Hello to the XLIS community! Welcome to week 32, which means we now have only 8 weeks left of school until our summer break!
For this week’s email, I would like to highlight two very important events for our students. Both of these events give our students the opportunity to reflect on the process of learning, to demonstrate their development of the Approaches to Learning, and to practice their communication skills. These two events are the P6 Exhibition and the Student Led Conferences.
P6 Exhibition
In the Primary Years Programme (PYP) the students practice being inquirers who collaborate with one another to extend their learning all the way from ECE to P6. The culmination of children’s learning in the PYP is showcased in the PYP Exhibition. Our current P6 students have put all of their skills together to inquire into a topic of their choosing and to create a presentation for the entire primary school and their families. This year is going to be the biggest yet, with the most students and the biggest range of topics. Our students chose to inquire into a topic that was of interest to them. Here are the 10 Exhibition Groups:
- Architecture
- Global Warming
- Bullying
- Gender Equality
- Nuclear Power
- Games
- Natural Disasters
- Health and Sports
- Arts
- Animals
For our students, this learning journey began back in November and there have been months of hard work included. Although we can all see the amazing final product on Friday, we must remember that it is during the process that learning has occurred. We are very proud of our students and are looking forward to their Exhibition on Friday. We will welcome the families of our P6 students to the school on Friday to enjoy the Exhibition together.
Student Led Conferences
Another very important event that is coming on May 5th is our Student Led Conferences. This is an exciting time of year, when our students have the chance to showcase their learning to their families! This is so exciting because it is a chance for your child to show you all the things he or she does in the classroom and around the school. Student Led Conferences are beneficial for reasons such as:
· Students can demonstrate their achievements through a variety of work samples such as journals, projects, and selections of work that show growth and skill development
· Students use the presentation skills they have learned in class
· Students develop a sense of pride in what they have learned and a feeling of ownership of their learning
· Our students build confidence and positive self-esteem by showing the responsibility they have taken over their learning
This week you will receive a scheduled time where you may come to the school and have your child lead you through their learning journey for the 2022 – 2023 school year at XLIS.
We hope that you can make it!
Early Release Professional Development
A small reminder that this Wednesday, April 26th we have the early release Whole School Professional Development afternoon for all staff. Student dismissal will be at 2:30 pm. Throughout the year, we have alternated early release with a late afternoon for staff to focus on professional development aligned with our school goals. Thank you all for your support as this was the first year we have done this. Our teachers have expressed their gratitude for this time to come together as a staff to learn. Here are some quotes from our staff:
“The most powerful learning for me about yesterday training was the focus of the early years on imagination and creativity by using loose parts and how the teacher uses loose parts in developing the kids’ skills. Another thing is in the guided reading I am impressed by the respect and kindness the teacher shows and how she delivers a well-planned lesson to achieve the learning goals. “——Amy
“The most powerful learning for me was “no matter what subject we are teaching, it’s important to carry out the IB elements that this lesson focuses on throughout the teaching process. And timely check students’ understanding to ensure that they can connect what they have learned with themselves”.——Annie
Also, we get to enjoy a long weekend with the May 1st holiday. I hope you get to enjoy a little extra time with your family.
As always, I love to hear from you, so please reply to this email at any time.
Sincerely,
Marly Song
Primary Principal
marly.song@xalis.com
