With its emphasis on whole-person education, YK Pao School encourages students to learn in diverse ways. Classroom learning is just one part of a comprehensive educational experience that also includes athletics, arts and cultural activities, character education and the development of hands-on skills.
Cultivating musical talent
The 2018 Summer Concert showcased the success of the school's music programme, which is cultivating many fine young musical talents. Joined onstage by teachers and parents, Pao students put on a resplendent show.
The performance began with the Chinese Ensemble, which played the mesmerising 'Beautiful Tai Lake' and 'Red River Valley', followed by the Beginner Chinese Ensemble, the 2’s Day Choir, Violins, Cellos, the Primary Choir, the Wind & Saturday Ensembles and the Orchestra.
The concert continued with rousing performances of 'Sound of Silence' and 'Greetings of the Four Seasons' by the Community Choir formed by Pao School parents and directed by Head of Primary Music, Dominic Murtagh. The concert ended on a jubilant note with a performance of 'Spring' from Vivaldi's 'Four Seasons'.
Literary appreciation
Literature is another integral part of an education at Pao School. In addition to including important works of literature in the curriculum, the school invites authors of all ages to visit the school and engage in candid exchanges with our students. Recently, seven young authors from the No.2 Penglai Road Primary School visited Pao School on their book launch tour. The authors shared their writing experience with Year 4 students, who were impressed by the literary talent of the Penglai writers. After the writers finished their presentations, Pao students eagerly queued up to obtain signed copies of the books from the authors.
Two of the authors from Penglai shared their thoughts on visiting Pao School.
Kaiyu, author of
"This is the first time I have participated in an inter-school tour book launch event. This is like a dream for me: I am so happy to see my classmates have such a strong interest in my book!"
Zhijie, author of
"Seeing so many students from different schools deciding to read my book, I feel that all the hard work has been worth it. If we liken the process of writing a book to planting a tree, the seed stage can be difficult, but as long as we persevere, the tree will grow steadily, and ultimately, bear rich fruit."
STEAM education
One of the most dynamic elements of Pao School's curriculum is STEAM: science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics. STEAM education at Pao School integrates classroom learning with the cultivation of essential hands-on skills. The STEAM abilities of Pao students were put to the test at our first STEAM Fair, held in the spring.
Students had a month to develop a project that incorporated all five STEAM disciplines. Working both individually and in teams, students produced some exceptional projects that ranged from DNA models to wooden marble runs. More than 70 students participated in the event, which benefited from the strong support of parents and teachers, who volunteered their Saturday morning to help out with judging. 'When it came to the awards, we picked seven winning groups that we thought showed originality, creativity and independence,' said Michael Bailey, ICT Integrator.
The winners included the following students:
Cianna & Anny (3A) - A working model of how a camera functions
Christina, Grace & Ashley (3A) - An interactive space-inspired model
Rui (4B)- 3D models designed in SketchUp and then printed using a 3D printer
Kevin (4B)- A command module for the Kerbal Space Simulation game to control the rocket (based on Arduino)
Condy (5C)- A game of Tic Tac Toe that used artificial intelligence to try and beat you.
KaiKai (5D) - A sensor for blind people to alert them when an obstacle is in the way (based on Arduino)
Emily (5B) - Pressed flower botanical exhibition
ICT Integrator Michael said:
"Next year, we look to build on this successful event with more entries, more creativity and more unique projects. For those students who will leave Wuding Campus this year for Hongqiao Campus, they can look forward to joining the secondary team that recently had success in the Fudan University Robotics Competition. And a special mention to Lotus(4D), who was our chief photographer for the event and did a fantastic job."
Looking ahead, Pao School will continue to offer a wide variety of rich educational opportunities for students that integrate classroom learning with the development of important hands-on skills.
