From the Preschool/Elementary School Principal

 

This past week has been bursting with activity - with the promise of many more exciting events to come for the children across all the grade levels in the remaining two and half weeks, from Preschool through to Grade 5. Two of this week’s activities stand out for what they have to tell us about the role of joy in learning and the importance of real-life contexts in supporting learning of depth, quality and complexity.

Preschool Sports Day

“I love to run. Look how fast I can go. Watch how far I can run!”

The Preschool Sports Day took place on Thursday morning. With perfect weather conditions serving as the backdrop, the Preschool children put on a spectacular display of physical skill, personal effort and sportsmanship. The many parents and family members in attendance (as well as a large group of Grade 4 and Middle School students) were treated to a hugely joyous occasion. The children threw themselves into the various activities, whether that was tug-of-war, the caber toss, the long jump and more. The little boy who was keen to show me how fast he could run was just one example of how all the children approached the event. He had no interest in showing me that he was faster or stronger or better than the other children in his group. Instead, all he wanted to do was run as fast as he could - which had the effect of encouraging those around him to want to do the same. The key, though, was that they were sharing the experience of running together, rather than turning it into a competition that would rank them one against the other. In this way, all the children were able to enjoy all of the activities, regardless of whether or not their jump was the furthest or if their team “won” the tug-of-war. Enjoying the moment - it brings out the best in us and in others.

Grade 1 Lemonade Stand

“But Mr. K, that’s not the only reason we’ve added ice cubes!”

This week’s Grade 1 Lemonade sale was many things at once. It was an exercise in writing and persuasion (when they asked me for the loan to buy materials and ingredients). It was a mathematical exploration. It was a food science task, as well as an important lesson in applied scientific conceptual understanding of displacement (more on that later). It was also a lesson in internationalism, especially when some of our students were confused that there was no mint on the list of necessary ingredients for lemonade!

Activities such as these underscore the value in situating learning in real-life contexts. The world is a complex place, and problems are often solved using skills from across a wide range of “subjects”. The multiple lessons learned from the activities that constitute the Lemonade Stand project will have a much more lasting and profound impact because they were learned in this way, rather than asking the students to simply plod their way through a series of worksheets or turning page after page in a textbook. 

From a loan of £45, the children managed to make and sell enough lemonade to bring in over £250! They have paid off the interest (one aspect of their financial maths) and will now calculate how much money they will donate to WaterAid. They will also walk away knowing that they are savvy businessmen and women, too; after all, they added the ice so that is not only refreshing and enticing, but because they learned about displacement - and how it would make it seem like the customer was getting more lemonade per portion than they actually were! 

The Elementary School Band & Choir Spring Concert

This coming Monday (May 29) will be the day of the ES Band & Choir Spring Concert. It will take place in the QET from 2:15pm (doors will open at 2:00pm). This will mean that there will be NO Monday morning assembly on the 29th. The next Monday morning assembly will be June 5.