NEWSLETTER OCTOBER 2021
MESSAGE FROM THE SENIOR LEADERSHIP TEAM
Rebecca Gough, Head of Secondary Our students have settled exceptionally well into the new academic year. As our school expands it has been lovely to see new friendships develop and to experience the caring and nurturing atmosphere of Hamilton. It is clear to see, that despite the continued challenges that we are faced with during the pandemic, our students want to make the most of all of the opportunities on offer at school. The ISP reading challenge has proved to be a fantastic springboard to inspire and enthuse our students’ love of reading. Dedicated reading time in English Language Arts lessons has been very popular with a wide range of texts being enjoyed by the students. The launch of the Sparx maths program has also been a great success. For some, it has unearthed a competitive streak to complete tasks and assignments, earning points along the way. For others, it is helping to instill confidence in their own maths abilities and providing a fun, yet challenging outlet to improve their skills. This month we were fortunate to be able to celebrate the success of our Scholarship Winners, at a small, Covid-safe ceremony. It was amazing to hear each of the students speak, with such eloquence and confidence, in front of an audience. It was quite moving to listen to the students express what being awarded this scholarship means to them and their families. They also shared their genuine love and appreciation for The Hamilton International School. Amongst our student body, we know that we have so many talented and gifted young people. We are really looking forward to seeing these talents as we continue to make the best use of the wonderful facilities and learning opportunities here at school – whether that be on the sports field, in the theatre, in the science labs or our Design Technology suites. Developing leadership skills is another important aspect of our work here at school. Our School Council is currently being relaunched and I am looking forward to hearing the student's speeches as they campaign for leadership positions on the council. In addition, the ISP Buddy Exchange applications have now been submitted and we will shortly be able to share the successful candidates with the wider school community. It is an exciting and amazing time to be part of The Hamilton International School, and I encourage all of our students to embrace the opportunities they are given and to follow their passions.
EARLY YEARS This month, as part of their lines and rooftop activity, our KG1 students tried to recreate wellknown buildings around the world. They used shaving foam, blocks and paper as their building tools to create the buildings in their own way.
Our KG2 students have been learning to recognize the numbers one more and one less with numbers up to 10. We used numbers cards, cubes, number lines, and numicon to help us with these concepts.
Our KG2 students have also enjoyed creating posters individually for a French song called "Bonjour, Bonjour" The students have learnt basic French greetings, while incorporating music and creative arts to complete this task.
ELEMENTARY Our Grade 1 students are preparing for their first Big Write of the year. They are finishing the ending and editing of their own stories. Students are working hard to use capitals, full stops, and ensuring that their stories are in a clear setting with characters.
Our Grade 2's have been working on their IPC topic, footprint's from the past. They became paleontologists as part of their IPC Entry Point. They talked about being gentle and careful when moving the fossils out of stone. The students found lots of different dinosaurs, which they were excited to research and find out about. They will be learning a lot more over the coming days about this topic on Footprints of the past.
As part of our ‘Brainwaves’ topic in IPC, Grade 3 have been learning about parts of the brain and their functions. They used modeling clay to replicate our brains and the different responsibilities it has. Did you know that the cerebrum is the largest part of the brain and is responsible for personality, thinking, planning and problem-solving? Movement and balance are controlled by the cerebellum and our spinal cord links the brain to the rest of our body!
Our Grade 5 class has also been learning all about the human brain. Student's examined a real cow brain and learned about specific parts of the human brain and their functions. They then took part in a range of activities designed to test and challenges specific parts of the brain including memory, senses, problem-solving, and balance. To conclude their learning, the Grade 5 students organized their very own 'Brain Training Spa'. Students showcased their learning by planning and presenting their own brain challenges and activities. They also found out how to keep the brain healthy through diet and exercise.
SECONDARY Our Grade 6 students took part in creating their own version of an animal, plant or specialized cell using a range of different materials. This was a chance not only to show what they have learnt in science about the many different type of cells, but also to show their creativity.
Did you know that Hamilton is now on Sparx Maths? What is this? Sparx is an online homework platform for math. It creates a personalized set of tasks for each student. All our secondary students will now have their Sparx homework set weekly.
ENRICHMENT OPPORTUNITIES ISP READING CHALLENGE This year, as a fun start to the term, we launched the ISP Middle East Reading Month Challenge. The challenge started on the 8th of September, The International Day of Literacy, and ran until the 7th October. This exciting challenge was open to all children in our ISP schools in the Middle East. To encourage participation, children in the younger years received a Reading Challenge Treasure Map or a Reading Challenge Passport to record their reading. Children in their secondary years were asked to upload their Reading Challenge using a digital link. How Many Words Have You Read? Each week, children were challenged to keep a record of the number of words they were reading in both English and Arabic. To calculate the number of words, we recommended children count the number of words on an average page and multiply this by the number of pages read. How Many Reading Challenges Have You Completed? In addition to recording the number of words read, we set some weekly reading challenges children may wish to complete. These were also recorded on the map, passport, or using the secondary link. Well done to everyone who took part and remember, in the words of Dr. Suess, “The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you’ll go!”
UPCOMING CALENDAR OF EVENTS
Refer A Friend We recognize that parents and friends are the best ambassadors for our unique style of learning and community-minded environment. To thank you for every friend that you refer to Hamilton, you will receive a QAR 1,000 as reward this can be credit to use towards any school related cost or cashback by end of the academic year. Contact the Admissions Team for Terms & Conditions - admissions@this.qa ENQUIRE NOW