Dear DCIS Parents and Guardians,
We have had a very busy and eventful half term in the primary school. We started by welcoming some new families to our school community and it is lovely to see the children all settled into their classrooms and routines now. Our returning children did a great job of making their new classmates feel welcome and at home. We also welcomed a number of new teachers and teaching assistants to the primary team; we are delighted to have them all on board.
It has been lovely to catch up with so many parents at the Coffee Mornings this term, as well as at Curriculum Evening and Parent Teacher Conferences, all of which have been very well attended. Our programme of parent workshops has continued, as in previous years. Topics covered to date have been; ‘Year 6 Homework’, ‘Primary Phonics and Spelling’ and ’EAL strategies For Parents’. We do cover a wide range of areas over the year so do check the calendar and come along to any of the slots that may interest you; we would love to see you.
The children have enjoyed a range of Project Work units and classroom activities this term with everything from dinosaurs to sock puppets! Our EYFS children have made a tremendous start to the year, focusing on settling into their new classes and learning the school rules. It has been amazing to watch the progress the children have made with their personal and social development. The children have made their teachers very proud indeed. Our children in Year 1 have been learning about toys through their exciting project, ‘The Magic Toymaker’. The children have learned about toys from the past, the science of toys and have designed and created their own amazing toys in the form of sock puppets which provided a great opportunity to get creative! In Year 2, the children have been learning about ‘Our World’. They have carried out research on the desert, rainforest and Polar Regions. As well as this, they have designed and created their own plants using clay and have learned about the importance of recycling. In Year 3, children have been enormously enthusiastic about their dinosaur project with their imagination captured by the prehistoric giants. It's always hard to understand just how enormous these creatures were but their visit to the Lee Kong Chian Natural History Museum ensured the children could understand as they stood, dwarfed beside the fossilised remains of three diplodocus! Year 4 have had fantastic learning opportunities during their Bright Spark Unit. Their energy and enthusiasm has been contagious! Not only have the children experimented with different types of circuits but they also visited the Science Centre and blew a fuse. Some of them were also lucky enough to learn how to coat jewellery using electricity. Showing their room designs with real working lighting systems to Year 3 was a real highlight. Year 5 have just completed the project ‘The Holiday Show’. They found out about their responsibilities as tourists and the impact that holiday choices and travel destination can have on the human and physical environment. They also developed important geographical skills including using and making maps. Year 6 have thoroughly enjoyed putting their invention heads on this half term in their IPC topic ‘What Price Progress’. They have spent time researching famous inventors and inventions from across centuries and then worked in groups to create their own inventions. Overall, some great Project Work – well done to all the children and to the staff for their hard work, creativity and enthusiasm!
Our primary children have also enjoyed some great trips over the half term with Year 2 visiting the Cloud Forest at Gardens By The Bay, Year 3 enjoying their trip to The Lee Kong Chian Natural History Museum and Year 4 taking part in the Electrical Carnival at the Science Center. We have a great many more trips planned in for the rest of the year and will be sending out further information about each one in due course. Our programme of residential trips will shortly be kicking off with Year 5’s visit to Telunas in Indonesia, leading the way in December.
We have been pleased to announce our House Captains from Year 3-Year 6 this term, led by Mr. Liperis. The House Captains will be supporting the House Days across the school as well as working as good role models, motivating and supporting their team mates over the course of the year with a range of exciting house days and activities. So far, we have enjoyed a number of House Days, a Literacy House Day and our House Sports Days. Thank you to Mr. Liperis for his work on these days which have all been thoroughly enjoyed by children and staff alike.
I am also delighted to let you know that, following the success of the School Council last year, our Primary School Council 2018-2019 have now been elected by their class mates. Thanks to Ms Frewin for leading with this; we look forward to hearing about the first meeting after the break and finding out about the work of the council over the year.
With a well-deserved break just around the corner for all our children and staff, I wish safe travels to those taking a holiday outside of Singapore. For those resting at home, I hope you have a restful time. Most importantly, I wish you all enjoy some relaxation and family time.
As ever, do contact me directly if I can help you with anything and if we haven’t met then do say hello when you are in school. Thanks to you all for your ongoing support over the term so far.
Best regards,
Ms Kara Lebihan
Head of Primary School