Residentials have certainly taken 'centre stage' during the past couple of weeks with the Year 4 Survival Nights, the Year 7 trip to Kuala Lumpur and Malacca, and the Year 8 trip to Bintan. Such experiences really do provide the children the opportunity to demonstrate their learning and personal qualities while having a heap of fun in the process. Thank you to our parents for supporting such an important and enriching part of our curriculum and our staff who really do go the 'extra mile' in ensuring the children have the opportunity to bond and 'shine'.
It was wonderful to see and hear about so many children taking the opportunity to lead (and be led) during the trips. This was also evident with our Wildlife Warriors and Language Leaders who delivered some excellent team building training to our whole school staff team! Their organisation, creativity, cooperation and communication skills were outstanding as well as their patience with some of the adults! I also received a letter this week from the Teraja Student Council, outlining some of the issues with our toilets at school, and most importantly with some suggested solutions, which we are already acting upon.
As we approach the end of this half term and indeed, the academic year, we are busy with all of the events that will celebrate our community (don't forget that International Day is next Friday!) and the achievements of the children, we are also planning for next year. Thank you to the parents that attended our meeting yesterday, which outlined some of the major developments we have planned; thank you for the valuable feedback received, which the SLT will discuss, action and communicate back to all parents, after the break. We will be sending out a letter on Monday regarding MFL (Modern Foreign Language) options for next year's current Year 3-7 parents and a few reminders about various initiatives and upcoming deadlines.
Wishing everyone a lovely weekend.
Best Wishes, Brian, SLTand all of our staff.
UPCOMINGEVENTS
A memorable visit to Merangking School
For the second time, we were fortunate to be invited by Merangking School to run a team-building activity for ourYear 2 students alongside all their students. Nestled in the heart of the jungle, Merangking is a small but charming school with just 32 children. Its beautiful and tranquil setting makes it the perfect location for our students to explore, learn, and connect.portunities like this don’t come often—where our students can mingle and play with local children in such an authentic and natural setting.The experience was enriching for everyone involved.
Our Language Leaders took charge of planning and leading the day’s activities.They thoughtfully designed age-appropriate and engaging games to ensure that all students felt included and involved.At the start, there were a few shy faces and quiet moments, but as the day went on, the classrooms echoed with laughter and the sound of new friendships forming.
The Language Leaders did a fantastic job of ensuring that all groups were fairly mixed, creating opportunities for interaction and collaboration between students from both schools. It was heartwarming to see barriers come down and smiles light up every corner of the school grounds.
No doubt, the day has created unforgettable experiences for all the students and the staff.And this is what it’s all about—creating meaningful, lasting memories that they will carry with them for years to come.
We are grateful to Merangking School for their warm hospitality and look forward to more collaborations in the future!
This term, we proudly launched the Little Librarians as part of ourASA. It has been incredible to see the children embrace their roles in the school library. Working together as a team, they’ve already started brainstorming ideas for their official club pledge—and they even have their very own ID cards! It’s been heartwarming to watch their enthusiasm as they help out with organizing books during playtime and their class library sessions.The joy and sense of responsibility they bring to the library is truly inspiring. We can’t wait to see how the Little Librarians continue to grow in their roles!
Our Little Librarians have been busy taking their responsibilities seriously - and creatively!
Each librarian started by designing a personalised ID card to make their roles official. With lots of creative designs, their ID cards now proudly hanging on their library lanyards!
The team put their heads together to decide what makes a great library space.They come up with a list of library rules that promote respect, responsibility, and a love of reading.
To share their rules with everyone, the little librarians designed a bright, eye-catching poster.The posters are displayed in the library to remind all readers of the guidelines created by kids, for kids.
Our little librarians also became book influencers! Each one brought in a favourite book from home to recommend to fellow students. From magical adventures to information books, their curated picks are now displayed in the Rampayoh library.
We are amazed by these beautiful creativity arts and craft done by the Reception, Year 1 and Year 2.
Creative collages with beautiful patterns and materials
Watercolour landscape painting
Fun creativity crafts. Sponge and stamp leaves print painting.
Year 5 Stop Motion Animation
Year 5 have been experimenting with Stop MotionAnimation
Year 4 have been learning how to make a reduction print in the style ofAndy Warhol.
Year 3 have been learning different watercolor techniques to create their dinosaur eyes. Next step, how to add texture using oil pastels!
Teraja design technology: Y5, Make a maze
Year 5 have been busy in the DT room.They designed and created a maze, learning about playability and how to safely use hand tools. Well done!
Teraja design technology: Y6, Tic tac toe
Year 6 have created aTic TacToe game. They carefully sewed the grid, and created a bag to put their counters in. They skillfully made these out of clay and painted them. Well done.
In Melilas, Year 8 have been investigating catalysts in the reaction between a metal and an Also, oxidation reactions and corrosion.
Immersive Drama Experience
This week the Dance and Drama room was transformed into a NorthAmerican Desert for our Holes Immersive Experience.The sights, sounds, yellow spotted lizards and hard digging took us away to get a sense of the characters’experience.
In what has been a fabulous year for our all Football teams in Melilas, the final set of matches happened on Monday (12th) at JIS. Having spent many hours this year travelling up and back to Bandar to play games, our boys and girls have been an absolute credit to the Panaga community. Always trying their very best, all our participants have had many successes, which continued in this tournament. Our Yellow team won all their games thanks to some amazing goal scoring performances from James, Tycho, Joseph and Joko. Our red team won two games, with an incredible 4-0 win in their final match. Their goal scorers during the tournament were Luca and Sam. Thank you to Mr Mike for all your hard work!
Year 7 Residential
Year 8 Residential Loola Eco-resort
Year 8 Spent an amazing 5 days on the island of Bintan: cooking, crafting, climbing, ziplining, kayaking, planting and giving back to the community by building safe water systems.They were role models of all our personal qualities and true global citizens.
The full drive of photos has been shared with theYear 8 parents
Wildlife Warriors Lead Wild Staff Adventure at Panaga School
On Wednesday, 30th April, the Wildlife Warriors, with support from a group of enthusiastic Language Leaders, hosted an exciting team-building event for the staff at Panaga School. Themed around the incredible wildlife of Borneo, the event challenged staff to uncover the identity of a mysterious, elusive animal captured on camera by Professor Ulmar Grafe. Through a series of fun and cleverly designed activities, each task brought the teams one step closer to solving the wildlife mystery. The students did a fantastic job leading and managing the event, keeping energy levels high and the staff on their toes.
One of the standout moments of the day was when several teachers were humorously sent to the "Time Out Zone"—a consequence of some cheeky cheating!The students managed this with great confidence and leadership.
While the excitement and pace were a bit overwhelming at times for some—after all, it's not every day you see adults racing around like kids—the event proved to be a roaring success.The teamwork, laughter, and learning made for an unforgettable afternoon.
Ahuge well done to the Wildlife Warriors and Language Leaders for their creativity, leadership, and enthusiasm.You truly brought the spirit of Borneo’s wildlife to life!
How does exercise improve brain functionandperformance?
We have all been inundated with information regarding the benefits of physical activity on our body, and the positive effects it has on our overall well-being. However, could the same physical activity have similar benefits for our brain function? What effects does exercise have on cognitive function, on acquisition of new knowledge, and not only theretention,butalsotheapplication?
Professor John J Ratey is considered a leader in the research about how exercise impacts the brain's ability to learn new information. In his book “Spark” he concluded that exercise triggers the brain to manufacture a protein called BDNF which increases neuron growth in the hippocampus. The hippocampus is the region of the brain that controls learning and memory. Many studies have been researched throughout the 21st century linking exercise with brain function, and the evidence is quite remarkable. One particular study in Naperville, Illinois with 8th grade students, who had been placed on a physical program. After a year, they took the (TIMSS) tests (worldwide Maths and Science test). The results of improving the student’s fitness meant that Naperville finished 1st in the world in Science, and 6th in Mathematics (2002). Another study by Craddock et al (2012) summarised that physically fit childrenhavea larger hippocampal volume andbasalganglia.Thestudynoticedimproved concentration and more efficient transfers of information from short to long term memory. Scientists concluded, regular participation in physical activity and fitness had been linked to improved academic performance. Our job as PE professionals is to create more brain cells forourclassteacherstofillwithinformation!
Run around Borneo!
We are more than halfway there!
The total distance all the way around Borneo is 4,971km!
Total Distance overall Updated 16th May 2,674km
Thank you parents for your support in orders to Scholastic Book Club. All the books that have been orderedhavearrivedandhavebeendistributed.
Shopping with Scholastic Book Club has raised £256.49 in Scholastic Rewards in the last year for Panaga School tospendonbooksandresources.
Next week is Safeguarding Awareness Week at Panaga School and a range of lessons will take place to support this, including DE lessons linked to staying safe online and PSHE lessons covering themes such as ‘Speak Out, Stay Safe!’ In addition to this, we are launching a new email address for parents and visitors to report any concerns they have about safeguarding. Take a look and please email us with any worries or questions linked to safeguarding.
