St Andrews Dusit Newsletter November issue

NOV

20 23

EVENT CALENDAR 28TH - 1 ST DEC

YEAR 5 RESIDENTIAL TRIP

30TH NOV

SO YOU THINK YOU CAN DANCE

4TH DEC

KG / REC SUPERHERO SPORTS DAY

7TH DEC

KS2 SPORTS DAY

8TH DEC

KS1 SPACE SPORTS DAY

12TH DEC

KS1 DRESS REHEARSAL

13TH DEC

EYFS COMMUNITY CAROLS

14TH DEC

KS1 NATIVITY

15TH DEC

TERM 1 ENDS (2:30PM FINISH)

SCAN HERE FOR SCHOOL CALENDAR

Message from Ms Caroline

Message from Ms Caroline Dear Dusit Community, This morning, we celebrated Loy Krathong and students from Reception to Year 6 attended a wonderful assembly led by Panda and Iams (Year 6) and our Year 5 and 6 classes took us on a tour around Thailand to learn about why this day is important through story, drama and dance. Thank you to our fantastic Thai team for helping to organise the assembly and to our students for doing such a wonderful job at entertaining us all!

The last month has been busy with learning opportunities for both students and staff. During our INSET last Friday, our staff had a fantastic day where all four St Andrews campuses came together at our Green Valley campus to learn and grow from each other at CogCon2023! With 7 Cognita provocation sessions, 40+ workshops and 350 staff leading training around the importance of metacognition, AI and the balance of using technology in the classroom, CogCon certainly gave us the platform to enable our staff to work collectively and learn from each other, leveraging the strength of being part of the Cognita school’s group. We now look forward to bringing that learning back to Dusit and into lessons across the school!

Have a wonderful weekend!

Caroline Ratcliffe

Songkran Photo

Phonics Workshop

This week, Miss Charlotte ran a Phonics workshop for the Reception parents, and it was a great chance for her to meet with everyone and to showcase how we do Phonics at Dusit.

Everyone joined in when learning how to pronounce the pure sounds and really got a chance to see how a Phonics lesson is delivered at school.

Understanding how your child learns to read is so important and now everyone can feel confident practising the sounds at home with their children.

Having the chance to then come into the classrooms to see a lesson in action was a great learning opportunity. The Reception team delivered fun, engaging phonics lessons and had wonderful activities out for the children and parents to engage with afterwards.

Both days were really successful, and I hope everyone has come away feeling more confident about Phonics!

Nursery

This month has been full of joy and learning in nursery. We began with colourful Diwali celebrations, where the children crafted beautiful rangoli patterns, made their own diyas with salt dough and explored lights and shadows with our new torches.

As Halloween approached, our nursery transformed into a world of spooktacular fun! The children dressed up in costumes, enjoyed a pumpkin hunt, and had a bewitching time.Sensory exploration continued with activities centred around spiders, allowing the children to engage in hands-on experiences and enhance their fine motor skills.

Nursery

Nursery Rhyme Week was filled with laughter as the children created personalised "Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes" portraits using their own photos. Outdoor exploration continued to be a highlight, complementing our indoor activities.

KG

In KG we have been busy learning about Nursery Rhymes. We have worked together to sing, retell, sequence and story map three main nursery rhymes; Incy Wincy Spider, Humpty Dumpty, and The Wheels on the Bus. We have had so much fun making spider cookies, creating a large play bus, rhyming and building walls to drop Humpty Dumpty eggs from.

During nursery rhyme week, we practiced the words and actions for five Nursery Rhymes in preparation for our first production in the big hall! We loved seeing all of the children’s creative costumes and the children enjoyed dressing up and singing for their families.

We are looking forward to our first school trip where we will visit the park and collect nature to begin our natural world unit.

KG

Reception

The first half of this term in Reception has been an exciting blend of festivities and educational adventures.Starting off with a lively Halloween party, the children delved into the spirit of the celebration, writing invitations to friends and teachers, designing costumes, and learning about Halloween traditions.

This event was a fantastic opportunity for them to express their creativity and immerse themselves in storytelling, music and decision-making as they organised our Halloween party.

In our phonics sessions, the children have made remarkable progress, transitioning into blending simple CVC words and beginning their journey into reading. They are continuing their exploration of letters and sounds at school with their teachers, but also independently within their play. With the introduction of reading books being sent home, the children are developing their comprehension skills.

Reception

Mathematics has been an engaging experience, where the children have explored various concepts like patterns, weight, mass, length, and number recognition. We have been decorating odd socks, measuring our friend's height and ordering our classmates by height, comparing objects and using the scales. Soon we will all be going on another adventure as we plan to go to JJ Park for our upcoming park explorers trip. Here we will focus on mapping and exploring the different natural resources we can find there. The enthusiasm and growth we've witnessed this term are setting a fantastic tone for the rest of the year in Reception!

Year 1

We’ve been having a fantastic time in Year 1. We have been reading the book ‘Meerkat Mail’ and learning about Sunny and his adventures. We sequenced the main parts of the story and then used drama to show how he felt at different points in the story. We also wrote a postcard about visiting Aunt Flo who lives in a dark and wet marsh. We’ve looked at using adjectives to help describe our experiences.

In Maths, we learnt about shapes and patterns. We identified different shapes around the school and carefully considered the purpose of different objects.

We have also been looking at place value and how to partition 2-digit numbers into tens and ones. We compared and ordered numbers from smallest to greatest and learnt about greater than, less than and equal to.

Year 1

In Science, we are learning all about animal classes, using our knowledge to sort different animals into their groups. We have found out how to identify animals and looked at how each group is similar and different.

We have been learning about Thailand and its features in our geography lessons, identifying important buildings, places, natural features and common modes of transport for the region. The children have shown great respect and enthusiasm for their country, sharing their own experiences of living in Thailand and listening well to others.

Year 2

It has been fantastic welcoming all the Year 2 students back to class. The energy and enthusiasm has been spreading across the top floor of the KS1 building. With each class family rocking along!

Just like the Snail and Whale, Year 2 have been exploring the world through geography. We have been learning about the 7 different continents and 5 different oceans. We have explored warmer and cooler climates and learnt about the Equator, the Tropic of Capricorn and Tropic of Cancer. Looking at different countries in Asia and what affects their climate. We then carried out a comparison right here in Thailand. Looking at the similarities and differences between Bangkok, Chiang Mai. and Phuket. All the while we have been refining our geographical skills, learning to read and understand maps and note physical features of the land. The Snail wanted to explore the world and so do we!!

Year 2

In science we have been studying habitats within each climate zone. We name some of the most famous habitats and explain why animals can only live in places that they have adapted to. In art we used clay to explore texture and shape to make 3D models of the animals that we have been learning about.

We have not only been explorers but we have become news reporters. We examined the events that led to a whale being beached and gathered details of the dramatic event. We then had to interview witnesses and hot-seated the reaction of key characters. We then collected quotes and kept them to use in our news report. We had to place events in sequential order and wrote several drafts and helped each other edit and improve each draft. Finally after several days of hard work, our news reports were finally published.

Year 3

As we reflect on the work completed so far, we're excited to share the incredible journey our Year 3 students embarked on as they soared into the enchanting world of dragons.

📖 Dragon Chronicles Unleashed: The Year 3s created a mesmerising non-

chronological report on dragons. These budding authors unleashed their creativity, producing a compilation of awe-inspiring reports that shed light on the wonders of these mythical beings.

Year 3

🖋️ Similes and Powerful Language Took Flight: What made their work truly

exceptional was the use of similes and powerful language. Each page became a canvas painted with words, describing dragons with similes that sparkled like gemstones and language that resonated like the thunderous roars of these legendary creatures.

🎭 Year 3 Lemurs Assembly Spectacle: The culmination of their hard work and

creativity was showcased in the highly anticipated Year 3 Lemurs Assembly.

Our young wordsmiths took the stage, bringing their dragon tales to life with enthusiasm, energy, and a touch of theatrical magic. It was an event that left everyone in awe!

Year 4

Year 4 returned from half term to discover a wet, smudged message in a bottle —a plea for help from someone lost at sea, accompanied by a family photo. This message immersed us in Oliver and the Seawigs, sparking imaginative questions about the people in the photo, their journey, and the mysterious Seawigs.

In English, we delved deeper into Oliver and the Seawigs, practicing dialogue punctuation, creating imaginary islands with vivid personification, and mapping out story sections for our own adventures. We honed reading skills, such as scanning for key words and making predictions, eagerly anticipating the upcoming task of writing our own story versions.

Maths centered on a thorough exploration of times tables, employing arrays, pictures, and bar models for practice. Multiplication and division will remain a focal point, emphasizing the importance of continuous times table practice.

Year 4

With water as our thematic link to Oliver's sea adventures, Topic focused on rivers. We considered the historical evolution of river uses, learned the river's components, and built mini river models, showcasing impressive teamwork.

In Science, we delved into animals and their habitats, particularly water habitats.

Exploring life processes and using classification keys, we discovered the prevalence of invertebrates on Earth, engaging in enjoyable invertebrate hunts and detailed sketching. Our exploration of animal habitats will continue, examining how they evolve due to natural or human-induced changes.

Excitedly, we look forward to the ongoing journey of learning!

Year 5

We are excited to share the latest updates regarding your child's learning journey at school. In the realm of science, students have delved into the life and work of the renowned David Attenborough. They are discovering his insights on what we can do to help save our planet, a timely and critical topic. Additionally, our students have embarked on a captivating new unit on Earth and space, where they will integrate ICT and science to create educational videos, with the aim of enlightening their peers about various space-related subjects.

In topic, we have started exploring a pivotal moment in the past, World War II. This exploration will introduce students to new vocabulary and terms, enhancing their historical understanding. As we are situated in Thailand, we will also examine the local context during that era. In mathematics, students are making significant progress in their understanding of fractions. They are continuing to build their knowledge and math skills on a daily basis.

Year 5

Furthermore, in English we are in the midst of a narrative write. Students have been learning new writing techniques to include in their work and we are enjoying the writing process along the way. In reading, we are nearing the conclusion of our novel study on 'The Eye of the Wolf,' and our students are eagerly anticipating the start of a new novel that connects seamlessly with our ongoing topic unit.

We are immensely proud of the enthusiasm and dedication our students have shown in tackling these challenging topics. We look forward to the upcoming weeks as we continue to explore, learn, and grow together.

Warm regards, Ms. Laurie and Ms. Linda

Year 6

What a terrific time we have had in Year 6. The children have worked superbly and their behaviour around the school has been exemplary, helping set the tone for our younger students in the process. In the classroom, we have had a lot of fun and the children have produced some great work.

In Maths, we have been adding and subtracting fractions, as well as simplifying them and converting improper fractions into mixed numbers. We have just started multiplying fractions by integers and other fractions, and I am excited to see how the children rise to this challenge. Lately, there has been more of a focus on reasoning and word problems (based on an analysis of attainment data) and I have been impressed with how the children have adapted to this change.

Year 6

In English, we have been reading a text called ‘Runaway Robot’ and the children have been working on skills such as summarising, inferring and making predictions. We have also focused on how to use some key language features in our writing, such as relative clauses and the 5 W’s. More recently, we analysed the main features of a news broadcast, after which the children wrote their own scripts about an event that featured in ‘Runaway Robot’ and recorded these in front of a green screen. The children are now preparing to write their own robot-themed newspaper articles and these will be finished next week. We can’t wait to read them!

In Science, the children have begun exploring the different components used in electrical circuits, in preparation for their ‘Dragons Den’ pitch for a new festivalthemed decoration. The children have learnt how to build electrical circuits and to test how the different components work and what happens when you add or take away certain elements of a circuit. In the coming weeks, they will plan and design their product, along with preparing a pitch in order to convince the dragons to invest in their product.

In Topic, we are learning how to be global citizens, which has included highlighting important issues such as global warming, responsible water usage and the things we can do at home in order to help us use less energy. The children have engaged with these issues very sensibly and have shown how much they care about our planet.

It’s a joy to turn up each day and work with such an inspiring collection of children. We are very lucky to have them!

Specialist Open House

We extend our sincere thanks to all parents who attended our Specialist Open House.

The purpose of the Specialist Open House was to offer parents a deeper understanding of our curriculum and equip them with valuable tools to support their child's learning at home. For those who couldn't attend, we have shared a presentation slide with comprehensive information that can be accessed at any time throughout the year.

We appreciate those who took the time to provide feedback. Your insights are invaluable, and they will guide us as we continually strive to enhance our offerings.

As the term progresses, we anticipate sharing end-of-term reports with individual comments in the coming weeks. We encourage parents to reach out directly via Class Dojo if you have any questions or require further clarification.

On the topic of languages, please note that at Dusit, students have the opportunity to choose a language upon entering Reception or, alternatively, when commencing Year 2. In Term 3, language teachers will host sessions for parents of Kindergarten and Year 1 to provide more information about language options. This will assist parents and students in making informed choices when we send out the registration letter.

Thank you once again for your ongoing support. We look forward to continued collaboration in the best interest of our students' education.

Warm regards, Ms. Emilie

Super Star of The Month