From the Principal

school education. The content of these subjects is transdisciplinary in nature, meaning that the skills and concepts developed by specialist teachers have relevance throughout the Lower School curriculum and our students’ lives be-yond school. A great example of this was our recent Winter Performance, “Discovering our Passions” where all our students had the opportunity to showcase their artistic abilities through music and dance. Our specialists teachers work alongside our classroom teachers to develop lessons that are both interesting and connected to the classroom Units of Inquiry. For this reason, we think it is important that we keep our parents informed about the teaching and learning taking place in our specialists classrooms. You will receive our specialist newsletter six times during the school year. As al-ways, if you have any questions about your child’s education, feel free to con-tact us. Enjoy your holiday season and travel safely. School resumes for all ISB students on Tuesday, January 8, 2013. Happy Ney Year to all, Brian H. Lettinga Lower School Principal

ISB Lower School Specialists’ Newsletter

Inside this issue:

Art 2

PE/EAL 3

Music/M&D 4

November 2012

Kindergarten

Welcome to the third edition of our Specialist Newsletters! Our specialists teachers, also re-ferred as single-subject teachers, play an integral and important role in the Primary Years Pro-gram. The arts, physical educa-tion, and language study are es-sential elements to a compre-hensive and holistic primary

Art

Page 2

ISB Lower School Specialists’ Newsletter

Svetlana

Spasic Glid

Art Teacher

In the previous weeks, the students spent time drawing, making collages, working on their weaving projects, watercolor painting, and reflecting on their learning from the first trimester. Also, we had successful parent teacher conferences and the Win-ter Show which incorporated all students’ 2D work and took the form of a LS Art Show. The students visited the Art Show and enjoyed seeing all their schoolmates’ pieces of art, chose one that appealed to them, and reflected on it. As we started working on a standalone unit entitled ‘Organic Forms’, the children used their previously made materials in order to make forms while responding to the work of Frank Stella. They continued exploring how their pieces of art ‘grow’ as they add details and working in different media such as collage, watercolor painting and drawing. The students responded to the stories read at the beginning of class and continued learning about pattern through weaving, shape and color through watercolor painting, and line through drawing. They used previously made materials and the results of mixing colors in groups during the previous art classes as they responded to the work of Henri Rousseau in collage technique. They continued making collages and expressing the themes of their interests. I hope that you enjoyed hearing our students sing, seeing them dance, and viewing the results of their learning in art. I wish the children a joyful and restful break! Kindergarten A students have classes on Tuesdays and Thursdays.

Dear Parents,

November was the month of activities across the Climbing Wall for our students.

Kindergarteners started with very simple activities to reduce anxiety that some students

had. It was of great importance for us to support our peers who did not have previous

experience on the climbing wall, and help them feel more confident in their first attempts.

After simple climbing (panel by panel) and climb-ups and climb-downs using all three hold

colors, (yellow, red and green), we named a specific color a “hot spot”, meaning it could

not be touched by a students’ hands or feet. We also played a game of “thin ice” where a

ribbon is stretched around several holds to create an imaginary area of challenge, con-

taining holds the students may not use.

We also had fun playing some climbing wall games such as “Sharks

Attack”, “Remote Control “and “Ring Collecting”.

Through all of these activities we worked on improving students’ body

coordination, self-confidence and especially their upper body and arm

strength. Kindergarteners took positive risks, trying to make good deci-

sions in order to traverse safely and complete their tasks successfully.

Physical Education

Page 3

Marija Dimitrov

PE Teacher

Kindergarten students have been working hard this month. At this point in the school

year we are beginning to see students using their new found knowledge of the letter

sounds to help produce words and sentences. At the same time students are using these

sounds to begin reading words and texts. We have been reading, singing songs and play-

ing games that encourage the development of these early literacy skills. We will contin-

ue to work on emerging literacy skills as well as oral language fluency and vocabulary

development.

When school resumes in January I will be on maternity leave as I will be finalizing the

adoption of my son over the break. During my absence, Ivana Nedeljkov will be my re-

placement. She will be working with all my EAL groups until I return in the spring.

Kelly Campbell

EAL Teacher

EAL

During November we were connected to the PYP unit School and worked on or-

ganizing our class time. It was great to see that students are enjoying all the ac-

tivities we do in class. As expected, they wanted to add a couple of new games to

our routine. These activities allowed us to develop the ability to collaborate with

each other in organizing the class and creating a game. Also, we learned that the

creative process involves joining in, exploring, and taking risks. We read a story

The Fox and The Crow and worked on dramatization of the story. Our little actors

worked hard and enjoyed every moment of this experience. We will continue to

work on this piece and learn about organization, cooperation, and sharing the

art.

Movement & Dance

Discovering Our Passions through Music Lately, all of our efforts have been focused towards collaborative creation of the winter concert. It is a collage of various musical styles and genres, different languages as well as instruments and all other things we looked into during our units of inquiry. As it is done across grade levels it is creating a timeline of students' growth, focusing on their childhood and their friendships. As a result, it should help us all discover our passion to move, sing, dance, and play. Throughout the process we found inspiration in works of Astor Piazzola, Duke Elington, Arion, Stevie Wonder, Paul McCartney, Vangelis , and Serbian own Dusko Radovic whose 90th anniversary is celebrated throughout the country.

Music

Page 4

Ljudmila Janicijevic

Music Teacher

Ivana Jovanovic

M&D Teacher