Chestnut Class Term 3 – 2019
FISP Newsletter – March 2019
The Chicken or the Egg?
During the first week back the children will have the opportunity to mire fertilised eggs in the incubator and discuss a variety of different subjects and themes related to growth, development, habitat and needs of chicken and eggs. Hatching should start in 2 weeks đ
We are a radio sensation !
A journalist came to the school during the holiday and interviewed us, as well as a few parents and students who came along. The theme was forest schools and the benefits of outdoor learning. It is clear to see that they are rare in France, however people are showing growing interest in different pedagogies. Here is the link (in French): http://www.rfi.fr/emission/20190301-enseigner-nature-ecole-ciel-ouvert
Bikes at school
Please remember to pick up your childrenâs bikes! We will be dismounting the green tent on the first week back.
Dates to remember
1) World book day : April 23rd
2) Event changes : The PA is now organising a picnic instead of its treasure hunt on June 1st .
Mastering the timetables
Please utilise the drive to school to help your children practice their timetables. Below is an article on why it is important for all children to master them perfectly: https://www.lawyerment.com/library/articles/Self_Improvement/Mind_and_Memory/102.htm
Sports Classes
Oak and Elm will start Padel classes once per week on Thursdays. Other classes will do ball sports and badminton. Please read the individual class curriculum newsletters for more details (coming out next week). Capoeira and swimming will start in May for all children.
FISP & gaming
Oak and Elm classes are developing an online game. So far, the children have been designing the story and creating the characters. In both terms to come they should finalise the preparation before the programming begins. Stay tuned for more news!
Hoola Hoops
Children have been asking us for new hoola hoops – children rejoice, they have just arrived đ
Field trips in preparation
The school is preparing for the week-long field trips end of May for primary and middle school. The children will be going either sailing or horseback riding – and it is going to be super exciting !!! If you have not registered your child yet, please send us an email.
Middle School felting project
Our middle school class have started the year off with a beautiful group felting project! Look out for it at this year’s art auction in the summer!!
Early Years School Updates – Winter 2018
The Early Years classes are Willow, Chestnut and Maple, for children between 02 and 05 years old.
Our second term was such an exciting adventure! Through the topic âThe Magic Toymakerâ, Chestnuts were given the opportunity to get even more creative by designing and building their own fun!
The primary learning goals of this unit are communication, enquiry, team-work, independence, creativity, adaptability and respect which all Chestnuts had to bear in mind whilst working with their classmates on various projects.
Throughout the term, it was important to give the Chestnuts a voice in order for them to be able to express what type of toys they would enjoy creating and for this, they had to consider each and everyoneâs personal preferences all the while working towards a common goal.
During Numeracy this term we have continued exploring number skills including counting, addition and subtraction. The children enjoy using these skills during turn taking games such as the dice games âFrog jumpâ and âsnakes and laddersâ. They have been working on using their fingers to count, add and take away! We have began exploring other number games too such as dominoes and âbeat the dragonâ The children really enjoy working and playing together and often select these games during free choice play times!
Our 3D project for this term was to build the Big Ben clock for the Christmas show. We learned how to make the cuboid and a square based pyramid (for the top). We also practiced our understanding of time with the moving hands on the clock face!. As part of our topic work we explored scale and using a grid to enlarge an image.
Also this term we have continued to explore measuring, sharing and quantities in our weekly cooking activity where we bake something for ourselves and some of the other classes in the school! The Children have been splitting in to 2 teams and working through the recipes with little adult input encouraging them to use each other for help. The results have been great and they are developing a strong understanding of units of measurement such as litres, grams, or spoons.
Primary School Classes Update – Winter 2018
Our Primary School section, for children from 6 to 11 years old, are divided into three classes namely Walnut, Birch and Oak.
IPC at Birch
Birch class topic work for term 2 under the IPC International Primary Curriculum, was focused on history. We looked at ways through which we can learn about the past. More specifically, we learned about the work of archaeologists and the clues that can bring information about the past into the light. The children examined a number of old and new items and described their characteristics (material, date, purpose).
In order to extend our learning on the way of life of Stone Age people and especially their expression through art, Birch and Walnut class visited the National Archaeological Museum of Saint-Germain-en-Laye. The museum guide showed us selected artefacts and the children tried hard to draw them on their notebooks. They were all very attentive and asked many questions.
Arts
During our last week of the term, we dedicated ourselves to an art project of creating scented candles. The children learned how to do this themselves while having heaps of fun! Birches took all precautions and used the necessary equipment; wax flakes, electric stove, wicks, glass jars, wax colourants, essential oils, pipettes and wooden skewers. They were responsible for all tasks, from melting wax to adding scent and decorating the jars.
Birch class decided to sell the candles to raise money for charity. During the candle sale, the children did all transactions and gave change themselves.
Oak Class, Primary School
In addition to their busy schedule and team challenges with Elm Class (Middle School), Oak were busy in the kitchen once again.
Just before Christmas, we have learnt a traditional Spanish recipe: “Tortilla”! We wrote down instructions, ingredients, measurements and we cooked it.
Maths
We have worked a lot with fractions using visual aids or learning about different strategies for calculations. We have seen and solved various real-life problems involving them. A large variety of activities has helped us to understand the use of comparing and order fractions, identify and write equivalent fractions, recognize them and relate them with decimals.
We have also worked with geometry and with the calculation of different areas, involving real- life problems too. We have learnt properties of different shapes. We have seen and understand the use of them by tackling real life problems.
We have also learnt about the importance of measuring, not only length, area or volume but also turns/angles.
Meanwhile, at Walnut Class (Primary School)
We had the opportunity to develop our literacy skills through a range of literacy activities:
The Christmas show has allowed us to build our vocabulary, to practice speaking audibly and fluently through our respective roles, to work on gaining and maintaining the interest of the listeners and to acquire a better understanding of the use the appropriate register for effective communication.
We consolidated the use of correct punctuation and sentence organisation through daily writing activities. Furthermore, we practised alternative and phonic word spelling by using the words learnt in context.
We made a tricky words list to order to improve spelling and to note unusual correspondences spelling and sound.
We also reviewed some grammar concepts such as suffixes (-full, -less) and have learnt using some new ones in context. Studying an inspirational moral story and creating our own one was enjoyable! It helped us to illustrate the learning that took place and to familiarize ourselves with this type of narrative. Debating and exchanging ideas about meaningful values such as generosity, determination and kindness was a great way to reinforce these values on an everyday basis in our classroom.
We took pleasure in presenting of our chosen country (based on our personal preferences) and sharing some cultural, historical and culinary elements related to our country to the rest of the class.. The culinary experience will remain our favorite one!
At last, we have been very lucky to spend library time with Monica who helped us to read at loud some of our favourite books and to listen to some great stories with on Fridays! We love reading that way !
Middle School Term 2 News
Elm Class, Middle School, Term 2 News and Updates. Academic Year 2018-2019.
During this term, the Elm class children (Middle School) embarked on an adventure to find various creative people and situations. They tried to find the creativity within themselves and use it to the best of their abilities.
We studied biographies, information text, newspaper articles and books that inspired us in different ways. We found out how creativity can lead to some important discoveries and tried to use the creativity on a daily basis. The children had a fantastic opportunity to demonstrate their creative side while making costumes, dancing, singing, creating props and performing on the stage during our Christmas Show.
Linked to IMYC/Geography, the children found out about similarities and differences between particular localities and discussed numerous environmental issues involved. We were inspired by Rob Greenfield and Will Hodson, and impressed by the work that they do to help people while tackling important issues.
Linked to IMYC/Chemistry, we discovered and discussed the history of soap making, aromatherapy and how perfumes were invented and used in the past.