy Qu, Year 6 Chinese teacher.

For Secondary students, there was extended tutor time for the first 30 minutes of the morning. Ms Allison Cusato, Secondary Art teacher, added that another way they made the first day of school pleasant for seniors was organising an assembly that helped them familiarise with the schedule as well as with the shift in emphasis to student and faculty wellbeing. This was a key focus for Secondary coordinators, Ms Hayley Edge and Mr Jonathan Mellen.

New epidemic prevention procedures were also introduced to ensure all are abreast of health and safety information.

Teachers’ Reflections

For Mr Harry Chambers, Year 1 Western Co-teacher, the opportunity to get to know new pupils was the highlight of the first day of school. “For me, it’s very useful to get to know children in person rather than just being a strict teacher,” he says, although great emphasis is laid on maintaining order in the classroom. Establishing a friendly relationship is crucial as some students are new to the formal school environment and others are unfamiliar with YCIS Primary practice.

Teachers forced into an online regimen were delighted to be back to face-to-face interaction. Echoing this sentiment was Ms Cusato. “It felt great to see my students again on campus. I had been missing them while teaching online. It’s a different experience” she says.

For students like Lara De Carlini in Year 5, the return to school and old friends brought much excitement and joy. It had been eight months since she last set foot on campus.

What to Expect

eLearning continues for students who are in quarantine or overseas and plans for the weeks to follow have been outlined. More academic activities will be introduced in the coming weeks once students have settled in. The campus will continue to be abuzz as more students and teachers return.

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Ms Cusato adds that much excitement surrounds the build-up to our 25th anniversary celebration as well as Founder’s Day in October.

We look forward to these wonderful milestones as our teachers continue to fashion the best possible school experience for the children working closely with parents.

自从9月1日我们学校向第一批获准在校上课的学生开放以来，已经过去了一个星期。学习空间和操场再次热闹起来，因为学生和老师们对返校都已期盼已久。

慢慢进入这一周

开学第一周，我们致力于通过合作教学团队设计的适合各年级的破冰活动让学生们轻松地融入新环境，特别是那些本学期第一次加入我们社区的学生。一年级开展了不同形式的介绍活动，学生们可以向他们的同学介绍自己。

六年级的同学也参加了类似的“关于我”活动，在活动中他们设计并画出了自己的名牌。老师还让他们用中文介绍自己喜欢的东西。据六年级中文教师曲可悦介绍，这一活动将有助于教师在本学年设计有吸引力的活动。

在中学部，学生们在上午的前30分钟在自己的教室里进行自我介绍。Allison Cusato补充说，他们让高年级学生度过愉快的第一天的另一种方式是组织晨会，帮助他们熟悉日程安排，以及我们将重点放在学生和教师的福祉上的转变。这是中学部主管Hayley Edge和Jonathan Mellen的主要关注点之一。

我们还采用了新的防措施，以确保所有人都了解有关健康和安全的信息。

教师的反馈

对一年级外籍合作教师的Harry Chambers先生来说，有机会了解他的新学生是开学第一天的亮点。“对我来说，与孩子们友好相处比做一个严厉的老师更有用。”因为有些学生完全不熟悉正式的学校环境，而另一些学生则不熟悉耀中的小学，因此，介绍常规的概念是第一周的重点。

教师们普遍的看法是，尽管在线教学有其价值，但他们的偏好仍然是与学生面对面的互动。正如Cusato女士所回应的那样，“能在校园里再次见到我的学生，我感觉很好。我在网上教学的时候一直很想念他们。这只是不一样的经历。”她承认。

对于5年级的学生Lara De Carlini来说，重返校园让她感到非常兴奋，因为距离她上次踏入校园已经有8个月了，这也是为什么她和朋友们重逢如此喜悦的原因。

有何期待

在线学习继续为仍在隔离和海外的学生开放。在接下来的几周里，学生们安顿下来后，将引入更多的学术活动，而随着越来越多的学生和老师返校，校园会变得更加热闹。

Cusato女士补充说，未来几周有很多事情值得期待，包括将要到来的25周年庆典和10月份的楚珩日。在那之前，让我们一起协作前行。

老师们尽他们最大的努力为孩子们创造最好的学年体验。他们将与家长们密切合作，共同努力就能实现这个目标。