I’m very thrilled with Vanessa’s new Nursery.  She’s currently attending Kornhill International Kindergarten located in Kornhill near Taikoo Shing.  The school is a blend of International and Japanese students with 2 streams:  English and Japanese.  It caters to children from Nursery 1 (at least 2 years of age) to Kindergarten 3.  In the Nursery stream, there is a AM and PM section with 3 hours for each section.

 

Do your research

It’s critical to research the type of school you want for your child.  Here are a few questions that came to mind when I was finding a nursery for Vanessa.

 

1. What language of teaching medium are you looking for?  English?  Cantonese?  Mandarin?  Mixed?
2. How far do you want your child to travel? 
3. Does the school offer a bus service?
4. How many kids per class?  (I’ve found some schools of student:teacher ratios from 11:1 to 18:1 - which makes a big difference to quality and personal time with the children)
5. What is the cost?  (I think low end is about $2000/month while high end can go up to $7000/month - for half day!)
6. What kind of peers/neighbourhood is the school in?  (Some of these kids will be your children’s playmates for the upcoming years, so keep in mind what type family backgrounds other kids come from)
7. What is the mission of the school?
   What are the learning goals/aims for the year (for your child’s class)?

 

Application

Apply early.  This means, 1 year prior to entry as deadlines for application are usually in October/November.  I find that this is the case for most schools in Hong Kong if you want to get either a placement or get the hours you want.  We applied for Vanessa to this school in September 2007 for September 2008 entry.  They will inform you of an interview date and then mail by post, details of your application.  I would recommend doing a site visit.  Just call the school and someone will give you a personal tour and answer any questions that you may have.  Bring your child along as well so that they can get a feel of what to expect and you can always gauge their reactions to whether they are interested in attending or not.   

The Interview

The interview usually falls on a Saturday.  Both parents can attend with the child.  Upon entering the school, each child gets a name tag and is shuffled into the common play area to warm-up.  There is no group interview as each child is interviewed individually by a staff member.  They will call your name when ready and bring you into one of the classrooms.  The key activities they will go through:

• Block building - can your child stack blocks?
• Jumping and climbing - there is a ramp and a block in which the child can jump off of
• Ring stacking - can your child stack rings on a stick?
• Fruit cutting - can your child cut fake fruit?  You can actually buy a set of this from Toys R Us
• Tea set - they will ask your child to pour tea or ask for a fork - basically go through items in a tea set

In general, the interview is pretty easy compared to other schools.  It’s not as rigid and from my knowledge, I don’t know anyone that’s been rejected from Kornhill International (unlike other nurseries and kindergartens).  You will get your acceptance (or rejection) letter by the end of the year and if you’re accepted, I’d pay the deposit to hold the spot (just in case).

The Location

The location of the school is rather far off from the main streets and resides in a very residental area.  It’s situated at the top of the Kornhill with minimal public transportation.  It’s walkable, but will take about 10-15 minutes from Jusco (or the main street) and probably 5 minutes via cab.   There are mini-buses that run through Kornhill from Kornhill plaza.  The school does provide school buses however, but you need to register early to ensure your child has a spot.  The buses do hit most locations in the area including Taikoo Shing (3 stops), Grand Promenade, Les Saisons and will even go as far as Kowloon.

 

The Facilities

I am very pleased with the facilities. Upon entering, there is a large communal play area (as pictured) that is very clean, very bright and has an abundance of toys. 

 

The washrooms are very cute, made for small children. There is a boys and a girls washroom and they have “aunties” who accompany the children and assist them when needed.  There is one long stainless steel sink with faucets so it’s very easy for the children to turn on the taps and wash their own hands.  I am a big fan of building early independence and learning to wash your hands and use the potty is definitely a good first step.

 

The classrooms are perfect for the kids.  Fixed with little tables and chairs (and labels everywhere), the children have a wonderful and colourful learning environment.  It’s really cute because you provide 12 passport photos for the school to use and they use these as labels (instead of names) for the children, thus enabling them to find their seats and hooks via their own picture. 

 

During the summer, the school also has a small pool and the children are allowed to swim or play in the water.   In addition, the school has installed a live web cam, so parents and grandparents alike from home can see the communal area during the children’s play time.  It’s nice because Vanessa’s Toronto grandparents can peek on her and see how the kids are faring from across the world.

 

 

 

The Staff

The staff are WONDERFUL!  Vanessa’s teacher (Miss. Becky pictured left) is a New Zealander who is caring, patient and sincere in her desire to teach and nurture my child.  Having seen her for the past 3 days (2 of which were half sessions with the child), she enjoys being around children and harbours a fondness for furthering their education.  There are 2 full time teachers to a class of 22 students and then the occasional auntie who will facilitate and look after the children.  There are also aunties who help with the washroom and aunties everywhere during the kids’ playtime.  Many of staff are native english speakers (you’ll find them from the US, Canada, Austrailia, New Zealand, the UK). 

 

The Structure

There is a bit of structure to the school in that there is a set time for doing certain things.   When we first enter the school, the kids are taught to wash their hands, hang up their washing towels, hang up their school bags and take out a yellow folder (which contains daily progress and a little notebook so the parents and teacher can communicate with each other - very cool idea!).  There is a tea time at 10 AM and 2 wee wee breaks where the whole class goes to the washroom together. 

 

Security

The school’s security is very good as well.  They will escort all parents out of the school when school starts and lock the doors.  In order to pick up a child, you need a preprinted pick-up card with a picture of the child on it, so not just anyone can pick up the child.  If you don’t have it, you’ll need proof of Identify (which must also be registered with the school).  I actually like this idea because it ensures that your child is in a safe environment during school hours and if someone like a grandparent or helper is picking the child up after school, they aren’t going with strangers.

 

Details

The school is completely transparent.  They provide information on all levels for the comfort of the parents.  I am (as you may know already from previous posts) very anxious about Vanessa’s schooling experience, but the teachers and staff give answers to even the smallest of details.  There is a schedule of what they will eat (so you can bring your own snacks if the child doesn’t like the snack on that day) and believe it or not, there is a lot of work for the parents as well to stay active and involved in what’s going on with the child on a day to day basis.

 

You have to (daily):

• Record the child’s temperatue before school and write it down on a sheet they provide
• Check the yellow folder for any notices
• Sign the yellow folder at the end of the week to acknowledge progress
• Clean the snack container and cup daily (because it’s been used)
• Replace the wet towel (she uses it during tea time to wipe her mouth)  

 

Cost (per year - so far)

Attending a private nursery isn’t cheap.  In fact, when everything adds up, it’s downright scary!  I’ve tried to summarize the costs below (in Hong Kong Dollars):

 

School Fee (per month) = $3700 x 11 months = $40,700
School Uniform (summer) = $416
School Uniform (winter) = $425
School bus (per month) = $550 x 11 months = $6,050
School Insurance = $50
Preregistration for next year = $660
Second Term materials = $870
Others = $15

Grand Total (so far) for 1 year = $49,186

The Uniform

This is Vanessa’s winter uniform.  It’s just a simple sweat shirt and sweat pants.  They also have a red sweater and light blue jacket for those super cold days.  You’re allowed to deviate a bit by putting layers on your children.

 

 

 

I will continue to add stuff when they charges come in.  Be reminded that there is also a winter uniform (my gosh) and probably various charges for sports day and other special days.

Overall though, I am very satisfied with the school.  Initially we were vying for entry into Victoria Educational Organization, however going to the interview (and getting rejected), I am glad that Vanessa is in Kornhill instead.  Not to say that it’s a bad school, however Victoria claims to be an International school, but I am not entirely convinced when 2 out of 3 of the teachers in the class are locals who happen to speak English.  As well, it feels too commercialized, unlike the homely environment of Kornhill.  Again, the teacher of the classroom plays a large role in the success of the classroom and Miss. Becky and Miss. Carmen are wonderful teachers with whom I would give high praise to. 

 We’ll see how Vanessa develops through this school year.  So far, it’s been very pleasant (albeit tough because today was the first day I actually left her and she burst into tears screaming after me) and the school’s progression of gradual introduction into school is practical.

References:

• Art work at the school
• Halloween at the school