The concept of community sits at the heart of our philosophy at ESF Wu Kai Sha International Kindergarten. We believe that working in partnership with families is key to providing a thriving environment where children can achieve and succeed.
Our school is more than a place where children receive an education, it’s a community in which children, families and others feel connected, share values and feel a sense of well-being and belonging.
As a school, we aim to build strong relationships between teachers, children and families and use these to support the children’s learning and experiences.
We believe that a strong community working together creates the best opportunities for children as is seen in our numerous community events. Parents and staff support a very strong programme taking place over the year. For example, the Parent Staff Association organises a Mid-Autumn festival in Ma On Shan Park, a large school fair and the Christmas and Chinese New Year celebrations every year.
Our Family Fun Fair is a day to enjoy with children performing through song and dance, playing musical instruments and participating in a wide range of experiences including workshops, activity challenges and games.
Situated in Ma On Shan, our school was opened in 2009 at Lake Silver with 210 students. Demand quickly rose and today the school accommodates 345 children with 10 full-time teachers and 15 educational assistants with seven morning and afternoon classes.
The school follows the International Baccalaureate (IB) Primary Years Programme curriculum and its learning environment has been designed using concepts from the innovative Reggio Emilia approach to education, with natural materials emphasising the beauty of the world. Children make use of logs, stones, cones, shells and various other open-ended materials in their learning experiences.
Having undergone refurbishment twice, we have added a garden and a new kitchen designed to be accessible to three to five year olds. We believe that experiences in growing plants and cooking are fundamental to children understanding the world, as they enable children to develop a sense of interconnectedness with the environment, health and well-being.
The school strongly values inclusion and diversity and we cater towards children with a range of additional learning needs. Children receive professional support in our dedicated therapy centre which has a range of specialised equipment to support children with sensory and language needs.
A comprehensive range of after-school activities is available including language enrichment, playgroup sessions, drama, and sport. We offer practical workshops to parents to help them better understand the school’s educational philosophy and learn more about child development. These workshops are very practical in nature, giving adults the opportunity to work with teachers and practice their own skills in raising young children.
To assist with communication and assessment and to support professional research, teaching staff develop pedagogical documentation, involving the reflective analysis of children’s work, which makes learning visible for the children, teachers and parents. We welcome you to view this documentation in school and on our website.