Pre-School

• Personal and social development involves helping children to develop a positive sense of themselves, and others; to form positive relationships and develop respect for others; to develop social skills and learn how to manage their feelings; to understand appropriate behavior in groups; and to have confidence in their own abilities.
• Language development involves giving children opportunities to experience a rich Chinese and English language environment; to develop their confidence and skills in expressing themselves; and to speak and listen in a range of situations. Children will also link sounds and letters and will begin to read and write in Chinese and English.
• Mathematics involves providing children with opportunities to develop and improve their skills in counting, understanding and using numbers, calculating simple addition and subtraction problems; and to describe shapes, spaces, and measures.
• Science and Technology involves guiding children to make sense of their physical world and their community through opportunities to explore, observe and find out about people, places, technology and the environment.
• Health and Physical Activity involves providing opportunities for young children to be active and interactive; and to develop their co-ordination, control, and movement.
• The Arts involves enabling children to explore and play with a wide range of media and materials, as well as providing opportunities and encouragement for sharing their thoughts, ideas and feelings through a variety of activities in art, music, movement, dance, role-play, and design and technology.

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At a very young age, infants and children naturally begin the process of learning through a practice known as inquiry. They have a spontaneous desire for exploration. They gather information and data though applying the human senses – seeing, hearing, touching, tasting and smelling. However, some traditional forms of teaching discourage the natural process of inquiry. When these approaches are used, as students grew older, they became less willing to ask questions. Too often they are only called upon to repeat the expected answer.

In the Pre-School at MHIS, we believe that inquiry is a critical building block in the process of learning. Inquiry places emphasis on the development of inquiry skills and attitudes that will enable individuals to continue the quest for knowledge as one gets older and throughout life.

In our Pre-School, the inquiry process will be extended as children move from noticing and wondering about objects and events to exploring, observing and questioning in a more focused way. As they gather and examine information they are then provided with opportunities to compare, sort, classify and interpret their observations. Experienced teachers will interact with children to clarify or help articulate the children's thinking.

Memorizing facts and information is not the most important skill in today's world. Instead, we want the young children in our Pre-School program to have a greater understanding of how to obtain and make sense of the information. At a very young age, through this focus on inquiry-based learning, the students will begin to develop critical thinking skills. They will begin to "work smarter" and will be called upon to share or communicate their findings with their fellow students.

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"Play is the highest form of research." (Albert Einstein)

Play is essential for children's development. For young children at the Pre-School level, play is a vehicle for learning. It provides opportunities for learning in a context in which children are at their most receptive. They learn to explore and to think about problems. Play inspires creativity, builds confidence and helps young children acquire problem solving and language acquisition skills. Research demonstrates that play-based learning leads to greater social, emotional, and academic success. When children are acting out roles, or manipulating objects they are engaged in learning through play.

In the Pre-School at MHIS children will have many opportunities to initiate learning and play, as well as take part in more structured play-based learning under the guidance of our experienced teachers.

Children will be provided with large blocks of time and ample space to play and work in our many Learning Centers. At these centers they will engage in developmentally age appropriate activities. Some examples of Learning Centers are: puppet center, sand and water centers; discovery center; building-block center; book corner; word-study center; science and technology center; mathematics center etc.

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International School. We have ample space for: 12 large open-plan classrooms, an extensive library, multi-purpose room/gym, dedicated art and music rooms, experimental kitchen and a discovery science room.

We are fortunate to have a large secure, partially covered outdoor play-space and array of equipment for children to explore including: all-weather covered sandpit, outdoor recreational playground, fixed and mobile climbing equipment, soft-fall paths, flower and vegetable garden, and a splash pool.

The Pre-School will open from September 2015. It offers a vibrant, exciting and nurturing environment in which young children can thrive.

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Kindergarten 1
Age:	3 years old by October 31st of year of entry
Full Day Program :	(08:30 - 15:30)
Supervision available :	(08:00 - 16:00)
After School Activities:	(16:00 - 17:00)

Kindergarten 2
Age:	4 years old by October 31st of year of entry
Full Day Program :	(08:30 - 15:30)
Supervision available :	(08:00 - 16:00)
After School Activities:	(16:00 - 17:00)

Kindergarten 3
Age:	5 years old by October 31st of year of entry
Full Day Program :	(08:30 - 15:30)
Supervision available :	(08:00 - 16:00)
After School Activities:	(16:00 - 17:00)

# School day officially begins at 08:30 and ends at 15:30. Students can begin arriving at 08:00 for supervised playtime and begin leaving from 15:30 onwards, with supervised playtime till 16:00.