The following is an extract from the Kensington Weekly Newsletter. For details on how parents can sign up to the newsletter, please click here.

In the Primary Years Programme, the Units of Inquiry are often started with a stage where students are helped to make a personal connection to the big ideas in the unit. Grade 5 students, seen carefully carrying eggs to and from school, were making a connection to the concept of sustainability, for their unit of the same name. This engaged the students in the unit and gave them an understanding of this abstract concept so that they can inquire into what sustainability means in the context of our use of natural resources.

Following this stage of making a connection, the children explore their area of study, taking the time to find questions for inquiry. At this stage classes might be trawling through books, ‘playing’ with materials or going out on field trips. This information gathering stage is why in a PYP school, field trips are often taken in the first weeks of a unit rather than at the end, as parents of Grade 4 will have experienced today when the children visited the Brands Museum in Notting Hill. Try asking your child about the unit they are studying and what they have found interesting or surprising so far.

Back to School Night will give you a good overview of the coming year for your child and will include the units of inquiry they will be studying. We look forward to seeing you then.

The following is an extract from the Kensington Weekly Newsletter. For details on how parents can sign up to the newsletter, please click here.

Welcome to the new School Year! Welcome to our new students and all our returning students. One of the features of our school is that most of the returning students know what it is like to be the new child in class; have experienced moving countries and perhaps even been immersed in a new language. This understanding gives them an empathy which you can see as you walk around school in the many ways that they are helping new students; it may be inviting them to play, showing them where to go or just sitting with them.

We like to have a close relationship with the parents of our students as it helps us provide the best education for the children. To help with this, I would like to urge you to contact your child’s teacher should you have any queries or concerns, however small. We also have many events at the school and recommend that you get involved and attend whenever you can. These can be seen in the dates section of this week's newsletter.

Click here to continue reading "Welcome Back!" »

The Suzuki Violin trip to Brussels was a fantastic event and we would like those who attended to share their feelings with the rest of the Southbank community.

Here are a few comments so far:

"I liked climbing the Befry tower in Bruge because when we came to the top the bells rang and I got very scared."

"I liked when we went to the Ambassador’s house because when we perform in front of people, we get a lot of pride."

"I liked when we were on the coach and we explored Bruge and watched the people make candy."

"I liked performing at the school because I got to meet new people."

"It was great seeing Mrs Darroch again and performing again."

If you went on the trip, it would be wonderful if you would click on the "Comments" link below to tell everyone else what you thought!