Primary News - June 12 2020 | British International School of Ljubljana

Dear Parents and Students,

With the end of the school year approaching swiftly and students completing their projects and assessments, preparations for transition have started this week. Some of our teachers have already introduced themselves through letters to parents and students, and with growing numbers and further classes opening up, more teachers will be welcoming students in the coming weeks, sharing their excitement and providing a point of contact. For the Year 6 students, this is the last year in Primary school. Our Head of Secondary, Ms Andronikos, will be talking to students on Wednesday 17th June to support them in this transition. The presentation will also be shared with parents for further information.

Although we have had quite a bit of rain this week, this has not stopped teachers and students from engaging in a variety of indoor and outdoor activities. You can read more about these in the class teacher reports below.

Please note that we will be holding a Dress Down- International Day on Friday 26th June. All students and staff are encouraged to wear a traditional dress or colours of their chosen country to celebrate the cultural diversity of our BISL community. Which country/countries will you represent?

Mrs Železinger

Head of Primary

EY Nursery

The unpredictable weather this week has definitely had an impact on our little ones. The regular walks in the countryside just haven't been possible, and so we have been grateful for the inside learning space that Early Years has to offer.

Much dancing, and many free-flow activities, have been the order of the day! Of course, as soon as the sun came out, Phonics and Slovene lessons were held outside!

Mr Irving

EY Reception

The focus of our Houses and Homes Topic this week was Homes Around the World. We read the book "Homes in Many Cultures" and learned how people live all around the world. In connection to the book, the Reception children were given a challenge - to build their own houses with different materials.

It was fantastic to see the enthusiasm, determination and the amazing teamwork as the children got to work. They all produced unique houses, which are now on display in our cloakroom. Good job Reception!

Ms O’Hara

Year 1

This week, year 1 have been working extremely hard, we have had maths, phonics and reading assessments!

In Topic, continuing our water theme and work on materials, we have been making boats that (hopefully) can both float and sail.

Mr Hughes

Year 2

This week Year 2 have been exploring different water bodies and they have focused more in-depth on Rivers and Lakes. It has been another fantastic week for Year 2 and they have worked incredibly hard both individually and as a team. Well done Year 2!

Ms Harris

Year 3

In Year 3 this week, the students have been studying the animals of the rainforest, by classifying them based on their physical characteristics and have also learned about the different layers of the rainforest. Maths has been a lot of fun too, where the students have been measuring the capacity and length of various everyday objects, while in English, the class has been preparing to write a mystery story by exploring alternative settings and building characters.

Mr Mulcahy

Year 4

Year 4 have welcomed the additional outdoor playtime and PE lesson awarded to them since the classes combined due to the easing of restrictions. We have been moving forward quickly with Swift Playgrounds, but will next be exploring Hopscotch which allows students to programme such classic games as Flappy Bird and a variation of Frogger - Crossy Road. We have been studying our new text, The Runaways, which makes everyone appreciate how lucky we are to be living in the modern era, despite the current health crisis, as the book focuses on poverty and orphans living in a workhouse. Later we will watch the classic Oliver Twist, which we are also reading extracts from at the moment, to give further insight into these rather bleak Victorian times.

Mr Bishop

Year 5

Year 5 have been attacking short and long division questions this week by following a carefully thought out system. We have been building our characters up in English to create a bully by describing that bully with adjectival phrases and powerful descriptions.

In our mission to save the world, we have been researching solar energy and how this can be used to help us at BISL.

Mr Walker

Year 6a

GOING, GOING, GONE!

Year 6 students were enlightening us with their knowledge about their research on critically endangered species during their presentations this week.

Did you know?

Velvet worms shed their skin like snakes.
At birth, baby Giant Pandas are one 900th the size of its mother.
Scarlet Macaws eat clay to combat the poisonous walnuts they eat.
There are only 2 white rhinos left in the world, both of which are female.
Sumatran elephants are becoming endangered due to deforestation, particularly damming projects by big international countries.
The Tasmanian Devil has the strongest bite force out of all animals, at 1200 per square inch.
The Leopard can weigh between 50 to 90 kg and grow in length up to 210 cm.
A small bottle of tiger bone wine costs a couple of hundred dollars.
Pondicherry sharks haven't been spotted since 1979, where one was seen in a river in Sri Lanka.
Leatherback Turtles have barbs in their oesophaguses which act as reverse filters.

Mrs Charlesworth

Year 6b

Making quality notes in class is very important, particularly in higher primary years. The students are using their notes to study the material after school, as well as showcase it to their teacher during the marking process.

Here are some examples of quality notes taken in Maths.

Mr Kokalj

Departmental News

SEN

Last this year, but not least, Science was in focus as the theme of the block. Teachers have tried to incorporate different activities in their lessons to stretch the students and present challenges. The best challenges are cross-curricular as the students have to use the knowledge already acquired in the new context or link it with a new subject. Project work is an area in which students can practice their teamwork skills as well as leadership skills. We've used resources from Science week (be sure to check scienceweek.net.au) and encourage parents to try some of the activities at home. Very informative and a lot of fun.

Here are some questions which might find you unprepared, searching the answers in Encyclopedias (find the key at the end of the article):

Years 1-3:

1. What part of the plant conducts photosynthesis?

a. Branch

b. Leaf

c. Root

d. Trunk

2. Which is the largest land animal?

a. Lion

b. Tiger

c. Elephant

d. Rhinoceros

3. ____ helps pump blood through the entire body.

a. Lungs

b. Kidneys

c. Heart

d. Brain

4. What are the three states of matter?

5. When you push something, you apply ____.

a. Force

b. Acceleration

c. Mass

d. Compression

1. Answer: Leaf

2. Answer: Elephant

3. Answer: Heart

4. Answer: Solid, Liquid, and Gas

5. Answer: Force

Years 4-6

1. What tissue connects muscles to bones?

a. Skin

b. Blood vessels

c. Fat

d. Tendon

Which nutrient plays an essential role in muscle-building?

a. Protein

b. Carbohydrate

c. Iron

d. Fat

3. Which scientist proposed the three laws of motion?

a. Isaac Newton

b. Thomas Alva Edison

c. Albert Einstein

d. Stephen Hawking

4. What are animals, which eat both plants and animals, called?

a. Herbivores

b. Insectivores

c. Carnivores

d. Omnivores

5. Which is the strongest sense in a dog?

a. Touch

b. Hearing

c. Smell

d. Taste

1. Answer: Tendon

2. Answer: Protein

3. Answer: Isaac Newton

4. Answer: Omnivores

5. Answer: Smell

In case you are interested in more, you can find more quizzes here:

https://www.educationquizzes.com/ks2/science/

It sure will make the drive home shorter.

SEN Department

EAL

In EAL, students learn in different ways, it's not all pen to paper and heaps of grammar worksheets. Our students learn best when they're having fun, so this week we tried revising our knowledge by playing Four in a Row with adverbs, practised sentence structure with a fun board game and even played the popular American TV game show Jeopardy with a grammar and spelling twist.

We all enjoyed the activities and will definitely try them out again!

Mrs Majzelj Kralj

PE News

This week in PE, students have been adapting to the weather conditions with lessons inside. This has not stopped their enthusiasm and motivation to get active. Students have been throwing some shapes to 'Just Dance', tabata workouts, different challenges and finally some relay races once the sun came up.

The students were rewarded for their efforts, by being allowed to watch the movie 'Cool Runnings'. This explained how the Jamcian Bobsleigh team was created, and how they made an impact at the 1988 Winter Olympics in Calgary.

Year 6 - 'Don't stop me now' (Just Dance)

French

Year 5 students have become actors in French this week. Indeed, each one of them got a role in a theatre play about music and instruments. We are very happy and proud of their performances!

Mrs Poulet

Slovene

Years 3/4 and Years 5/6 are working on oral presentations they are going to present. After that, they will perform and classmates will give them feedback on what was excellent and what they need to do to further improve. It is great to see how students are helping each other, as well as reflecting on their own work.

Slovene Department

Early Years

Sofia I. ... for going out of her way to help her classmates during the building challenge. Well done Sofia!

Year 1

Tian... for his enthusiasm in topic work this block!

Year 2

Frederik... for his focus and determination in Maths this week

Year 4

Lai... for being a great helper with Hopscotch for the visiting student.

Year 5

Akim... for his attention in class and his motivation to his studies

Year 6A