SES Blog

Week 34 and 35

Dear Parents,

What a wonderful opportunity it was for the children to participate in the National Education Day Flag Ceremony. The children showed that they are an important part of the school community, and we were very proud of them. As this was our first time joining the ceremony, the children did an amazing job.

Before the event, the children practised standing properly, saluting, and standing at ease. Their hard work truly paid off, and we even received compliments on how beautifully they sang the national anthem.

Thank you to all the parents who celebrated Children’s Day with us. The children thoroughly enjoyed the games, snacks, and balloons.

Fun Day
Please be informed that the Montessori Fun Day will take place on the morning of Friday the 22nd May during school time. Parents need not attend. Dismissal time is normal for all children.

Your child should come to school wearing their PE uniform. Please put the blue checkered uniform into their school bag. After the fun day the children will change back into their uniform. Please apply sunscreen beforehand (at home).

Units
As we approached the end of our unit on Africa, we explored the fascinating world of African animals. The children identified and named some of the most common African animals while learning about their habitats, unique features and patterns, and what they eat.

For our arts and crafts activity, the children selected an animal and traced a template onto patterned paper that represented their chosen animal.

We also explored where different African animals live across the continent. The children cut out pictures of the animals and placed them onto their African maps, locating the regions where these animals are found.

Year 1 additional learning covered – Week 34 and 35

Phonics  
To identify sounds represented by more than one letter, for example /ch/, /th/, /qu/, /ng/, /ay/
Some children are learning about alternative sounds such as /ee/ can also be written with ‘ea’, ‘e-e’, ‘y’.
To use phonic knowledge to read decodable words. Reading and writing CVC words,words with adjacent vowel / consonants using sounds covered, words with double consonants such as bell, mess, mitt, back.

Language / Literacy – Reading. 
Guided Reading groups – Practising fluency of reading and gaining the confidence to recognise sounds and blend them to read words and sentences.  Reading comprehension, to be able to answer direct questions about the book and work on understanding inferential questions as well.

Language – Research, WritingA non-chronological report / poster of an African animal.
Over the past two weeks, the children learned how to research information using the search engine “Kiddle”. They gathered facts about their chosen African animal, recorded their findings on a fact file sheet, and then transferred the information onto an “All About…(chosen animal)” poster.

Important dates for Semester 2
Further information will be shared closer to each date. Please note that unless otherwise stated or indicated as ‘parents are invited,’ these events are for children only

22 May – Fun day
2 Jun – First dress rehearsal for the End of Year Performance
3 Jun – Second dress rehearsal for the End of Year Performance
4 Jun – End of Year Performance (parents are invited)

Kind regards,
Montessori Team

Week 32 and 33

Dear Parents,

Our busy two weeks started with a visit from Garda Pangan, an organisation involved in food distribution, as part of our Earth Day activities. They introduced the children to the concept of single use plastics. Through an interactive presentation, the children learned how they can help reduce waste accumulation by avoiding single use plastic.

In Religion Studies for Indonesian nationals, the children learned about the meaning behind different celebrations. Christian and Catholic children celebrated Easter by listening to the story behind the occasion through engaging storytelling. Buddhist children learned about kindness towards all beings in preparation for Waisak and participated in releasing live birds at the playground.

World Book Day was a highlight of the past weeks, as both children and teachers dressed up as their favourite book characters. After the parade, each child had the opportunity to share their costume and the character they represented. A heartfelt thank you to Mrs Nicole and Mrs Hyosun who came to read lovely books for the children during our circle time.

Units
The children explored village life and community, while gaining an understanding of the diverse customs and cultures found across Africa. Through a range of engaging activities, they used their creativity to design African huts inspired by Ndebele patterns. They also took part in traditional games such as Okereke Okereke (passing the sticks) and Okoso, a spinning game. The children created Maasai-inspired pasta necklaces, which proved to be both highly effective and an enjoyable activity for them.

In addition, the children learned about traditional clothing, landmarks, environments, and the variety of foods enjoyed across the continent. This rich learning experience was beautifully enhanced by a thoughtful presentation from our parent community, Mrs Pam, Mrs Tsue, and Mrs Niza. The children experienced African music and dance, discovered the cultures and traditions of South Africa, Zimbabwe, and Zambia, and enjoyed tasting a variety of foods. It was a truly enriching and memorable experience for everyone involved.

Year 1 additional learning covered – Week 32 and 33

Phonics 
To identify sounds represented by more than one letter, for example /ch/, /th/, /qu/, /ng/, /ay/
Some children are learning about alternative sounds such as /ee/ can also be written with ‘ea’, ‘e-e’, ‘y’.

To use phonic knowledge to read decodable words. Reading and writing CVC words,words with adjacent vowel / consonants using sounds covered, words with double consonants such as bell, mess, mitt, back.

Language / Literacy – Reading. Guided Reading groups – Practising fluency of reading and gaining the confidence to recognise sounds and blend them to read words and sentences.  Reading comprehension, to be able to answer direct questions about the book and work on understanding inferential questions as well.

Language – Story telling and Writing
The children have been putting great effort into completing their retelling of Handa’s Surprise.

Maths –
Ordinal numbers
To recognise and use ordinal numbers from 1st to 10th.

Complements of 10
We reviewed which two numbers add up to make 10.  1+9, 2+8 etc..

Statistic and Probability
The children are learning to organise, record and represent categorical data using: list, venn diagrams, pictograms and graphs. Using the African animals from our unit on Africa, we sorted the animals into categories. For example, herbivore and carnivore animals. Animals who have tusks and antlers and those that do not.

Important dates for Semester 2

Further information will be shared closer to each date. Please note that unless otherwise stated or indicated as ‘parents are invited,’ these events are for children only

22 May – Fun day
2 Jun – First dress rehearsal for the End of Year Performance
3 Jun – Second dress rehearsal for the End of Year Performance
4 Jun – End of Year Performance (parents are invited)

Kind regards,
Montessori Team