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We're back! And it's like we have never been away. It has been wonderful to see such enthusiastic learners returning this week with tales of their holiday travels and Brunei adventures. Each morning on the school gate, greetings have been delightful and I know that parents are really happy for their children to be back in school. We hope that everyone has come home from school this week exhausted but excited about the following day: the sign of an incredible school.
This year, we continue from where we left off, with high-quality learning and rigour in every aspect of school life. Our ambitions are high for every student and we take great pride in ensuring positive outcomes for all, whilst nurturing the wellbeing of every individual.
A warm ISB welcome...
The ISB community continues to grow. As well as all the new students who have started their learning journey with us this week, we have also welcomed a number of new teachers. Mr Ross has joined the Yr6 team, Mrs Ball has joined Yr3 and Mrs Woodcock is our new Assistant Head for Teaching and Learning. We also welcome Mrs Lu and Mrs Sier to the Yr2 team, Mr Sier has joined Yr5 and Mrs Adi has joined Yr4.
We have relaunched Free Write Friday this week, with the aim of inspiring young writers. A love of writing can unlock children's imaginations, aspirations and academic potential. Read more about Free Write Friday here on the Primary Newsfeed. Please also use the links below to read more about our approach to writing at ISB.
This week, our incredible new House Captains have launched a new platform within Seesaw for students in Year 3 to Year 6 to share book reviews. Each student will find this class group within their Seesaw account and can add their own reviews to be shared with others. Also check out the connected blogs within Seesaw to see reviews from students in the other houses. Once we get up and running, we will share links to the review pages for all to enjoy.
Thank you to our House Captains Annie, Hana, Hoy Lam, Jai, Livvy, Minaal, Salma and Sam. 👏 We look forward to many more house challenges as the school year progresses. 🟢🔵🔴🟡 Please also be reminded that every student in Year 1 and above will require a house shirt. We have sent a link to the order form in Seesaw.
We are delighted to share the programme for Extra Curricular Activities (ECAs). Please use the link below to access the full schedule alongside the brochure and sign up form. ECAs begin in Week 3.
We are of course happy to celebrate birthdays at school. We understand that children (and staff) of all ages enjoy recognising important milestones. We are also mindful to ensure all students and parents receive consistent messages and we must always prioritise school as a place of learning.
With this in mind we ask all parents to adhere to the following:
✅ We are happy for parents to send individual cupcakes to school for their child's class
✅ We are happy to distribute printed party invites (but we cannot share class lists)
❌ Please do not send whole cakes that need to be cut up and shared 🎂
❌ Please do not send any other snacks or shared food to school 🥟
❌ Please do not send any goody bags or gifts to school 🛍️
With the number of students we have in school, we must consistently apply the above to ensure fairness. We understand that each child has but one big day a year, but please consider the impact on learning when this is multiplied by the entire school population.
This week Pre Kindy have been exploring their new learning environment, Kindy have been painting, splashing, building and designing. Reception have been sharing stories and creating self-portraits, Year 1 have been subitising in Maths and getting to know new friends. Year 2 have been classifying animals and building numbers to 20. Year 3 have been arranging body parts and writing about aliens. Year 4 have been sharing what makes them unique and building dens outside in our forest school area. Year 5 have been thinking scientifically, designing and making a parachute for an astronaut. Year 6 have been reading The Explorer and defining conditions for life.
If you have any questions, suggestions or concerns please do not hesitate to contact me.
Mr Michael Everett | Head of Primary