Panaga School Newsletter Welcome back to Panaga School for 2012/2013! What a happy start to the school year; plus welcome to all of our new families and staff! We have such an exciting year ahead! (More on Pages 2 and 3)
Issue 35, September 2012 Panaga School Brunei Darussalam Jalan Utara, Seria, KB3534, Brunei Phone: +673 3372139 Fax: +6733373028 Web: www.panagaschool.com
Welcome
Inside this month’s issue:
back!
Page 2 - Welcome back to the new school year - A trip down memory “jalan”
Message from the Principal As parents we always take an active part in our children’s learning and we always believe that we are offering the right advice and guidance. One of the most difficult things to do is to watch our children struggle when they are engaged in a challenging activity.
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Be a visible learner for your children
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Involve children in adult conversations
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Let them spend time with you while you are doing difficult things
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Involve children in family decisions
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Tell your children stories about your learning difficulties
As parents we always want to get involved and offer our years of experience in solving a particular problem. In reality, ∗ we may be actually hindering the learning process. Some of the advice on the right is based on the work of Carole Dweck, a leading expert in the field of child devel- ∗ opment. It is based on thousands of hours of research, and while the list is not exhaustive, it offers some practical advice ∗ on aiding the learning process. ∗
Perhaps try some of the advice when helping with homework. The learning ∗ process is a complex one and sometimes children become frustrated; this is normal. ∗ Sometimes they really do need to ‘embrace the struggle’. Learning is not always smiles and high fives, sometimes ∗ expect the tears (not too often though). ∗
For some of our children, University life is only 7-8 years away. They will have to resolve may difficult issues using their ∗ own initiative. It is part of our role to ensure that they have that imaginary ∗ ‘learning toolkit’ at their disposal. Good luck with all of your learning en- ∗ deavors. Tim Robinson
Encourage children to spend time with people who have interesting things to share Don’t rush in too quickly to rescue children when they are having difficulties Restrain the impulse to teach Don’t praise too much – use interest rather than approval Acknowledge the effort, not the ability Make clear boundaries and maintain them Don’t over stimulate breeds imagination
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boredom
Choose multi-purpose ended toys
and
Page 3 - Introducing our new teachers for 2012/2013 Page 4 - Panaga School receives a visit from local primary school teachers Page 5 - There’s a lot to learn about oil and gas - Mr Peter shares many stories with other schools Page 6 - P2 competes in the Panaga Olympics - P7 caters for all learners Page 7 - An interview with Mr Peter Anderton, P7 teacher and school board member - P4 and P5’s marvellous mascots Page 8 - Milepost 3 prove there’s an athlete in all of us
open-
Quote for the month:
Encourage different kinds of computer use
“The larger the island of knowledge, the longer the shoreline of wonder.” Talk to children about the process of - Ralph W. Sockman learning Watch and learn from your children’s learning
Newsletter designed and edited by Damian Brady