Monday 30 November 2015
Saturday 21 November 2015
Friday 20 November 2015
Week 15 of the Primary Weekly Correspondance
Primary
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Primary
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CCA / ECA
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Hazwani Hassim (Wani)
Monday 16 November 2015
Friday 13 November 2015
Thoughts from the Chatsworth Primary Hallway
“When we honor people’s work and assume positive intent, innovative solutions follow.”
Kristen Swanson, Gayle Allen, and Rob Mancabelli (ibid.)
Kristen Swanson, Gayle Allen, and Rob Mancabelli (ibid.)
In every IB school's life (every five years to be exact), there is a time when we need to review the IB standards and practices document. This report has three sections: philosophy, organization and curriculum and the IB has practices that schools need to put into place at the PYP, MYP and DP levels. As a PYP school, we are required to look at our practices and highlight our areas of strength and identify areas that need further growth, this is called a self-study. We began our self-study last November where the senior leadership team, primary teachers, and teaching assistants were involved in reviewing one of the three sections by collecting evidence from around the school to identify our strengths and areas requiring attention. This process has taken twelve months to complete and culminates with an official IB visit next week. From next Wednesday to Friday we will have two representatives from other IB schools working on behalf of the IB Asia Pacific office to review our self-study by visiting classrooms, talking with the students and teachers, as well as talking with the school management and parents. They will also look at our evidence collected and together with their findings, suggest areas of strength and areas for further growth. We are looking forward to hosting Ms. Tracy France and Ms. Donnah Ciempka and showing off our wonderful students, teachers, and school. So if you happen to see Tracy and Donnah around the school next week, please feel free to say hello.
Mario Gauci
Head of Primary
Perspectives from the PYP Coordinator
For this month’s Parent Café, parents were able to see our students and teachers in action in the classrooms. They observed learning engagements in unit of inquiry, language, mathematics and play. Discussed before and after explored the reasons for the ways we operate in the classroom and how to support students learning further at home. Thank you to all of those who attended and shared your observations and comments.
Week 14 of the Primary Weekly Correspondance
Primary
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Primary
Parent Event |
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Hazwani Hassim (Wani)
Primary Administrative
Sunday 8 November 2015
Friday 6 November 2015
Perspectives from the PYP Coordinator - Annual Concert
6 November
One of the highlights of the Primary School is our annual concert. This year’s concert is on 11 December and the theme of our concert will be Our Learning Journey, using the transdisciplinary themes’ (TD) central ideas from one of the Units of Inquiry. This year we have highlighted our learning in many ways throughout the year and are excited to also be using the concert as a venue to celebrate learning. Through the creative efforts of both your children and their teachers, we are excited to bring you the following programme:
The K classes will incorporate their learning from the transdisciplinary theme (TD) Sharing the planet - central idea: People interact with living things in a variety of environments
The Year One will use the TD theme of How we express ourselves - central idea: Celebrations are expressions of shared beliefs and values
The Year Two classes will use the TD theme of How we express ourselves - central idea: Exploring the properties of light and sound provides opportunities for creativity
The Year Three classes are eager to show their learning from two TD themes of How we organise ourselves - central idea: Technological advances enhance an understanding of the Earth and its place in the universe and the TD theme of How the world works - central idea: The design of structures involves consideration of the role of forces, materials and environmental factors.
The Year Four classes will use the TD theme of How the world works - central idea: Matter is transformed from one state to another for specific purposes
The Year Five class will use the TD theme of How we organise ourselves - central idea: Understanding the properties and production of materials enables consumers to make informed decisions
The Year Six classes will use the TD theme of How we organise ourselves - central idea: Governance involves decision making that influences the rights and responsibilities of its citizens
As your child’s learning progresses in these units, added attention will be given to their viewing and presenting skills as well as to their inquiries. We know from the research of Kath Murdoch, that the learning journey becomes deeper and more meaningful when the student’s audience expands as they reflect on how to convey their understanding. We look forward to seeing where these learning experiences take us all.
As an international school that recognizes celebrations around the world, please join us in celebration of Our Learning Journey on 11 December.
Kim Riemer
PYPC
Assistant Head of Primary
Week 13 of the Primary Weekly Correspondance
Primary
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Primary
Parent Event |
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Hazwani Hassim (Wani)
Primary Administrative
Thoughts from the Chatsworth Primary Hallway
“The important thing is not to stop questioning.” – Albert Einstein
Now that the haze has given us a short reprieve, life has returned to normal in the primary school. Hearing the children playing in the playground is music to my ears. No longer is the school quiet and silent, but it is full of the vibrant noises of children at play. It has been a week of exciting learning engagements from measuring length using eatable snakes in Year 3, to "Wet Wednesday" water play out in the Early Years playground with the Kindergarten children. Year 5 and 6 have both been on field trips to the Botanic Gardens and The Australian School PYP Exhibition respectively. While the year 4 children had a market afternoon, trading for good and services. I enjoyed spending some time in the Year 1 and 2 classes while they were unpacking their understanding of numeracy and literacy concepts. A common thread in all of these learning engagements was the children's questioning. Asking questions are an important part of the learning, because when we question we are making sense of what we are learning. Questioning and inquiry are the cornerstones to the IB PYP, and we are pretty good at it here in the primary school. Come and see us in action next week during our Parent Café, where some classes will be open for you to witness. See the section from Miss Wani above for more details.
Enjoy this week's photos!
Mario Gauci
Head of Primary
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