From the Preschool/Elementary Principal

 

*This week's images include some Grade 2 students reading, the Lion Dance (be sure to ask your child about the lettuce on the floor), some lucky Grade 5 students with their lettuce bits, some examples of Grade 1 writing and Grade 2 printwork, speech bubbles in diverse languages written by students for International Mother Language Day and a few examples of Story Spoons (including a sneak peek at some teachers working on their spoons).

Swim Gala

Today marked the end of the swimming unit in PE for the Grade 4 & Grade 5 students. To celebrate the enormous progress made by each and every child in those grade levels, the students participated in our annual G4/G5 Swim Gala. This is a wonderful event which showcases the value of an inclusive approach to education, regardless of the subject area, whether that’s in literacy, mathematics, art, music, drama, languages, science, social studies or PE: every child was able to demonstrate how much they have learned and progressed with their skills. Perhaps even more importantly, I was struck by the kindness and generosity of spirit on display, with children congratulating each other on their swimming achievements, regardless of their ability levels. It was hugely uplifting to observe the children giving each other high fives/fist bumps and cheering each other on enthusiastically or, in some cases, consoling an upset classmate. The ISA Values were well and truly on display inside and alongside the pool today. Please congratulate your children on our behalf - and a huge thank you to all the teachers, swimming instructors and lifeguards who make this event possible. Special thanks must go to Clare Hodder for organising and running our amazing Swim Gala!

Phones & Smart Watches in the Elementary School

A few children have asked about whether Elementary School students should have phones out at school. I’d like to remind everyone that there is no reason for a child to ever have a phone out at school. This includes smart watches and any other device that is capable of taking photos/videos and/or connecting to the internet. If there ever needs to be communication between parents/carers and children, this will always be done through the reception desk. If a child needs to access a camera or internet-connected device for learning purposes, they will always be provided with a school device that has the appropriate settings and access privileges. Please note that if a child has a phone or smart watch or similar device out at school at any time, they will be asked to leave it with their classroom teacher (or another member of the ISA team) until it can be taken home at the end of the school day. Please let Mr. Kajiwara know if you have any questions about this.

Child Protection & Safeguarding Refresher

This week, a number of our teachers and leadership team took part in a refresher course regarding Safeguarding and Child Protection in the school setting. It was organised and run by Aberlour, a charity dedicated to protecting children in Scotland. Among other things, we were reminded of the importance of sharing with parents and carers what Scottish law says about childcare and babysitting, as well as physical punishment, as this can differ around the world. Please use the links to find out more. If you have any questions, please do let us know.

World Book Day & Story Spoons

World Book Day will be recognised on Thursday, March 7. In preparation for this day, the children and teachers will create Story Spoons as part of the ISA Great Spoon Challenge (letter). Some children have already finished their spoons (see some of the Grade 2 examples in the images above), while others will be working on them during the school day soon. A few children have asked for reassurance that they can ask a parent or sibling for some help in crafting their spoon character. Should they ask, please let them know that this is perfectly acceptable. The theme(s) for this year’s book day is Reading Aloud and Reading for Pleasure.

Start & End of the School Day

I’d like to remind everyone that the school day begins at 8:15am. If a class has a specialist lesson first thing in the morning, the specialist teacher is expecting to be able to start the lesson at 8:20am. In order for all the children to get the most out of each lesson, each day and each week, it is important that everyone gets to school on time so we can start each day in sync. As you might imagine, having to pause and adjust for late arrivals can be disruptive to the learning process - not to mention the learning time that is missed when starting the day later than everyone else. We understand that there can be the occasional, unforeseen event which can delay arrival at ISA. If there is anything you might need support with, please get in touch. 

Pick-up time is 3:00pm (unless, of course, your child has an after school activity, in which case the collection time is 4:00pm). We ask that you arrive on time at the end of the day, too, so that our teachers can proceed to their tasks and/or meetings on time. Thank you, in advance, for your consideration in this matter.