Quarter 1 Newsletter 2020

6 PREPARATORY FACULTY GRADES 1 - 6 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . From the Principal’s Office Lee-ann Steynberg This quarter has been a whirlwind of activity and there have been so many shining moments that not all could be easily captured in our weekly memo: from our Grade Ones discovering the joys of reading and writing to our Grade Sixes who are using the scientific method to prepare for their Science Expo next quarter. The learning, exploration and discovery have reached across all grades and taken on a variety of forms. As always we say thank you to our educators who invest time in preparing lessons and engaging with learners on this journey. To our parents, thank you for your support and for sharing our World Read Aloud Day with us. It was a special morning where we could connect with each other and our children. We are fortunate to be able to connect with our children on a daily basis through digital media and as we prepare for our online learning, commencing on the 6th April, many of the activities and tasks that will be presented over these four days will be familiar to our learners. We wish you a safe holiday and look forward to seeing you all on the 14 April. A GRADE ONE LEARNING ADVENTURE… 2020 started with the usual excitement: Grade ones arrived laden with heavy bags filled with the most exciting stationery, new oversized uniforms (too adorable) and lunch boxes filled with enough goodies to feed them for a week! They were more than ready to embrace their new world and settled down remarkably quickly. iPads were configured and ready for action but first iWoods were issued to teach care and responsibility for these learning devices. Learning new sight vocabulary and Phonic sounds encouraged an appetite for the written word. Visits to the library and class and fun readers kept the enthusiasm at a high pitch. On Friendship Day the school was transformed into a colourful spectacle when children arrived sporting their favourite red and white attire. World Read Aloud Day was another memorable occasion when parents shared their enthusiasm on picnic blankets in the play park where exciting stories were read to little groups. A competition called Extreme Reading brought in photos of children reading their books in the weirdest of places…… under water, on ladders and hanging upside down. This of course encouraged others to seek even crazier places. One of our teachers was photographed reading to what seemed to be a very interested giraffe! The ever-popular Dog Show ended with our furry friends reading the word Goodbye, an apt ending to a very busy and eventful first quarter. We all wait in anticipation of things to come in an even more exciting quarter two. A GRADE TWO LEARNING ADVENTURE… ‘"The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you'll go." - Dr Seuss This term our Grade Two entomologists read up on various minibeasts in our surroundings. These minibeasts were not any ordinary creatures, they had superpowers! Superpowers require a unique environment to survive in, so their challenge was to design a suitable micro habitat. To gain inspiration for our project we visited Butterfly World Animal Sanctuary, which houses the vast variety of minibeasts we have so close to us. Our four-legged friends were keen to add their contribution to the animal kingdom, and the antics and tricks of Lloyd’s Incredible Dog Show had our children enthralled. We entered into the world of Dr Seuss by reading a variety of his books. We even invited Thing 1 and Thing 2 to our school for a day of mischievous antics, created by the children in their own story writing. Time is of the essence! The Grade Twos learnt all about clocks and telling the time in both analogue and digital ways. We made use of our wonderful Inquiry Room wherein the children used hoops and their bodies to represent the hour and minute hands. A kaleidoscope of new educational ventures awaits us in the Second Quarter. Follow our creative journey as we seek out new challenges and possibilities. A GRADE THREE LEARNING ADVENTURE… Learning is not the product of teaching. Learning is the product of the activity of learners. John Holt It has been an exciting first quarter for our Grade Three learners who were tasked with researching our planet’s coral reefs and the current threat they face due to global warming, as well as the many eco-systems that are supported by the ocean. To further encourage the research projects, learners were exposed to a number of interesting documentaries to better understand some of the key topics that they could focus their research on. The ongoing research conducted by the learners gave light to a number of interesting facts and personal discoveries that enlightened all involved. Different media were used to present their findings, such as video clips sourced by the learners, as well as some of the digital apps available. All research was conducted using Safer Web and Safer Britannica as a browser, and furthermore learners used Popplet to create and plan their presentations in a Mind Map format. During the quarter, learners had the privilege of visiting the Two Oceans Aquarium, where they could experience and learn more about the ocean and the life it supports. The trip afforded learners an opportunity to gather information to further enhance their projects. All-in-all this project was thoroughly enjoyed