October has been another busy month in the Primary school. Year 6 students have participated in a field trip and their PYP Exhibition Study Tour, Year 2 students have organised and shared an amazing assembly and experienced a Health Fest, Year 4 students have created artwork and facilitated an Art Gallery, as well as many other incredible experiences in other year levels. We have also welcomed all parents to the Mid Semester Conferences (MSC).

The Mid Semester Conferences were a wonderful opportunity for students to share their learning and experiences with their parents and also discuss progress and future goals with teachers. The strength of the connections between home and school is paramount to ensure the success of students. We thank all of our parents for participating in this exchange, we hope you were able to gain a greater insight into the learning process and enjoyed viewing portfolios, learning activities and displays, as well as talking with teachers. We truly appreciate the time you have taken to visit. We would also like to take this opportunity to thank four of our Year 6 students who designed and filmed an MSC instructional video for our parents. Anika, Christophe, Pippa and Atov from Year 6 eagerly took up the challenge and their efforts assisted parents, particularly those new to the experience.

During the MSC, you may have noticed some changes to the student portfolio interface on ManageBac and how you are able to comment on your child’s portfolio. We would like to apologise for any difficulties you experienced as a result of these changes. The teacher and administrator ManageBac interfaces are currently being upgraded to accommodate the recent developments in the Primary Years Programme. As we learn the new processes and become familiar with the different features, we are experiencing some challenges. Links to teachers’ reflections and student portfolios should now be visible on your child’s portfolio interface. If this is not the case, or you are having difficulty accessing ManageBac, please contact your child’s class teacher.

This week our Year 6 students are participating in the PYP Study Tour to West Nusa Tenggara. This trip represents the beginning of the Exhibition process and incorporates many frontloading activities. The Exhibition unit is titled, ‘Art for Cause’, and focuses on the idea that people synergize academic knowledge to create works of art. While on the tour students will experience an educationally enriched itinerary, they will explore a variety of cultural influences that help define the region. The locations include Sade Village, Sukarara Village, Banyumulek Village, Seger Beach, Gili Meno, Gili Air and Mataram City. These experiences are crucial for the development of Approaches to Learning (ATL) skills and lead directly to the development of the PYP Exhibition.

Sarah Verdaguer

Primary School Principal