ISB NEWSLETTER DECEMBER 2012
I N T E R N AT I O N A L W E E K
L AT V I A T R I P
ELC PIPERA
Nursery News
Nursery B It seems like November & December has been the busiest months of all, filled with many interesting, enjoyable events and trips. Even though it was a short time of learning we’ve had a lot of fun and enjoyable moments while having the ‘Book Week’ , ‘Teddy Bear Picnic’ and ‘ Favourite Book Characters Day’. As we have been learning about Autumn and were fascinated about the real Autumn items, we’ve had our trip to the Herastrau Park where we had a chance to discover more and more about the season that we have been through. We also talked about Shapes and we made ‘Shape Cookies’ where we enjoyed ourselves and decided to cook more often! We’re looking forward to enjoy the snowy weathers and experience lots of new adventures as we wish you all a Happy New Year! Nursery A The months of November and December have passed very quickly, the children were involved in many activities at the “Book Character Parade” where they wore costumes in relation to their favorite book character. Another event was the “Teddy Bear Picnic” where children spent a whole week in the presence of many books. They had the opportunity to purchase a book that they liked. The children also made the best shape cookies ever. They were terrific chefs for one hour and as we can see on the picture, they enjoyed it very much! In addition, we took advantage of a very nice autumn day as we spent a lovely morning in “Herastrau Park” and for sure, we will go there again soon. On another beautiful day, we had special visitors to our school “The Tricky dog and it’s team”. The children enjoyed looking at the tricks that the dog made and they sang songs along with the dog’s owners. It was a wonderful time! We are waiting for other surprises in the near future and for sure, we will keep you posted but not before wishing you all a happy end of the year and many accomplishments in the year to come!
Reception & Year1 News
Reception
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November brought many fun-filled activities for Reception children in Pipera. As fruits and vegetables are not as fresh as in summer time we thought we might save them for winter by making pickles, and so we did! Our jars with pickles looked so bright and colourful on our window pane ur main Topic was Animals and on this occasion we had some trips to the places they live to observe them in the real life. Trips to the Zoo and the Farm made us curious and interested in finding out more about these fantastic living things. We had the chance to stroke the goat, to play with the rabbits and to ride the poneys! It was a real adventure!
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Year1
This has been a great 2nd half to the Autumn term for Year 1. We now know how to count British money, tell the time and write addition stories. We read ‘Goldilocks and the Three Bears’ and made some porridge. We have made many crafts including peg crocodiles, cup and ball toys, piggy banks. We are wishing you all a lovely winter holiday
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e brought back to life, stories with dinosaurs and we made dinosaur eggs. It was a very interesting experience as we have never seen dinosaur eggs before. ooks week came up with many new attractions as well: Parents Reading Day, Teddy Bear’s Picnic and let’s not forget about The Favourite Book Characters Day! All of us looked like princesses and brave knights from fairy tales. ll these new things made us really happy we are looking forward to new adventures!
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Nursery News
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e certainly had a lot of fun during book week. Our two main events were the Teddy bears Picnic and Dress Up Day. During the week the children had stories read to them by some parents as well, which was very exciting. Thank you to all the parents who came in to help out with this. Other happenings in Nursery have been learning about shapes colours and shapes. We went out collecting Autumn leaves and creating art work using autumn colours. We went on a shape hunt around the school grounds and discovered we have lots of different shapes at school. he first half of the school year has been very successful and busy and we are all looking forward to seeing everyone come back nice and refreshed in January. We hope all families have a lovely break away from school and for those that are celebrating the festival of Christmas may it be joyous and peaceful.
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Reception News This term Reception classes learnt about different animals and their habitats. Related to the topic, children went to Titan Park to see and feed the ducks; they had great fun in the park’s playground.
Thank you to all the parents who joined EYFS children on an Open Morning and listened to a short program of winter songs. It was great to see parents and children working along!
This half term children have started their journey to- Reception children and teachers wish you ‘Seasons wards reading with Jolly Phonics. Greetings’ and all the best for the new year.
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Year 1 News
n Friday 23rd November all year 1 students went on a trip to Tandarica Theatre to see a performance of ‘The Adventures of Nils’. The show was performed by a theatre company from China and translated into Romanian. The costumes and songs were very entertaining and we tried to sit quietly to watch the performance which went for an hour and a half. We went to the theatre as part of our Book Week celebrations and we were all dressed up as book characters. It was a great day out and our teachers were very happy with our behaviour in the theatre and on the buses.
Year 2 News Year 2 have had a busy (and enjoyable) month. At the beginning of the month we visited a Mosque as part of our Topic of Celebrations and we learnt about Eid and how Muslim’s celebrate. As the month drew to an end, we began thinking about the Christian celebration of Christmas and we are looking forward to our trip next week when we will visit a Church.
In Literacy and Book Week we learnt all about Traditional Stories. We read many stories from around the world and wrote (and published!) our own super stories. Our teddies spent a day in school and joined us on a Teddy Bears Picnic and we had a very special Book Quiz. We even dressed up as our favourite Book Characters.
Year 3 News
Year 3 Blow Their Tops Year 3 went to the brilliant Geology Museum as an entry point to their Active Planet Topic, with their focus firmly on Rocks. The children were guided round the museum looking at many different types of rocks and minerals, asking questions about their hardness, their properties and how Volcanoes helped to form some of them. The guide told us how the earth is made up of so many different types of rock, how the earth’s surface has changed over time and why the rocks can be used for different purposes. Back in class, the children studied how volcanoes are named by how they are formed; cone, shield and composite volcanoes. Then they built their own versions. In true scientific manner, they then did an experiment to erupt their volcanoes; much to the classes’ enjoyment. Seriously, the children looked at how the lava flowed out of their volcanoes, why they took certain paths down the mountain and how this information in a real eruption could help with safety in the future.
Year 4 News I
n Year 4 we love stories! We have been very busy this half term reading, writing and telling stories from other cultures. We were especially busy during book week with visits from parents who read us their favourite books and visits to KS1 to practise our own storytelling to a demanding live audience! e have also been learning all about life in ancient Egypt, from the formation of ancient work hard on our mathematics, developing skills and Egypt under the first pharaoh Menes to its end when techniques which we will use throughout our lives. We it was conquered by the Romans. We are continuing to have been working especially hard on fractions to ensure that we can share things fairly! omehow we have still found time to practice our production of the Wizard of Oz which is coming together nicely and we can’t wait for the grand performance in January.
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“Storyteller 2” On Monday 26th November we were very lucky that we had an Interactive English Theatre Company that came to our school. ‘INTERACTING’ is one of the foremost theatre companies providing entertainment and education throughout Europe. Their philosophy is - “Laugh while you Learn” and we certainly did this! The shows were for primary students in both KS1 and KS2 and was called ‘Storytellers 2’. The show was all about two very funny storytellers who battled to see who can tell the most interesting tale. They argued and fought until they settled their differences and decide to tell two very amusing stories with some slight twist! For both of the stories they needed some help from the audience and the children that participated were all fantastic in the roles they were given!
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Year 5 News
he Museum of the Romanian Peasant Year 5 recently went on a trip to The Museum of the Romanian Peasant (Muzeul ﾅ｢ﾄビanului Romﾃ｢n). During the trip the children learnt about popular arts and traditions from all over Romania. We also visited the exhibitions showing collections of textiles (especially costumes), ceramics, and other artefacts from Romanian peasant life. We saw many different kinds of ceramics decorated with beautiful patterns and this inspired us to make our own. ncient Pottery! In our art lessons we have been looking at examples pottery and ceramics from different ancient cultures. We researched about the different shapes, uses, methods and styles of decoration. We then designed our own small pot. We used clay to mould our design, which we later decorated with paint in the style of a chosen ancient culture.
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ear 6 had a very busy time during book week. We read many stories from all around the world, listened to stories from parents who visited the school and made our own books! We also had role play activities and writing competitions. Finally we decorated our classroom doors with cartoon designs from our favourite stories. hotos showing year 6 children preparing pictures and writing for the door decorations.
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Year 6 News
YEAR 2 Year 2 went to visit a mosque and two churches as part of our Celebrations topic. We were looking at how different Christian traditions celebrate Christmas. First we went to The Old Saint Spiridon Orthodox Church. Inside, the children got to see the various icons and ornate decorations of the Orthodox tradition. Then we went to visit The Holy Trinity Baptist Church. They told the children a Christmas story in Romanian and English with puppets, clowns and lots of songs. The children had a great time and learnt about the different ways people can celebrate the same traditions. It really helped embed the knowledge that even though we live in a world where people believe very many different things, we all have special times and celebrate them in similar ways.
COMENIUS INTERNATIONAL PROJECT, A SHORT MOVIE FROM THE VIEWPOINT OF YOUNG EUROPEANS
The forth workshop from the Comenius international project, A Short Movie from the Viewpoint of Young European, took place in Sala, Latvia, from 7 to 12 October 2012. Students and members of the staff involved in this workshop met their colleagues from the other partner schools from the Czech Republic, Hungary, Italy, Latvia, Poland, Greece and Turkey. The topic was Our music, our dances. Our students presented a short movie from the Romanian - Turkish Cultural Gala, event that Lumina Educational Institutions (from which our school is part) organize yearly in Bucharest. Students from our school and from the other Lumina schools perform in this event in front of a large audience. Special trainers for music and dances are involved in the show preparation. For our short presentation we selected some Romanian traditional songs and dances played by our students and also a collage, a short clip with our students playing on different instruments and singing in different locations in Romania and in Turkey. In Latvia we’ve been impressed by the people and we all loved the activities we took part to. Students and teachers participated to dances workshops and it was a great experience that we’ll never forget. The visit to Riga was another activity that we all enjoyed. This was another great experience that we cherish in our hearts. Sala workshop team:Rashid Aktaa, Emirhan Cebi, Carmen Zaharia
EXCELLENCE DIPLOMAS 1st Place in Romanian Top Businesses Lumina Institutii de Invatamant was awarded with the 1st place in the Romanian Top Businesses in 2012. We would like to express our gratitude for the community’s continuous support.
The Minister of Education, Research, Youth and Sports, Mrs. Ecaterina Andronescu, congratulates the International School of Bucharest for the noteworthy results obtained at International Olympiads and Competitions.
Book Week
So far, Book Week has been a great success!
Year 1 students have met Nasrettin Hoca at the book week.Nasrettin Hoca has told the traditional Turkish From writing and reading stories to the theme”One stories as well as pointing out how entertaining readWorld, Many Stories” to ing is.Students enjoyed beging close to him and asked swapping favourite books, decorating the doors or him details about himself. having a teddy bear picnic- Book Week’s activities have entertained many interested minds.
Parents have joined the event and came to read to our students and have also organised a fantastic Bake Sale. We are now looking forward to the “Let’s Illustrate Our Book” workshop and the Book Quiz! The Book Fair is open everyday from 9am- 3.30pm for anyone willing to buy books. Once again: happy reading, everyone!
INTERNATIONAL WEEK Bucharest, October 18, 2012 on the occasion of the 67th anniversary of the day the United Nations (United Nations Day), starting with 12:00pm, at The International School of Bucharest took place the 9th edition of the International Fair organized by ISB. At the fair took part over 700 students of over 40 nationalities (Early Years-High School) and parents & staff of different nationalities. Each table (over 26 nationalities represented this year) had a variety of displays, all of which included samples of native foods, photographs and objects unique to each country. The event had started with a parade of students in traditional costumes for each country. During the fair, students present held mini-performances of songs, dance and theater to promote the values of either of the countries represented and cultural values supported by the United Nations. Enthusiasts enjoyed various culinary dishes from countries like: France, Germany, Italy, Switzerland, Hungary, Indonesia, Poland, Czech Republic, Croatia, Austria, Argentina, Spain, Portugal, Lebanon, Iraq, Iran, India, Greece, China, Nigeria, Bulgaria, Republic of Korea, Syria, Serbia&Macedonia, Turkey&Romania. The objectives of this event are: • United Nations Day celebration; • Promoting cultural diversity as an objective of the United Nations • Raising public awareness about tolerance between nations; • Promote traditional customs and values as well; • Information on tourist attractions of different countries and regions. International Fair held at The International School of Bucharest marks a series of cultural and social activities that occur annually worldwide between 20th to 26th October, activities grouped under the name of International Week. These activities included also “Primary around the World” organized at The International School of Bucharest and in which students, teachers from several countries conducted a series of workshops that presented the traditions of some countries. These workshops took place in classes decorated with symbols of the countries represented and each of these activities went on an “universal ISB passport” Thank you to everybody involved in organizing International Week!
A Golden Performance!
On Thursday 15th November year 5 stunned audiences with their wonderful re-telling of the tale of King Midas. The musical delivered all the glitter, glamour and sparkle you could hope for, with eleven memorable, show-stopping songs, and a fun-packed script. We all laughed along as the greedy king with the golden touch proceeded to squander his very special gift. In the end King Midas learnt a very important lesson - some things in life are far more precious than being rich! Please follow this link to watch our show: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C0PySkx9DHE
EYFS Open morning
What a great turn out we had to EYFS Open Morning on Thursday 13th December. The children were very excited to see their family members in the classroom and helping them in the activities set out. We have some very talented parents in Early Years. We ended our Open Morning with a very short performance of festive songs sung by the children and led by Ms Tanya. All our practicing really paid off with most if not all of the children singing and dancing along. Thank you to all the families that were able to come along and watch the show and for interacting with your children in class. Your presence and continued support is greatly appreciated by all of us in Early Years at ISB.
SPEECHLESS
On December 13th and 14th, 38 students from Secondary Drama Club performed Speechless, a ninety minute comedy consisting of ten stories with one thing in common - they didn’t contain a single word of spoken dialogue. Students from years 7 to 12 used a combination of physical theatre, mime and gibberish to take the audience back to the early days of drama, when actions spoke louder than words. Despite the age-old techniques, the stories focused on modern themes, such as work, play, marriage, war and loneliness. This wasn’t, however, the kind of silent comedy practised by the likes of Marcel Marceau, where people pretended to be trapped in a glass box or walking into a high wind. It took its cues from the likes of Laurel and Hardy, Benny Hill and Mr. Bean. With minimal resources, the cast used high energy and numerous sight gags to tell their tales.
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