Abacus Newsletter – Monday 13th February 2017
Abacus Kindergarten’s latest newsletter available to read now. Find out the latest news from around the school and upcoming events.
Principal’s Message
Welcome to all of our new staff this week. It is great to have you working with the Abacus team. Pauline and Laura will be doing a handover week this week before we say goodbye to her on Friday.
Diary Dates
6th – 9th March – Parent Conferences – Bookings open 20th February
Friday 24th March – K1 Art Exhibition
Thursday 30th March -Sports Day and Last Day of Term 2
Tuesday 18th April – Term 3 Resumes
Our school calendar can be found here
Week Beginning – Monday 13th February |
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| Monday | CWBS Interviews Continue |
| Tuesday | |
| Wednesday | |
| Thursday | Danielle Medical Leave AM – Sandra to cover |
| Friday | Fiona Absent – Staff Training – Sandra to cover |
Week Beginning – Monday 20th February |
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| Monday | |
| Tuesday | |
| Wednesday | |
| Thursday | |
| Friday | |
PYP Spot – IB Learner Profile Attributes
In order to keep parents informed about our programme we will be including a PYP section in the newsletter each month.
We are beginning this week with an introduction to the PYP Learner Profile Attributes.
The PYP Learner Profile is a set of values and characteristics which we encourage children to think about and develop. Staff and our helpers in school role model these attributes and they influence our approach to learning and our interactions with others. During each Unit of Inquiry teachers will specifically choose two Learner Profile attributes to focus on during the Unit. Children will be introduced to stories which illustrate that Learner Profile attribute and also encouraged to discuss and role play the attribute during circle times.
Through observations teachers collect evidence about how children demonstrate the attributes in school. These are celebrated and shared through classroom displays and children’s e-portfolios.
These are our definitions of the Learner Profile attributes at Abacus.
| Inquirer | I wonder about things and ask questions to learn new things. |
| Knowledgeable | I know a lot about myself and the world around me. |
| Thinker | I solve problems and connect the things I know. |
| Communicator | I share my ideas with others and I listen carefully. |
| Principled | I am a good friend and I do the right thing. |
| Open-minded | I listen to others and accept other people’s ideas. |
| Caring | I am kind to others and care about the world we live in. |
| Courageous | I try new things and am not afraid to have a go. |
| Balanced | I work and play hard and take care of myself. |
| Reflective | I take the time to think about what I have done and learned. |
Joyful Fruit Month
We are participating in this government initiative to encourage healthy eating. Teachers will look at children’s snacks each day and give those children who eat fruit for their snack a sticker to promote healthy fruit eating.
School Uniform
Following the ESF branding exercise last year all ESF schools, including the kindergartens will be using the red ESF logo and colours on communications and uniforms.
This means that the ESF Kindergartens have had to redesign their uniforms. We will be introducing a new uniform from August this year. We will have a 2 year grace period for people to reuse their old uniforms, therefore there is no need to purchase the new uniform if you already have the old uniform. Abacus will look untidy in terms of a mix of uniforms for the next couple of years but we didn’t want old uniform to go to waste. Thank-you for your understanding.
Vision Screenings
Abacus will be offering vision screenings at school on 2nd and 3rd March. These are optional for parents. Please find more details here in the attached flyer.
Time Keeping
In recent weeks we have had more and more children arriving late for school for both morning and afternoon sessions.
Where possible can you please make sure your child is here for the start of their session at either 8.30am or 11.30am. Children who are often late are missing on important aspects of their learning and their late arrival can cause distrubtion to their classmates.
If, for whatever reason, you are late to school please do not forget to sign in at the school office.
Links
School website – Including information, pictures and our calendar stream.
Moodle link – Your child’s portfolio and reports, class news, school news and photos.
Gateway Link – Change personal details, sign up for events and book parent consultations on Gateway.
The School Calendar – All important dates can be found here for this year.
Class Pages
K1 English Class
Olivia Kotyck, Julie Rose and Zoe Swai (Job Share) and Sue Tyson
K1 Bilingual Class
Nicole Gouws, Susanne Liu and Michelle Chen
K2 English Class
Danielle Evans, Anita Jims and Jackie Henderson
K2 Bilingual Class
Fiona Hall, Allison Fung and Bridgette Walker
