Hillside World Academy follows a unique Bilingualism and Biculturalism model in educating students, something that parent Xu Linjun was looking for in a school for her daughters.
Parent Xu Linjun wanted a bilingual education for her daughters. But it isn’t just about mastering the Chinese language; she specifically wanted a bilingual school programme that exposes students to Chinese culture as well. This led her to enrol her daughters – Catriona and Chloe – at Hillside World Academy (HWA), and she has nothing but great things to share!
Hi Linjun! Can you tell us a little about your daughters who are attending HWA?
My eldest, Catriona, is in Grade 6, whereas Chloe is in Grade 4. They’re studying the global IB programme that’s offered at HWA.
Tell us more about the deciding factor that led you to choose this school.
We were specifically looking for a bilingual school programme where the girls could not only learn the Chinese language, but also be immersed in Chinese culture. HWA offers this in the form of a holistic and bicultural learning environment, where it blends Eastern and Western values to instil both high competence in language fluency as well as global knowledge. Besides this, we also considered factors like school location, class sizes, and adequate teaching resources, and HWA ticked these boxes too.
What do Catriona and Chloe love about HWA?
They love the friendly atmosphere in the school and the positive environment created by the teachers. It also helps that all new students and families are introduced to the teachers and staff, which made the girls feel really welcome from day one.
The co-curricular activities selections are also great, with some conventional ones as well as niche activities like Chinese calligraphy, traditional paper cutting, embroidery, etc. The girls have participated in these throughout their school year.
Can you tell us more about how the school engages parents, and if it has a community for parents?
The communication from HWA was very prompt right from our initial visit and all through the enrolment process. The school also provides regular updates throughout the year to keep parents informed about all school matters. Teachers at HWA work together with parents regularly to host events for families. We appreciate that the teachers genuinely strive to build a relationship with parents to help every child progress at school.
Last but not least, any advice for parents who are trying to choose a school for their child?
I would encourage parents to arrange school visits. This is the best way for them to find out more from the teachers, and you can also try to reach out to other parents with children from the same school to hear what they think about the school as well.
Thank you, Linjun!
This post is in partnership with Hillside World Academy.
