Ho Ho Ho – Is it too early to get excited about Santa Claus Coming?! 🙂

I can already hear the jingle bells ring as the children start to prepare for our Christmas show. Mr Green has started practising our class song which we will perform together. 

I have been thinking about what to do to add a little Christmas feel to our classroom and I have an idea that I hope you will all love (and help me with). 

Instead of an advent calendar, I will be choosing a book to read each day to the children from the 1st of December to the 16th. If it wouldn’t be too much trouble may I ask each child to choose their favourite book from home to share with the class. It should be wrapped up like a present (because the children just love a surprise). I will then number them from 1-16 and each day we will unwrap a book to read. I can already see the students excited faces. The books will of course be returned and there is no need to go and buy a new book – one from home will be perfect. Please could you send them to me by Tuesday, 30th November. 

Phonics books

There were no phonics books sent home today. This week we spent Wednesday and Thursday carrying out progress assessments so I would like to spend some more time next week on the same books before sending them home. Library books went home as normal so the children can enjoy them this week 🙂

Penpals

We took a walk to the post office today to post our letters to our penpals in Marbella, Spain. I’m not sure who is more excited, me or the children! Hehe! I am really proud of how well they have done. They worked really hard perfecting their letters and designing the envelopes. I have decided to be penpals with the teacher in Spain too so the children can see that no matter how old you are, receiving letters is a special thing. 

In PSHE this week we looked at various ways to stay healthy and happy. The children made posters to show what we should do. They included, eating balanced meals, exercising, getting enough sleep, doing things we enjoy, taking showers and baths and drinking lots of water.

In PE, we continued with our Gymnastics unit and this week introduced balancing. I was impressed with how flexible the students are. We saw some great balance acts and they enjoyed using different parts of their bodies to balance.

In English, we worked on our letters at the beginning of the week. We then began looking at rhyming words in famous poems. We read poems from around the world and the children had fun finding and highlighting words that rhymed in them. Pat-a-cake was definitely a favourite.

We are nearing the end of our Circus unit in IPC. This week we looked at the types of jobs there are at a circus and made advertisements for jobs such as clowns, acrobats and ringmasters. 

Next week in PSHE I will be doing a lesson on which parts of our bodies are private and how to respect each other’s bodies. Please get in touch with me if you have any questions regarding this. 

Wishing you all a great weekend. It is getting cold out there. Stay warm and enjoy some family time.

Dear Parents,

I hope you have all had a lovely week. It has been a fast one here in Year 1/2. 

Penpals  

I have been in touch with a year two teacher at the British International School in Marbella, Spain and have arranged for the students to be matched with a penpal! How exciting it is! I introduced the students to their penpal on Wednesday and today we practised writing letters to them. I have never seen them so focused and happy to write! It was wonderful to see and I hope this develops a love of writing. We will work on our letters into next week and then make a trip to the post office to send them off to Spain. The students in Marbella are also very excited and asked their teacher if they could come visit us her in Korea. So sweet.

I remember having a penpal when I was young and it really was such a precious thing to have and it definitely encouraged me to write more. 

In IPC, this week we have had lots of fun looking at various tents. I carried my rather large tent into school on Monday so the children could explore the materials and structure. Mrs Jiyu also took her tent in and we compared the materials used. We then got into groups and made our own tents. The students were given a set of materials including a bin bag, wooden sticks, clips, masking tape and straws. They first designed their tents on paper and then had a set time to create their masterpiece. They all did fantastically!

We also looked at pictorial maps this week and how a circus should be set out. We took into consideration that there would be animals at the zoo so they would have to be kept away from the ice-cream stall for example, and that the big top should be centrally located. The children then made their own maps and had fun designing different rides and shops.  

Rotations

We have been making good progress during our literacy group rotations and I am enjoying spending time with small groups at a time.  I plan to do a little check up assessment within the next few weeks to track the students progress so far this term.  This allows me to ensure that the students are always working at the appropriate level. 

Phonics Books

There are a few phonics books that haven’t been returned. If you have one at home please could you return it next week.

P.E

We started our new unit “Body Management through gymnastics” this week. We explored ‘rotation’ and ‘rocking’ this week and practised some rolls. 

Maths

The students have been learning about 3D shapes in Maths with Mr Green and by the looks of things having great fun whilst doing so! The classroom has been filled with shapes and the children have enjoyed exploring them.  

I hope you all have a lovely weekend and do something nice:)

See you all on Monday!

Good Morning!

I hope you are all enjoying a nice break. We had a great mini week learning about one of our core values – Global Citizenship. On Monday, we began by brainstorming all the words we knew about the environment . We made a large tree with each of the leaves having a different word on them. The display is currently being put together by Ms Yuli. We looked at Native Korean flowers and made our very own seed packets. We learned how to plant trees and seeds and the ways they can help the environment. The children had great fun sprinkling their own seeds around the reservoir . It was great to get out into the fresh autumn air. We also collected lots of leaves and did a sorting activity, followed by making our very own collage – a leaf made out of leaves! They look fantastic.

We discussed ways in which we can help keep Korea safe. I was impressed with the children’s responses. We talked about recycling, walking instead of driving, planting trees and saving electricity and water. The children loved reading the book “Lorax” by Dr. Seuss which has a very important message in it. Respect for the environment and all living creatures will help us preserve the planet for ourselves and future generations. On Wednesday, we read the story “Me on the Map” by Joan Sweeney. It is a wonderful story which helps children find their place on a map. We looked at planets, continents, countries, cities, towns, schools and streets. The children made mini books including all of the above and showed the class where they were on the world map. The children worked on perfecting their sentences during this activity. We were also very proud of all the different countries we come from!

We then had lots of fun learning about different seeds with Ms M’s class. We used these seeds to make one of Ms M’s favorite cookies. They are called ‘Hermit Cookies’. The children learned the step by step instructions to make the cookies and did well taking turns to mix in all the ingredients. At the end of the day, we enjoyed one in the cafeteria and they seemed to go down a treat! Some students kept one for mum and dad and others said they were so delicious they wanted to eat both! hehe!

Overall, it was a fun-filled week of learning and I hope the children now have a deeper understanding of our core value, Global Citizenship.

Enjoy the short holiday!! Take care and see you next Monday!

Happy Friday to you all!

We had a very exciting week this week! Our trip to Gyeonju was fantastic and everyone was so well behaved and enjoyed themselves. The show was funny and the acrobats were very talented. The children enjoyed the kids cafe and I might have had too much fun too! hehe. I was very impressed by how well everyone did. It was a lovely day.

In English this week we have been looking at comparing characters and pictures from our two stories “Hansel and Gretel” and Baba Yaga”. We looked at adjectives to describe the pictures and then worked on writing our own sentences to explain the similarities and differences. We also worked on trying to imagine what characters were thinking in the stories and wrote sentences to show the character’s thoughts.

In IPC, we explored Pushing and Pulling and did some experiements. After our trip we looked at all the different pushing and pulling we did and saw that day. How the acrobats pulled themselves up, how the actors and actresses pushed each other whilst dancing, how we had to push and pull the door on our toilet breaks and most importantly, how we pushed ourselves up the bouncy slide! 🙂 We then made a comic strip of various pushing and pulling and illustrated the actions. The children produced some great work! Today we began looking at tents in the circus and the shapes of them. We explored why the audience usually sit in a circle and discovered it is because they can see best. We then tried to create our own seating for a circus using various resources! It was a lot of fun!

For homework this week I have written on it “To be returned on the 12th November” but of course we are off next Friday so homework may be returned the following Monday on the 14th.

That’s all for this week. See you next week for our International Week! Have a fantastic weekend 🙂

Helloooooooo, 

Happy Halloween to yooooo!😁😁😁

We finished this week off with our fantastic Halloween Party and the children had a ball! Lots of candy, lots of games and what fantastic costumes they all had. A huge thank you to all who helped. We couldn’t have done it without the wonderful PTA members.

In English this week we read Anthony Brown’s version of ‘Hansel and Gretel’ and looked at his wonderful illustrations. We compared his writing to our own story maps that we previously made and practiced writing about some of the illustrations in the book. The students are getting better at remembering their capital letters and full stops and I love seeing how creative they are.

In IPC, we dived into our science section of our Circus unit and did a little experiment to see which materials would be best to use to make a big top. We looked at different types of materials used to make circus costumes too. We found that bright coloured cotton material works well for clowns, stretchy material is great for acrobats and silk looks wonderful on Ringmasters! We then designed our own costume using various materials. The children are working on their teamwork skills and I am encouraging them to try and work with different members of the class. An important skill to learn. 🙂

In Maths, the children have been busy with Mr Green learning about money this week. It all looked very exciting and there was lots of active learning happening. 

FIELD TRIP

In just a few days, on Tuesday 2nd November we will be taking a visit to the circus show in Gyeonju Expo Park. I visited last week to ensure our day would run smoothly. The schedule has changed slightly,  please see below.

9:00 Depart from school 

10:00 Arrival at the Expo Park

Have a toilet break and snack

10:30 Circus show starts

12:00 Show finishes. Have lunch/ short playtime at the outdoor playground

1:00 화랑아 놀자 (Kids Café)

1:30 우리놀이터 (ICT Korean traditional games)

2:00 If time allows – Timeless Media Art

2:20 Departure from the park

3:20 Arrive back at school

Could I ask that all money for the field trip be paid by Monday 1st November. The cost is 10,000 won. Please put it in an envelope with your child’s name on it. Thank you.

Socks

To enter the Kids Cafe at the Expo Park, children are required to wear socks. Please make sure your child wears socks on Tuesday. 

Lunch 

Please don’t forget that lunch should be something that doesn’t need to be microwaved. I am so excited for our first trip together and can’t wait to see the children enjoying themselves.

There was no homework sent out this week. It will be sent again on Friday 5th November. 

Enjoy the weekend and see you all on Monday!

Dear Parents,

I am writing to let you know about our exciting field trip we have planned.

Firstly, sorry for the short notice but due to the limited showings I had to grab the opportunity. We will be visiting the circus show in Gyeonju at the Gyeonju Culture Expo Park on Tuesday 2nd November. This is just perfect for our current IPC Unit “The circus is coming to town” and I know the children will love it.

The school will provide the bus and part of the entrance fee. The cost of the trip will be 10,000 won. If sending the money with your child please put it in an envelope with your child’s name on it and I can pass it on to the office staff. 

We will leave school at 9am and return at 3:20pm. 

Our schedule will be as follows:

9:00 departure from school

10:00 Arrival at the Expo Park/Have a toilet break and snack

10:30 Circus show starts

12:00 Show finishes. Have lunch at the park. 

1:00 Gyeongju Tower Observatory 

1:30 Media art centre 

2:20 Departure from the park

3:20 Arrive back at school

Please pack your child’s snack and lunch as usual along with their water bottles. Please also consider that lunches cannot be microwaved. 

School uniform must be worn and comfortable shoes recommended!:)

Please could you fill out the consent form below as soon as possible.

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeTEiGGFgR03AZTe_2SZC7bBDOcCHjju_zszA9x-IKmq4HREw/viewform?usp=sf_link

I think we are going to have a lot of fun!

Many thanks 😊 

Good afternoon,

I hope you have all had a great week. We have had another fantastic week in Mrs Sim’s circus. 

In IPC, we started looking at the history of circuses and researched Circus Maximus and the chariot racing. We designed our own comic strips, made some lovely artwork and used ‘Storyboard’ to practise using our laptops whilst designing circus scenes. We even made our very own “Circus Information Books”. I am having more fun than the students with this unit hehe. 

In English, we learned how to extend sentences using conjunctions ‘and’ ‘or’ or ‘but’. This will help children during writing time. We made our own sentences and looked at how the conjunctions were used in our class story “Why not me?” by Ruth Merttens. 

Year 2 Students

I have shared the story, “Why not me?” with you all and the sentence homework relates to this.  It is for year 2 students only. Please check your emails if you wish to read it at home before completing this week’s homework. 

Homework

Thank you to everyone for sending the homework in the files. I was a very happy teacher preparing the homework this morning! Much appreciated. 

Phonics Books

A gentle reminder to return the phonics books every Friday. A few students didn’t return them this morning. Please could you return them on Monday. I am missing a blue one and a pink one. Thank you so much. 

Halloween Party

Plans are well underway for our amazing Halloween Party and the PTA have been working so hard getting everything ready for it. The children are getting excited about their costumes and all the candy they want to receive!

Spelling Tests

The students have all been working hard and did fantastically on their tests again this week. Thank you to you all for practising at home.

That’s all for this week. See you all on Monday! 🙂

Dear Parents,

We have had a great week with lots of exciting activities going on. I think the highlight of the week was facepainting Mr Green as a clown in our IPC class. We started our new unit “The circus is coming to town” and we have been busy learning about who works at a circus, what equipment we need in a circus and also what kinds of acts we see. The children made posters, designed the face paint for Mr Green’s clown face and also made invitations for their own circus show! How fun it was!

In Maths…

This week the children have been learning about Fractions with Mr Green. They had so much fun making pizza slices to help them visualise and deepen their understanding of what a half and a quarter is.

In English…

This week we continued our unit on “Stories from Other Cultures”. We started reading“Hansel and Gretel” and had fun making story maps to help us retell the story. Story maps help the children become confident in telling stories. The map guides them to tell the story in the correct order and remember the characters. We also looked at describing characters. This week’s homework is related to adjectives and I am sure the children will love the picture of the witch. 

In our rotations we have been working hard practising our phonics, reading and writing and I am pleased to see the progress the children are making during this time. The small groups allow me to focus on areas that the students may be struggling with. 

Spelling Test Words

The students worked hard practising their spelling words this week and it showed! Great test results. Well done to each of them. Thank you for helping them at home too. It really does help 🙂

Phonics

There are some students who will have a phonics book from our Read Write Inc programme in their bags on a Friday. This is the book they have worked on throughout the week with myself or Mrs Jiyu and they should then read to you at home for further practice. Please ensure these are returned every week as we use them in class and only have a certain amount at each level. 

Homework Files

A gentle reminder to please bring the Homework  file with the handles on it each Friday. It keeps the homework and books nicely organised for me sending them home. Many thanks.

Have a great weekend with your family! See you all next week for another fun week of learning at the circus hehe 🙂

Term 1 Week 6

Hello and happy Friday to you all! I can’t believe it is Friday already. The week has flown in! We have had another great week with lots of learning going on. 

In IPC, we have continued with our unit “If you’re happy and you know it!”. This week we learned a little about Gandi, Mother Teresa and Marie Curie. We looked at their qualities and how, despite, being angry about their situation they still managed to stay in the Green Zone. This is where we try to stay so that we can be happy, calm learners. We made flowers to show our qualities  and included what we do to stay calm when things annoy or upset us. We also took a trip around the world!😁 We researched traditional wellness routines in India, China, Sweden and Japan. We tried some Yoga, Tai Chi, had a Swedish FIKA and went outside to experience Japanese Shin Tin. It was so lovely to let the children learn outside and explore nature.

We had our first spelling test this morning. This will be done every week on a Friday morning. Please do encourage your child to practise the words each week. They can use the brown book to write the words out at home or you can do some role play with mum or dad being the teacher.

In English, we started our new unit  “Stories from other Cultures” and read the Russian folktale “Baba Yaga and the Black Geese”. We created our own story maps to help us retell the story. It is a great story and has a lovely message about kindness behind it. The students really enjoyed it. 

Daily 5 Rotations 

We have been doing well working in our small groups during rotation time. The students are all working at levels that are ‘just right’ for them and I am loving seeing them progress each week. For the Oranges and Strawberries groups I have sent home the RWI phonics book they have worked on this week. Each week reviewing the book at home would be really beneficial and help the students reading improve further. There are instructions at the top of each page which will help you guide your child.

If you would like more information and advice about how to help your child at home this website is fantastic.

• https://home.oxfordowl.co.uk/reading/reading-schemes-oxford-levels/read-write-inc-phonics-guide/

That’s all for this week. Have a lovely weekend! See you all on Monday!