Newsletter22January2010
PRINCIPAL’S MESSAGE
Dear Bradbury School Community,
Greetings to you all!
The new P.T.A. sponsored playground has been ordered for the blue playground to replace the current piece of equipment, which I feel does not offer enough challenge for our students. The new one has lots of climbing, sliding and swinging opportunities. It is expected to be installed over the Easter break. Good news and many thanks to the P.TA. for supporting this.
At Bradbury, we like to ensure quality at all levels and this includes the way our students present themselves. Lately I have noticed non uniform items being worn to school. Can you please ensure that your child wears only uniform items of clothing in uniform colours. Many thanks for your support. We are also very serious about presenting optimum opportunities for learning. To this end, we need your support in ensuring your children arrive before the 8.30 a.m. bell, are present at class up until the last day of term and are back in school for the first day of the new term.
Please also be reminded that there is no school supervision for students after 3.00 p.m.
ADVANCE NOTICE
We will be holding a Parents Evening on Literacy on 26 February 2010. This will be taken by Margaret Menner, a literacy expert who has been working with the staff this year. This meeting precedes a professional development day for staff the following day. Details re time and content to follow but do keep this date free.
Like most of the world, we at school have been saddened by the devastation caused by the earthquake in Haiti. As a school community, we are keen to do what we can to support the rebuilding of this island nation. Therefore, we intend to focus on fundraising for Haiti over the next two weeks. One thing we will do will be a sponsored school walk along Bowen Road and another will be ‘Jobs for Haiti’ where the children will do small chores around the home as part of their homework and bring the money raised to school.
The details of both activities are currently being worked through and we will inform you as soon as possible.
Sandra Webster
Principal
IMPORTANT DATES
DATE
EVENT
TIME
26 January 2010 (Tuesday)
Year 4 Auditions for School Production
11.55 a.m. – 12.40 p.m.
27 January 2010 – 5 February 2010
L.E.A.P. Van in School
All day
27 January 2010 (Wednesday)
Year 5 Auditions for School Production
11.55 a.m. – 12.40 p.m.
28 January 2010 (Thursday)
Year 2 to Cheung Chau
8.30 a.m.
28 January 2010 (Thursday)
P.T.A. Year 1 Pizza Sale
12.00 p.m. – 1.00 p.m.
28 January 2010 (Thursday)
Year 6 Auditions for School Production
11.55 a.m. – 12.40 p.m.
28 January 2010 (Thursday)
Deadline for Writing Competition
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29 January 2010 (Friday)
Class 5A/5T Assembly
9.00 a.m. – 10.00 a.m.
2 February 2010 (Tuesday)
Year 3 Parents’ Morning Tea
10.00 a.m. – 11.00 a.m.
4 February 2010 (Thursday)
Class 4V/4S Educational Visit
8.30 a.m. – 2.30 p.m.
10 February 2010 (Wednesday)
Class 4M/4B Educational Visit
8.30 a.m. – 2.30 p.m.
15 – 19 February 2010
CHINESE NEW YEAR HOLIDAYS (NO CLASSES)
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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.
26 February 2010 (Friday)
Parents Evening on Literacy
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.
PYP NEWS: INQUIRY IS…
Let’s have a look at the common characteristics of Inquiry:
While there are different starting points for inquiries, for example a tropical, global or community issue, interest or play base, inquiries generally have these following characteristics:
They
· Require students to ask questions
· Encourage learner interaction
· Build up on prior knowledge
· Include direct experiences
· Involve the application of ideas
· Utilise and consider students interests
· Raise different perspectives and tackle values
· Are student centered and directed
· Emphasise process and skill development
· Are conceptually based rather than factual
· Usually involve some negotiation with the students
· Explore affective aspects of learning
Sometimes the inquiry process is thought to be unstructured and unplanned. However the process is very structured and exceptionally constructive for planning effective learning. The inquiry approach is often used as the foundation for integrated curriculum planning. All the associated subject connections that allow the unit to be unpacked and understood IN CONTEXT, are combined to develop a greater understanding of the inquiry itself.
Christopher Duncan – PYP Coordinator/Vice Principal
L.E.A.P. VAN VISITS BRADBURY SCHOOL
Starting 27th January – 5th February 2010 the L.E.A.P. van will be based in Bradbury School. The Life Education Activity Programme (L.E.A.P.) is an internationally recognised health awareness, drug prevention programme for primary children to make them aware of the advantages of a healthy lifestyle.
Below are some of the topics that they will be discussing with the children. All the classes will have the opportunity to visit the van.
Year 1 – Air to Live – importance of clean air and exercise
Year 2 – Food for Life – digestive system, balanced diet, media influence and safe use of medicine
Year 3 – Great to be Me – circulatory system, information of medicine and importance of accepting and helping friends
Year 4 – Body Network – nervous system, decision making and coping skills
Year 5 – Clear the Smoke – effects of smoking, peer pressure, critical thinking, refusal skills and assertiveness
Year 6 – My Choice – effects of alcohol, decision making and dealing with bullying
Marie Farry – P.E. Teacher
P.E. NEWS
Curriculum P.E.
Years 3 and 5 hockey, Year 4 tag rugby and Year 6 swimming are all well underway. Please ensure your child has the correct equipment (mouth guard, shin pads, swimming hat etc) for these activities on their day.
After School Activities
The after school activity program for this term is up and running. There are still a few places left for the rounders activity. So if your child is in Years 4, 5 or 6 and is interested in playing rounders on Tuesday afternoons please fill in the form on the school website and return it to me as soon as possible.
Our friends at Omnicom Cricket Centre Of Excellence are offering more courses for children who want to further extend their cricket skills. For details of their programs go to the school website and click on the term 2 activities button on the bottom of the homepage.
Looking ahead we will be running the biathlon activity again this year in term 3. I have been encouraging the children in the top Year 5 and 6 swimming groups to sign up for the after school long distance running. Biathlon is a tough activity and although there will be some training for it in term 3 it is a very good idea to get in early and work on the running now. We have some excellent swimmers in the top swimming groups and it would be great to see them participating in biathlon as well as swimming. If your child is in this category please fill in the enrolment form on the school website, we can still accommodate a couple more runners in this activity.
Some exciting news this week is that ESF services have added girls soccer to their extensive list of activities. The lesson will take place here at Bradbury School on Thursday at 4 p.m. The coaches have been in school this week 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
PERFORMING ARTS NEWS
SCHOOL PRODUCTION
This year’s school production will be Shakespeare’s ‘The Tempest’, adapted for schools by Nick Perrin and Ruth Kenward. There will be speaking, singing and dancing parts available for interested children in Years 4 to 6 and I will hold first auditions at lunchtimes (11.55 am to 12.40 pm) on the following days:
Year 4 - Tuesday, 26th January 2010
Year 5 - Wednesday, 27th January 2010
Year 6 - Thursday, 28th January 2010
You will find details of available parts together with audition pieces on the music website:
http://web.me.com/gethyncl/Bradbury_Schools_Music_Website/Home.html
You will need to use the following username and password to access the site:
User name: bradbury
Password: clothierYou can also access the website via the CLC.
If your child is interested in auditioning for the show, they will need to prepare at least one of the pieces and be able to present it from memory, speaking loudly and clearly and with expression. For singing parts, your child should learn one of the songs and be prepared to perform it either solo or as part of a small group.
Rehearsals will take place on Thursdays, from 3 to 4.30 pm and the show will be performed in May, with an evening performance to parents.
Children selected will be expected to attend all rehearsals so please ensure that they are available on Thursdays if they would like to audition.
CHOIR
Rehearsals for the Years 4 to 6 will resume from 3 to 4 pm on Thursday, 28th January. I look forward to seeing
all previous singers and I will welcome any children in Years 4 to 6 who would like to join.
Gethyn Clothier - Head of Performing Arts
GREEN TEAM
PLEASE CAN YOU READ THIS WITH YOUR CHILD
The Green Team have designed a special website to encourage you to be green.
The address is http://www.bradburygreenteam.webs.com/
Each month on the website we will show who is the greenest class, who is the greenest member of staff, who is the greenest student and we will be having competitions that you all can enter.
This month we have two caption competitions for anyone to enter.
We have a promise tree. You can email the green team on bradburygreenteam@hotmail.com to leave your promise to the environment. Why don't you look at the website to give yourself some ideas.
There is also a guest book to leave any message you want to the Bradbury Green Team. We have a carbon footprint calculator so you can work out how you can reduce your carbon footprint.
We have environmental news.
Please keep looking out for more green news!
The Bradbury School Green Team.
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YEAR 5 VISITS MACAU
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Last week Year 5 visited Macau to learn more about Portuguese exploration. We visited a museum, A Ma Temple and a Protestant cemetery. The children had a great day learning a lot about early explorers, navigation and why people explored.
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SCHOOL COUNCIL NEWS
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A very warm welcome to three new school council members:
· Eleni Istavridis – our new Council Chair
· Lakshmi Jacota – our new parent representative
· Andrew Tait – our new parent/P.T.A. representative
I look forward to working with each of you and I know Bradbury will benefit from your extensive skill set, knowledge and experience. For our school community’s information, a brief biography for each new member is included below.
S. Webster
Eleni Istavridis
Eleni arrived in Hong Kong in 1993 from New York, sent by Bankers Trust to manage the Asia region for one of its businesses. Over the next 17 years, she has continued to work both in finance and industry. She has an 18 year-old son who is about to leave for university. As he was growing up, she has been a volunteer with Chinese International School and Hong Kong International School. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in History and Literature from Harvard College, a Master of International Affairs and an MBA from Columbia University. In addition to education, her interests include hiking, sailing, reading, and travelling. Eleni recently endowed a school in Sri Lanka and looks forward to inaugurating it later this year.
Dr. Lakshmi JACOTĂ
Lakshmi is the mother of two children at Bradbury School: a son in Year 4 and a daughter in Year 3. She currently works for The Hong Kong Federation of Youth Groups, the city’s largest youth service organisation, where her job involves policy analysis, research and writing on issues primarily relating to young people, leadership, education and employment. She is a published author and editor, as well as a regular contributor to Youth Hong Kong, a magazine of the Federation. She is also an occasional broadcaster for RTHK’s Religious Programming. She holds a B.A. in History (Honours) from The College of Wooster in Ohio, USA; an M.Phil. in Social Anthropology from the University of Cambridge and a D.Phil. in History from the University of Oxford.
Andrew C.T. Tait
Andrew has been a permanent resident of Hong Kong for 14 years, with two children, a son who is now in Year 7 at Island School, having completed Years 1-6 at Bradbury, and a daughter in Year 4 at Bradbury.
During his 14 years in Hong Kong he has been employed by Cathay Pacific Airways and is presently a Senior Checking and Training Captain on the Airbus A330 and A340 aircraft, the regulatory checking being carried out on behalf of Cathay Pacific Airways and the HK Civil Aviation Department.
Andrew joined the Royal Navy as an Officer Cadet in May 1970 and served for 20 years as a Naval Officer and Naval Aviator, flying a wide variety of helicopters, piston and jet engine aircraft, both land and sea based. The roles involved were Commando, Search and Rescue, Training, Air and Surface Defence of the Fleet. During this time he held the varied posts of Divisional Officer, Staff Officer, Operations Officer, Senior Sea Harrier Qualified Flying Instructor, Instrument Rating Examiner, Sea Harrier Maintenance Test Pilot and Sea Harrier Display Pilot. He retired from the Royal Navy in March 1990 in the rank of Lieutenant Commander having been decorated by HM The Queen in the New Years Honours List 1988 with the Air Force Cross for Services to Naval Aviation. On leaving the Royal Navy he commenced his career in civil aviation by joining Air 2000 Ltd, a charter airline in the UK, as a captain based in Glasgow for a period of 6 years prior to joining Cathay Pacific Airways.
With three children from a previous marriage, all now grown up, who were educated in England and now two children in the ESF system, he wanted then and still wants now the best in education for his children and for this to be provided in the best school environment possible. He feels his previous life experiences will assist the PTA and the School Council in its endeavours.
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AFTER SCHOOL ACTIVITIES NEWS
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E.S.F. SPORTS NEWS- LION SOCCER CLUB
Fraser Laing (Bradbury School Class 4S)has been selected for the ESF Soccer Lion's U9's Development Squad, and Max Pauli, Michael Forrer and Luke Rae-Howard (Bradbury School Class 5T) have all been picked for the ESF Lions U10's team.
Sports Section
ESF 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
AFTER SCHOOL ACTIVITIES ON THE WEBSITE
After school activities brochures and application forms can now be found on the website. Please go to www.bradbury.edu.hk, please click on Community, Term 2 Extra Curricular Activities.
(Bradbury School is not responsible for the quality and safety of programmes offered by third parties. However, please note that all hirers are required to provide third party insurance. Parents are urged to take steps to ensure that they are satisfied with any and all aspects of the after school programme(s) they elect to opt in to.)
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LEARNING CENTRE NEWS
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The latest Paddyfield catalogue has gone out today in your child's bag. The catalogue contains many excellent titles at very fair prices. For those unfamiliar with the book club, this is a scheme which allows you to support the library when you buy new books for your children. 20% of the total value of your order will be given to the school in the form of a book credit, which will be a tremendous help in keeping the library supplied with the latest releases.
Please have your child return completed order forms (in the centre of the catalogue) together with cheque payment to the library. Please note cash is not accepted and will be returned. The deadline is Friday 5th February and orders received after that will be returned to you. Books will be delivered to school approximately 4-6 weeks after this date allowing for Chinese New Year.
Thank you for your support.
Library
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P.T.A. NEWS
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YEAR 1 PIZZA SALE
The Year 1 Pizza sale will be held on Thursday 28th January. Pizza will be sold during lunchtime at $15 per piece. The Year 1 parents have kindly agreed to sell these to all students (Y1-Y6). If you would like your child/children to take part, please provide them with some money. VOLUNTEERS REQUIRED:If anyone is available and willing to assist between 11:30 p.m. to 1:00 p.m. that day, please do not hesitate to call me at 2893 2256 Thank you for your attention!
GREEN TEAM REMINDER: To reduce the use of paper plates, please bring your own re-usable container.
Lin Gong - PTA Administrator
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ESF FILM AWARDS 2010
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Film Club
There is a new after school activity available for a small group of Year 5 and 6 students. The club will focus on the creation of films in these categories with storyboarding, acting, filming, directing, creating soundtracks and editing. Film Club will be held between 3:00 pm and 4:15 pm at Bradbury School. Interested students have been given letters to sign and return this week.
Thursday 27th May 2010 sees the second ever ESF Film Awards, which will be held at Discovery College. The aim is to promote film as a medium of expression throughout the English Schools Foundation and showpiece the best work at all age groups, including IB Film.
Two student M.C.’s will present the final ceremony (winners of last year’s IB Best Film) and representatives from local schools and other international schools will also be invited to see the event itself and promote the importance of film in education.
E.S.F. is offering prizes in 5 categories:
1. Persuasive TV commercial (30-45 seconds)
2. Documentary – 3 minutes (e.g. scientific experiments, day in the life etc.)
3. A short film that tells a story without using words (3 minutes maximum)
4. Collaborative film made with students and teachers
5. Foreign language film
Steve Fennelly- Learning Technologies Leader
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HONG KONG YOUNG WRITERS AWARDS 2010
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I would like to remind interested students and their parents that the writing deadline of the writing competition is on Thursday 28 January. The writing competition theme is ‘New Tales of the South China Sea.’
If you have any questions please contact Ms. Andrews at carolyn.andrews@bs.esf.edu.hk.
Carolyn Andrews – Vice Principal (Middle Phase)
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PARENT EXPERTISE
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In the last Newsletter we included a proforma that could be filled in and sent to us if you would be willing to assist by helping with planning, suggesting useful contacts or giving a talk or presentation to the students in the areas of Social Studies and/or Science. It is included again this week, as an attachment.
If you are able to assist please fill in the proforma below & return it by email (farringtonc@bs.esf.edu.hk) or contact us if you would like further clarification. We will collate a list of volunteers which will be made available to the teachers. If they feel your expertise to be useful they will contact you directly & will be able to discuss how you can help in greater detail.
Carol Farrington Grant Anderson
(Social Studies Leader) (Science Leader)
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SCHOOL YEARBOOK
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Friday 22 January 2010
Dear Parents,
SCHOOL YEAR BOOK
“A Momento of Your Child’s Year”
It is our intention to produce a Bradbury School 2009-2010 Yearbook, as a record of the variety of activities your child has and will experience at our school.
The book will be predominantly a colour publication, size A4 with a hard cover. It will feature special work such as photographs and pictures with a contribution from every class in the school. The book is due for release in June 2010 and will cost $150.00 per copy.
This book has proved very popular in the past, so in order to enable us to predict the print run, we will need to take advanced orders.
Also, you can become a sponsor by making a donation towards your child’s class page becoming full colour. There will be special sponsors page in the publication.
If you would like to purchase a copy of this publication, please complete the form below and return it to the class teacher by Monday 1st February. Orders must be placed by this date so that the printing run can be arranged.
Yours sincerely,
Sandra Webster
PRINCIPAL
BRADBURY SCHOOL
YEAR BOOK ORDER (2009-2010)
NAME OF CHILD: CLASS:
I would like to order copies of the Bradbury School Year Book at $150.00 each.
I would like to donate $ as sponsorship towards the colour pages of my child’s class.
I have enclosed a cheque made payable to Bradbury School for $ _____.
Name of Parent: Signed:________________________
PLEASE RETURN THIS FORM TO YOUR CHILD’S CLASSTEACHER BY MONDAY 1st FEBRUARY
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