Elementary School News
Thank you to the parents who attended the Grade 5 Camp Information session on Thursday 25 October. This was the first session, aimed at introducing the camp and creating awareness of how the camp relates to our curriculum and Global Goals. I have asked Ms Linda Du to translate the presentation into Mandarin as this may be helpful to some parents. On Wednesday the Counsellors conducted one of their regular ‘Conversations with the Counsellors’ session which was well attended. Thank you Ms Berna and Ms Jo for this initiative which helps our parents enormously. The Elementary students have been working hard on their units of inquiry. Grade 1 is embarking on a ‘beautification’ of the campus and have come forward with lots of ideas. We are collecting items for our ‘Sound Garden’, so we would appreciate any old pots and pans, cutlery, plastic plates, steel plates, wooden spoons and the like; please leave these items in the school office. Thank you for your participation in this project! I have had the chance to visit a number of classrooms this week and have been very impressed with the students’ attitude to their learning; every student displays enjoyment of their learning and an attitude of ‘can do’. It is a joy to see. On Friday the PTA and SALT students created a very enjoyable and energetic afternoon dance party. This was held in school and some students dressed up as Halloween characters; quite amazing! Thank you to Savannah and her team for their enthusiastic organisation of this most appreciated event. To further support our Chinese-speaking community, the Mandarin team will provide a presentation about "Understanding the IB" for both PYP and MYP in Chinese. It is a great opportunity to explore the philosophy and practices in IB, as well as strategies to help our children at home. Time: Thursday Nov 1 2018 8:00-9:00am Venue: Elementary School Changi Hall (3rd floor) If you have any questions, please feel free to contact Ms Linda at [email protected] Thank you! 为协助家长进一步了解IB课程,ISS的中文团队将推出“怎样理解IB” (包括小学PYP及中学MYP)的中文讲座,聚焦IB理念及教学实践,并分享在家如何帮助孩子。 时间:2018年11月1日星期四上午8点到9点 地点:小学Changi Hall (三楼) 如果您有任何问题,请与Linda 老师联系:[email protected] 欢迎出席!谢谢大家! Middle School News This week we got back into the swing of teaching and learning as it was the full five days. Thanks must go out to our PE staff for the Swimming Gala last Friday. It was magnificent weather and participation rates across all grades was high. Nearly all MS students entered at least one swimming event. It is a challenge organising a whole school event like this. So well done to the PE Staff! Information Literacy This week students began working at a deeper understanding and application of Information Literacy. Through the experience of our ISS librarian, Mr Grant, all grades will explore all elements of Information Literacy, including researching, copyright, critical thinking and review, and creating bibliographies and referencing, to name a few areas. Understanding the IB (Chinese) Time: Thursday Nov 1 2018 8:00-9:00am Venue: Elementary School Changi Hall (3rd floor) To further support our Chinese-speaking community, the Mandarin team will provide a presentation about "Understanding the IB" for both PYP and MYP in Chinese. It is a great opportunity to explore the philosophy and practices in IB, as well as strategies to help our children at home. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact Ms Linda at [email protected] Thank you! 为协助家长进一步了解IB课程,ISS的中文团队将推出“怎样理解IB” (包括小学PYP及中学MYP)的中文讲座,聚焦IB理念及教学实践,并分享在家如何帮助孩子。 时间:2018年11月1日星期四上午8点到9点 地点:小学Changi Hall (三楼) 如果您有任何问题,请与Linda 老师联系:[email protected] 欢迎出席!谢谢大家! Student council Student council and house captains are beginning to develop their leadership skills under the guidance of Dr Jeremiah. This will result in them taking more action for and with the ISS community. Some examples of this are Halloween disco scheduled for November and House Captains recognising and celebrating MS student achievements at last week's Swim Gala. Well done all concerned. Keep up the great work. Have a great weekend Michael Elementary News
Monday 15 and 16 October saw the entire staff of ISS meet at the Paterson Campus for two exciting Professional Learning days. Our guest speaker was Murugaian Nirmala, the founding director of Child at Street 11, a not-for-profit early childcare centre based on student agency and inquiry. Nirmala reminded us that we should focus on the ‘image of the child’ and should never under-estimate what our children can do. She is also the author of the 2014 book, Old War, New Methods - the fight against terror. All the staff were mesmerised by her talk and inspired by her passion for education. The students returned on Wednesday to a vibrant campus and eager teachers. During the short break James (our expert ‘handyman’) has painted a road track in the early years play area and Mr Aik our security guard, has nurtured the garden into bloom. Thank you gentlemen! In the coming weeks the Grade 1s are going to beautify the environment as part of their Unit of Inquiry. Together with these students I would like to make a ‘Sound Garden’ in the play area. This will involve the students planning the garden, building the structure and obtaining the ‘instruments’. These ‘instruments’ are pots and pans, wooden pipes, old drums, hanging chimes and just about anything that will make a sound. If you have any old kitchenware (Metal, plastic or wood) we would be grateful for your donation - please leave these items with Sharon in our office. Thank you in advance! Next Friday 26 October there will be a Free Dress Day and afternoon dance party at Paterson. We will begin directly after school and students may bring masks to wear or anything that creates an atmosphere of fun. The PTA will be sending out more information on this. On 1 November Linda Du and I will be presenting a session on the PYP in Mandarin. If you would like to know more about our programme here at ISS please make sure you attend this event. The session begins at 8.15 am. If there is anything you wish to know about the PYP at our school please do not hesitate to let me know and we can organise more information sessions. Thursday 1 November - PYP in Mandarin 8.15 am. Tuesday 6 November - Deepavali (school holiday) Middle School So it begins! Welcome to Term 2 and already we are one week down. Things move fast around ISS and before you know it, we will be heading into the December break. Already there is lots happening and it is only Week 1. Professional Learning The entire teaching staff commenced Term 2 with two days of professional learning. Teachers reflected reflected on why failure is an important element in growth in the learning process. They then applied this and clarified their concept of feedback and how this has a major impact on student achievement. These refreshed ideas were then applied to various aspects of an IB education, whether it be report writing, Personal Project, Extended Essay or Global Citizenship. As the final element, after a full two days, all staff took a collegial opportunity to share in a BBQ and mix on the one campus. A very rewarding few days. Mid-Semester Reports Mid-Semester Reports went out via ManageBac on Wednesday 17th October. This report contains important insight into how your child has started the school year. The report has a comment from their Kampong teacher and Approaches To Learning (ATL) assessment for each of their subjects. Their is Key on the report to guide you on how your child is progressing in the ATLs on the report. Swim Gala After a rainy start we got underway our first ever K-10 Swim Gala, held at Toa Payoh Swim Complex. Wonderful to see all the school competing. Many opportunities for risk taking, being balanced and reflection through the gala. Week Without Walls The practical part of WWW is done for another year. Wonderful stories have come back from our students educating to make a difference in South-East Asia. It seems like they have all grown up a little in a such a short period of time. Now, the deeper learning continues from these trips. Students will begin to reflect and consider their impact on the world in sessions with their teachers and other students. Overall a significant growth experience in their education. Have a great weekend |
Susan Tilney
Paterson Principal Archives
April 2020
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