Frequently Asked Questions
Q- Question asked by parents
A- Response given by Kindergarten representative
Q: With Swine-flu being highly contagious at this time, what measures can be undertaken other than regularly disinfecting classrooms, to combat the risk falling ill. For example, every child should have their temperature taken when entering the school, as opposed to leaving this to parents in the event that not every parent has the time to do this?
A: First of all, the reason why parents are meant to take their child's temperature is because they will have a better understanding of their child's health, and make the call whether they need to go to school at all. This will mean parents would not have to pick up their children again if it is only found out in school that they are sick. In addition, teachers will every day monitor every student's temperature chart and will ask if any children are feeling unwell. Also, as the children are at school for quite a long period, full-day students will have their temperature checked before their afternoon nap. Lastly, we will continually ask for parents to set a good example for healthy living at home.
Q: How will parents be able to keep up to date with how their child is doing and give teachers feedback? (Other than parent's day especially if the matter is more urgent)
A: Teachers will usually use our school's communication book as a way of bridging the gap between parent and teacher. In addition, teachers can still contact parents via email, telephone, notices to further inform parents how their child is doing.
Q: I heard that the school curriculum is rather easy and more suited to my younger child. Is this the case? And also, if my child is starting in the starting nursery but is still using diapers, how will the school teach them to stop using them? What if children are still unable to stop using diapers after the implementation of Positive Discipline? How will you address this issue?
A: Principal Chan would like to thank the parent for this question. At this point, we would like to ask the parents what we define as an easy or hard curriculum. Is a harder curriculum better? [Some parents agree. Some disagree but most do not have a reaction]. The Principal would like to reiterate that our philosophy is that each child is an individual and therefore, has different interests, needs and abilities. Every person develops different characteristics at different stages in life. A curriculum that is able to cater towards each child's different development needs is the best sort. The Tivoli way of teaching is not a one-size fits all program; but a highly layered format of teaching with different group activities. Children are free to choose a corner specialising in a subject where there are activities of various difficulty. After a thorough inspection, the Education Bureau have been deeply impressed with the diverse ways of learning designed to help children learn in an effective and fun environment. In addition, the Kindergarten promotes the learning of language, the fundamental steps in developing a child's listening, speaking, reading and writing. Higher-class students can not only recognise basic radicals but also engage in "I can read" programs. The students have already begun to design posters, stories as well as other activities. The accomplishments of our graduates have been very good, many attending district primary, secondary schools with their results evidence of their ability. The Kindergarten has often received letters of commandment from these schools for their achievement. The girl seen in the photo with former Governor of Hong Kong, Chris Patten already a first-year student at Hong Kong University.
The Principal's response to the diaper issue are as follows: For children who are starting in the nursery and still wearing diapers, we recommend parents to use "pull up" underwear-diapers as well as bringing an additional two or three pairs to keep at the school. Every hour or so, the teachers will gather the children to queue for the toilet. Out of habit, the children eventually begin to learn how to go to the toilet by themselves. Parents at home should now be able to let their children not wear underwear-diapers. Together with the experience of wetting themselves, and the guidance of their parents, the children will be able to fully use the bathrooms by themselves.
In relation to the positive discipline issue: When sharing experiences, the Principal found that with the co-operation of parents at home, if the philosophy is applied correctly, the success rate is very high. However, Principal Chan often found that the mistake most commonly made by parents is to give too many free choices but set requirements that are too high. For example, a four year old child's mother undertakes a "design my own timetable" activity. She demands that he design five activities for himself in one day. Later, the mother scolds him for not including any time for doing homework. In actuality, the children are capable of coming up with their own activities. Bear in mind that the parent gave no prior indication that a homework session needed to be included. Which is why when applying the positive discipline philosophy, parents need to take into account their child's interests, needs and abilities.
In this case, if the mother had set out a more rigid five-activity plan, with two activities to be decided by her and the others by the child, the child will feel that his/her decision is being respected and the mother will feel secure that she is still in control of her child's education. This is an example of the positive discipline philosophy having dual benefits. One point that we need to remind parents about is that, children should be made aware of the consequence (if the child is able to participate in the timetable designing, they should be allowed to express their opinion) and must have a mutual agreement with their parents. Lastly, parents will find that the positive discipline scheme will not only enhance their child's inter-personal skills, self-reflection, self-discipline, ability to co-operate but also improve the relationship between parent and child.
Q: The school policies are now well-understood. But I would like to know what will happen in the event of an accident. Such as a child bumping his head or having a high fever. What methods will the school use for these problems?
A: Firstly, the school will undertake a variety of accident prevention measures. In the event that an accident does occur, the school has already formulated contingency measures and guidelines. Teachers will be required to have first-aid training in healing injuries and will judge whether a child needs to go to hospital (at least 50% of the teachers have obtained the first-aid certificates). At the same time, parents will immediately be notified and will fill in an accident & injury record. Finally, according to school policy, if a child has a high fever, parents will be notified to pick up their child immediately. This is to prevent the sickness spreading through the school.
Uploaded Date: 2010-5-28
How to counteract parental peer pressure & become a happy parent.
By Carmen Chan Ka Mun, JP
Chief Principal
To the majority of K3 parents, the summer holidays are a stressful time as it becomes uncertain as to whether or not your child will be accepted by what the parents regard as their ideal school. Adding to parent's anxiety is the pressure of the approaching interview period, as the rush begins to prepare their children as well as they can.
In a recent parent's workshop, 'Play shapes the future', the speaker asked the parents to compare children's games nowadays to the ones played by the older generations and were subsequently asked, "Who was happier?". The parents responded simultaneously; their own childhoods were happier. The speaker then questioned this response, "how come children today are not happy?", one of the parents responded frankly by saying that children nowadays are under lots of pressure as they are pushed to apply to schools with a good name, resulting in a unhappy childhood. "Well," the speaker replied, "do the children apply for these schools themselves?"
During a 'Home-Schooled Co-operation Committee' seminar, a guest speaker pointed out that in the 21st century, a large portion of our population suffers from various mental disorders. And, research has shown that the number of patients who experience psychosis in Hong Kong has been increasing, particularly in the younger generations. According to the guest speaker, many parents nowadays feel overwhelmed and attempt to do everything they can to give their child the very best, regardless of whether or not their child really needs all of this. Schools and parents alike know that the world is a fast changing place; society, universities and the world is ever changing, and if you fall behind, it will be difficult to try and catch up.
Yet, a child's learning process can be diverse, there is no set path towards success. Renowned educator John Dewey suggested that education should not be restricted to a particular time frame; it should be ongoing and involve real-life tasks and challenges. For don't we all learn through our daily life experiences? However, the real problem may lie with the parents themselves. Many parents nowadays are unable to accept their children if they display any kind of 'weakness', the slightest 'unusual' behavior, or thoughts. Are modern parents meeting societal demands or are they being misled in their beliefs and perceptions? Many may be too busy enjoying themselves to enjoy the little things that make their child unique so that when they see another child's achievements, they fear their own child falling behind and therefore push them even harder. The celebrated psychologist Jean Piaget believed that all individuals learn at different paces and arrive at different levels at different times. For example, children all learn to walk at different ages through different styles of learning, and even then, they all walk at different paces. Some children like to observe then question, others like to interrogate then research. Although the learning styles are different, who is to say which one is better than the other?
Each individual possesses their own unique talents, allocated to them from birth. Despite their goodwill, parents who attempt to rush their children's development may in the process do more damage than good. However, parents should not be discouraged; on the contrary, encouragement should be given to parents to find their children's talents and strengths. Find them, and cultivate them, let them blossom in their own time and aid their development. This way, you'll feel less pressure and provide a happier and more unique upbringing for your child.
What is Positive Discipline?
Positive discipline is an approach to guide children to develop self-discipline, responsibilities, problem solving skills and cooperation. Many literature points out that the positive discipline approach is powerful in helping children learn constructively, happily, healthily and effectively. Dr. Jane Nelsen, an educational psychologist and the best-selling co-author of a positive discipline series and believes that many inappropriate behaviours can be traced back to the failure to develop the significant “Seven Perceptions and Skills” (Nelsen, Lott and Glenn, 1977). Children are more willing to follow rules that they have helped establish. They become effective decision makers with healthy self-concepts when they learn to be contribution members of a family of society.
Three Perceptions:
- Perception of personal capabilities: “I am capable of doing....”
- Perception of significance in primary relationships: “I contribute in meaningful ways, and I am genuinely needed.”
- Perception of personal power of influence over life: “I use my power to make choices that influence what happens to me and my community.”
Four Skills
- Interpersonal skills
- Intrapersonal skills
- Systemic skills
- Judgement skills