Primary News - April 19 2021

It has been fantastic to see all of the students return to school this week. We have also had a number of new families visiting our school and students joining us for taster days to get a feel of what school life is like at BISL.

Next week Radio Ekspres will be recording with some of our students in Year 3 and 4, for their project Kul Otroci (translated Cool Kids).

On Thursday, 22nd April, the Year 1-6 students will take part in the Maths Kangaroo 2020-21 international competition, in which students from more than 92 countries participate each year to test their logical thinking and wider mathematical skills. Good luck to all the students!

In week 3, we start with a variety of after school activities. If you wish to enrol your child for the after school supervision or activities, please see the After-School Provision page for contacts and further details. For any questions relating to activities and clubs, please contact the teachers running these directly. A range of activities is available for both Primary and Secondary students.

Monday, 12th April marked the International Day of Human Space Flight, which celebrates the ‘beginning of the space era for mankind, reaffirming the important contribution of space science and technology.’

As part of the MEPI led initiative, BISL is taking part in collecting and donating clothes to the second-hand store in Slovenia called the “Verjamem vate, Naša trgovin'ca”. The project focuses on sustainable fashion and the collection of clothes (unused or in good condition) for reuse. Topics on sustainability, recycling, reusing, are all a part of the Block 6 Science Theme and the PSHE curriculum. Lots of opportunities for all to get involved in supporting the wider community.

Please check the Principal’s Update for details of further extended opportunities for our students.

With best wishes for the weekend,

Katarina Železinger

Head of Primary

Early Years

In Early Years, we have been exploring our topic Animals. We have taken junk modelling to a new level. Not only have the children been making tiny animals we have begun making a giant cheetah.

We have started layering on newspapers in order to paint it next week!

Ms Rosa

Year 1

This week Year One went shopping! Not to mention working in the bank and writing receipts at the tills, all in a week's learning. Year Ones loved practising what they learned so far by buying toys from the class toyshop.

We also read aloud performed the story 'A dark, dark wood' with alternative endings. Will it be a scary ending this time? Or cute? or smelly?

Ms Blundell

Year 2

This week in Year 2 we have been looking at one of our new books, Mokpoke. As a year group, we decided we wanted to make our own version of the book and in doing so, we created new pokes.

We have practised writing character descriptions for the characters we created.

Ms Harris & Ms Miller

Year 3

This week in science, Year 3 studied forces and carried out some investigations as to how these forces work in the world around us. The first force in focus was 'friction' and the students examined how this works by testing various surfaces around the school for the level of resistance given to a toy car. The students of course carried out a fair test and concluded that grass and not gravel indeed was the most resistant surface of the lot!

The next force up is gravity, which the students will investigate further next week! Well done to all the students this week for the mighty effort and we look forward to another week of interesting investigations next week.

Mr Mulcahy

Year 4

This week, Year 4 students have been learning about camera angles, framing and camera movement, in order to use these different skills when they film their own movie later in this block.

We looked at how professionals in the movie industry use these different techniques to nurture various emotions from the audience, build tension, highlight crucial items, emphasise character's feelings, set the scene, and frame the characters in various ways to direct the viewers' attention. Students then had a very fun practical lesson putting all these methods into practice.

I predict that some very fine young filmmakers will make their way onto the BISL scene this term!

Mr Bishop

Year 5A

In English, the students have been learning and using persuasive techniques to create arguments. These techniques include:

• Rhetorical questions
• Facts
• Opinions
• Exaggerations
• Information that might be true but is hard to check
• Commands - ‘Do it now!’

I hope they have not been using these techniques at home to get their own way!!!

Mr Walker

Year 5B

Year 5 have been introduced to the new unit in Topic, entitled 'Earth as an Island'. As part of the entry point, students have traced and named the earth's continents in order to make a class world map.

This map will have islands (in the correct proportion) added to it throughout this block, making students practise the skills of reading and creating their own maps using geographical terms.

So far this week students have added the following islands, while also creating posters with geographical information about them ... The Philippines, New Zealand, Hispaniola, Faroe, Borneo, Isla de Flores, Lanzarote and Kinmen. Do you know which continent these islands belong to? Or whether they are independent or not? What languages the inhabitants speak? Or what currency is used?

Mrs Charlesworth

Year 6

As part of their English unit - Narrative and Plays the Year 6 students were given a task to 'Freeze frame' a chosen part of the script we are reading.

In preparation for this activity, they had to think carefully about their body position and their facial expressions. We later discussed the best way to describe who they were looking at and what they felt inside.

These kinds of activities help students gain a deeper understanding of the stories we read in class and develop stronger literacy skills.

Mr Kokalj

PE News

In the new block, students will practice and learn all about a new sport, Badminton.

Students from Year 3 will be doing PE in Ludus, our amazing sporting facility. This week, we revised the transition to Ludus, safely walking there, changing there and getting used to the new facilities there. Students from Year 3 started their warm-up with locomotive movements, followed by a fun activity of dodgeball and a front support (one of the locomotive movements) football activity.

Year 1 and 2 had PE in the school facilities (assembly hall), where students revised what they had learned in the previous block (locomotive movements, balance) for a warm-up, followed by a team activity Rob the nest and a new activity Pay Attention, which incorporated various fitness activities. Year 1 and 2 will also be introduced to rules of Badminton and the correct grip of the racquet.

Overall, it was amazing to see all students back in school, and the week was very successful and active in PE.

We are very excited about school activities starting next week, so please sign up:

• Dance Y1 Ms Kukovica
• Dance Y2-Y6 Ms Predan
• Football Y2-Y6 Mr Damjan

PE Department

Slovene News

Our Years 1 and 2 have been learning about natural landmarks across Slovenia. With the help of the calendar, they were refreshing and repeating their knowledge of the four seasons in Slovene. They even showed diverse weather conditions through a moving game. Later on, they expressed their creativity by naming and drawing natural landmarks of their home countries.

Let's see a few photos of our keen students.

Zelo dobro!

Ms Košec

In addition to listening to fairy tales and writing words with different syllables, Year 2 Slovene Advanced students solved a crossword to broaden their vocabulary. They needed to write a word like "ananas", "kitara", nogavica", "solata".

Their desire to learn Slovene is fascinating and this can be seen in their positive attitude towards learning.

Le tako naprej!

Ms Drofenik

MEPI News

For the first time in a while, a small group of MEPI participants will come together as a group to practically test their map-reading skills. On Saturday morning, we will meet in Škofja Loka, where our participants will be presented with a map, compass, and a completed route card. Their aim is to successfully complete a 7.5km route, under the watchful eyes of their Award Leaders. It's a great chance to refresh and perfect the skills needed to complete their Qualifying Adventurous Journey. (And I think we might ALL be a bit rusty!)

Mr Irving, MEPI Coordinator

MEPI Initiative - Clothing Drive:

Fast fashion has a significant negative impact on our environment, and at BISL we take action by joining the MEPI initiative to support living a greener life by upcycling the clothes we own!

In the next two weeks, we will be collecting donations of clothes, footwear, toys, jewellery, and books that are no longer in use but are still in good shape.

These will be donated to Društvo Verjamem vate, Naša trgovin'ca, a local NGO that aims to integrate young people with physical and mental health disorders into society and work through a second-hand shop, where they can give your donated clothes and other items a whole new lease of life.

You will find a large donations box by the entrance during drop off and pick up until Tuesday, April 27. More info here.

Teacher Feature

For the first Teacher Feature of Block 6, we look into the English Department with Mr Brad Eve, longstanding member of the English and EAL Team here at BISL.

Read Mr Eve’s Teacher Feature here.

After-School Activities

We are delighted to confirm that after-school clubs will start from Monday 19th April. A full list of options is available here on our website, please take the weekend to consider your options and follow the instructions to register as detailed on the After-School Provision page.

Dear Parents,

As we head into Term 3, we have shared with you fantastic news regarding our Outstanding School Inspection and also the reopening of our After-School Provision at BISL.

I also would like to thank you for your ongoing support, encouragement and help during this year and the challenges we have faced. Due to missed face-to-face interactions at school, we are offering extended opportunities for our studentsto see each other, have fun together and to learn with one another further, please see details of this in this week’s Update from the Principal.

Kind regards,

Paul Walton

Principal