Victoria educational organisation

Our multilingual classes adopt the one-teacher-one-language co-teaching approach, where teachers work as a team to provide a total immersion language environment for children. Classes are bilingual or trilingual and taught by native speaking English, Putonghua and/or Cantonese teachers who are experts in early childhood development. Our low average student to teacher ratio of 1:8 ensures that our nurturing teachers can work closely with children to facilitate many aspects of their development.
 
Scientific studies show that children who speak more than one language have a distinct academic advantage throughout their lives. They usually have:
 

We take pride in our commitment to offering programs that draw on world class research and best practice. All Victoria kindergartens are authorised International Baccalaureate World Schools, and offer the International Primary Years Programme (PYP) and the Columbia University Teachers College Reading and  Writing Program (TCRWP) in both English and Chinese. The PYP curriculum is a student-centered inquiry based program focusing on the ‘taught’ and the ‘learned’ curriculum, two essential elements in a child’s all embracing education.

We hire the best teachers from around the world who will engage, inspire, and care for your child. We know how precious your children are, and in recruiting our teachers, we look for native English, Putonghua and Cantonese speaking Early Childhood educators who care about children, are committed to working in a dynamic environment, and who will include you, the parents, every step of the way. 

How do we support our teachers to be the best?

Along with our fun based, inquiry driven, yet rigorous curriculum, Victoria kindergartens prepare their thousands of students to move on to all types of primary education. The students leave us able to speak in more than one language, to read and write, to state their opinions, to present to an audience, and to ask questions. In fact, one proud moment was when the principal of a local school announced; “Oh, we always know the Victoria children, they ask so many questions!” 

So, where do Victoria kindergarten students go when they graduate? 

Most parents want to keep their childrens' multi-language learning strong, and many want to continue with an IB education. Victoria Shanghai Academy (VSA) is a popular choice, and Victoria students are given a preferential opportunity for admission. 

An extremely memorable time has been in recent years when two of our alumni graduated from VSA with the top score of 45 for the IB Diploma, an unusual occurrence world wide. 

Some students graduate from Victoria kindergartens to go to international schools within Hong Kong, whilst other parents pursue a more traditional route, and enroll their children into the prestigious local schools. 

Whatever choice a parent makes, the Victoria Kindergarten student has the grounding and foundations to become a successful, well-rounded primary school student. 

In line with the Victoria belief in the value of “family”, and the importance of including everyone within the school community, there is much emphasis placed on the Parent/School Partnership. This is integral to the success of Victoria. 

Research shows that the students who are more likely to be successful academically, as well as socially and emotionally, are those who have significant involvement of their parents in the school. 

Parents are invited through the ‘Parental Participation Scheme” to be actively involved in supporting what is happening in school. This could be by assisting in the classroom, reading to students, participating at Parent Child Sports Day, organising activities or accompanying on field trips to name a few. 

Our transparency and sharing encourages the students to be ever more confident and enthusiastic when they see Mummy or Daddy come into the classroom to be a “teacher for the day”. Some parents will also visit the classes to talk about their jobs or a hobby that fits in with the unit of inquiry the students are studying at the time. 

Parents enjoy this worthwhile yet informal approach to being involved in their child’s education.

A more formal approach to our partnership is supported by our Parent Teacher Association (PTA). Victoria was one of the first kindergartens to form this type of organisation in 1996. 

The PTA organises many useful workshops for parents, dealing with topics such as parenting skills, education approaches, autism, bilingualism, and other pertinent and interesting subjects. These workshops are very much appreciated and well attended. 

Each year parents, students, and teachers alike are excited at the prospect of participating in the PTA overseas trip. This is a wonderful excursion to a destination in Asia, with many of our parents taking part. Everyone mingles and gets to know each other in different settings, whilst attending many fun workshops such as making kimchi in Seoul, flying lanterns in Taiwan, and dragon dancing on the Great Wall.

The PTA is a vital support, and essential part of Victoria. 

Victoria understands that we are part of a larger community, so each year the children will share their talents and perform in various public venues around Hong Kong for the enjoyment of the public. Students and parents are often seen helping to support charities by collecting on flag raising days.  Giving back and supporting others is a strong facet of Victoria.