Inclusive Schools Week Events and Dress up Days

Inclusive Schools Week at ISKL

April 1-5, 2019,  Inclusive Schools Week. #kaleidoscopeoffriends. The ISKL Community School-wide will celebrate the progress that we have made in providing a supportive and quality education to an increasingly diverse student population. The week will also provide an important opportunity for educators, students and parents to discuss what else needs to be done in order to ensure that ISKL continues to successfully educate all children. Events will be planned to engage the students, teachers, and parents. 

There will be three dress-up days:

March 21, 2019, Down Syndrome Awareness Day- Wear Mismatched Socks Day !

• This day is World Down Syndrome Awareness Day. #WorldDownSyndromeDay. The ISKL ES community is encouraged to wear mismatched socks to raise awareness and highlight that our differences are what make us great.

April 2, 2019, Autism Awareness Day  - Wear Blue for Autism Awareness

• April 2 is World Autism Awareness Day. #LightItUpBlue The ISKL ES community is encouraged to support the Autism Speaks Light it up Blue Campaign by wearing blue to increase understanding and acceptance of Autism.
 

April 5, 2019, Diversity Day- wear clothes that show their uniqueness

• As Inclusive Schools Week wraps up, ES students are encouraged to dress in clothes that highlight them as unique individuals. #kaleidoscopeoffriends

• For Parents: There will be a Coffee Chat & Resource Fair happening on April 1st. RSVP is required Click Here for the invitation.  

April 1, 2019: Coffee Chat & Resource Fair. To kick off Inclusive Schools Week there will be a Coffee Chat and Resource Fair in the Community Room from 8:15 - 9:45 am.  This is a great opportunity for your parents to learn about the resources that the Student Resource Team (SRT) offers to support students in their learning and development at ISKL. In addition to learning about speech and language therapy, educational psychology, and counselling available at ISKL, parents will also have the opportunity to learn about additional supports that can be accessed outside of school to support their child and family.  Coffee and snacks will be provided. Parents need to RSVP - Click Here.

4AW Weekly Newsletter March 11-15

Grade 4

Weekly Newsletter

March 11 - March 15, 2019

Language Arts 
This week we will be examining author’s perspectives in non fictions texts. Students will review their main idea statement based on the perspective of their chosen texts. They will continue to put their ordered notes into paragraphs while also identifying ‘gaps’ in their research. They will do this through looking back at what has been done and what still needs to be done in order to move forward in the research process. Students will also be learning how to quote websites, books or people and include this in their article.

Math 
This week in math the students will begin to decompose fractions by using connecting blocks, the area model as well a number line. The students will be adding fractions with like denominators, writing word problems to match. Student will also be subtracting fractions with like denominators and writing word problems that match too. They will be using models to help cement their ideas with addition and subtraction.  They will be using both unit fractions and sum of fractions to add and subtract.


Science
This week students consider data and inferences they can make about fossils, and help construct a scientific argument about what the environment of Desert Rocks National Park was like in the past. They use data from fossils found in the area to help construct their arguments. Students then use what they discussed in their Evidence Circles to write a scientific argument. At the end of the lesson, the whole class briefly reflects on the Chapter 2 Question: What was the environment of Desert Rocks National Park like in the past?

Announcements
March 11th - March 15th: ES Library Book Week!
March 13th: Book Swap - Students bring in their coupons to choose new/used books                        (10 coupons maximum) 
March 15th: Red Hat Book Character Dress Up Day
March 15th: Cartoonist/Author visit - Matt Smith
March 18th: NO SCHOOL - ISKL Faculty Inservice
March 25th -March 29th: NO SCHOOL - March Break
ES Dress Up Days: plan your days in advance click HERE for dates and details.

Resources
Here is a video and a game to reinforce how to decompose fractions
Here is a game to reinforce fraction skills too. Game
To further support our exploration of non-fiction text log on to Newsela, which is an online news website that has the capability of breaking down the text into different reading levels that all readers can access.  (focus on Science)

4AW Weekly Newsletter March 4-8

Grade 4

Weekly Newsletter

March 4 - March 8, 2019

Student Led Conferences are this week. Thanks to you all for working with our new system and signing up through powerschool.  During the conference your chid will be teaching you some of the strategies or games in the different content areas such as Math, Writing and Science/Reading. Your child will also have a time at a station where they can share with you their reflections- honestly- on Semester 1 goals and set new goals. 

Your child will do most of the talking. This is not a time for 1:1 parent teacher conferences as many of you will be in the classroom with 3 other families. I will be in the classroom and will join in some sharing. I would like to request that mobile phones are turned off- so that your full attention can be given to your child. I look forward to seeing you all soon.

Language Arts
In Language Arts this week, students are continuing to gather different types of visual material, such as diagrams, data and charts to add to their collection of information on their non fiction research topic. Students are continuing to synthesize, - using the notes from different sources that students have collected to begin drafting our non fiction texts, ensuring that information is grouped into sections and paragraphs. This week we will be focusing on conclusions.

Math
This week the students will continue with working on decomposing fractions using a number line and the area model. They will then be adding and subtracting fractions with common denominators. The students will continue to use drawings to help make deeper connections while adding and subtracting fractions.

Science
Due to our preparations for our Student-led Conferences this week we have limited science lesson times. However, we will be learning about different rock layers. We will also be using our inference skills about fossils in preparation for writing a scientific argument. The argument will be based on a claim about what past environments used to be like, using evidence from rocks and fossils.

Announcements
March 7th & March 8th - Student Led Conferences (SLC): Thank you for signing up for a time slot on POWERSCHOOL. If you are unable to attend, please contact your child’s teacher so that an alternative date can be set up.

Resources
To further support our exploration of non-fiction text log on to Newsela, which is an online news website that has the capability of breaking down the text into different reading levels that all readers can access.  https://newsela.com/text-sets/#/science (focus on Science)

Walk A Day in My Shoes- A Global Literacy Project

 Dear Parents,

              4AW have the fantastic opportunity to participate in A Global Literacy Project  called Walk A Day in My Shoes. More information about it is included below. 

Lane Clarke - an Associate Professor from USA will visit our classroom on March 14/15th. She is launching the  project in many places around the world. Before she comes to us here in Kuala Lumpur she is visiting  Maine, Paris, Romania and Morocco. 

A hard copy of this letter will be sent home too- as it also have a permission slip at the end that we need to have returned as to the privacy settings you would like on the end product- the video. 

Thank you for your support in  developing these cross-cultural understandings.
Mr. Ward

Walk a Day in My Shoes: A Global Literacy Project

Dear Parents,

Your child's classroom has a wonderful opportunity to participate in a global literacy project called “Walk a Day in My Shoes”. In this project your child will be creating their own iMovie about a day in their life and these will be shared with other students in classrooms in different countries. The children will get to watch other children’s stories and learn about what their lives are like in their country as well.  The goal of this  project is to provide an opportunity for teachers to cultivate cross-cultural understanding between elementary age students.

Since this is a digital project stories will be shared online and I wanted to give you the opportunity to express you preference for how these stories will be shared. I will be using a Youtube channel to share these stories with other students and I am going to ask that the students when they are creating their stories do not show faces, and will only use first names however there are different options for levels of involvement and I want to respect your comfort level with this project.

Please see the below choices and return to your child’s teacher if you have a preference. I look forward to working with your child’s teacher and class on this project.  Please feel free to contact me if you have questions.

Sincerely,

Lane W. Clarke
Associate Professor, University of New England, Biddeford, Maine, USA
globalinmyshoes@gmail.com

Website for this project- https://www.globalinmyshoes.com/
Youtube channel link-https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCPz_tgFkSbJK2-7--VZ_6KQ


_________________________________________________________________________________

I am fine with my child’s story shared on the Youtube Channel as part of this project

I am fine with my child’s story shared on the Youtube Channel but only on private setting

I do not want my child’s story to be shared with other students.

Child’s Name _________________________________________________

Parent’s Signature _____________________________________________

4AW Class Newsletter Feb 25- March 1

Grade 4

Weekly Newsletter

February 25 - March 1, 2019

Language Arts 
This week in language arts students are continuing to research and learn more about their selected non fiction topic for their own projects. Students will continue to learn how to deconstruct non fiction texts, learning about note taking and how to recognise different text structures. br />
Math
This week we are moving on to our new, but related, unit of operations with fractions. We start with adding and subtracting fractions with like denominators and then unlike denominators. The students will continue to use visual models to decompose and show equivalency with fractions.

Science
This week students read about, consider details of, and model sedimentary rock formation in different environments. Students add a new layer to their Sedimentary Rock Formation Models, showing two different kinds of sedimentary rock, to apply what they learned about what makes sedimentary rock different and how different rock forms in different environments. Students will reflect on what they’ve learned by returning to the Rocks and Fossils anticipatory chart and engaging in a short reflective writing activity in response to the question: How do rocks provide information about what an environment was like in the past?  Students will then begin to apply their understanding about what rock layers suggest about previous environmental changes.

Announcements
March 7th & March 8th - Student Led Conferences (SLC): Be sure to sign up for a time slot on POWERSCHOOL. If you are unable to attend, please contact your child’s teacher so that an alternative date can be set up.
ES Dress Up Days: plan your days in advance -see Christian's email for the dates.

Resources
To further support our exploration of non-fiction text log on to Newsela, which is an online news website that has the capability of breaking down the text into different reading levels that all readers can access.  https://newsela.com/ (focus on Science)

4AW Class Newsletter Feb 18- 21

Grade 4

Weekly Newsletter

February 18 - February 22, 2019

This week is a busy and exciting week. We have the Grand Opening of the school as well as Chinese New Year assemblies and celebration and even a visiting author!

Language Arts 
This week in Language Arts we will continue to examine text structures. We will examine further the features of each type and analyse a variety of examples to determine which type of text structure they are. Students  will find evidence within the text to support their thinking. We will also continue to learn about different forms of note taking that allow us to gather important information from texts and begin to start this process.

This week- to tie in with our work on Non Fiction reading and writing we have the amazing opportunity to listen and learn from Richard Sobol, a traveling photographer and photo-journalist who has written many non fiction books.

Math
This week in math sees us at the final bend in this unit on Equivalent Fractions and Ordering. Students will continue to use visual models (area models and number lines) as well as their knowledge of fractions to look at whether fractions are close to zero, close to ½ or close to 1 whole.   These benchmark or landmark fractions will help them with comparing and ordering fractions as well as identifying equivalent fractions.

Science
Students revisit the mystery in Desert Rocks Canyon and are introduced to the Chapter 2 Question: What was the environment of Desert Rocks National Park like in the past? Students then read Through the Eyes of a Geologist, which takes students on a journey back in time, highlighting how the environments in specific places have changed over millions of years. Students are also introduced to Fossil Hunter’s Handbook, the reference book they will use in the unit, and use it to identify the mystery fossil found in Desert Rocks Canyon.

Announcements
Thursday, February 21st - Grand Opening Celebration: Students will  be able to witness the ribbon cutting ceremony on the Zurich Field ( leave classes at 2pm) event at 2:10pm. Please be sure they have their hats as they will be outside on the field.

Friday, February 22nd - Chinese New Year Celebration: ISKL will be celebrating CNY in the elementary gym. We encourage your child to dress up in Chinese clothing for the event.

Thur Feb 28, ES Scholastic orders due, online ordering, no cash, credit card payment and delivered to school...see flyer in your child's backpack for details. click HERE to order online.
March 7th & March 8th - Student Led Conferences (SLC): Parents will be able to sign up for the conferences on POWER SCHOOL. If you are unable to attend, please contact your child’s teacher so that an alternative date can be set up.


Resources

Here is a collection of 5 different Subitizing* Fraction Games you can play at home. The games came from www.BuildingMathMinds.com 

*Subitizing: is the ability to instantaneously recognize the number of objects in a small group without the need to count them (example: rolling dice).

4AW Weekly Newsletter Feb 7-15, 2019

Grade 4

Weekly Newsletter

February 7 - February 15, 2019

As we return from our Lunar New Year celebrations I wish all of you who celebrate Gong Xi Fa Cai! This newsletter will span the rest of this short week and all of next week too.

Language Arts
This week as we delve into our unit, Research Reading, we continue to examine the different strategies involved in identifying the main idea in nonfiction texts. We will also continue to learn important ways to differentiate between important vs interesting information. We will  revisit familiar tools such as our Research Reading Mat, which allows us to focus on questions we may have from reading the non fiction text. We will also begin to examine different non fiction text

structures. Students  will learn strategies to assist them in  determining the best ways to gather information from text features and pictures and examine ways to generate relevant questions about the text and goal set for the unit. We will also learn, as researchers, how to take effective notes from non fiction texts.

This week we have the pleasure of hearing Matt Holm, our visiting author/ illustrator, present about characters and stories. Matt is the author of many children's books alongside his sister, Jennifer. Matt is the main illustrator of the books BabyMouse and Squish.

Here is his website: http://www.matthewholm.net/


Math
This week we will continue to use the area model to show fractions and introduce number lines  as an additional visual model to help students better understand how to order and compare fractions.  We will also start to look at landmark fractions so that students can compare if the fraction is less than 1/2 , exactly 1/2, more than 1/2 or more than a whole.

Science
In the next few lessons students will make a Class Sedimentary Rock Model.  They learn how sedimentary rock layers form. Students will also learn that as scientists learn and investigate more, they answer some questions but might generate even more questions. They learn about  scientific arguments and how they include a claim that is supported by evidence. As we start the next chapter of our science unit, students will learn about how geologists use observations of, and ideas about, rocks and fossils to make inferences about past environments. They learn that inferences can be made based on what you observe combined with scientific ideas and that science theories are based on a body of evidence and many tests.

Announcements
Legal Guardianship - If for some reason you have to be out of the country, please advise your child’s teacher as to who will be the legal guardian of your child.

Water Bottles & Hats - Please check that your child comes to school with their water bottles and hats every morning. Recently, many students seem to be forgetting them at home.

March 7th & March 8th - Student Led Conferences (SLC) will be held just before spring break. Please contact your child’s teacher if you are not able to attend on either one of these days so that an alternative date can be set up.


Resources
Here is a collection of 5 different Subitizing* Fraction Games you can play at home. The games came from www.BuildingMathMinds.com 

*Subitizing: is the ability to instantaneously recognize the number of objects in a small group without the need to count them (example: rolling dice).