Primary eNews – Friday, May 31, 2019

Check out upcoming events at the BIS Events Calendar

Key Events in the Primary School for Term 4 are listed below

Grade 5 – 6 Step Up Day

Grade 5 – 6 Step Up Day will take place on Monday 3rd and Tuesday 4th June. All Grade 5 parents are invited to join the students in the Library from 8:00 – 8:45 on Monday 3rd June for an information sessions with the Secondary Principal, Mr Ross Ferris. Our Grade 5 students will then join the Grade 6 students in their classes for the remainder of the day and again in Tuesday 4th June.

Kindergarten – Grade 4 Step Up Morning

Kindergarten – Grade 4 Step Up Morning will take place from 8:00 – 9:00am on Tuesday 4th June. During this time each class will go to their classroom for next year and meet their teacher

Kindergarten students will go to Grade 1 to meet Ibu Nadia (Gr 4 classroom will be Gr 1 next year)

Grade 1 students will go to Grade 2 to meet Ibu Alice (Grade 2 classroom will remain the same)

Grade 2 students will go to Grade 3 to meet Ibu Heather (Gr 3 classroom will remain the same)

Grade 3 students will go to Grade 5 to meet Ibu Kristen (Gr 5 classroom will be Gr 4 next year)

Grade 4 students will go to Grade 1 to meet with Mr Eldred who will work with the students and share a video created by Ibu Alison for the current Gr 4 students to introduce herself (Gr 1 classroom will be Gr 5 next year)

Our Preschool students will go the Kindergarten room at a time to be decided before the end of term to meet Ibu Alyshia who will arrive in Bali before school breaks up.

Bring Your Own Device in the Primary School

As we shared with parents at our 2019 – 2020 Bali IS Primary Updates Parent Presentation on 6 May and also in eNews on  9 May , we are introducing a Bring Your Own Device tablet (iPad or other brand) programme in Grades 2 – 5 next year whereby parents are requested to send a tablet with their child each day.  A substantial amount of the 2019 – 2020 Primary budget has been allocated to the purchase of iPads so that each Primary teacher will have access to an iPad. There will also be two sets of iPads to be used by students in Preschool to Grade 1.

We see the benefits of a BYOD programme to include:

• Students having greater access to technology than we currently offer with 2 or 3 desktop computers per class and two trolleys of laptops to be shared from preschool to grade 5.
• Students continue to develop the skills required in education and the workplace.
• Students will have greater opportunity to work collaboratively with their classmates and teacher and take their learning beyond the classroom walls.
• Students will become more engaged in their learning as education becomes more interactive.
• Students have greater opportunity to participate in coding activities.
• Students using their devices to create, share, and connect through blogging, digital literacy, media creativity, and design.

We recognise the need for a balance between technology and other areas.  The use of tablets will be purposeful and explicit, and not used for free play or free time. Balance has to be taught to students in schools, but also at home. Parents will need to play an active role in teaching their child to find a healthy balance that includes use of technology too. As a school leader and parent in my previous school, I had similar concerns to other parents about students wanting to be on the iPad all of the time. I was very conscious in observing their relationships with the iPad throughout the initial months and was relieved to see that the students treat the iPad as a tool.  Our teachers had regular discussions about when it is a useful tool and when it would be better to just use paper and pencil.

Minimum requirements

A touch screen tablet that is capable of running the latest IOS or Android OS.  A mobile phone is not a suitable device to be used as part of this programme.  Please be conscious of a suitable screen size for your child. For example, a large iPad pro is mostly likely too large for a primary student to manage.

For iPads, we suggest an iPad WiFi 128gb or iPad Mini 64GB. It is suggested that parents who travel regularly or who are traveling for the school holiday purchase the iPads or other tablets while away as they are usually cheaper if purchased outside of Indonesia.

Students are expected to treat their devices carefully, and parents are asked to have them repaired promptly if it has technical issues. The BIS Technology Department is able to perform basic software support, but repair of hardware issues are the student/parent responsibility.  

We also recommend a strong protective case such as the ones pictured below which are available on Lazada for less than 200,000 IDR and a bluetooth keyboard.

Apps

Some of the apps that will be used include Mathletics, RAZ Kids, BrainPop Jr, See Saw, Google Education Suite (GMail, Drive, Calendar, Docs, Sheets, Slides, Forms and Site)  – these are free apps that will allow students to access the online learning platforms used at Bali IS. Other apps may include, but will not be limited to Book Creator, Hopscotch, Blue Box, Pic Collage.

A full list of apps to be downloaded will be shared with parents in August 2019. Teachers will share an updated list of apps to be downloaded to support specific units of inquiry on their class blogs at the beginning of each unit of inquiry.  Most apps requested will be free, but we estimate that we will ask that 200,000 – 300,000 IDR be spent on apps during the year.

Parents of students entering into Grade 5 may choose not to purchase a new device, but instead purchase a laptop as the students will be required to have one in Grade 6. Click here to access the Student Laptop Recommendations for Grade 6 – 12 students from eNews.

We will continue to implement our Common Sense Media Digital Citizenship Programme (https://www.commonsense.org ) next year to support our students in becoming responsible users of technology and the internet. All students and parents will be required to agree to and sign the BIS Acceptable Use Policy at the beginning of next year before students are able to use technology at the school.

Some other questions answered:

• Students will not use devices all day – they, like other resources, will be used where they will best support the students’ learning.
• Families can use older devices already owned – it is not necessary to buy a new one.
• Parents of Gr 5 students may want to consider buying a laptop as the students will require one in Gr 6.
• Students will only use devices when directly supervised by teachers ie not at recess or lunch.
• Devices will be stored in the classrooms when they are not being used.
• Students who do not bring devices to school will still have access to school laptops & desktop computers.

Stationery Lists

As detailed in the Primary Information Session for 2019 – 2020, we will send home stationery lists for all Grade 1 – 5 students next week. I know that many students want to start the year with new pencil cases and other stationery items such as markers and pencils and most new families ask what items are required, so we are sending a list of suggested items.

Craig Eldred

Primary Principal

 

What’s Been Happening in the Primary School Recently

Below is a summary of some of the fantastic learning that has been taking place across the school in recent weeks. Teachers post many of these things on their class blogs but by sharing them on the eNews it gives families a chance to see what is happening in other grade levels.

 

Kindergarten Writing Celebration

This year in kindergarten we have used Writers Workshop from Teachers College at Columbia University.  This program empowers all students to be writers and encourages students to write everyday. This term Kindy has been hard at work learning the writing process.  From brainstorming to drafts to creating beautiful final products, the kindergarteners have been working hard as writers. We have learned about writing how-to books and each students has published their very own book.  One key aspect of Writers Workshop is celebrating the students’ accomplishments at the end of each unit by sharing writing. Throughout the year, we have learned how to share our work with our 3rd grade and preschool buddies.  After a year of work, the Kindy students are feeling confident in their abilities as writers and using their reading voices. They are excited to invite their parents in to see their very first “published” books on Tuesday afternoon at 2:15.  

Ibu Whitney

Kindergarten Teacher

The Importance of Music in Early Childhood Development

Most preschoolers love listening or singing along to music. Studies show that parents who create a rich musical environment do not only entertain their kids but also help them to develop essential music skills.

Music plays a very important part in our culture. When thinking about everyday life, music is present in a variety of social and educational activities. We listen to music on TV or when we go to the movies. Most governmental ceremonies include a component of music while we use songs to celebrate birthdays or to worship god. Given this importance of music, it is no surprise that parents use music instinctively to express joy, and to engage or calm their children.

What Children Learn from Being Exposed to Music

Research undertaken by a team of researchers in the 1990s showed that the exposure to music from early childhood onwards helps children to speak more clearly, develop a larger vocabulary, and strengthen social and emotional skills. The psychologist Howard Gardner already argued in 1983 that music intelligence is as important as logical and emotional intelligence. This is because music has the ability to strengthen the connection between the body and brain to work together as a team. For instance, when dancing and moving to music, children develop better motor skills whereas singing along to a song helps them to practise their singing voice. In general, the exposure to music supports children in their development process to learn the sound of tones and words.

Ibu Isti

Primary Music Teacher

 

Term 4 Key Dates

31 May. BSSA Athletics Day & PTA BBQ

31 May. After School Activities (ASA) Term 3 End

3 – 4 June. Grade 5 to Gr 6 Step Up Days.

4 June. Preschool to Grade 4 Step Up Morning

5 -6  June. EId Dul Fitri – School Closed

11 June. PYP Semester 2 Reports Published

12 June Term 4 End – Half Day, School Closed at 12 noon.

13 June – 3 Aug. Students School Break in Term 4

5 August. Students return for Day 1 of 2019 – 2020 School Year.