From February 29 to March 4, YCIS Beijing held a week-long Literacy Enrichment programme designed to encourage not just students but also teachers and parents to discover (or perhaps rediscover) the joys of reading. Engaging activities ranged from large-scale charity programmes to simple reading sessions all throughout the week.

The event kicked off on Monday with an introduction to and a start of the “Read to Feed” charity initiative presented by YCIS Beijing guest, Grace Jin. The “Read to Feed” programme gives students and teachers the opportunity to raise money for underprivileged families in remote locations. The proceeds will be used to supply them with livestock and training to help improve their quality of life.

Thursday had the first of five author visits in March and April to our school with novelist and Beijing Kids blogger Andy Killeen. Mr Killeen presented a series of informative workshops with Primary students learning “What is a story?” exploring narrative structure within children’s books such as Tyrannosaurus Drip by Julia Donaldson.

The highlight of the week was most definitely Friday’s costume parades! Primary and ECE students did a fantastic job dressing up as their favourite characters from literature. To see the adorable photos of our students in costume, please visit our Flickr Page.

Overall, the week saw active enthusiasm from YCIS Beijing students and teachers as they embraced fact and fiction together as a school community.