First Week at a New School

Congratulations to our three little guys finishing their first week at the Beijing International Bilingual Academy! We recently shared the graduation ceremony that we had for Gong, Shu, and Yang, and now we get to share a little bit about how their first few days went at BIBA.

On their first day, the boys headed to school proudly wearing the school bags they'd received at their Little Flower Graduation. They experienced that familiar combination of nervousness and excitement one gets when faced with the prospect of attending a new school, meeting new people, and making new friends. What would their classmates and teachers be like?

Maria, their Little Flower teacher, and Group Educational Foster Care Manager Ruth accompanied the boys to BIBA for their first day.

They went through those big front gates excitedly, greeting a few friendly teachers along the way.

Their teachers welcomed them and introduced them to the rest of their class.

At the Little Flower Early Education Center, Yang was always at the center of attention. He's a very outgoing kid, brimming with self-confidence. On that first day, though, while things were still taking a little getting used to, Yang stayed close to Maria, who was there to help the boys acclimate to their new surroundings. We're sure that with enough support and encouraging words, Yang will be back to his old self in no time.

In English class, as expected, the boys found it a bit difficult to follow the class. Though they do know some English, their level is a bit behind their new classmate's. But they're all very diligent boys, and make progress each day. Eventually, their hard work will help them fill in that gap!

On the Thursday of that first week was their first opportunity to go on an outing with their classes, which was a very happy occasion. It was a sports outing that included tag and ball games. Our three boys loved it! The other kids helped Shu and Gong with their wheelchairs. They were just part of the team!

Of course, questions from their inquisitive classmates are inevitable. Kids are naturally curious!

"Are you an orphan?" one classmate asked Gong.

Gong turned to this new classmate and said, "Well, I was an orphan, but not anymore. I have a family now."

Gong, who is part of Chunmiao Little Flower's Group Educational Foster Care program, is of course talking about his foster parents and siblings in Little Flower GEFH #2. Here's a recent photo of Gong with his foster mom, big sister Mao, and little brother Yi:

It just makes everyone here at Little Flower so proud to be able to provide loving homes and supportive families for these kids with special needs.

Overall, the boys' attendance at BIBA seems to be working well thus far. The teachers are working to integrate them as much as possible into classes and to bring them up to speed on some of the things they need to work on.

We're keen to see how the cooperation develops and progresses over the next weeks.  

Congratulations to Gong, Shu, and Yang on making it through your first week at international school!