ISSUE 1 SCHOOL NEWSLETTER #15
The British International School of Marbella
NEWSLETTER A Newsletter for Parents, Students and Friends of our School
January 2017
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SCHOOL NEWSLETTER
Headteacher’s Message Dear Parents & Students, It’s been an excellent start to 2017 at BISM. The children have dived into their new curriculum topics with enthusiasm and diligence. I have already seen some excellent work displayed around the school showcasing what the students are learning from Pre-Nursery to Year 6. The individual class Wow Days clearly worked their magic but who wouldn’t be enthused after a visit from an alien, hiding out in an air raid shelter or riding around the school playground on a variety of vehicles? Class teachers are busy organising an outdoor excursion to support the learning taking place in the classroom as well as to keep the momentum going. Their enthusiasm has not only been contained to their school work but also their homework. I have seen many children proudly bringing in their completed projects. Congratulations to Oliver in Year 6 and Jack in Year 4 who both received a Headteacher’s Award for their excellent work. During assemblies this month we have been discussing where we can find information and answers to our questions. We discussed the importance of questioning our information sources as we agreed all information sources are rarely 100% reliable all the time (even from teachers and parents) and that we should always consider that there are at least two sides to every story as well differing opinions. I then told the children that I have come to the realisation that the older I get the less I know. After some initial concerns from them that I may be suffering from dementia or the onset of old age, I think they understood that there is so much out there for us to learn and so many questions to ask so keep questioning.
On the subject of questioning, many of your questions regarding the new campus will be answered next month on Saturday 18 February. We are looking forward to sharing information, plans and photos of our fantastic new school. We are very excited about this new, long awaited phase in BISM’s development. We are introducing a new monthly feature called ‘Talking Points’ to the newsletter. This month we will be looking at the importance of being punctual and attending school regularly. With very best wishes, Ms. Kirkham Headteacher
SCHOOL NEWSLETTER
Pre-Nursery
Are Skittles Magic? As part of our colour learning in Pre-Nursery, the children became scientists and observed the effects of water on a circle of Skittles. After discussing the shape and colours of the Skittles, the children watched with amazement as the colours seeped into the water to form what looked like a rainbow. They were able to use their imagination to comment, saying things such as “a big rainbow!” and “it’s the sun!”. It was wonderful to see the children so focussed and using their increasing language skills to comment on what they could see. Who knows what wonderful experiments we will do next. Mrs Rutherford Pre-Nursery Teacher
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Nursery Up, Up and Away! In Nursery class we have learning about transport. The children were particularly interested in air transportation. Once the children had expressed their interest in hot air balloons, one appeared in the classroom! It has been wonderful to see the children engaging in imaginative role play. They made up many different roles when playing with the hot air balloon. The ticket master asked the children where they wanted to go, took the money and stamped the ticket. The customers, told the ticket master where they wanted to go and what they wanted to see. Then it was time for the big launch! We waved the children off and wished them a safe trip. On their return, all the children shared what they had seen and their experience of being in a hot air balloon. Lots of new language has been developed and consolidated, and turn-taking and sharing has been practised. Well done Nursery for learning to play alongside each other and for using your imaginations. I wonder where they will travel next? Miss Nixon Nursery Teacher
SCHOOL NEWSLETTER
Reception Stop, Think, Look and Listen! We have loved getting stuck into the new topic of “Transport” this January. We began with a unit of learning on ‘Road Safety’ and its importance. The children engaged in a variety of tasks designed to challenge their understanding of the importance of road safety. They sorted images into good and bad examples of attempts to cross the road. They practised crossing a road in the playground, on which their friends were zooming up and down on some of the school´s balance bikes. The children also learnt about the need to “Be Bright” and ”Be Seen” when on foot or on bicycles, and created a character ready for the cold and dark weather of winter in the early and late hours of the day. Incredible informative posters were created to showcase some of the children´s learning on Road Safety before they took their final challenge of the week; which was crossing roads outside the school safely. They all passed with flying colours! Mr Holden Reception Teacher
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Year 1
Terrific Traditional Tales This month in Literacy, Year 1 have been looking at Traditional Tales. First we read the story of ‘Little Red Riding Hood,’ which we then retold by making our very own puppet shows. Children from Nursery came to watch and were enthralled by our amazing storytelling. Then we thought about other traditional tales, focussing on the settings and characters. Finally we created our own characters, described them and in big writing, wrote our very own stories. Well done, Year 1! Miss Armstrong Year 1 Teacher
SCHOOL NEWSLETTER
Year 1 - Wow Day
Dragons, Giants and a Tea Party This month, to kick-start the first half of our new topic in Year 1, UK and Spain, we held a Wow Day celebrating everything from the UK. We learned that the UK is made up of four countries and then took part in activities from each country. First, we looked at Wales and found out that the people there speak Welsh. Miss Portelli then taught us to sing the colours of the rainbow in Welsh. Next up was Northern Ireland, where we found out about the Legend of Finn McCool and the Giant’s Causeway. We then travelled to Scotland and practised the Highland Fling. After all of our hard work, we went to England and baked scones before holding our very own afternoon tea party. The children had a fantastic day and are looking forward to finding out more about the UK. Miss Armstrong Year 1 Teacher
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Year 2
Aspiring Astronauts in Year 2 During the month of January, Year 2 have begun learning about our new topic, Space. The children were enthralled by the exciting prospect of other planets in our Solar System. They even enjoyed listening and singing Solar System songs packed full of information. During our Literacy lessons, they chose a planet to research and wrote an information page about it. They were so curious about all of the planets in our Solar System and enjoyed learning lots from each other. In our Art lessons, the children created their own rockets, used chalk to depict galaxies far far away and even designed their own aliens. They are such a creative bunch! The Wow Day was such a great hit and provided the spark for the children to learn more about space. I am sure during this term the class will be providing you with lots of information about the planets and space that they have learnt in class! What a great start to the New Year! Mr Llion Thomas Year 2 Teacher / Lower Primary Leader
SCHOOL NEWSLETTER
Year 2 - Wow Day Space Wow Day Year 2 had their Wow Day during the first couple of weeks in January to kick off the new term and inspire possible new astronauts. The day began with a mysterious visitor who made a big mess in the class turning our tables and chairs upside down. Suddenly a message appeared on the Interactive Whiteboard with a series of instructions from our visitor from Outer Space! Snazzle was the name of our resident Alien and he had instructed the class to find information cards around the school about the planets in our Solar System. He had a strange code language that the children needed to crack to understand in our Numeracy lessons. The code had a message that instructed them what to do for the afternoon. Snazzle wanted some planet designed cupcakes and he was duly rewarded with some tasty cakes! It was such a wonderful day that the children experienced and I’m sure they will remember it for a long time. Their enthusiasm to learning was impressive and in addition a lot of fun was had. Mr Llion Thomas Year 2 Teacher / Lower Primary Leader
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Year 3 - Trip
Trip to the Bio Park As Year 3 arrived at the Bio Park, a shiver of excitement soared through the coach. The Bio Park’s guide greeted the children, kindly handing out umbrellas to save them from the rain and unperturbed, the children began exploring the park. Luckily, the rain didn’t send the animals into hiding and the children managed to see a range of animals. They saw noisy flamingos, majestic gorillas and magnificent tigers. They had the opportunity to walk through the lemur enclosure and get really close to the cheeky monkeys. After lunch, the children were given a show where the zookeepers brought around animals for the children to see. The brave few also managing to stroke a rather shy skunk! Even though it was raining and cold, the children had a fabulous time. Their behavior was excellent and they did a great job of representing BISM. Well done, Year 3! Miss Allen, Year 3 Teacher
SCHOOL NEWSLETTER
Year 3 - Wow Day
Egyptian Wow Day! Year 3 had an eventful day full of Ancient Egyptian learning. The class started the day, as any good day should start, dancing! The children followed the moves to the classic song, ‘Walk Like an Egyptian’ and the routine was very impressive. Next, the children then investigated Ancient Egyptian writing - Hieroglyphics. The class had a go at writing their names and then moved on to creating secret messages for their friends to crack. All the deciphering of hieroglyphs made the children rather hungry, so they began cooking some traditional pitta bread. They worked beautifully in their groups to create and knead the dough, ready to be baked. The proof is in the eating and there were empty plates all round. In the afternoon, the children created some eye-catching artwork, transforming their photographs into Egyptian Gods and Goddesses. To ‘wrap up’ the day, the children played a mummification game, trying to produce the best-looking mummy in the shortest amount of time. The results varied but each attempt provided lots of entertainment. What a great day! Miss Allen Year 3 Teacher
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Year 4 - Curriculum
Challenge On!
Year 4´s new chilli challenge area has been a huge success. Every week a new mild, spicy, hot and ghost chilli challenge are displayed on the board for the children to have a go at solving. Every Friday, the children´s solutions are marked and the successful applicants are rewarded and their names are displayed on a certificate. Mr Kirkpatrick, Miss Condliffe and myself have been really impressed by the children´s enthusiasm for the challenges and their willingness to challenge themselves with the hottest chilli possible. Keep up the hard work, Year 4! Miss Varty Year 4 Teacher
SCHOOL NEWSLETTER
Year 4 - Wow Day
Mighty Mountains
Year 4 had a jam packed Wow Day to begin their journey to the peak of their mountain knowledge. The morning began with a fact finding stand up, hand up, pair up. The children were given a secret mountain to remember and then went around the room looking at different fact sheets about mountains. The task was to secretly note down two facts about their mountain - without the other children noticing which mountain was theirs. They then moved around the room and paired up to tell each other their facts. If they guessed their partner’s mountain correctly they got a star. Jean was awarded the most stars and won the first task. The second activity was mountain vocabulary taboo. The children were split into three groups and had several words face down on the table. They then took it in turns to pick a word and describe it to the rest of the group WITHOUT saying the actual word. The next activity was a scrap heap challenge. The children worked in three teams and were given the task of creating the Himalayas out of recycling. The task started with a quiz round and the winning team had first pick from the ‘scrap heap.’ The children were both inventive and creative in their ideas for making their mountains. They broke up polystyrene for snow and even made Everest base camp at the bottom on their mountains. The mountains were then judged on their originality and on the teamwork of the group. We ended the day with a fun mountains quiz to see how much they remembered from their activities and we were impressed with their new found knowledge. Great work, Year 4! Miss Varty Year 4 Teacher
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Year 5
World War 2
This term we have begun our new topic of World War 2 and the children are captivated learning about this very important era in history.
Year 5’s trip and ‘Wow’ day
We had an earth shattering start to the topic as we returned from lunch to be met at the door by our teachers who quickly ushered us into our classroom, which had become an Anderson shelter (air raid shelter). As the air raid siren rang in our ears, our teachers bustled us into the safety of the shelter and gave us biscuits by candlelight to help us with the shock. While in the shelter we were informed about what had been happening around the world. It was 1940, German planes were flying overhead and the siren was warning us that they might be planning on dropping bombs. We were told how the war had been going on between Germany and The Allies for six months. Not many people had taken the war very seriously up until now. It had even been called the ‘Phoney War’ because it didn’t seem real – until the German army marched into Belgium and the Netherlands. Now, everything had changed. We quietly listened to the Prime Minister, Winston Churchill, while he gave his rousing ´Finest Hour´ speech huddled together in the shelter and thought of the difficult times that were to come. Year 5 Teacher / 5 TA Mrs Williams / Miss Flanagan
Year 5 and 6 have taken an almighty step back in time. The Stone Age to the Iron Age is the focus of our historical studies this term. After being introduced to the topic by studying the timeline of events from the early Paleolithic period to the latter stages of the Iron Age, the children were introduced to the discovery of ancient cave art in France. The children knew that early humans lived in caves, but had no idea that they would be challenged with building their own caves when they entered the classroom that Friday morning.
Armed with only newspaper, sellotape/duct tape, scissors and cardboard, the children were split into two tribes and instructed to build a cave to dwell in. After a quick introduction into how to build a Geodesic Dome (a structure made of a series of interlocking triangles) the children got to work. This was a test of many qualities including teamwork, leadership and self-discipline, all of which are part of the BSF’s Charter. The children had mixed success when it came to building a freestanding cave, but they learnt a lot from the experience which bodes well for further learning and personal development. Mr Anthony Year 5 and 6 Teacher Ms Worsfold Year 5 and 6 TA
SCHOOL NEWSLETTER
Year 5/6 Reversible and Irreversible Changes Year 5 and 6 have been discovering how important good scientific questions are if an investigation is to be a success. The terms reliability, systematic, measurement, controls and variables were all taught and consolidated as the children delved into solving answers to questions. This tested their understanding of solutes and the chemical changes they undertake when heated. The children carefully planned each stage of their investigations making sure that the finer details, which they now know are so important in scientific methods, did not get left out. Each solute was measured, time was recorded and observations drawn or written down. Conclusion time tested their predictions and offered the children a chance to build upon their ability to pose good scientific questions. After analysing their results, the children used their data to think of a closely related question which would stretch their understanding of chemistry further. Well done, Year 5 and 6, you’re making great progress! Year 5 and 6 Teacher, Mr Anthony Year 5 and 6 TA. Ms Worsfold
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Spanish
Out and About in Marbella Town!
In Spanish class, Year 1 and 2 have been learning about places in town and our local area. Miss May’s class have made their own maps and learned the names of different shops. They even role played shopping, learned how to identify different Euro coins and stuck play paper money next to what we bought! I was very impressed by how much vocabulary the children learned. It would be great if they could show you the names for different places and food items when they are out and about. Miss Escribano’s class went on an excursion to identify the different places in town they had learned about. They used their map skills to find places and also read street names and the numbers on buildings. The children practised crossing roads safely and had a great time exploring the local area. A special thanks to the parents who helped out on the trip. Miss May Spanish Teacher
SCHOOL NEWSLETTER
Music Music Newsletter - January 2017 It´s been a great start to the New Year in the Music department and lots of new musical learning has been happening including whole school songs, super singers in the Foundation Stage and preparation for the Talent Show in February. Foundation Stage There has been a lot of hard work going on in the Foundation Stage where each class has been dividing their time between singing and playing the percussion instruments. Pre-Nursery and Nursery have been focusing on rhythm and pulse whilst Reception have been playing games and exploring pitch in their lessons. Key Stage One We have been exploring Music linked to their topic in the Music curriculum lessons with Year 2 children looking at Holst’s planet suite and Year 1 children exploring English Music as well as learning to read notation using the Pentatonic scale. Key Stage Two Year 5 and 6 have been developing their improvisation skills through a variety of musical genres and Year 4 have been composing their own drum beats and performing their own raps over the top. Year 3 have started developing their keyboard skills through performance and composition using a pentatonic scale. In PIPs lessons children have been combining their guitar or ukulele skills with learning the Ooompa Loompa Song, with all classes being able to sing the sing and play an instrument at the same time. Whole School Singing All students have been learning the BISM song in assembly during January and it will have its debut performance at the Talent Show. We have also been celebrating Book Week in Music by learning the `Oompa Loompa Song´ from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. It has been rehearsed and performed in assembly and we have even had some soloists. Well done to all soloists who have taken part in assembly. Primary Extracurricular Clubs in Music We have began our extra-curricular Music clubs this term which have been a great success. The musical theatre group in Key Stage Two has started well and they are beginning to learn numbers from `The School of Rock´. Lower Primary clubs have started their very own rock band with guitars, vocalists, keyboards and drums all involved. Children are going to vote on a name soon and hopefully we´ll see a performance or two by the band in the near future.
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FS - Wow Day
Making Tracks
On Monday 16 January, the Foundation Stage held a transport themed Wow Day; and what a Wow Day it was! The school was taken over by bikes, scooters and roller skates as the children practised riding on a specially made track. They tried hard to ride in one direction, to follow traffic light instructions and to stop for the zebra crossing. Mr Holden kindly brought in his car and took the children out to explore it in pairs. They had the chance to find out what all of the controls do and even got to beep the horn! As well as a real car, Mrs Rutherford brought in her scooter and helmets for the children to try. They got to wear the helmet and sit on the scooter pretending to go to a range of interesting places including the moon. Back in class, the children played with train tracks, designed their own vehicles and created transport pictures to take home. It really was a busy and exciting day for all. Mr Holden, Miss Nixon & Mrs Rutherford The FS Team
SCHOOL NEWSLETTER
Special Event
Stagecoach
We are pleased (and proud) to inform you that the prestigious expressive arts school, Stagecoach, now hold their classes here at BISM every Saturday afternoon. Stagecoach Theatre Arts Ltd is a professional part-time theatre arts school, operating in locations around the world, with over 600 schools in the United Kingdom alone. Training is offered in singing, dancing and acting. Stagecoach operates one of the largest networks in the world with 40,000 students in the UK and Ireland and 10 other countries worldwide. In addition there are offshoots such as annual performance opportunities at Disneyland Paris, performances at Her Majesty’s Theatre in London, Regional Choirs and Dance Troupes. For further information, please visit their website: https://www.stagecoach.es/
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January Talking Point
Puntuality & Attendance January Talking Point Attendance and Punctuality
In recent years, much research has been carried out on the effect that poor attendance and punctuality can have on children’s progress at school and how well they achieve in later life. Attendance Regular attendance at school is crucial in raising standards of education and in ensuring every child can meet their full potential. Missing out on lessons leaves children vulnerable to falling behind. Children with poor attendance tend to achieve less in both primary and secondary school. For example, 90% attendance might sound good, but what it really means is: the child is absent from lessons for the equivalent of one and a half day every week; in one year, four weeks of lessons are missed. There is clear of pupils who of pupils who maths; of pupils who
evidence of a link between poor attendance at school and low levels of achievement: miss more than 50% of school, only 3% manage to achieve five A* to Cs, including English and maths. miss between 10% and 20% of school, only 35% manage to achieve five A* to C GCSEs, including English and miss less than 5% of school, 73% achieve five A* to Cs, including English and maths.
If a child continues to attend for only 90% of the time over five years, he or she will miss half of a school year. Children who do not attend regularly, often have the following problems: they are unable to make the progress they should they can fail to develop important social skills and friendships they can develop a negative attitude towards school and poor attendance patterns. This will affect attendance at future schools (e.g. secondary school and sixth form). Punctuality We all run late sometimes. For your child, arriving late to school occasionally won’t cause major disruption. But continuous lateness eventually takes its toll on a child’s overall educational experience. Disrupted Routines One of the most important aspects of school is that it is organised, scheduled and predictable. Students depend on the structure of the day. They know where they have to be and when. They know the main purpose for being in school is to learn and that routines are in place precisely to help them focus on that learning. When students are repeatedly tardy, these routines are disrupted. Children who are often late have trouble settling in and mastering routines. Tardiness can throw off their whole morning or even their day, especially if the late commute to school was stressful. Social Criticism The social experience has a powerful impact on a child’s feelings about school and his ability to be academically successful. When a child continuously shows up late to class, other students are distracted. Attention is drawn away from the teacher and toward the child who has just arrived resulting in the child feeling embarrassed. Over time this can affect affect how children feel about themselves in school. Low Achievement ‘Perform Well’, a nonprofit policy research and educational organisation, reports that frequent tardiness is associated with lower grades and lower scores on standardised tests. It is also linked to low graduation rates. In addition, students who are routinely late at the primary and middle school years are more likely to fail in high school - or even drop out. The morning routines are critical to daily lessons. Warm-up activities introduce topics that will be learned later in the day or review work offers students an opportunity to review previously learned skills. Responsibility Part of your child’s education is learning to be responsible. The school experience teaches children how to meet expectations. They learn to follow schedules, obey rules, complete assignments and keep track of their materials. Learning responsibility in school is a precursor to functioning in the working world, as noted by William Kirby in his 2010 Dayton Daily News article “School Attendance Tied to Academic Success.” Attendance is one of the ways children show they can meet their obligations. In many cases, a child’s attendance depends on his parents’ ability to help him/her be on time. Parents can teach their children organisational techniques that will help them get out of the house faster, such as packing their bags and laying out their clothes the night before school. But parents who drive their children must also remember to be punctual and responsible. After all, you are the primary role model.
SCHOOL NEWSLETTER
Homework Projects The quality of the Homework Projects I’ve seen brought in this month has been very impressive. it is clear that the children that have completed them have been motivated and enthused, however not as many children as I would have hoped completed them. Although the projects are optional, it is important that the children are encouraged to read through the projects and decide on at least one to try. Educating children to be active citizens in a democracy means that they must become effective decision makers, both in the big things and in the little things. From the word go, we need to empower young children to make choices and to reflect on these choices. We require not just that they possess skills, but that they know when, where and how to use these skills. The projects offer the perfect platform for children to try out new skills, take risks and make decisions in a safe context. But it doesn’t end there. It is essential that children develop empathy, that they can imagine themselves into the situation of others and that they can express their own feelings and listen as others struggle to do the same. Making sense of their own and others’ experiences is not an added extra; it is the stuff and substance of what holds a liberal society together. These projects offer the children the opportunity to do so much more than simply complete a task. It offers the means to use and apply a variety of life skills. I look forward to seeing more projects completed next month.
Ms. Kirkham Headteacher
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