ISSUE 1 SCHOOL NEWSLETTER #17
The British International School of Marbella
NEWSLETTER A Newsletter for Parents, Students and Friends of our School
April 2017
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SCHOOL NEWSLETTER
Headteacher’s Message Dear Parents and Guardians, It’s been a super first month of the Summer term, although it is hard to believe that we are almost at the end of this academic year. We have now confirmed all of our teachers for next academic year (please see the page on teacher allocation for further details). I am pleased to say that most of our class teachers are staying next year, though sadly we are saying goodbye to some staff that have been with us a while and are very popular at the school. I am sure you will join me in wishing them the very best in their next adventure wherever that may be. Collaboration Week was a new addition to the BISM events calendar and certainly one that will be repeated. It was great to see children of all ages working collaboratively in a variety of situations. I must say it fills me with pride when I see how caring and nurturing our older students are with the younger members of the school, not just during events such as these, but always. Their ability to work together led to some great achievements and new friendships made. Well done, children. We also trialled a whole school ‘hook’ this month to inspire creative writing from Reception to Year 6. The children walked into disarray on Wednesday 3rd May after our mini-half term break. They had many ideas as to what took place to include a fairy intrusion, a Gruffalo visit and a teacher party! The children produced some fantastic writing and we will certainly be planning another whole school hook very soon. I regret to inform you that the Salesforce1 app is no longer functional for parents. We have tried to rectify the situation but I’m afraid it cannot be fixed. We are now looking into changing our whole
communication system but in the meantime, please continue to check the parent portal through the website. I apologise for the inconvenience this has caused and thank you for bearing with us. With very best wishes, Ms. Kirkham Headteacher
SCHOOL NEWSLETTER
Pre-Nursery The children in Pre-Nursery came back after the Easter break with a real hunger for learning. After reading the story of ‘The Very Hungry Caterpillar’, the children were enthusiastic and showed their eagerness to join in with all of the learning taking place. Not only did they learn all about life cycles, but we talked about the benefits of healthy eating, with some of the children commenting with “It makes you strong,” and “You need to have vegetables to get bigger.” The level of language and vocabulary displayed by the children was a pleasure to hear. The children then tasted some fruits and commented on whether or not they liked them, encouraging expression of likes and dislikes. To further fine tune their motor development, the children became hungry caterpillars themselves and ‘ate’ some leaves using a one-hole hole punch. This took a lot of persistence for some children, as a hole punch can be quite tricky to use independently. The following week, Mrs Rutherford found some caterpillars in her garden and brought them into school. The children are watching them eat a lot of leaves with great interest and are hoping that we may soon have some butterflies to release! Watch this space. Mrs Rutherford Pre-Nursery Teacher
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Nursery
Terrible Creatures! During collaboration week, children from Year 5 and Year 6 came to Nursery Class. Nursery Class had been learning about The Gruffalo and luckily for us, the children in Year 5 and 6 knew all about him. We set the children a challenge and they accepted. They had to work with a partner from another class and create a creature that was scarier than The Gruffalo. The number one rule during this challenge...collaboration. Firstly the children discussed the type of creatures they would like to design, they then worked together by instructing each other when drawing. Nursery children said things like, ´I would like our creature to have a triangle shaped head please´ and the older children drew their request. The pencil was then put into Nursery children´s hands and the older children would say something like, ´Can you please draw 6 eyes on our creature!´ Once all the body parts and facial features had been drawn, both younger and older children worked together to put colour into the life of their creature! Finally Nursery children described the creature they had collaborated on and the older children wrote their descriptions down, encouraging the younger children to use lots of detail. Before we said our goodbyes the children wanted to share their creations. Partners presented their creatures together whilst the rest of the class listened. Nursery class practised so many key skills during collaboration week. They named shapes, listened to their partner’s instructions, drew a certain amount of eyes and arms and used fantastic speaking and listening skills. It was wonderful to see how engaged all children were in this collaborative exercise. Miss Nixon Nursery Teacher
SCHOOL NEWSLETTER
Reception The children loved exploring Julia Donaldson and Axel Schleffer’s brilliant story of The Gruffalo. They discussed how the mouse saved itself from the fox, the owl and the snake by inventing an imaginary creature called the gruffalo, before being amazed when it stumbled upon a real gruffalo. After looking at the physical features of the gruffalo, the children created their own scary creatures, exploring adjectives in the process so that they could label pictures of their creations. After talking about the setting of The Gruffalo being a deep dark wood, the children decided on where their monster story would take place. There were lots of great ideas, like under a bridge, in caves and very originally, in a clock. The Reception children then presented their creations to their friends in Pre Nursery and Nursery, working on their speaking and reading skills. Their younger friends were very interested in the Reception children’s work and listened very well and even spoke about their own ideas for a monster.
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SCHOOL NEWSLETTER
Year 1
April
Fantastic Fishermen
This month, Year 1 began their new Science topic, all about plants. We found out about different types of plants and thought carefully about what they would need to grow. We then became gardeners and planted our very own sunflower seeds. We are now keeping a record of how our sunflowers grow and are looking forward to finding out whose sunflower grows the tallest! Miss Armstrong Year 1 Class Teacher
This month, Year 1 travelled to Estepona’s fishing port for a guided tour and workshop about the lives and jobs of the fishermen and women that work there. We were given the opportunity to explore different shells and creatures that can be found in the local area, including a live octopus. We were also shown around the port and saw fishing boats coming in with their catch for the day. It was amazing to watch the fishermen at work. We also visited the fish market, where we were told about the different roles that people carry out there, before walking to the lighthouse to find out why they are so important to people who work on boats. Finally, we became sailors in training and learned how to make different sailor’s knots. We were given special certificates for our efforts! We had such a fantastic morning and learned so much about an important, local tradition. Miss Armstrong Year 1 Class Teacher
SCHOOL NEWSLETTER
Year 2 Acting in April
Wow Day One of the most exciting days of terms are Wow Days, and this day was no different. The children entered the class with huge beaming smiles on their faces wearing wonderful costumes. I must say a huge thank you to all of the parents for providing such wonderful costumes, it really does add a lot to their enjoyment. We sketched dangerous and nocturnal animals in our sketch pads and took inspiration from watching a tutorial video and Miss Frost’s artistic talents. There were so many excellent work that it will have to be displayed in the classroom.
April has been full of flamboyance in the Year 2 Literacy lessons, in which we have been learning how to write playscripts. Following on from the successful Lower Primary Pantomime, the children have been full of enthusiasm to learn how to write one. We started off sequencing the well-known fairytale story, Jack and the Beanstalk and performing the different scenes in front of the rest of the class. The class have been rehearsing acting with facial and bodily expressions and changing the tone in their voice. In order to perform like this, the children had to write stage instructions in brackets for the actors. During our Big Write sessions, the class have been writing their own alternative ending for Jack and the Beanstalk also. They have benefitted in so many different ways during this unit of work, not only in their writing skills but also with their confidence performing in front of others! I’m so impressed with the level of motivation displayed so far in the final term, I cannot wait to see the fruits of their labour and see what they are capable of during the final few months of Year 2!
The children also brainstormed lots of different animals and learnt how to spell their names by creating their very own word-searches for their friends. To round off a wonderful day we read a traditional African story called, ‘We’re going on a lion hunt’, where two children go searching for lions. The class enjoyed the story and created a comic strip to recount what happened in their own words. The children loved their day and it has really inspired them to learn more about the topic and has encouraged their curiosity! Mr. Llion Thomas Year 2 Teacher/Lower Primary Leader
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SCHOOL NEWSLETTER
Year 3 Collaboration Week
This month we spent a week focusing on collaborative learning. Throughout the week children worked alongside different children in their year group as well as across the school to develop their teamwork and leadership skills, a key element of the BSF Charter. The week began with an assembly where two teams of children from across the school worked together to pass a hoop around the circle while holding hands. The winning team demonstrated excellent teamwork skills including listening, helping and supporting their team mates. The teachers then led many collaborative learning opportunities to include Year 5/6 creating new Gruffalo characters based on the Nursery children’s ideas, Year 3 organising a ‘Tiger Who Came to Tea’ teaparty with Pre-Nursery, and Year 4 making fact-files and a quiz for Reception. Throughout the week, Mrs. Kirkham visited each Primary class to create a collaborative piece of art. The children had to work in teams of four and use their compromising skills in order to create an effective section for the final piece (which can be seen hanging in the corridor). There was also have an inter-house football competition on Thursday (see separate article for more information).
Wow Day
On your marks, get set, go! On Friday 21st April, Year 3 had their WOW day to introduce the new topic ‘Healthy Me.’ The children looked ready to go in their sporty attire, and first up on the menu was the chance to make a fruity cocktail. The children got to pick from different fruits such as strawberries, bananas, grapes and apple to create their own scrumptious smoothie. There was lots of great teamwork, helping one another to cut up and blend their creations. Next up, the children investigated the parts of the body. Drawing round one of their friends, the children then labelled all the parts of the body that they knew about already. There were lots of great ideas including labelling items such as the intestines, blood cells and even viruses! Finally, the children got the chance to create their very own obstacle course to raise the heart rate and most importantly have fun. There were lots of very imaginative ideas such as, jumping over cones, balancing beanbags and everybody’s favourite, hula-hooping. There was no stopping the children’s enthusiasm and they worked brilliantly together. Rebecca Allen Year 3 Teacher
SCHOOL NEWSLETTER
Year 4
Wow Day This term Year 4 have jetted off to France, Italy, Sweden, Croatia and Norway on their fun filled Wow Day. The day started with presentations where the children were tour operators, presenting their assigned country in groups. The children worked hard on their presentations and wowed the audience with lots of interesting facts, funky animations and professional presentation skills. The children then peer assessed each other’s work and voted for their favourite. Next, the children used their very own passports to record interesting facts ahead of playing a game of ‘call my bluff.’ Some children were particularly good ‘bluffers’! In the afternoon the children made a French Clafoutis in their groups. They created the dish by working as a team and following instructions. The day ended with some fun team building games and, of course, eating their delicious concoction. Miss Varty Year 4 Teacher
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Year 5/6 Stone Age Documentaries Year 5 / 6 have brought their drama skills to the forefront in presenting their very own documentaries based on a Stone Age discovery. The project, entitled ‘Secrets of the Stone Age’, drew upon a vast range of subjects and skills including History, I.C.T, Literacy, Drama and Art. Our school’s personal goals such as Teamwork and Leadership were also a key component in making this a successful learning experience. It all began with the children watching documentary clips so they could become familiar with the genre. This then led to each group composing a script with stage directions and historical facts. Once the scripts were written, we turned our attention to how films are made and in particular the camera angles and shot length used by filmmakers. The children amended their scripts with the ‘Director’s notes’ on camera angles and duration of shots. They then set about rehearsing the scenes until they were ready to roll on film. We had Neanderthal men and cave art all found right here on the BISM school grounds. The children produced exciting documentaries complete with added sound and visual effects. We had a premier in the class, showcasing each group’s film and reflected on our successes and targets by completing our own self-assessments. Year 5&6 Class Teacher Mr Anthony Year 5&6 Teaching Assistant Ms Worsfold
SCHOOL NEWSLETTER
Spanish Year 2 Master Chefs Last term Year 1 and 2 students learnt about types of food, recipes, healthy eating and instructions when cooking. By the end of the term they were able to name a wide range of nourishments and recognise their origin (vegetable or animal) and main benefits and characteristics. This helped them to create a delicious recipe which they shared with the class who chose the yummiest one. On the last week of the term, Year 2 students wrapped up the topic with a special cooking lesson where they created their own fruits animals. They clearly enjoyed it and had fun while understanding the importance of eating fruit everyday, even if it’s in an animal’s shape! Miss Escribano Spanish Teacher
In the Year 3 and 4 SAL (Spanish as an Additional Language) class, the children have been making verb flower posters to learn the verb conjugations. They look amazing and the children are really finding them useful. Some children have even made one for when they are at home, which is a fantastic way of remembering Spanish at home (the link is on the parent portal). Well done Years 3 and 4! Miss May Spanish Teacher
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Music After the amazing success of the Moscow music trip, things in the BISM Music Department have got back to normal, with a focus on exciting lessons and music making. On top of this, during the summer term the Lower school will be working towards their assembly performances and the Upper school will be getting ready for their KS2 production of The Lion King. Whole School Singing During collaboration week, children have been singing `Let´s work together´by Canned Heat where the lyrics talk about collaboration and determination. All classes sang it really loud especially the Foundation Stage, who showed off their dancing and energy to the song in the assembly. Well done to all! Choir Both the Senior and Junior choirs gave wonderful performances for our last day of Spring term singing in the Easter Bonnet Parade. Junior Choir sang their version of `Lean on Me´ by Bill Withers and Senior Choir sang a complex version of `Somebody to love´ by Queen. The choirs have been working extremely hard on their songs which showed through in the performances, and both choirs enjoyed a special party during lunch times as a thank you for all their hard work. Musician of the Term Well done to all the Musicians in the half term from February through to April. All the students demonstrated improvement, good effort and hard work in music lessons and were awarded with a certificate in assembly. Congratulations to Carolina (Pre-Nursery), Josh (Nursery), Alysia (Reception), Sergei (Year 1), Sara (Year 2), Max H (Year 3), Niko (Year 4), Mustie (Year 5) and Julieta AF (Year 5/6). Foundation Stage Children in the Foundation Stage have been working on their percussion skills so far in the Spring Term. Reception children have been working with the handbells and Nursery and Pre-Nursery, creating their own rhythms using percussion such as drums and maracas. We have been working hard with our singing too and well done to Isabella and Paula (Pre-Nursery) and Diana and Eva (Nursery) for achieving the `Super Singer´badge. Lower Primary KS1 children have been exploring new ideas in their music topics this term. Year 1 have been looking at body percussion ahead of their STOMP project, while Year 2 have been looking at stimuli for film music and composing their own scary film piece. Watch this space to hear about all the wonderful compositions they make. Upper Primary Year 3 have been learning about call and response songs, first by learning and practising traditional world music songs and then composing their own. With an international mix of students in the class and in keeping with the world music theme the students will be writing call and response lyrics in a range of languages to then teach back to the other children. With the big KS2 production coming up Year 4 and Year 5 have started practising some of the amazing music for the show. This is not just limited to singing as there are options for playing instruments for this amazing production. Year 5/6 have been working extremely hard for their Battle of the Bands Competition. The class has split into two bands and over several lessons the children have composed, practised and performed their very own songs. There will be a final performance in front of an audience and some judges to decide on the winners of this competition.
SCHOOL NEWSLETTER
Special Event
Inter-house Football Competition
After the Viking’s victory in the inter-house basketball competition, the other houses were keen to exact revenge. Thankfully the forecast rain never appeared and the sun shone down as the teams prepared to take the field. KS1 got the afternoon underway. All of the children participated enthusiastically and many of the games were very close. The Vikings started strong but the teamwork and individual skills of the Normans meant they came out on top with the Saxons coming a close third. KS2 followed their younger counterparts and everything was still to play for. The children vocally supported their team members and followed the fixtures with interest. On display were a number of fantastic individual performances, as well as a palpable sense of team spirit. The crown of House Football Champions 2017 was in the balance right up until the very last game. The Saxons were strong throughout but were challenged all the way by the Normans. They won the KS2 leg of the event and, coupled with their competitive display in the KS1 ties, were crowned overall winners. It was fantastic to see so many of our charter values on display, most notably Teamwork & Leadership. The children, in the following week’s assembly, eagerly anticipated the result to see who would be crowned the champions. Whilst, understandably, many were disappointed they joined together to warmly congratulate the winners. Watch this space for news of the Foundation Stage and Primary Sport’s days!
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Special Event Karate is in their Genes Earlier on this year, we reported how well Julieta is doing in Karate, winning many competitions and is the Regional Champion. It would appear her younger brother Ian (in Reception) is following in her footsteps and also won a recent Karate competition. Well done Ian and Julieta, we are very proud of you.
SCHOOL NEWSLETTER
Special Event Whole-school Hook This month, there were some very strange goings on around school. We came in after the long weekend to find that someone, or something, had been getting up to mischief all around the school! In the reception, there was a huge smiley face made from glitter all over the floor, a tiny princess dress, a random shoe and a key. In the KS1 classrooms, there was glitter, feathers, crumbs and even a small door. Upstairs, we saw computers overturned and strange objects everywhere. What could have happened? The children were called to an emergency assembly to get to the bottom of it. They then went to their classes and took part in different independent tasks. By the end of the day, we had our answer. The whole thing was Professor X, who in her frustration at the postponement of the Science Fair, had attempted a glitter bomb experiment that went very, very wrong! This was all part of a whole-school ‘hook,’ to enthuse the children about their independent writing. We will be testing out more creative ‘hooks’ as the term continues. Miss Armstrong Literacy Subject Leader
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SCHOOL NEWSLETTER
Special Events Collaboration Week This month we spent a week focusing on collaborative
learning.
Throughout
the
week
children worked alongside different children in their year group as well as across the school to develop their teamwork and leadership skills, a key element of the BSF Charter. The week began with an assembly where two teams of children from across the school worked together to pass a hoop around the circle while holding hands. The winning team demonstrated excellent teamwork skills including listening, helping and supporting their team mates. The teachers then led many collaborative learning opportunities to include Year 5/6 creating new Gruffalo characters based on the Nursery children’s ideas, Year 3 organising a ‘Tiger Who Came to Tea’ teaparty with Pre-Nursery, and Year 4 making fact-files and a quiz for Reception. Throughout the week, Mrs. Kirkham visited each Primary class to create a collaborative piece of art. The children had to work in teams of four and use their compromising skills in order to create an effective section for the final piece (which can be seen hanging in the corridor). There was also have an inter-house football competition on Thursday (see separate article for more information).
SCHOOL NEWSLETTER
Special Event A Parcel of Pigs
The children in the Lower School were treated to a special visit this month from author and illustrator, Andrea Prior. Andrea brought along her new book, ‘A Parcel of Pigs,’ and read to us. She also explained how she came up with the ideas for her nonsense poems and talked to us about the process of illustrating a book. Michelle Armstrong Year 1 Class Teacher
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Special Event UPM Trip
Years 2 and 4 went on an incredible journey through virtual reality thanks to our hosts, UPM of Estepona. The pupils (and teachers) were excited to take part in, what was for the majority of us, a completely new experience. Technology is a vital tool for learning and is an important feature of everyone’s everyday lives, and therefore it was an amazing opportunity to experience cutting edge technology. When we arrived at the venue the children were buzzing with excitement and instantly got started with the activities. There was a virtual rollercoaster with different settings to experience, it really did liven up the senses. There were also pods to sit in to tour different places. In another station you could fly in virtual reality! The children were exhausted by the end of the trip but were all in agreement that they had an amazing time in the land of virtual reality. A highly recommended experience if you ever have the chance to do so. Mr. Llion Thomas Year 2 Teacher/Lower Primary Leader
SCHOOL NEWSLETTER
The Importance of Teaching Children Teamwork The ability to work as a team with others isn’t just a skill that children are going to need at school – it’s an essential skill they’ll use for the rest of their life. Just as children are taught other life skills, they need to be taught how to work as a team effectively. Why Does Teamwork Matter? Teamwork requires children to work cooperatively with other children towards a purpose that they share. Every member of a team has to respect each other’s opinions and abilities in order for the team to work effectively. Working as a team is very social, involving the exchanging of actions and ideas and a significant amount of interaction. When children learn to be part of a team, they learn more about interpersonal ways of thinking, improving their ability to communicate with others. Teamwork also helps children feel like a part of a community and can help in all areas of learning. Communication, social, and emotional skills are all strengthened when children learn to work as a team, which can help improve self-esteem and confidence in children.
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Teacher Changes for 2017/18 Please see below the allocation of Teachers for next academic year:
www.bsm.org.es - info@bsm.org.es