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Dear families,
A heart-warming welcome back to our class blog and a big welcome to our new students, Daniela from Spain and Louise from Belgium. We are all very excited to be in Middle Primary where our first week was dedicated to sharing all about our summer experiences and getting to know each other. And to take this a step further we had a fun afternoon in the park with all of primary where we did some team building activities.
Our numeracy programme got under way successfully with the children refreshing their numeracy skills and learning more: we have focused on multiplication, number lines, clock work and 3D shapes. We are also continuing with our math fact test every Monday and this is a wonderful way to ensure the children remember the number facts.
In grammar the year 3’s and 4’s have been learning how to use the past, present and future tenses correctly. We have been revising pronouns, prepositions, conjunctions, adverbs and nouns.
Our first writing task was a recount on the summer holidays where the children had to ensure that they followed the instructions to punctuate, paragraph, use time connectors and a variety of adjectives correctly. It seems like they all had a busy summer!!
We are in the process of our second writing challenge which consists of researching specific countries and how these countries are dealing with plastic pollution. When all the information is gathered we will make reports. It is an extremely interesting topic and I hope that your child will have lots to share about this!
The Entry Point of our IPC Unit ‘The Generation Game’, was a wonderful way to get to know each other through discovering pictures of each other as babies or toddlers and talking about our parents lives as children. We also listened to different types of music and the children then spoke about how the music made them feel: happy, sleepy, relaxed, full of energy!!! From there we focused on art of children and we have taken photos of the children playing and then painted these images as a way to describe childhood activities with friends. Last week we started our history unit which is all about Victorian times; we have been looking at the differences in education, games, work ethics and also all of those very important inventions from that era. We have incorporated the famous book ‘Oliver Twist’ into this section as it gives the children an even better insight into how hard life was back then, especially for the poor. Zahra's father dedicated some of his time to talk to Middle Primary on world poverty. He spoke about the lack of education, health care, food and shelter in many countries of the world but he also spoke about the organisations who are doing their best to help the poor. It was an intriguing talk which lead to many interesting questions by the children. Thank you so much for sharing your life experiences with us!!
Swimming, sports, music and Dutch are running smoothly, and the children are lovig these extra classes.
The Headmaster Award was given to Leo because of his very caring attitude towards his classmates and for being so helpful in the classroom. Also because Leo is extremely hard working and he is always careful and precise with his work. Keep up this excellent attitude Leo!!
We have had a busy but great start to the new school year. I am looking forward to seeing Middle Primary blossom this year.
Enjoy your weekend.
Ms. Rebecca
Dear families and friends,
Here we are at the end of another school year and what a year it has been!! It was a joy to see the children develop in all areas of the curriculum and I am feeling very proud of each and every one of them.
We have been working on our writing skills and the last writing of this year was about instructions, the children had to use bossy verbs, time connectors and plenty of adjectives to capture the reader. They wrote very entertaining stories on how to train a dragon. It is truly lovely to see the progress and therefore the excellent results!
We organised a sports morning where Mr. Gilles set up a baseball tournament and Ms. Erica and I arranged other fun games. The children had such a good time! They are all winners!!!
We visited the Botanical Gardens in Ghent for our Exit Point on our IPC Project ‘’Live and Let live”’. The children explored the gardens and the greenhouses in order to get to know extraordinary plants and learn about these plants and their relation to mankind. After this we enjoyed a picnic in the Citadel Park and some play time. And to end our lovely day we all enjoyed an ice cream!!!
We have enjoyed lots of art activities these days. The children worked with water colours and pastels and they have created art work which represents this year.
We celebrated Aayush’s birthday and his Mum prepared a delicious cake. Thank you!!
Sadly we must wish Alex and Natalia the very best at their new schools. I am sure they will settle right in!!
To end this final blog of this academic school year, I would like to say that it has been an absolute pleasure teaching your child and I am sure that they will continue to shine in Year 3.
Wishing you all a lovely summer.
See you in September and hugs to you all.
Dear family and friends,
It has been a while since our last blog and we have so much to share!
The year 2's have been strengthening their grammar abilities through proof reading which is a difficult task but they are getting it. The chlidren have also been learning to use plurals, prefixes, contractions, prepositions and homophones, all of which is being incorporated into their writing skills. It is so lovely to see their skills develop!
Our focus in numeracy has been measurements, weight, capacities, fractions, doubling and halving. The year 2's clearly love numeracy and are becoming stronger at problem solving.
Our Exit Point for Active Planet was great fun, we set up different science stations where the children made volcanoes and erupted them, they made lava lamps and seismographs. After each experiment the children had to report their findings. What a fun way to consolidate their learning!!
After the Easter break we enjoyed a week of words. We focused on Alice in Wonderland, where we engaged in many different activiites and joined another school in a fun afternoon of games, which was completely organised by a secondary school in Ghent specifically for us. They also invited us to a Mad Hatter's Tea Party. It was a wonderful afternoon! During this week we also read to our Buddy Class (Lower Pre Primary), at certain moments of the day the children would be asked to drop everything and read (this they loved) and Ms. Maija would also come along sporadically and ring bell which meant the children also had to pick up their books.
'Live and let live' is our last IPC Project of the year and to get started with spent a day at Planckendael Zoo. Each child chose an animal that they had to research. The research included finding out about its habitat, animal group, likes and dislikes. We also enjoyed seeing so many other animals from different continents and observed giraffes, rhinos and penguins being fed. There was also lots of play time on the cool climbing frames.
Anais and Alex celebrated their birthdays and we enjoyed delicious cakes. Thank you for sharing with us!
Aayush has received The Headmaster Award this month for his general knowledge and his interest in learning, he has has matured a lot this year and we are very proud of him.
I hope all the mummy's enjoyed their Mother's Day gift!!!
With only seven weeks to go until the end of this academic year I am sure we will have plenty to share in our next blog.
Till then take care.
Ms.Rebecca
Dear parents,
First of all. we would like to give a very warm welcome to the new pupils in Year 2, Gabriela, Natalia and Joshua, who have settled into school life at ISG very well. It was lovely to see the other children taking them under their wings.
It has been a very busy time in our classroom with so much new learning going on.
The children have been getting so much out of our IPC unit ‘Active Planet’. They have been learning all about natural disasters and the disastrous effects they can have on society. In pairs the children researched and made posters on their chosen volcano, it was lovely to see them working so well together. Learning about Tectonic Plates can be tricky, so the children learnt a song and a dance about how the plates move and the different plate names. They shared their learning and performed their song & dance at assembly and they were brilliant! We also located the Ring of Fire and the Tectonic Plates on a world map and the children are now aware of the main areas of activity.
In groups the children made their own Earthquake Proof Buildings and they put them to the test through vigorous movements. It was interesting to see their different ways of thinking and how they have learnt the importance of secure buildings.
Ms. Maija shared with us her Earthquake experience in New Zealand and from this is we continued with learning about Earthquake survival kits and the children then wrote an Earthquake survival story.
In literacy the Year 2’s have been learning to proof read, expand sentences and use conjunctions to make their sentences more interesting. All of this learning is ensuring that they are strengthening their writing skills.
There has been a big focus on fractions, telling the time and multiplication the last weeks. In order to ensure the children’s understanding we took a hands on approach through art work, cutting pieces out and gluing onto plates, cutting up fruit into pieces and grouping them (and of course eating it!!) and through games.
The children have been learning to programme Bee-Bots, which are friendly robots which follow the children's commands. The children are developing an understanding of the mathematical concepts of coordinates, distance and location. The Bee-Bots have proven to be a huge success!
We have celebrated Leo’s, Gabriela’s and Natalia’s birthdays, a big thank you for the delicious treats.
And here we are ready to start our much needed spring break and be fresh again for more learning.
Enjoy the next days wherever you go and whatever you do.
This time of the year is always an extremely busy time with progress checking and preparations for Christmas. The children deserve a long break!
In literacy we have been working on adverbs and the children wrote a poem about their day using as many adverbs as possible. They have also been busy writing humorous Christmas stories, it is lovely to see how their imaginations are developing.
There have been many art tasks all related to Christmas: we made Christmas lights, prepared cards, drew Christmas settings and made some decorations for our classroom.
Our IPC Project ‘Fashion’ brought us on an excursion to ‘MIAT’, the Industrial Museum in Ghent. The children were brought back in time and saw many types of weaving machines and learnt how the machines were powered by wind and water. They also learnt about all the different types of fabrics which are used to make clothes, blankets, carpets etc.
For our Exit point the children designed an outfit in small groups and then had to make it with newspaper. They took measurements of their model, and cut and put together various types of outfits, from beach wear to evening clothes for boys. It was a fun and challenging task. A must repeat!
Year 1 shared their exit point with us. The children spoke about their home countries and shared delicious treats. It was lovely to learn more about the Year 1’s home countries.
The children have been learning how to play different board games and a big hit is draughts, hopefully after the holiday they will learn how to play chess!
Our annual ice-skating trip was great fun, the children loved being on the ice and they certainly have no fear. Well done to all the skaters!! And thank you so much to all the parents who came and supported us!
Sinterklass visited ISG and spoke to all the children and gave them a little gift. Always a special moment for the children!
Our school Christmas party was a great success, so many wonderful performances. All the children did us proud!!
Wishing you all safe travels and a wonderful festive holiday.
See you all in 2019!!!
Dear all,
Welcome back to our blog.
In numeracy and literacy we have been revising for our end of term assessments. But we have also been focusing on reading comprehension and our writing skills. They are making lovely progress in both areas.
Our Entry Point for our latest IPC unit ‘Fashion’ brought the children to the Cat walk. Some wore traditional clothing, others wore their favourite outfit and some children opted to share photos of clothing from their home countries. It was a fun moment of sharing our tastes in clothing. They children have been researching about clothing and accessories from prehistoric times to The Viking era, from Africa to New Zealand. In groups they made presentations on their findings. They all agree that there is a curious difference from one country to another when it comes to clothing be now or many years ago. The Year 2’s have been learning to draw clothing through sketching and this will lead to them making their own design. They have also been learning to weave hats or scarves and this is wonderful for their hand and eye co-ordination.
The children were delighted to participate in a music workshop where they were shown that some instruments, for example drums, can be made from recycled material. Through much rhythm the children played these instruments and it was brilliant.
I received a bunch of leaves as a gift from the children, so we decided to paint them in festive colours and we will decorate the library and our class with them.
In sport Year 2 have been learning to play volleyball and various games connected to volleyball. Ms. Ine has told me that the children are so well behaved during their sport lesson that they have been allowed free choice this week and they chose various tagging games.
The children are becoming confident swimmers and this term they have learnt the backstroke and how to tread water, this week they started to learn the breaststroke.
Movie night was a great success. The children really enjoyed the Japanese movie and all the delicious food.
Ying Ying has celebrated her birthday and we enjoyed lots of goodies. Thank you for the treats!!!
I would also like to thank you all for the warm and sincere birthday wishes. I feel so proud to be part of your lives!
Hi all,
Lots of learning going on in Year 2!
We have delved into our maths programme where the children have been learning to use money, we set up a little shop in our classroom for them to really get the feeling of buying and selling. We have explored 2D shapes and their properties. The children have also been learning to measure in decimetres, centimetres and meters, they have been measuring each other, the length and width of our classroom and corridor, amongst other things! They now know which measurement is best for measuring big or small objects.
Part of our grammar focus has been on punctuation, which is always tricky for children, so we have been working hard on this through reading and writing, we have also been learning to use question words and proper nouns correctly.
Our IPC project ‘Chocolate’ continues to grasp the children. The last weeks we zoomed in on the science and the health benefits of chocolate and also dental hygiene. The children have been exploring the temperatures needed to melt chocolate and then how to harden it. This learning was merged with a workshop prepared by Zarah’s Mum, where the children learnt to make ‘Belgium Pralines’…..OH SO DELICIOUS! And a big thank you to Vera for taking the time to do this.
Our Exit Point was a trip to the Choco Museum in Bruges. We consolidated all that has been learnt the last weeks and the children enjoyed a workshop where they made lots of goodies!!!
We have celebrated Mirei’s birthday this month, a little party in the classroom is always a lovely way to end the day. Thank you for the treats!!
Anais received the Headmasters Award this Assembly for being so dedicated to her learning. Well done Anais!
Until our next Blog.
It has been a very busy start to the new academic year: getting to know each other, organising our classroom, getting used to the routines and settling down to work. The children seem to love their new class and feel at home!
We warmly welcome our new student Gaja, who has settled into school life at ISG with ease.
To get to know each other we enjoyed many icebreakers and lots of art activities. It was not long before each child was feeling happy in their new class.
We also enjoyed a trip to a park where we played various games and got to know the children from Upper, Middle and Lower Primary.
We have started our language programme with an emphasis on grammar, spelling and reading. Our Abacus maths programme started off with a revision and we are now moving forward with doubling and halving. Every week the children will complete a verbal and non-verbal reasoning test. These tests are designed to check their ability to understand and analyse visual information and solve problems using visual reasoning. The chlidren are already immersing themselves and enjoying it!
Our first IPC project ‘Chocolate’ started with a ‘fun and filling’ Entry Point. The children are learning all about the world map, where cocoa tress grow and the history of chocolate. It truly is a fascinating and delicious topic!
Dutch, music, swimming, sports and choir classes have had a successful start, and it was lovely to see our fabulous specialist teachers back at school.
I would like to say that I am personally delighted to be able to teach your child this year. It will be a great year of lots of learning and fun!
In many ways this year has flown by! Year 2 children, you have all worked so hard and it is truly lovely to see the results.
The last months we have focused a lot on writing and the children have written fabulous stories. They even got to share their stories through Lego, now that was fun!!
Our last IPC project, was the favourite for all the pupils, 'Temples, Tombs and Treasures'. We investigated life in Ancient Egypt, we researched and wrote about noble families and farming families. We learnt about the different Gods, pyramids and Ancient Egyptian writing and Hieroglyphs, but the most exciting part was making mummies! We went on an excursion to Bruges, where our learning was solidified through an exhibition on the secrets of Ancient Egypt. The children saw Mummies, tombs and many artifacts. It was truly a day to remember!
Another highlight of the year was our sports day where the children learnt how to kayak and wall climb! We also played baseball and enjoyed an outdoor lunch.
To end the year we spent a sunny afternoon at the Botancial gardens. We walked around enjoying the variety of plant species and then had a picnic, it was lovely to be surrounded by so much natural beauty! We made sure we had lots of fun the last weeks of school.
We also got to celebrate Sofiia's, Lauren's and Ulma's birthdays.....thank you for the delicious treats!!
This time of the year is always hard with so many goodbyes, but I would like to take this opportunity to wish those children leaving all the best, we will miss you!
Wishing you all a relaxing and joyful summer.
We have been very busy in Year 2 with a lot of fun learning going on.
For our Exit point of 'Feel the Force' Year 2 did a small oral revision of the forces that are combined when a volcanic eruption takes place. They got to draw their own maps of the “Ring of Fire” where most earthquakes and the biggest volcanoes exist. In the end, they had the opportunity to create their own volcanoes and make a volcanic eruption in the classroom using materials we all have at home! Such fun!
In our IPC project ‘Bake it’ Year 2 learned about gases, solids and liquids, and changes of state. We looked closely at yeast and through experiments found out how yeast breaths, which is called anaerobic respiration, as yeast breaths without oxygen. But if sugar is added to yeast in water, it will produce oxygen!! We learnt the story of bread and how in some countries it is the staple of a diet. We made our own bread, and the children learnt that there are many different types of bread and some of which are very tasty and healthy!!! Exit Point – lava lamps. The main idea was for the children to learn about the concept of density, in particular, the idea that things are more dense than a liquid sink and things that are less dense than a liquid float. This activity is interesting because gas is added to and taken away from big drops of water which changes their density and causes them to float or sink in oil. Year 2 loved making a lava lamp because of the colourful blobs that moved around the jar. Learning about chemistry can be so much fun!!
We looked at Primary Colours and the children made an art piece by Piet Mondrian. Ulma’s Father was so impressed by this that he offered to take Year 2 on a guided tour of MSK in Ghent. He explained clearly to the children about many important paintings and the difference of colours and textures in the different era’s. It was a truly fascinating excursion.
In numeracy Year 2 have been understanding place value in 2-digit numbers by creating 2-digit numbers, placing them on a number line and solving place value additions and subtractions. The children have been using doubles and number bonds to add three single-digit numbers. We have also been learning about money and adding bigger amounts of money using a decimal.
In literacy we have been focusing on reading comprehension, writing book reviews and starting to write short fairy tales. It is lovely to see such an improvement in the children’s understanding of books and becoming creative in their writing. Keep up the good work!!!
The International Festival was a huge success and Year’s 2 performance of ‘Footloose’ was excellent. I am very proud of their dedication to this wonderful event.
We made Easter egg baskets for another annual event, our Easter Egg Hunt, which was oh so much fun!!! And afterwards we enjoyed a little class party, where Myer's aunt shared a couple of books with us about Tennessee. Thank you for sharing with us!
Wishing you all a lovely holiday and see you soon.
