Newsletter April 2020

Overseas Family SchoolElementary School

Master Policy:To maintain a happy, safe and effective school for overseas families living in Singapore

Principal’s MessageDear Parents and Students,

March has been a busy month for all our grades, in particular our Grade 4 and 5 students. in the past few weeks, Grade 4 students have been learning about and preparing for the Grade 4 Model united Nations Conference at OFS (MuNOFS), whilst our Grade 5 students were busy working in their teams preparing for ExPO for their iPC unit of Work on renewable energy. Thrown amongst these two big events was also the final rehearsals and recording of our ES musical, “The Little Mermaid Jr.” on 23 March 2020. This year however, with the COVid-19 precautionary measures in place, our teachers and administrative teams got innovative and alternative plans were implemented so the authentic nature of these events was not compromised and safety measures were followed. Well done to all the students and dedicated teams of teachers. On a personal note, i would like to also thank our parents involved in the musical for their dedication, time and effort placed into making amazing costumes for our cast. As we moved to distance Learning on Thursday 26 March, i hope our students are managing well. Our school has spent many weeks developing and planning a distance Learning program in readiness, should a decision be made to progress to this form of teaching and learning. Our dedicated teachers have also spent much time guiding our students whilst they were at school in preparation for distance Learning. i am sure this is all unchartered territory for our students and parents but our teachers are always available online to assist. Please note that alternative arrangements have also been made for our upcoming Parent-Student-Teacher Conferences on 15 and 16 April 2020. Homebase teachers will be conducting video conference calls via Skype with parents, so please remember to send your Skype id to your teacher. Our Specialists (Mathematics and reading) and Language teachers will be informing parents about their child’s progress via email. Please refer to the email letter sent from the Principal’s office (on 18 March 2020) for further details. Once again, i sincerely thank our parents who have been so supportive of our school and the measures we have put in place. To our students who have shown resilience and adaptability, i hope you enjoy this period of distance Learning. i wish you all a very well deserved holiday after a busy Term 3 and i look forward to the start of Term 4.

From The Parent Association (PA) desk

Art NewsOur OFS little artists have had an exciting month! The productive Grade 1 students created several still life artworks using different art media. Grade 2 students completed their bird sculptures which are proudly displayed in the library. Grade 3 students learned so much about the artistic styles of Pablo Picasso, Frida kahlo and yayoi kusama. The Grade 4 students worked successfully on their body adornments. Last but not least, the Grade 5 students are now confident Optical Artists. you may even have spotted some of their creations at the Grade 5 Expo.

(Wendy Tan)

in light of the current precautionary measures to enhance protection against COVid-19, we regret to inform that all PA Coffee Mornings have been postponed until further notice. We will keep you informed of any new developments as we hope to reschedule these affected events at a later date.

Music NewsSome of our Grades 4 and 5 students had a busy and exciting day on 23 March 2020, filming for the musical, “The Little Mermaid Jr.” in the auditorium. Grade 5 students worked together to write a song for their ExPO theme and presented it during their exhibition to the younger grades. Grades 1 to 4 students are exploring songs and dances from different countries and cultures around the world.

(Mikiko Lawrence)

Penny LiewElementary School Principalpenny_liew@ofs.edu.sg

Dates to remember:

26 March to 3 April distance Learning from home

4 to 13 April School Holidays

14 April School resumes / distance Learning

15 to 16 April ES Parent-Student-Teacher Conferences (student free days, distance learning will resume 17 April)

Overseas Family School Elementary School Newsletter April 2020

Grade 1 NewsWe have had a very busy month in Grade 1. Our Exit Point for our fourth unit, “How Are you?”, was lots of fun where students did experiments, created their own lungs, made hands with muscles and acted out role plays related to famous scientists from the past and doctors identifying illnesses and cures for their patients. Our current unit is “The Stories People Tell”. We will be exploring stories that have been passed down through the ages through a historical and geographical perspective. We had a great time during our Entry Point where we were able to express ourselves through stories using puppets and masks. On behalf of the Grade 1 Team, we would like to wish you all a very relaxing and safe midterm break.

(Joanne McLinden)

Grade 2 NewsThe Grade 2 students continued to have a busy time over the last month. As we came to the end of our unit, “Land, Sea And Sky”, the classes were a hive of creativity. The children applied their new knowledge, skills and understanding of habitats and adaptations to research and created a diorama for our Exit Point. The unit culminated in a walking gallery, where the children observed and left feedback for other classes on their dioramas. We are excited about our new unit. “Footprints From The Past”, which takes us back in time to when dinosaurs were alive. We became palaeontologists for our Entry Point and we had to use tools to excavate our very own dinosaurs!

(Dee Randhawa)

Grade 3 NewsThe Grade 3 students have gained confidence in their research skills through the knowledge and understanding they have acquired from their enquiry into our unit, “They Made A difference”. They demonstrated this fabulously during their Exit Point presentations, through speeches, posters, powerpoints and Prezis. The students are now taking their learning further as they embark on a new unit, “Saving The World”. They will investigate the rainforest, its inhabitants and issues surrounding conservation. As an Entry Point, the idea of vanishing rainforests was expressed through a ‘shrinking space’ activity. Classes have since been busy building up the layers of the rainforest, as they explore its importance to biodiversity, ecosystems and the world at large. At the same time, students are showing their adaptability and resilience as they use the learning portal to complete assignments and follow through with their studies as distance learners.

(Ryan Lecours)

Chess NewsThe month of March was “checkmate pattern” month. Grade 1 students learned how to check and how to escape from check. Higher grades learned about various patterns, like back rank, smothered and Anastasia’s mate. We practised what we learned using our normal chess board, our magic candy chess board, the Chess Plus board, our big board, and on the semi-blindfolded board. We had a lot of fun!

(Dijana Dengler and Philipp Ziegler)

Master Policy:To maintain a happy, safe and effective school for overseas families living in Singapore

Grade 4 News

Our month has started with the excitement of our “investigators” unit. The students will go on a learning journey involving forensic training and then be faced with a crime scene scenario that will need to be solved. This mystery will take all their knowledge, scientific skills and forensic understanding to piece together! you may have even heard them speak about their rigorous training schedule that will enable them to become fully fledged Crime Scene investigators. Our mugshots and personal identification documents are displayed on the Grade 4 level. This iPC unit of Work is a journey of scientific discovery. Students are learning to predict, measure, observe and make conclusions based on evidence. Working in the science laboratory has meant that students can explore a range of investigations and develop their science knowledge, skills and understanding. it will be very exciting to do hands-on science experiments and investigations with scientific equipment and learn about chromatography, absorbency, acids and bases and insulation along the way. The Grade 4 students have shown their growing independence by coping so well with expertly navigating the OFS Learning Portal to continue with online learning.

(Peter Williams)

Grade 5 NewsEven with the limitations placed on presentations, the Grade 5 Students have successfully completed an amazing Grade 5 Expo! during Expo, the students shared their knowledge and understanding of renewable energy and shared a wide range of topics related to the topic. The students addressed the big question of whether “is renewable Energy The Way To Go?’ and gave presentations that were original and informative. Congratulations must be passed on to all the Grade 5 students for their in-depth researching and recording, their positive cooperation and resilience. They can all be very proud of their achievements.

(Roger Calais)

Musical NewsThe ES musical is always a highlight in our annual calendar. This year due to the COVid-19 situation, our teachers had to get creative and think outside of the box to avoid having our entire cast rehearsals, as well as the disappointing news of our live performances being canceled. However, the students continued practising in small groups during lunchtimes so as to maintain the momentum and enthusiasm. Our wonderful director, Mr. ramos, had a brilliant idea to record the musical on camera! The big day was on Monday, 23 March 2020, where the musical, “The Little Mermaid Jr.” was recorded live on stage. The costumes looked fantastic and the students did an amazing job! We look forward to seeing the final movie production when the editing process is complete. Congratulations to all the Grade 4 and 5 students who were involved, as well as their teachers and parent helpers for making it happen.

(Jenny Riffel)

Math-a-Funics

Overseas Family School Elementary School Newsletter April 2020

Answer: 18 (unless you find more)

New StaffAdriAN JAuki think i have a good understanding of what it means to be a “Third Culture kid”. i have an Australian mother and an Austrian father but was born in Vancouver, Canada. After graduating high school in B.C., i graduated with a Bachelor of Education at Sydney university, Australia. i have since lived and worked in many parts of the world including London, Vancouver, Sydney, Beijing and Singapore and i know we are all very fortunate to find ourselves now at this wonderful school and country. While there are some challenges, we enjoy so many wonderful benefits while living outside of our home countries. As a teacher, i hope to instill optimism as well as responsibility in being a global citizen while we all aim for continual improvement academically, socially and personally. i consider myself to be internationally minded, and believe that confident learners are aware of their emotions and principled in their actions. i am a husband and father to two amazing people whose years will hopefully be a balance of life’s inevitable struggles, adventures and joys. i love spending time with my family, learning new things, travelling, enjoying a game of golf or a yoga moment, as well as jogging in the park, a simple game of cards or chatting and laughing with friends, both old and new.

ALExANdrA ryLEyi am truly excited to call the Lion City my new home, after moving here from South Africa in december 2019. Having lived in the humid, east coast city of durban my whole life, it has been easy to adjust to Singapore’s warm, tropical climate. i have moved here with my husband, Shaun and 11-month-old daughter, rachel. i graduated with a Bachelor of Education from the university of South Africa in 2011. i have taught grades 1, 2 and 3 and also have an honours degree in inclusive Education. My favourite thing about working at OFS is the rich diversity of learners and staff, coming from all over the world with so many different cultures and life experiences. Our family loves the new life we have in Singapore, we enjoy feeling safe while using the clean open spaces and activities the city has to offer.

Library News it has been exciting to see some readers already completing and submitting their radical reading Challenge sheets. if your child has just started the challenge, they have until the end of May to complete it. New book arrivals to the Library include fiction and non-fiction titles by local authors for the further development of our host country collection.

(Olivia Burford-Taylor)

Physical Education (PE) With our PE program expanding back to two lessons per week, we have introduced a number of new units to our curriculum with the latest being a fitness unit. Students have been exposed to the different elements of fitness and participated in a range of fitness tests and challenges including a modified version of the famous ‘beep test’. They have embraced the unit with vigour and learned how to put into place simple and achievable fitness goals and plans.

(Steven Kennedy)

Grade 4 MuNOFS 2020 Grade 4 students have successfully completed their Model united Nations Conference at OFS (MuNOFS). This year with COVid-19 precautionary measures in place, an alternative conference format was initiated. The authentic nature of the conference in regards to protocols, debating, voting and lobbying in committee rooms was not compromised due to the creative and thoughtful planning of the Grade 4 Teaching Team. Students focused on the united Nations Sustainable development Goals, with specific interest in “Goal 2: Zero Hunger”. The students discussed the issues related to “Goal 2: Zero Hunger”, at a local and international level. The concluding event of the Grade 4 MuNOFS was the General Assembly. The General Assembly was run by utilising various digital media, and the three deputy Secretary-Generals, Tanvi Ghai, Myra Sharma and Jadian Bali, played an amazing role in guiding the delegates through the voting process. All delegates must be commended for their hard work and dedication leading up to and during the conference.

(Ashley Riffel)

Languages News

Making rainbow posters with messages like, “Everything is going to be alright”, in many different languages was one of the topics in our language classes. As the situation around the world is daunting and sad, children from many different cultures made rainbow posters to spread this message to support one another. We joined this wonderful cause and the students loved the initiative, feeling united with many children from all over the world who did the same.

(Clara Oosting and Anja Ritter)