Grade 1 at Huili: A Pivotal Year for Growth

As our youngest pupils in Huili Nursery Hangzhou make that important transition through to primary school, they are faced with a new set of structures, routines and learning expectations. However, they are also supported by the same educational vision, the same Huili values and a dedication to ensuring that their transition is seamless. 
Below, Ms. Villegas, an English teacher in Grade 1, outlines what life for a new Grade 1 pupil looks like and how the team ensure their continued social and emotional wellbeing whilst helping them make tangible progress in English language learning.

Angy Villegas

English Teacher

Learning a new language is difficult at any age. It is a task that continuously tests your perseverance, resilience, courage, and patience. As Grade 1 teachers in Huili School Hangzhou, we have the precarious task of carefully finding a balance between obtaining tangible results, while most importantly starting the children off in a productive and enjoyable journey of language learning.Looking back at the journey of the children who entered our classrooms in August 2019, there were many frustrated faces during our first lessons; many children who appeared to have shut off to the idea of learning to understand this new person in their lives who was speaking phrases completely alien to them. It took a while to gain their trust and build an atmosphere of mutual respect in the classroom. By means of fun, hands on activities, stories and listening sessions full of repetition and interaction, the children began to leave behind their cautious approach and became more open and receptive to the subject.
This is when the next stage of learning began; continuing the fun activities and varying the vocabulary as often as possible to expose them to new words, thus making the most of their new positivity and open attitude to absorbing the knowledge we had to offer. They began to show their personalities, learning styles and different strengths; searching hard for the words to express their likes and dislikes. They showed us that they were full of questions, “How to say…?”, “What is the word for….?”, “What does this mean?”.
This is where, as teachers, we know the journey of language learning is in full throttle mode. Their curiosity and enthusiasm have been sparked. When we enter the classroom there is now an air of excitement and we can fully implement our mission to keep their motivation levels high and provide differentiated challenges that help cement their knowledge as well as stretch their learning as far as they are capable. This continued progress, challenge and stretching is essential for building their knowledge while maintaining their confidence.

Pupils at Huili School Hangzhou are assessed in all areas of English learning - speaking, listening, writing, reading - over the course of their first 2 weeks in school. This assessment process continues throughout the year in form of explicit and implicit assessments, in which we take into consideration the individual starting points of each child. As teachers with a deep level of knowledge on each individual child, we can clearly identify where they have made progress. This is one of the most rewarding parts of our job; to see them consistently reach new milestones throughout the year.

As a parent, it may be a little more difficult to see this progress. Some children may be open to share their knowledge at home, while others will be more reserved and not show all they have achieved academically. This is why, coming to the end of the year, it is very important that we look at the learning of the children not as a final result but as a journey. A journey in which they have dedicated many hours, completed task after task, constantly rising to the high standards that are expected of them in Huili.

Before the end of the academic year all Grade 1 parents should have received a photograph of their child’s first piece of independent writing and the last one. 

1

2

Pupil A's first and last English article 

1

2

Pupil B's first and last English article 

Throughout this article we have included examples of this that demonstrate the extraordinary progress our children have made in their English language skills throughout the year. The pieces of work highlighted here were completed independently by the children, with no support or guidance from the teacher. 

Slide to view pupil C's first and last piece

Slide to view pupil D's first and last piece

They show us a genuine starting and ending point for the year, and show exactly what your child can do with the knowledge they have acquired over the year. We have discussed this with the children. They have had a look at their own before and after work and feel immensely proud of their achievements. It goes without saying that all Grade 1 students have made outstanding progress over the year and we are very proud of them for the courage, resilience and integrity they have shown.

It has been a tough year in so many different ways. The children were away from school for three long months and what could have been a waste of large parts of an academic year for the children has become a fantastic story of success. Thank you, parents, for your full support during the eLearning process and beyond. It allows us to do what we know and enjoy best; teaching your children so they can release their full potential. The love and dedication you have for your children is truly inspirational. If this is what can be achieved over a year that threw so many uncertainties our way, I can only imagine the bright future that awaits our primary school children at Huili School Hangzhou.

Click the pictures to read more

惠贤育能，立德树人

杭州惠立学校为2-18岁的学生提供世界一流品质的双语教育。其中，杭州惠立幼儿园引入英国早期基础教育体系、并结合中国教育部《幼儿园教育指导纲要》为2-5岁儿童提供教育服务。小学和初中阶段遵循国家课程标准及浙江省课程要求开展教学，进入高中后将采用IGCSE和A Level/IB课程体系。每一个学段的课程都会为学生提供广泛的国际教育资源。

学校有一套完善的幸福关怀体系贯穿各个学段，在惠立特质和价值观的引导下，以惠立特有的教学方法，为学生提供全人教育，培养学生具备积极、慎思、个性、独立和包容的惠立特质，成长为全面发展的、具备优质综合才能的惠立学子，使其能在未来茁壮成长。当我们的学生完成杭州惠立学校的学业后，也为步入世界顶尖大学做好了充分的准备。

2020-2021学年杭州惠立学校招生公告 | Admissions Announcement