YEAR 3
In Year 3 this week we have been continuing our work on the four operations, rainforests and parts of flowers. In English we have been working on a new set of spelling rules and identifying the importance of paragraphs, including when one ends and another begins. In Maths, we have been continuing our early term focus on the four operations. This week’s operation has been division where students have been able to identify the relationship between multiplication and division, and solving 2- and 3-digit division problems using the ‘bus stop’ method. In science we have begun researching what part of a flower does and how it helps to keep the flower alive; and in Topic we have been researching different animals from the rainforest in order to create a non-chronological report about our own chosen animal.
YEAR 4
Using our poems featuring personification, we wrote another poem, this time using interesting adjectives and adverbs.
In Maths, we practised locating and writing 2-place decimals on a number line, and multiplying and dividing numbers by 10 and 100. We also did Abacus driving test 22 and everyone scored full marks! We are becoming Maths superstars!
In Science, we continued investigating sound and in Topic lessons we learnt about purifying water. We are also very proud of the planets we made out of paper mache. Please see the photographs featured in this newsletter.
In Art, we started drawing pictures of cars. Some of us chose to draw vintage cars and others modern sports cars. We look forward to completing them next week.
YEAR 5
On academic level we did some interesting topics in English and Geography. We started reading famous Greek Myths, and I was surprised by the amount of knowledge the children have on this topic. Not only do they know some of these stories by heart, they also have a list of best loved Gods and Goddesses! I want to thank each and every parent who took the time to read bedtime stories and introduced your children to this treasure chest of ancient wisdom. As the children are approaching Pre-Adolescence, they are starting to develop their ability to abstract thinking and reasoning. This became apparent when I saw how they analyzed Zeus' leadership skills when comparing his punishments of Prometheus and Persephone. Zeus' decision to hang Prometheus from a cliff where he would be eaten by birds for eternity was considered unfair and harsh, while his decision to let Persephone stay underground for 6 months of the year was considered quite fair.
During Math we revised Long and Short Multiplication. Although it is work the children are familiar with, it is essential that they are able to do this well in order to excel in Algebra one day.
We continued with Trade and Economics as we discovered how goods are traded between countries during Import and Export. We learnt about trade with El Salvador, a small country in North America, which exports Coffee, Sugar and Shrimp to the rest of the world. We further learned about why Fair Trade was introduced after Third World countries were exploited by richer First World countries.
This week, for me, was dominated by the Parent-Teacher-Meetings I had throughout the week. I want to thank every parent for the time they took from their busy schedules to discuss the progress of their child. As always, I found it an honor to meet with you and to hear your insets and viewpoints on your child's education!
