"Button Your Lip"

We had a nice reading time together using books from the Green 'Everyday Book Box" - Scholastics. 

Venice recommends this little book to those who are interested in idioms: 

There are 11 idioms. They are put in the column to the left. Can you find their meanings? 

Dongguang Yu Tim Primary School 東莞常平豫添（民工子弟）小學

28 October 2013 

This is a primary school transformed by a Hong Kong industrialist in Dongguang to provide education for children of immigrant workers. 

The campus is located in Shang Peng County, 20-minute drive 

from Zhang Mu Tau Railway Station, 

surrounded by a mix of low-rise factories and residential blocks. 

It has a main building with four floors, more than 20 classrooms, designated special rooms, a reading room, a computer room, a canteen, two basket-ball courts and a garden. 

The library is badly in need of children's books, 

furniture and equipment. 

The canteen is closed because of leaking roof. 

Students enjoyed serving their classmates lunch 

and cleaning up. 

Major income from the tuition fees per student -1400 RMB per half year can hardly cover the costs of staff salary, maintenance and daily operation, let alone refurbishing and developmental projects. 

The Principal, Ms Li, who had more than ten years' teaching experience as a math teacher and 8 years serving as a restaurant owner, is confident that the school is very much blessed and will improve in two years. 

「當餐廳老闆我滿有信心，當校長我完全沒有經驗，只能靠上帝。每天五點半起來和宿舍內幾位基督徒老師一齊祈禱。」

Yu Tim Primary School - towards a three-star school

the FRUIT of the SPIRIT: LOVE, JOY, PEACE, PATIENCE, KINDNESS, GOODNESS, FAITHFULNESS, GENTLENESS, SELF-CONTROL 

Ms Li- Principal on the right 

This was my second visit to Yu Tim, to present the books and a set of world map donated by Joyce, a blog friend, who has read about the needs of the students from one of my blog posts. Thank you very much Joyce. 

The school campus is undergoing major improvement: a new optical fibre computer network, a new computer room, a fully equipped library, display boards, new sets of sports facilities.

The whole school assembles for morning exercises, announcements and moral education. 

Vice Principal - Mr. Ip has been with the school since it was founded in 2002. 

The school has applied for 'three-star' private school; and these facilities are part of the basic requirements, as instructed by the Ministry of Education. 

A team of six consultants appointed by the Ministry of Education will conduct a thorough review of the school administration, campus facilities as well as classroom teaching the following week.

八鄉水流田(六）Pat Heung Shui Lau Tin 6 -收割的學問

8 December 2013 

收割的學問

收成也要心機!!!

尖鼻咀曰落 Sunset at Tsim Bei Tsui

北望繁華人工琛圳，更愛泥灘紅樹白鷺野鴨

Parent Workshop 3

Parent Workshop on Using e-books to Nurture 

Love for Reading English Books 

Peace Square - a country 'feel' restaurant at Causeway Bay

"In Quietness and Confidence Shall be Your Strength"

Lisa led me here today, 

the first time we met.  

Pat Heung Shui Lau Tien (5) - learning from a Japanese friend

4 Nov 2013 

Every Sunday we see his car, a white Lexus, and we know that he has come already. He is Japanese but he speaks Cantonese and English. His field is nearer to the village houses than ours but well sheltered by head high shrubs and grass. There is a path leading to it from the well where we both share - the only source of water for all the three parties.

This Sunday morning, WY led me to see his field. Immediately we felt the unique Japanese style. The rows are narrower and tidier. There is a greater variety of vegetables. Lines of crops and dry straw coverings form a beautiful pattern. Every corner is like a picture. 

dry grass as fertiliser

Pineapples 

Herbs 

 WY was most interested in how he kept fertility of the soil and asked if he used compost. 

"I don't use any compost. I just use the grass, wood and the dried crop remains. I never use any fertilisers, not even organic fertilisers bought from shops, or wet compost. I use what I can find here on this field. This is the most natural way to grow. If I use things other than those from the land here, the natural thing will be damaged. I have the grass dried and then put them in the ditches and my stepping on them will break them down. Then I put them over the crops. They serve as natural fertilisers."

The hoe he uses is from Japan, a pointed one, which is very different from the Chinese hoes we are using. 

"Where did you learn this?" 

"I love farming and I started growing when I was a child in Japan. I read a lot of books about growing  crops." 

"Look at these bananas. They are very healthy. There are no bugs. When I do not use any fertilisers, there are fewer bugs or illnesses. Wet leftovers to make compost will attract insects." 

"Is that so? No wonder why we get so many bugs in our fields." 

"These are lady fingers, the fruit is the best taste when it is not too long." 

"I want to try growing lady fingers! The flowers are so beautiful." 

"This Japanese guy is very nice. We share the same well, and he always gets our water pipe connected after he has finished using the water pump." 

"Look! My improved field, the Japanese model. With compose sun-dry first, and dry grass on the sides!" WY was really quick to learn. 

PARENT WORKSHOP 1 Revision

Parent Workshop on using e-books to help primary one children learn English

"The workshop was a huge success!" 

"Hope they will take action and guide their children to read English books." 

I felt so flattered by their encouraging remarks after this one-hour workshop with parents of Yan Tak Catholic Primary School. 

This was the first time I had sharing with parents of children at such young age. 

They enjoyed reading aloud after the voice over in the ebook so much!! 

The e-books come from Professor Wong Po Choi's project: 

http://e-reading.hk

I started with my personal recount of what I learned from the Taipei experience: the education leaders are aiming at nurturing global citizens and are fast catching up with English teaching and learning. 

Next I did a simple presentation on requirements of a global citizen, demand on our children, what reading can provide and how the second language reading development framework. 

Then we logged into the e-book "I can paint" - Beginner / level 1, and started our fun reading. 

It is a lovely morning. Hallelujah!

Chingshin Elementary and Middel School, and Kindergarten 靜心學校- 中小幼一條龍雙語私立學校

簡毓玲校長

十三年把靜心脫胎換骨

親身培育老師團隊

學校提供多元發展課程

每位同學先在一個領域突破，再擴展其他，

成為全面多智能傑出領袖

On 12 Nov, we attended Principal Chen Yu-ling's presentation to a group of school principals from Jiejiang, the Mainland. Chingshin was founded by the decedent of Jiang Jing Guo. Principal Chen had been principal of various schools. In the past 13 years, with the support of her boss and the school council, she has turned around Chingshin, modernising it and has converted it to a through train private bilingual school. The textbooks used are from USA such as Fusion Science and Humanities. Students on exchange study in American on normal school days can fit in the curriculum and teaching fully. 

"Ever since our campus started operation here, many families have moved in this district, hoping to secure a place in our school. The price of properties has gone up so much." 

"We nurture future leaders for the 21st century - whole persons with global views and competencies to function in the international arena." 

"We have a coherent curriculum framework from K to 12. I think forbidding children to learn English at kindergarten or young age is groundless. Many research has shown that bilingual or multilingual children can choose to communicate in the language they find appropriate naturally. Our students have no problems in speaking to their parents in Mandarin. Neither have they any problem when they are studying in USA on exchange projects." 

"It is our belief that all students can become leaders in at least one area. Once they have experienced a breakthrough and achieved excellence in one area, they will have the confidence to excel in other areas, too. They can transfer their knowledge, skills and strategies." 

"Experiential learning is essential to success. We have created this experiential learning area for "Safety Education". We shall build another experiential learning section devoted to music." 

"I love music. Every student needs a performance stage. Here is our auditorium. We have 8 instrument practice rooms. We have orchestras and choirs, and students need to practice very hard. The busier the students, the better they can manage their time. Leaders need to be tough." 

"We have formed strategic alliance with schools and enterprises. Students from Singapore and Hong Kong often come to our school for exchange. We would like to visit top schools in Hong Kong."