Exhibiton

This past Wednesday evening our Year 6 Teachers and PYP Coordinator held an information meeting for the Year 6 parents about the Primary Years Programme (PYP) Exhibition. The exhibition serves as the culminating event for children leaving the PYP and entering into the Middle Years Programme (MYP). The Exhibition synthesizes the learning of the students, incorporating essential elements of the PYP as well as the attributes of the IB Learner Profile.

The IBPYP Exhibition Guidelines outline the purpose of the Exhibition in more detail.

· for students to engage in an in-depth, collaborative inquiry

· to provide students with an opportunity to demonstrate independence and responsibility for their own learning

· to provide students with an opportunity to explore multiple perspectives

· for students to synthesize and apply their learning of previous years and to reflect upon their journey through the PYP

· to provide an authentic process for assessing student understanding

· to demonstrate how students can take action as a result of their learning

· to unite the students, teachers, parents and other members of the school community in a collaborative experience that incorporates the essential elements of the PYP

· to celebrate the transition of learners from primary to middle/secondary education


During the Exhibition, each student will analyze their group’s central idea and apply it to an area that they are particularly interested and passionate. There is a wide range of subjects that students can inquire into as you can imagine.

Each year the Exhibition evolves as the Year 6 teachers reflect on the previous year. We feel that this year, the Exhibition will once again be a huge success. Historically, when speaking with the students, they know much about their chosen subject and can articulate their learning clearly. Just as importantly, the action that the children have chosen to take has also been impressive.

We look forward to the 2019 Exhibition Presentation. Dr. Michael Berry Head of Primary

Dr. Michael Berry

Head of Primary

Week 23 of the Primary Weekly Correspondance

Primary Weekly Correspondence

• 2019 Parent Survey

Dear Parents,

Each year, Chatsworth asks that you share your thoughts regarding your child’s education. The survey contains questions touching on all areas of the school. We value your opinion and ask that you take a few moments to complete the survey by clicking on the link. 

• Chinese New Year Celebration 

Chinese New Year Festivities are on 7 and 8 of February. 

Follow this link to learn more about the activities.

• Students arriving after 9am 

Beginning February 7, students who arrive after 9:00 will need visit the Reception Office before going to their classroom.
Ms. Violet and Ms. Catherine will inform the teacher that the student has arrived on campus.

We thank you for your support.

Chinese New Year and CCA

Chinese New Year Festivities are on 7 and 8 of February. Follow this link to learn more about the activities.

This week the CCA and CCA Session 2 kicked off on Monday and this first week has been extremely successful adding many new choices for our students. There are 17 CCA choices and 14 ECA choices this session. All of the CCA classes are fully booked and teachers have stretched the class sizes and allowed as many children as possible to offer a quality experience. We have some new and exciting ECA choices this term too, but some of our ECA choices had to be cancelled at the last minute because enrollment was too low.  For that, we are very sorry. 

Check out the photos from some of the classes.

Week 22 of the Weekly Primary Correspondance

Primary Weekly Correspondence

• 2019 Parents Survey

Dear Parents,

Each year, Chatsworth asks that you share your thoughts regarding your child’s education. The survey contains questions touching on all areas of the school. We value your opinion and ask that you take a few moments to complete the survey by clicking on the link below.

2019 Parent Survey

• Chinese New Year Celebration (7 & 8 Feb 2019)

More details here.

• February Lunch Menu

Technology and Mathematics

Technology and Mathematics


Motivation is defined as, "a force or drive that influences behavior to achieve a desired outcome”. Digital natives like students at Chatsworth, since birth, have been surrounded by technology. For this reason, they feel comfortable and enthusiastic when using technology. Approximately 97% of teenagers in the United States play video games, half of them playing at a minimum once per day. In fact, teens in the United States are utilizing some type of technology for an average of 6 to 8 hours per day. Incorporating technology into the learning environment would be beneficial for digital natives in schools.

Student motivation is vital for student learning and success academically. Educators should utilize varying strategies to better connect with their students. Increasing interest in mathematics can be accomplished by using computers in meaningful ways to supplement mathematics instruction instead of relying on the traditional lecture and drills approach to teaching. There is evidence showing that the teaching of mathematics is enhanced with the integration of technology.

Many educators believe that technology, specifically video games, can benefit students’ motivation to learn. The characteristics that make video games appealing to students are that they are fun to play, challenge the child, and are competitive. Games also provide digital natives with a familiar platform with which to learn. Research has shown that game based learning (GBL) can be an effective tool for teaching today’s technology savvy students. The characteristics that GBL contains that make this type of learning especially attractive to students are that GBL “actively promotes learning, increases student motivation to learn and reduces stress in learning”. A major advantage for GBL over traditional teaching is its ability to grasp student attention due to the level of engagement the students are able to experience and the competitive nature of gaming.

In our Primary school, teachers utilize a variety of online learning platforms to supplement classroom teaching. There are many apps that can be used to help reinforce mathematics learning in a fun, yet effective manner. Some or our JY classes also use the website Study Ladder, which has been in existence for a decade now, to organize and plan for online resources. Technology will not only continue to be an integral part of teaching and learning as we move forward, but become increasingly important.


Dr. Michael Berry
Head of Primary
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Week 21 of the Primary Weekly Correspondance

Primary Weekly Correspondence

• 2019 Parents Survey

Dear Parents,

Each year, Chatsworth asks that you share your thoughts regarding your child’s education. The survey contains questions touching on all areas of the school. We value your opinion and ask that you take a few moments to complete the survey by clicking on the link below.

2019 Parent Survey

• CPG Coffee Morning (21 Jan 2019) 

Happy New Year! We hope you all had a lovely holiday. The first CPG Coffee Morning for this semester will be Monday, 21 January 2019 at 9:00am in the Discovery Centre (4D). Please join us! Catch up with old friends and possibly make some new ones. We’ll have coffee, snacks and information about a few events happening later this semester.

Hope to see you there,

The CPG Team

Please RSVP via: cpg-orc@chatsworth.com.sg.

• Chinese New Year Celebration (7 & 8 Feb 2019)

More details here.

• JY Parent Talk: WhatsApp Group (31 Jan 19) 

More details here.

• February Lunch Menu

Acclimate to their new school

Acclimate to their new school


Over the past two weeks, Chatsworth has welcomed a number of new students and their families to school. Additionally Mr. Lucchesi, the PYP Coordinator hosted a Parent Café aimed at the parents new to Chatsworth and to the IB Programme. As you can imagine, some parents were feeling anxious due to all of this “newness”. During conversations, there were a few questions put forth about how parents ensure that their children acclimate to their new school.

In reading a few articles on the subject, I uncovered a few tips that new families to Chatsworth may want to keep in mind. In regards to adjusting to a new school, author Hannah Boyd suggests that:

• The first few weeks may be “stormy” and that is nothing unusual. They may be more withdrawn and sensitive; this will pass.

• In these trying times for children, having a routine at home will help put them at ease as they know what will be coming next.

• Find any excuse to have a party. Boyd suggests having an early birthday party encouraging children to come to your child’s “home turf” where meeting new kids may be easier.

• As a parent, getting involved with the school (CPG) is a good way for parents and their children to meet other families.

• Be patient. Children may take longer than six weeks to begin to settle in. If children still have not settled in by then, do not panic. Speaking with the teacher and school counselor for support may help.

Another huge factor in having new students settle in more quickly is the fact that we have a wonderfully caring community here at Chatsworth. The students who have been here are very welcoming and truly do all that they can to befriend each of the new children who come to our campus. It is beautiful to see the effort they consistently put forth to make sure that our newest school members feel comfortable and happy at school.


I wish you a lovely and safe weekend.

Dr. Michael Berry

Head of Primary

Week 20 of the Primary Weekly Correspondance

Primary Weekly Correspondence

• Introduction of Optional Schoolwear
  More details here.

• 2019 Parents Survey
  
  Dear Parents,
  
  Each year, Chatsworth asks that you share your thoughts regarding your child’s education. The survey contains questions touching on all areas of the school. We value your opinion and ask that you take a few moments to complete the survey by clicking on the link below.
  
  2019 Parent Survey

• CPG Coffee Morning (21 Jan 2019)
  
  Happy New Year! We hope you all had a lovely holiday. The first CPG Coffee Morning for this semester will be Monday, 21 January 2019 at 9:00am in the Discovery Centre (4D). Please join us! Catch up with old friends and possibly make some new ones. We’ll have coffee, snacks and information about a few events happening later this semester.
  
  Hope to see you there,
  The CPG Team
  
  
  Please RSVP via: cpg-orc@chatsworth.com.sg.
  
  What: CPG Coffee Morning
  When: January 21, 2019 (Monday)
  9:00 a.m.
  Where: Room 4D (Discovery Centre)

Welcome back to Semester 2

Firstly, I wish you all a Happy New Year and welcome you back for the second semester. I would also like to welcome our new families to our Chatsworth community as we have had more than 50 new students beginning their school experience at Chatsworth this past week.

I would also like to welcome two new teachers to our Campus. As many of you are aware, we have opened a second K1 classroom to join Ms. Liesel and Ms. Lesley, our other K1 team. Ms. Reema Monk has joined us as the K1 teacher for the class and soon, Ms. Zoe Hemmings will arrive to be the Teaching Assistant for the new K1 class.

As many of you may recall, the campus was very different at the end of the last academic year. Over the past 9 months (including last summer), there has been much done to make the campus more “Primary friendly”. In August, I noted that the work would continue throughout this year and I would update you on these improvements. I can also say that there is still more to come in how we improve the campus for even better teaching and learning.

Over this past break Mr. Gopal, our Maintenance Supervisor, worked diligently with the hired contractors to enhance our school facilities. For those who have been able to visit the Orchard Campus over the past two days, you would have noticed that there has been a fair bit of work done to the campus over the break. The outside of the Sports Hall has been painted and the windows have been replaced with a strong plastic material ensuring it is safer for the children. The windows have been replaced in block 5 as well.

Additionally, the outdoor hallways have also been painted giving the school a bit of a “face lift” making the school feel brighter. More importantly, the paint is designed to make the walkway less slippery when it rains.

In blocks 4 and 5 the classrooms have been painted and the display boards have been replaced with new ones that are consistent with the boards that you see across the campus. This too has done a great deal for the classrooms as the teachers and the students have noted they all are pleased with the upgrades.

For our Year 3 classrooms, the teachers have new teacher tables/desks that support their work with individual or small groups of children. The classrooms also received different sized, rollable tables with writable surfaces. These purposely designed tables meet the range of different sizes of children in this year group and support brainstorming and writing activities.

For our shared use spaces, we continue to improve these environments. In our Studio (dance room) one of the sinks has been removed. This allows the students more space to safely navigate the classroom as they design and practice their own choreography with Ms. Hamer during class. The added space in the classroom is much welcomed too.

In the Discovery Center, we expanded the wiring and are now ready to move into more cooking and sewing activities. The Provocation Room received a new green screen wall for filmmaking. In our playgrounds, we have added new bikes and a sandbox cover that uses a small wooden seat as its support for the center. All of these improvements will be enjoyed by everyone.

Here are just a few photos of the children enjoying the new bikes.

Week 19 of the Primary Weekly Correspondence

Primary Weekly Correspondence

• New Parent Orientation / Parent Cafe: PYP Philosophy

This Parent Cafe is perfect for parents who are new to the International Baccalaureate and our Primary Years Program. We provide an overview of our school curriculum and visit classrooms to see it in Action. This is a repeat of our Parent Cafe from Semester 1.

Date: 9 January 2019
Time: 0900 - 1100
Venue: Discovery Centre (Room 4D)

RSVP your seat here.

• Free Dress Days - Semester 2

Please note that some of the previous dates that were set for Free Dress days have now changed. Our first Free Dress day will be Friday 25th January.

Other dates are as follows;
- Friday 1st March
- Friday 3rd May - Theme to be advised
- Friday 7th June


Have a great weekend.