At Hiba Academy Hangzhou, we achieve our well-rounded education through the core curriculum, and a wide range of School Activities (SAs) that supplement and enhance life at the school. These activities allow pupils to extend and challenge their learning and development while also creating opportunities to nurture talent and foster excellence in fields beyond those encountered in the exam hall, thus developing into talented pupils with our school identities, inspired, intelligent, independent, individual and inclusive. Furthermore, the experiences gained through SAs can help children learn to adapt to challenging situations and build mental resilience, which is also a great addition to college applications.
Our pupils have carefully selected their preferred School Activities (SA) after experiencing different sessions in September. So, as we wave goodbye to the fragrant golden October, today’s article will take you to see some of the SA highlights here at our campus in October and find their positive meanings on our pupils.
Academic SAs
Academic SAs enhance curriculum learning by offering a range of opportunities for participants to apply their academic knowledge and skills in new, exciting and novel ways.
LAMDA (London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art)
LAMDA, founded in 1861, is the oldest drama school in the UK. As a world-leading conservatoire and globally recognised awarding body, LAMDA is proud to empower people of all ages and backgrounds through drama, literature, musical theatre, and poetry lessons.
Duke of Edinburgh
The Duke of Edinburgh Award offers children opportunities to engage with local and global issues to want to serve the community and strive for improvement. As a result, they develop teamwork, collaboration, problem-solving and communication skills, a sense of compassion, empowerment and a broader scale of thinking. Pupils are learning first-aid knowledge under the teacher’s guidance.
RoboMaster coding
In the city of Hangzhou, where emerging technology is booming, we offer computer science-related activities for our young trendsetters. This semester we offer the RoboMaster coding SA, a combination of artificial intelligence and computer programming skills, which involves an educational robot developed by DJI based on the concept of education through entertainment. Pupils will learn graphical coding and Python programming language in this SA, improving their ability to improvise, identify and solve problems. Pupils will also have the opportunity to participate in the RoboMaster competitions, which require them to work together and be responsible, providing pupils with a sense of joy and achievement.
STEM science - “Singing water birds.”
STEM SAs are excellent for pupils’ logical thinking abilities and problem-solving skills. Pupils learned how sound is produced through hands-on experiments. Experiment process: the original water bird sound is an ordinary whistle. But as we drop more water into the water bird, the density of the air inside changes. Then, due to the vibration of the air, a bird singing sound is created.
Chess and Weiqi (Go)
Chess and Weiqi (Go) can improve pupils’ logical thinking skills and cultivate their minds.
Creative SAs
Creative SAs are opportunities that demand creative thinking and creative skills. They enhance pupils' ability to make connections, ask questions, and observe the world around them to discover new and exciting ways of doing things.
DT Creative Design
DT Creative Design requires patience and craftsmanship. You can tell how much pupils love their work from their dedication.
3D Art and Sculpture
Students will learn how to design, experiment, and create original 3D art using recycled materials, found objects and clay. For example, pupils enjoyed using foil to make 3D figures such as “Artistic Gymnastics” and “Readers”.
Floristry Design
Delicacy is key to making corsage. Pupils learned about the practical usage of corsages, making corsages in different colours, and combining dots and lines with original floral arrangements. Pupils also learn to place different flowers in the right spots, cut the root, wrap the floral tape around the stem, and finish by tying a bow.
Baking SA
Pupils made brown sugar rice cake under the teacher’s guidance.
Performing Arts SAs
Performing Arts SAs offer various extra-curricular opportunities to extend pupils’ talents and broaden their abilities. These activities give opportunities for pupils to showcase their skills and serve as crucial building blocks in developing the confidence, mindfulness and courage required for success in all aspects of life.
Musical production
The Performing Arts department will present the Wizard of Oz Musical this school year. We look forward to Dorothy’s magical journey in Oz at Wellington College Hangzhou.
Children’s Choir
Lower primary pupils sing the song “Greetings from the Four Seasons” accompanied by piano.
Chinese Drum
Click the video to watch the breathtaking performance of the pupils.
Ukulele
Ukulele is one of the most accessible traditional plucked instruments for beginners. In the first few sessions, pupils will learn the basic A, E, C, and G strings and frets.
Physical SAs
Academic research published by the National Academies Press (US) found that “during a 3-year period, students who engaged in physically active lessons, on average, improved their academic achievement by 6 per cent”.
Skills developed during physical SAs include teamwork, hand-eye coordination and communication, a sense of fair play, resilience, and leadership. In addition, encouraging our children to take up physical activities as hobbies is essential to helping them grow into healthy adults.
Field Hockey
Field hockey is a cooperative team sport from Sweden that evolved from ice hockey.
Chinese Kungfu
Learning Chinese Kungfu can strengthen pupils’ bodies. Through practising techniques like punching, kicking, and jumping, pupils improve their coordination, speed, strength, and balance.
This semester, pupils in grades 1 and 2 can experience activities like woodwork, the ukulele, learning through nature, and educational technology. Some pupils passed sports trials and were selected to join the school sports teams. The football and basketball teams achieved excellent results in their first fixture in September. We look forward to seeing them achieve higher goals in their competitions in the days to come. Some pupils participated in the Performing Arts school orchestra and choir groups. Others chose to be part of the pop music dance, Chinese traditional dance, Chinese drum, or ukulele. We hope they enjoy the classes, present fantastic work and expand their performing arts knowledge.
For more SAs information, please read Exploring potential and new possibilities.
