Term 2 Dates:

8 weeks

Tuesday, 24 October - Friday, 15 December (school finishes at 12:00 midday)

Important dates for Term 2 are:

• Staff Professional Learning Day - Monday, 23 October 2023 (school closed to learners)

• Deepavali - Monday, 13 November (school closed)

When we reflect on our term in Nursery, we positively beam with pride! Our learners have grown so much in confidence and independence over the past nine weeks. Inquiring into 'who we are' and the relationships we have with others has provided authentic opportunities to establish further understanding of themselves and their place in the Nursery community. Their happy greetings of each other and all the adults in our environment clearly display their sense of belonging and self-identity. Friendships continue to be established and strengthened, and there is much pride in their self-management of belongings and learning. A highlight for the learners was the opportunity to work collaboratively on our Nursery dot for International Dot Day. Their enthusiasm and joy while being creative was infectious, and the finished piece provides daily smiles and chat in the dining room. We wish all of our families a restful break, and we look forward to welcoming new families to our growing community next term. 

Kindergarten have had a fabulously busy first term. Not only have we all transitioned into our new learning environment, we have managed to squeeze in countless inquiries, stories, explorations and investigations. There have been some wonderful learning moments and in between all of the fun we have been developing our reading, writing, pre-phonics and number skills too. 

Last week we had the pleasure of welcoming our fantastic parents into our learning space. We shared our favourite places to learn and they managed to get a glimpse into our learning world. It was really special to see the Kindergarten learners leading their parents in play and so many enthusiastic parents joining in and following their lead.

“Education is a natural process carried out by children and not acquired by listening to words but by experiences in the environment” Maria Montessori

Although we were sorry to see them go we said our goodbyes bravely. Thank you to all of the families who came for a play. We are already looking forward to the next one. Have a wonderful holiday and safe travels to all of those going overseas.

What an incredible first term it has been! The learners have shown remarkable growth, resilience, and enthusiasm as they embarked on this exciting journey in Year 1. They have adapted seamlessly to new routines, and for those who joined us from different year groups or schools, they have embraced the changes with open hearts. We are immensely proud of their dedication and determination. As we approach the end of the 'Who we are' unit of inquiry, the learners explored the concept of making good choices based on their feelings. They discovered various strategies to help calm their busy minds and make decisions that positively impact their overall wellbeing. It has been incredible to witness their growth in understanding and their ability to apply this knowledge in their daily lives. We celebrated their learning journey with an assembly where the learners had the opportunity to present their understanding to their peers and parents. The enthusiasm and confidence with which they shared their insights were truly heartwarming. We couldn't have been prouder of their accomplishments.

As we end the term, we want to wish everyone a fantastic and well-deserved break. We hope you have the opportunity to rest, recharge, and create beautiful memories with your families. We are eagerly looking forward to welcoming all our learners back in Term 2 for more exciting investigations and inquiries. Thank you for your continued support and partnership in nurturing our learners. We are truly privileged to be part of their educational journey. Wishing you all a wonderful term break!

As we approach the end of Term 1, it's the perfect moment to pause and reflect on the incredible learning journey Year 2 has undertaken. This term has been filled with exploration, growth, and countless achievements that deserve celebration. Our learners have showcased an unwavering commitment to their learning journey, demonstrating resilience and flexibility. Whether it was mastering addition and subtraction strategies, incorporating adjectives when writing, or creatively designing and making a balanced lunchbox with modeling clay, their dedication has shone brightly. 

Learning to collaborate effectively is an essential life skill which the Year 2 learners have been developing this term. The workout videos are one such example whereby the groups used success criteria for the task as well as to guide their collaboration skills. Year 2 learners are also in the early stages of developing research skills through information gathering, organisation, and critical thinking. These skills serve as building blocks for more advanced research abilities they will develop as they progress through their education.

Next term, we will continue to empower the learners to reach new heights academically, emotionally, and socially. Our unit of inquiry about Singapore’s culture, geography and history will provide multiple opportunities for more collaboration and research skill development as the learners’ knowledge and understanding of Singapore also grows.

Wishing all learners and families a relaxing and fun holiday whether exploring Singapore or other parts of the world.

Much has transpired in the past two weeks in Year 3. We first celebrated our Cultural Festival, where parents enthusiastically shared their diverse cultures with our eager learners. During this event, our young explorers carried their 'passports' to various cultural stations, collecting 'stamps' along the way. It was an incredibly enjoyable and enlightening experience, and we are immensely grateful for the invaluable support from our parents.

In the subsequent week, we catapulted into our Unit of Inquiry with an engaging visit to the Asian Civilisation Museum. For a visual glimpse of this enriching experience, we invite you to view the 'Recent Events' page in our newsletter, where you'll find photos from the day.

When we return from the break, the excitement will continue with our upcoming 'Celebration' in Week 4 of the next term. Our learners have been diligently preparing for this event, which will feature dance and musical performances they've been mastering in their Health and Physical Education (HPE) and Music classes. We eagerly anticipate their remarkable presentations and hope that they've been sharing their newfound cultural insights with their families at home.

The term has flown by. It has been wonderful to see the enthusiasm, energy and perseverance shown by the learners as they explore new concepts, tackle new skills and develop new friendships. We are currently investigating the causes and impacts of migration, the changes that migration can make to individual lives, communities, culture and the landscape. After the break we will look at Singapore as a case study of how migration has changed our island from a jungle to the amazing city it has become today - all in just over 200 years!

Learners started the school year by looking at ways they can support their own wellbeing. Although the Unit of Inquiry has finished, the theme has not. Developing learners' knowledge and skills to promote their own wellbeing is an ongoing inquiry throughout the year and one that we hope will stay a life-long part of the learners lives.

It was a pleasure to meet everyone in the Parent-Teacher Conferences and celebrate the learners' progress and discuss targets for the rest of the semester. As always, we are very grateful to our parents for their ongoing support.

We wish everyone a very happy and safe holiday and look forward to hearing about all the holiday adventures when we return to school for the new term.

Congratulations to all of Year 5 on a fabulous term. We have recently completed our 'Sharing the Planet' unit of inquiry with learners conflict scenario videos. These are available for families to view on 'Flip'. Please ask your child to show you. We will continue to support learners as they take action and apply the conflict resolution strategies they have learnt. 

We have tuned into our new unit 'How we Organise Ourselves' this week and learners have enjoyed finding out about how Nexus is organised into different departments. We encourage parents who might have knowledge connected to a particular unit, to reach out to us. We value the expertise in our community and would love to be able to strengthen learning with this. Please refer to seesaw where information about our our latest unit will be shared. 

Year 5 learners are very settled into their year now. We continue to actively support them to follow our RECIPE values. We strongly advocate for learners to show respect to everyone in our community. This includes classroom assistants, all teachers, cleaning and facilities staff, cafeteria staff, bus supervisors and outside providers. Using our manners and being respectful is one way we show appreciation and compassion for others. 

It was a pleasure to meet everyone in the Parent-Teacher Conferences, celebrate the learners' progress and discuss targets for the rest of the semester. As always, we are very grateful to our parents for their ongoing support.

We wish everyone a restful and relaxing holiday break. May there be some 'blue' and 'green' in every day. This means enjoying and reconnecting with our outdoor environment. This could be park fun, the beach, a walk along a park connector, a picnic, flying a kite, or going for a swim. Have a wonderful two weeks. 

The Year 5 team

We're wrapping up the term on a high note with tremendous progress and enthusiasm from our Year 6 learners. As we bid farewell to 'Where We Are In Time and Place,' we're eagerly anticipating our next unit, 'How We Express Ourselves.' Here's a sneak peek:

In our upcoming unit, 'How We Express Ourselves,' we'll explore the central idea that different mediums enable us to reflect on and extend our creativity. This captivating journey will revolve around key concepts like Connection, Perspective, and Causation, with related concepts such as Creativity and Aesthetics adding depth to our exploration.

Throughout the unit, our students will delve into:

• Different Mediums of Artistic Expression: We'll uncover a world of artistic possibilities, exploring how various mediums allow us to communicate and connect with others.

• Interpretation and Appreciation of Art Forms: We'll encourage our learners to see the world through different lenses, fostering an appreciation for different art forms and the perspectives they offer.

• Techniques that Evoke a Response: Together, we'll unravel artistic techniques and how they can elicit emotional and intellectual responses in both creators and observers.

It has been wonderful to witness our community grow, with learners taking greater responsibility for their own educational journey throughout this term. Their dedication and engagement have been fantastic, and we look forward to building on this foundation in the upcoming term.

As we embark on this exciting journey next term, we're grateful for your continued support in continuing to develop confident, reflective and globally conscious citizens.

The Year 6 Team