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Welcome to our new post about the exciting happenings in MP’s everyday life at school! These past weeks have been full of excitement, learning and joy in MP! The children have been happily engaged in lots of activities, so let me tell you all about it!
First of all, we are thrilled to introduce our newest member, Timofei, who just joined our Year 4 group all the way from Russia!
During this term we have continued expanding our knowledge in IPC with a very captivating topic called “Time and Place, Earth and Space”! This has been a really engaging unit for the students. From learning about our planet and celestial bodies to understanding maps and coordinates, the kids have been exploring the world like true scientists and geographers! There’s been a lot of collaboration in class!
Each morning, our students have been becoming better readers and better writers thanks to our very engaging curriculum Daily 5. During Daily 5 the children have been learning English through 5 different tasks. Reading books from their level on their own, reading together with a reading buddy, working on their spelling or high frequency words with lots of different materials, listening to English books with their chromebooks, and working on their grammar, writing and handwriting skills. Daily 5 makes it very easy for the students to develop their love for reading and writing!
Because it is so special to be part of such a diverse and international classroom, in MP we love embracing different languages and cultures, and we celebrate this during our “Home language” lessons, taking place once every two weeks. This term we have learned Japanese with Mr Ryo, learned about the Cherokee people with Ms Izzy, and learned Ukrainian with Mr Igor!
We have recently celebrated Fun Fridays in support of Bednet. On this day we came to school wearing our comfiest pajamas to raise awareness for children who can’t attend school due to illness. It was heartwarming to see our school community come together for such a meaningful cause.
Every Thursday morning we have celebrated our Show and tell! During this occasion, a child has had the opportunity to bring something very special from home and make a presentation about it! Saisanth brought a very special helicopter, Paul brought an Air Hogs Zero gravity car and Marc brought a collection of tiny toys each one with a special story!
This has also been a very exciting month because two students from Upper Primary came up with the great initiative of starting a Student Council at ISG! Many students have volunteered themselves to become members and have created very interesting campaign posters! We can’t wait to see the results of the voting after the holidays!
Besides all this, we recently marked our 100th day of school with a fantastic party filled with laughter and fun memories!
We have also celebrated a birthday party: Ryo’s!
Last but not least, the students in Middle Primary had a delightful surprise visit from Ms. Annika, our previous intern! The joy on everyone's faces was truly heartwarming!
That’s all for now! Wishing you all a lovely break!
Ms. Cristi
Hello everyone!
Welcome to our new blog! The new year of 2024 has burst into our classroom with lots of excitement and adventure! Middle primary has been diving into lots of new learning, embarking on very exciting projects, and creating meaningful memories together! Get ready for all the latest news!
First of all, let’s welcome our two new students! Ryo, coming all the way from Japan, and Nirvan, who just arrived from Canada!
This term we have had an exhilarating journey with our International Primary Curriculum! Our latest Unit called “Inventions that changed the world” has captivated us! The students in Middle Primary have discovered a huge amount of inventions and the ingenious minds behind them! The whole class has been learning about how all these inventions have changed our lives, from the marvel of electricity to the transformative impact of the industrial revolution!
Everyone in MP has been immersed in the wonders of the history of inventions, and they crafted their own timeline to find the exact date-of-discovery of multiple inventions through history. Working in small groups, they have been mastering the use of the PowerPoint by creating very interesting presentations, and learning how to navigate through the vast expanse of the internet trying to find reliable information.
But that’s not all! Our classroom has been a hive of activity! Hands-on projects like crafting pinhole cameras, exploring ancient techniques like block printing, among many others! They have also done extensive research and joined discussions about the impact of inventions, debating their significance but also understanding the consequences. To give an example, the kids talked about how they think plastic is a great invention, very useful for our daily lives, and yet they also agreed that plastic is also damaging our environment!
For our Exit Point, MP shone during their Assembly! They presented some of their learning in front of the whole school! They even challenged the audience with interactive games and questions to check their understanding. I am very proud of them!
Besides IPC, we visited Lower Primary during their Snack Shop! It was a great experience buying snacks to practise how to give change properly, and devouring a delicious snack afterwards! During this term we have also experienced great fun celebrating our Fun Fridays! In January we had our Crazy Warm Sweater Day!
We have also celebrated two birthdays: Ms. Cristi’s and Andrew’s!
Because knowledge takes up no space, we have also been very lucky in Middle Primary to learn the home languages from our classmates. During this period we have learned Greek with Ms. Natalia and Russian with Yan!
Once a week we have a Show and tell where one student prepares a presentation with the topic of their own choice. We have learned plenty of new things with: Andrew teaching us how to play with a Nintendo, Izzy sharing with us her Etch a Sketch and showing us her felting tricks, Isabella bringing in a green screen and how to make special videos with it, and Igor introducing us to the magnificent world of Epoxy!
During our Daily 5, our English Curriculum, I am very proud to share with you that all the students in Middle Primary, both Year 3 and Year 4, are becoming great readers and writers! Their interest in books and in becoming independent learners is being a big success!
During our Maths lessons, all the children are showing their best, accepting new challenges, helping each other in small thinking groups, and doing their best with mental problems! Happy Carnival and a well deserved break!
Dear family members,
I’m thrilled to share with all of you how the middle primary students are making fantastic progress and showing remarkable enthusiasm! Their eagerness to learn is truly infectious and we have had an amazing time together!
Our super middle primary kids have embarked on an exciting journey exploring the complicated and extensive world of the human body, through our new IPC topic called “How Humans Work”. The kids have done extensive research using a variety of materials and tools, to fully understand the functions of the body, the teeth, the eyes, the digestive system, among many others.
We have been delighted to receive the visit from a parent who is a professional dentist; providing valuable insights, both for kids and the teachers! Through hands-on scientific experiments, the students have gained a deeper understanding of how our lungs and digestive system operates. By crafting a 3D model of the digestive system, the kids have produced a stop-motion movie, narrating themselves the whole process using their own words. The ending of our IPC Unit has been celebrated in an Exit Point, where parents have been invited to witness their children’s presentation and to participate in interactive activities, including eye tests, counting their heartbeat before and after doing exercise, and completing puzzles about the digestive system. It has been absolutely lovely seeing the children and the parents so involved and enthusiastic.
Besides, the students have also gained valuable insights from the older kids from Upper Primary, who invited us to their Exit Point celebration, engaging everyone in diverse activities about the endangered animals.
We have also celebrated four birthdays: Adam’s, Kezhen’s, Siya’s and Alek’s!
During this term we have also experienced great fun celebrating our Fun Fridays! In November we had Crazy Hat Day!
Once a week we have a Show and tell where one student prepares a presentation with the topic of their own choice. We have learned plenty of new things with: Mina playing the piano, Adam talking about the Eiffel Tower, Marc presenting a lightsaber, Yan bringing in air markers to do a group artistic creation, Alek showing us his new clock with birds on it, and Isabella teaching us plenty about the planets.
In December we have got the students and the parents together to celebrate the Winter Show. Every class has come together to showcase their talents through various songs. Middle Primary has performed the song ‘Run, Run, Rudolph’ captivating the audience with their festive dance!
We have also had the honour to host the most magical guest, Sinterklaas! His presence has filled the air with joy and he has dedicated a few minutes to talk to each child, which has been so special!
Because knowledge takes up no space, we have also been very lucky in Middle Primary to learn the home languages from our classmates. During this period we have learned Japanese with Mina, Hindi with Siya, and Catalan with Marc.
During our very last two days of school we have added a sprinkle of joy by baking delicious cookies using authentic German recipes. Our classroom has been buzzing with laughter playing a game to exchange English children’s books, so at the end every kid went home with a new novel to enjoy! Last but not least, we have had a lovely walk through the streets of Ghent, where we have enjoyed having waffles and hot chocolate! It has also been an emotional last day, as we have bidden farewell to our extraordinary intern Ms. Annika, from Germany, whose contribution, support and help will be dearly missed in class. Thank you for everything, Ms. Annika!
Can’t wait to keep learning, enjoying and discovering with these awesome students! Come back soon to read more about them!
Welcome everyone to our first post from Middle Primary 2023-2024!
What a fantastic start to the new school year! It has been a great adventure welcoming new friends who were new to the school, getting to know each other better and having the pleasure to meet our super intern from Germany, Ms. Annika!
After a well deserved summer break, all the children settled in quickly and became part of all the new routines. In just a couple of months I can proudly say that Middle Primary is becoming a little great family, where learning new things is highly celebrated every day.
First we jumped head first into our new IPC Unit called “Brainwave: The Brain”. The first thing we worked on was by recapping the personal goals (ethical, thinker, adaptable, resilient, communicator, respectful, empathetic, and collaborator) and making sure we understood what they meant. After that, we got together to discuss the meaning and the differences between Knowledge, Skills and Understanding.
During this project we found out why having a growth mindset is important to become critical thinkers and capable learners. We discovered once again that we are all different and unique, and so are our brains and the way we learn best. The students in Middle Primary were very enthusiastic to come up with a very creative way to teach a new skill for other people to learn. They all came up with a plan, they thought about the steps they should follow and the material they would need.
Finally, each student got in front of the camera and recorded how to teach the following skills: How to play football, discovering Ecuador, learning about the planets, how to inline skating, how to speak Slovak, how to cook a 1-2-3 cake, how to speak Russian, how to play a game on the ipad, how to play two different songs on the piano, how to build a Nakamura lock paper aeroplane, how to ride a remote control monster truck FTX, how to tie your shoelaces and how to draw a lion. The videos were a complete success!
As part of our Exit Point, the Middle Primary students visited Lower Primary. All the children were very excited and proud of organizing themselves the way they wanted to transfer their knowledge to the younger ones. They prepared an introduction about Knowledge, Skills and Understanding. After that, they explained each part of the brain and its function. Then, they came up with a short game about Facts and Myths about the brain. To end the visit, the MP students got the LP kids in four groups and enjoyed different activities about learning a new skill. Both classes had an amazing time. I felt very proud of them all!
Our second IPC Unit called “Learning Effectively Online” became a great success and a favourite subject among the students! These kids were born in a digital area, so if they were to use the internet we want them to do it safely. The MP students learned about differentiating between real or fake online news and pictures, and what to do to check for its authenticity. We did some research about Online Safety and understanding what we can share online, and what kind of information we should never share online. Besides all of this, we had a great time learning how to use our computers to create documents, how to search for information online, how to read the News on child friendly websites, among many others.
Furthermore, the students became real experts at working with the camera and the Green Screen to create both real and fake pictures. All these pictures will be shared with the rest of the school during our next Assembly. Everybody is looking forward to seeing how many will they get right!
We also had three birthdays: Rayaan’s, Isabella’s and Ms. Annika’s!
Once a week we have a Show and tell where one student at a time is welcome to bring something special into the class and make a presentation about it. Up until now our Show and tellers have been Igor, Andrew, Kezhen, Siya, Saisanth, Paul and Rayaan.
Once a month we celebrate Fun Fridays! In September we had “Crazy Hair Day!” and in October “Halloween Day!”.
These past two months have been full of growth, creativity, cooperation and responsibility, but this is just the beginning! And we are ready for so much more to learn!
Ms Cristi
Well, we have reached the end of the year! And what a last few months it has been! We have welcomed Advika to our class, Ms Narissa joined us and we will be saying good bye to Guraansh, Atharv, Ganesh and Advika at the end of this school year.
The children were busy with two IPC units this term, Bright Sparks and Plant It as well as an impromptu study of Kindness – an antidote to bullying!
During this short unit the children learnt about acts of kindness, the impacts kindness can have on themselves and others and how it ripples out into the world and how acting in a kind way can help stop bullying. The children also learnt how to recognise bullying and what to do when they see it or experience it.
During Bright Sparks they learnt all about electricity, how different materials conduct and insulate electricity, how to make a circuit and how to make an electromagnet. We were able to find out even more about electricity and magnets when we explored Technopolis in Mechelen.
We started off our Plant It! unit by taking a trip to the Botanical Gardens in Meise for a workshop on seeds and seed dispersal. The children then had an opportunity to explore some of the large domain and challenge themselves with the sensory barefoot path. Ms Erica set up some great lessons on herbs and they have been planting and tending to them over the last couple of weeks.
The children also had a visit from Alexander’s dad to talk to them about his work with the DNA of seeds and he taught them how to extract DNA from strawberries. They have been spending most of their time however, learning about plants and grasses from the area and preparing a garden in the school grounds to plant. A big thank you to the parents who came to donate their time, plants or tools to help the children create their garden and thanks also to Ms Dena for some lovely plant donations as well!
In literacy the children have been exploring poetry, reading and creating their own poems and art work inspired by poems. They wrote some fantastic poetry about electricity for their IPC unit
In Numeracy, both Year 3 and Year 4 have been working hard to revise and study for their end of year tests and should all be proud of what they have been able to achieve!
As the school year comes to a close, we would like to wish all of you a relaxing, safe and exciting vacation! For those of you who are moving on, we will miss you and wish you all the best for your next season and for those we will see returning in the new school year we look forward to seeing you again soon!
We are thrilled to report that this term has been both exciting and productive, and we want to share some of the highlights with you all!
In Year 4 Numeracy, we have been focusing on the addition and subtraction of larger numbers. We have been honing our skills in both mental strategies and written methods, applying these techniques to add and subtract numbers with up to four digits. Additionally, we have been studying fractions, learning how to identify and find equivalent fractions.
During our morning reading rotations, we have been actively improving our comprehension skills. We have been reading a variety of texts and practicing techniques like questioning, making connections, and summarizing what we have read. It has been amazing to observe the progress we have made since the start of the school year.
In writing this term we continued to explore ancient Egyptian myths. Working in groups we have been writing our stories collaboratively, bringing our own creative flair to each narrative. We then set to work illustrating our tales, bringing the fantastical characters and settings to life. After several rounds of editing and refining our work, we're thrilled to announce that our final versions are finish and will be ready to take home after the break. It's been a fantastic experience working collaboratively to delve into the rich history of Egyptian mythology and produce something truly special. We can't wait to see what adventures await us in our next class project!
In our IPC Unit: Art and Sculpture, we have been exploring the works of some renowned artists, such as Picasso, Henri Matisse, and Mike Keene. We have studied their diverse styles and techniques and have created our own art inspired by their work. One of our projects included crafting nature mandalas using natural materials, and we also had fun creating coil bowls based on Mike Keene's ocean theme. We got creative making our own Picasso themed paintings and sculptures, based around a book we read in class called “The Girl with the Ponytail”. We concluded our term with an exciting event - an Art Exhibition! As a class, we worked hard to showcase our creativity and understanding of art to our peers and other classes in school. The exhibition was a wonderful opportunity to display our artistic talents and to share our knowledge with others. Thank you to everyone who visited our exhibition and supported us along the way!
In honor of the upcoming Easter holiday, we had an exhilarating Easter egg hunt, where we searched for eggs and discovered hidden treats throughout the school. We want to take this opportunity to wish all our students and parents a fantastic Easter holiday, filled with rest and relaxation.
We are impressed by the fantastic work our students have put in thus far, and we cannot wait to see what the next term brings.
Ms Anelda and Ms Erica
This term Year 3 and 4 have been digging into the past and finding out what life was like for Ancient Egyptians. Through our IPC unit, Temples, Tombs and Treasures the children discovered that the banks of the river Nile were the birthplace of this ancient civilisation. They delved into the importance of the Nile and found out how its waters sustained life in this region. They learned all about the famous pharaohs who ruled over society and found out about some of their greatest accomplishments. Ancient Egypt had many fascinating burial rituals; the children looked in-depth at the mumification process and discovered how the Egyptians used canopic jars- making their own recreations. The children also looked at hieroglyphs and learned how to write and translate passages.
In literacy, using Ancient Egyptians myths as inspiration, the children began to create their own group stories. They created characters by modelling them with clay; as they moulded and shaped their half-human, half-animal creatures, the children discussed their powers, their alliances, where they lived and what they were like. Then the children came together in groups and began to weave their ideas into stories. These ideas have been mapped and structured and after the break, the children will begin to write these stories down. We can’t wait to see how they turn out!
This term we said goodbye to our friend Samuel, we all wish him and his family well with their move to Peru and hope all have a great time there. Samuel- you will be missed!
With that, we wish you all a very happy and restful half-term break.
Ms Erica and Ms Anelda
Dear friends and families,
This term, in IPC it has been all about Houses and Homes. The children have been honing their design, architecture, and construction skills through a range of activities. The children looked at different types of buildings around the world and discussed how climate and natural surroundings effects the buildings and homes people live in. They produced posters about fascinating and unusual places to stay such as treehouses, under waterfalls and ice hotels. They were historians, who looked at how cities have changed and modernised over time, making timelines to illustrate this. They discussed how sometimes people move house and the reasons why, including how some people are forced to flee their homes and seek refuge in other countries. Our budding artists learned how to draw from a one-point perspective with a vanishing point and learned about, then designed a traditional South African Ndebele house.
In literacy the class have been delving into the wonderful world of Oliver Jeffers through the beautifully illustrated picture book: What We’ll Build. This story centres around a father and daughter as they set about laying foundations for their life together: the book deals with big themes such as building a future, creating memories to cherish and a home to keep them safe and love to keep them warm. Using the book as a springboard, the children discussed their hopes and dreams for the future, the things that help them feel safe and happy and how to build bridges, not walls. They made dioramas about places that are special to them and then wrote songs about these spaces based on the tune Our House by Crosby, Stills and Nash. They wrote their dreams for the future and affirming comments of things they like about themselves. They researched famous activists and politicians who had brought about change and built bridges and promoted harmony and wrote about how they brought about changes to our modern-day society!
After the Autumn break there were some hellos, and goodbyes. Firstly, we welcomed a new child to our class- Taeyoon who has joined us from South Korea. We are loving getting to know him and are enjoying his contributions to our little community. Secondly, we waved goodbye to our friend Laura, we wish her well on her new adventures in the US- she will be much missed! We also said goodbye to Ms Regina, our classroom help and support this term. We wish her well as she returns to Spain to continue her studies- thank you for all you've done for the class Ms Regina!
We ended the year with our Christmas show. It was a big success, the children looked great and enjoyed it a lot. A performance to be proud of. Thanks to all the parents who supported us, we hope you enjoyed it as much as we did.
With that, we wish you all a wonderful and fun-filled holiday.
Erica and Anelda
Welcome back to another great year of learning! The start of the school year is always a moment of great anticipation and excitement. We hope you have had an enjoyable summer. The children have certainly had lots of exciting stories to share.
First a warm welcome to our two new students, Izzy ( Y3) and Stefan (Y4). I hope you all settle in well here at ISG. Also a warm welcome to Miss Regina who will be helping us in Middle Primary.
To start the term, we have been reviewing some numeracy and literacy topics and most importantly we have been adjusting to our new morning and afternoon routines.
In Numeracy students have been looking at different tasks. Year 3 students have been learning their Number bonds, practicing different Adding and Subtraction strategies and Problem solving skills. Our Year 4 students have been learning their Multiplication Tables, Fractions, Time and practicing different Adding and Subtraction strategies and Problem Solving skills.
In literacy, Middle Primary has been learning about grammar rules, spelling rules and practicing our writing skills. This term we have been focusing on writing a NewsPaper article about a volcano eruption. I would also like to congratulate students for their amazing performance on their spelling tests. I am very proud to see so many perfect scores! Keep it up guys!
Our reading rotation mornings are now well established. Students get to read one on one with the teacher while the rest of the class is working independently on different tasks. There is a "task list" where the class keeps record of the tasks that are completed. This way every student is responsible for his or her own learning.
In IPC we have already learned a lot. In our unit: Active Planet we looked at how the Earth is formed, what a volcano island is and what causes an earthquake. In science we looked at what happens when a volcano erupts by conducting an experiment outside. See the photos.
Lastly, we would like to thank all the students for coming to school with such a positive attitude. We am looking forward to a wonderful year with every student.
To Finish of the term we had our Halloween dress-up and party. Thank you Year 3 and 4 for a wonderful term.
Hope you all have a wonderful holiday
Congratulations! A big 'well-done' is in order for all the students and families of Middle Primary who celebrated the end of the school year with us last week. To kick off the final week the whole school put on their creative hats (& aprons!) to create unique pieces of artwork. From tie-dye and seed bombs to weaving and murals there was something for everyone. The next day we took advantage of the sunny weather and Mr. Francis organised a Fun Run! After a quick warm up students completed as many laps as they could within 5 minutes - there were lots of cheers and Pre-Primary excelled with their 1-lap around the school! Finally it was the turn of the teachers and those with energy left chose their opponent - Ms. Julieta, Ms. Maija, Ms. Mia, Mr. Francis and Ms. Anelda were all up for the challenge! As usual, the end of the academic year is a busy time for all but we found space for our first overnight trip (together with Upper Primary) to Spa! We had an adventure packed 3 days with nature walks, ziplines and deep dark caves. For many children this was their first time away from home, this was an opportunity for them to be more resilient and independent - and for that we are super proud of them! It was wonderful to see the different year groups interact, support each other and was also a great way to say goodbye to the Year 6's.
It's been our pleasure to teach the middle primary students this year, we wish you all a fantastic holiday full of relaxation and fun! Good luck to those children leaving ISG and we look forward to watching those staying continue to learn and grow!
Anelda, Erica & Jamie
