Pao Highlights

Each month, the High School holds special Chinese cultural activities for staff. The events, organised by Dean of High School External Affairs Zang Na, are an important part of cultivating a bi-cultural environment, allowing international staff to learn more about China and also giving a platform for Chinese staff to share and appreciate their culture. On 25th September, the staff made egg yolk puffs in the school’s Baker Space and on 23rd October they practised making Bead Art.

On 3rd November, students from the High School took part in a scientific Exploration Trip. The trip, a coordinated effort by the University and Careers Counselling Offices and the science department, was designed to be a journey of exploration, allowing students to learn more about the scientific discipline and consider future careers. Sixteen students took part in the trip, visiting a company in Zhoupu Medical Park that specialises in genetic testing, early cancer screening and diagnosis.

For students, this was an invaluable opportunity. They expanded their biological knowledge in various areas, such as genetics, methylation and how this links to treating cancer. In addition, they gained a better understanding of the impact and significance of biotechnology on society. At the same time, the professional experience and experiences of the company's leadership team and R&D scientists gave the students good insight into the biotechnology industry.

The students also visited a specialised biological laboratory during the trip. In the lab, the students took part in a supervised experiment to extract DNA.

October saw the arrival of International School Library Month (ISLM) at Songjiang. This year, ISLM celebrated fairy tales and folk tales from around the world, alongside the way they connect us together. Throughout the month, Songjiang’s librarians devised a number of fun activities to promote reading, such as a summer book review competition, a book display, a scavenger hunt and a visit from guest author Zhang Yiwei (Professor at Fudan University) to lead a workshop on Chinese traditional literature.

Zhang Yiwei, Professor at Fudan University, visited as a guest author to give the students a talk on Chinese traditional literature

Anna (Y10), Jocelyn (Y9) and Koda (Y12) won awards for their book review submissions in the 2021 Summer Reading Challenge

The library put various fantasy, world history, and science fiction books on display

On 4th November, Songjiang held the IGCSE Drama Showcase Evening, giving the students the chance to show off their ever-improving dramatic skills. The eight students performed a variety of scenes, including "The Importance of Being Earnest" by Oscar Wilde, William Golding's "Lord of the Flies" adapted for the stage by Nigel Williams, "Life x 3" by Yasmina Reza, and "The Blueberry Hill Accord" by Daryl Watson.

 “It was remarkable to see the confidence with which students performed, the depth of characterisation they were able to achieve, and how they successfully captured the range of multiple meanings displayed in their scenes.”

                                                                                                                                                                                        ——Kobus van der Colff, Head of High School Drama

Echo Cheng, Head of High School Chinese Four Courses (C4C), was awarded the title of "2021 Songjiang District Outstanding Teacher of the Year" by the Songjiang District Education Bureau. During her years as a teacher at Pao School, Ms. Cheng has helped students cultivate excellent study habits, diverse abilities and a strong sense of responsibility. Her teaching has been both diligent and enterprising, alongside which she has helmed the design of a wide array of teaching activities.

On September 18th, the students of Hongqiao campus celebrated Three Pillars Day and took part in a number of activities in different locations throughout Shanghai. “Through these activities, students learned more about teamwork, developed new skills and strengthened their awareness of environmental protection,” commented Head of Middle School Character Education Shane Xin who organized the full day of activities for the students.

The Year 6 students went to Changxing Island to take part in tasks such as building temporary shelters, drilling logs for fires and keeping them lit, and making homemade bread. The Year 7s went to Songjiang Tianma Hill. During the trip, students experienced paddle boarding, hiking and kite making. The Year 8 students went to Tsing Xi Country Park to enjoy activities such as hiking through the water forest, learning tree species identification, and went kayaking. During the kayaking activity, the students spent their time removing rubbish from the water – giving them further appreciation on how to protect nature.

Hongqiao's annual Unity Day activities took place in late October. The event promotes joining together to create healthier communities through kindness, acceptance, and inclusion. Throughout the week around Unity Day, a number of different activities took place to celebrate, such as classroom projects, a photo booth for lunchtimes and orange bracelets - as orange is the international theme colour for Unity Day - for teachers and students to wear.

October saw the kick-off of Love of Reading Week at the Middle School on the 25th. During the week, a number of special activities and events took place. On Monday and Tuesday, students and teachers took part in Read-a-Thons – sharing their favourite books by reading aloud in the library. Wednesday saw everyone get excited and dressed up for Book Character Dress-Up Day. In addition, students were invited to compete to design a laptop book cover.

In October and early November, Wuding campus held a series of Sports Days. On 28th October, the Year 1s took part in sports such as relay and skipping and the Year 2s took part in sports such as sprinting, skipping and long jump. Then, on 4th November, the Year 3s and 4s took on the challenge, with the Year 5s competing later on 12th November – all taking part in a variety of activities, such as skipping, high/long jump, agility tests and sprinting. The winners were all excited to win recognition for their House group. But students were not only competing in sports, some also won prizes for exemplifying the school’s character values of compassion, balance, and integrity.

Wuding campus during October is all about compassion. Though the students focus on character education all year round, during "compassion month" the students are tasked with daily compassion-related challenges to complete, such as helping people.  The students were also encouraged to share their feelings and good deeds during class time. The activity not only helped the students develop a spirit of mindful compassion but also encompassed the campus in a warm and happy glow.

This year marked eight years of Pinky Kids at Pao School. In a recent fundraising activity, the students honed their weaving by creating bracelets, dream catchers and other handmade works during the Service Learning CCA. These works were prepared to be sold on the last week and the first week of October. In addition to the children’s original handwoven works, the Pinky Kids charity sale was also fortunate to receive many other handmade items donated by enthusiastic volunteer families, such as hair accessories, card holders and star bottles. The proceeds from this event will be donated by the PTA to the Shanghai Pink Ribbon Cancer Patient Center.

Pao School’s Year 3 Story Mama team visited the Kangyi Nursing Home on the Double Ninth Festival. The children and their parents brightened the day for the nursing home’s residents with lively musical performances and dances. 

On 16-17th October, students from the Primary and Middle School took part in MakerFaire Shanghai in an activity facilitated by Wilson Scott, Head of ICT at the Wuding campus. Held annually, the MakerFaire focuses on STEAM education, hosts interactive workshops, and offers hands-on activities showcasing makers and their creations. Pao School students – including Eric (Y3), Thomas H, Peter, Jackson, Lucas (all Y4), CJ (Y5) and Tom (Y8) – took their projects on the road to show them off in the school’s booth.

“YK Pao School made their Shanghai MakerFaire debut showcasing a range of amazing students projects including a giant bottle rocket, retro arcade machine, student programmed arcade games and 3D printing projects. A huge well done to the participating students and a big thank you to all the teacher and parent volunteers who made it possible.”

——Wilson Scott, Wuding Head of ICT