Kensington
Anti-Bullying Workshop Videos
A focus during Anti-Bullying week were the shows and workshops led by Chris from the Bigfoot Theatre Company. The following two videos give a taste of what the children were thinking about during that week. Many thanks to our PTA Chair, Kim Kushner, for the time she spent filming and editing these.
PTA Family Picnic Slideshow
Click above to view the slideshow from the PTA Family Picnic
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The Flower That Learned to Love Itself
Once upon a time in a far off land, there grew a flower. The flower was very happy and very athletic. It was Valentine's Day and the flowers were having a Valentine's athletic race. When the flower realized that it had different colored petals from everyone else in the race. So the flower said, "I'll go to one of those flowers and see if they like my colors. If they do, I'll give my colors away."
Read more of this student-written story on the Principal's Weblog » 
Information on Head Lice
Last year, Southbank parent Pamela Sears authored an article for the Weekly Newsletter concerning the discovery and treatment of head lice within the school. As mentioned in the first PTA meeting of the year, here is that article for parents to download and read at their convenience.
Student Portraits
As part of the Tanzania fund-raising effort, the students at the Kensington Campus have produced self-portraits, which will be part of the silent auction on the evening of the Winter Benefit at BAFTA, 23rd February.
While the EC classes enjoyed creative expression, the portraits from K through Grade 5 were the product of the art curriculum in Term 1 that included portraiture, the students learned the basic structures of their own face as well as symmetry, shapes, and spatial relationships. In these portraits, one can see the progress of the students in learning these techniques, yet their individuality is clearly apparent. This lesson has provided the students a foundation for further exploration into the world of art and a medium for personal expression.
Tree Planting
One of the essential elements of the Primary Years Programme is "action". Action can be defined as "demonstrations of deeper learning in responsible behaviour through responsible action" (Making the PYP Happen, International Baccalaureate Organization, 2007).
In the summer of 2009, our current 2nd Grade class took action, raising money to donate forest trees to Holland Park, which was then subsidised by the council's park and leisure services. The students, parents, staff, as well as members of the council from the Royal Borough of Kensington & Chelsea, continued to take action by participating in a tree planting ceremony last term. This coincided with National Tree Week, which was from 25 November to 6 December 2009. Tree specialists supported the children and the local press attended to cover the event.
The students read the poem The Heart of the Tree by Henry Cuyler Bunner and after a safety briefing, got to work digging, planting, and of course naming, the trees. The trees now live in the woodland enclosures of Holland Park and the students will be able to monitor their progress for years to come. Special thanks go to parent Kris Banghart for initiating and organising this remarkable event.