The
COLLEGE
Term 1 2017-18
SAN JOSE EARTHQUAKES
DULWICH HACKATHON
THE STUDENT COUNCIL
THADINGYUT FESTIVAL
Page 1 DE T U R
P O N S MU
NDO
P04 Our Star City Campus
P08 Our Pun Hlaing Campus
P53 Marie Curie Assembly
P19 Pen Pal Club
P24 A musical start to the year
P58 Science across the College
P26 Thadingyut Lighting Festival
P54 Student Leadership Council
P12 Dulwich Earthquakes
P64 Humanities at Dulwich P44 Our Family Museum P14 Dulwich College ‘Hackathon’
Page 2
P70 Mathematics
Contents Our Star City campus......................................................... 4
EAL at Dulwich................................................................. 47
Our Pun Hlaing campus..................................................... 8
Middle School English at Pun Hlaing............................... 50
The San Jose Earthquakes............................................... 12
Clive Pigg - visiting author............................................... 51
The Dulwich Hackathon.................................................... 14
Message from Pun Hlaing’s Head Boy and Head Girl...... 52
Young Entrepreneurs Club............................................... 15
Marie Curie House assembly............................................ 53
The Eco Committee......................................................... 16
Student Leadership Council............................................. 54
Wellbeing week at our Pun Hlaing campus...................... 17
A strong start for Year 3 and 4.......................................... 57
Le français, c’est parti!...................................................... 18
Science across the College.............................................. 58
Pen Pal Club..................................................................... 19
Mandarin language learners say “Wo Hui”...................... 61
Halloween at Star City ..................................................... 20
Humanities at Dulwich...................................................... 64
A musical start to the year ............................................... 23
Year 5 class at Pun Hlaing................................................. 67
Thadingyut Lighting Festival............................................ 26
Middle School Mathematics............................................. 70
DUCKS FOCUS
Chess Club....................................................................... 70
Meet our Toddler chefs.................................................... 31 Three is not a crowd......................................................... 32 Interest-led Learning in the Toddler classroom................ 34 Inside the Foundation 1 classroom.................................. 37 Changes in the Year 1 classroom...................................... 39 Imaginative Play in Foundation 2..................................... 40 Early Days for Outdoor Learning at Star City campus...... 42 Our Family Museum......................................................... 44
Page 3
Star City Campus
Page 4
Page 5
Dear Parents and Guardians, I would like to welcome you to the Autumn edition of ‘The College’ magazine for the 2017/18 school year. It is also the first edition that features news from both of our campuses – Pun Hlaing and Star City. Looking back it has been a tremendous achievement to open two new schools in the same year. The facilities at both sites are quite simply the best of any school in Myanmar and I feel that we have a group of students who also meet that description! At Star City we have forged a close-knit community in a very short amount of time. There is a strong family feel throughout the school and the students have made friends within and across the year groups. I am especially proud how the Early Years children look up to our older students, who in turn spend time taking care of their younger school mates. It is most important to me that we have happy, contented students who feel safe at school, which allows them to concentrate fully on their studies. The list of events that we have enjoyed this term is a long one – visits by author Clive Pigg, the Shackleton lecture from adventurer Erden Eruc, the Thadingyut celebrations, Christmas concerts, bake sale, Halloween night, Dulwich Earthquakes
Page 6
soccer camp, football and rugby tournaments, moon cake making and Chinese theme day, and our learning through landscapes workshops. My two favourites were Thadingyut and Halloween. The main reason for this is because we saw all our community working together and supporting the children’s learning and enjoyment. I have been especially impressed with our Friends Of Dulwich parents group and their supporters, who have been a vital part of the school’s success. Whilst we have made a successful start this term, we are eager to achieve much more in the coming months and look forward to the opening of new facilities, starting with our Art and Design studio and STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Mathematics) suite in January. Now that we have our display boards installed, we are also able to enjoy examples of the students’ work around the College in a variety of different subjects. Finally, please may I remind parents that they are always welcome to speak to our staff about any matter concerning their children’s education and the development of the school, so that we continue to work as one Dulwich College Yangon team! Kind regards, Daryl Orchard BA (Hons), PGCE, MA, MBA Headmaster
Page 7
Pun Hlaing campus
Page 8
Page 9
Dear Parents and Friends of Dulwich College Yangon, The first term of Dulwich College Yangon, Pun Hlaing campus has been an extremely exciting and fruitful one. The opening of the new Middle School campus has proved to be particularly successful, and has enabled students to further develop their learning using world-class resources. What I am particularly proud of is the fact that although the new site has only been open for one term, the environment from a learning perspective looks far more mature. It is extremely pleasing seeing all of our students milling around the corridors, and engaged in learning throughout the site, and with our Black-Box theatre, and additional sporting and library facilities, this has only heightened expectations. A new school year brings change, which is often in the form of new faces. Our new members of staff have settled in well, and are pleased to be a part of the success of Dulwich College Yangon. As a College we endeavour to encourage parent and teacher communication, and know that in order to be successful, this must be at the heart of all that we do. During this first term, all students have had the opportunity to learn new things. Our Middle School students have ventured into the realms of ‘augmented reality’ which has been particularly inspiring. We have been visited by authors, who have enhanced the pleasure of reading and writing, and our inaugural Shackleton lecture was particularly inspiring for students and parents alike. The weekends have proved to be busy, hosting successful sporting events, our choir performing at various venues, and our student leadership being integral to College improvement. Much work has been completed both externally and internally on the school environment, and we are committed to ensuring that the entire environment promotes learning. The Student Leadership
Page 10
Council are currently developing ideas and strategies to ensure outdoor spaces provide the perfect stimulus for enquiry based and imaginative learning. They have been given a budget to complete this task and we look forward to seeing how they use this. It has also been wonderful to see students showcasing talents and information at our Friday assemblies. Within our College, we are blessed to have talent throughout the school; be it creative, sporting or academic. I thoroughly enjoy seeing this being presented on a weekly basis, giving all students the opportunity to share their achievement and passion. A particular highlight for me during this first term was the Thadingyut Festival, as the whole community worked so well to ensure that this was a night to remember. Dulwich College Yangon is extremely proud to be in Myanmar, and this was showcased in the tremendous evening of culture displayed by both students and parents. Friends of Dulwich have also had a successful start to the new year, and are a tremendous group of people who support the College. Whether you are a current parent, or new to our school, please join in the activities. It is a great way to make new friends and support projects along the way. I know plans are already underway for the various events in Term 2 such as the Friends of Dulwich Golf Tournament and our Founders Day, which will also mark the official opening of our two new campuses. Finally, as you flick through the pages of ‘The College’ magazine, I would like to reiterate that without your support we would not see the successes that we do within this magazine! Kindest regards, Luke Chaeter BA(Hons), QTS, NPQH Head of School
Page 11
Dulwich Earthquakes
Whole College
Elite Soccer Coaching from the San Jose Earthquakes On October 28th and 29th, Dulwich College Yangon hosted the San Jose Earthquakes for a soccer coaching clinic. This professional soccer team flew in two specialist coaches and, in partnership with DCY, ran an elite level coaching workshop over the two days. Open to anyone from 5 to 14, this highquality clinic enabled the DCY students to develop their soccer skills with children from across Yangon. Although the children were predominantly from other international schools around Yangon, children from the local community were also invited to join. As part of our commitment to actively engage with the local community, this provided a wonderful opportunity for the DCY students to interact with and help to strengthen links with our surrounding area. The Saturday session was hosted at our Star City campus and the Sunday session took place at our campus in Pun Hlaing. Both days started with the younger children under 8 years of age and saw them participate in multiple activities and fun games all designed to develop the fundamental skills of football. The children were very energetic and worked hard throughout the entirety of the training session which finished with some small-sided games. The coaching programme, specifically designed for children of this young age, enabled all participants to develop the key skills of soccer, but crucially was enjoyable, and by the end all children had a positive impression about playing football and being active. The second part of the clinic started at 10am and finished at 4:30pm. Here, children between the ages of 8 and 14 years of age participated in a full day coaching session. Once the children had registered and collected their Dulwich Earthquakes training kit, they started the first practical training session. In this initial phase, the children developed their skills, techniques and game sense through a series of activities that progressively challenged each individual in their ability to perform 1st touch control, dribbling and decision making. The children worked in small groups and, through some challenging but very engaging activities, all involved demonstrated a good level of
Page 12
development. At midday lunch was served and all children took a break from soccer to refuel and recharge ready for the afternoon phase of the camp. After lunch there was a presentation, video analysis and quiz. This element of the day allowed the children to think, discuss and recap on what they had learned in the morning, as well as, prep everyone for the final phase of the clinic in the afternoon. Once lunch was fully digested all children were back out to the field and ready for the afternoon session. This part of the clinic was centered around the concept of keeping possession of the ball and enabled the children to practise and improve on their turning, passing and use of space when looking to receive a pass. The activities connected to the previous session and so now everyone was building upon what they had learned throughout the morning and were able to extend their techniques, skills and game sense even further. By now, the Myanmar heat was blazing down but all players were still working hard and participating with high levels of enthusiasm. The last hour of the day was reserved for match time and all players were split into small teams and played a mini 5-a-side tournament. It was wonderful to see players implementing what they had learned throughout the day into an actual match. Some children were showcasing their newly acquired skills and techniques, others displayed their greater understanding of strategy and overall game sense, while some children were simply playing with greater confidence then they had at the start of the day. At the end of both the Saturday clinic and the Sunday clinic, everyone was tired but thrilled with the experience of learning from elite level coaches. The San Jose Earthquakes run a very successful soccer academy at Dulwich College Shanghai and we hope to offer a similar programme here at Dulwich College Yangon. They have a proven track record in their commitment to the development of players both on and off the field. The specialised programme is designed to accommodate newcomers to soccer and experienced players, offering the unique opportunity to participate in a high-level training environment, designed to enable all to improve their soccer skills, techniques and overall gameplay. All Dulwich students, as well as all the other children from across Yangon, certainly gained much from their experience at this fantastic soccer coaching clinic. Well done to all involved!
Peter Poulton
Page 13
Dulwich College Hackathon Technology is constantly evolving and here at Dulwich College Yangon we want our students to be at the forefront, creating and leading this development. This term we completed a ’Dulwich Hackathon’ at our Pun Hlaing campus; the first of its kind in Myanmar. The event was a huge success, which was evident from the buzz felt when entering the room. Students, teachers and visitors alike got involved and thoroughly enjoyed the experience. The students far exceeded all expectations, and worked incredibly well within their groups and with their expert 360ed mentors. Over the course of the Hackathon, the children used a wide range of skills including team work, problem solving, organisation, self-assessment and reflection. They also built on their skills-set by learning and developing new IT skills, some of which were extremely challenging. Each group came up with a concept, designed a storyboard and planned how they would use the VR equipment to capture their idea. After filming, students returned to the ‘editing studio’, aka the multi-purpose room, to learn about the editing process. Once the groups had completed a first try, it was time to go it alone – applying all the skills they had been taught to create their own film. On the last day of the event, each group presented their final film to a panel of judges made up of teachers and an industry executive. Each film was rated against very specific criteria. The students all did exceptionally well and should be very proud of themselves. There had to be a winner though, and huge congratulations go to The Pythons – Adrian, Hein, Richie, Michelle and Sally for their film ‘Welcome to Dulwich’. Outstanding personal effort was also recognised with five students being award prizes; well done to Richie, Thadar, Emily, Thet Myat and Adrian for their achievements. This event has been the beginning of a new chapter in the use of IT at Dulwich College Yangon and we are all excited to continue to explore this developing technology. Future events will bring together students from both campuses as we begin to develop how we utlise these new technologies.
Laurie Stevenson Page 14
Pun Hlaing
Young Entrepreneurs Club
Star City
Ms. Cozzi and Ms. Ravenscroft provided opportunities for the students in Year 3 to Year 8 to engage with cutting edge technology, marketing, design and presentation skills in the Young Entrepreneurs club. The Young Entrepreneurs club brought together many different strands of the curriculum, ranging from mathematics to arts, and enabled the students to develop creative thinking skills and enterprise skills over the course of the club. Students organised themselves into three teams and each week had to combine their analytical and soft skills to successfully complete challenges around aspects of project management and product design. Team work and creativity were the heart of the first session, where students had to make decisions and choices about their own company name and advertising. These activities were prompted by reflection upon what makes company names and logos memorable and recognisable. By the end of the first day, students created their first companies: Omix, Atomic Rate and Stick It!
The following week, students learned to work effectively as part of a team and manage a team. They elected their own project manager, and engaged in challenges to establish a good working relationship and use the project manager role correctly to lay the foundations for future success. Every child had the chance to be project manager during the following weeks. This was to ensure a fresh perspective for every task and to develop confidence and leadership skills when managing tasks. As well as developing concept ideas using creativity, students were also encouraged to research aspects of tasks to help them perform better when designing a new product. With the final sales pitch, the winning team had to demonstrate the ability of developing an engaging advertising campaign and persuasive techniques to sell effectively.
Elena Cozzi
Page 15
Eco committee
Whole College
As a College we are passionate about learning to build a sustainable future and engaging the youth of today to protect the climate of tomorrow. We strive to produce generation after generation of sustainably minded, environmentally conscious people. These individuals will carry the behavioural patterns they adopt under the auspices of EcoSchools with them through life, in turn teaching the next generation the habits to make a difference. We are working with The FEE (Foundation for Environmental Education) and eco schools international. The FEE is a non-profit, non-governmental organisation based in Copenhagen, Denmark, and eco schools international is a global project started in late 2015 which has at present 25 International member schools in 15 countries. The first step on our journey has been to form our very first eco-council, a mix of an elected student body, staff and community members. Our first task has been to complete an environmental review of the college to identify strengths and weaknesses. This will help us to produce an action plan for the whole college to work on together, through education for sustainable development and action projects. Benefits for the students include: • inspiring and empowering students as leaders of change • increased participation, sense of responsibility and school pride • character development • learning across all subjects and beyond the classroom and its fun! We hope that as our journey continues we will attract more volunteers and active participants from our school community, so please keep tuned in for updates as the eco schools develop.
Kay Chaeter
Page 16
Wellbeing week
Pun Hlaing
The second annual Wellbeing Week at our Pun Hlaing campus ran successfully in November. Students were involved in a variety of activities run by our staff and visitors from the wider community, including Zumba, Body Blast, dance, yoga, cooking, sewing, head massage, and guided relaxation. Year 7 and 8 students visited the Pun Hlaing Hospital and toured the facilities, and worked with DCI career counsellor Heather Pineda on SMART goal setting.
Wellbeing is an important focus at DCY, and we are dedicated to instilling and developing skills in our students to help them in their academic career, and life both in and out of school. Dedicated class time is spent each week covering a variety of Wellbeing topics. Our Star City campus is due to hold their first Wellbeing week in early 2018, and we look forward to developing our Wellbeing programme across the whole College throughout the year.
Maxine Lee-Morath
Page 17
Le français, c’est parti!
Whole College
Students in Years 7 and 8 have started their French classes at both our Pun Hlaing and Star City campuses. It is always a challenge to start to learn a new language but all students have shown great motivation and a real curiosity for the language. Every lesson, we do listening activities and speaking practice. Collaboration is a huge part of our learning. We are also developing our reading and comprehension skills through short texts before we move onto short stories. Where writing is concerned, students are learning to be independent by using writing frames and word lists. So far, we have focused on talking about personal details. Next, we will be talking about our favourite subject, le collège. School! On y va!
Bee Cassimer
Page 18
Pen Pal Club
Pun Hlaing
The Year 3 and 4 children have been taking part in a pen pal club‌with a twist. The children hand wrote letters talking about themselves and their different families. They thought of some questions that they would like to ask other children their age who live in other countries. We scanned all the letters and emailed them to other Dulwich Colleges around the world, including Shanghai, Seoul, Beijing, Singapore and we even sent some to our Star City campus in Yangon. We were all very eager waiting for our replies. The children were very excited to read all their letters that they got in return and were astonished that they were talking to other children around the world. “Were they really writing back to us? Look, the children have answered our questions!â€? The children continued to write to each other every week and grew closer by sharing more details about themselves, their families, their travels, their schools and much more. What a small world we live in! The children then made a short video of themselves, either telling something more about themselves or showing their pen pal around their classroom/the college. After this the excitement continued as we planned Skype calls with our pen pals from Beijing.
Danielle Devanny Page 19
Star City
Halloween at Dulwich
On the evening of Friday 27 October, the first Dulwich College Yangon Halloween Party took place at our Star City campus. This was one of the first requests of our newly formed Student Council and our ‘Friends of Dulwich’ (FoD) parents leapt into action to create a wonderful evening. One area of the College was transformed into a Halloween room, with many of the decorations made by the students during their art lessons. Ms. Pedida also created some amazing lanterns. Over the course of the evening, the students enjoyed a host of activities, such as mummifying a teacher; guessing what nasty thing is in the box; making slime and grabbing the hanging marshmallow (a rather more hygienic version of apple bobbing). They also took part in a treasure hunt around the school. All of the activities took place in groups, which combined all age ranges and it was lovely to see our older students looking after their younger schoolmates. Of course, everyone was dressed in frightening Halloween outfits, with Mr Orchard given the unenviable task of selecting the winning boy (Ross) and girl (Rio). Ms. Aryal won the best mummy competition. The evening ended with a wonderful dinner spread, put on by Aden, replete with mummy sausages and spider pizzas. A great night was had by all and a huge ‘Thank You’ must go to FoD for organising the evening, as well as the Student Council for their support.
Matthew Chapillon
Page 20
Page 21
Music Page 22
A BUSY TERM OF Music
Pun Hlaing
Term One has been a busy and successful time in music. Our new facilities have allowed students room to move and express themselves more freely, and provide a fantastic space for rehearsals. The two practice rooms are used regularly for instrumental lessons, and individual or small group practice. We look forward to using the Black Box Theatre throughout the year to showcase the musical skills of our students. We have greatly expanded our instrumental programme, which in addition to the Year 3 and 4 strings and Year 5 and 6 woodwind programmes, now offers private and small group tuition on flute, clarinet, saxophone, and violin, with specialist teachers. We hope to expand the range of instruments offered in the near future. Students wishing to join the instrumental programme may join at any time throughout the year. Contact the school for more information. The orchestra has worked extremely hard and shown fantastic improvement in a short amount of time. I am very proud of their progress, and impressed with their efforts. Choir has grown to a large and powerful ensemble, and singing continues to be a popular activity. A new Senior Choir has also been formed for those exceptionally talented and dedicated singing students. All groups have performed at assembly, and were praised by Mr Guertler and Mr White for their excellent performances during their visit early in the term. Congratulations to all students on their excellent effort preparing for the Christmas concerts. All performances were a great success, and provided an excellent opportunity to enjoy the many musical talents of our students.
Maxine Lee-Morath
Page 23
A musical start to the year at Star City
Star City
Musical activities are now well under way in the Star City Campus. DUCKS students have settled into their music classes with a strong emphasis on singing and learning supported by the use of a wide range of percussion instruments. In-class instrument programmes have started for our older children. Year 3 and 4 students are now learning the violin under the guidance of our string tutor, Miss May, whilst those in Year 5 and 6 are preparing themselves for imminent brass instrument lessons by carrying out preparatory work on recorders, and trumpet or trombone instruction is already the main focus for our Year 7 and 8 students. Starting to learn a musical instrument is never easy, especially when students not only have to face the technical challenge of playing, whilst at the same time learning to read musical notation. However, all the students are acquitting themselves very well indeed as they become accustomed to their new instruments. Besides involvement in instrumental lessons, singing plays an important part within and beyond timetabled music classes. On three occasions so far, students from Year 1 to Year 8 have risen to the challenge of singing in public; twice to welcome important visitors and additionally for our recent Thadingyut celebration event. Singing in languages other than English is becoming a regular occurrence. A number of students sang in Myanmar at Thadingyut, Chinese songs were presented at this term’s Mandarin assembly and Key Stage 2 and 3 students can now sing the Dulwich school song in Latin. Our small but growing choir co-curricular activity is providing extra opportunities for those who wish to develop their singing skills to an even higher level and participants will have opportunities later in the year to work with their counterparts from the Pun Hlaing campus and potentially from other schools in Yangon, and even further afield.
Graeme Abernethy
Page 24
Page 25
Thadingyut Lighting Festival
Pun Hlaing
This term, the school celebrated the traditional festival of Thadingyut. Thadingyut is one of the most famous festivals in Myanmar, after the popular Thingyan (Water) festival. Throughout the first few weeks of term, the students were busy practising for the Thadingyut celebrations, which took place on Monday 2 October at our Pun Hlaing campus. Students from different Year groups prepared Myanmar cultural performances in groups. On the day itself, students, staff and parents were encouraged to wear Myanmar traditional clothes to enjoy the festivities. There was a performance by a Myanmar cultural dancing troupe, alongside the student-led performances and presentations. The Friends of Dulwich raised an incredible sum of money in our Thadingyut raffle, which will be of great support to the Monastery School.
Hnin Po Po
Page 26
Page 27
Thadingyut Lighting Festival
Star City
This term, our Thadingyut celebration saw students at our Star City campus perform for the first time together on stage. Students from across the campus had been busy practising traditional songs in both Myanmar and English, rehearsing special dances and preparing short speeches. During the celebration, staff, students and parents were encouraged to wear Myanmar traditional dress to enjoy the children’s performances. The children performed wonderfully, even with relatively little preparation. After the show, attendees lit candles together and enjoyed a spread of traditional Myanmar food. It was an excellent evening and the first of many such performances for the students of Dulwich College Yangon.
Phyu Thi
Page 28
Page 29
DUCKS focus Page 30
Meet Our Toddler Chefs
Pun Hlaing
How exciting that we got to cook every week using foods that interested us. This encouraged us to try new foods. We explored different food in our messy tray so we could learn about the texture, smell, shape and also found out what different foods looked like on the inside. We then learned about, and used, different cooking tools to cook different foods from around the world. We displayed our cooking skills in our ‘Toddler Chefs Book’ for us to look at and talk about with our teachers, parents and any visitors that came into our classroom. “Cooking with kids is not just about ingredients, recipes, and cooking. It’s about harnessing imagination, empowerment, and creativity.” - Guy Fieri
Nwe Ni Win
Page 31
Star City
Three is not a Crowd
These past few months, the Toddlers of our Star City campus have proved that the old saying of “Three’s a crowd” is completely unfounded. With only three eager children in the class at the beginning of term, I have to admit that I was a little concerned that this situation could be challenging in terms of building relationships. However, within the first two days, the Toddlers had taken on this challenge and did with it what they do to all the resources and equipment in the setting. They had unpacked it, scattered the pieces all over the floor, engaged in a few emotionally-charged discussions as to who gets the biggest piece, dumped all the ideas, and came back together after a few minutes to do what they do best … CONSTRUCTION! The Toddlers constructed a team. A team of three. Together, they have built relationships with strong foundations. They play as a team – sharing and taking turns. They ask after each other if one of them is not around. They help one another to unpack snack boxes, to fetch water bottles and to show a friend where exactly to throw used tissues. The threesome naturally take turns in displaying leadership skills. There is no jealousy – only healthy competition.
Page 32
At times, each child ventures off to explore something on their own. Elle always enjoys the creative area where she creates beautiful paintings. Her favourite method is to smother her hands in paint and make handprints everywhere. Jade develops her already established nurturing instinct and cares for her babies in the home corner. Owen is the minister of transport and is happiest when pushing the small-world cars along the transport mat. He has now extended the activity to include the mark-making area and draws roads, qualifying as an engineer too!
Once their individual activities are complete, the Toddlers always come back together. In fact, they probably reunite every five or ten minutes! This special relationship between the three has contributed immensely to developing their social skills, self-confidence, respect and awareness of each other’s work and more importantly, their joy in experiencing the learning journey as a toddler. And then along came Wilson … who recently joined our setting and was immediately made welcome by the three Toddlers. They have proved to be great role-models – showing him kindness and inviting him to share ‘their’ world. And now there are 4. I look forward to watching the class grow and develop throughout the rest of the year.
Ingrid Van Ginkel
Page 33
Pun Hlaing
Interest Led Learning
“So it’s quite a complex process to be a teacher as opposed to just a deliverer. But also for me, teaching is really exciting, really exciting. Because you are going with the moment. You are not saying: “I’m going to bring you here. We’re going to do this. You say, I’m coming into your domain. And with you, I’m just observing. With you, I’m supporting. With you, I’m scaffolding your learning. And with you I’m delivering something new. With you, I’m reinforcing. Some of you already know. With you, I’m assessing whether you know this or not.” And all the time you are running with their interests, you’re running with their engagement. And that’s what keeps it a really exciting job.” - Alistair Bryce Clegg, Early Years Specialist
Ejune I am interested in investigating objects I find in my environment. My teachers followed my interest when I found a huge snail outside. My teachers put shells, stones and other natural resources in our investigation area for me to explore.
Phoebe I have an interest in books. My teachers put books around the classroom and linked them to each area. This has encouraged me to explore in different areas rather than just the book corner. I started to build using the blocks after going in and reading about builders.
Yang Yang I love everything to do with transport! I listened for the areoplanes outside and waved at them as they passed. My teachers introduced me to different modes of transport and I transported the small people across the classroom. I even began to role play using the pirate ship. Page 34
Maffi I really enjoy playing with the babies. My teachers have modeled that I can explore the classroom by showing the babies how to do things in each area. I took the babies for a walk in the pram, I washed the babies whilst showing them how to use the water tray, I taught the babies how to use the toilet whislt I was toilet traning, and we talked about home routines and families.
Christy My favourite thing to do is to dress up and use the mirrors to support my role play. My teachers put a lot of dresses and dressing up clothes for me to change independantly to develop my fine motor control. They added the scarfs so I could plait them and use them as accessories to extend my play. I now use the mirror to sing and dance independently and with friends. We have started a small hair-dressers and have began learning about different occupations.
Max I am so interested in water. I made a waterfall in the block play area after my teachers provided natural materials for me to build with. We then extended my interest by cutting out a river. I then built a bridge for people to cross my river. My teachers then placed the sea animals next to my river the next day. I extended my communication and language by explaining everything I was doing with sea animals and I explored with the animals in the water tray outside.
Dong Dong I have a big interest in colours and when I see colourful objects/resources around the classroom I sort them into piles according to colour. I also love to talk about my family and my experiences to my teachers in my own language. My teachers provided me with objects, in different areas of the classroom, that I can sort according to the colour. I am now sorting shapes and learning the colour names to extend my learning. Page 35
Foundation 1 Shapes Gallery
Pun Hlaing
Foundation 1 have been working hard, learning the names of simple 2D shapes and remembering what they look like. They have since discovered that shapes are everywhere! We do lots of activities every week and most of them seem to include shapes. Now that we know how to recognise shapes, we tell our teachers whenever we see them, during our learning. When we help ourselves to the resources we need for a task, sometimes we see shapes. 1. When Thinzar found the paint she needed and squeezed it into the paint palette, she realised the palette was a rectangle and it had six circles in it for different colour paint.
2
1
3
2. Shana and Hailey found some purple shapes to cut out, and they discussed the characteristics of the shapes and what their names must be. 3. When we had ‘splash play’ on a Wednesday, we noticed that some of the containers that we have such fun in, are rectangles. 4. During our topic about magic and examining insects with bug viewers and magnifying glasses, Holly realised that all the things she was using to see the creatures more clearly were circles.
4
5 Page 36
6
5. Not only is the salt on the light box pretty, but Diego, Yaung Yaung and Leo loved making their own shapes in the salt with their brushes. 6. Wellbeing week featured some Mandala art for therapy and healing, which Awk Yaine found many different shapes in. 7. Both Audrey and Audrey Yang loved building structures from our wooden shapes.
7
7
8
8. Emily just loved finding shapes in our slimy messy-tray! 9. In his lunch break, Diego found some 3D shapes to wash. He brought a cylinder to his teacher and proudly stated that he had found a circle.
10
9 11 10. When Louie was mark-making in the coloured salt, not only did he make circles with his paint brush using gross-motor movements, he also noticed the circular CDs on our ‘Discovery’ wall. 11. We as teachers, are always delighted to hear the discussions that the children have when they are choosing certain shaped boxes when they are junk-modelling. They have a plan in their heads about what they want to create and know that they need special shapes, to make it happen. The children have learned so much during Term 1 and are thoroughly enjoying school. Terms 2 and 3 will be as busy and as exciting. We’re looking forward to them already!
Page 37
Imaginative Play in Foundation 2
Pun Hlaing
In Early Years, we learn through play. Play is an essential part of child development and this enables children to make sense of the world around them. In the classroom, our free flow setting allows the children to choose their own resources to support their play. This then encourages them to display their creativity and to use their imagination. Imaginative play benefits children across all areas of learning as you will see from the photos below.
Personal, Social and Emotional Development Imaginative play encourages children to make relationships with others and develop their selfconfidence and self-awareness.
tting up for a “Jiya and Prithika se rner.” party in the home co
Communication and Language Development Children learn vocabulary and use language to imagine and recreate roles and experiences in play situations.
“Doctor I am sick. You need to giv e me an injection,” Harriet told Emily. This then helped Emily learn the word ‘injection.’ Mathematics Development Children apply their knowledge of shape, space, measure and problem solving.
. “Put some more but not so full,” Merry said “Yes, then I will mix to make soup!” Shine Shine replied.
Page 38
Literacy Development Imaginative play promotes literacy.
Gabriel pretending to be a teache r and having a phonics lesson. “W hat sound is this?” he asked.
Physical Development Imaginative play aids in developing children’s fine and gross motor skills.
g ed in dig gin g a g n e so e r we it These boys g water on in r u o p , e r ty sand onto a it all up. and mixing er,” aking a riv “We are m . Lewis said
Developing an Understanding of the World Children observe similarities, differences, patterns and changes in their environment.
verywhere. e e lu b e se id. “I can !” Kaung sa r te s n o m e I’m the blu
Development in Expressive Arts Imaginative play allows children to be imaginative, to explore, and to use various resources.
ving a concert in the These children were ha They made themselves hospital role play area. used maracas for a stage using foam and microphones! Jem Eliscupidez Page 39
Early Days for Outdoor Learning
Star City
Moving to Yangon, having spent the last three years living near the French and Swiss Alps, I was unsure what the scope might be for the development of outdoor learning – an area I am passionate about and an area which strongly affects every aspect of a child’s development. I need not have worried. When I first arrived at the Star City campus, whilst it was still under construction in early August, I was struck by the school’s proximity to jungle, forest and greenery. While we may not have mountains, we have space in abundance, fresh air, peace, quiet and nature on our doorstep. This is the ideal learning environment for children. Dulwich College Yangon recognises this incredible opportunity and aims to prioritise outdoor learning in our curriculum for every age group. We started our outdoor learning journey with a visit from Matt Robinson, who works for Learning through Landscapes in the UK. Matt held a parent workshop on the importance of outdoor learning and helped us to develop a whole school action plan for this area. We have a staff working party who will meet regularly throughout the year to drive our sustainability and outdoor learning agenda and there will be plenty opportunities for parents and children to get involved and share their ideas too. In the Foundation Stage (Toddler/F1/F2) children have a free flow environment with a choice to access the outdoors at all times and in Years 1 and 2 they access it on a regular basis. On our large decking areas (directly accessed from each classroom), children play with sand and water learning about volume, capacity, shape and measurement on a daily basis. Our outdoor kitchen areas provide excellent opportunities for language development, creativity and using the imagination: children make ‘delicious’
Page 40
capacity, shape and measurement on a daily basis. Our outdoor kitchen areas provide excellent opportunities for language development, creativity and using the imagination: children make ‘delicious’ cakes for their friends using sand, water, flowers and stones with wooden chopsticks used for candles or to mix whatever is inside the pots and pans!
Recently we have been able to extend outdoor play to include not only the decking areas, but our beautifully landscaped grass areas. The importance of children having enough space to move in freely has been clear to us all – since the children have started using these grassy areas, they have had even more opportunity to develop their confidence, resilience, gross motor skills and personal, social and emotional skills. They are sharing more easily and love to push their scooters and bicycles up the small hills and roll them down the other side. The children are discovering more about nature as they ask about the new plants that they are seeing. They are able to see how the seasonal change affects where we live as the frogs no longer visit us in the dry season and we have less butterflies and dragonflies but more lizards! We have plans for developing a garden, with vegetable patches for the children to learn about growing conditions and how to care for plants. If any College Magazine readers have a particular interest in this area, please do not hesitate to contact us (becci.lee@dulwich-yangon.com.mm) as we would welcome your help with this exciting development for our community over the coming months.
Becci Lee
Page 41
There have been big changes to Year 1 this year with our move to a new classroom; the old Year 3 and Year 4 classrooms. The two rooms were connected during the school’s summer works and the new, much larger, classroom was ready for the students to explore at the beginning of the school year. The increase in space has enabled us to design and create an environment that gives the children the required balance of adult-led and child-led learning. The room has been split into two well defined areas which the students are enjoying using for a variety of different activities. The children are aware of the resources available to them and appreciate the freedom to explore both of the spaces at the appropriate times. One side has been set up for whole class teaching where the majority of our literacy and numeracy lessons take place. The children have been involved in the creation of classroom displays that provide them with opportunities to improve their work independently and that showcase the fantastic work they have already produced. The second side of the classroom has been designed to be a quieter space that can be used for smaller group work while a larger group is working next door. This has really helped the children who can sometimes struggle to concentrate or just find it easier to learn as part of a smaller group. With such a large space available to the students we have also been able to start creating a more creative and play based zone where the students are able to lead their own learning through a variety of activities. We have a role play area that includes a shop and kitchen and the children have enjoyed purchasing food items from the class shop and then preparing meals in the kitchen before serving it to their friends on the dining table. The children love exploring their new environment and we are continuously making alterations so that they can get the most out of the space and resources we have to offer. Some of the best suggestions, as ever, have come from the children and we are always happy to create new areas that the children want or need in order to facilitate their own learning and experiences here at Dulwich College Yangon.
Martin Thompson
Page 42
Pun Hlaing
CHANGES IN Year 1
Our Family Museum
Star City
When you talk with young children today, it is almost impossible for them to imagine a life where there is no television or computer games, no mobile phones, aeroplanes or any of the other amazing technology that 21st Century children now have access to. How did people communicate with their family and friends? What games did children play? How did people cook their food without electricity? What did children in the past learn at school? And most important of all - how did people ever manage without a mobile phone?! It was with these questions, and a high level of fascination and curiosity, that Year 1 and 2 began their inquiry into what life was like when their grandparents were young. Understanding the past can be a challenging concept for young children to grasp and so comparing their day to day lives and experiences with that of their grandparents is a wonderful way for them to connect with their families and understand the different ways in which life has changed since that time. The children began by discussing and sharing what they already knew about their grandparents, then brought in family photographs and special artefacts to share with their friends. A brainstorming session about how we know so much about the past led the children to wonder what role museums play in helping people learn about history, and so the idea of creating a family museum was born. They investigated daily life at home, including the traditional Myanmar toys many of their grandparents might have played with and made their own wonderful Pyit Taing Taungs. To help them with their research, we visited the National Museum of Yangon to learn more about how museums are curated, so that they could use this knowledge to help them set up their own classroom museum. They also spent time exploring the exhibits on people, homes and toys, so they could learn more about how people in Myanmar lived in the past. Finally, with great excitement, the children held a special open afternoon for their museum and invited their families to come and look around. They discussed and planned what jobs they would need to do, including who would be a museum guide and who would run the museum cafĂŠ and shop. It was a wonderful opportunity for the children to showcase all of their learning and they were delighted that the shop sold out of their postcards and bookmarks!
Kerry Aryal
Page 43
EAL at dulwicH english as an additional language
Page 44
What is the Dulwich EAL programme?
Pun Hlaing
EAL students are taught skills that support them to learn English for communication and for academic studies. Younger students are taught to recognise and decode words for reading and writing and we investigate the English language with a lean towards spelling rules and grammar. The ‘Fry’ sight words are taught, using a three-step programme, and activities are provided which strengthen recognition. Word lists are sent home following the first lesson of the week and the children are asked to write sentences for each word in their EAL homework books. KS1 students are working hard to learn the ropes of this new programme and are starting to show some real progress! All students have a blue book in which they
record their vocabulary homework. These come home at the start of every week to be shared with parents and guardians. Learning new vocabulary will enhance their understanding of the English language and support them to better understand what they are meant to learn in school. For older students, EAL lessons are often based around various topics and they also incorporate study skills. Science is often studied to promote this important subject and allow students opportunities to explore scientific vocabulary. This term, pupils in Years 5-8 learned about the life cycles of ants, bees and mosquitos and used the lesson themes to produce information posters or to show their understanding by creating mind maps. They Page 45
also learned about plastic and its impact on the environment, producing recycling posters intended to encourage people to think about what happens after they throw something away. Student use techniques such as highlighting key words, finding definitions, looking for synonyms and creating mind maps which all support them to absorb information from books and the Internet more efficiently. They are encouraged to record new words and find out what they mean continuously throughout their time at school. Older students have been learning to become story
Page 46
detectives. The skills of inference and deduction can be most challenging to acquire, so learning to look for ways that an author communicates meaning is something we are attempting in our lessons. Students are asked to write their views about an aspect of the story with evidence from the text to prove their point to support them in improving their performance in future tests. One of the most powerful ways students can acquire English is by reading, so doing this at home on a daily basis will have an enormous impact on their language acquisition skills.
Rebecca Carver
EAL at Star city
Star City
It has been a busy and exciting start to the academic year for students who are learning English as an Additional Language (EAL) at Star City. All of the students have displayed the key characteristics of resilience, collaboration and persistence in working towards their goal of mastering a new language. In DUCKS, there has been a focus on improving basic interpersonal and communication skills through modeled talk, acting out scenarios and forming complete sentences when playing language-based games. They are continuing to learn about speaking using the correct tense and have learned a wide range of vocabulary, including jobs and occupations, possessives, feelings and emotions, classroom objects, food and animals.
In the Junior School, as well as continuing to learn new vocabulary, students have been discovering how to add more detail and description to their talk and writing by exploring new vocabulary, grammatical structures and text genres. There has been a focus on using graphic organisers and self-assessment checklists to ensure that writing is well-planned and content-rich. This has helped the students to improve their interactions with others, both socially and academically, and their work across the curriculum. In the Senior School, huge congratulations to Justin, who has exited the EAL programme. He worked fantastically hard to learn and consolidate his understanding of advanced grammatical structures and presented his project work to fellow students confidently. Many students are regularly accessing Raz Kids to read at home and improve their comprehension and text analysis skills. It is a fantastic online learning tool and I encourage all students to regularly log in and access the thousands of books and quizzes on offer.
Peter Collier
Page 47
Learning through landscapes
As I am sure you are aware, our Pun Hlaing campus went through a huge transformation during the summer break and the opening of the new Middle School has provided the students studying at this campus with some state of the art facilities. The classrooms are looking fantastic and the students are making the most of the new café and communal areas. Our Star City campus opened for the first time this summer providing outstanding facilities that really are a first for a school in Myanmar. Despite the new building and facilities across both campuses, Dulwich College Yangon continues to look for ways to improve the experience and opportunities we can offer our students. We are currently embarking on a new project called ‘Learning Through Landscapes’. The aim of this project is to work on developing and improving the outdoor areas throughout the school, with a Page 48
Whole College
particular emphasis being placed on promoting play, learning and wellbeing. In September, we were fortunate to be visited by Matthew Robinson, the Training and Development Officer for Learning Through Landscapes, a UKbased charity dedicated to enhancing outdoor learning and play for children around the world. He visited both of our campuses to tour the current facilities and meet with staff and the student council at Pun Hlaing to discuss what kind of improvements they would like to see around the campus. They came up with some fantastic ideas and they have been allocated a budget in order to put some of their ideas in place. The students throughout the College have been given the chance to vote for some of their favourite ideas to improve the outdoor spaces and we look forward to seeing what changes will take place in the near future… watch this space!
Martin Thompson
Middle School English Students in Years 6, 7 and 8 have made a flying start to the school year in English lessons. The year began with class novels which were thoroughly enjoyed by each of the year groups. Reading is such an important part of English and this year has seen a number of exciting opportunities embraced by the students at Dulwich College Yangon; the new library is an absolutely wonderful resource as proven by the fact that it is full of students every lunch time. Now that all the furniture is in place it is a warm, welcoming and comfortable environment and as an English teacher it fills me with joy to see students spending their free time reading. On top of that, Dulwich entered a team into the Battle of the Books competition for the first time this year. In what I hope will become a regular event, students from Years 5 to 7 competed against ISY and MISY in a book quiz. In order to participate students had to read 10 books in just 10 weeks and I was absolutely delighted to see how enthusiastically they embraced the challenge. I am thrilled to see that we are developing a real culture of reading within the school and encourage all parents to support and foster a love of reading within their own homes.
Drama
Pun Hlaing
s
Pun Hlaing
This year, for the first time, our Pun Hlaing campus has been able to offer Drama lessons to Middle School students - and they have proved to be extremely popular! Confidence, verbal and non-verbal communication and team work are just some of the essential skills that can be acquired and developed through the study of drama. On top of that, it really is a lot of fun. It’s been wonderful to see some of our quieter students, as well as those who are still developing their English skills, find other ways to express themselves. Some of the most exciting performances I have seen in drama lessons have come from students who are often hesitant to speak up in English classes. As with the new library, our brand new, state of the art black box theatre is an invaluable and incomparable resource which highlights Dulwich College Yangon’s commitment to the creative arts. It is a space which will be used by students to develop and display the skills they need to fully realize their potential and promises to be the center of some of the most exciting things to emerge from Dulwich over the coming years.
Craig Holmes
Page 49
Author Clive Pigg
Whole College
In October, Dulwich College Yangon received yet another visitor as part of the Dulwich College Diversity tour. Each year, the school welcomes numerous artists, writers and performers to both entertain and educate our students. This term, it was the turn of children’s author and storyteller, Clive Pigg. Mr Pigg visited both campuses following a simliar schedule. After an assembly in which he demonstrated his verbal wizardry, much to the amusement of students, parents and teachers, Mr Pigg ran a series of workshops with some of our older students. One of his most impressive talents is the ability to turn seemingly ordinary situations into the most fascinating of tales, a skill he was able to share with our students. The workshops were extremely interactive allowing all students who participated in them to participate in and contribute to the writing of different stories. I look forward very much to seeing the results when students do their own narrative fiction in lessons.
Craig Holmes
Page 50
Pun Hlaing
Message from the Head Boy and Head Girl
It has been a busy and interesting start to the school year. We are both very proud to have been selected as Head Boy and Head Girl at a very exciting time for Dulwich College Yangon. Not only are we very excited about the amazing new school building but also about all of the new staff and students who have joined us. There have been many interesting activities in this first term. We have hosted basketball and football tournaments against other international schools in Yangon. The Year 7 and 8 students took part in a Hackathon and learned about virtual reality; we were very lucky to have this experience. There was also a very successful Thadingyut celebration, Wellbeing week and too many other things to mention. All of the students are really enjoying the new Middle school building. It is much bigger than we thought it would be. We have specific classrooms for each subject, football pitches, a great new library and a café. The library has been popular for reading and chess and the food and snacks in the café have also been great. We can’t wait to start doing drama in the new theatre soon too! Finally, we would like to say thank you for all the encouragement and support we have been given as Head Boy and Head Girl. There are lots of responsibilities, like speaking in assembly and handing out certificates, but we are enjoying it. I hope everyone continues working hard, we look forward to another great term coming up.
Alex and Ji Ji
Page 51
Marie Curie Assembly
Pun Hlaing
The highlight for Year 3 at our Pun Hlaing campus this term has definitely been their amazing performance in their class assembly. They entertained us brilliantly through drama, narration, and music which told us the story of the life of Marie Curie. The assembly had a particular focus on perseverance and determination – something that all teachers here at Dulwich aim to instill in the children. Marie Curie, the famous physicist and scientist, was the first woman to win a Nobel Prize and the only person to win the award in two different fields — physics and chemistry. It was her dedication, together with the work of her husband Pierre Curie, that led to the discovery of polonium and radium – two vital elements that later led on to the development of X-rays. What makes Marie Curie’s work all the more significant is that she fought against all odds to achieve her goal – an impoverished background, a male-dominated workforce, outbreak of World War I and the death of her husband to name but a few. It is with pride that we remember her as a role model to all our students. We proudly assign her name to one of our College Houses as a legacy to her unwavering research and efforts in the field of science.
Christopher Perkins
Page 52
Star City
A strong start for Year 3 and 4 The beginning of the school year is always an exciting time, but particularly more so when in a brand new environment with classmates that have come from all around the world. The children have been delighted with the Star City campus and all of the opportunities it provides in space and facilities. Here in Thanlyin, we are surrounded by nature and often the children will name the beetles, grasshoppers, lizards and other insects we interact with on a daily basis. We are of the understanding that we are sharing this space with the wildlife and I’m pleased that the students understand to respect the creatures around us. We have started the school year with our ‘Doctor, Doctor’ topic. In this topic, the children are learning about our bodies, how they work and how best to maintain a healthy lifestyle. We have looked into healthy eating, the different food groups and the children have designed their own healthy and delicious meals. Most recently, we have been studying the structure of the human body and the children were delighted to interact and label the school skeleton, Alex. The Year 3 and 4 students have proven themselves to be quite fond of writing and we have enjoyed our English lessons together. They have planned and written a fivepart story based on the characters from Funny Bones and in that early piece of writing, I see huge potential in each of these budding writers. Instructional texts were studied next, and we wrote instructions on how to brush our teeth, which ties into our Doctor, Doctor unit. Outside of the main curriculum areas, we never fail to seize the opportunity for team –building exercises. The children designed their own welcome sign for our hallway to brighten up our learning environment and it was great to see their own unique artistic approaches. In addition to artistic endeavors, we also start each morning with a hypothetical scenario, philosophical question or riddle which took some getting used to at first, but now I am intrigued with some of the insightful responses given by the young thinkers in my class.
Erik Wong Page 53
Star City Student Council
Star City
The Star City campus Student Council got off to a flying start this year. Following elections at the start of the term, representatives were chosen from each of the Key Stage 1, 2 and 3 classes. For the first term, this has been Rio, Charlie, Arthur, Isaac, Grace and Justin. The first task for the Student Council was to ask the rest of the students what their priorities were. They used an early assembly to seek ideas and immediately went to work. One suggestion was to have a Halloween party and, with the help of members of FoD, this took place on Friday 27 October. What a wonderful, successful evening it was! The students also requested specific Cross-Curricula Activities (CCAs) and, when this was fed back to the teachers, we were able to put in place a chess CCA and cooking CCA during the second half of the term. It is very important that our CCA offering reflects what the students want. Following a working lunch with Mr. Orchard, it was agreed that the focus for the second half of term would be on equipment and activities for break and lunch times. Once again, the Student Council sought the views of their peers and presented Mr. Orchard with a list of requests for equipment and play areas, so that the campus can be fully utilised. We are still in the process of putting these requests in place. Our Student Council have worked really hard this term, meeting once a week to discuss ideas and progress. Next term will see some new members and a new focus. Watch this space!
Matt Chapillon
Page 54
pun hlaing Student Council
The Student Leadership Council at our Pun Hlaing campus is formed of two elected representatives from each of the classes from Year 2 through to Year 8. The children independently nominate themselves for the role and present their manifestos at the beginning of the school year. Class elections are then held and each class’s representatives are then finalised. The Council is something that is established right from the very beginning of the new school year, as these children make a real difference to the running of the school. The Council have already had three successful meetings and this year the group is proving to be a very proactive one. They have many creative ideas for projects that aim to improve both the wellbeing and provision for all students here at Dulwich College Yangon and also more widely in the community. So far this year, the Council have met with Matthew Robinson, Development Officer for Learning through Landscapes – a company tasked with planning and developing interactive play spaces throughout the school grounds. They
Pun Hlaing
have also met with Deputy Director of Schools, Kate Beith, and spoken to her about their role and suggestions for projects. Both adults commented on how professional the group is, how well they interacted together, and how well they were able to communicate their ideas to adults. Aside from the Learning through Landscapes project, the Council have discussed how they want to focus more on charitable work this year. Through connections with the Friends of Dulwich, the Student Council plan to visit the Aung Zaya Min Monastery to offer their time and support. Fund raising events this year will help support them in doing so. Please look out for other exciting projects led by the Student Leadership Council, including a Christmas disco, which took place this December! The Council meet on the first Monday of every month and is chaired by Mr Perkins and Ms Stevenson.
Christopher Perkins Page 55
Pun Hlaing
middle school Science
Years 6, 7 and 8 at our Pun Hlaing campus started the year by gaining competence in the use of the newly delivered light microscopes. They learnt how to prepare slides and studied samples of both animal and plant cells. Year 6 subsequently built on this activity during their work on photosynthesis, collecting samples and looking at stomata in different leaves and in different positions on leaves. Earlier this term, Year 6 studied the topic of current electricity and completed a series of investigations of parallel and series circuits. They learnt about electrical safety in the house and how to wire a domestic plug. Year 7 have been primarily studying Biology this term. In particular cells, organs and organ systems and more recently ecosystems. They saw the dissection of an Ox heart and made models of different cells and tissues in the Art room. The focus has been on the development on the processes of systematic observation, recording and treatment of data. Year 8 have completed the study of Fluids and have looked at the particle model and how it explains the behavior of gases and liquids. They are confident in manipulating simple equations to determine density and force due to varying gravitational field strength of different bodies. They have conducted a series of experiments to investigate factors that influence buoyancy and like Year 7 continue to develop their understanding of the process of scientific enquiry. In the Junior School, Years 4 to 6 have also been busy in science. During wellbeing week, students considered healthy eating and modelled the human digestive system.
Shaun Baker
Page 56
Science club
Star City
The co-curricular science club led by Ms. Ravenscroft and Ms. Cozzi saw numerous challenges being met by analytical students ranging from Year 3 to Year 8. Each week students were able to engage in a new scenario that required them to use their mathematical and scientific reasoning to come up with the best way to sort out a ‘real world’ problem. One week, for example, students were tasked with building the strongest tower that they could, using only spaghetti and marshmallows. The towers were tested with different masses to see how strong they really were! Students were asked to consider why triangles are often used in bridge and tower design and to reflect on their initial drawings and make improvements in order to increase the strength of their design. Discussion centered around forces that were affecting the towers and students seemed to very much enjoy the hands on building experience. As well as enhancing their scientific skills, students were also encouraged to build upon their ability to work as a team and consider how reflection and resilience can be very useful tools when looking at how their designs could be amended and improved. During Chinese week, Mandarin teacher, Mr Stolkowski joined Science club to help with the project that week and share his knowledge of the longest wall in the world, the Great Wall of China! After learning some interesting facts about The Great Wall, students took on the challenge of constructing their own wall. Using the skills they have developed, students used a range of materials to construct a wall that ran from one side of the room to the other in a race against the clock. Year 7 and 8 students faced a slightly greater challenge as they embarked on their CREST bronze award. They chose to look at how different the densities of liquids can actually prove to be useful when looking at everyday situations.
Anna Ravenscroft
Page 57
Mandarin
Page 58
Mandarin students say “Wo Hui”
Whole College
Through the leadership of the Head of Mandarin for DCI, students taking Mandarin as a Foreign Language (MFL) are using the new and innovative “wo hui” website to enhance their Chinese skills. The term “wo hui” means “I can” and the goal of the site is to get Dulwich students using Mandarin in a meaningful way. Students taking Mandarin across the College have already received login credential from their Mandarin teacher and are using this site on a weekly basis. Learning resources on the platform help students to master the contents of the DCI Mandarin scheme. Wohui website resources include: “STUDY” for learning new words, characters and sentence patterns; “QUIZ” to review what students have learned in class; “PRACTICE” of numbers, dates, times etc.; and print out character sheets to work on their handwriting. The platform provides an interactive and engaging space for students to preview and review what they have learnt and are learning. Parents are welcome to contact their student’s Mandarin teacher to schedule a one-on-one introduction to this website.
Daniel Stolkowoski & Xiaoye Yan
Page 59
Mandarin activities in Star City
Star City
Mooncake means Tuanyuan in Chinese Culture, which also means a big family reunion. Star City campus hosted a mooncake making activity, and it was an exciting experience as it was the very first time for both students and teachers. They tried the Chinese traditional method of making the dome, adding inserts and learning how to make the flower shape mooncake. The best part of the day was that everybody had the opportunity to eat the mooncakes they made and share them with their families. That same week, we hosted a Chinese-themed assembly where students also sang a song ‘Welcome to Dulwich College Yangon’ in Chinese for their parents and our visitor, Ms Annabelle Parker, Head of Mandarin for Dulwich College International. All students had the opportunity to show what they have learned in Chinese by singing songs, reading poems and role playing. We also have several non-native Chinese staff who had the chance to show their mandarin talents during that week, in the form of Chinese songs and poems, to the great enjoyment of our students and parents.
Serena Zhu
Mid-Autumn festival
Pun Hlaing
In celebration of the Chinese Mid-Autumn festival, students across the College have been learning about its stories and traditions. They have learnt about the legendary archer Hou Yi and his wife Chang’e, as well as some famous Chinese poems about the moon. Chinese as a First Language students also attempted some creative writing based on the literature. Mandarin students from Year 1 and up had a go at making mooncakes themselves with the chefs invited from Acacia Tea Salon. Of course, they all enjoyed the delicious products at the end!
Xiaoye Yan
Page 60
A PRODUCTIVE TERM FOR Year 5
Pun Hlaing
Productive, exciting and rich in learning – just some of the ways to describe the amazing first term for all the students in Year 5 at our Pun Hlaing campus. From the great individual efforts of students to improve their personal academic skills to collaborative performances in front of the whole College. It has been a varied and engaging first term for both myself and the children of Year 5. Once all the students had re-familiarised themselves with each other after the long summer break the learning quickly commenced. We began the term learning all about each other and where each member of Year 5 was from. This led to rich conversations taking place as we discussed our home countries and our current host nation. Highlights from the first term include Shackleton’s Amazing Journey, an assembly written and performed by the talented actors of Year 5. This enabled the class to showcase the incredible journey Shackleton and his crew took to try and walk across Antarctica and his subsequent failure followed by triumphant tale of honour, camaraderie and survival against grim odds. This rich source material also engaged students in deep and meaningful learning to take place across the curriculum with some excellent adventure inspired writing during English lessons and research skills being developed and improved during humanities activities. The classes learning is often showcased on the walls in Year 5 and you are always welcome to come and take a look and discuss it with your children. A term full of humour, laughter and enjoyment for both the students and myself. With this great momentum we can all look forward to engaging with the second term enthusiastically and whole heartedly.
Mark Vincent Page 61
Humanities at Dulwich
Whole College
This term, students from Year 5 and above in Star City and Year 6 and above at Pun Hlaing have been developing their historical and geographical skills in subject specialist lessons. In Star City, the Year 5 and 6 students have been looking at the Ancient Greeks and how their way of life has influenced our way of life today – from voting in democratic elections to the sports we play. Students got active when they investigated the story of the Battle of Marathon, acting out the battle and assessing who had the best tactics. Cross-curricular links were built when students studied the Greek Olympics, comparing the sports played 2500 years ago to the ones we play today. The students finished the topic by learning how to create effective ‘mind-maps’ for use in revision. By the end of December this year, Year 5 and 6 will have completed a second topic on Children in Conflict, looking especially at the Second World War. As this topic was started immediately after Remembrance Day, this event was used to start thoughts and discussions, bringing a relevance to their learning. Pun Hlaing’s Year 6 class finished studying their Children in Conflict topic in the week of Remembrance Day and used what they had learnt to contribute to the school’s Remembrance assembly. Brooklyn was selected to read out her work to the whole school. Ava was also selected to read a poem to the school which she later read at a community Remembrance service. Year 6 are currently looking at Trade and Economics in their humanities lessons, and have used what they learnt during a Wellbeing Week session to help understand how trade affects individuals across the world.
Page 62
Star City’s eldest students, in Years 7 and 8, and Pun Hlaing’s Year 7 students spent the first part of this academic year working on understanding where they lived, and how their ‘place’ could be described at different scales – from their bedroom to their school environment to the universe. These students are now moving their focus from place (a location) to space (the area between places), as they study mapping skills. In Pun Hlaing’s Year 7 class this term, the group took part in a heated debate, discussing who should be the next king of England in 1066 – Godwinson the Saxon King, William of Normandy or Hardrada the Viking! Year 8 at Pun Hlaing looked at one of the major current global issues – Population, and the impact increases and decreases in this value have on countries. As is always attempted, Myanmar itself was studied to look at how its population are distributed across the country, discovering that the economic centre of Yangon draws many people in, yet the inaccessibility of the eastern range of the Himalayas in the north is the main reason for a low population density there. As students learn more about their country and their world, we endeavour to get students to experience their environment first-hand, through field trips. Details will be distributed to classes throughout 2018.
Matt Grace Page 63
ART
pottery workshop
Page 64
Whole College
Page 65
MIDDLE SCHOOL Mathematics
Pun Hlaing
The Middle School pupils have made a wonderful start to the year in Mathematics. They have showed an enthusiasm for all aspects of the subject, from learning new skills to problem solving. This has been evident by the interest in the different math puzzles I have been leaving around the school and it is very refreshing to see pupils reasoning and discussing Mathematical theory during breaktimes or in our new café. Year 6 have been excellent when it has come to completing their ‘Big Maths’ work, with some pupils already moving onto the higher levels of work in the first term. Year 7 and 8 have incorporated team skills by completing a range of puzzles in groups on a weekly or bi-weekly basis. I have thoroughly enjoyed my first term in Yangon and look forward to more exciting times ahead, including the Maths inter-house competition which is taking place in November. There is also potential for a Math Olympiad with other international schools in Yangon, which we look to host in our brand new Black Box theatre after Christmas.
Daniel Sinnott
Chess Club
Pun Hlaing
I’ve been very pleased with the enthusiasm that pupils have adopted in the Middle School when it comes to playing chess. Many pupils who joined the club didn’t know how to play or hadn’t played for a while but, in a short time, it has been great to see so many students enjoying a game of chess. I have particularly enjoyed how some of our older, more experienced, chess playing pupils are willing to play with the beginners and get them started on their chess playing journey.
Daniel Sinnott
Page 66
Page 67
Dulwich College Yangon, Star City campus Star City, Kyaik Khauk Pagoda Road, Thanlyin Township, Yangon T: 09 966 423 915
Dulwich College Yangon, Pun Hlaing campus Pun Hlaing Golf Estate Avenue, Hlaing Thayar, Yangon T: 01 687701
yangon.dulwich.org