ESF-Sheung Wang Kindergarten versus Victoria Kindergarten
- 12-11-2008, 12:05 AM #1Registered User
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ESF-Sheung Wang Kindergarten versus Victoria Kindergarten
Hello, everyone!
My family just moved to Hk a yr ago, and my baby girl who just turned to 2-yr old just got accepted by both Victoria Kindergarten-Lower Kornhill & ESF-Sheung Wang for the K1 class next year. Now I don't know which one to choose! We live in the Sai Wan Ho area, so Victoria is definitely a lot closer. But in terms of teaching quality and facility, which one is better? Is it true that Victoria is more local and ESF is more international? But what's actually the difference in terms of teaching style? We all speak English at home, and I want my girl to build a good fondation in Chinese/Putonghua. Any advice is welcome, I am so very torn between the 2 schools!!! Txs all for your time!
- 12-11-2008, 02:41 PM #2Registered User
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Wow, your daughter is very smart! I have been considering these two schools too. Yes, Victoria is very local, and ESF is less local. Do you think it is possible to attend both or try both, e.g. AM for one school, PM for the other, or will that be too intense? I heard some moms try out several schools simultaneously, and decide after.
- 12-11-2008, 03:26 PM #3Registered User
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I'm not sure trying both schools at same time before dropping one is a solution...
ESF is taught in English only with a small amount of Putonghua (not sure how much at K1).
Depending on what stream your daughter was accepted, Victoria teaches in English & Putonghua and (if trilingual stream) in Cantonese too, which I guess makes it more 'local'.
Not sure at K1 if there is a huge difference in teaching 'style' but language exposure might be your biggest consideration (and difference) at this point between the schools (and then the commute time!!).
- 12-11-2008, 04:58 PM #4Registered User
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Wow, finally some feedback, tx you guys! No, I don't think it's a good idea either to try out both schools. I think it's too much to let a 3-yr old to go to school both AM&PM! I guess my main concern is the prospects of primary schools once my baby "graduates" from the kindergarten. I know kids from ESF KG can go on good (and mainly) ESF primaries, but what about kids from Victoria, do they usually get accepted at good primaries too? Also, does anyone know if there is any teaching philosophy difference between the 2 KGs? In terms of language, we all speak English at home, so I really want my baby to have a good foundation in Chinese. Also how about the quality of children admitted to ESF and Victoria, which KG has a better student pool? Tx ya all!
- 12-11-2008, 05:35 PM #5Registered User
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If you are concerned about what primary schools Victoria kindie grads go to, check out their website. There is a full list of where their grads went: http://www.victoria.edu.hk/nursery-&...ursery_20.html.
- 12-11-2008, 05:47 PM #6Registered User
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I am pretty sure that the students at Victoria Kornhill will be pretty local, and they usually end up going to local primaries, which from the chart provided, do not always seem to be the “top” local primaries, and though overall quite good.
How was the interview at Victoria? It was the interview for pre-nursery right? Did your child attend playgroups at Victoria beforehand?
- 12-12-2008, 02:46 PM #7Registered User
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My girl attended Baby Buddies Tin Hau for 6 mth, and it was a great experience for her. I also liked it very much. No, she went to the interview for the K1 class next year. The interview at Vic was very good and fair I have to say. Because it's not one-on-one, come to think of it, how do you expect a 2-yr old to behave "normally" in a strange room in front of strange people? So on the interview day, they grouped every 8 kids with one adult accompanying each going into a classroom. Then there were 4 teachers, 2 were leading the activities, and 2 were observing. The whole thing lasted about 30 min. I think this is a good way of assessing the kids. So on this regard, I wonder if Victoria has a better student pool than ESL, which does admission solely based on the application, which can't tell you much...
- 12-15-2008, 07:11 PM #8Registered User
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My daughter goes to ESF Sheung Wan and is very happy. There are 23 or so children in her class, with one teacher and two teacher aides. They teach in english, but also have a Potunghua teacher and the kids learn the language through songs, cultural events and stories once a week. There are lots of different play activities, and the teachers are very attentive. There are a lot of ESL kids in my daughters class, however they all speak english and only english in the school. Those who struggle with their english are directed to extra curriculum courses as I believe spoken english and comprehension are major requirements for ESF Primary schools. We are an expat family, so our daughter is already strong in english.
In so far as the school bus goes, our daughter travels on a school bus to the school every day about 45 minutes each way. She loves traveling on the bus and gets very excited when it heads down our road towards us. Each child has their own seatbelt (purchased through the school) that the bus mother ensures is fastened. The bus mother is always the same lady on our route, and knows all the kids by name. She walks them into the school, as well as out of the school onto the bus. They will not open the bus door to strangers so there is no risk of my daughter being given to a stranger or walking off alone. If the bus hits bad traffic and is going to run significantly late, I get a phone call to put me at ease. I have been nothing but impressed with the service of the bus company. I will admit I was very apprehensive about letting my 'little girl' on a bus in Hong Kong traffic with someone else taking responsibility for her, but the bus company have been fantastic, and my daughter just loves the independence.
I don't know much about Victoria so I can't really compare it for you, but I think both schools would have their merits, and ultimately you need to decide which school will enrich your child the most.
Good luck with your decision.
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