Primary

PRIMARY

At ACG School Jakarta, we believe in educating the whole child. In addition to the core subject areas of reading, writing, mathematics, science, and social studies, we provide education in visual arts, music, physical education, and Bahasa Indonesia, with a focus on developing communication, social, thinking, self-management, and research skills. This is accomplished through a transdisciplinary approach, whereby concepts are taught together, rather than in isolation. Students transition into Primary school beginning in Year 1, where they continue to participate in play-based learning, along with an introduction to formal reading, writing, and mathematics instruction. As students progress through the year levels, we maintain our inquiry-based and concept-based philosophy. Learning mostly happens within the context of the Programme of Inquiry, with many subject areas integrated into the Units of Inquiry. Our aim is to create critical thinkers who are open-minded, reflective, and curious about learning.

Assemblies

Assemblies are a time for students to share their knowledge, skills and talents. They are also used to share celebrations from the many cultures we represent and mark our host country celebrations. Parents are always welcome to attend Primary assemblies and a schedule will be made available at the start of the year.

Birthdays

If you would like to celebrate your child’s birthday with the class, please discuss this at least 24 hours in advance with your child’s Homeroom Teacher. Typically, birthday celebrations will be scheduled near the end of the day or at break time, so as not to disrupt the students’ schedule. Birthdays can be celebrated at school, however, please note that we do not allow full birthday parties or outside guests. You are welcome to bring a cake, cupcakes, or cookies.

Books and Supplies

All students will be supplied with the required books and stationary needed at school. At the discretion of the Homeroom Teacher, stationary may be issued to individual students or be available on a communal basis. Families will need to supply stationary to be used at home for homework. Parents are responsible for supplying their child(ren) with backpacks, lunch bags, swimming bags, etc. Parents may be asked to supply specialty items throughout the year that connect to a particular unit of inquiry or student project. These requests will come from the Homeroom Teacher.

Break Times

Students in Primary have two 40-minute break times per day, between 9.20- 10.00 for snack and 12.00- 12.40 for lunch. Students in Primary have 20 minutes of play time followed by 20 minutes of eating time per break. Eating time is supervised in the cafeteria and supervision for play time is provided in the following areas; • Field

• Playground • Multi-Sports Space

• Sandpit area • Library (Lunch only) • Gym (Lunch only)

Camps

The purpose of camp in the Primary School is to: • build independence and self-confidence • further develop peer relationships and social skills through team-building experiences • explore the world around them, getting outdoors and into nature • encourage students to take action • be of service to others

Camps begin in Year 3, where the students have a one-night sleepover at the school. Students in Years 4 and 5 travel to a location near Jakarta for a 3-day, 2-night camp and students in Year 6 travel further away for a 2- or 3-night camp. Camps are a compulsory and essential part of our school curriculum. Because our aim is to encourage independence, parents are not permitted to attend camp with their child(ren).

Class Placements

Creating appropriate class assignments requires a mixed grouping of students by peer groups, gender, nationality, language development, learning ability, and social behavior. We consider all of these factors to ensure that classes are balanced and the learning environment is optimal for student growth and development. At ACG School Jakarta, each teacher’s approach to education allows children to experience learning in different ways. Our school curriculum guides instruction and teachers use their knowledge of teaching methods and strategies to engage students in learning new concepts. The school’s responsibility is to ensure that class placements are appropriate for all students. The school will only consider changing a student’s class placement during the semester when it has been determined by the Academic Leadership Team that the new classroom environment will benefit the social and academic needs of the child.

Communication

The potential for learning is enhanced when there is open dialogue between the home and school environment. ACG School Jakarta works closely with parents through open and regular communication. The School communicates with parents in a variety of ways. These include:

• ‘Meet the teacher’ and parent information days at the beginning of the academic year • Regular emails and newsletters to parents • Parent Teacher Conferences at the end of Term 1

PRIMARY

• Comprehensive academic reports at the end of each semester (which can be viewed on ManageBac) • Individual Parent/Teacher Conferences at the request of a parent or teacher • Student-led Conferences at the end of Term 3

• Parents as Learners workshops • Email communication between parents and teachers • Seesaw (see the SeeSaw section for more information) Communication between home and school is vitally important. We encourage parents to engage with your child’s learning, be informed about what’s going on at school, ask questions and/or share concerns whenever necessary.

Curriculum

Our curriculum is developed through the framework of the International Baccalaureate Primary Years Programme (PYP). It nurtures children’s natural curiosity through Units of Inquiry and provides ongoing opportunities to explore, acquire essential knowledge and skills, and develop positive attitudes. Our inquirybased programme develops communication and socialisation skills and prepares students well for future learning opportunities. The International Baccalaureate (IB) Primary Years Programme (PYP) is a curriculum framework designed for students aged 3 to 12. The PYP transdisciplinary framework focuses on the development of the whole child as an inquirer, both at school and beyond. Informed by research into how students learn, how educators teach, and the principles and practice of effective assessment, the programme places a powerful emphasis on inquiry-based learning and student agency. The IB PYP is underpinned by six transdisciplinary themes around which learning is planned. These are: • Who we are • Where we are in place and time • How we express ourselves • How the world works

• How we organize ourselves • Sharing the planet These themes are selected for their relevance to the real world. They are described as transdisciplinary because they focus on issues that go across subject areas. The transdisciplinary themes help teachers to develop a programme of inquiry. Teachers work together to develop investigations into important ideas, which require a substantial and high level of involvement on the part of students.

Cambridge Primary Curriculum Framework

The PYP at ACG School Jakarta is supported by the Cambridge Primary curriculum framework for English, Mathematics, and Science. This framework provides a set of comprehensive and progressive learning objectives that have been aligned to the PYP Scope and Sequence documents. The objectives detail what the students should know and be able to do in each subject areas for each year of Primary education (Years 1-6). “The Cambridge Curriculum is founded on the values of the University of Cambridge and best practice in schools. The curriculum is dedicated to developing learners who are confident, responsible, innovative, and engaged. Each curriculum framework for English, Mathematics, and Science is designed to engage learners in an active and creative learning journey.” (Cambridge Curriculum Framework document) Using the Cambridge Primary Curriculum ensures a seamless transition into our Cambridge Lower Secondary programme in Year 7. Mathematics, English, and Science curriculum documents will be made available to parents.

Programme of Inquiry

The Programme of Inquiry (POI) at ACG School Jakarta provides a challenging, coherent and meaningful curriculum for all learners across Kindergarten and Primary School. The curriculum is guided and informed by the latest enhancements in the International Baccalaureate (IB) Primary Years Programme (PYP) and learning outcomes based on the Cambridge Primary curriculum. It is regularly reviewed to ensure that it is balanced and explores locally and globally significant opportunities and challenges. While much of the learning in Kindergarten and Primary is in some way connected to the units of inquiry in our POI, some stand-alone units are also taught alongside these units. The purpose of these stand-alone units is to ensure that all learning outcomes are taught explicitly. Through guided inquiry both inside and outside of the classroom, the programme fosters independent learning and encourages students to become active in the learning process. The Primary curriculum at ACG School Jakarta aims to cultivate academic skills and knowledge, as well as approaches to learning that are necessary for success at school and beyond. The POI, shown in the matrix below, is organized around the six transdisciplinary themes. These themes run vertically, and the year levels run horizontally. Each of the six transdisciplinary themes are covered annually from Year 1 to Year 6, while our Kindergarten students cover four of these themes annually. There is a greater conceptual complexity and depth from year to year. The PYP at ACG School Jakarta culminates in the PYP Exhibition, a celebration of learning shown through a collaborative inquiry into a chosen area for all Year 6 students.

See appendix 3 for the complete POI table.

Daily/Weekly Schedule

Each class teacher will develop a specific weekly schedule for their class. This is a general guide to the students’ school day.

PRIMARY

Primary Period 1 8.00- 8.40 Period 2 8.40- 9.20 Snack 9.20- 10.00 Period 3 10.00- 10.40 Period 4 10.40- 11.20 Period 5 11.20- 12.00

Lunch 12.00- 12.40 Period 6 12.40- 1.20 Period 7 1.20- 2.00 Period 8 2.00- 2.40

Within the weekly schedule are the core subjects of English, Mathematics, and Science and Social Studies taught within the context of the units of inquiry as well as the single-subject classes.

Homework

Students are required to read daily and practice their math facts each afternoon. Homeroom teachers will provide guidance to parents regarding length of reading time and math facts to practice. Students have access to Matific and RAZ Kids that they can use for extra practice. Other tasks, such as those connected to the current unit of inquiry or other subject areas, will be set throughout the academic year. Please contact your child’s Homeroom Teacher if you have any questions or concerns about homework.

No Hat- No Play

All students are expected to have an ACG School Jakarta cap or bucket hat, labelled with their name. Students are expected to use their hat while on the field during Physical Education lessons and break times. We follow the “No Hat-No Play” procedure.

Parent Involvement

We encourage parents to be involved with their child’s education by staying informed about the learning taking place in the classroom, supporting their child with any homework tasks, and reading with your child daily. Beyond that, there are many opportunities throughout the year to get involved with school events. The best way to do this is to attend the ACG School Jakarta Community Group meetings and volunteer in the various committees. Parents are also encouraged to support the units of inquiry as guest speakers, where applicable. Additionally, parents may be asked to chaperone field trips, read with groups of students, or support events, such as bake sales.

Primary Productions and Concerts

ACG School Jakarta hosts a Primary Production and Primary Concert on alternate years. All students in Primary will participate in the event. Please refer to the Academic Calendar for more information.

Reporting

Student progress is continuously assessed throughout the year and is reported to parents in a variety of ways. • Written Reports- Students receive a formal written report at the end of each semester. The report includes assessments in English,

Mathematics, Units of Inquiry, Approaches to Learning, Bahasa Indonesia, Mandarin, Visual Arts, Music, Physical Education, and

Swimming. These reports are shared electronically via ManageBac. • Parent Teacher Conferences - Teachers schedule conferences with all parents at the end of Term 1 to report on students’ progress in the first term. All parents are encouraged to attend. Additionally, teachers or parents may request a conference to discuss a child’s academic or behavioural progress at any point in the year. • Student-Led Conferences- Student-Led Conferences occur at the end of Term 3 for all Primary students. A student-led conference (SLC) is a meeting in which students demonstrate responsibility for their academic performance by leading their parents through a review of their work as well as demonstrating newly acquired skills and understandings. The students lead the conference by presenting work samples, sharing their academic and personal goals, discussing their overall strengths and weaknesses, and answering questions posed by their parents. • Student Portfolios - Student portfolios show a student’s development throughout the year in all areas.

Single-subject Classes

Students receive specialized instruction in Visual Arts, Music, Physical Education, Swimming, and Bahasa Indonesia and Mandarin. These classes are offered to students in Kindergarten and Primary. Visual Arts and Physical Education are offered twice per week for 40 minutes, Swimming is offered once per week for 80 minutes, and Music is offered once per week for 40 minutes. Bahasa Indonesia language and civics and citizenship classes are offered 3 periods per week for all Primary students. Foreign students in Year 4 to 6 may choose Mandarin instead of Bahasa Indonesia. All Indonesian students will take a Religion class one period per week. Parents may choose to enroll their child in Islamic Studies or Christianity classes. Additionally, all foreign students will take Indonesian Studies 1 period per week.

Seesaw Student Portfolios

A record of student learning is kept on the online Seesaw application. The student portfolio includes the evidence of learning in the form of photographs, videos, audio recordings and text documents. The emphasis is on the process of learning and will therefore include ongoing records, not only final products.

PRIMARY

Homeroom Teachers share a weekly post to Seesaw about the learning happening in the classroom. We encourage parents to view this weekly to see what has been taught as well as take note of any upcoming events. Access for parents is available via the Seesaw Family application, which is available as an app for iPhone and Android as well as on your web browser. For information about how you can access your child’s portfolio, please contact their Homeroom Teacher. Teachers and parents may also communicate via the Seesaw chat feature built into the application.