School Blog

HQIS Lower School Independent Learning Guide

Dear parents, families, and members of our HQIS community,

HQIS, Shanghai, and the entire global community are collectively focused on health and safety as we navigate the coronavirus outbreak.  One of our roles as a community is to stay as safe as possible and to continue to develop our students as life-long learners.   For this reason, HQIS is launching an ongoing e-learning curriculum in place of in-class learning until the time that we can open our classroom doors again as usual.

Due to the fact that teachers and families may be located in different time-zones, we recommend using E-mail to contact us. If you have inquiries during the first week, please contact the coordinators listed below for support.   We will reply to you within 24 hours to give feedback and where possible guide learning. We are also temporarily extending our communication method to include WeChat, through which updates and relevant information will be shared alongside E-mail. The Week 2 materials will be sent out on the morning of the 10th of February.

On Monday morning the 3rd of February you will receive learning materials via E-mail. 

The challenge of the quarantine on the continuity of our HQIS students’ learning also presents an opportunity for our students to actively take on the role of PYP learners by embracing the learner profiles during their time outside of the classroom. To help your child in their learning you can participate by asking questions about assigned work, collaborating with your child as they engage in the e-learning assignments, and encouraging your students to complete their work in a meaningful and thorough way.

EAL: For our EAL learners we recommend that the PYP and Literacy assignments are answered in their native language.   Use English where possible, and the grade-specific ‘tricky words’ lists are very useful to learn by heart.

Learning Support: All the commotion and change in routine can be distressing for your child. We recommend making the home-learning experience during the coronavirus quarantine as pleasant and stress-free   as possible by following these tips:

Kind regards,

The HQIS Leadership Team

Each child has a PYP project in which they are expected to keep a diary of their life at home, guided by the interrogative words – Who, What, and Where.   Students will share out their journals when we return to classes on campus. There is a planner in this book for you to use to help organize your thoughts.  The final journal can be created using any medium (add what they are).   

There are daily math activities for students to complete independently or with the help of a family member. This is a great opportunity for you to talk about math in your mother tongue. 

There are daily literacy activities designed to build your child’s vocabulary and word inventory, facilitate creative writing, and reflect on daily reading.  We challenge all family members to read for 30 minutes each day. As part of our independent learning program,  we are asking all students in our K-5th grades to spend 20 - 30 minutes three to five days per week using their NRSI reading program.

Fun Mandarin assignments have been designed for both the native Chinese speakers and our non-native Chinese learners. It is recommended to spend 20 to 30 minutes on these tasks, and more if you like!