Newsletter Term 3 Week 2

 Dear Parents,

We welcome  all our new families to Year 2 and AIS. We hope you are settling in well and enjoying the atmosphere of the Year 2 community.

Unit of Inquiry

How We Express Ourselves

Central Idea        People create and respond to music to express their feelings and ideas.

We will be inquiring into

·         Individual responses to music

·         The creation of music

·         How music is organised



The concepts connected to this unit are Perspective and Function

Perspective

Why do individuals like different kinds of music?

Why do individuals respond to music in different ways?

Why do we link feelings / emotions / mental images with specific types of music and sounds?

Function

How do individuals respond to music?

How do individuals create music?

How do individuals use music to express themselves?

An excellent display of 'homemade' instruments are appearing in classrooms! Sounds like a few bands are in the making.

Some ideas to help at home -

• Have discussions about different types of music and how they make you feel.
• What types of music do you listen to at home? why?
• Who are your favourite musicians and why?
• Sing songs together - make up your own lyrics
• Create a 'kitchen' band using pots and pans

 

Read-a-thon begins!

Kai's Kids for Cambodia - Read-a-thon

by Year 10 student Sophie Aitkin (MYP Project)

Last week, a brochure about the upcoming Year 2 Read-a-thon was sent home with your child.

Sophie Aitken, the organiser of this event, is very excited to be involved in this educational fundraising event for KaisKids in Cambodia. 

The  Read-a-thon starts on Friday, 29 July. The sponsor, Smiggle, has been incredibly generous in supplying many stationery gifts in support of this event.

Please encourage your child to become involved during this intensive lead-up to Book Week at the end of August. The Read-a-thon itself will be launched on Friday, 29 July at a Year 2 assembly. We wish your children happy reading!

Class of the week - 2HA

    

2HA have made a great start to Term Three. We have been busy learning about our new unit of inquiry which has allowed the students to respond to and express themselves through dance, visual art and music so far. We will also be learning some poetry and drama throughout this unit.

Parent helpers have been busy in class as well, they have been assisting with reading, writers workshop and maths groups.

It’s been a fantastic year so far and we look forward to continuing the fun and learning throughout the rest of the year.




Ethan W, Bridie, Chloe and Yelena using clues to work out the central idea (People create and respond to music to express their feelings and ideas) for our new UOI unit (How we express ourselves).



Ethan B, Max, Issie, Olivia and Ella having fun while experimenting with instruments.

Charlotte B and Ally showing paintings that were their responses to musical pieces.



Ethan W and Noah making some new friends from 2HS during our lunch break.





House Leaders

Murray -       379  points

Lachlan -     310 points

Fitzroy -       289 points

Derwent -    252 points

Meet the Staff -   Mrs Alison Le Cornu

5 Facts about me

One of my favourite things to do in Singapore is to have a Foot-Rub on the weekend.

I have two sons at AIS. Flynn in Year 3 and Ashton in Year 9.

I absolutely love reading.  From picture books to novels, I just can’t get enough!

My Mum is the only person in the world that calls me Alison.

I have two dogs at home. George is a relaxed 9 year old Shiatsu Cross and Indy (short for Indiana Jones) is a manic 8 month old Beagle.

    

Y2 Learning - Caught on Camera

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Robbie enjoying his lessons

Specialists in the Spotlight - PE and Gross Motor

In PE and Gross Motor this term, Year 2 have started learning the moves used in bush dances. They have selected work groups that they will use to create their own dance. This group dance will be performed to either the music for the Gallopade or the musical piece that they are creating in their classroom.





  CCA News 

The new timetable for this semester's CCA program will be emailed this week. There are a number of new choices as the result of the children's survey. If your child has not been placed in a a CCA please contact your class teacher and Ms Bianca Chapman.

Dates to Remember

Monday, 1 August	Semester 2 lunchtime CCAs commence for Year 2 students
Thursday, 18 August	Student-led Conferences: this is not a normal school day
Monday, 22 - Friday, 26 August	AIS Book Week
Friday, 26 August	Book Week Dress Up Parade 8.40 - 10.00am MPH; Theme - ‘One World, Many Stories’
Thursday, 1 September	Teachers’ Day
Thursday, 15 September	AIS Foundation Day celebrations
Friday, 16 September	Junior and Primary Fathers’ Day Breakfast – hosted by AISSPA
Monday, 19 September	Year 1 Athletics Carnival
Tuesday, 20 September	Prep Athletics Carnival
Wednesday, 21 September	Junior International Peace Day Celebrations
Thursday, 22 September	Year 2 Athletics Carnival

Parent Education

Successful reading is not simply the mechanical process of "decoding" text. Rather, it is a process of active inquiry. Good readers approach a text with questions and develop new questions as they read, for example:

"What is this story about?"
"What does the main character want?"
"Will she get it?" "If so, how?"

Even after reading, engaged readers still ask questions:

"What is the meaning of what I have read?"
"Why did the author end the paragraph (or chapter, or book) in this way?"
"What was the author's purpose in writing this?"

Researchers have confirmed that thoughtful, active, proficient readers are metacognitive; they think about their own thinking during reading. They can identify when and why the meaning of the text is unclear to them, and can use a variety of strategies to solve comprehension problems or deepen their understanding of a text (Duffy et al. 1987).

Read more on TeacherVision: http://www.teachervision.fen.com/skill-builder/reading-comprehension/48617.html#ixzz1THIJl3mS

Reading comprehension is paramount for children to become successful readers. Not understanding the text is not 'real' reading. Teachers often find that children learn to read 'word for word' very well but they can't answer questions related to the text. This is necessary to achieve reading success.

As parents there are many strategies you can use to assist your child to become a 'real' reader and instill the love of reading whether using 'old fashioned paper' books or using the increasing number of available Internet reading material and applications.

Below are some links that may be of assistance to parents when helping your child with reading comprehension.

http://www.readinglady.com/

http://bcove.me/n0n9i74l

Challenge!

 

The Year 2 team started the term with a 'challenge' . Watch the Ted talk video below if you would like to challenge yourself!



Ms Elle Ryan and the Year 2 Teaching Team

Newsletter Term 2 Week 9

Dear Parents,

The first semester is drawing to a close. The last few weeks have been very industrious in Year 2 with many learning experiences and opportunities occurring.

This week we celebrated the end of our Unit of Inquiry ' Where we are in Place and Time' with the fantastic multicoloured 'Cultural Day'. The feast represented food from many cultures and children, parents and teachers all sampled the delightful cooking.
 A huge thank you (and farewell) to Mark Stennett who took photos of all the children. A sample of these appear below and will be available for purchase next term.


Our next inquiry is 'How We Express Ourselves'. This unit's central idea is

"People create and respond to music to express their feelings and ideas.

 During the holidays if you find musical instruments and purchase any, we would appreciate  you bringing them in and showing these to the class.

Wishing you all a safe, happy and relaxing holiday.

Farewell and good luck to all the families that are leaving us this semester. Best wishes on your new adventure.

Unit of Inquiry

'Where we are in Place and Time'

 People are connected with the world around them through their experiences and traditions.



Cultural feast table!



Ryan's mum is using henna for hand designs



Sophia completing an artwork of a mosque

Class of the week - 2RT

This week the class in focus is 2RT 



2RT went on an excursion to the Arab Quarter as part of the UOI unit 'Where We Are in Place and Time’. We participated in an ‘Amazing Race’ style game. We answered questions that we had created at school and  we spent time using inquiry skills to find out the answers. We also had extra challenges to locate important items from the Malay culture such as a prayer mat and different types of food.





Eliza and Juliette finding out about Malay instruments



Claudia and Leaksmy asking questions to a local shop keeper about the Malay culture

 

Joshua and James

Jayden and Dylan finding out about Malaysian clothes

At Sultan Mosque

 



House Leaders

Murray -       369  points

Lachlan -     300 points

Fitzroy -       279 points

Derwent -    222 points

Meet the Staff -   Ms Priscilla Turnell

5 Facts about me

   I grew up in Australia however went to high school in Jakarta, London and Singapore (was a student at AIS 10 years ago.. eek!!)

     I love shopping especially when I find a good bargain :)

      My favourite food is Mexican- fajitas

     I would love more than anything to go to the Maldives to relax with a good book and swim in crystal clear water.

     I like playing tennis especially when I win!

    

Y2 Learning - Caught on Camera

Drama CCA perform the 'Queen of Oz' at assembly

Drama CCA

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Year 2 visiting Year 3 for storytelling performance

Storytelling by Year 3

Specialists in the Spotlight - Library



Library with the Year Two’s

The Junior Library introduces a Star Author every month where the children are introduced in-depth into the author’s writings, their inspiration and interviews/video clips. Since January, we have had four exciting Star Authors: Giles Andreae; Julia Donaldson; Alison Lester and Margaret Wild.

In line with the UOI, Year Two recently covered ‘How the World Works’ – in the library, we concentrated on two best-selling books:

“Have you filled a bucket today? – A Guide to Daily Happiness for Kids” by Carol McCloud.

“Who moved my Cheese? For Kids. An a-mazing way to change and win” by Spencer Johnson.

Taken from a social & emotional perspective, the children explored the themes in the books with group activities and posters.

Finally, the children were treated to unique storytelling by a visiting author, Nina Sabnani all the way from Bombay who introduced her beautiful stand up interactive book, “HOME” and showcased her vibrant animation clips.















Year Two  CCA News  - Korean Cooking

This semester we did Korean cooking in our CCA. We made sweat potato salad, sandwiches, Korean pancakes, sushi and triangle shaped sushi. I enjoyed eating Korean pancakes because it was sweet.
by Elly and Sowon

Sowon wrote in Korean about what they ate 

Dates to Remember

• 18 July First day Term 3

 Parent Education

Holidays are a great time to relax and 'catch up' on much needed sleep. We often find that children are tired at school as they lead such busy lives particularly here in Singapore. Sleep is very important for all of us and without a normal night's sleep we can't perform at our best. Lia Gould has provided a site that might be useful for parents to assist their child with sleep patterns. Please click on the link below to access.

http://www.cyh.com/HealthTopics/HealthTopicDetails.aspx?p=114&np=122&id=1899

Ms Elle Ryan and the Year 2 Teaching Team.



Newsletter Term 2 - Week 7

Dear Parents,

We are rapidly approaching the end of another busy term. Where does the time go? 

A huge thank you to all parents who were able to assist us with the excursion. We had a great time and learnt more about the culture of Singapore.

Unit of Inquiry

What a fantastic time we are having learning about the cultures of Singapore as well as connecting with our own heritage. There have been many different activities happening in classrooms over the past three weeks including - our personal time lines, culture bags and a wonderful 'cultural talk' and demonstration by the Teacher Assistants last week.



Mrs Teo, Ms MJ and Ms Maylyn presented information about the Chinese culture in Singapore.

Ms Nisah, Ms Shidah and Ms Nazreen presented information about the Malay culture.

Ms Juliet, Ms Emily and Ms Jean presented to Year 2 about the Indian culture in Singapore.

The Year 2 team of Teacher Assistants  with children who dressed for the culture talks.

This week all Year 2 classes went on excursions to explore the cultures of Singapore. To find out more about the places we went to, click on the links below the pictures.



The Buddha Tooth Relic Temple - Chinatown  http://www.btrts.org.sg/Index_Eng.html



Sultan Mosque - Arab St http://www.sultanmosque.org.sg/



Sri Veeramakakiamman Temple - Little India http://www.sriveeramakaliamman.com/



Class of the week - 2 CO

2CO have commenced their new Unit of Inquiry, "Where We Are in Place and Time” by exploring the concept of culture.

Students made a “culture bag” at home and the class had to guess whose bag it was. Some were easy to guess but others proved more difficult. 2CO came to the realization that people can share the same traditions and experiences in life despite their different cultural backgrounds.

Our inquiry then focused on the three main cultures in Singapore, being Chinese, Malay and Indian. Culture boxes were used as a tuning in exercise promoting discussion amongst the students about what the items were, what they were used for and which culture they belonged to.

Can you guess what these items are and whether they belong to the Indian, Chinese or Malay Culture?



Can you guess who's culture bag this belongs to?

Can you guess who's culture bag this belongs to?

Can you guess who's culture bag this belongs to?

Dian’s culture bag from South Africa.                           

Amy’s Culture Bag from Australia and Scotland








 

House Leaders

Murray -       369  points

Lachlan -     300 points

Fitzroy -       279 points

Derwent -    212 points,

Meet the Staff -   Jen Kennedy

5 Facts about me

• I come from the Blue Mountains west of Sydney in Australia. All my family still live there. As I’m from the lower mountains, it has similar a temperature to Sydney (really, it’s true), unlike further up the mountains, say Katoomba which can sometimes get snowfall in Winter.
• We have been living in Singapore on and off for 9 years! I’ve also taught in Australia and China
• I have 2 children in the Preschool.  Luca is in the Bilbies and Dominique is in the Wallabies.
• I love to travel, although that has lessened since we’ve had children!
• A few students are still here who were in the first classes I had at AIS.  They are now in Year 10 and 11 so that makes me feel very old!! It’s quite special to see them all grown up.

    

Y2 Learning - Caught on Camera

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Excursions to Little India, Chinatown and Arab St

First step - Boys and parents from 2RY getting on the MRT

Niamh, Shayla and Stephanie from 2RY with a Priest at the Sri Veeramakaliamamman temple in Little India

Dylan and Jayden from 2RT in the Sultan Mosque in Arab St



William and Ethan from 2TU in Chinatown



Sarah and Ellie from 2HS explore the markets in Chinatown

Ethan from 2KE enjoying the smell of chempedak (not)



Ian in the Buddha Tooth Relic Temple and Museum in Chinatown




Year Two  CCA News 

Website Design CCA

During this semester, a team of dedicated students has worked tirelessly to create the website aissfunline. These students worked collaboratively to determine the format of the page. Each week they have worked in teams to create the content for each page. To visit the website please go to http://aissfunline.weebly.com. The password is aissfunline. Please take the time to add your thoughts to the comments page. The children are particularly excited to receive suggestions and comments from others. Kerryl Howarth and Darren Campbell

Dates to Remember

• June 11    Fish and Chips Parent's Association  Night
• June 14    Junior  Ensemble  Night
• June 16    Cultural Celebration Day   - note coming

 Parent Education

This week's parent education focuses on the changing face of Education. I have recently had some interesting discussions with parents about the use of technology for children. The safety of children is paramount and as educators - both teachers and parents -we need to give our children the skills necessary to assist them to be safe.

This clip from Sir Ken Robinson helps us to understand the changing world of education. It is the world that our children are facing. I hope you find it informative.

Ms Elle Ryan and the Year 2 Teaching Team.