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Newsletter 5 February 2010

Submitted by bradburyadmin on Fri, 2010-02-05 14:43
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2009/2010 Issue No. 11                                                         Friday 5 February 2010

arrowPrincipal's Message
arrowImportant Dates
arrowChinese Department News
arrowWriting Competition/Library News
arrowStudent Led Conferences
arrowPYP News
arrowAfter School Activities News
arrowHelp Haiti
arrowP.E. News
arrowWork from Class 5A
arrowP.T.A. News

 

Dear Parents,
 
Greetings to you all.
 
We are fortunate at Bradbury School to have a very active and supportive P.T.A. At a recent P.T.A. meeting, there was agreement made to continue to support the development of our playground. The thinking behind this is that all students, regardless of age, benefit. I have developed a three year strategic plan as a guideline for this development which is included in this newsletter for your information. Note that it is a guide only and may change, however it does give us a structure to work to. The new large playground for the blue playground has been ordered and should be installed over the Easter break. 
 
Our ‘Walk for Haiti’ fundraiser has been very successful. Thank you all for your support in this. It has been great to have so many parents join us for the walk as well. It appears that we have raised in the vicinity of HK$5,000.00 (this is the actual cheques received but more pledges are coming in next week). 
 
After Chinese New Year we will have new neighbours with the opening of Hillside Kindergarten. Bradbury School and Hillside Kindergarten management have had lots of discussion around the potential traffic issues.  One thing we have agreed on is ensuring that their start and finish times do not coincide with ours. David Gorman, the Hillside Kindergarten Principal has asked that Bradbury parents are made aware of the need not to park across their gate area.
 
I wish you all a happy and safe Chinese New Year as we welcome the Year of the Tiger. We have a traditional lion dance next Friday at 1.30 p.m. and parents are welcome to join us for this.
 
Kung hei fat choi!
 
 
 
Sandra Webster
Principal
Three Year Playground Development Plan
 
Year
Item Description
Cost Quoted (HKD)
Actual Cost (HKD)
2008 - 2009
·         Senior Adventure Playground installed
 
371,950
·         Giant sandpit installed
 
 15,000
2009 - 2010
Adventure Playground installed
(Blue Playground)
 
613,875
 
·         Reflooring of Junior Undercover Playground and Senior Adventure Playground
 
 
·         Installation of safety fencing around Tarmac Playground
 
 
 
2009-2010
·         Games marked onto walls/ground around school
 
 
·         Purchase of one Wendy House
For Covered Playground
 
 
 
2010 - 2011
·         MGV Panels with Protruding and Inserted Holds
(Climbing wall by giant sandpit)
 
 
 
·         Removal of concrete “stage area” in Lower Playground
 
 
 

 
IMPORTANT DATES 
DATE
EVENT
TIME
8 February 2010 (Monday)
Bradbury School Year Book Order Forms Due
-------
9 February 2010 (Tuesday)
Year 1 Educational Visit
11.30 a.m.
10 February 2010 (Wednesday)
Class 4M/4B Educational Visit
8.30 a.m. – 2.30 p.m.
12 February 2010 (Friday)
Lion Dance
1.30 p.m.
15 – 19 February 2010
CHINESE NEW YEAR HOLIDAYS (NO CLASSES)
-------
22 February 2010 (Monday)
Classes Resume
8.30 a.m.
24 February 2010 (Wednesday)
Year 3 Hockey Tournament (Happy Valley)
11.00 a.m. – 12.00 p.m.
24 February 2010 (Wednesday)
Parents’ Workshop on Student Led Conference
5.00 p.m.
26 February 2010 (Friday)
Parents Evening on Literacy
6.00 p.m.
2 March 2010 (Tuesday)
Year 5 Hockey Tournament(Happy Valley) 
9.30 a.m. – 10.30 a.m.
2 March 2010 (Tuesday)
Year 4 Rugby Tournament (Happy Valley)
9.30 a.m. – 10.30 a.m.
3 March 2010 (Wednesday)
Year 1 & 2 Student Led Conferences
All Day
4 March 2010 (Thursday)
Year 5 & 6 Student Led Conferences
All Day
5 March 2010 (Friday)
Year 3 & Year 4 Student Led Conferences
All Day
 
CHINESE DEPARTMENT NEWS
In celebration of the arrival of the Year of the Tiger, 12 February is the Chinese New Year celebration in school. We encourage all students to wear Chinese costume or something red. At around 1.30 p.m. we will be treated to a Lion Dance.
 
We wish everyone a Happy Year of the Tiger
 
Gong Xi Fa Cai! 恭喜发财! 
 

Wei Wang - Chinese Department
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WRITING COMPETITION/ LIBRARY NEWS
 




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Thank you to all students that submitted an entry for the P3 writing competition.  We have had a great response, 16 entries were submitted.  We have submissions from the categories of poetry, fictional writing and art work.  We are very proud of our students and very impressed by the high standard of writing.
Because of the great response, I will continue to offer writing competitions for our students.  Please look for our next newsletter for the details.


Carolyn Andrews – Vice Principal Middle Phase/English Leader

 

 

Thanks to everyone who supported the Paddyfield Book club. Today is the last day for accepting orders, so please do not send any cheques in next week. I am thrilled to announce we have received over $40K worth of orders of which the Library will receive 20% to purchase new books. The students have already made some suggestions for new titles and there is a display of new books purchased since January already in the library. Please feel free anytime you are in school to drop by and look around, you are always welcome.


Debra Perrin – Library Assistant

 
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STUDENT LED CONFERENCES
By now you should have received a letter inviting you to your child’s student led conference. At Bradbury School, we believe parents, students and teachers are all valued as contributors to the assessment and reporting process and, therefore, share in the responsibility for learning and accounting for progress. Since students are at the center of all assessment and reporting, it follows that they should be part of the reporting procedure. We have introduced student led conferences into our reporting process in Term 2 in order to address this need. 
 
 Why have Student/Parent Conferences?
  • They present an opportunity for students to share their learning with their parents.
  • They give more responsibility to the students for their own part in the learning process.
  • They get students involved in identifying points of strength and areas for further growth that they can share with their parents.
  • They give parents a clear insight into the kind of work their child is doing.
  • They provide parents with an opportunity to discuss their child’s work and identify ways they can offer support to help their child achieve their own goals.
  • They communicate the IB PYP program effectively to parents.
  • They help develop and support qualities from the IB PYP Learner Profile.
 What is the role of the parents in the conference?
 
Although the conference is led by the student, the parents’ role is vital to the success of the conference. It is important that you see yourselves as an integral part of the discussion. When your child is sharing their learning, your role is more important than that of a good listener – you are actively encouraged to ask questions such as:
  • Why did you choose this piece of work to show me?
  • What did you learn from this Unit of Inquiry?
  • What are you most proud of?
  • What changes would you make next time?
  • Which learner profile attributes do you feel you have achieved?
  • How do you feel your work has improved this year?
 
During the conference, your child will share their strengths and areas for development. You will discuss how you can support them at home to achieve their identified goals for further growth. Specific discussions with class teachers should be scheduled for another time.
 
We look forward to your participation at your child’s conference and invite you to a Parent’s Workshop on student led conferences at 5pm on Wednesday 24th February 2010.
 

John Ainsworth – Vice Principal

PYP News
How I can show my thinking
When children want to show us what they know, we often expect them to do this in a written format. There are a number of ways and opportunities for children to demonstrate what they know. We need to make sure we do provide these on a regular basis. Consider a few of the following ideas when working with you children at home.
 
VISUALLY
 
Banners
Cartoons
Designs
Displays
Game
Paintings or Drawings
Videos or Photos
Computer graphics
Models
Posters
Maps…and more
 
WRITTEN
 
Letters
Journals
Poems or Plays
Newspaper Article
Research Report
Brochures
Stories
Advertisements
Logs
Proposals
Experiments …and more
ORALLY
 
Audiotapes
Conversations
Discussions
Drama
Interviews
Oral presentations
Puppet Show
Rap or Songs
Teach someone else
Debates
 

C. Duncan – Vice Principal/PYP Co-ordinator
AFTER SCHOOL ACTIVITIES NEWS
ESF Gymnastics Club 6th  Annual ESF Gymnastics Tournament 2010
 
We are so proud to announce that our gymnastics competition will be held on 21 March 2010 at South Island School, Hong Kong.
 
All current students are welcome for this big event. There are four divisions, Gym Club 4yrs+, Gym Club 6yrs+, Junior Gym Club and Senior Gym Club.
 
Gymnasts can choose to join one or up to four competitions include Trampoline, Floor Exercise, Balance Beam, and Vault. Gymnasts need to perform a compulsory routine, except the Senior Gym Club and Trampoline students have to make up their own optional routine.
 
Competitions will split into two time slots.
09:30am – 11:30am   Trampoline, Junior Gym Club and Senior Gym Club
Follow by the Medal Presentations
12:00nn – 02:00pm    Gym Club 4yrs+ and Gym Club 6yrs+
 
Every child will receive a participation medal, so please try to stay for medal awards. Last year we had more then 140 participants. We look forward to see more high level gymnasts & new faces again!
 
Entry Deadline: 27th Feb, 2010
 
Please visit our website www.esf.org.hk for more information
 
Sports Section, ESL Educational Services Limited
5/F CIGNA Tower, 482 Jaffe Road, Causeway Bay , Hong Kong

Tel: +852 2711 1280   Fax: +852 2711 8007, sports@esf.org.hk    http://www.esf.org.hk

HELP HAITI
HOW I RAISED MONEY FOR HAITI
 
Today I went on a walk with the whole of Year 3. The purpose of this walk was to raise money for Haiti. Haiti is a poor country in the Caribbean. This country has suffered a terrible earthquake and the people that live in Haiti have nothing left. So, after we had snack play we left the school. We walked down a slope. Then, we crossed the road. I saw an old man taking photos of us. We walked on to Bowen Road. Bowen Road hasn’t got any pavement so we had to be very careful. We walked for 3 km then stopped for a rest. Some people used that time to go to the toilet! Then, we walked back. By the time we got to the 5th kilometre I was really tired. But I wouldn’t give up. I just kept walking on and on until I finished the walk. At the end of the walk, all I wanted to do was relax. That was what I did when I got back home. 
 
Today was a meaningful day, but also very tiring!
 
Carol Lam – Class 3T Student
 
HOW MANY SWEETS IN THE BOX?
 
Samantha Worley from 5B & Mum Liz Worley Year 1 EA are raising money for the families of the Haiti earthquake, we have bought lots of sweets & put them into a box.
 
During the week we would like children to bring $5 to have a guess how many sweets there are. The person who gets the correct or the closest guess will win the box of sweets for their class.
 
ALL money raised will go towards the Haiti Earthquake fund.
 
Many thanks.
 

Liz Worley – Class 1R
P.E. News
 
Curriculum P.E.
The hockey and rugby units of work are going extremely well! The children are learning heaps and having a great time. Please take note of the dates for the end of unit tournaments and come along and see their skills in action.
 
After School Activities
Please remember that for after school activities P.E. clothes need to be worn. School uniform is not acceptable. Shin pads and mouth guards are also essential for rugby and hockey. This is for the safety of the children.
 
Congratulations to our long distance runners who ran brilliantly last Thursday in their first race of the term. The team raced against runners from CIS and GSIS over an extremely tough course, which included no less than 75 steps for Years 3 and 4 and a cruel 150 steps for Years 5 and 6. The fields of runners varied from 17 to 44 depending on the age group competing. Over half our runners finished in the top 10 and a few superstars finished way up in the top 5. So well done to everyone who ran. Their next race is on Wednesday 10th February on a much kinder Bowen Road, so if you’re free come along and give them your support.
 
Our Year 3 and 4 hockey players had their first inter school tournament on Monday against GSIS. Our teams all played extremely winning most of their games. Special mention and thanks go to two Year 6 children who although they were too old to play stole the show. Richard Chao and Kirstie Stevenson did a brilliant job of running the tournament! They managed to run two pitches, time keep, score keep and organize the teams. If anyone needs any events organizing these two students are definitely up for the job!
 
ESF services have added girls’ soccer to their extensive list of activities. The coaches were in school a few weeks ago offering free lunch time soccer sessions to all girls at our school. If you are interested in your daughter signing up for ‘the fastest growing sport in the world’ check out their website at www.esf.org.hk or call 27111280 or you can find details on our school website. Click on the term 2 activities button on the bottom of the homepage.
 
Marie Farry – P.E. Leader
 
WORK FROM CLASS 5A
Class 5A wrote some stories from the point of view of the three bears based on the children’s story Goldilocks and the Three Bears. Here are some of the covers the children drew to support their stories.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Hanyan Tsien
 
Grant Anderson – 5A Teacher
 
Trinity Tse
P.T.A. NEWS
The new P.T.A. Committee is in the process of finalizing fundraising and spending plans for the current year – including, as mentioned in the Principal’s Message, plans to invest significantly in further improvements to the playground.
 
We are looking to increase the number and range of P.T.A. sponsored events at Bradbury. These will include purely social events, to give Bradbury families more opportunity to mix and get to know each other, as well as fund-raisers.
 
Current plans include:
 
  • Family Fun Day
  • Cheese and Wine/Quiz Night
  • Year 6 Graduation Party
  • Talent Show
  • Xmas Night Market and Food Fair
 
Thanks to the continued support of Bradbury parents we are able to raise a significant amount of money each year to invest back into the school in ways which benefit our children.
 
Going forward we would like to encourage this support by providing more information on exactly how much is being raised and where it is being spent. 
 
In the 2008/9 school year the P.T.A. raised $753,218 from membership fees, shop sales, bus fees, pizza sales, cakes sales and sales of the school calendar.
 
$388,757 of this was donated back to the school during the same school year as follows:
 
  • $116,085 for the first instalment of new playground equipment
  • $40,000 of Pizza Sale proceeds to the Learning Centre for the purchase of new books (including books specifically selected to support the Units of Inquiry)
  • $39,928 to the Learning Centre to purchase a set of Encyclopaedias and other resources
  • $39,480 for the purchase of Mosquito Extractors for the playgrounds
  • $31,750 as a contribution towards staffing costs at the school camps
  • $30,802 for the Year 6 Graduation Party
  • $29,988 for new carpets for the Year 1 and 2 classrooms
  • $19,000 of Cake Sale proceeds to the Year Groups and the Learning Support Dept., spent mainly on games for use on rainy day playtimes
  • $14,000 contribution to the Year 5 Artist Residence
  • $11,566 for gardening programme
  • $6,830 to the Music Department to purchase sheet music
  • $5,128 for Year 4 project
  • $4,200 to the P.E. department to purchase kits for school sports teams
 
The balance is included in spending plans for the current year e.g. for the playground equipments, new school kits.
 
We hope that sharing this information on how your P.T.A. is spending your money will further encourage everyone’s involvement in the P.T.A. and its activities. 
 
If you have any comments, or suggestions for events or spending please do contact a member of the committee or email pta@bs.esf.edu.hk
 

Jackie McIntyre – P.T.A. Chairperson/ Catherine Gathani – P.T.A. Vice-chairperson
Bradbury School | 43C Stubbs Road, Hong Kong