Sponsored event on Friday

We are all very excited about the sponsored event that is organised for Friday. We have planned a lot of challenges for the children that will stretch their resourcefulness as well as being fun. We hope they have been encouraging people to sponsor them, it is all for a very good cause.

Children will need to come to school in clothes that they can get wet in, and their school uniform and fresh underwear to change into afterwards.

We are hoping lots of parents will we available watch and help out. We need helpers to run each station (don't worry, it will all be explained to the students, and the activities are very simple.) So if you are free on Friday morning please come and join us.

Rain: If it is raining on Friday morning we will make an assessment on the day. We will continue if it is light rain- the children will get wet anyway. However, in the case of heavy rain, we will postpone until Monday.

Fund Raising- our final push!

We are very excited about our fund raising for Shivalaya School in Nepal. So far, following the sale of slime and popcorn, we have raised nearly 50000THB! We will not stop there though!

We are planning a sponsored event on the week beginning Monday 13th June. The actual day is yet to be confirmed. This will combine our theme- Simple Machines- with the subject of moving water from one place to another in one sponsored event. Put simply, the students are to be tasked with designing and making machines (levers, pulleys, barrows, etc) to transport as much water as possible.

Your child will have received a sponsor form and the idea is they collect sponsors for every litre their group transports. We thought it would be difficult to predict how many litres that might come to, so there is another option of simply sponsoring a fixed amount.

One important part of this event is going to be the parental involvement! We are hoping as many of you as possible will come to support the students. We will need you to work with the groups making and operating the machines (don't worry- everything will be set up to be quite straightforward!) and to help make sure they stay safe. It will be a fun and educational experience, as well as helping to raise much needed funds.

The school in Nepal is one that I visited a number of years ago to help them design a new classroom and paint the walls. I have been supporting them ever since. Their water supply was damaged in the earthquake of 2015 and they need about $5000 or £3500 to lay new pipes.

Bumblesnouts

All children in Year 1, 2 and 3 who are not cast need to bring in PE SHORTS to wear during the the KS1 production on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday.

Message from the Library

REMINDER:
RETURN ALL YOUR BOOKS (AND TEXTBOOKS) BY FRIDAY 17TH JUNE.
YOU WILL BE CHARGED FOR ANY ITEMS NOT RETURNED.

For any questions about library books, please contact ccolson@bisphuket.ac.th

Nepal fund raiser

A big thank you to everyone who has helped with the fundraiser for Shivalaya School in Nepal. So far we have raised over 35,000Thb. A particular 'thank you' to all those who have made popcorn and loaned us the popcorn machines. Maia in 3BL has let us use her machine all week, however, she is leaving school this week. We wish her well as she moves on to a new school in Spain.

Next week we are selling popcorn in the Secondary Foyer. If anybody has a popcorn machine they could loan us for a week we would be very grateful.

We are continuing our theme on Simple Machines and forces. The students have been making lots of machines and finding out about the different forces involved.

On Monday, the children will be visiting the Year 4 to prepare them for the transition next year. They will get a general introduction to the teachers but will not find out their classes until the final week of the year.

Year 3 MAD project- fundraising for Nepal

Year 3 are ending this exciting year with a big fundraising push as part of our Making A Difference (MAD) programme. Over the next few weeks, we will be raising money for Shivalaya Community School in Nepal who are in desperate need of a new water supply after last year's earthquake damaged the pipes that fed water to the school. This is a link to my crowd-funding webpage:

https://chuffed.org/project/essential-drinking-water-for-nepal-mountain-school

The first effort that was proposed by a number of students is to sell slime. We will be doing this after school each day next week in the Primary Foyer. We are therefore looking for as many students as possible to make slime to sell. Each pot of slime will cost 20THB so it is also important for the children to bring money to buy slime.

Donations can be made to the project through Paypal by following the link above.

Thai Trip on Monday

Year 3 students will be going on a Thai Trip on Monday. They need to wear their school uniform, and will need hats and water bottles.

Correction-PE

The last post said PE is on Wednesday and Thursday. This should have said Tuesday and Wednesday. The PE days have not changed.

Bicycles, simple machines and PE

This term we are studying simple machines and how they transfer force from one place to another. The details of this theme can be found here:

https://sites.google.com/a/bisphuket.ac.th/year3/themes/simple-machines

To start this theme off, we are asking that the children bring bicycles into school so we can study the way in which a push on the pedals causes a faster movement in the wheels. They need to bring their bicycles tomorrow (Tuesday 26th April). They can be deposited at the foot of the steps up to the pod (near to Little Ducks) and we will help the children to carry them into the classroom. Children should not be riding their bikes around the playground before school.

In PE, the swimming sessions are now finished and the children will have 2 lessons of PE each week. They will therefore need PE kits on both Wednesday and Thursday each week.

Tomorrow

Please don't forget Songkran shirt and swimming gear tomorrow!

Songkran celebrations and next term's theme: Simple Machines

On Friday this week we are celebrating Songkran. Children are allowed to come to school in traditional Songkran clothes. If they are not wearing traditional clothes they should come to school in their regular uniforms.

Year 3 are celebrating Songkran in the swimming pool. They will need to bring their swimming gear in a bag.

The finishing time on Friday 1pm.

Next term, we are starting a theme on Simple Machines. In this theme the children will be finding out about levers, cogs, pulleys, etc. This will link to work on forces and movement.

On Tuesday 26th April, in the first week back, we would like the children to bring a bicycle to school if they have one. We will be studying the mechanisms of bicycles to find out how they work.

Swimming Gala Tomorrow

Please be reminded that it is the Year 3/4 swimming gala tomorrow (Friday 1st April) between 8:10 and 10:05am.

Children will need to come to school in their swimming gear with their colour team shirt over the top. They will also need a hat, sunscreen, towel, goggles, swim cap and a their school uniform to change into afterwards.

Swim gala and parent consultations

The Key Stage 2 Swim Gala is on Friday 1st April. On this day, children will need their swimming gear and sun cream. Please come along and support them in their races.

In the final week of term there are parent consultations. We are running 3-way conferences between the teacher, parent and student. What follows is the information from the school about how and why we are running 3-way conferences. It contains instructions on how to book an appointment using the online system. Please try to book an appointment for a time that you know your child can attend.

3-WAY CONFERENCES

Between Monday 4th April and Thursday 7th April, we are holding our 3-way conference meetings. We are continuing to move towards this being the way we conduct what were traditionally known as parent-teacher conferences.  We are asking all parents from Year 1 to Year 6 to bring their child with them. After this round of conferences, we will be gathering feedback from children, teachers and parents in order for us to continue to develop best practice in this area of the school's’ development.

Please ensure that you:-

1. Book appointments online
2. Bring your child to the interviews

Why should I bring my child?

A 3-way conversation where child, teacher and parent can all celebrate success and discuss targets and strategies for future progress is invaluable. It’s a great way for your child to see the link between home and school but most importantly to be an active, accountable participant in their own learning.

This does not have to be for the whole time as we understand that some parents will have sensitive issues they would like to discuss with just the teacher. Supervision will still be offered in the Primary Library. This is for appointment times and when children are not in the meetings.

What should I do if I am unable to come to my appointment on the conference day?

It is very important that your child does get to do the conference with you. If you cannot make the appointment, please arrange with the teacher to do it at another time.

What questions should I ask?

When your child is sharing their learning with you, try to focus on the learning and the process rather than just focussing on the spelling, handwriting or layout.

Try to ask open ended questions like – “So how did you go about this?” Rather than “What’s this?”

To encourage your child to talk about HOW they learn rather than just WHAT they learn.

Ask and agree, how can we (parents) support you in achieving your goals?  

May I speak in a language other than English at the 3-Way Conferences?

Yes you and your child may converse in your Home Language but please translate for the teacher. If your child cannot translate for you please bring a translator with you. If you cannot do this then please let your Class teacher know ahead of time and they will try to help you find a translator.

How do I book an appointment?

1. To sign-up: Click on this link https://www.ptcfast.com/schools/British_International_School_Phuket_1
2. Select, by clicking the boxes, for all of the teachers you’d like to see for all of your children.
3. Complete the ‘Student Sign-up’ page by answering the questions. Ensure you use an active email.
4. To activate your account: open your email from do-not-reply@ptcfast.com and click on  ‘Click here to select conference time.’ Please check your ‘junk’ box if you do not receive this.
5. This will then take you to the booking page. Select, by clicking the box, next to one 15 minute appointment time you want for each teacher. If you would like to deselect click on the remove appointment box just below the teacher's name.

*Please note that is a two-step process and you must sign-up and then activate your account through your email in order to book timeslots. If you have any trouble using this system please come to the Primary Office or the IT help desk in the MTB.

Please ensure you have booked your online appointment by Wednesday 30th March.

Who can I see?

All classroom teachers are available and meetings will be in their classrooms. If you would like an appointment with your child’s specialist teacher please also select their name on the online conference scheduler.  Locations of where to meet specialists is on the online booking system.

We look forward to seeing you and your child there.

International Day tomorrow

We are celebrating International Day tomorrow (Friday 18th March).

The children need to dress up in their national costume ready for the parade, which will begin shortly after the start of the school day. There will also be performances and a variety of international food available.

Book day and camp

It is dress up as a book character day tomorrow (Thursday) so please remember to send the children to school in costume. There will be a short parade at about 8:10 so that everyone can show off their dress. If possible, please encourage the children to bring the book that the character is from so they can share and celebrate the story.

Also, the payment of 800thb for the sleepover is due. Remember to sign the permission slip and send the slip and money to school in an envelope with the child's name on it.

Sleepover meeting and Author visit

This is a reminder that we have an information meeting about the Year 3 sleepover tomorrow, Tuesday 23rd February, at 8:15. The meeting will last about 30 minutes and you will have chance to ask questions. Of course, it you cannot make the meeting, then don't worry because all the information is on the Year 3 website:

https://sites.google.com/a/bisphuket.ac.th/year3/sleepover

Also, please feel free to email or come and see us at any time should you have any further questions or any more private matters to inform us about.

We have a visiting author in school this week. His name is Marc Tyler Nobleman and Year 3 will be having a session with him on Friday morning at 9am. Also, in the 'materials' part of our theme we shall be visiting the Secondary Design Technology labs to study what it is like to shape or make things out of different types of materials. 3MW will attend this Friday and the other classes will go next week.

Materials, legends and word problems

This half term, our new theme comes under the banner of 'Sharing the Planet' and is about how human made materials affect the environment. We will be looking at the properties of materials and how natural materials differ from ones that are made by humans. It will also involve investigating the advantages of human made materials such as plastic in order to answer the question as to why we continue to use environmentally damaging materials.

In Literacy, we are studying legends, particularly George and the Dragon this week. Children are familiarising themselves with legendary plots and vocabulary, leading up to writing their own.

In Maths we are learning ways of tackling word problems including addition, subtraction, multiplication and division.

Please remember that the children have a swimming lesson once a week this half term. If they have Mr Blake then their swimming lesson is on Tuesday. If they have Mrs Gates then their swimming lesson is on Wednesday.

Please also be reminded that the Year 3 sleepover is coming up later on this half term. The children will be staying in the school boarding houses for one night from Thursday 10th March to Friday 11th March. We will be sending out a schedule and packing list, etc, in the weeks prior to the sleepover. However, you are invited to an information meeting on Tuesday next week, 23rd February at 8:15am. Here you will find out more information about the trip and have the opportunity to ask questions.

New Policies

The school has updated its behaviour and homework policies. You can view them here:

Homework: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1yupJmxNO72InT5IVn9mmAvh2v0gi_P-a6Mj9Dj9pEIk/edit?usp=sharing
Behaviour: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1K-4uitQBWP2W4OAv28C8pU5utrPjIttS6rlbUYvVgts/edit?usp=sharing

Here are some messages from the library:

READY FOR WORLD BOOK DAY?

On 3rd March we will celebrate World Book Day, with various activities and we hope to see some wonderful costumes for 'Dress Up as Your Favourite Book Character'! So start thinking about your costume! Last year we had some amazing ones, all across the school, and we are very much looking forward to this year's celebration!
Some ideas for costumes here if you need: https://www.pinterest.com/ccolson0086/dress-up-as-your-favourite-book-character-ideas/

PICTURE BOOK COMPETITION IS ON!

The ReadingZone Picture Book Competition in the UK, that BISP took part in last year, is back!
For students to enter, they have to create their own story and illustrations (drawings/collages/colour/black and white etc), on A4 paper (portrait, not landscape). 24 pages maximum. They may create as a duo, a group, a whole class, or by themselves.
We had some fabulous entries last year and Eden (currently in Y2) came runner up in this competition! We are very much looking forward to seeing the wonderful books our students will create this year.
Deadline: 1st April (we have to send all entries to the UK before the due date in mid-April, so we are asking for all books to be handed in to Miss Colson by the 1st April).
For more details and info: please contact Cindy Colson: ccolson@bisphuket.ac.th

No PE, Sports Day, Presentations and Chinese New Year

Tomorrow (Wednesday) is KS1 Sports Day so there will be no PE for Year 3. Children should wear their school uniforms.

Reminder: Thursday is KS2 Sports Day. Children needs hats, water bottles, sun cream and colour team shirts.

On Friday, you are invited to the pod to see some of the work the children have done this term with their inquiry about how we express ourselves. We will begin at 8:15.

Also on Friday we are celebrating Chinese New Year and so the children have the option of wear a suitable costume if they wish.

Sports Day, presentations, sleepover meeting and swimming

In Year 3 we have been working hard all term on our inquiry about how we express ourselves through art and other things. The children are in the middle of preparing their final projects and we would like to invite you to come and see them on Friday 5th February at 8:15am. This is their chance to show you the work they have done and explain their ideas.

Thursday 4th February is the Key Stage 2 Sports Day. Please remind them that they should wear their team shirts, and they need hats, suncream and water bottles.

After the half-term break, students will resume their swimming lessons in one of their PE slots. It will be on the same day they had it in term 1, either Tuesday or Wednesday. As before, they should bring their swimming gear in a bag with goggles and a towel. They should wear their normal school uniform, change for swimming and then change back into their uniform after swimming.

We would like to announce the dates of the Year 3 sleepover. They are Thursday 10th to Friday 11th March. We would like to invite you to an information meeting on Tuesday 23rd February where we will give you more information and you will have the opportunity to ask questions.

Fractions, 3MW assembly

This week we have moved onto studying fractions in Maths. In this unit, the students draw fractions of their own and say what fraction of shapes are shaded. They will also move on to finding fractions of numbers and solving word problems to do with fractions. Using fractions strips, they will identify equivalent fractions and convert between improper fractions and mixed numbers. For more information on this unit, please see the Year 3 website:

https://sites.google.com/a/bisphuket.ac.th/year3/subjects/numeracy

Some date reminders:

3MW Assembly is on Friday this week, (22nd January)
KS2 Sports Day is on Thursday 4th February

Expressing our Feelings

Last week we were very lucky to have a number of different arts teachers from across the school talking about and demonstrating how they express feelings through their art. Miss Lester and Miss Coulson talked about their own art as part of a workshop on Wednesday. Miss Merja played some very thoughtful and expressive pieces on the piano on Thursday, and Mr Evans did a drama workshop on Friday where the children expressed different emotions through body language. They gave us some great ideas that we are now using as part of our own classwork.

In Literacy we are using poetry as a way of expressing feelings. As part of their homework, the students have been asked to learn one poem from the Year 3 website so that they can do a recital in class. The poems they can choose from are here:

https://sites.google.com/a/bisphuket.ac.th/year3/children-s-work/performance-poetry-videos-and-links

Friday 22nd January is 3MW's assembly where we will be sharing some of our work so far.

Another date for your diary is Sports Day on Thursday 4th February.

Happy New Year!

We hope you all had a relaxing and enjoyable holiday. This is going to be a busy term, including some class assemblies and our Year 3 sleepover- more information to follow.

We have some new students starting in Year 3. They are:

Zlata Pustoshinskaya
Daniel Ottovedzhio
Aiyapon Promkuea Na Phattalung

As always, we hope everyone will make them feel welcome and help out where needed.

This term we are starting a new theme that we have not done before. The title of this theme is 'We Express Ourselves in Different Ways'. In this theme the children will be learning about how artists use their talents to express themselves. This is to include visual arts, drama, dance, poetry, music as well as other aspects of the 'Arts'.

In Maths we are starting a unit on division. By the end of this unit we hope that most students will at least be able to divide 2 and 3-digit numbers by a single digit. Mostly, this will be division using a number line. For an explanation of how it works, please see this page of the Primary Numeracy website:

https://sites.google.com/a/bisphuket.ac.th/primarymaths/year-3/dividing-year-3

Photographs and Film afternoon

This is final week of term and students will finish school at 1pm on Friday. We are coming to the end of our Theme and they are spending a lot of time this week finishing their projects this week.

The children's photographs are scheduled for tomorrow (Thursday) and so they should make sure they are in the proper school uniform.

Children should have received their activities forms for next term. Please make sure they are returned to school before the end of this week.

To celebrate the end of term, children will be having a movie afternoon on Thursday with popcorn.

Wishing you a good holiday and all the best for the festive season. School will resume on Tuesday 5th January.  Please remind the children to keep reading their books every day.