YCIS Shanghai Pudong, Puxi, and Lingang organised a wide range of exciting activities during the annual 'Book Week', which aimed not only to encourage the love of books and reading but also to inspire students to think deeper about community service and the global horizon.

One of the biggest highlights this year was the visit of Kimba Bush, who is a poet and a Hip-hop artist. He shared the unique rhetorical method called S.H.A.M.P.O.O., guiding students to loosen their minds and think outside the box to explore the unlimited possibilities in creative writing.

Ms. Teresa Tu, Secondary Head of Chinese YCIS Shanghai Pudong, said "We held an array of fabulous activities, from academic programmes to singing performances. Through various activities and Reading Stars certificates, we encourage students to broaden their breadth and depth of reading so that they can further develop in multiple subjects and cultural literacy. We firmly believe that events like Book Week not only help increase students' enthusiasm for reading but also lead them to a deeper appreciation of the world."

With the theme "Storytelling in the 21st Century", YCIS Shanghai Puxi took an innovative step in integrating STEM with Book Week. 

While maintaining classic literacy-related activities such as the Book Fair, Lower Primary Reading Cafes, Author Visits, Costume Day Character Parade, Pajama parties, etc., a number of STEM activities including AI and robotics enriched the learning experience for students, helping them better understand what they will face in the future.

Ms. Rebecca, the Primary Librarian, and Ms. Meghna, the Primary EdTech Integrator, said "With the help of AI, students interacted with various classic English books as well as chatted with famous authors. They explored the use of AI through story creation during library class, collaborating with artificial intelligence to craft their own imaginative tales. Students demonstrated exceptional talent and creativity at the Robotics Show. Assemblies were filled with awe as science experiments unfolded before their eyes, sparking curiosity. "

Besides the award of Reading Stars, mathematical stimulation was also celebrated with challenges and awards throughout the week, along with a coding challenge on Earth Day to foster environmental stewardship.

On the other side, YCIS Shanghai Pudong used the slogan "I Am; 我是" to emphasize the theme of identity and self-exploration. Authors, artists, poets, students, teachers, and families all worked together to understand the special role that reading and books play in making us who we are.

Two sets of authors were invited during the week. Kimba Bush shared his thoughts on expressing with written words and music, encouraging children to speak up and use poetry as a form of self-expression. Meanwhile, the co-authors of "My Shanghai," Ms. Zhen-Lei Chang and Ms. Angela Lim, used the format of a picture book to express their love of Shanghai, which was also inspiring for students to open their minds. 

Mr. Gabe Ostley, Artist-In-Residence, visited Primary students during their library time. Students wrote their names after the words "I Am" or "Wo Shi", and also completed the sentence "I am reading…" with the title of a book they had recently read. The students' work, along with the bulletin board display created by Mr. Ostley, created a meaningful display that reflects the theme of identity and our celebration of reading during Book Week.

It's the first year for YCIS Shanghai Lingang to celebrate Book Week. The theme "Reading in Harmony: Books that Nurture our Community" is developed from YCYW's virtue of Harmony. In conjunction with Shanghai Climate Week, YCIS Shanghai Lingang focused on inspiring students to think about how reading and sharing can nurture ourselves and better our community.

On Book Swap Day, students broadened their range of reading by swapping old books with their peers. Quality books were also gathered for charity. The Recycled Material Book Mark programme was implemented across the school to reduce waste. Children were excited to dress up as their favourite book characters for the parade, and two students were awarded for "Best Dressed" and "Most Environmentally Friendly Costume."

We are also happy to see the YCIS Shanghai Lingang community come closer after Book Week. During the Buddy Reading activity, primary students prepared books to read to the students in Kindergarten. The fresh reading experience benefited both ECE and Primary students in gaining better focus and understanding in English and Chinese. The trip to the local bookstore, the theatrical performance in the park, and the pyjama party and parent reading workshops were memorable moments for the community to enjoy together.

As Book Week came to an end, our learning community across YCIS Shanghai was full of joy and enthusiasm!