The close of another fantastic week of learning, it is wonderful to see children of all ages actively engaged in their individualised learning pathways. There is an incredible amount of work being posted to Seesaw each day, with a total of 54,360 items received since the start of the academic year. This is an incredible achievement and one that the entire ISB community can be very proud of.
Next week is Wellbeing Week, an opportunity to shine a light on the important issues of mental health and wellbeing across our community. The newly rebranded ‘House and Wellbeing’ folders on Seesaw will contain activities throughout the week to encourage students to consider their own self-care and wellbeing. It is not suggested that students add these activities to an already busy schedule, rather they take time out to focus on themselves. If a student chooses to engage in one of the wellbeing activities in place of another piece of work, this is an excellent idea.
Talking to others about feelings is not a sign of weakness, in fact, quite the opposite. As a school, we regularly invite students to share their feelings and emotions. We help students to recognise and articulate their feelings as a mechanism for ensuring positive wellbeing. Throughout next week, Iwona Krasa (Education Research and Innovation Lead: Wellbeing) will be sharing resources linked to Zones of Regulation. This is a provision which has been successfully implemented in our Early Years environment and is beginning to permeate throughout Primary.
Throughout Wellbeing Week, we will also be hosting a variety of community events. Details will be shared with families. Mr Smith has shared access to the amazing school productions online. This is a wonderful opportunity to explore the talents of our students across Primary and Secondary.
This week, we shine a spotlight on Year 5 who have taken us on a trip down memory lane with a beautiful rendition on the Piano Steps, stayed physically active and improved their ball handling skills, demonstrated new moves and performed together, celebrated successes, made music and created instruments, conversed in multiple languages, calculated and problem solved, instructed and demonstrated, created and invented, cooked and tasted, drawn in multiple perspectives and used colour to excite, written new stories and shared how they are feeling, read for research and for pleasure, read aloud to entertain, experimented with magma and lava and that was just this week.
This term, Mrs Hawkins (Associate Assistant Head: Language) has introduced Free Writing Friday across Primary. Freewriting is a tool to help writers as it removes the need to follow a prescribed structure. It is designed to be a wonderful key that unlocks the writer within. Each Friday, teachers inspire students but also allow the freedom to write, draw, photograph, narrate or capture ideas in any way they want. Seesaw provides a wonderful platform for this, and we have been so impressed with the posts being returned. We have received feedback from parents that their children have a new-found love of writing, and this is so pleasing to hear. Students are invited to make up their own stories, write notes, put down interesting facts that might make a great story, create drawings, write down quotes from books or films. Students can create comic strips, design super-heroes or re-write their favourite stories. Creations can be long or short, independent or assisted, neat or full of doodles, realistic or completely fictional.
Thank you for your continued support. If you have any questions, queries or concerns, it is my job to listen. Please do not hesitate to contact me.
Mr Michael Everett | Head of Primary