Oh, we have interesting discussions in Upper Primary. We have talked about moving to a new country and about going on a holiday somewhere. We tried to find similarities and differences between our experiences. We all agreed that moving somewhere made us feel something different than what we felt when we were going on a holiday for a few weeks. Going on a holiday is exciting, while moving somewhere can be more of a sad experience. It is difficult to leave people you love behind.
We talked about preparing a move or a holiday trip somewhere. Upper Primary pupils had so many great ideas. We know about booking and paying for the ticket and we know about packing clothes and belongings. We then said that we might have to check the weather and climate at the destination, to be able to pack the right things. We also said, after thinking for a while, that it might be useful to contact friends and family at the destination, or to find a map and make a list of attractions and things one should see or do in the new country. Then we realised that we might have to check if we knew the language at the destination, or if it might be useful to learn some words and phrases in the new language. It is nice to be able to greet others, to say hello, goodbye, please and thank you. And what about food at the destination? And culture and traditions? All the do’s and don’ts and the laws and the rules in the country. Is it safe to go there? Are there any dangerous animals or plants one should know of? And what currency is used at the destination? And what if… Finally we realised that all the things we were talking about was indeed International Mindedness – to have a global mindset and be aware of other countries, languages, cultures and traditions! We agreed that a good global traveler would prepare him- or herself for a journey this way. It is important to be open, respectful and adaptable!
The discussion about moving to a new country lead us in to yet another Personal Goal in IPC, Adaptability. Adaptability is about being able to deal with changes and challenges in a way where one is willing to change, adjust and adapt to different conditions. It is about the process where one is willing to be flexible and learn new things and to change oneself. Here at ISG we show our adaptability in many different ways. Some have learnt a new language. Some are learning to learn in a different way than they are used to from previous schools. We have all moved to a new country and learnt many things about languages, culture and traditions. We have all made new friends. Adaptability is about changing oneself to fit all the new things around. We think that we all have shown adaptability when adjusting to our new lives here in Belgium.
We have added more evidence of the Personal Goals that we see here in our class! We write post-it’s with comments about ourselves or others whenever we see Respect, Co-operation, Morality, Resilience, Enquiry and Adaptability in Upper Primary. As you can see we can find evidence every now and then!
We are now preparing all the things we would like to show the parents during our Exit Point. We want to share our learning with you again! An invitation will come soon!
We also had a visit from Lower Primary pupils. Ivan, Chinmay and Luka came and gave us a nice challenge. Lower Primary wants all of us to be aware of the connections between healthy body/healthy air and the way we travel to and from school. We are challenged to come to school by public transport or by foot tomorrow! If we come from far and have to come by car, we are kindly asked to park a bit further away from school and walk the last part to ISG. We like challenges! We will do our best!
Have a lovely weekend!