Celebration of Learning 2025

This year, CGK International School held its first Preschool Celebration of Learning (COL) and Graduation Ceremony as an officially authorized International Baccalaureate (IB) school on March 15.

The COL is similar to an end-of-year recital at a traditional kindergarten or preschool, but at CGK, it serves as a platform for children to present what they’ve learned throughout the year. In line with the IB philosophy, which emphasizes student agency, CGK also places a strong focus on children's independence and ownership in curriculum development.

At CGK, the main focus of the COL is not the event itself, but the process leading up to it. Through their daily lessons, students and teachers work together to plan their presentations. Themes ranged from “World Cultures,” “Emotions,” to “Food (Lunch Time),” and all were based on each class’s learning throughout the year. There is no pre-written script like in a traditional play—instead, the children and teachers discuss how best to express their ideas, with the teachers gently guiding the process. Children are involved in every aspect, including writing lines, deciding on roles, singing, and creating the background and costumes. Every part of the preparation is an essential part of their learning that leads up to the final performance.

Unlike familiar story-based performances, our COL may at times leave parents unsure of what their children were doing on stage. However, many parents added, “But the children looked like they were really enjoying themselves.” That’s exactly what we aim for at CGK—not a “clear” performance, but one that is meaningful for the children. Even if something goes wrong on the day of the event—if a child forgets their lines or appears nervous—the most important part is not what happens on the stage but what happened on the way there: what the children thought, learned, and how they expressed themselves.

Of course, we understand that parents only get to see the final performance. That’s why this year we created a class-specific pamphlet showing how each class worked toward the COL. You can view the pamphlet by clicking the image below—please take a look!

While CGK has always placed great value on experiential learning, becoming an IB school has further enhanced the expertise of our teachers, allowing them to offer even more engaging and enjoyable lessons for our students. We’re already looking forward to seeing how the children, growing within our IB curriculum, will express their learning next year!