The Year 1 Family Afternoon Activity has become a tradition at YK Pao Primary School. After more than a month of primary school, Year 1 students have gradually adapted to campus life, including its rules and routines. To witness this milestone, parents were invited into their children’s classrooms to take part in Chinese, English and math parent–child games organized by the teachers. “This activity gives students the chance to demonstrate what they’ve learned in class and to learn alongside their parents,” said Rachel Wong, Year 1 teacher and team leader. “It also helps parents understand classroom teaching and learn practical ways to support their children’s learning.”
Chinese Activities:
Students and parents played ‘Snakes and Ladders’ together, completing grid tasks related to vocabulary, pinyin and poems, which exhibited and reinforced what the children had learned in class.
English Activities:
Parents and children discussed acts of kindness from picture books and then wrote words of thanks and praise, using prompts such as “Thank you…” and “You are very good at…” to cultivate positive attitudes and social-emotional skills.
Math Activities:
Students and parents played the “Sum 5” card game. All cards are placed face down and each player flips two cards per turn. If the two cards add up to five, the player keeps them; if not, the cards are turned face down again. The player with the most cards at the end wins.
Deciding which school a child will attend is a significant choice families approach with great care. On this occasion, Pao School interviewed several Year 1 parents who explained why they chose the school and discussed their children’s experiences since enrolling.
Many families were initially drawn to Pao School because of the bilingual environment and multicultural atmosphere. Aiden’s father enrolled all three of his children in Pao School because he liked its bilingual teaching. Gwendolyn’s mother felt the same — her husband is German and she is Malaysian Chinese. “I think it’s perfect to let her study and be in an environment that is bilingual,” she said. “This is what I’ve always wanted for her since she was young.”
Along with appreciating the language environment, parents also consider the school’s educational philosophy and core values. Aiden’s father said they came to Pao School for its bilingual offering and have stayed because the school’s values align with their own. “Most especially, we like the values that the school teaches to our kids.” He also noted that many lessons are taught through play, so the children “come back happy from school, sharing with us what they have experienced during the day.”
Beyond first impressions, the school’s ‘whole-person’ approach deeply resonated with parents who were seeking all‑round development for their children. As Sophia’s father emphasized: “We are not looking just for a school with a very strong academic background, but also for a school that cares about developing people for tomorrow as complete human beings, from the point of view of emotions, from the point of view of being a responsible person for society.” In addition to education, a moderately sized school and a harmonious community have been crucial factors in these parents’ decisions. Jasper’s father pointed out that his son feels especially comfortable with the scale and environment of the primary campus. He added that a sense of belonging in the community is especially important to his whole family.
Parents expressed gratitude when asked about their experiences since their children’s enrollment. They have found that the school’s educational philosophy was not empty rhetoric, but naturally permeates every detail of daily teaching. “We really see those values that we had in the beginning of reasons why we chose this school, truly get played out on a day to day level,” Mia’s father said. “It’s not just in the classrooms,” he added, “It’s not just with teachers and friends. It’s very naturally embedded into the school system.” He pointed out, too, that the program truly embeds both Western and Chinese cultures, so diversity comes alive across the entire school community.
Parents are even more pleased with their children’s noticeable growth across the board. Jasper’s father happily explained how he had witnessed his child making rapid progress, not just intellectually, but in his whole-person development. “Jasper constantly asks questions in a very different way than he did just 6 months ago,” he noted. Sophia’s father said he loves the fact that when his daughter gets home she talks about what she has learned. “It’s not only from the academic point of view, also how she’s learning to self-manage emotions, how she’s balancing curiosity with kindness. Sophia is evolving as a little person,” he remarked with a smile.
The joy of everyday campus life is evident, and the children’s enthusiasm for school resonates strongly with parents. Gwendolyn’s mother said that her daughter “loves school so much” that she never complains about waking early to catch the school bus, because she is looking forward to seeing her teachers and friends. Mia’s father said he sees, day after day, how the reasons he chose the school have been vindicated by his daughter’s growth. As Sophia’s father put it, choosing a school was just one step in a long journey. “We are very happy to have taken the road of YK Pao School together, to make this long journey,” he said.
