Grade Two to Grade Three Transition Meeting

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Grade Two to Grade Three Transition
Meeting

• HKIS Upper Primary
• March 4 11, 2008

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Objectives

• Provide a brief introduction to Upper Primary
• Provide information about the Straight Grade
  Three Clusters
• Provide information about the Three-Four Multiage
  Clusters
• Hear from parents who have faced this decision in
  the past
• Answer questions about both settings

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Format of evening

• Brief Power Point Presentation
• Comments from parents of current grade three and
  three-four students
• Question and answer session

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Upper Primary

• The cafeteria seems to be one of the major high
  points for new third graders!
• Camp is viewed with a mixture of excitement,
  apprehension, and ultimately delight by most
  third graders.
• Student Council is an opportunity for students in
  all grade levels to be involved in leadership
  positions.
• We have a full range of support services
  available to assist students and their families.

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Upper Primary

• Students can study strings in an after-school
  program beginning in grade three.
• Students can take band in an after-school
  activity beginning in grade five.
• We currently run a 6-day schedule.
• Students have P.E. three times a cycle and music
  and art one time a cycle.
• Students have Chinese Studies five times a cycle.
• Clusters of three classes help keep a big school
  small.

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Straight Grade Three

• Homeroom groups are composed of students who are
  all in third grade.
• Homerooms are heterogeneously grouped.
• Grade level contains full range of students
  GATE, students who learn differently, ESOL
  students.

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Straight Grade Three

• Students stay with the same teacher for one
  school year.
• Class size is twenty-two or fewer students.
• Students have lunch and recess with other
  Straight Grade Three classes.

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Three-Four Multiage Setting

• Homerooms are heterogeneously grouped - mixed
  abilities.
• Each homeroom is made up of
• 1/2 third graders (about 11 students)
• 1/2 fourth graders (about 11 students)

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Three-Four Multiage Setting

• Multiage contains full range of students GATE,
  students who learn differently, ESOL students
• Students stay with same teacher and peer group
  for two years.
• Class size is twenty-two or fewer students.

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Three-Four Multiage Setting

• Students have lunch and recess periods with other
  classes from the multiage cluster.
• Students complete a two-year curriculum cycle
  that covers the same curriculum material that is
  covered in the straight grade levels.

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Questions that are often raised

• 1. How do I know which setting will be best for
  my child?

Both settings will provide excellent learning
environments for your child.
The setting with which you, as parents, are most
comfortable and are most willing to support will
be the most successful for your child.
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Questions that are often raised

• 2. What are some factors other parents have
  considered in making the decision about where to
  place their children?

Which setting are your childs friends entering?
How does your child relate to older/younger
children?
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Questions that are often raised
Does it matter whether your family will be
staying in Hong Kong for at least two more years?
Is the size of the pool of same-age friends
important to your child?
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Questions that are often raised

• 3. Is there any academic advantage to either
  setting?

There is no research to indicate that students in
either of the two settings perform better or
worse than the other on standardized tests.
Stanford 10 test results are very similar in both
settings.
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Questions that are often raised
4. Do the Stanford tests have any bearing on
which students go into either setting?
The Stanford tests have no bearing on any
placement decisions.
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Questions that are often raised
5. Which teachers will be in the straight grade
three and which teachers will be in multiage?
There are no changes in homeroom teachers in
straight grade three. The teachers will be
Mrs. Carlson, Mr. Middleton, Mrs. Brings, Mrs.
Shaw, Mr. Newcombe, and Mr. Freeman.
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Questions that are often raised
In the multiage setting one teacher, Ms
Kiplinger, will be leaving HKIS at the end of
this school year. In the multi-age clusters the
teachers will be Mrs. Perry, Mrs. Navis, Mr.
Willetts, Mrs. Langdon, Mr. Hart and Mr.
Stanulis.
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Questions that are often raised

• 6. When do we need to make our decision about
  which of the two settings we desire for our
  child?
• We request that all parents of second graders
  complete an on-line form to indicate your
  placement decision. This form will be online
  beginning March 26. On this form you will be able
  to make comments that you feel will be helpful in
  the placement process. Parents may not request
  specific teachers or indicate a gender
  preference. We need to have a form for all grade
  two students.
• You may indicate straight grade three, three-four
  multiage, or no preference.
• The deadline for submission is April 11.

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• Please note that in the upcoming Student Led
  Conferences in Lower Primary, the focus needs to
  be on what your child has to share about their
  learning. Discussion with their homeroom teacher
  about your childs placement for next year should
  not divert attention from your child in the
  conference.

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Questions that are often raised
7. How are students placed in homeroom groups?

• Second grade teachers consult with Upper Primary
  Student Services Teachers and Administration to
  form homeroom classes.

• Information from the form that all parents of
  second grade students complete is used in the
  placement process.

• The placement of older siblings who have
  attended Upper Primary does not affect the
  placement of younger siblings.

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Questions that are often raised
8. When will we be informed of our childs
placement?
Once you have submitted your form, unless one of
the settings is over-subscribed, you can assume
that your choice of the straight or multi-age
setting will be honored. If you indicated no
preference or did not complete the form, you will
be notified of placement in early August.
Parents are notified of each students homeroom
placement in early August.
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Questions that are often raised
9. If there is no academic difference in these
two settings, why do you offer this choice?
We have offered a multiage setting at HKIS for
over twenty years. We do so because we
philosophically believe that such a setting does
have social benefits for students. We want to
offer parents a choice of settings.
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What happens if one of the two settings is
oversubscribed?

• If one of the two settings is oversubscribed, we
  will hold a lottery to determine placement. We
  would balance gender in this lottery by drawing
  from a pool of boys and a pool of girls.

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And now, some words of advice from parents who
have faced this decision in the past.