An introduction to school features of SIP. NO 2 Experimental Primary School

by Liu Shouhua

Preface

Out of the beautiful downtown, beside the enchanting Jinji Lake, S.I.P. NO. 2 Experimental Primary School like a kenzo flower and a just-starting sail has gradually become the focus of society because of its unique charm.

This is a school of modernization.

This is a school of international vision.

This is a school of humanities.

This is a school of quality.

    The advanced education philosophy, the international vision and the harmonious living idea lead to the quality of S.I.P. NO 2 Experimental Primary School.  All the staff of D2 take the idea that let the students enjoy the quality education and lay the foundation of their life as a goal. We keep the school teaching convention in mind which is innocence for innocence, love for love , wisdom for wisdom, virtuous character for virtuous character and heart to heart. And we are determined to develop the students who can have extensive content, streamline what is learnt and practice diligently and courageously. It is the permanent pursuit of high educational quality that wins the student’s love, the parents’ gratitude, the admiration of counterpart schools and the high praise of the leading department.

Character of school

The school looks graceful and quiet. In the school, there are three gardens. They are Chess Garden, which has big stone-made pieces of chess and a chess board, the Plant Garden, which has various kinds of plants and Harmony Garden which is for students to play. The three gardens have become an important part of students’ studying life. They do all kinds of activities in them such as playing chess, reading, playing the instrument, grow plants themselves and so on.

The layout of the school and naming of the school buildings are full of cultural meanings. The names of the four main school buildings, Listening Building, Knowing Building, Discussing Building and Practicing Building, tell the students that the procedure of learning knowledge and the importance of thinking and proving. The Culture Wall which is full of masters’ photographs like the writer Fan Xiaoqing, the painter Zhang Jixin, the calligrapher Tan Yiwen etc. make the students know more about masters and their achievements. The D2 Picture Wall is full of students’ photos. They are writing the history of our school and leave their names on the school history and in the future the school will be proud of them.

Despite those, there are four clubs in our school which are the PE Club which has a climbing wall, the Literature Club which is for students reading and sharing ideas, the Science Club which is for students to observe, search, calculate and practice and the Bilingual Club which is for them to communicate and perform.

D2 is not only a place for students to study and play but also a family.

    We pay attention to students’ living comfort. In the dormitory they have mother-teacher who cares their living and relative-like roommates who live together and study together. The dormitory is a place for them to have the living education. It is also a place for them to show their individualities.

    According to the School style that is a school of thinking with a learning team, we have edited The D2 Essence and The D2 Scholars for teachers, The D2 books and The D2 Essays for parents and The D2 Views and The D2 Home-school Cooperation to the society. Now the school has already formed a certain cultural environment and spiritual atmosphere.

    The school administrators has endeavored to build an international school by opening vision, learning advanced international education theory and strengthening international cooperation. The school has conduct activities like sending students and teachers abroad to study and receiving international students. We also have deep friendship with renowned schools in Singapore, Canada, Korea, Japan and so on.

Character of teaching

Excellent teaching staff and high-quality service

The quality of education actually is the education of love, the one of developing people of benevolence. In D2, we advocate to face the life by smiles and to appreciate others for their merits. And the teachers love the students everywhere and every time.

The school quality is determined by the teachers’ quality. The school environment is decided by the teachers’behaviour. The school atmosphere is composed by the teacher’s mind and the school culture is from teachers’ accomplishment. With the above idea, our school has recruit teachers all over the country. We have special-grade teachers, teaching leaders of the city and the district, excellent teachers and so on. We have formed a teaching staff of leading by the renowned teachers, supporting by excellent ones and joining by young ones.

In order to develop the young teachers, the school has established the Expert Teacher office for the more experienced teacher to analyze and discuss the teaching ways. It has also erected the apprenticeship system in which a young teacher can have one or more masters and one master can have one and one more apprentices.

Teachers study on how to give good lessons,so they will work hard to compete with other teachers, some excellent teachers also give lessons for the others,showing their good method in teaching.Such kind of activities may lead the teachers to be post-talents, and improve their skills both on teaching and research. Other activities like education salon, Reading in D2,D2-forum,are making it more as a thinking school. It is truly believed that this is a vigorous school--- the "young teachers are teaching for ideal, the experienced teachers are teaching for proficiency , and the expert teachers are teaching for human."

   SIP No.2 Experimental Primary School is now holding nearly 20 topics on research.Every staff is involved in the research,which is taken fortnightly here.Teachers are researching from the teaching reality, holding problems to discuss, studying both on theory and practice, all of which are contributed to the formation of  a highly-working school, with a orderly and efficient working style.

    It is well known here,in D2, "Attitude is everything, and details demonstrate quality."Every detail is a kind of responsibility:parents are informed everything about their children: their safety, their activity, their performance, their behavior... ...These are all delivered to the gate, passed to the streets, and making D2 a good reputation.

Character cultivation

    In order to make the children enjoy an infinite life-long education, our school

fully exploits its advantages on facility resources, providing various courses for the pupils, so that they may enjoy a colorful and harmony life in school, learning to become more confident as a result of these interest clubs.

    By means of the ritual drama,as well as the traditional Chinese virtues like

"propriety", "filial piety", and "sincerity" ,our school forms an unique culture of etiquette, emphasizing on hospitality etiquette, after-class etiquette, traffic etiquette, dining etiquette, learning etiquette, practice etiquette and publicity etiquette. Furthermore, we have a daily competition named "Little dolphin's daily conduct", trying to cultivate pupils' good behavior.Through the competition, we'll honor the winner classes or students as "Etiquette Classes" or "Etiquette Star", so as to set good examples for the others.At the same time,our school is contributing to a curriculum called "D2 etiquette", intent to educate the students soundly . And the activity named "Holiday Eagles " even take this civility into the families and communities.

Each semester,our school will invite two celebrities to give lectures for the children.By doing so,children can read their success,know better about their life, and implant it closely in the hearts. Each celebrity is like a window, through which, children get to know the art and culture, and are impacted by their life-stories and wisdom.

Every one in D2 knows that ,there are five great "Festivals", which is unique and attractive.

Reading Festival---Students read  the classic, make  the notes, share the thoughts, enjoying the happiness of reading.

Bilingual Festival---Songs and rhymes, stories and plays,pupils taste them and enjoy them, tasting the western flavour, expanding their horizons.

Arts Festival---Students are cultivated in the fragrance of aesthetic atmosphere, shaped to be perfect among the fancy thinking; win applause in the performance of "Very Celebrities, Meeting in D2";show their talents,display their beauty in the activities of “ the Top ten little singers" and “the Top Ten little performers".

Physical & Psychological Festival--- Pupils join in the Sports competition, listen to Health lectures,enjoying the kind of competition spirit, tasting failure and success.

Science& Mathematics Festival--- Math contests, science models, all of which are designed to enhance the ability of scientific inquiry.

Epilogue:

Together with the support and guidance of the higher leadership , teachers and students in SIP NO.2 Experimental Primary School  make great effort to earn honors for this school in nearly 50 items:such as Model Site of moral education and General Management, School of  Education Modernization, Civilized School, which are in the city-level honor.In the provincial-level, the school wins the honor like “Green School”“Standardization School of natural Qualified laboratory”. With these honors, SIP NO.2 Experimental Primary School becomes the “Education Research Advanced School of  Interim  Summary in Chineses Education Society,” “Member of Education and Research Forum”,etc. Chen Xiaoya, the vice Minister of  Education Ministry described it as a world-class school,which is rarely seen here in China! The director of Education Department in Jiangsu province was impressed by the school culture and inscribed that, “Success originates from accumulation, perseverance brings victory.” It is also praised by the international education experts “It’s an ideal combination of the educational philosophy and practice.It’s a modern primary  school,full of cultural atmosphere. It’s a young school without any history, but writes a new history for itself by heart.”

“Quality education”， a key phrase put forward by D2，is idealy hoped to fully exploit puipls’ability, to improve their various levels of quality,and to lay a foundation for their near future. That is to say, the chracter cultivation of a person should be achieved by the chracter of of a school and his teachers. We firmly believe that, SIP No.2 Experimental Primary School is and will continue to work for its “quality”, to teach for a real need of fostering high-quality talents, to provide a higher and better education for the people!

SIP. NO.2 Experimental Primary School is engaged in internationalizing education and teaching and makes arduous efforts to develop versatile personnel of international vision.

A good all-around education

With the philosophy that education lays the foundation for students’ happiness and health for their whole life, we adhere to full-around education for students to know how to get along with people, master basic knowledge and learning ability, stay fit and healthy, both mentally and physically, and develop in all areas. We firmly believe that the integrity of one’s personality is foundation of his happy life.

Advanced teaching theory

The education of SIP NO.2 Experimental Primary School is to foster the students’ curiosity of knowledge and the happiness of practice, which prepares them for success in class, in society and in their life. It is also the one which can make the students concern the development of our nation, identify with the multiculture and walk on to the international stage.  

Unique curriculum design

Using a substruction way to reconstruct the curriculums,designing for the students’ levels,SIP NO.2 Experimental Primary School enhances the basic curriculums of “Chineses &English” and “Mathematics”, aiming to help the students have a good command of the basic knowledge.

Instead of the traditional education emphasizing on “helping the students with difficult-learning”, our school offers courses for the students who have special talents,so as to pomote their mind and interest, reaching a higher level in cultivating all-round students both have high taste and physical healthy. Thus also, gradually and prospectively,students will be aroused a consciousness of expectation,competition, participation and success of this era.

Have you heard of these courses? Self-cultivation of life, social interaction, domestic work, home economics, all of which are designed for the sake of children, to foster their character and personality, to lay a good fundation for their future !

Here in this school, children are provided with a "prepared environment", which is permeated with an atmosphere of education: every teacher is your “teacher”,every material is your material,every one is your own teacher!

Teachers are striving to be good teachers both in study and life.Together with the parents,they are working to make out a life-long plan for the development of the children,fit for their personality,fit for their grow!

Courses in our school are integrated with international standards,which are learned by the students as small classes, so that they can learn face-to-facec，inquiry one-on-one.It is well expected that students here, in SIP. NO.2 Experimental Primary School will be educated as an international talent,opening his vision to the world and taking the world into his heart!

Excellent human services

We believe in that education is a kind of multi-level and high qualified service which is based on students’ development. We pay close attention to students’ healthy grow and make education itself rich in life. We call a place family because there are parents in it and a place school because there are teachers in it. Then in our school we have both.  

Great expectation to be realized from the present

School style

A school of thinking with a learing team

Teaching convention

Innocence for innocence, love for love ,wisdom for wisdom,

virtuous character for virtuous character, heart to heart

Learning convention

Extensive content, Sreamlining what is learnt

Diligent practice, Agressiveness with courage

Introduction of the characteristic education of SIP NO.2 Experimental Primary School

SIP NO.2 Experimental Primary School with the education idea of wholly enjoying the quality of education and laying a foundation for life is one of the biggest state-run primary schools in Suzhou. In the process of pursuing quality education, it has tried best to establish a harmonious family atmosphere and to construct to be an attractive school by scientific and standardized management, excellent education services and advanced harmonious school culture.

1. The rite education

From the different aspects of etiquette such as manners in a class, in a queue and in family, the school has hosted a series of educational activities like writing The Guidance Handbook of Etiquette and photographing the shorts The Rite Education which, along with The Excellence Achieved by Teaching, won the gold medal from the National Campus TV.

2. Family culture establishment

All the classes in the school are separated into eight families, namely Li, Xiao, He, Ze, Cheng, Yong, Yi and Jian. They mean manners, filial piety, kindness, responsibility, honest, braveness, firmness, diligence and thrifty, which are the eight goals of school moral education and also the eight moral qualities the students should have. In order to promote the spirit of eight families, the school has hold various activities such as organizing the students to design the signs of each family, encouraging them to read the oaths at the opening ceremony and win honors for their families.

3. Comprehensive practicing activity

The school has organized various practicing activities for students like charity bazaars, JA Chinese FOS volunteers, lectures of education in the law and little traffic police. In addition to these, all the students also took part in the environmental activity which was held by Suzhou Education Bureau, interviewed the distinguished persons and visited famous schools and corporations.

4. Interest clubs

Students can take part in different clubs according to their own interest.There are different clubs like Dancing Team,Instrument Playing, Art and Calligraphy Group,Science Development Group,Wushu,Roller Skating, which are optional to the students.The school emphasizes on the students' development, and it is honored to be recommended as the table tennis training base ,as well as the city-level base for testing Painting and Calligraphy Grade.

5. Culture of School Festival

Five great Festivals:

Reading Festival---Students read  the classic, make  the notes, share the thoughts, enjoying the happiness of reading.

Bilingual Festival---Songs and rhymes, stories and plays,pupils taste them and enjoy them, tasting the western flavour, expanding their horizons.

Arts Festival---Students are cultivated in the fragrance of aesthetic atmosphere, shaped to be perfect among the fancy thinking; win applause in the performance of "Very Celebrities, Meeting in D2";show their talents,display their beauty in the activities of “ the Top ten little singers" and “the Top Ten little performers".

Physical & Psychological Festival--- Pupils join in the Sports competition, listen to Health lectures,enjoying the kind of competition spirit, tasting failure and success.

Science& Mathematics Festival--- Math contests, science models, all of which are designed to enhance the ability of scientific inquiry.

6.International communcation

We have established friendly relationships with well-known schools in Canada, Singapore, Britain ,etc. The city and provincal directors of education department in Canada and Singapore visited our school many times. Students from Singapore Chinese Girls' Primary ,Nanyang primary school,Gunagyang primary school,participate in a “real”study with our students for several days. Every March, students in our school will have the opportunity to take part in a 4-month immersion further studies in Halifax.Our school also organized a World Environment Summer Camp, Sino-US camp and other international exchange activities. Thus by now,our school has set up a fine and three-dimensional type as well as a complementary model of international education exchange.