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Student Voices 🎙️
Take a break from reading and tune in. This week, we’re handing the mic to Genevieve for the latest news from the Head of Primary. Sit back, listen, and catch all the updates from the past week, delivered in style.
Turning Pages to Success 📚
How ISB Primary reads between the lines for literacy excellence.
I am proud to share that reading and literacy are some of our school’s greatest strengths. Our success in teaching reading comes down to a combination of highly effective strategies that we implement consistently to ensure every child thrives. From the earliest years, we place a strong emphasis on phonics to build essential reading foundations. This structured approach helps children quickly grasp how sounds form words, giving them a confident start to their reading journey.
As a school, we ensure that every classroom is equipped with high-quality reading materials that engage students and deepen their love for reading. Our curriculum prioritises literacy skills, guiding students to become proficient readers with a rich vocabulary. At ISB, we’re dedicated to supporting all learners. If a student needs extra help, we offer specialised support through our expert staff, who work individually and in small groups to address specific needs. This targeted approach helps every child succeed at their own pace.
We believe in a strong home-school partnership and encourage parents to foster reading habits at home. We promote a love of reading within the school community, nurturing a culture of literacy that extends beyond the classroom.
Our comprehensive overview of reading at ISB includes:
Foundations of Reading 🧱
The importance of: Talk 🗣️
The importance of: Vocabulary 💬
The importance of: Phonics 🔤
The Importance of: Guided Reading 📚
Celebrating Success 🙌
How can you continue to support at home? 🏠
The Importance of: VIPERS 🐍
The Importance of: Home Readers 📔
The Importance of: Book Bands 🌈
Return from the Jungle ⛺️
Everyone returned very tired and quite stinky....
Year 5 had an incredible time exploring the jungle this week, diving into the wonders of nature and embracing the challenges of the great outdoors. From spotting unique wildlife to splashing around in the river, they made unforgettable memories and grew closer as a team. It’s been a week full of adventure, excitement, and lots of laughs!
A BIG shoutout to our adults on this trip. These wonderful human beings are organising, supporting and dealing with all children with the most caring and considerate manner. The children are having a good time. They are going to be exhausted on their return.
Mr Rossow (Head of Year 5)
Join us on the 15th... 🗓️
We’re excited to invite you to our upcoming Celebration of Learning event. It’s a fantastic opportunity for you to step back into the classroom, although this time, you get to be the guest and not the student.
Our students are looking forward to playing the role of host and sharing their learning journey with you. They’ve been working hard to prepare, and nothing makes them prouder than showing off what they’ve learned (and maybe even teaching you a thing or two). During this event, you’ll get a glimpse into not just what your children are learning but why they learn it. You’ll see how lessons are carefully crafted to support their growth, creativity, and curiosity.
No tests or surprise assignments, we promise.
So, mark your calendars and get ready to relive a little bit of school life through the eyes of your child. We can’t wait to welcome you back to class and celebrate all that your children have achieved on Friday 15th November.
Barvember 2024 continues...
Kudos to our Barvember Maths stars 🎉
A huge congratulations to all families who’ve taken on the Barvember Maths challenges this week. It’s wonderful to see so many of you getting involved.
Remember, new challenges are posted daily on Seesaw, and all weekly questions are available on the Primary Newsfeed for the whole ISB community here:
If you’re curious about how we teach Maths at ISB, check out our resources to see how we build strong foundations and problem solving skills. And, for the daring, Question 5 has been a real brain-teaser, we’d love to know if any of you solve it. Thanks for making Barvember a success so far. 👏
Weekly Spotlight 🔦
This week, I would like to shine a spotlight on the incredible work of our resources team. Often working behind the scenes, Jo, Kelvin, Hamizah, Alicia, Athena, Hazwan, Roy, and Joyce play a vital role in ensuring that our students always have access to the highest quality learning materials whenever they’re needed. Whether it’s sourcing specialist items or simply ensuring our classrooms are fully stocked with everyday essentials, their commitment makes a big difference in our school.
Our resources team often receives some of the more obscure requests from our teaching teams, from hard-to-find science kits to interactive geography maps, child-sized cooking utensils, unique art supplies, and even miniature gardening tools for our outdoor learning programmes. Each of these items enriches students' learning experiences, and the resources team always pulls out all the stops to make sure we have what we need, no matter how challenging the request. Many of these items require overseas purchasing, which can be challenging due to availability and shipping times. However, their determination and creativity mean that, even with these obstacles, they consistently deliver exactly what’s needed.
Please join us in thanking our resources team for their dedication, hard work, and relentless commitment to supporting our students' learning journey. We are grateful for all they do. 👏 👏
It's been a busy week 🤩
This week Year 6 have been creating electrical circuits and explored 'life after oil', Year 5 have been on camp, Year 4 have been editing their story mountains, Year 3 have been performing poetry, Year 2 have been defining what it means to recycle, Year 1 have been learning all about Brunei weather, Reception have been very green fingered, Kindy have been mashing potatoes and Pre Kindy have been developing their Makaton sign Language.
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 Genevieve 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.
🗓️ Throughout November - Barvember Maths challenges
🗓️ Wednesday 13th November - BJSL Athletics in Tutong (BJSL Squad)
🗓️ Friday 15th November - Celebration of Learning morning
🗓️ Friday 15th November - Yr4 Parent Workshop hosted by school counsellors
🗓️ Friday 15th November - Yr5 Parent Workshop: Devices for Term 2
🗓️ Sunday 24th November - ISB Family Walkathon
🗓️ Friday 6th December - Last day of term
🗓️ Tuesday 7th January - Term 2 begins