Bradbury Newsletter 16th October 2015
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PRINCIPAL’S MESSAGE |
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Dear Parents, Greetings to you all! Our major P.T.A. event, the Winter Nightmarket is just around the corner! Many thanks to those parents who have already pitched in and helped to organize and coordinate our big night. This is a huge happening with lots of ‘behind the scenes’ work and we are very appreciative of everyone who has given their time to make it a success. One area we urgently need help with is the transportation of a number of tables for the stalls from Island School to Bradbury. This will need a small –mid sized truck. If anyone can help with this, can you please let me know? Below are the dates for Year Group Parent Morning Teas. These are a chance for you to be in school and meet other parents in your child’s year group, as well as have the opportunity to talk to me, the Phase Leaders and teachers about any general questions concerning the Year Group that you may have. It is not the forum for a parent teacher consultation, however! Please come along, they are in the back of the library from 10.00 a.m. – 11.00 a.m. Year 1 – 3 November 2015 Year 2 – 8 December 2015 Year 3 – 17 November 2015 Year 4 – 24 November 2015 Year 5 – 1 December 2015 Year 6 – already held (13 October 2015) It is also confirmed that 11 March 2016 (Friday) is a Bradbury CPD day – school closure for pupils. Please read my latest blogs at http://sandrawebster.blogspot.hk What is one of the most important things you can do to help your child learn ? Knowledge versus strategy Our mathematics vision & mission I wish you all a refreshing and relaxing break. Regards,
Sandra Webster – Principal |
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IMPORTANT DATES |
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PARENT TEACHER CONSULTATION |
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Reminder: Online booking for Parent Teacher Consultations will close on Friday 23 October. If you want to make or change an appointment after Friday you will have to contact your child’s class teacher directly. John Ainsworth – Deputy Principal |
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MUSIC NEWS : YEAR 2/ YEAR 3 CHOIR |
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A reminder that the first rehearsal for the Years 2 and 3 choir will be at lunchtime on Wednesday, 28th October 2015. All children in Years 2 and 3 who enjoy singing are welcome to attend and they should go to the music room after they have eaten their lunch at 12.40pm. Gateway registration for choir has already closed, but all children will be welcome, whether or not they have already registered. Thank you. Gethyn Clothier – Head of Performing Arts |
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ECO DUDES |
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Congratulations to our Eco Dude Leaders Amanda Bremner and Lorinda Thomas who were recently successful in obtaining a grant of HK$13,400.00 from the Leisure and Cultural Services Department. These funds will be used to continue to enhance the greening of our school and students’ understanding of the care and nurture of our shared environment. Sandra Webster – Principal |
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P.S.E. NEWS |
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Growth Mindset – How the brain changes, neuroplasticity
The brain and intelligence are not fixed, they change as we learn The structure of our brain (the relative size of different regions, the strength of connections between them and their functions) reflects the lives we have led When we learn the brain grows new cells and connections The brain can be developed by exercising it, the same as the physical body Exercise the brain by exploring new information, learning new concepts and practicing skills Repetition and active learning are two keys to learning and creating new connections The more connections that are made, the easier it is to make new ones C. Farrington – P.S.E. Leader |
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TOYS AT SCHOOL |
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We do understand that many students like to bring one small toy or a game to play with on their bus journeys to and from school, or even to use on the school playground. However it is important to note that we cannot accept responsibility for any such items and students bring them as their own responsibility and at their own risk. . Any toys bought to the school should be stored in the students schoolbag during the school day. Please do not send any valuable toys or those with sentimental value to your child. Thank you for your attention to this. Therese Gallen – Vice Principal/Lower Phase Leader |
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‘ACTION’ FOCUS |
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WE STILL HAVE PLACES FOR FEEDING THE HOMELESS As part of our school ‘Action’ focus, Bradbury is working with Sunshine Action to help people in need and is looking to take sustainable action in our community. Through a care programme for street sleepers and the homeless, Bradbury will be regularly delivering around 80 -100 hot meals to people in need throughout the year. This term, the event will be happening on: Friday 30th October 2015 Monday 30th November 2015 For each trip, we can accommodate a maximum of 25 people (15 upper school students and 10 adults). The cost is $350 per person/students (donations on or above this are gratefully received) and this money will be put towards paying for the hot meals, snacks and drinks we deliver on the evening. Participants will meet at the Nam Cheong MTR Station Exit A at 5.45pm and the event usually last around 1.5 hours. If you wish to participate in this school action please ring Ms Fritzi in the school office and leave the full name/s of the participant/s, the date you prefer to participate on and a contact number. We have further dates booked with Sunshine Action in Term 2 and Term 3 so, if you are unable to participate this term we hope you will join us later in the year. ACTION CLUB Starting after half term break every Thursday 2:45-4:00 we will be looking for students to join an action club. The action club will be doing activities with outside community groups to make a difference. The club will be open for Years 5 and 6 students and will have places for up to 12 students. Please sign up via the Gateway. ACTION IN THE PYP There will be an information session for parents on action on 4 November 2015, from 8.30 a.m. – 9.30 a.m. in the Multipurpose hall. Amanda Bremner (PYP Coordinator) and Clayton Heggie (Y6 Teacher) |
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BOX OF HOPE |
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You may have seen posters around the school and stickers that have come home with your child that show that we are, once again, supporting this year’s Box of Hope charity project. Box of Hope is an annual charity project aimed at providing useful/educational gifts to underprivileged children in Hong Kong & Asia donated by Hong Kong school children and local organisations. You fill old shoe boxes with NEW interesting and EDUCATIONAL gifts at home and drop them off at a collection point. Bradbury School is a collection point! The boxes are then collected and delivered directly to the children in need. Some of these children have never received a gift. How To Make Your Box Find an empty medium-size shoe box, approximately 18 x 30 x 13cm. What to Pack All items must be NEW. Please try to include 2 items from each category. What not to Pack NO FOOD / MEDICINE / WAR RELATED ITEMS toy guns/soldiers/knives / CLOTHING (other than listed above) / FRAGILE ITEMS Glass containers/mirrors / LIQUIDS of any kind including blow bubbles/shampoo/bubble bath/toiletry sets/aerosols / DANGEROUS ITEMS Marbles/sharp objects/scissors/razors. Please find more information at http://boxofhope.org/home/main/en/ Steve Fennelly – Vice Principal/Upper Phase Leader |
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MATHEMATICS AT BRADBURY |
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In our three yearly strategic plan, we have identified Mathematics as a focus area for this year. This involves a huge push on professional development for our teachers and raising the profile of Mathematics around the school. One of the first tasks for the staff was to come together and plan a whole school vision and mission for Mathematics. Please find this below.
You will notice that there are strong links our school vision and mission, including building strong foundations in a dynamic, innovative and enjoyable learning environment and also supporting the needs of learners through a balanced curriculum. We are currently finding out about and incorporating mathematically rich tasks into our Maths lessons. These tasks are defined by Steve Hewson as: Rich tasks open up mathematics. They transform the subject from a collection of memorised procedures and facts into a living, connected whole. Rich tasks allow the learner to ‘get inside’ the mathematics. The resulting learning process is far more interesting, engaging and powerful; it is also far more likely to lead to a lasting assimilation of the material for use in both further mathematical study and the wider context of applications. Current research evidence indicates that students who are given opportunities to work on their problem solving skills enjoy the subject more, are more confident and are more likely to continue studying mathematics, or mathematically related subjects, beyond the age of 16. Most importantly to some, there is also evidence that they do at least as well in standard tests such as GCSEs and A-levels. Rich tasks can enable students to work mathematically by allowing them to: Step into activities even when the route to a solution is initially unclear Get started and explore because the tasks are accessible to pupils of wide ranging abilities Pose as well as solve problems, make conjectures Work at a range of levels Extend knowledge or apply knowledge in new contexts Work successfully when using different methods Broaden their problem-solving skills Deepen and broaden mathematical content knowledge See and make sense of underlying principles or make connections between different areas of mathematics Work within include intriguing contexts Observe other people being mathematical or see the role of mathematics within cultural settings Steve Fennelly – Mathematics Leader/Vice Principal |
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P.T.A. NEWS |
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SAVE THE DATE 20 NOV – WINTER NIGHT MARKET AGM/ TAPAS AND WINE EVENING I would like to say a big thank you to all of the parents who joined us for our Annual General Meeting on Monday 12 October. It was a really informative and fun evening, which allowed parents to learn more about what the PTA does and our future plans. It also gave parents an opportunity to meet and chat to the committee over a few glasses of wine and some delicious tapas provided by Sav Winslow, a Bradbury parent, really outdid herself this year. It was amazing! During the meeting, I was officially made the Chair of the PTA and we voted in three new members of the committee: Catherine Hufton, Marilou Peck and Anna Chapman who has kindly agreed to be our Honorary Treasurer. We are excited to have these new members joining our committee and I know they are keen to get started! We will have plenty for them to do in the run up to the Winter Night market! Please look for the AGM meeting minutes, PTA Committee Member information, and our Audited Accounts which will be uploaded to the PTA website within the next week. Any questions, please contact the PTA. WINTER NIGHT MARKET UPDATE We are fast approaching the annual Winter Night Market and we need your help!! URGENT PLEASE let us know if you can provide/offer a contact who can help!!! We need: Chaffing Dishes Marquee Tents Donations for the YEAR GROUP HAMPERS – please send in money or donated items to your class parent. USED BOOKS – We will start collecting books at the beginning of November so please go through your bookshelves and find a few to donate! We are particularly looking for children’s books, adult fiction and cookery books. VOLUNTEERS – we are looking for parent volunteers on the night – if you are willing to donate any of your time to help with this fun, festive event, please contact Julia Dunn at juliaedunn@gmail.com or the PTA pta@bradbury.edu.hk. NEW TOY / GIFT ITEMS – please drop off any unwanted, NEW toys or gifts to the PTA Office. RAFFLE TICKETS – will be distributed on Friday 30 October. Any unsold tickets MUST be returned to the school for auditing purposes by November 13th, otherwise $200 has to be paid for lost tickets. This is a requirement of the Office of Licencing Authority, Home Affairs Department. WANT TO WIN an iPad MINI or iPod Touch??? Prizes offered to the students that sells the most raffle tickets!! Could it be YOU!! Finally I would like to thank Cassie Jullienne for her commitment, dedication and enthusiasm over the last 4 years. The PTA committee has flourished under her leadership and I really appreciate her help and support in the coming year as I find my feet in my new role as Chairperson!! As always, if you have any comments, ideas or suggestions for events or spending plans please contact a committee member or email the PTA at pta@bradbury.edu.hk. Julia Dunn – PTA Chairperson |
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P.E. NEWS |
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Our U11 Girls Football team had their first tournament at the weekend, it was a tough field with competitions coming from both on and off island. The girls had a few draws and losses in their pool however showed great determination to improve their game. Training is every Tuesday 2:45-4:00 at Happy Valley, please come and speak to Miss Jackson if you are interested in joining training for the rest of this term. Nicola Jackson – P.E. Leader |
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YEAR 6 CULTURAL LUNCH |
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The Year 6 students celebrated the end of their International Mindedness Unit of Inquiry with a cultural lunch. Refugees from Christian Action joined them to share music and stories about African culture. |
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THE BRADBURY NEWSLETTER FEEDBACK FROM PARENTS |
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Thank you very much for taking the time to complete the survey sent out last week. We have had 113 responses, with the multiple choice questions listed below. Thank you also for your longer text replies – we are currently sifting through your ideas!
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