ISY Elementary Blog
Elementary Update – April 10th, 2020
Sandy Sheppard, Elementary School Principal
Dear all,
I wish you all a happy and safe Thingyan Break.
There will be no slides posted on Friday. Slides will be posted again on the 17th of April for a start back date of the 20th of April.
We will be starting a new initiative after the break. Wednesdays will become ‘Global Learners, Virtual Wednesdays’ for KG through to Grade 5. See below for more information.
Wishing you all the best.
Sandy Sheppard
Global Learners, Virtual Wednesdays
We will be changing up Wednesday’s by providing learning that we hope will meet the following student needs:
- Ensure we remain connected to the ISY Mission and Vision and our ISY Learner Attributes with a focus on Compassion, Creativity, and Critical Thinking.
- Allow for interdisciplinary learning, which is a key part of what we do during our normal school days
- Provide variety for students to ensure we continue to spark interest and engagement in Virtual Learning.
You will still receive slides on a Tuesday afternoon for Wednesday work, however, the expectations will differ from what normally happens on the other four days of the school week.
We hope the students will find the activities meaningful and fun. We will aim to balance screen time with non-screen time.
The first Wednesday after the break, 22nd April and will be dedicated to Earth Day.
See below for information on screen time for children. The article is called – ‘Should I feel guilty about all the screen time my kid is getting right now?’
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UPCOMING DATES
13th – 17th April – no school
22nd April – First Global Citizens, Virtual Wednesday
23rd April – Progress Messages will be sent out via Seesaw.
24th April – No Virtual Learning – this day is set for an opportunity for parents to talk to teachers – more information to come from your class teacher.
Principal – ssheppard@isyedu.org
Counselor – escounselor@isyedu.org
Office – office@isyedu.org
COUNSELOR’S CORNER
Happy Thingyan! Typically, this last day of school before the April holiday would be filled with water play and celebration. Today the campus remains quiet but that doesn’t mean there aren’t plenty of ways to enjoy this festival. For those concerned that their family may need some support thinking of activities to fill their days, here are some suggestions for both on and off screen activities.
On Screen Family Fun:
Take a virtual field trip: The grade 5 teaching team has put together a great list of virtual field trips your family might be interested in. Want to join an African safari? Stroll the halls of the British Museum? March down the streets of Hollywood, tour Anne Frank’s home or check out the San Diego Zoo. Google Art and Culture gives you access to discover, learn and uncover a whole world of international treasures. Explore.org takes you to live web cameras of wildlife around the globe.
Use Google Earth to climb to the top of the Matterhorn, explore your neighborhood or explore the streets of a far off country.
Learn a new hobbie: There are hundreds of downloadable apps to learn a great variety of things. Further, Youtube is filled with How Tos and Do It Yourself (DIY) lessons that can explain the steps to knitting, juggling, a new language, building in a homemade terrarium or whatever your family is interested in.
Off Line Family Fun:
Thinking about unplugging for all or part of the holiday? There are lots of ideas a family can do together or individually to make the holiday fun for all.
Have an Olympics. Each night play a different board game or a sport. Family members can select a country to represent. With each game, award gold, silver and bronze medals. When the week is up, see which member earned the most medals. Don’t have many board games? A deck of cards can produce hundreds of games.
Go on a treasure hunt. Make a list of items for your family to find, either in your home or while on a neighborhood walk. Make sure to add some hard to find items to make the hunt a real adventure.
Theme Nights: Make family meals fun by selecting a theme. Design a menu, dress in costume and play the part and have fun.
Creative Story Time: Expose your family to a variety of genres by reading in a variety of ways and places. Read an adventure story in the family tent, close out the lights and imagine you are in space for a science fiction text. Take turns when reading, choosing the book or use silly voices. Only your creativity is limiting you.
The holiday break ahead of you may not include the travel plans you had imagined but it doesn’t mean it has to limit the fun. Encourage your family to be creative and use their problem-solving to make this holiday one to remember.
Patty Amundson-Geisel, Elementary Counselor is available to ISY families in need of social-emotional support during this school closure. She can be contacted through email: escounselor@isyed.org
Virtual Learning
Please feel free to send in virtual learning photos that I can put in this blog. See Nway Ei from Grade 2below working hard at home.
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The International School Yangon
20 Shwe Taungyar Street
Bahan Township
Yangon, Myanmar
+95 (0) 9 880 441 040