Curriculum News

Science in B2

In Science this term we have been exploring Earth and Space sciences. We have discovered that Earth is one of the planets in the solar system. We worked in small groups to create and write some mnemonics to help us remember the order of the planets. A mnemonic is a technique that can be used to help remember certain topics, information and ideas. 

The groups had the first letter of each planet written down their page and they worked together to create a sentence with each word starting with the first letter of each planet. Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune.

My                                        My                                         My                                       

VIP                                        Very                                      Very

Elephant                             Educated                           Entertaining

Mum                                    Monkey                              Monkey

Jumped                               Jumped                               Jumped

Stones                                 Suddenly                            Slowly

Under                                  Under                                  Under

Neptune                             Neptune                             Nanna

Class G3 & Y1

In G3 and Y1 we have been organising activities for students to complete with their buddies. One lesson is dedicated to brainstorming the activity that we want to do and organising where we can source the necessary items. We then complete the activity in the next lesson that we work together. The students, teachers and school services officers (SSOs) are finding this to be a wonderful way to demonstrate leadership skills, kindness, inclusivity and teamwork each week.

Some of the activities they have come up with include:  crafting - making a penguin, drawing nature, making patterns using craft materials, making a house using cardboard, making a drum, making a chatterbox and making a pinball machine.  The students are utilising Chromebooks - Programming in Scratch, making posters and playing Uno, board games and completing puzzles together.

Health Lessons with Ms Kathryn 

After learning about what Harmony Day is and why it is important, the Reception/Year One classes made some necklaces using orange pasta – because orange is the official colour of Harmony Day. This also gave us a chance to practice our fine motor skills, counting and patience. The students did such a wonderful job, and they were very proud of their efforts!

Meanwhile, some of the older classes have been learning about what it means to have a ‘Growth Mindset’. There were given some tricky tasks to complete as a chance to practice trying new things, learning from our mistakes and persisting even when things are tough. G2, G3 and G4 were so proud of the origami penguins that they made, and Y3 and Y5 made some amazing spaghetti towers (and also showed great resilience when they fell down!)

Indonesian

In Indonesian this term, students have been learning to talk about themselves, their families and their daily lives and activities as well as learning about Indonesian culture. Students in Y6 and Y7 are currently working on presentations about their daily lives which they will share with students from our partner school in Indonesia, Al Syukro Universal Elementary School. 

In term 2 we will Facetime with our partner school to discuss how our daily lives are the same and different. Students in G2 and G3 are working on letters to students at Al Syukro. In the Early Years, B2 are making booklets about their family members, while R1 and R5 have been having fun acting out a story about Bob the Builder meeting their class teacher in McDonalds! On March 11 Nyepi, the Day of Silence, was celebrated in Bali and some classes did Nyepi activities such as mindfulness colouring of Balinese scenes and making Ogoh-Ogoh out of playdough.

Class Y1

On Thursday 28th of March the Early Years classes celebrated early for Easter. This included the Mainstream Foundation to Year 2 students, Early Years Special Options class and the Early Years Intensive English Language Classes. 

The students engaged in Easter crafts in class then, all moved to the gym. There, they participated in parachute games and Rob the Nest to promote teamwork and collaboration. The favourite by far was the parachute! The students were also lucky enough to have a surprise visit from the Easter Bunny! 

Harmony Day Celebrations

As a part of our Harmony Day celebrations, we had Ms VG visit our class and teach us all about chopsticks. The students then tried to use chopsticks to pick up dried beans. They had a great time. 

One lunchtime during Harmony Week, Ms Li came and showed the students how to make dragon puppets. They were all very focused and pleased with their results.

In literacy this term the students have been learning how to improve their writing. Students have been reading simple sentences and working out what details they could add to give the reader more information. Now when they write their own sentences, they know what they can do to improve them.

Class Y6 & Y7

In Y6 and Y7 this term we have been exploring the concepts of identity and diversity through the creation of self portraits. Students identified their personal strengths and personality traits, mixed skin tones and are producing some beautiful pieces of art work for you to enjoy. Please keep an eye out in the Front Office to see our completed masterpieces soon!