March into Reading Minutes Announcement Video

March into Reading Literacy Month was a great success.

Congratulations Clifford Elementary Bilingual School.  This year we had another very big Reading Month! The total minutes the students’ read during Literacy Month is 1,419,257. Hopefully we can break the 1.5 million mark next year

We also had a total of 2,265 Guest Readers come to our classes to read – this year it was all students, teachers, parents and staff!! Well done everyone!

The final total was announced during the Book Character Dress Up day! Students and teachers dressed up as a favorite book character and we had the announcement by the flag pole.

We did manage to meet all out school wide goals. For achieving the goals, the students celebrated by having a classroom literacy party, a buffet lunch, no homework for a weekend and time for an outdoor literacy activity.

Classrooms also receive extra books for their classroom reading libraries as rewards for the number of minutes the students read. For each 1,500 minutes they receive one extra book. Classes also receive one extra book for each four guest readers they have during the month. Most classes earned around 50 extra books

March is always a fun time at Clifford School and this March was no different. Students participated in reading activities such as Peer Reading - with a student from a different grade and DEAR reading, which we had twice a week for silent reading time. Each class had a number of guest readers that came to our classes to read. We had other students, parents and many members of both the Chinese and Western staff come to read to our classes. 

We also had a fantastic Book Fair, where we sold over 85,000RMB worth of English books. That means we will be able to choose over 8,500RMB  worth of books for the library and classrooms.

Congratulations Clifford School!  Fantastic Reading!  Keep it up all year round!  

A Visit from Sarah Roberts (author, adventurer, conservationist)

On Wednesday, March 20^th, the students in grades 3-6 had the opportunity to listen to a presentation given by author Sarah Roberts. She is a biologist that has traveled to different parts of the world to interact and learn about different animals, including predatory animals. She has written some books to bring awareness to the conservation and protection of ecosystems. Using videos and photos, she presented her experiences with different animals and wildlife. Sarah shared how she’s interacted with sharks, which included the story of how she got bitten by a shark. She mentioned her visit to Iceland in which she got to be around a glacier that is a thousand years old. She taught the students the difference between a black bear and a brown bear, while also informing them of what to do if you were to ever come across different kinds of bears.

The students had a chance to not only listen to her adventures but also answer questions and volunteer on the stage. She was interactive with the students as she taught them why it’s important to conserve and protect the animals in the world, especially predators. The loss of any one animal in the food chain can cause an imbalance in an ecosystem and cause a chain reaction to the wildlife population. Some students were able to ask her questions after her presentation, and they received a copy of her autograph. The students had a great time, and we are grateful to be one of the schools she visited during her first visit to China.

Peer Reading

During “March into Reading” the students have a time every week where they can read together with a student from a different grade level.

Lower Elementary students are paired with a student from Upper Elementary. Each week they read together in the library for 40 minutes.

Sometimes the younger students read, and the older students help them, at other times the older students read and the younger students enjoy the story.

This is a very positive reading experience for all, and sometimes the students even meet each other at other times to talk.

Students really love their March into Reading Peer Reading time.

Another Book Fair Success in 2024

Our “Oink ‘n’ Oink” Elementary Bilingual Book Fair was a success yet again. Because there were so many fantastic books, we managed to sell 85,500rmb of books.

The school earned over 8,550rmb worth of free books. We will use our free books for classroom and library books supporting our English, Science and Social Studies curriculum.

We were very pleased with the students who did a great job choosing their own books, sometimes with help from TAs, teachers and Oink ‘n’ Oink staff. This was made easier due to the variety of suitable books that were available for every age level.

Thank you again to the parents for entrusting your child to buy English books for their enjoyment.

Now will be a good time for you and your child to spend time sharing the experience of enjoying your child’s new books to help your child to learn good reading habits and also promote an interested in reading, while enjoying and learning at the same time.

Thank you to all the students, parents and friends for supporting the March into Reading Book Fair. See you next year!

Drop Everything and Read (DEAR)

For 20 minutes every Tuesday and Thursday in March all of the English classes and English teachers will “Drop Everything And Read” – which means all other activities will stop during the English class and everyone will “read”!

Students enjoy this quiet time just reading to themselves. It’s a time to relax and become part of the book they are reading. These days, our students rarely have a time at school to just to sit and enjoy reading. We hope this time encourages student to try and find time every day to read a little just for their enjoyment. 

Visit from our Hong Kong Sister School (Nov 2024)

On December 16, 2021, Clifford Elementary School and Hong Kong Yan Chai Hospital Chiu Tsang Xueyun Primary School of Hong Kong became sister schools under the guidance of the Provincial Department of Education and the Hong Kong Education Bureau.

On the morning of November 9, 2023, a group of 94 people including the entire administrative and teaching team of Hong Kong Yan Chai Hospital Chiu Tsang Xueyun Primary School and fifth and sixth grade students came to our school for a visit and exchange.

Various important visitors including representatives of Panyu District Education Bureau and Ms Meng, Chairperson of the School Board attended the welcome ceremony.

Principal Zhang delivered a welcome speech.

Principal Chen for the HK school spoke of the school’s holistic education philosophy and the school’s purpose of “learning from benevolence and practice to help”, as well as the teaching team and curriculum features.

Special Guests presented commemorative gifts and school flags to each other on behalf of the two schools. At the same time, every pair of students in the audience also gave each other commemorative gifts to express their friendship.

There were various performances by students of both schools.

In the afternoon, students went into the classrooms with their school companions, They experienced a variety of classes - Chinese, English, Mathematics, Artificial Intelligence, Art, Science and other subjects.

Teachers from the HK School also observed several other classes.

After studying in class, students from the two schools participated in fun sports activities.

The management of the two schools had exchanges on school running concepts, curriculum features, teaching management and teacher training,

The next day the visitors attended the Opening of the 24th Sports Meet of our school and some students competed in some races.

On leaving, the visitors left postcards for their school friends.

This visit and exchange activity between Guangzhou and Hong Kong schools was not only a lot of fun, but a lot was learnt by all who took part, visors and hosts alike! We hope for many more exchanges in the future!

2023-2024 Parent Orientation – October 10, 11, 12, 2023

Over three days we held Parent Orientation for the Elementary Bilingual English program. We had three afternoons when parents come to school to learn about the English program from our Western teachers and the Teaching Assistants.

On Tuesday we had Grade 3 and 6, on Wednesday we had Grade 2 and 5, on Thursday we had Grades 1, 4 and the English Language Support Program.

We estimate that we had over 1700 parents coming to the school to hear about their child’s program. The parents heard about the Grade Level English expectations for the year, the curriculum areas that will be covered, the management plans for each teacher, classroom routines, different programs, homework and how to help their children at home.

Each Grade level met together as a group and then went back to the classrooms to see each teacher and the student work around the rooms.

All parents received a “Parent Pack” on October 20^th that outlines all the main points from the Orientation. This Parent Pack can be referred to by the parents at any time, and is a useful document to keep at home.

Thank you to all the parents who came along to hear about our great English program.

Grade 6 Graduation Classes of 2023

As we reach the end of the year, the Grade 6 students have taken their final Chinese and English exams. They did take a little time to make some memories by taking class photos they will keep to look at over the years. With around 340 Grade 6 students, it was a little difficult to set up the whole class photo, but we managed. Here you can see all the classes from A to J with their Western and Chinese teachers and Teaching Assistants. We wish all our graduates great success in the future as the move onto the next stage of their education.

Grade 6 Graduation  June 27th, 2023

The final event for Clifford 2022-2023 Graduating class was the Graduation Ceremony. Students, Administrators, teachers and parents were there to see the 324 students receive graduation certificates in a ceremony that included speeches, performances and presentations. 

Teachers also received flowers from the students in appreciation for their hard work. 

Each student was presented their graduation certificate by a member of the Elementary Administration. It was a moment for teachers, parents and the students themselves to show pride in their achievements. 

We wish all graduating students success as they continue their education journey in Secondary School and beyond!

Children’s Day in the English classrooms (June 1^st, 2023)

Lucky students, who had English classes in the afternoon of Children’s Day, June 1^st, were treated to a lot of fun. There were a wide variety of different fun activities in the classrooms. Students took part in dancing, exercises, singing, arts, crafts, drawings, painting and lots and lots of different games – some skill and some luck!

It was great to see the students so happy on this special day for them! 

G3, 4 and 5 Grade Level Assessments

On the 15^h, 17^th, and 18^th of May, Grades Three, Four and Five student took an English assessment to help us determine the students’ English language skills. This assessment is called the Grade Level Assessment (GLA).

This assessment is used in helping us determine the appropriate English class placement for the 2023-2024 school year. 

Over three days students undertook a variety of skills assessments in Oral Speaking and Listening, Reading Fluency (oral), Reading Comprehension, Writing and Listening Comprehension.

We also ask teachers to complete various surveys about each student’s classroom learning to help us decide on the best leveled class for everyone.

It’s a big process to assess over 1000 students over three days, so thanks goes to all our administrators and teachers for the hard work. But most of all thanks to the students who all did their best, and I am sure they are relieved it’s over…… until next May!

Open House: April, 2023

This year was the first year since Covid-19 that we were fully open to hold Open House for the whole Elementary School.

All 2,000 students and an estimated 3,000+ parents were at the school to watch English and Chinese demonstration lessons as well as take part in some other activities around the school.

This year Clifford’s Open House program was to give parents a glimpse into their child’s classroom life.

Here is a brief summary of the English classes at each Grade level.

G1

Parents were treated to the students practicing their Speaking skills in phonics and speaking lessons. Dialogues and conversations about Senses featured in six of the classrooms, and the other four were working on phonics, word families and Sight words.

G2

The focuses for the Grade Two classes were Grammar and Phonics. Students took part in fun activities to test their knowledge and understanding of various grammar concepts as well as phonics they have been learning this year.

G3

The Grade Three classes were about some Grammar topics. Grammar concepts covered were Prepositions and Parts of Speech. Every student in two of the Grade three classes gave their parents a surprise by presenting a short talk about their parents.

LELS

The students in these classes presented material about Vocabulary and Grammar using fun games and interactive activities. Learning English can be fun as well!

G4

Most of the Grade Four classes were focused on Speaking, Grammar, and Story Making. Students were encouraged to show their skills by creating their own language to demonstrate their understanding and use of the various language challenges presented to them. Two Grade Four classes discussed Life Cycles, which is part of their “Let Life Be More Green” Science theme.

G5

All the Grade Five classes have varied classes – Writing, Reading, Grammar, Vocabulary and Science were all covered over the ten lessons. For writing the students used their skills and imagination to write a story. In Reading the students learned to identify the Five Story Elements. In Grammar they covered different kinds of Prepositions, and how to use them correctly. For Science the students learnt about “Light” one of the Grade Five Science topics.

G6

The Grade Six classes included lessons on Grammar (conditional sentences), Word Study (Revision and use of Root Words), Speaking (Creating a good Speech) and Science Presentations (Healthy Bodies and Minds). Students in Grade Six were able to demonstrate their knowledge through various activities and games.

UELS

The two classes were very different. One was focusing on learning and using phonics to help read and write and the other was learning about and using good Interview techniques.

Thank you to all the teachers and the parents who came to our Elementary Open House event!