Week 9 - October 25, 2017
Last week, Deepali Agarwal, Namya's mum from PK4 came to the class and explained to the students what Diwali is and the significance it has in Indian culture. The children were able to sample some traditional Indian food and saw a display that celebrates the Festival of Lights. It is great to see parents sharing their experiences and culture with students in order to expand their knowledge and understanding of other cultures and traditions. If you would like to learn more about Diwali you can read about it by following this link.
Inquiry based learning
Central to the philosophy of the new curriculum that we plan to introduce, is the concept of Inquiry Based Learning. But what is Inquiry Based Learning?
From a student point-of-view, inquiry-based learning focuses on investigating an open question or problem. They must use evidence-based reasoning and creative problem-solving to reach a conclusion, which they must defend or present.
From a teacher point-of-view, inquiry-based teaching focuses on moving students beyond general curiosity into the realms of critical thinking and understanding. They must encourage students to ask questions and support them through the investigation process, understanding when to begin and how to structure an inquiry activity.
This short video clip explains what Inquiry Based Learning is from the perspective of Kath Murdoch a leading educator in the area.
Last week, Deepali Agarwal, Namya's mum from PK4 came to the class and explained to the students what Diwali is and the significance it has in Indian culture. The children were able to sample some traditional Indian food and saw a display that celebrates the Festival of Lights. It is great to see parents sharing their experiences and culture with students in order to expand their knowledge and understanding of other cultures and traditions. If you would like to learn more about Diwali you can read about it by following this link.
Inquiry based learning
Central to the philosophy of the new curriculum that we plan to introduce, is the concept of Inquiry Based Learning. But what is Inquiry Based Learning?
From a student point-of-view, inquiry-based learning focuses on investigating an open question or problem. They must use evidence-based reasoning and creative problem-solving to reach a conclusion, which they must defend or present.
From a teacher point-of-view, inquiry-based teaching focuses on moving students beyond general curiosity into the realms of critical thinking and understanding. They must encourage students to ask questions and support them through the investigation process, understanding when to begin and how to structure an inquiry activity.
This short video clip explains what Inquiry Based Learning is from the perspective of Kath Murdoch a leading educator in the area.
21st century learning - The importance of "soft skills"
Additionally, we need to ensure that our students are not only gaining the knowledge and skills they need to thrive in modern society but they also need to gain an understanding of how and why. Some of the skills that have been identified as being crucial to survival in the years to come and what future employers will be looking for, are what we call "soft skills". These are explained in the video clip below.
Student Services News
It takes a village
We’ve all heard that “it takes a village” to raise a child — but how do parents manage the village? How do you make sure your mother-in-law is enforcing the same rules you are? How do you explain your child’s individual needs to the caregiver? Parents often ask me these questions; here are some tips for getting the most from your support network. If you would like to read the full article please follow this link.
How children learn when you join them for screen time
As parents, we spend a lot of time worrying about our kids. Are they sleeping enough? Are they meeting their milestones? Are they eating healthy — or in my case, are they going to eat any of the lunch I packed this morning at all? And when it comes to screens, parents not only worry about the time their kids spend with screens, but we also tend to feel guilty for the time we allow. We worry that watching TV or playing games on the iPad takes away from real-life experiences. We worry about the messages media is sending our children about who they are and who they should be. We worry that our kids are not being social, not getting enough fresh air, not learning. If you would like to read the full article please follow this link.
Technology Tips
Apps for kids – do your homework. More than 80,000 apps are labeled as educational, but little research has demonstrated their actual quality. Products pitched as "interactive" should require more than "pushing and swiping." Look to organizations like Common Sense Media for reviews about age-appropriate apps, games and programs to guide you in making the best choices for your children.
Host families for CEESA
During the academic 2017 / 2018 NOVA International School will send teams to more than fifteen international CEESA events and tournaments, and will host three events. Hosting these events is a great honor for us, but it is also a test of our ability to provide many visiting students with NOVA host family accommodations for 3 or 4 nights. Therefore, we are kindly asking if you would be willing to host two (or more) visiting students in your home for at least one of these events. You can find the list of the events, expectations from host families as well as the sign up form for host families on this LINK. Please contact the CEESA Athletics Director and Activities Coordinator Mr. Aleksandar Ristovski via email at aleksandar.ristovski@nova.edu.mk for more information. Thank you for your support.
Halloween
Halloween is fast approaching and it is great to see that some of the classroom doors have already been decorated. Just a reminder that students can come to school dressed in their costume and remain in it for the entire day, except for when they have PE or dance classes.
I have repeated the information that was sent out last week for your information below.
PTA News - Halloween
Halloween is almost here! We will celebrate this fun tradition on Halloween Day, which is October 31. Our Elementary and Middle School Students (EMS) will experience a slightly new format outlined below.
Door Decorating Contest From October 16th until October 31st- We will have a Door Decorating Competition for each class. Willing class parents with the support of Home room teachers will assist students in decorating their classroom doors in a Halloween theme. Decorations can be donated by families. If classrooms request help, please contact PTA@Nova.edu.mk
Costumes all day- Students will be allowed to attend school dressed in their Halloween costumes and wear them for the entire day. As in years past, we ask that no overly grotesque masks are worn, and accessories are discouraged.
Trick or Treating- Teachers will take their students, as time permits, during the day on October 31 to participating classrooms for Trick-or-Treating. Students are responsible to bring their own Trick or Treat bag. Parent donated candy will be collected by the individual teachers and dispersed in a fair and responsible way.
Costume Parade- At 3:30 pm, there will be a costume parade in the EMS auditorium where students will have an opportunity to showcase their costumes and parents can take photos and capture the memories of this fun school day.
Parental Considerations:-
- Please donate door decoration materials to your homeroom class; you will receive communication from your homeroom teacher about the project and the decorations items needed.
- Please donate store bought, individually wrapped candy for trick or treat to your homeroom class teacher. Donations of candy will be accepted the week of October 24th until the morning of October 31st.
-Please donate your time: You are very welcome to offer your help to your homeroom teacher with the classroom door decorations and/or join teachers and PTA volunteers in distributing candy on the 31st to our students during their trick or treat journey! Simply contact your homeroom teacher or room parent if you are able to help.
World Teachers’ Day - This Friday 27th October
The United Nations' (UN) World Teachers' Day celebrates the role teachers play in providing quality education at all levels. This enables children and adults of all ages to learn to take part in and contribute to their local community and global society. To learn more about the day please follow this link.
Florence Garrett - International swimming competition
Finally, I am very pleased to share a webpage that links to one of our school volunteers who is participating in an International Swimming Competition this week in Paris. Florence Garrett will be participating in the DSISO European Swimming Championships later this week. We all wish her well as she heads off to Paris on Saturday. If you would like to follow her progress, you can follow this link.
ESL news and celebrations
The ESL students from both grades 3 and 4 were learning about what a community is and which community helpers make our lives better and easier. After reading The ABC of Jobs by Roger Priddy, they learned the steps of the writing process and created their own, brand new versions of that book! They brainstormed, shared ideas, learned new vocabulary, touched upon revising and editing and finally reached the publishing stage.
It was a long and difficult process, but their creativity and persistence paid off. Now we have three different versions that students can read and enjoy. If you are interested, you will be able to check the books out of the ES Library as of next week. We are all very proud of our ESL students!
Photos this week
This week's photos feature the students from Grade 3 and 4 ESL as well as PreK4 and their Diwali presentation. I hope you enjoy them.
Russell O'Neill
EMS Principal