School has been typically busy and vibrant during the past fortnight; the Nigerian Independence Day celebrations today really encapsulated that. Thank you so much to our Nigerian Community for everything they do to bring our Panaga Community together.
Learning, as always, takes centre stage, with creativity activities in Early Years, tableaux in Year 3, Maya civilization in Year 5, and scratch games in Year 8 to name just a few! We also had European Languages Day on Teraja with the blooklet challenge - there is a link on the page - give it a go!
There are lots of ASAs going on throughout the week .Thursday is a special day though as the vast majority of our students are taking part in one form of activity and the buzz around school is palpable. You will be able to find out more about Chess Club, Glee Club and Kids in the Kitchen in this edition. You will also be able to find out about Running Club which takes place on a Friday, which is proving to be very popular with students, staff and parents.
Congratulations to all 120 students that participated in the FOBISIA code breaking challenge; it is wonderful to see our students competing against other students from throughout the region. It was equally wonderful to see 77 of our students competing against, and making friends, with students from other schools in Brunei with the BJSL Football competition, which was held at Panaga Club on Tuesday. The following day our Melilas students went to JIS to play netball and football. To see so many children represent their school, so very well, is something we should be very proud of.
We are also very proud of the children who put themselves forward to become members of our student councils in Melilas and Teraja. Details of our Melilas Student Council can be found in this edition and details of the Teraja Student Council will be in the next edition; we look forward to seeing how both will help make our school even better!
There is lots going on in the last two weeks of this half term; the main events can be found on the next page and all events are on the school calendar. We are reviewing how we communicate with parents and valuable feedback was received in our Parent Information Meeting on Wednesday. It was great to see many parents at the meeting, as well as at the aforementioned events, at various entry and entry points, and at those Parent Reps Meeting; this parental engagement is a real strength of our school and we are very fortunate to have you playing such a vital role in our three way partnership.
We are now looking for a group of parents to volunteer to be the President, Secretary and Treasurer of the PTA. This group plays a pivotal role in developing effective relationships within the school community by organising school social events for the children (as well as for parents and staff). They also aid in the communication and relations between parents, teachers and the school leadership team. Our previous PTAexecutive (Maree, Kamila and Kerry) have done such a tremendous job in these roles and have added so much value to the children's experiences and the development of the school - THANK YOU. If you are interested in one of the roles, please do get in touch with me or one of the Deputy Principals.
Can I also take this opportunity to thank Maree for all of her work, not only as President of the PTAbut also in her role on the School's Advisory Board. Maree's contributions and support during the transition were significant and very much valued and appreciated.
Wishing everyone a lovely weekend.
Brian
UPCOMINGEVENTS
SchoolAcademic Calendar 2024-2025
Parent Events Calendar
Mon 14/10
Year 5 Residential (Miri)
NTC Movie Night Language Leaders visit SMSA Football Fun at JIS
1pm -Year 1 Exit Point Year 8Trip
7:40amReception Exit Point 11:30amMendaram Exit Point
School Term Break
Early Years
The EarlyYears Classes have been showing their Creativity Personal Quality recently.
To make, do and solve problems
TheYear3studentshavebeen diving into their creative imaginations through an exciting drama activity where they created tableaux based on themes like pride, joy, and fatigue.Withonestudentacting asthe"artist"andothersasthe "clay,"theyworkedtogetherto sculpt imaginative poses that perfectlycapturedeachtheme. The children demonstrated fantastic teamwork and creativity, with each group presenting their unique interpretations.Indeed,Year3is full of creative talent, proving we have many icreative spiders amongus!
Fatigue
Pride
Joy
Lonley
Fatigue
In our Year 4 Drama class, students have been diving into the fascinating world of character traits, exploring the physical and personality characteristics that make each character unique. Recently, they were challenged to create Tableaux—frozen scenes that vividly portray their characters’ traits, ambitions, and quirks. With creativity and teamwork, the students brought their characters to life, showcasing everything from a quirky inventor with wild hair to a determined athlete with a fierce gaze. Their imaginative interpretations not only highlighted their understanding of character but also demonstrated their growing confidence in performance. A big round of applause to our Year 4 students for their outstanding work and commitment to the art of drama!
Detectives at a Crime Scene
Gangsters in the Street
Lifeguards at Work
Cheerleaders
Artist at Work
Professional Golfer on the Green
TwoArtists at Work APresident’s Speech
European Languages Day in Teraja
European Languages Day is celebrated on the 26th September annually. The day celebrates the wealth of languages that co-exist in Europe and beyond. It is estimated that there are over 225 languages in Europe, without even including languages which have arrived on the continent through migration.
On the 27th September, every class in Teraja entered a Blooket competition, where every class competed against each other. The topic of the Blooket was about languages around the world. If you would like to try the quiz, please click on the link. Please enter your real name and name of the child so we know who his playing. Who knows, there might even be a prize for the person who can keep their international restaurant open the longest. Click on the link and all will be revealed.
The booklet was a huge success and I have never hurt so much screaming in Teraja. I believe Mr. Daniel’s ears are still ringing. It was a very close competition. Year 5B were in the lead, however, in the last second Year 6B took the lead.
Year 6B
Why students should learn a second language?
Year 6A
Juggling multiple languages is good for you as it is a mental workout for the brain. The muscles of the working memory grow stronger, boosting retention and recall speed. This mental juggling requires concentration and coordination, multilingual students steadily improve their ability to focus.
Learning a new language also deepens the understanding of how all languages work and therefore multilingual students will perform better in reading comprehension, grammar and vocabulary tests. Finally, new languages force students to create meaning from unfamiliar cultural and symbolic systems which increases cultural awareness, empathy, and tolerance of other people.
European Languages Day in Melilas
We also celebrated EDL in Melilas. Instead of a Blooket, the students had to complete a quiz about languages around the world. The answers were scattered around the Melilas playground.
Three benefits to learning a new language:
1. Improves employment chances
2. It improves mental health and delays the onset of dementia by 4.5 years. It can also fights depression.
3. It improves brain power and can help with subject such as Maths.
Year 5: 900 CE
Over the last few weeks, we have been focusing on history in our IPC unit: 900 CE. The children have been gaining knowledge about the culture and practices of the ancient Maya civilization. In the coming weeks, we will be examining some of the possible reasons for the decline of the Maya Empire, which continues to puzzle modern historians.
The children researched Mayan food before creating and sharing presentations about it. They also researched Mayan religious practices and historical sites.
Additionally, the children learned about the ancient Mayan game of Pok-a-tok. They shared their knowledge by creating instructional videos on how to play this interesting game and had the opportunity to try playing it as well.
Scan the QR code to see an example
Digital Education
Year 8 shared their Scratch games with Year 3 and Year 4 this week. The Year 8 children took feedback about their games and will use this when they create more games over the coming weeks.
Chess Club
Chess Club is proving to be a popular after-school activity this term, with 48 children fromTeraja and Melilas in regular attendance. Some of the benefits of playing this ancient game from India include improved memory, enhanced problem-solving skills, better concentration and greater creativity. Ms Shelagh, Ms Sur and Mr Matt enjoy running the club as chess is so much fun as well. So the next time you have some spare time at home on a rainy, Bornean afternoon, why not have a game of chess? As we like to say at Chess Club, we love playing chess every morning, noon and knight!
Kids in the Kitchen
This week was all about SPAGHETTI! The students worked well to make it ‘al dente’ and the variations were: cheesy, very cheesy and not so cheesy.
All things Maths
The Fobisia Code Breaking Challenge took place on Tuesday 24th September with a total of 120 students taking part from Panaga School.
Certificate of excellence was awarded to a number of students but three students in year 5 must be mentioned for their outstanding achievement. Ryan (5A), Isabelle (5B) and Zain (5B) all passed LEVEL2B.
All students that participated in the event will receive a certificate of participation, merit or excellence during Friday assemblies.
Ryan from 5A in full concentration
All things Maths
Sample Level 3 Code Breaking Question
More external and internal Mathematics Competitions to come throughout the school calendar year
BJSL Football
As the rain clouds parted, the sun shone as brightly as a huge super moon. The schools were ready, and the teams were set! It was time for the BJSL Football Tournament to begin. Five schools, twelve separate tournaments, 400+ participants and 100+ adults, it was indeed a grand affair. With so much at stake, our proud Panaga teams sprang into action with the excitement of a thousand macaque monkeys, keen to feast on any chance to achieve their first goal. An avalanche of raucous applause greeted every tackle, pass and shot. As the tournament raged on through the Panaga morning, it was becoming more apparent that our teams were succeeding at every juncture.Amazed, excited, elated, our coaches' decisions seemed to work at every point, and resulted in seven of our eight teams reaching a final. With tenacity and competitiveness of a hungry hornbill, all our teams pushed every chance and gorged on the success of such commitment with a plethora of goals for themselves. Congratulations go to all of our Panaga teams, including players, coaches, organisers and supporters, but a very special mention must go to our players. Winning five of the eight events they entered is an incredible achievement: it's what makes our school such an amazing place to be!
BJSL Football
Melilas School Council
Melilas School Council are an active group of committed students who want to represent the voice of students in Melilas and help the Panaga School Community work together for change. A new year sees the election of a new council. After an introductory assembly, interested students complete short application forms sharing their motivations, skills and ideas for school council. Positions were popular and all candidates provided excellent blind applications. This was a great opportunity for students to experience the election process and we look forward to sharing the work of the school council with you across the year.
Melilas School Council 2024/5
Running Club
On Friday 27th September, 55 children, parents and teachers took part in Running Club!
This is a fantastic amount of people who were all excited for a 6:30am run on a Friday morning! If you would like to join us, please contact the office to sign up.
If you are already an existing member, please
Pastoral Team
It was wonderful to see Wellbeing week in full flow around the whole school last week. Listening to the children talking openly about their feelings and recognising that all our emotions are important. There were so many activities to help them lead a healthy balanced lifestyle, from Yoga to Zumba and mindful eating. In the student support team we are continually looking for ways to promote student health and look after the individual needs of the children. If you have any ideas you would like to share, or any activities from last week you would like to see continued, please let us know. I loved hearing music at break times – it instantly lifted my mood and motivated me for the rest of the day! We welcome Mr Dean (School Counsellor) and Ms Marie (School Nurse) who help to support our wellbeing.
Mr Dean School Counsellor
Remember, you can pop in and see Mr Dean for a chat on Wednesday or Thursday Break and Lunch times.
Ms Marie School Nurse
MoH Health Screenings
Children from Years 1, 4 and 7 this week showed wonderful respect and cooperation as they took part in the Health screenings offered by the Ministry of Health Brunei.
Ahuge thank you to Nurse Marina and her team for sharing their knowledge and skills with us.
