ISY Elementary Blog
Elementary Update – April 24th, 2020
Sandy Sheppard, Elementary School Principal
Dear all,
I hope you all had a wonderful Thingyan Break, it is great to be back doing Virtual Learning and supporting our families.
I hope everyone received their child/ren progress reports and that you had the opportunity to meet with your child’s class teacher. This was a wonderful opportunity to remain connected.
I would like to take a moment to thank our teachers for the wonderful job they are doing. They are all working very hard to plan engaging lessons and ensure your child/ren learning continues. We are constantly in communication an I know they all miss the students so much.
Next week I will be hosting a parent coffee morning, look below for more information.
This week we had our first ‘Global Learners, Virtual Wednesdays’ for KG through to Grade 5, we celebrated Earth Day. Participation by students was high and the feedback was that everyone enjoyed the opportunity to have a little fun and do something different. We are very proud of our Earth-Heroes and Eco-Warriors who continue to protect our beautiful planet. See lots of pictures to celebrate this event below.
Next week you will receive slides for learning every day.
Wishing you all the best.
Sandy Sheppard
WE CARE
We care about our families and no matter where you are we are here for you..
Parent Coffee Morning
- Updates
- Counselor update
- Wellness tips
- Question and Answers
To join the meeting please click on this Zoom Link.
Global Learners, Virtual Wednesdays
Our special Wednesday’s will continue next week. As a reminder we will 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.
Next Wednesday is dedicated to our school Mission and the focus will be on ‘compassion’. There are lots of fun activities planned. We will also be having our first virtual recess time. We hope you can all get involved.
UPCOMING DATES
29th April – Second Global Citizens, Virtual Wednesday
30th April – Elementary Coffee Morning for Parents
1st May – No school
4th June – Report Cards
10th June – Last day of school for the 19-20 school year
EMAIL CONTACTS
Principal – ssheppard@isyedu.org
Counselor – escounselor@isyedu.org
Office – office@isyedu.org
COUNSELOR’S CORNER
Weekly, through a format called Counselor’s Check-In, I contact students to get a general wellness measure of our students. This week I asked the students how they felt about the announcement that the school campus would not reopen until next school year. Throughout the grade levels a theme of grief surfaced. Typically one connects grief with a loss of life or death but more broadly grief is the loss of expectations. The impact of Covid-19 is multifaceted and has numerous areas in which student’s expectations may not be met. The sudden but needed campus closure, although necessary for public safety, left farewells unsaid, parties not celebrated, projects undone and milestones acknowledged in different ways. So how can we help our students process these feelings? Here are a few thoughts.
- Encourage your child to talk about his or her feelings. As parents we often want to fix things. Telling them that things will be okay and to forget their sad or disappointed feelings. Accept their feelings as valid and understand that these feelings will and can change quickly.
- Be creative. Many students in my survey indicated they were sad they wouldn’t be able to say good-bye to friends or teachers. Although we aren’t on campus saying good-bye can be a powerful tool for closure. Get creative and brainstorm together alternative ways to say farewell to important people.
- Be in the moment. When emotions are strong, help your child focus on the present. Breath deeply, take inventory of the senses (how does this feel, look, smell, taste?) or flex and relax muscles.
- Make social connections. Virtual play dates and attending class meetings are important for students to feel connected with their friends and teachers. Starting this Wednesday, ISY will offer a weekly virtual recess time for students in each grade to play games, engage in conversation and participate in activities.
If you are interested in further exploring this issue, please feel free to contact me, Ms. Patty, at escounselor@isyedu,org or review these helpful articles. I am available for individual meetings with parents and students throughout the week.
Articles:
That Uncomfortable Feeling you are Having is Grief by Scott Berinato
However you are Feeling Right Now is Totally Normal by Abigail Libers
Virtual Learning
Please feel free to send in virtual learning photos that I can put in this blog. Below you can see some of the pictures from our Earth Day on Wednesday.
In case you want something to do as a family see the scavenger hunt below. If you take part please take a photo and send it to me at my email above. They will be featured in next weeks blog. If you cannot get outside next week I will feature a scavenger hunt for inside items.
Scavenger Hunt fun
I can’t wait to see your pictures
Previous Elementary School Posts
Elementary School Blog – March 12, 2021
Sometimes it is difficult to look on the bright side. But research shows that in difficult times, it is important for our mental health to allow ourselves to acknowledge that times are difficult and to feel rather than suppress negative emotions.
Elementary School Blog – March 5, 2021
We have long term, yearly, quarterly, monthly, and weekly plans but our planning and preparation has now taken more of a day by day focus.
Elementary School Blog – February 26, 2021
It is very comforting to know that as technology continues to provide us with new ways to communicate and work together, we have students who understand that simple human actions and gestures like good manners still make the world go round.
Elementary School Blog – February 19, 2021
Children themselves are usually in the best position to let us know what their needs are and how we can meet them.
Elementary School Blog – February 11, 2021
Over the last two weeks, our Early Elementary team has been working with Dr. Linda Henke. Dr. Henke has a wealth of experience in many school settings and has a particular interest and expertise in developing a capability and love for deeper learning in our youngest children.
Elementary School Blog – February 5, 2021
Even in the context of 2020-2021, this week has been a particularly challenging one. But we got through it.
The International School Yangon
20 Shwe Taungyar Street
Bahan Township
Yangon, Myanmar
+95 (0) 9 880 441 040