A research article named Interest Matters: The Importance of Promoting Interest in Education from the National Library of Medicine in the US states that interest is a powerful motivational process that energises learning, guides academic and career trajectories, and is essential to academic success. Interest is both a psychological state of attention and affection toward a particular object or topic and an enduring predisposition to re-engage over time. Since its establishment, Hiba Academy Hangzhou has had a wide range of School Activities (SAs) that supplement and enhance life at the school. The academic, creative, performing arts and physical SAs at Hiba allow pupils to find their passions while realising their potential and broadening their horizons so they may go on to the global stage with an assertive posture. Read on and discover how our Hiba pupils have embraced the opportunities to explore the unknown with courage in April.
Academic School Activities (SA)
Academic campus activities give pupils the opportunity to expand and even go beyond what they have learned in the classroom, guiding them to reach for the top and challenge themselves and to experience diverse cultures from around the world through academic activities such as extended reading and language learning.
Grade 2 Chinese Reading Comprehension
From having to read to wanting to read, the key is to have a passion for reading. As George R. R. Martin once said, “A reader lives a thousand lives before he dies. The man who never reads lives only one.” How interesting it is to read. Chinese reading comprehension SA aims to support children to raise reading habits and follow our core values, extending their understanding of the world. In class, the teacher raises questions so the pupils can read, feel and understand the content of the article in different ways. Through the lesson, pupils are willing to explore the intention and feelings of the authors behind stories, and to finally bond with the author cross the boundary of time and space.
Phonics
Seeing an unfamiliar word and being able to read it out loud - that's where the beauty of phonics lies. Phonics is an incredibly effective way to learn English and widely popular in many English-speaking countries. In our Phonics SA classroom, the teacher uses the spelling rules of phonemes to help pupils master English pronunciation skills, allowing the learners to spell unfamiliar words directly and memorise words faster.
Creative School Activities (SA)
创意类校园活动为学生提供发挥创意和想象力的平台，带领学生通过动手实践的方法来领悟传统、强化创造力。身体力行的学习方式有助于锻炼左脑和右脑，有助于提升记忆力，让学生记住更多信息。
Introduction to Clay-Handbuilding
From ordinary dishes to beautiful works of art, pottery is intoxicating. Pottery-making is a traditional craft that has gained increasing popularity over the years. In the process of making, kneading, painting and repairing clay, pupils experience this traditional art in our Clay-handbuilding SA.
Lego
In the Lego SA, pupils are immersed in an English-speaking environment, working with basic block skills. Starting from building a small house, pupils gradually challenge themselves to construct high-level projects such as towers and iron bridges. Time spent on planning and assembling increases pupils’ spatial thinking and creativity.
Performing Arts Activities (SA)
As a bilingual school, Hiba Academy Hangzhou is committed to cultivating talents with global perspectives who show respect for their home country and culture. The performing arts SAs encourage children to explore and learn about various ways of exploring the world and feel the charm of Chinese traditional performing forms.
Chinese Kungfu (Dragon and Lion Dance)
The traditional performance of lion dance involves two performers playing the lion head and tail and jumping back and forth on wooden stakes. Originated from ancient myths and legends, it is considered as one of the treasures of Chinese folk art, that symbolises the prosperity of Chinese culture. Under the guidance of professional actors, our pupils wear lion heads and tails of one-to-one size and began to perform; jumping, turning and standing. These seemingly simple movements truly reflect the saying, "one minute of glory on stage, ten years of hard work off stage ".
Traditional Chinese Dance
Along with the melodious tunes, pupils gracefully dance in Traditional Chinese Dance SA, as if travelling through history and experiencing the rich traditional culture of the country. Pupils with no previous experience can also enjoy the dance under teacher guidance. Starting with the basic flexibility training advancing to classical dance training involving the eight elements and body rhythm exercises. Ending with the final and complete dance pieces, our pupils immerse themselves in the process.
Physical School Activities (SA)
Mixed Volleyball
Remember the 2016 Rio Olympics? Chinese women's volleyball team, led by coach Lang Ping, surprised the volleyball world by defeating the Serbian team and winning the gold medal in women's volleyball. The impact of this amazing result has led volleyball to become a popular sport second only to the national ball sport - table tennis. Hiba pupils also participated in this popular national sport. Guided by a professional coach, they have been working hard to become better and better.
U10-U12 Boys Basketball
Basketball is also a popular sport in Hiba. In the U10-12 boys basketball SA, pupils dribble, defend, and shoot, improving their skills day by day, which prepares them to achieve better results in inter-school competitive basketball fixtures.
We will continue to update our SA highlights and share them with you in the future.
