Ms. Lynne

This term we have been looking at emotions
Here is a great article from SMILING MINDS and a link to a great app for all the family to use.

Navigating emotions with your child
By encouraging your child to acknowledge and recognise how they feel in the present moment, not in the past and not in the future, the 'cloudy' emotions, thoughts and feelings can be cleared. 

The emotions that your child experiences every day may be completely new or different to the emotions they may have experienced in the past, which can be challenging for them and you as their parent or carer.

Managing your child’s emotions during a time when you are also facing new challenges yourself can be even more difficult to navigate – helping your child manage their emotions isn’t always easy.
In light of recent times, here are three ways to make the process a little smoother for everyone involved. 

Encourage your child to talk openly about their feelings:
Like shining a torch in the dark to see more clearly, when we talk about how we are feeling, we can better understand why we are feeling that way and the best way to deal with our feelings.

Speaking openly with your child about their feelings is the first step to understanding and accepting their emotions. Smiling Mind's Care Packs For Families offer a range of helpful activities and worksheets that can encourage your child to express how they are feeling, and aid in generating and guiding helpful, productive conversations about feelings and emotions. 

Focus on Positives:
Taking in and embracing the good doesn’t come naturally to everyone. Focusing on the positives goes hand in hand with practising mindfulness. By encouraging your child to acknowledge and recognise how they feel in the present moment, not in the past and not in the future, the ‘cloudy’ emotions, thoughts and feelings can be cleared.

A way to practice being mindful and, in doing so, focus on the positives, is to encourage your child to list what they are grateful for, whether that be out loud, or on paper. Offering gratitude, or giving thanks for the positive things, people, and events in our lives will help make your child feel more happy and content.

Remain calm:
Children are like sponges – they easily soak up the emotions and actions of those who surround them the most, especially their parents or carers. When your child is experiencing a lot of emotions, more intensely than usual, remaining calm as a parent is very important. For example, if your child is feeling panicked or upset, try not to reflect their emotions yourself, as this may escalate the situation.

By remaining calm and monitoring your own emotions by not oversharing with your children, you will create a sense of safety and security, which will help your child to offload their emotions onto you as their safety net, and offer them reassurance that you are there to look after them. 

You can find more resources to support your child to build lifelong mental fitness in the free Smiling Mind App.

https://www.smilingmind.com.au/smiling-mind-app-for-families?hsCtaAttrib=177304670529

Ms. Elise & Ms. Tuğba: Preschool 1 

Bonjour et bon retour des congés d’hiver

This season is all Splish, Splosh, Splash in EYFS. We started the 3rd term by talking about holidays and sharing sweet memories. Ants are exploring all sources of water and discovering new playgrounds on campus. They’ve enjoyed playing on rainy days, practicing washing hands, cracking ice they froze to deliver bids, and observing them melting. They loved experimenting with floating and sinking through play and are very agile like Adi the agile ant in their PE class. They are developing their oral senses of letter sounds with SATPIN activities such as oral blending, spot and trace, and spy the sound. They love African rhythms in their music class. Follow us as we look forward to celebrating the Lunar and Chinese New Year. 

Ms Elise for the Ants class

Ms. Ogomoditse & Ms. Özge: Preschool 2

Butterflies class has been very busy! In line with our theme, “Splash,” we have been exploring fun topics about water. We talked about how things melt and freeze, what floats and sinks, where water comes from, and all the ways we use water in our daily lives.

In maths, we’ve been learning to recognize small groups of numbers 3, 4, and 5 without counting. We’ve also started learning about 2D shapes and their names.

In phonics, we’ve introduced three new sounds: s, a, and t. The children are practicing saying these sounds, spotting them in words, and even writing them. 

Ms. Lauren & Ms. Melike & Ms. Ayşegül : Reception

We have had a great start to the year!  We have been learning about water!  We have had lots of opportunities to play in the rain and splash about!  We have been looking at floating and sinking, capacity, weight, measuring and conducting lots of Science experiments. 

We are doing lots of writing in Literacy and Phonics.

We had some special guests in Dragonflies - two of our lovely mums visited us and taught us lots about Lunar New Year in Korea.  The children played lots of games, we learnt some Korean words and we tried some lovely Korean snacks!  Thank you to our lovely mums!

Mr. Khan & Ms. Sena: 1K

In Maths, the children have been learning about place value up to 100. Using a 100 chart, they’ve been spotting number patterns and practicing skip-counting by tens. They’ve also been working on tens and ones, using sticks for tens and circles for ones. These activities, along with base ten blocks, are helping them understand how numbers are put together. This will be really useful when we start adding within 100 and regrouping ones into tens. We’ve also been looking at suffixes in number words to help with spelling teen numbers.

In Literacy, we’ve been having fun with poetry! The children have been learning about rhyme and rhythm, and how adjectives can make poems more interesting. They’ve especially enjoyed exploring feelings through poetry.

In Humanities, we’ve been learning about continents and oceans and how our planet is organized. The children have been very curious about the world and have linked this to their Science lessons, where they’ve been learning facts about Earth.

In Art, the students have been trying out printmaking using geometric shapes and even fruits to create different patterns. It’s been great to see them experimenting with new techniques.

The children are making great progress, and it’s amazing to see their excitement grow with every new challenge. We can’t wait to see where their curiosity takes them next month!

Ms. Belen & Ms. Sena: 1G

What an exciting month we’ve had! In Maths, we've been diving into the place value of numbers up to 100. Using a 100 chart (or 10x10 grid), they’ve explored number patterns and skip-counted by tens, making number concepts feel like a fun puzzle! We’ve also started identifying tens and ones in two-digit numbers, and the kids have been loving using sticks for tens and circles for ones. With base ten blocks, which resemble our sticks and circles, they’re strengthening their understanding of how numbers are built. These visual tools will help them when we start adding within 100 and regrouping ones into tens. We’ve also introduced the concept of suffixes to help with spelling teen numbers. Understanding these word endings is giving the students a boost in both their spelling and number fluency.

In Language Arts, we’ve been having a rhythm-filled time exploring rhyme and rhythm in poems. The students have especially enjoyed connecting feelings with adjectives to analyze how descriptive poems can be.!

In Humanities, we’ve taken a journey to discover our Blue Planet and how it is organized into continents and oceans. The kids are fascinated by the world around them, and we’ve connected this knowledge to our Science lessons, where we've been learning facts about planet Earth. 

Finally, in Art, the students have been experimenting with printmaking techniques to create unique compositions. They’ve been using geometric shapes and fruits to create amazing prints. It’s so exciting to see their ideas come to life in such a creative way.

We are so proud of how much the students are learning and growing and they are having fun along the way! We can’t wait to continue this journey together next month.

Thank you for your continued support!

Ms. Verralls & Ms. Neslihan: 2V

It has been a busy start to 2025 in 2V. In English we have been learning about information texts. In maths we have looked at numbers to 100 and problem solving. In DT we have started our topic all about bread, we tasted different breads and looked at bread from around the world. We are looking forward to making our own bread. To end our topic about Australia and Oceania, the children set up their own travel agency. They promoted holidays to Sydney, Uluru and the Great Barrier reef. The children had to think of the different activities to do, prices and eye catching posters. Year 3 visited our travel agency and purchased many holidays!

Ms. Smith & Ms. Neslihan: 2S

It’s been a great month of learning in 2S! In maths, we’ve been exploring fractions, focusing on halves, thirds, and quarters. We’ve been using a mastery approach to really understand these concepts, taking our time with hands-on activities and ensuring everyone feels confident in their skills. We’ve also been consolidating our number work up to 100, building fluency through fun and interactive exercises.

In science, we’ve been discovering the properties of different materials. One of our highlights was when we got “stranded” on a desert island and had to use our lunch supplies to make sun hats to protect ourselves from the heat. It was a fantastic way to see how different materials work in real-life situations.

In literacy, we’ve been using the Talk for Writing method to plan and write non-fiction reports about monsters. The students have been so creative, inventing their own monsters and writing interesting facts about them. It’s been a great way to practice both our writing and imagination skills.

We’ve also kicked off our bread unit with a bang—All Aboard the Grain Train! We’ve learned about different types of bread, and soon we’ll be putting our learning into action by baking our own bread. It’s sure to be a delicious end to the unit!

Lastly, our play practice is going strong, and the students are looking forward to sharing their hard work with you.

It’s been a month full of learning, creativity, and fun, and we can’t wait to see what the next month brings!

Thank you for your continued support,

Miss Smith

Ms. Robbins & Ms. Neslihan: 3R

This month in 3R we have immersed ourselves in creativity and exploration!

Firstly, our journey into the world of Ebru art has been nothing short of magical. This ancient Turkish technique of marbling has captivated the students, allowing them to create their own vibrant patterns using pigments on water and oil. They have enjoyed experimenting with various colours and designs. It has been wonderful to witness their creativity flourish, and it’s evident that many budding artists have emerged from this experience!

On a different note, in our Science lessons, we have been delving into the fascinating world of living things. The children had the opportunity to examine animal pictures and classify them into groups based on their own reasoning. This activity sparked lively discussions, as students thoughtfully justified their classifications. It was impressive to see their critical thinking skills in action. This lesson will serve as a springboard into our study of animal classification, where we will further explore the diversity of life on our planet.

Mr. Bridgland & Ms. Neslihan: 3B

Happy New Year!

This month in 3B we’ve been working on some beautiful monoprinting work in Art, wherein students used foil and cotton buds to print designs of their own making. Students also made stamps using twine glued to cardstock. 

In Science, our class is learning how to categorise the animal kingdom. Students were first tasked with grouping animals as they saw fit (including some hilarious categories such as ‘cute animals’ and ‘long animals’), and then into their correct groups once we’d discussed them. 

In Maths we are learning fractions and how to tell the time (this will hopefully reduce the number of times I am asked when lunch is), and in Literacy we’re covering Myths and Legends.

It’s great to see everyone bringing so much enthusiasm into the classroom right after our holidays. Happy 2025!

Mr. Bridgland

Ms. Caldwell & Ms. Ödül: 4C

English:

In English, 4C has been diligently developing their writing skills through a unit focused on fables. They have explored several familiar fables and, using a model text, examined the structure of a fable by considering the punctuation, vocabulary, and grammar. From this, they created a story map of their fable and incorporated actions to help retain the story's structure. Building on this foundation, they then innovated their own fables, showcasing their creativity and independent thought. Additionally, they have been actively engaged in hands-on spelling activities to further enhance their literacy skills.

Maths:

In Mathematics, 4C has been focusing on multiplication and division strategies. The class has worked on developing their mathematical language and reinforcing their techniques for both operations. Activities such as using factor bugs/robots, exploring multiplication patterns, and practicing inverse operations, shared groups, and arrays have been integrated into their learning. The children particularly have been enjoying the quick games of Buzz, which aids in improving their multiplication recall and makes learning enjoyable.

Science:

In Science, the class have begun on their unit titled "Earth and its Habitats." Students have been studying the various layers of the Earth, from the crust to the inner core, and how earthquakes can impact lives. To enhance their understanding, they created small models, which supported their learning visualisation. Additionally, the children have worked on their research skills by investigating different habitats, culminating in the creation of informative mini-fact files. 

Humanities: 

In Humanities, 4C has recently begun their topic on the Arctic and Antarctica. To encourage student voice in their learning process, they created a KWHL chart, discussing what they know, what they wish to learn, how they want to learn it, and reflecting on what they have discovered. Furthermore, the class created a PowerPoint presentation developing around the Arctic Circle and its neighbouring countries, strengthening their research abilities.

Mrs. Deufel & Ms. Ödül: 4D

In English, we have been focussing on how to write a fiction story from start to finish. The students completed a story, writing in stages. Once finished they checked their own work and then peer edited a different story. We have now started non-fiction writing and began by recapping what different types of non-fiction writing the students know. 

The focus in mathematics has been learning and practising multiplication and division strategies. The big focus has been times tables and written methods. The students have used laptops to practice online and have been testing each other using flashcards and whiteboards. 

In science, our unit started with the structure of the earth. To make the different layers clearer, we painted and labelled polystyrene balls. We are moving onto looking at how earthquakes and volcanoes happen. 

Our global geography unit in humanities is the Arctic and Antarctica. We have been looking at maps and atlases to find out where these regions are and what it is like there. The students have compared both regions and we are moving on to research and find out who lives in the Arctic regions and what life is like. 

Our art unit linked to the polar regions and we read a wonderful book called A Tale of the Northern Lights by Mindy Dwyer. The students then coloured and painted Aurora and added the northern lights using crepe paper.

Ms. Halabi & Ms. Hatice: 5H

5H – Primary Newsletter - January 2025 

Year 5H has had an amazing month of hands-on learning! In Science, the students explored Forces and Magnets, testing magnet strength and investigating different forces in action. Their teamwork and enthusiasm stood out as they shared their findings. A favourite activity was making pizza dough! The children eagerly followed each step, from activating the yeast to kneading the dough, discovering the process behind making pizza dough and enjoying every moment of the hands-on experience. These activities not only deepened their understanding of science but also allowed them to develop practical skills, teamwork, problem-solving and confidence. It’s been a fantastic month full of learning and excitement! 

Ms. Gillett & Ms. Moss: 5G

This month has been full of exciting learning experiences! The class had so much fun getting hands-on in the canteen, learning to make pizza dough from scratch. They then channeled their creativity and writing skills into crafting step-by-step instructions in English!

Our humanities lessons have also been a highlight. The students absolutely amazed me with their incredible presentations on mountains and volcanoes. Their confidence, creativity, and depth of knowledge truly shone through, and I couldn’t be prouder of the effort they put into this project. A big congratulations to all of 5G for their hard work and success!

Ms. Jama & Mr. Furkan: 6J

Class 6J has had a colourful start to 2025. We have been mixing tones and shades in art lessons and using our results to paint pictures. The images we have produced demonstrate atmospheric perspective. This is a technique where the foreground looks darker or more colourful. Children generally love using colour or paint but learning how to use the colours and the tools takes time and focus. Please encourage your children to be creative at home, it is great for mindfulness and for building self confidence and expression. Perhaps they could redesign their bedroom or choose a colour for  the sitting room decor or even decorate cookies - yum yum. 

Mr. McCann & Mr. Furkan: 6M

Maths Investigation in 6M

The children in 6M were asked to investigate how many ways they could make ‘100’ using BODMAS (order of operations). They were instructed to use at least three operations in each number sentence. Once they had conducted their investigation, they each selected their favourite ways of finding ‘100’ to see if it would get selected for the display.

Once they were ready, they had to bring their number sentence to the panel of experts for them check for its accuracy and to judge whether or not it was worthy of the display. They were a tough bunch to please- wonderfully high standards.

Ms. Sarah: KS1 ESL

Our Reception group has been busy exploring vocabulary related to jobs, community, school, and friends through songs, games, and puzzles. The children are making great progress in sentence-building and are developing their language skills in creative and engaging ways.

In our Key Stage 1 Elementary group, we’ve been focusing on recognizing key elements in sentences, such as nouns, adjectives, and verbs, while also practicing spelling common words. The students are working hard to create full sentences and are steadily building their confidence in writing and speaking.

For the Key Stage 1 Intermediate group, we’ve been developing stronger reading comprehension skills through engaging texts. Each session includes activities that support fluency, grammar, and vocabulary growth, helping students refine their overall language abilities.

Mrs. Gwilliam: KS2 ESL

Back to school after the holiday and the children have been working very hard. 

Year 5 intermediates have been working on instructions for a game. We followed instructions to play Monopoly and Uno. Year 5 also read some book reviews and then brought some favourite books. They will write recommendations for their classmates. 

Year 4 intermediates did a board rush to remember vocabulary for a word search. They have been working on questions in the past. 

In year 6, George, who has worked hard on his writing, finished ESL. Congratulations! 

 The ESL children are working well together, collaborating with their classmates on a number of tasks.   Well done to all!

Ms. Hatice: Turkish

Merhabalar!

Y1 - Y2 : This month, students learned the names of fruits in Turkish. They practiced asking and answering questions about whether they like specific fruits and which fruits they like. They also reinforced the vocabulary they learned through memory games.

Y3 : This month, students focused on learning the Turkish alphabet and classroom objects. They practiced answering yes/no questions and responding to "Is there?" with confidence. These activities helped them improve their vocabulary and sentence-building skills in Turkish.

Y4 : This month, students learned the parts of a house and some common objects found in the house. They also practiced understanding and using prepositions of place, enabling them to describe where objects are located in Turkish.

Y5 : This month, students learned and practiced basic vocabulary related to directions, such as "kuzey" (north), "güney" (south), "doğu" (east), "batı" (west), "left," and "right." They also explored the names of places in a city.

Y6 : This month, students focused on understanding classroom language and associating class objects, locations, and actions with their corresponding words. They also learned and practiced using common verbs frequently used in the classroom.

Güle güle!

Mr. Vincent: French

Bonjour à toutes et à tous.

This month the French students did as below,

Y3s worked on family members, designed their own family trees and completed the end of unit assessment on the topic.

In Y4, each student designed a monster, labeled it  and learnt how to say where it is hurting in French. Also, students designed their own board games on parts of the body.

Y5s revised numbers and are working on how to give the time in French.

Y6s worked on the weather sentences, designed their own country map with weather symbols on it and will perform a class speaking exam and the end of the unit.

Au revoir et à bientôt 

Ms. Ana: Spanish

Hola amigos y amigas, 

In Y3 students are learning the family song and designing their family tree using the vocabulary learnt. 

In Y4 students are finishing up drawing and describing their monster adding the body parts words in it. 

In Y5 students are still learning the time. They are working on asking the time in Spanish. 

In Y6 students are designing their house projects using the vocabulary and grammar points that they have learnt.

Ms. Lincoln

A bit chilly in OWL for 2025, but it has not prevented enthusiasm and smiles in our Primary students. Year 6, have begun their woodwork project and can be seen practicing how to hammer nails into wood. It’s not so easy either. The Year 5 classes are becoming more confident to get muddy in their “Mud adventure” project. This week they made mud bricks. Well done Primary, don’t ever mind a bit of dirt! Miss Lizzie. 

Ms. Rebecca: EYFS Music & KS1 Drama

This month EYFS students have been learning to sing about sharks, fishes, and penguins! Quite the aquatic scene. In addition, learning a new greeting song possibly of Gambian origin and sung by the Wolof tribe called, Jamawaile. 

KS1 students have been learning all about Shakespeare, from imagining themselves at The Globe Theatre to reciting phrases from Hamlet and Macbeth. As well as playing charades and making tableaus based on the story of Romeo and Juliet. They continue to mime in pairs to create body awareness and confidence.

KS2 choir has an exciting new performance next month for Global Community Day on the 6th of February, rehearsing brand new songs.

Mr. Dennison: Y1-Y6 Music

Mr. Hassan

Year 1: Students began typing on Microsoft Word, improving their familiarity with the keyboard and basic text formatting.

Year 2: Students learned how to insert and manage pictures in Microsoft Word, enhancing their document design skills.

Year 3: Students started Scratch coding, learning to add, move, and jump a character, introducing them to interactive programming.

Year 4: Students explored PowerPoint, mastering animations, transitions, and creating a table of contents for presentations.

Year 5: Students began working in Microsoft Excel, learning to create and format a class mark sheet using features like Merge & Center and SUM formula to calculate totals.

Year 6: Students collaborated to complete a 23-page group website on Google Sites, showcasing their teamwork and web development skills. 

Mrs. Bartola, Ms. Jess and Ms. Can

The Power of Routines in Supporting Children's Growth

Routines play a significant role in children’s emotional well-being, confidence, and overall development. Predictability in daily routines helps children feel secure, reduces stress levels, and enhances their ability to focus and learn effectively.

Key routines, such as a regular bedtime, organised mornings, and dedicated homework sessions, not only instill a sense of responsibility but also promote independence and time-management skills. Small actions, like preparing school necessities the night before or planning for the next day, can make daily transitions smoother and more manageable.

Primary Learning Support Team

The PE Department had a great beginning to the new year.This term, children's locomotor skills continue to be well developed with multi-sports classes. Movement skills are important in the development of students by supporting physical fitness, motor coordination, cognitive function and social-emotional well-being. By providing children with opportunities to participate in sports and physical activities, we support the development of movement skills and support them to lay the foundations for a healthy and active lifestyle.

Primary school students also experienced that cooperative learning helped them learn to listen, be part of a team, help and encourage others, and helped make physical education equitable, which increased motivation to participate.

Ms. Mevsim

Mother Tongue Drama - WE ARE SO PROUD OF YOU!  

We, Miss Ana, Mr Lucas  (CAS student), and myself – Mrs. Gwillim, are so proud of the 28 strong cast of the mother Tongue drama for their performance of Sleeping and Slurping Beauty in 12 different languages. In parts the languages just flowed and the children seemed to understand each other perfectly. ☺

In September we wrote the script, blocked and rehearsed the show in English. In October and November the script was translated into the children’s Mother Tongues. Here we must say a big thank you to the parents for making sure the children translated and practised their lines, and for helping with costumes.  Not forgetting the prop club with Mrs. Caldwell who made a throne and some wonderful wands for our 6 fairies. In November we realised time was running out so we had to start the dreaded lunch time rehearsals. They didn’t complain too much. In December we had dress rehearsals, and then a Fantastic SHOW.

At BISI we know it is important to acknowledge, celebrate and encourage children to develop their Mother Tongue skills. We did it! Well done to all!