ISHNEWS

#02PRIMARY SCHOOL

Primary Newsletter | Issue 02 | 17 September 2010

The International School of The Hague

Wijndaelerduin 12554 BX The Hague www.ishthehague.nll

Primary SchoolTelephone +31 (0)70 338 4567Fax +31 (0)70 328 2049Email ish.primary@ishthehague.nl

Secondary SchoolTelephone +31 (0)70 328 1450Fax +31 (0)70 328 2049Email ish.secondary@ishthehague.nl

In this issue

2-3 Dear ISH News Readers,

4 News

5-6 News and Adverts

7 Calendar

8 IPC Tips

9 Mother Tongue News

2

Dear Parents,I hope you like the new format of our newsletters and our new website. There are still elements we are adding to it but it is around 85% complete. One of my favourite parts is the box for children’s comments about school. We hope to add video clips and also a link to our primary moodle. The word ‘moodle’ is an acronym for ‘Modular Object-Oriented Dynamic Learning Environment’ – not a particularly helpful defi nition but basically, it is an online learning platform. Life seems to be full of acronyms and abbreviations now. Where we used to have sentences, now we often don’t even have whole words, just abbreviations. In the world of Information Technology (or IT!) there are so many of them. It can be so diffi cult to keep up, but if you have a teenage child, they will probably be able to tell you what most of the IT acronyms mean. This is an interesting shift – an area of knowledge where kids are racing ahead of adults. When I was a ten year old, if I started fi ddling with the TV (yes, there were TV’s then!), my father would be in fear of me breaking it. Now, if the TV malfunctions, my child can make it better!Following our Meet The Teacher evening, I have had so many fascinating discussions with parents, either by email or face-to-face. I have also had newspaper clippings and quotations sent to me, all affi rming that we are living in an incredibly dynamic age, full

of wonder and challenge. I met last week with a software designer and two of our IT staff , looking at the possibility of designing our own ISH App (another abbreviation, sorry) for iPhone and iPod touch. It was an incredible meeting, with ideas being thrown in and out of the discussion at great speed, a bit like the development of IT itself. I believe we have a responsibility to keep pace with developments in IT here in school and to utilise its incredible power and versatility in educating our children. This does not mean jumping on every technological bandwagon that comes along, but it does mean being aware of what is out there and thoroughly investigating whether it can make learning more eff ective. Equally important however is our focus on developing an ethical and respectful mind in children. For those of you who were present at the Meet the Teacher evening, I eluded to Howard Gardner’s work, ‘Five Minds for the Future’. I thoroughly recommend the book but if you just want to read a short synopsis of this research, go to http://www.uknow.gse.harvard.edu/teaching/TC106-607.html Gardner and one of his colleagues at Harvard, Wendy Fischman also did some research with a group of young people, aged 15 – 35 and what they found was quite alarming.‘WE FOUND THAT THE BEST AND BRIGHTEST, THOSE YOUNG PEOPLE WHO ARE THE ELITE OF YOUR SCHOOLS AND ARE ALREADY WINNING

Dear ISH News Readers,

This Issue is made byVerona Schroder (v.schroder@ishthehague.nl)Graeme Scott

3

Primary Newsletter | Issue 02 | 17 September 2010

Mr. Scott ContinuedAWARDS, KNEW WHAT GOOD WORK WAS. SOME OF THEM TRIED TO BE EXCELLENT AND ETHICAL AND ENGAGED, BUT MANY OF THEM TOLD US THAT THEY COULD NOT AFFORD TO BE ETHICAL. BECAUSE, THEY SAID, IT WAS VERY IMPORTANT FOR THEM TO SUCCEED, TO HAVE MONEY, POWER, PRESTIGE, PROMINENCE. SINCE THEY WERE IN COMPETITION WITH THEIR PEERS, THEY SUSPECTED THAT THEIR PEERS WERE CUTTING CORNERS AND THEY WERE NOT GOING TO BE UPRIGHT, IF THAT MEANT THAT THEY WERE GOING TO LOSE TO SOMEBODY WHO WAS LESS ETHICAL. AND SO THEY TOLD US THAT SOMEDAY THEY WOULD BE ETHICAL, THAT THEY WOULD BE THE CREAM OF THEIR COMMUNITY, SERVE AS A ROLE MODEL, SUPPORT GOOD CAUSES, AND HIRE ETHICAL PEOPLE. BUT THEY COULDN’T AFFORD TO DO IT NOW. WE ARE REMINDED OF WHAT SAINT AUGUSTINE SAID “OH LORD, MAKE ME CHASTE, BUT NOT QUITE YET”. ‘I believe if we start in primary school, teaching the children about moral responsibility and ethics, we have a far greater chance of developing young people who are more concerned with ‘we’ and less concerned with ‘me.’During the Meet the Teacher evening, I introduced SquISH the Spider, our friendly school character that will help the children address their personal goals. You can see SquISH displayed elsewhere in this newsletter. He is already an important part of our programme here as he helps us address the ethical and respectful minds mentioned by Gardner. The other minds, ‘the disciplined mind’, ‘the synthesizing mind’ and ‘the creative mind’ are

addressed by our curriculum and other aspects of school life.In a strange link from ‘mind’ to ‘head’, I need to mention that we have had an outbreak of head lice in school. This happens from time to time in almost every school but this outbreak appears to be more persistent. Interestingly enough, some of my colleagues working in other international schools in The Netherlands are also reporting signifi cant outbreaks in their schools. Whenever we do have head lice in school, we send home a letter alerting parents and giving advice on how to address the problem. We are also looking into louse capes to put over the children’s coats, as this is often how the lice spread. However, given the arrangements of our coat pegs, this might not prove as eff ective as we would like. I am now considering following the practice we see in many schools here, which is asking for parent volunteers to come into school and check for head lice. I wondered if any of you had an opinion on this. If you do, please feel free to email me as we value your opinions on everything, whether it be fi ve minds for the future or head lice.I wish you a pleasant weekend, high on ethics and low on scratching!

Graeme Scott

As part of the Rainforest IPC topic, the Year 3s have been learning about people who live in rainforests. They designed and then painted each others’ faces with a rainforest theme. Some are rainforest animals, some are hunters and some are decorated for celebrations. Can you work out which they are?

4

NewsMR ElectionsOur current Secretary of MR, Dirk Dobbelaere will soon have served his three year term. I thank him for his excellent work and dedication to the role. He has played a major part in many successful initiatives within our school. He would like to stand again but we also need to invite applications from others too.By law, every school in the Netherlands is linked with a medezeggenschrapsraad (MR). This is a participation council, where elected representatives of teachers, students (secondary only) and parents are consulted by the school leadership over matters concerning the management of the school. As prescribed by law, there are separate MR’s for the Secondary and Primary sections of the school.The MR holds, according to legislation, two types of rights: the right of advice (adviesrecht) and the right of approval (instemmingrecht). Matters in which either right can be used are specifi ed. The MR’s are regulated by the Wet medezeggenschap op scholen legislation of 1992 and 2007.

There is a lot of work involved with being an MR member. Attendance at meetings (normally around 8 meetings a year are held), work on specifi c projects and reading and commenting on documents are just some of the tasks. However, the opportunity to play a key role in the future of our school may just be too tempting to miss!If you are interested in joining the MR, please write a paragraph or two about yourself and why you believe you would be a good MR member and send to v.schroder@ishthehague.nl.

Pri-Moodle Dear Parents,This school year we will be using the Pri-Moodle as an online communication tool with students and parents. By using the Pri-Moodle, we will share year group newsletters, websites, homework worksheets and other useful information. You already receive school information on paper and we will now also upload some information as a backup on the Pri-Moodle.Here is the link to the website: http://ishweb.nl/primoodle Within the following weeks I will give you your child’s username and password.Please feel free to contact me with any questions.Sincerely,Mrs. MirosICT Primary Teacherm.silva@ishthehague.nl

Thank You ParentsWe would like to say a big thank you to all the parents who have volunteered to take on the role of Class Representative. A letter has been sent home today outlining the role but you can access a digital version of it here.This year, the role of Class Representative Coordinator has been taken on by Charlie Keddie and we would also like to extend a warm welcome and our thanks to him as well.

5

Primary Newsletter | Issue 02 | 17 September 2010

News and AdvertsBadmintion ClubThe ISH parents’ badminton club The Melting Pot meets: Tuesday Mornings from 09:00 to 10:30 in Sporthal Ockenburgh.And: Wednesday Evenings from 19:30 to 21:30 in Sporthal ’t Zandje.We would be delighted to welcome new members – from absolute beginners to competition players – to our club.The fi rst training is free for you to try us out.Contact:Deniz Ogretir d.ogretir@cantab.net

Autumn Course Figure SkatingA number of athletic organisations (OCW/Sportsupport/Schoolsport) are organising an autumn fi gure skating course for primary schools from 30 September up to and including 9 December for beginners and experienced fi gure skaters in the Uithof. During the 10 lessons, children will become champions of the ice, lessons take place on Thursday s from 16:15 – 17:30 and are meant for children aged between 4 up to and including 12 years of age. Fees are € 67,50 for 4/5 year olds and € 75,00 for 6/12 year olds. If you have an Ooievaarspas you will receive a 50% discount. Interested? Go to http://www.haagseschaatsschool.nl/ or phone 070-397 75 88

Year 6 Meet the Parents EveningThe Year 6 Class Parents have arranged a Year 6 social gathering to “Meet the Parents”Thursday, 7th of October from 6pm-8pm at La Buena Vida Fahrenheitstraat 582Paul & Ginny Mees, owners of La Buena Vida & Year 6 parents have agreed to host the wine-tasting.If Parents with last name A-L bring a savory fi nger food, and parents with last name M-Z will bring asweet fi nger food we will enjoy a nice evening. The year 6 teachers may also be available to join us.The courtesy of an RSVP to your Class Parent would be appreciated.

Many of our children have commented that there are not enough places for them to sit in the playground. Sometimes, they just want to sit and read, or gossip! We have just taken delivery of three benches for the playground for our children to sit on. Apart from being very comfortable and attractive, they are also environmentally friendly. Each bench is made from the equivalent of 569 recycled bottles, so bottles that did not go into landfi ll. They are also very durable, lasting on average, four times as long as wooden benches.

6

Dates for your Diary

Feel at Home Fair in the Atrium in town from

11:00 - 17:00

Prinsjesdag - Primary School Closed

EAL, SEN and MT information Evening from

18:00 - 19.30

Pre - Reception Meet and Greet Evening

from 09:00 - 10:30

Opening Spanish Section at Nieuw Waldeck

Library at 14:30

Parent Consultations from 17:00 - 19:00

Parent Consultations from 15:30 - 17:30

Mr. Curiston,

Ms. Clough

Mr. Silvester

Mr. Silvester

Mr. Silvester

Mr. Silvester

September October CT DAYSCT DAYS

19 06 20 Sept

24 Sept

21 12 22 Sept

28 14 23 Sept

Please check our website for a complete calendar.

7

Primary Newsletter | Issue 02 | 17 September 2010

The ten things you can say to your child…...that will make all the difference1. Say to your child the word ‘yet’ as often as you can.

For example, when your child says ‘I can’t do

fractions’ you say ‘you can’t do fractions yet’. Help

them to see the possibility that they will be able to

achieve it in the future.

2. Say to your child: ‘you’re getting better’ whenever the opportunity allows.Learning is all about improvement and learning a

skill needs patience and practice and practice and

practice to improve. Your child needs lots of support

along the way.

3. Say to your child: ‘what have you learned today?’ This question is a lot more specific than ‘what did

you do today?’

4. Say encouraging things as often as you can when your child is beginning to learn something new and encourage them when something still isn’t perfect.Remember how much encouragement you gave

your child when they took their first wobbly steps?

Children need that same encouragement whenever

they start learning something new. Learning is

always harder at the beginning.

5. Say things to your child to show you can see that there’s improvement, however small. Compare ‘then’ and ‘now’ and praise the difference.Learning is about getting better; lots of ‘getting

better’ steps.

6. Say to your child: ‘of course you’ve made a mistake, but keep going, you’re learning.’Every child needs to know that making mistakes

is all part of the learning process. Mistakes can

be good because you can learn from them. You

never really learn something well if you don’t make

mistakes along the way. Make sure your child

knows that mistakes are OK.

7. Say to your child: ‘your brain is wired in lots of different ways, some ways are better than others. Let’s try to make each part work as well as it can.’Few of us will be brilliant at everything but we can

get better at everything.

8. Say to your child: ‘take a break, do some exercise, then start learning again.’The brain needs blood, oxygen and rest to keep

going. If it doesn’t get them then it doesn’t keep

going.

9. Say to your child: ‘if you find facts difficult to remember then it’s ok to use a ‘hook’ to help you remember.’There are just too many facts to remember so your

child should only worry about remembering the

ones that really matter. For those, it’s perfectly fine

to give their brain some help if they need to. For

example VIBGYOR spells out all the colours of the

rainbow. So does the rhyme Richard Of York Goes By In Violet; anything to trigger the brain to remember

is good.

10. Say to your child: ‘I found x easy to learn, but I had to work harder at y.’Make sure your child knows you went through

similar learning struggles as they are going

through. Show your child realistic models of

learning; don’t fake your own excellence. On the

other hand don’t promote inabilities either – unless

you are promoting how much better you could have

been if only you’d kept trying.

T: +44 (0)20 7531 9696 www.internationalprimarycurriculum.com From Fieldwork Education, part of the WCL Group © WCL Group Limited. All rights reserved.

8

Mother Tongue NewsMother Tongue Within the CurriculumMother Tongue within the curriculum has started for Y2-Y3 and Y4-Y6. It was lovely to go around the school and to see the children discovering the other children speaking their language. It was also very nice to see some C&S and CAS students from secondary joining Y2&3 and supporting our children in their role of MT ‘Big Buddies’. We hope that more and more of them will join us during that special time. Let’s not forget the parents that are taking some time to join us as well during the MT time - some parents familiar to the programme but also some new ones. We really appreciate your presence, as we know the impact it has on your children’s learning and motivation!Now that the library is open during some of our lunch times, it is quite well attended. Last week I went to look at the children there and I was very happy to see some of our new students, not yet very fl uent in English, enjoying a quiet time reading a book in their mother tongue! Thank you for all the donations of last year!Mother Tongue After School Programme-The registration form has been sent at home last week. Although registration deadline was Wednesday, if you didn’t receive the form, you are still welcome to pass by the offi ce to pick up a form and to register your child on Monday. -Due to various diffi culties and some tutors’ unavailability, the Y3 trip to the Zoo on Thursday…etc., too many children would have missed the 1st session, so we decided to postpone the start of the sessions. Therefore the 1st lesson will take place on the 29 September for the Lower School and on the 30 September for the Upper School. The overpaid money will automatically be deducted from next term’s fees.-This year we will have classes in Dutch, German, French, Spanish and Arabic. As we do not have confi rmed tutors for Dutch and the Thursday Upper School German, we might have to wait a bit longer before we can open these classes.

Again overpaid fees will automatically be deducted from next term’s fees. A letter will be sent home to confi rm the start date of these classes. If you know someone that would be interested in tutoring the children in these languages please tell them to contact me.-The “Ente Scuola Italiana nei Paesi Bassi” will be happy to organise a class for our Italian children this year again. They need a minimum of 8 children to be able to open the class. The fi rst step is for you to look at their website where you will fi nd more information and complete a registration form : http://www.esi-scuolaitaliana.org/formul.htm . As soon as they have enough children they will contact you to organise the day and fi nal details. As they start providing classes for children from Y1 only and we have enough requests for reception children we will also open an Italian group for Lower School on Wednesdays. If you are interested for your child to join that class please complete a registration form and I will send you a letter confi rming the start date as well.-Some parents are organising a Hungarian group and the school will facilitate a room. If you are interested for your child to join please contact me.We might have an opening for a Catalan class as well. If you would like to organise another language you can also contact me. We already received some requests for : Polish, Bosnian-Croatian-Serbian, Romanian, Swedish, Bulgarian, Gujarati and Russian! When we have enough interest we can start looking for a tutor.

Kind regards,Pascale Hertay, Deputy Head, p.hertay@ishthehague.nl

9