News From the Elementary Principal Ben Voborsky
Hello GAA Community,
It was another action packed week here at GAA. The first annual Grade 4 Poetry Slam was a huge success. It was awesome to see some of our talented poets at work with multiple forms of poetry free flowing! *Snaps* abounded! If you are unsure what *Snaps* are, just ask one of our Grade 4 students. Ms. G rocked on organising.
Terry Fox’s brother, Darryl, made a visit to our campus to talk about Terry’s inspiring story. The Marathon of Hope has raised over 500 million dollars so far. What was striking to our students is that with advancements in cancer research and treatment, Terry would be alive if diagnosed in this day and age. Terry and his campaign have really made a difference in the world. Take action this Friday as a family and head to the corniche to join the Terry Fox Run/Walk. A big thank you to Mr. Scott in Grade 4 for facilitating this experience for our upper elementary students.
The GAA community was also treated to a great display of both visual and performing arts by our KG1, KG2, and G1 students. A big thank you to all the teachers who made this possible! Special thanks to Ms. Jo Ann, Ms. Caitlin, Ms. Vicki, Mr. Erik, Ms. Deveor, Ms. Diana and Ms. Jade. Fabulous! Our students demonstrated what it means to be risk-takers by confidently taking the stage in front of hundreds of peers and parents. Thank you to everyone who turned out to support the performances and view the wonderful art installations.
I would like to introduce a new integral part of the Elementary Team, Ms. Felicity Harding ([email protected]). Felicity has joined us as the new Elementary Secretary. She is located in the office next to mine and is always willing to assist if I am not in my office. Please stop by and give her a warm welcome. I know she will do an amazing job for our community.
A few quick reminders:
- Send you child with a hat and a water bottle. GAA has a “No hat, no play” policy to keep us all sun safe.
- The GAA Baseball and Softball teams have started practicing after school. If you are staying after school to play with your children, please use the playground by the tennis courts. Watch out for flying balls, they hurt!
- If you are visiting the school during instructional time, we thank you for accepting an invitation from your child’s homeroom teacher. Otherwise, please remember to remain in the lobby area and enjoy a coffee. This minimises inadvertent disruptions to the flow of the school day and instructional time.
- Be on the look out for information regarding the Grade 5 IB PYP Exhibition.
- Student led conferences will be held April 22-23. Save the date on your calendar!
Enjoy your weekend,
Ben Voborsky
Elementary Principal
PYP NEWS
Inquiry based learning in the Elementary classroom
At GAA our teachers spend time ‘tuning in’ to students’ thinking early in an inquiry The early phase of inquiry (often referred to as ‘tuning in’) is commonly seen as a time in which to engage students – often by ‘immersing’ them in experiences related to the topic. This phase, however, is also critical as a kind of ‘reconnaissance’ time. Here, we encourage students to share the conceptions and misconceptions they have and to make ‘visible’ their current thinking about the subject/question. This can be a challenging phase for a teacher because it requires a deliberate ‘stepping back’ as students theorize, hypothesize and wonder. The work that is produced at this stage can activate powerful reflective thinking later in the inquiry as it is returned to and self assessed. When they can compare their earlier and later thinking they become more conscious not only of what they have learned but of how their thinking has changed along the way. Using structured learning journals is useful way to document changes in thinking and understanding as a unit progresses.
This movie from Mr Farrow and his students demonstrates what the tuning in phase of the inquiry cycle looks like in a PYP classroom.
Sofia Lyons, IB PYP Coordinator
At GAA our teachers spend time ‘tuning in’ to students’ thinking early in an inquiry The early phase of inquiry (often referred to as ‘tuning in’) is commonly seen as a time in which to engage students – often by ‘immersing’ them in experiences related to the topic. This phase, however, is also critical as a kind of ‘reconnaissance’ time. Here, we encourage students to share the conceptions and misconceptions they have and to make ‘visible’ their current thinking about the subject/question. This can be a challenging phase for a teacher because it requires a deliberate ‘stepping back’ as students theorize, hypothesize and wonder. The work that is produced at this stage can activate powerful reflective thinking later in the inquiry as it is returned to and self assessed. When they can compare their earlier and later thinking they become more conscious not only of what they have learned but of how their thinking has changed along the way. Using structured learning journals is useful way to document changes in thinking and understanding as a unit progresses.
This movie from Mr Farrow and his students demonstrates what the tuning in phase of the inquiry cycle looks like in a PYP classroom.
Sofia Lyons, IB PYP Coordinator
IB Learner Profile of the month - February - Risk Taker
Students will have the confidence to try new things. They try to solve problems in a lot of ways. They have the courage to tell people what they think is right.
Activities for Parents:
If your child is feeling uneasy about trying something, encourage them to attempt it and then reflect on both whether they liked the activity and how it felt to try something new.
You child might want to set some short-term goals. Consider activities that make him/her nervous. What are realistic goals for the week? Your child might set a goal to:
- Offer an opinion in class
- one recess with someone they might not usually play with
- Order something different from the lunch menu
- Try an activity they haven’t tried before
- Be careful to explain to your child the difference between being a risk-taker by trying new things and doing dangerous things.
Students will have the confidence to try new things. They try to solve problems in a lot of ways. They have the courage to tell people what they think is right.
Activities for Parents:
If your child is feeling uneasy about trying something, encourage them to attempt it and then reflect on both whether they liked the activity and how it felt to try something new.
You child might want to set some short-term goals. Consider activities that make him/her nervous. What are realistic goals for the week? Your child might set a goal to:
- Offer an opinion in class
- one recess with someone they might not usually play with
- Order something different from the lunch menu
- Try an activity they haven’t tried before
- Be careful to explain to your child the difference between being a risk-taker by trying new things and doing dangerous things.
Seeing Through Light By: Sophia Abati 4B
On Wednesday, February 17th, my class went on a field trip to see the Seeing Through Light exhibition at the Manarat Al Saadiyat. It is absolutely breath taking. Each piece is expertly crafted and has a different message that comes straight from the heart. Also, they use light as one of the main components. The display takes advantage of the light in different ways. I thought that two of the pieces were very simple until I understood the messages behind them.
Kindergarten Corner
Please take a moment to read this interesting article on the benefits of a good nights sleep that our wonderful teachers in KG came across.
http://blogs.kqed.org/mindshift/2013/01/why-sleeping-may-be-more-important-than-studying/
http://blogs.kqed.org/mindshift/2013/01/why-sleeping-may-be-more-important-than-studying/
KG1 Have been so busy with their Unit of Inquiry. Homes have been the talk of the day. The children have made clay homes, played homes outside and inside, busy cooking and looking after the family and…they all designed, built and decorated the most marvellous houses. We had some wonderful parents come in and help with the initial design but I am so proud to say the children did the painting and decorating themselves. Busy, busy days in Kindergarten!!!
KG1J Celebrating sports day with their moms and dads. Ireland and India were our teams and they gave such great effort. Well done all!
KG2D Making rice krispie buns for friendship day!
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Showing our creativity with blocks!