English Workshops for Parents

We hope that the parents who attended today’s workshops on English enjoyed their time and learnt a little bit about how we teach the subject here in the Junior School and also how you can support your child’s learning at home.  Thank you very much to Miss Lucy Steptoe (Yr 3 & 4) and Miss Melanie Alderton (Yr 5 & 6) for their very informative presentations

For those who were unable to attend, please find a link below to the presentation that was shared with parents.

Yr 3 & 4 English in the Junior School 2015

Year 5 & 6 English in the Junior School 2015

Please don’t hesitate to contact either Miss Alderton or Miss Steptoe about anything that was covered in the talk as they are both more than happy to help.

Weekly message from Mrs Brand, Primary Headteacher

Dear All,

It has been a short but intensive week with Year 2 flying around some of the islands of the world, maths workshops for parents in the Junior School and the continuation of baseline assessment across KS1 and KS2.

I would like to thank all the parents who attended the workshops and Lorna Milligan and Martin Drennan for organising and leading them. I hope that you found them informative and will be able to join us for the English workshops on Tuesday 29^th September. If you were unable to attend the maths presentation, the information can be found on our blog. If you have any questions please do not hesitate to contact your child’s class teacher.

I had the great pleasure of teaching in Reception this morning as Mrs Gilbert is travelling to the USA to represent The British School. I would like to thank the children in RG for making me feel so welcome.

Next week we look forward to the Year 2 Science Week, the Reception Pyjama Day and the Juniors’ English Workshop for parents.

On the behalf of the staff I wish everyone Eid Mubarak.

Best wishes

Katy

29th September – Confirmed Date for English Workshops

Apologies for the errors in the previous post.  Please note that the confirmed date for the English workshops to parents is the 29th September from 3pm – 4pm and from 4pm – 5pm.

English Workshops for Parents – 29th September 2015

There will be a parent workshop next week that will focus upon how English is taught in the Junior School and how parents can support their children’s learning at home.  The topics will include:

***   reading with your child   ***

 ***   talk homework   ***

****   individual pupil targets   ***

***   developing writing skills   ***

Year 3 and 4 will be held in A11

Year 5 and 6 will be held in C10 (upstairs on seniors corridor)

Timings : There will be two sessions in each room

Session 1: 3pm – 4pm

Session 2: 4pm – 5pm

We hope that you will find these workshops useful and we look forward to
seeing many of you attending them.

Some reading tips to think about before the meeting:

1. Choose a quiet time

Set aside a quiet time with no distractions. Ten to fifteen minutes is usually long enough.

2. Make reading enjoyable

Make reading an enjoyable experience. Sit with your child. Try not to pressurise if he or she is reluctant. If your child loses interest then do something else.

3. Maintain the flow

If your child mispronounces a word do not interrupt immediately. Instead allow opportunity for self-correction. It is better to tell a child some unknown words to maintain the flow rather than insisting on trying to build them all up from the sounds of the letters. If your child does try to ‘sound out’ words, encourage the use of letter sounds rather than ‘alphabet names’.

4. Be positive

If your child says something nearly right to start with that is fine. Don’t say ‘No. That’s wrong,’ but ‘Let’s read it together’ and point to the words as you say them. Boost your child’s confidence with constant praise for even the smallest achievement.

5. Success is the key

Parents anxious for a child to progress can mistakenly give a child a book that is too difficult. This can have the opposite effect to the one they are wanting. Remember ‘Nothing succeeds like success’. Until your child has built up his or her confidence, it is better to keep to easier books. Struggling with a book with many unknown words is pointless. Flow is lost, text cannot be understood and children can easily become reluctant readers.

6. Visit a bookshop together

Encourage your child to be involved with choosing books and seeing what books are available.

7. Regular practice

Try to read with your child on most school days. ‘Little and often’ is best. Teachers have limited time to help your child with reading.

8. Communicate

Your child will most likely have a reading diary from school. Try to communicate regularly with positive comments and any concerns. Your child will then know that you are interested in their progress and that you value reading.

9. Talk about the books

There is more to being a good reader than just being able to read the words accurately. Just as important is being able to understand what has been read. Always talk to your child about the book; about the pictures, the characters, how they think the story will end, their favourite part. You will then be able to see how well they have understood and you will help them to develop good comprehension skills.

10. Variety is important

Remember children need to experience a variety of reading materials eg. picture books, hard backs, comics, magazines, poems, and information books.

Junior Maths Workshops for Parents

Lorna Milligan (Curriculum Leader for Yr 3 & 4 Maths) and Martin Drennan (Curriculum Leader Yr 5 & 6 Maths) led two well attended workshops today that looked at the teaching of Mathematics within the BSB Junior School.  They addressed a number of topics, that included class streaming, target setting, targets explained, assessment in the subject, different calculation methods and how MyMaths is used to support learning.

I hope that the many parents who were able to attend found this session useful and please may I say a huge thank you to Lorna and Martin for their time in planning and presenting these workshops.

For those who were unable to attend or would like further details, please find below links to some of the material and notes that were referred to in today’s talks.

Extended Calculation Methods Booklet

Maths Information Evening 2015 – 2016

Quick Reference Calculation Method Guide Year 3 and 4

Quick Reference Calculation Method Guide Year 5 and 6

Please don’t forget that we will be having a workshop to look at the teaching of English next week (Tuesday 28th) and hope to see many of you at this one as well.

Junior Head Boy and Head Girl Announced for Term 1

Dear All,

I am happy to announce that this term’s student leadership team will be the following:

Head Boy – Liam Marshall

Head Girl – Elisa Ferreira

Deputy Head Boy – Mohammed Al Saie

Deputy Head Girl – Ishita Jain

I would like to take this opportunity to thank all the students who applied for these positions. The letters, presentations and interviews were exceptionally impressive.

The current Student Leadership Team will be in place until the end of the Autumn Term.

We will announce the House Captains and prefects shortly.

Thank you for your continued support.

Kind regards

Katy Brand

Junior Headteacher’s Letter of the Week

Dear Parents,

It has been wonderful to visit many of our classes this week and observe how quickly the children have settled back into the daily routine of school. I even had the privilege of joining nursery children on a bear hunt. Year 2 enjoyed their visits to Bahrain Museum this week, learning about Bahraini culture and heritage, especially focusing on trade. The children have also made good headway on their baseline assessments.

Now that our children are settled, we are looking to appoint new candidates for this year’s Parent Representative Committees. An outline of the role of the Parent Representative within school can be found here (Parent Reps Summary
)and I am hoping that parents will feel that they can volunteer for this position. It is important that as a community we positively enhance our children’s learning. I would ask that parents contact me directly, if they wish to apply for the role, by the 22nd September. The new committee will be appointed by Wednesday 30th September in order to have their first meeting on Wednesday 7th October.

Invitations have gone out for the Juniors maths workshops which take place on Monday 21st September. If you intend to join us for one of these workshops, please respond directly to the e-mail sent by Ms Milligan and Mr Drennan.

Please note that, next week, we will not be in school from Wednesday 23rd September until Monday 28th September inclusive, in order to celebrate Eid Al Adha. Best wishes for a safe journey if you are travelling during this time.

I would like to personally, on behalf of the primary team, thank you as a parent body for your continued support.

Best wishes

Katy

*** Ski Trip 2016 – Deadline Reminder ***

Reminder to all Year 6 the deadline for the Ski Trip deposits are due on Monday 21st September.

Ski Fit training starts Tuesday 22nd September after school 2.45pm – 3.45pm in the Sports Hall.
Please come and see Ms Alderton for a letter.

Junior School Maths Curriculum Workshop

Monday 21st September 2015

We would like to invite you to a Maths Curriculum Afternoon on Monday next week. Please see the linked form for timings, and to let us know that you would like to attend. The four sessions will be exactly the same, so parents need only attend one session.The following items will be discussed at the Maths Curriculum Workshop:

* Class Streaming
* Target Setting
* Targets explained
* Maths Assessment at the BSB
* Calculation Methods Guide
* MyMaths tutorial

Session Timings will be 3-4pm and 4-5pm

Year 3 and 4 in A10

and  5 and 6 in A11

Click Here for Parent Sign Up

Best regards

L Milligan

M Drennan

***NEW*** Meet the teachers

Over the next few weeks, we will be updating our new page on the Junior Blog – ‘Meet the Teacher’.  We will add a short interview about all of our new staff and find out a little more about where they have come from and what they like.

Keep an eye on this page to see which teacher is coming up next!