RUNFOR HUGO Update

RUN FOR HUGO Events

Thank you for your support of our Term 3 MAD project, RUN FOR HUGO, a fundraiser for Australian Mitochondrial Disease Foundation research into this devastating disease.

May 29 is now the Uniform Free Day for our first RUN FOR HUGO fundraiser

• This has been changed from the planned 22/5 day because our amazing community ordered so many t-shirts.  We need an extra week to get them here.  Nursery to Year 6 students are invited to wear their RUN FOR HUGO t-shirts or pay a 'fine' of 50THB (for the cause) to come in casual clothes.
• 5AH will run an assembly that includes information about mitochondrial disease and the marathon on this day and we will get some photos of everyone in their blue t-shirts.
• Students will bring home a sponsorship form for the marathon the following week.  

June 5 is our RUN FOR HUGO 'mini-marathon' Nursery to Year 6.

• Everyone wears their RUN FOR HUGO t-shirts again.
• Sponsorship forms come back. Family and friends are invited to sponsor (per the number of marathons completed) or make a donation to this important cause.
• Mr Richards will open the event at 8:15am by MTB.
• Hugo and his brother Josh, will run the first lap.  
• Every year level will have a half hour time allocation (before break) to add to our cumulative running total.  We will be recording everyone's lap/s and calculating how many marathons we have run.
• Year 6 will be first, and then go back to the secondary school. The schedule for other year levels will be released soon.
• Parents are welcome to run with their children if they are keen.

Thanks again for your support

Karen

kcornelius@bisphuket.ac.th

Multiplication, Mapping and MAD

This week the children have been busy making arrays to show their understanding of multiplication. They have also been applying their multiplication skills through going shopping in the Pod vegetable shop, calculating how much multiple items would cost, showing their working out, selecting coins and giving change. When calculating using multiplication we use lots of different vocabulary for example;  'groups of', 'times', 'sets of' and  'multiplied by'.

Calculating using multiplication

Making an array with rocks

The children did some peer teaching, thinking how they could help their friends learn about arrays. This meant they had to explain their methods. Next week they will apply their arrays to work out division problems.


The children have also been busy mapping the classroom and playground and giving directions from one location to another using language such as; right, left, quarter turn, half turn, anti-clockwise, clockwise, forwards, straight etc. They discovered that directions need to be precise and need to include turns and measurements. We will be continuing this by measuring using metres and centimetres. It is not only teachers and children who are following directions-the pro-bots are also being directed to follow a route. To do this the children need to program them accurately using code.

Creating maps of the playground

This week as part of our MAD project each Year 2 class teamed up with a Year 1 class to visit the boat-IXDOS which is being renovated on the school grounds. The aim is for the boat to sail to islands to give vaccinations. The children observed the boat closely creating detailed sketches and of course went on board to see the work being done. This may lead into some interesting projects where the children can Make A Difference!

A huge WELL DONE to our Year 2 Stars of the Week this week!

Year 2 Trip

Next week, on Thursday morning we will be taking Year 2 on a trip to visit The Big Buddha. As part of our learning we will be finding out about natural and man-made features on Phuket and mapping their locations. The Big Buddha is a great man-made feature for us to observe and the views from the Big Buddha will help the children plot it's location.

Please make sure that you have signed and returned the permission letter so that your child can attend the trip.


Dates for your Diary

Thursday 29th January - Year 2 trip to The Big Buddha

Thursday 5th February, 8:30-9:30 - Year 2 Parents workshop - Maths strategies

Tuesday 10th February - Key Stage One Sports Day

Friday 13th February - Chinese New Year celebrations. Children should come to school wearing Red clothes. Last day of half term. School finishes at 2:35. Mid term break begins.

Will you go MAD?

You may have heard that children are going MAD at school. Don't worry-this doesn't mean they are going crazy, it actually means they are doing a good thing - Making A Difference!

MAD means Make A Difference

In Year 2 the children are helping to Make A Difference in our school community. As the children move up through the school they will Make A Difference beyond the school community, with projects across Phuket.

Each week 3 children from each class are randomly chosen to be MAD for the week. They meet up to decide how they can help and follow this up with action. So far the children have read to younger children, taken care of plants in the school environment, recycled rubbish and assisted with Music. There is a noticeboard in the Pod showing which children have gone MAD and what they have been doing so far.

We have intensified the pace of our research into living and non-living things, focussing on the key characteristics shared by all living things. The children have been working hard in their groups to find information. They are becoming aware of the need to find new and even surprising information. It turns out that baby hedgehogs are called hoglets and that horses have amazing memories, even better than elephants it would appear.

We are very pleased with how keen the children are to read at school. Many are using different strategies to help them but most rely on Phonics at this stage-saying the sounds in a word and blending the sounds together. We have noticed that the children are often over-pronouncing sounds which is making it more difficult for them to blend. Children are adding an 'uh' sound to all their letter sounds. The video below explains this and shows the correct pronunciation of English sounds.

If you help your child say the sounds or listen to them please be aware of this.

Thank you to those of you who have kindly offered your spare time to come and read with the students.  The students are really enjoying going out to read with you. 

On Monday there will be a Reading Workshop for parents who want to help children read.

Parent Workshop 'Supporting Reading at School'. All parents who would like to assist with reading in KS1 are welcome to attend. 08:00-09:30. Primary Hall. 

We hope you may consider going along and become interested in Reading with the children at school.