Head of Primary Message Week 10

Michael Everett
Oct 31, 2024
5 min read

Updated: Nov 6, 2024

Student Voices 🎙️

Take a break from reading and tune in. This week, we’re handing the mic to Yosef for the latest news from the Head of Primary. Sit back, listen, and catch all the updates from the past week, delivered in style.

Yosef from Year 6

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Introducing...

Our New Student Leadership Teams

We are thrilled to announce the new members of our Student Leadership teams, who have now begun their roles, bringing fresh ideas and energy to our school community. Through a careful selection process, these students from Years 3 to 6 have demonstrated a passion for leadership, responsibility, and service, and they are excited to start making a positive impact.

Our Student Council 🗣️ members are now actively representing their year groups, meeting weekly to provide valuable feedback to staff and planning events that enhance our school experience. In their distinctive blue shirts, they will be easy to spot and always ready to lend a hand to new students. With a small budget to manage, they are already exploring ways to make a meaningful difference through charitable initiatives and school improvements.

Our Lunchtime Rangers 🤠 are enthusiastically organising playground activities for students of all ages, helping to create a fun, inclusive environment during breaks. Wearing their special caps, they will bring excitement and creativity to the playground. With a budget to support new games and activities, they are eager to make lunchtimes enjoyable for everyone.

We are proud of each member of our Student Council and Lunchtime Ranger teams for stepping up to lead and support their peers. Their contributions not only enhance our school community today but also help them build essential skills for the future. Please join us in congratulating our new student leaders as they embark on this important journey.

A special congratulations to Dhaatri, Elmyra, Eskil, Gabi, Hana, Ila, Isla, Jason, Lanaa, Malek, Natalie, Olivia, Rayan, Scarlett, and Yuna : 🗣️ Student Council

As well as Arshan, Ayman, Bryce, Clara, Eshan, Fauzi, Fayrouz, Haris, Ibraheem, Mia, Richelle, Stanley and Theodore : 🤠 Lunchtime Rangers

Into the Jungle ⛺️

We are thrilled to share our excitement as the Year 5 team prepares to embark on their much anticipated residential. These excursions are more than just a break from the classroom; they offer invaluable opportunities for students to grow in independence, deepen their connection with the environment, and build lasting friendships.

The adventure begins with river activities, followed by an exciting scavenger hunt and a night walk, setting the stage for exploration and teamwork.

Students will enjoy a rainforest discovery trek, practice essential life skills during dinner prep, and continue with river activities. In the evening, they’ll learn about local culture through an Iban dance and test their knowledge in a fun quiz.

We’ll wrap up with a day of unique experiences: blowpipe practice, arts and crafts, fishing, and even dessert making, perfect for sparking creativity and teamwork.

Our Year 5 staff team is truly looking forward to sharing these experiences with the students and supporting them in every challenge and new discovery. We can’t wait to see the growth and memories this trip will foster.

Barvember is here! 👏

As we kick off November, the first set of Barvember questions and answers are now live on the Primary Newsfeed and Seesaw. Congratulations to everyone who solved last week’s warm-up questions. We’re excited to see how you tackle this month’s challenges for Barvember 2024. Remember, not all questions are intended for every student to solve alone, feel free to ask an adult at home for help and support.

Barvember Questions & Answers

Weekly Spotlight 🔦

This week, I would like to celebrate the work of our Year 5 and Year 6 Learning Assistants. Ms Rohini, Ms Dharsh, Ms Theresa, Ms Laura, Ms Mathilda, and Ms Hazimah bring a depth of technical expertise that goes beyond traditional classroom support. With a robust understanding of how the brain learns, they apply principles from cognitive science to reinforce memory retention, scaffold knowledge, and nurture each student’s potential. They adeptly utilise strategies like spaced repetition and retrieval practice to help concepts stick, ensuring that students build strong foundations in all subjects. Their understanding of working memory allows them to tailor support in real-time, breaking down complex tasks and minimising cognitive overload, which helps students remain focused and engaged.

Our Learning Assistants are also skilled in fostering self-regulation and metacognitive practices, helping students learn not only what to think but how to think more effectively. Through questioning techniques that encourage reflection, they guide students in tracking their own learning, setting personal goals, and developing the resilience to tackle challenging topics. This insight driven approach makes their support invaluable across all subjects, as they enable students to become confident, independent learners.

Thank you to our Year 5 and Year 6 Learning Assistants for your expertise, patience, and dedication. You make an incredible difference every day. 👏 👏

It's been a busy week 🤩

This week Year 6 have been creating similes; creating similes is like building bridges with words, connecting ideas in a way that lets us cross from one thought to another with ease and imagination. Year 5 have been preparing for camp, Year 4 have been publishing their writing, Year 3 have been following in the footsteps of Howard Carter, exploring inside a pyramid to see what treasures were inside. Year 2 have been calculating ten more and ten less, Year 1 have been making and writing systematic number bonds, Reception have been very much in the dark and also planting outside. Kindy have been exploring the ISB campus and Pre Kindy have been unwrapping aluminium foil to find the surprise inside.

If you have any questions about any aspect of school life, please do not hesitate to message in Seesaw.

Mr Michael Everett | Head of Primary

(and Yosef in Yr6)

👥 If you would like to discuss any aspect of your child’s learning, please feel free to book a meeting with me at your convenience, either in person or online. A scheduling link can be found in the Useful Links section pinned to the top of your Seesaw account.