ISSUE 1 SCHOOL NEWSLETTER #28
The British International School of Marbella
NEWSLETTER A Newsletter for Parents, Students and Friends of our School
May 2018
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SCHOOL NEWSLETTER
Headteacher’s Message Dear Parents, Guardians and Students,
getting about.
The month of May is busy in any school and ours was no exception. It began, and ended, with a focus on assessment. The first week of the month saw the children completing internal assessments, whilst at the end they sat a number of tests which are externally run. Designed and administered by GL assessments, they allow us to compare the children to thousands of other children (both in the UK and Internationally) and assess their progress and attainment. The results have been used to help determine their end of year levels and more details will be shared with you shortly.
Our teachers are always striving to make the learning in the classroom meaningful. Relevant educational visits help to bring learning to life. During the Year 1 assembly we were also treated to a slideshow of a recent visit of theirs. They seemed to take a great deal from their visit to the Automobile Museum in Malaga this month. The Year 2 & 3 Spanish Native group were also out this month, extending their understanding of a unit of learning on plants. They came back from the AgroJardin centre having taken part in a number of practical activities.
It was a pleasure to see so many of you in school during our final open morning. This term, in the Lower School, parents were invited in to see how non-core subjects were delivered and given the opportunity once again to participate. In the Middle School, parents were able to complete the circuit of having seen how English, Maths and Science is taught throughout the three year groups. Events like these allow us to share with you how we work on a day to day basis and give an insight into your child’s experience at school. We shall continue to provide these opportunities and welcome any suggestions as to how we can broaden the scope. We had two class assemblies this month. First up were Year 3 who got everybody’s Friday morning off to a rocking start with Led Zeppelin inspired Nordic tales. They shared with us the work they have been doing studying the Viking Invasion of Britain as well as what they have learned about their traditions and beliefs. Year 1 delivered an active assembly which showcased the work they have been learning about transport across the ages. We heard about, and saw, many different ways of
In Sports, we had a number of big events this month. The annual swimming gala was divided into three age groups and was very enjoyable. The children gave their all and a lot of new personal bests were recorded. From a personal point of view, having taught swimming last year, it was really nice to see the progress the children have made in the pool over the year. The Foundation Stage also held their annual Sports Day this month. It was very well attended by parents and relatives and was plain for all to see the development they have achieved as well they enjoyment they receive from being active. Finally, as part of our PSHE studies, the celebration of Ramadan was marked this month. The children learnt about how believers conduct themselves and what values are drawn from it, linking them to our very own Charter values here at school. Enjoy this month’s edition. With very best wishes, Brendan Herron Acting Headteacher
SCHOOL NEWSLETTER
Pre-Nursery Starfish Fun
The children in Pre-Nursery have been so immersed in the theme ‘Under the Sea’ that they have actually decided that they are a family of sharks under the sea! So it was no surprise that the unusual activity of Starfish pegging would spark their interest. As part of their Mathematical development, the children have been working hard on counting objects one by one, to understand that you can count a number of objects in a set. To enhance this skill, the children were challenged to add pegs to the starfish (giving it more arms). They found it to be a funny yet challenging activity, as not only did we challenge their counting abilities, they had the added task of having to use their fine motor skills to add the pegs in the first place! Well done Pre-Nursery, you really are super ‘stars’! Mrs Rutherford Pre-Nursery Teacher
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Nursery Collaboration The Nursery children took a key role in helping Year 5 children with their customer research regarding a product they are designing which is aimed at early years children. The children were interviewed about their colour preference, animal preferences, whether they preferred soft, plastic or electronic toys, to name just a few of their questions. They also asked the children about their number knowledge and phonetic awareness. Nursery Class were very excited by the prospect of being interviewed by the older children and were fantastic at answering their questions, giving careful answers which had clearly been thought through. It was great to see some of our youngest learners collaborate with some of the oldest learners in the school. There was a great sense of togetherness and Nursery Class can´t wait to see how their opinions are put into the designs for a new and exciting educational game! Miss Nixon Nursery Teacher
SCHOOL NEWSLETTER
Reception Watermelon Squish The children of Reception love counting and know the benefits of placing any objects to be counted in straight lines. In May the children were given slices of watermelon in which they had to count the seeds. The children noticed it was really hard to count the seeds accurately as some were hidden in the fruit and those that could be seen were not arranged in a orderly fashion but in the words of Misha, “jumbled up�. There was also the challenge of counting the seeds on both sides of the slices! All in all quite a difficult task but one at which the children shined as normal before they got to enjoy their yummy, juicy watermelon! Delightfully refreshing as the weather hots up! Mr Holden Reception Teacher
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Year 1 Year One Trip To The Museum
Transport Assembly
This month Year One went on a trip to the
This term Year 1 have been learning all about
Automobile and Fashion museum in Malaga. We
different types of transport, old and new. The
had a great time looking at huge collection of cars
children decided that ´we’ve been working so hard
in the museum, and no matter how many times the
in Year One that we deserve to go on holiday!’.....
Year 1’s asked out fantastic guide, we were told it
and what better way than to have an imaginary
was all owned by a Portuguese man who prefers
race to England using different types of transport.
to keep his name anonymous! The children all chose their desired transport for The range of cars there is quite spectacular and the
travelling, ranging from Hot Air Balloons to cycling
children enjoyed seeing how cars have changed
the 2112 km from Marbella to London.
over time. They each picked their favourite in the museum and wrote about it class when we
Each group spoke about how their type of transport
returned.
has changed over time and which they prefered.
Miss Lawerence
Miss Lawrence
Year One Teacher
Year One Teacher
SCHOOL NEWSLETTER
Year 2
Learning By Chocolate The Year Two Literacy lessons have been centered around chocolate this month, but don’t worry there’s been plenty of learning happening! We have been learning about explanation texts and it’s features this month but to make it more interesting we have used what most people hold dear in their heart (chocolate!) as an interesting topic. Whilst modelling the text we have been reading an interesting interactive book called Growing Chocolate. The children have learnt lots of facts and information from how, who and where the cacao seeds are collected, to making chocolate sculptures. You can see the excitement in their writing as they included lots of detail in their work and setting out their work in the manner of an explanation text. I must say that I am really impressed with the progress of the class this term in terms of their writing, they are producing work of very good quality. Lets see this amazing effort continue into the final month of the Summer Term, well done, Year Two! Mr Thomas
Year Two Teacher
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Year 3
Victoruois Vikings
BFG
Year Three gave an amazing performance in their Viking assembly! They burst onto the stage with their own rendition of the rock classic ‘Immigrant Song’ by Led Zepplin. A special mention to the lead guitarist David who had been practising the tricky chords during his IMPs lessons.
This month Year Three have been reading the BFG (Big Friendly Giant) during their Literacy lessons. They read the tense chapter ‘Bloodbottler’ where an enormous, aggressive and very frightening giant is on the lookout for his dinner… Sophie!
Year Three then went on to tell a story involving the God Thor facing challenges set by his enemies ‘The Giants.’ The challenges included picking up a cute kitten, which the mighty Thor couldn’t do, and have a wrestling match with a giant’s granny, again he was defeated!
The children read the chapter carefully and then began to mind map the character’s feelings. They created freeze frames to sequence the important events of the chapter which they then used to help them retell the chapter in their own words. They children concentrated particularly on their use of descriptive language and their writing was a joy to read. Well done Year Three.
The children were both confident and funny in their performances and they should all feel very proud. Well done Year Three! Miss Allen Year Three Teacher
Miss Allen Year Three Teacher
SCHOOL NEWSLETTER
Year 4 European Art
This month, as part of our topic about Modern Europe, Year 4 have been learning about different European artists and their different styles of art and techniques. We began by looking at an artist closer to home; Joan Miró a Spanish artist from Barcelona. Miró is famous for his paintings, sculptures, murals and ceramics. Miró liked art created by children and so this was often his style. Year 4 ‘took a line for a walk’, creating interesting shapes on the paper, which they then filled in with colour and details to create a picture. Then we moved onto studying the art work of Paul Klee, a Swiss artist famous for his paintings, drawings, watercolours and prints, which all used different shapes and colours to create an effect. The class experimented with creating different shades of colours using watercolour paints and then created their own piece of art in his style. Recently we have looked at some of Van Gogh’s self portraits and attempted to create our own self portraits in his style using big, bold brush strokes and different colours. Next month, we will move onto looking at the techniques of other famous European artists, including Matisse and Kandinsky. Miss Marseglia Year Four Teacher
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Year 5
What We Really Think About Math! During our revision unit, we discussed as a class why it is necessary to learn about numbers and shapes and measurements and all the other parts that form our understanding of numeracy. We also discussed what exactly it is that we enjoy about maths and the things we would like to do more of. The children were presented with a couple of questions that would give us more information on our thoughts about Maths. So why do we learn Maths at school? Well the answers are quite simple. “We have to learn Maths so I can go to the shop to buy toys.” “I use Maths everywhere. When I wake up I look at the time, and that is Maths!” “When there is a championship (football) I use maths to work out player statistics.” “So in the future, if someone asks me a maths question, I will know the answer.” What about Maths do we like? “I like to be challenged with the difficult questions.” “I like to do the Friday tests because I know what I need to work on. I also do very well in them.” “I liked it when we learned how to write numbers in Roman Numerals.” “I like to use protractors the most because I like measuring angles a lot!” What do we think of Mangahigh (Online Maths resource) “I love Mangahigh and it works really good, it is helping me and it is fun.” “I like it a lot because I play Mangahigh at home and it helps me learn.” “I like it when you can work in partners in some games.” “Mangahigh makes me think quicker.” The last question we talked about is what they would like to do more of in Maths. There were a range of different answers. From doing more concrete work for example measuring, to algebra, calculations and problem solving, to doing very hard and challenging questions. But one answer has just summed it up. What would you like to do more of in Maths? Answer: “I would like to do more Maths.” Well said! Mr Kuhn Maths Teacher
SCHOOL NEWSLETTER
Year 6
Physical Theatre Year 6 learnt a new dimension to drama this month as they explored the possibilities of conveying meaning and feeling through physical theatre. Physical theatre is drama with an emphasis on whole body movement and expression with minimal dialogue to portray a scene. Using our text ‘A midsummer Night’s Dream’, they focused on the setting of the forest in the play. We began by analysing the play’s language to see how it describes the difference between night and day. We discussed emotions the night brings: fear, worry and danger and contrasted it with the beautiful and peaceful imagery used to picture Queen Titania’s sleepy hollow. The children worked in groups to choose either night, day or a transition between the two. Keeping dialogue to an absolute minimum, the children used body movement and facial expressions in a continuous motion to portray the atmosphere of the forest. The performances were brilliant with one group even adding a musical lullaby to enhance the scene. Well done Year 6! Mr Anthony Year Six Tutor
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Year 7
World Class geographers
This month Y7 have been preparing for the upcoming World Cup and putting their geography skills to the test. The children have been busy researching countries competing in the World Cup and finding out about the human and physical features of the nations. They employed their map and computer skills to complete their factfiles. This follows on from our unit of learning on Farming, in which the children compared the UK and Spain in terms of their climates and the food they produce. We also learnt about how farming has changed over time and the effect this has had on land use. Y7 demonstrated their ability to handle and present data too, working with large numbers across a number of units of measurement. Good luck to everyone’s respective teams! Mr Herron Middle School Humanities
SCHOOL NEWSLETTER
Spanish
Trip To Agrojardin On Monday 28th May Year 2 and Year 3 went on a trip to AgroJardin. The trip was part of our Spanish project Las Plantas/Cuidamos de nuestro planeta. It was a very busy trip. We saw many different animals such as turtles, hamsters, snakes, stick insects,etc. There were such a fascinating range of pets! After seeing the animals we went to the “vivero�(green house). It was like a jungle, full of flowers and numerous different types of plants. We learnt many interesting facts about plants and planted our very own pepper plant, which we took home. After such an eventful morning we were compensated with a full healthy breakfast in the exotic cafeteria of AgroJardin. The trip proved to be a productive morning full of hands-on learning activities. Kind regards, The Spanish Team
Music In the music department Ms Conlan and myself really value the importance of listening. Quite often music is something we hear in the background. We are very focused on learning how to perform and create music here at school. However it is just as important to just stop and listen. From the youngest children to the oldest we listen to lots of different styles of music and through class discussion we answer the following questions: How does the music make us feel? Why? Do we like the music? Why? What instruments can we hear? Have we heard anything like it before? We try to describe the music with musical vocabulary and we understand that music is objective and people may have differing feelings. We are not just here to learn how to make music but also to learn how to appreciate. Miss Conlan Lower School Music Teacher Miss Stone Middle School Music Teacher
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PSHE
Ramadan This month’s charter value is awareness and what better way to show an understanding of that value than learning about the Muslim holy month of Ramadan. Ramadan focuses on fasting to show gratitude, self-control and compassion for those less fortunate. In school, as well as learning about the customs of the tradition, the students were asked to think about their own behaviour towards others. To support this, every class was given a kindness jar to fill with nominations of their peers who had shown kindness to them or to others. Linking their learning to real situations made was a huge success, with many students and their teachers asking to keep the kindness jars in their class. As well as this whole school approach to learning, work was linked to Ramadan across the year groups. In Lower School Art Club, the children made some fantastic Ramadan ornaments, using a moon and stars to represent the celebration of togetherness and eating, when the sun goes down. In the Foundation Stage, the children celebrated the end of their learning with a feast similar to Eid al-Fitr to show how the Muslim people ended their fast together as one big celebration. Once again, our wonderful catering team provided a Ramadan themed lunch menu complete with tabbouleh and couscous. We hope that by teaching and learning about a range of celebrations and traditions from around the world, as well as linking the key elements to their own behaviours, we can create a culture of kindness and tolerance towards others throughout our student’s lives. Mrs Rutherford PSHE Coordinator
SCHOOL NEWSLETTER
Special Event
Foundation Stage Trip To The Sealife Centre
There was something fishy going on at BISM this month and its wasn’t what we were eating for lunch! It was the FS trip to the Sea Life Centre. On Monday 28th May, the whole of FS travelled to Benalmadena by bus to visit all of the under the sea creatures which they had been learning about as part of their under the sea topic. They were met by a lovely lady who was the guide for the trip. She told the children many fascinating facts about sharks, starfish, seahorses and much more! -Did you know that a starfish can grow a new arm if it loses one? -Did you know that a seahorse eats sea monkeys? It was lovely to see the children so visibly excited by what they could see. They asked questions such as “How does a starfish eat?” and “Can they sting you?” showing that the children were keen to find out as much as they could. The highlight of the trip was definitely the under the sea tunnel where the children got to watch huge sharks and a giant sea turtle swim above their heads. It was a fantastic morning for all of the children, who are now experts on all things that live under the sea! Mrs Rutherford Pre-Nursery Teacher
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SCHOOL NEWSLETTER
Special Event
BISM Foundation Stage Sports Day The Foundation Stage showed off their sporting prowess in their Sports Day on the 22nd May. It was lovely for them to showcase the skills they have been working on in their sports lessons to their parents and I am sure they will agree that they are a very talented bunch! Firstly, they rotated around six activities as diverse as the egg and spoon race and a water relay. They end result being they could pour any remaining water on the teachers! The teachers were great sports with this! Then they took part in sprint races. I was very impressed with their speed and coordination, not a bump in sight! Then came the parents chance to shine. The children had a dress their parent race where they got the chance to dress up their parent or teacher in aprons, capes and wigs. A huge thank you to the parents for getting into the spirit of things, especially the Dads who were in necklaces, aprons and wigs! The most important part was that the children had a great time! Now I just can’t wait for next year´s! Well done Foundation Stage! Miss Bruce PE Teacher
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Special Event
BISM Swimming Gala 2018 It is safe to say that the swimming gala went swimmingly! Year 1 and 2 were the first to kick it off with fantastic swimming performances. At the end of their gala the houses were neck and neck. The middle school came next, with gusto. The butterfly races were extremely close and made for nail biting viewing. It is amazing to see how much the children have progressed this year. Finally, Year 3 and 4 finished the galas in style with some close races and fast times. The children have worked so hard in their swimming lessons and it was fantastic to see their hard work pay off. Some of the children knocked huge amounts off their personal best times, which was great to see. And for the moment you have all been waiting for, the winners . . . . . Whether it is down to their intricate and archaic understanding of water systems or not, we are not sure, but the Romans swam into the lead on this one! Well done, everyone! Miss Bruce PE Teacher
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E-Safety
Online Gaming Many of you will be familiar, or will have heard of the latest online game ‘Fortnite’, currently taking the world by storm and proving to be very popular. With this is mind, we thought it best to discuss online gaming this month. Fortnite (also known as Fortnite: Save the World) is a co-op sandbox survival game developed by Epic Games and People Can Fly and published by Epic Games. The game was released as a paid-for early access title for Microsoft Windows, macOS, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One on July 25, 2017, with a full free-to-play release expected this year. This is what Gooseberry Planet have to say on the matter:
Gooseberry parent ‘Tips’ of the week It can be difficult to manage and understand your child’s life online, including the types of online games they are playing. Amongst other things, the most popular games often contain inappropriate content, have features that tempt players to keep on playing or that allow players to communicate and connect freely with anyone who might be playing at that time. As a parent, you have a responsibility to manage and monitor your child’s online gaming and promote a healthy balance between time online and offline. Online games should be fun and can be a great way for you and your child to interact with each other and trusted friends, but they must be played safely.
Some important things to ask yourself....... What online games is my child playing? Who are they playing the games with? When and where are the games being played and for how long? Is playing online interfering with daily life? Am I happy for my child to be playing the games?
SCHOOL NEWSLETTER
Our top tips for making informed and safer decisions with your child when online gaming: Ensure that your child plays games that are appropriate for them. Using age guidelines can be helpful when making your decision. If the game requires an Online profile, check what personal information is required and how this is shared. When creating a gaming profile, create usernames and avatars to help protect your child’s identity online. Manage or consider disabling in-game chat; unplug headphones or microphones. Take time, with your child, to secure and manage privacy settings within the game or on the device. Take time to read the reviews and play the games for yourself to see what they are about.
In the news......In the news......In the news......In the news......In the news....... • App alert: Fortnite - Battle Royale (PEGI Rating 12, App Store 12+) • Fortnite? an interactive, multiplayer military themed, online games where players go PvP (player vs player) to battle and compete against each other for ultimate survival and victory. • It is no surprise that this ‘free’ downloadable, onine, ‘survival of the fittest’ adventure game is the current favourite amongst younger gamers. It is available for all popular consoles and mobile devices and if your child is not playing it, then their friends probably are. • Problems are emerging with inappropriate in-game chat and content, costly in app purchases, wellbeing issues and its addictive game play. These are common concerns for many online games. • Stay alert for our helpful advice, including tips for safer game play.
Want to know more? Visit us at www.gooseberryplanet.com Email us at help@gooseberryplanet.com If you have any queries or concerns, please do raise them with your child’s class teacher or myself. Best regards, Mr Herron Acting Headteacher
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Picture News
Do We Still Need Toy Shops? What’s going on in the news this month? Following on from our topical suggestions for discussion at home, this month a report from the UK highlights the problem of loneliness. Please see the picture prompt below as a starting point for discussion.
It was announced earlier in the year that the well-known toy chain Toys R Us was to go into addminstration , with 100% UK stores being closed down. Lat week the US head office of the chain closed its doors for the final time. With fans of Toys R Us expressing thier sadness after it announced ‘everything must go’ from its US Headquaters - including a life-sized stateu of mscot Geoffrey the Giraffe. I, personally, have fond memories of being taken here as a child and as far as I know the branch in Malaga is still open for business. Some possible thoughts for discussion are below, please encourage your child to share their thoughts with their class teacher. Things to talk about at home.... • Do you like going to toy shops? With modern technology, do you think there is still a place for toy shops? • Does anyone you live with remember Toys R Us? Why do you think it has needed to close in modren times? • Do you think toy shops in the past were more popluar or less popluar than today, why? Best regards, Mr Herron Acting Headteacher
EARLY YEARS
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PRIMARY
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SECONDARY
+34 952 779 264
www.bsm.org.es - info@bsm.org.es