the british international school

EYFS & Primary Newsletter

September 2023

Dear Families,

I would like to welcome all of you to the new academic year. We are fortunate to have many new families, students, and staff who have joined our community this year. As you can see from the articles below, it has been a busy but excellent start to the year.

The children have settled into their new routines and have experienced a wide range of learning activities. We are particulary pleased that our new initatives including Community Time on Fridays, Outdoor Woodland Learning (OWL) and Wellness and IDEA lessons are very popular with our students. We are looking forward to the year ahead and welcoming as many of you as possible into campus.

Thank you for your conitnued support and coorporation. I am looking forward to a happy and successful year together.

Kind regards,

Alison Jones

director's note

Pastoral Care & Wellbeing with Miss Lynne

Our students have been enjoying mindfulness and nature during our Wellness lessons. Click here to learn more!

IDEA in Primary

Dear Families,

While our school is located in Türkiye, our students and staff are from around the world. Our Primary students represent over 40 different nationalities alone! We are lucky to be a part of such a richly diverse community. We are committed to ensuring all students feel accepted for who they are and understand why differences are special.

IDEA in Primary stands for Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, and Action. Across Years 1-6, the children will learn what it means to be part of an inclusive learning community, how diversity is special, and the importance of acting with kindness and respect toward others. Our learning will be closely linked to both PSHE and wellbeing, and will be revisited in our Primary assemblies.

Research has shown that inclusive learning environments result in:

A culture of acceptance and understanding

Increased self-esteem and self-confidence

Improved social skills

Improved academic outcomes

Lower rates of bullying and harassment

Prepares students for adulthood

Please check our newsletters to see what we are busy with in IDEA each month. We have lots of exciting learning ahead!

Sincerely,

Ashley Vaccaro

Community Time & House Meetings

BIS has a long tradition of House competitions with our three Houses; Cedar, Oak, and Maple. This year we have made some changes to our programme to make it a more dynamic part of our community and school culture. Each team meets weekly together to take part in House team activities. Students from Year 1 to Year 6 are working collaboratively to create team chants, and prepare for upcoming competitions.

If you visit our campus on a Friday, you will see all Primary students dressed in green, red, or blue depending on which house they are in. You may hear Victory Calls being called out in Assembly after a team has won the most House points for that week, and you will definitely see some great team work going on in house meetings where students are planning out their next competition.

Some of our upcoming competitions include:

Sports Day

Lip sync and dance

Spelling Bee

Poetry Slam

Singing ensemble

and many more

Bethany Robbins

EYFS

Miss Elise: Preschool 1

Hello from the Ants Class! Slow but sure, we are smart and we think big, because together we can. You've just gotten our motto and we are delighted to inform you that we've been so busy already. So far we are getting to know ourselves and each other as well as our school community. Each day is special and brings more fun as we bump our muscles, taste different delicacies from our chef, listen to new sounds, meet new people or just play with friends. The journey has just begun, stay tuned!

Miss Ogomoditse & Miss Elif: Preschool 2

The Butterflies started the year well and are excited to see what this journey brings. We played, we coloured and painted. We are getting to know ourselves and families, the people who help us and the school community. We are also learning outdoor and indoor sounds and letter ‘S’.

Miss Lauren & Miss Melike: Reception

Dragonflies class have had a wonderful start to the new academic year!

We have been busy with our OWL lessons.

We have explored the school.

We have got to know our friends and our environment.

We have explored our classroom. We are working hard!

Year One

Miss Katrine & Miss Sena: 1D

The students in 1D have been spending time this month getting to know their new school, the new classroom and their new friends. They have been enjoying taking part in a range of activities and particularly enjoyed sorting pictures to the correct number words. This activity helped solidify their counting skills, as well as build their recognition of number words.

Miss Belen & Miss Sena: 1G

It has been very exciting to get to know your children and how they learn and engage in the classroom. During this first month of class we have been working on following essential agreements that will help us navigate our daily routines. During art lessons we have been working on what is a portrait and we have explored how to make one with different kinds of materials.

In Humanities, we have explored the notion of how humans are similar and different by exploring our physical features, talking about our family origins and celebrating who we are. We used mirrors to appreciate our physical features and to find similarities and differences with our classmates.

In Maths, we have focused on subitising, skip counting by tens, the language of comparison, number partners, writing and reading number words up to ten and the concept of a group.

In Literacy, we have focused on the parts of a book and had fun creating our own book cover, with an Illustration, title and author of the story, which in this case was each one of your children. We have also worked on identifying the setting of a story, handwriting and letter formation, taking care of directionality and spatial awareness on the paper. We have worked on phonics and phonological awareness to continue with the reading process!

I am really proud of all the amazing work that Y1 - Whales have done.

Year Two

Ms. Verralls & Miss Neslihan: 2V

2V have enjoyed our Literacy unit about the story text The Day The Crayons Quit. They have enjoyed acting in roles of the different story characters through freeze framing, hot seating and role play. They have also completed writing about the characters feelings in the story and creating their own new character. To end our story unit all the Year 2 children came dressed to school in their chosen colour to represent a crayon from the story. They completed art work to demonstrate why each colour was important. They then created their own posters with reasons as to why the character of Duncan should accept them all. Well done to all the Year 2 students for their excellent work and discussions during this unit.

Ms. Aycan & Miss Neslihan: 2A

The start of the academic year has been a busy one in Year 2. We started the year with some Water Wellness and a Scavenger Hunt afternoon during the hot first week in school. In Literacy, we read The Day the Crayons Quit and The Day the Crayons Came Home and used the books to complete lots of learning activities. In Numeracy, we have learnt about Place Value. A busy but fun start to Year 2.

Key Stage 1 enjoyed starting the school year with different activities. The Year 1 and 2 children enjoyed coming together for a water wellness afternoon which included painting ,water challenges , waterplay and ended with a sun meditation. We also had an afternoon learning about ways to make friends in the playground and games to play together. The children enjoyed starting the year together and making new friendships. We are looking forward to more events together as a Key Stage.

Year Three

Mrs. Robbins & Miss Neslihan: 3R

3R is learning how to make and compare results from tally charts and frequency tables. They are working together to gather data, record their tallies and then explain the results.

Ms. Adesanya & Miss Neslihan: 3A

We are studying and exploring the flowers of Georgia O'keefe for art. The children looked at different types of flowers including Georgia O’Keeffe’s. The children were encouraged to discuss how they can create detailed drawings. They created this using constant observation, attention to detail and patience. The children practised these skills by observing and drawing Georgia O’Keeffe’s flowers. The children were asked what they liked about flowers, what do you like about flowers? Children noted their answers in sketchbooks before sharing with others in the class. The children watched Georgia O’Keeffe’s powerpoint as a person who loved painting flowers. The children learnt how different tones of colours can be used to create different effects in an artwork. They used the work of Georgia O’Keeffe to explore this. Children learnt how to mix tints, shades, and tones of colours.

Year Four

Ms. Lincoln & Miss Zerrin: 4L

4L have got off to a great start to the year. Plenty of team building games, encouraging them to bond, communicate and listen to each other to prepare them for the year ahead.

Some very clever nonsense poetry has been written. Children planning together to rhyme words and put into their own illustrated poem. But I think the most exciting moment was when the children found a snail in the garden with eggs. Something I have never seen before. So thank you to 4L for that! Wish us all the best for the year to come.

Ms. Newman & Miss Zerrin: 4N

4N have had a great first month back at school - settling into routines, making new friends and enjoying their first few lessons. Highlights have been playing games in the gardens together, starting after school clubs, assemblies, forest school lessons, house community events on Fridays.

Year Five

Ms. Halabi & Miss Mos: 5H

Year 5 pupils in 5H and 5D have been busy learning about flowering plants. We have been examining plants in the botanical gardens. First we collected leaves and in Art, we completed observational drawings of a variety of leaves. We also researched the national flower of Turkey and our home countries. Using the botanic gardens as inspiration, we worked outside in small groups and created posters depicting the life cycle of a flowering plant.

Mrs. Deufel & Miss Mos: 5D

Year Six

Ms. Ward & Mr. Furkan: 6W

What a whirlwind start to the year! We’ve hit the ground running with House Captain speeches and elections - congratulations to Seoyul from Oak and Audrey from Cedar. Ms Lynne’s Student Council elections will be held soon. Year 6 students are brainstorming ideas and gathering information from teachers and other students about roles and responsibilities for our Year 6 prefects.

Comparing and justifying - learning is social, so we

learn best when we’re collaborating, discussing and

reasoning with others.

Combining maths skills and Geography - finding two places 100 km apart on the map by using the scale. We discovered that Cartography is a very interesting profession!

Stained glass window effect using watercolour paints, for naming the much anticipated lockers that students have in Year 6. These skills will be utilised and built on during our Coastal Unit, after our field trip to coastal areas of Northern Istanbul.

Mr. McCann & Mr. Furkan: 6M

As part of our Macbeth unit, the children have been performing various scenes from the play and we really have some budding actors in the making.

In the first scene, Macbeth and Banquo meet the three witches upon the moor and receive some unsettling prophecies.

In the next scene, the Norwegian army, allied with some treacherous Scots, has invaded Scotland. King Duncan, the king of Scotland, must repel the invasion. With the aid of his brave countrymen and the heroics of Macbeth and Banquo, he is able to do so.

The children were tasked with choreographing the battle themselves in the form of a six frame tableau. The children worked in pairs for this task and had to portray a gruelling, hard-fought battle resulting in the ultimate death of the unfortunate Norwegian.

The photograph depicts one of of six scenes of the whole battle.

Languages

KS1 Miss Talya

My name is Miss Talya and I am from London, United Kingdom. I am the ESL teacher for the Key Stage 1 and Reception classes. I have recently joined BISI. Previously I was an English teacher at Aci schools. Before arriving to Turkey I was teaching in the early years in London.

I enjoy reading, dancing and love going to parks with my dog Boyca.

Over the past few weeks, the students have been introducing themselves. We have been talking about where we are from and our interests.

We have been making classroom profile maps where children talk about their hobbies and what they enjoy doing in their free time, it was lovely to see our diverse groups of children who all enjoyed talking about themselves.

Kind regards,

Miss Talya

KS2 Mrs. Gwilliam: ESL

In ESL, KS2, the new children are settling down well. The beginners from last year have moved up to the next level and are making great progress after the holiday. In the pictures you can see the new students working on days, months and seasons. Year 3 worked on past tense and Likes and Dislikes. Year 4 used actions to practise daily routines with Superman. Year 6 are reviewing the past tense. Well done to all for a great start to the new academic year!

Miss Hatice: Turkish

Merhabalar, hoş geldiniz!!!

In our Turkish lessons, we started by learning numbers and greetings with the younger students during the first weeks. As we move into the KS2 years, we reviewed what we had learned before and added more, such as new words, grammar rules, and reading and writing skills. This is helping us improve our Turkish language abilities.

Mr. Vincent: French

Bonjour tout le monde,

In French, students have been covering the following topics:

Year 3: greetings, classroom commands, and numbers up to 12

Year 4: classroom objects, and color agreement

Year 5: physical description

Year 6: sports and opinions

Au revoir

Miss Ana: Spanish

Y3 students are learning the numbers from 1-10 as well as the colours in Spanish. Y4 students are currently learning classroom objects and they will be able to describe what things they have in their pencil case. Y5 students have started to work on physical appearance and personality. The aim is to describe themselves in Spanish as well as other people using the new vocabulary. Y6 students are mainly working on the sports topic. They have been learning the sports they like or dislike as well as to say their favourite sport.

OWL (Outdoor Woodland Learning)

Ms. Lloyd

EYFS through Year 6 students have been enjoying the O.W.L Programme. They have had a chance to witness the end of the Summer Season in our school Forest, and start to observe the impending abundance of the Autumn. Here is an outline of some of the fantastic learning that has been taking place.

EYFS/Reception: Our Forest Community

Year 1: Requirements for Life, Animal Parts, Plant Parts, Senses

Year 2: Animal and Plant Habitats, Making Habitats, Rocks

Year 3: Alive or not?, Parts of a Flower, Examining roots, Planting Seeds and Conditions for Growth.

Year 4: Bones or no Bones?, Snails, Worms, Infectious Diseases

Year 5: Pollinators in the Woodland, Parts of a Flower, Life Cycle of a Plant, Seed Dispersal

Year 6: Human Heart and Work, Vertebrates Circulatory & Respiratory systems and Species Reproduction.

Music

Miss Rebecca: EYFS Music & KS1 Drama

EYFS Music: This month EYFS and Reception have been busy learning about Alligator A, and Morgan the Monkey. They've learned to sing and dance to each of the songs. As well as learning to clap the rhythms and stomping their feet to the beat of songs. Lastly, they have explored using new instruments, jingle bells and sticks.

KS1 Drama: Over the past month, the children have been introduced to drama games, such as "Snowball fight on the Moon" and "Grandmother's footsteps." As well as exploring the idea of finger plays, where we recite a poem and they perform using their facial expressions and doing the movements with their fingers. Lastly, an introduction to Greek theatre has been made as the students explore a topic together as a Chorus (group) and perform different animals for each other.

Mr. Dennison: Y1-Y6 Music

At the beginning of the year, we spend time sitting together, taking turns, passing instruments, and playing name games. It's a great way to learn more about each other and build confidence.

Year 2 got to work right away putting together a combination of movements, melody, and special sounds to practice high and low sounds as well as reinforce steady beat.

Year 6 had some excited volunteers improvising during a song while learning about the concept of musical form.

Year 4 likes to strike a "cool pose" at the end of fun songs!

Year 5 has multiple ways to express themselves while trying to learn the words to a simple song.

ICT

Mr Hassan

Our ICT journey covered online safety, network basics, document editing, and web creation skills. We've learned to navigate the digital worlds ecurely, efficiently, and creatively. This knowledge empowers us to use technology wisely and make a positive impact.

Year 3

In Year 3, are beginning to learn about online safety and learned essential tips on how to navigate the digital realm securely. We explored the importance of safe internet practices, including protecting personal information and being cautious while interacting online. Additionally, we became familiar with various input and output devices, gaining a better understanding of the tools we use to interact with digital technology.

Year 4

In Year 4, our focus shifted to networks and their diverse types. We explored the intricate web of connections that power our digital world. We also delved into the fascinating world of websites, understanding how they function and their role in disseminating information.

Year 5

In Year 5, we embarked on a journey into the realm of systems. We explored the different types of systems and how they function in our daily lives. In addition to this, we gained practica lskills in manipulating Microsoft Word to edit documents effectively.

Year 6

Year 6 is off to an exciting sart as we delved into advanced topics. We learned about IP addresses, the numerical codes that guide data on the internet, and gained insights into the mechanics of web servers and domain names.

Learning Support

Mrs Bartola and Miss Jess

Reading at home can be magical!