Thursday, April 30, 2015

Support Nepal - Next Wednesday


We are encouraging the students on the Elementary and Secondary campuses to wear red, white or blue on Wednesday to help the Nepalese people.

Families can also make a donation at the Elementary or Secondary office to help relief efforts in Nepal after the devastating earthquake.

New class read

We have started a new class read.

Rules is a story about a 12 year old girl; Catherine and her 8 year old brother; David.
Catherine creates a book of rules to help her brother make sense of the world.
Some of our favorite rules so far include ...

  • If someone says "hi" say "hi" back.
  • Say "thank you" when someone gives you a present (even if you do not like it).
  • Chew with your mouth closed
  • No toys in the fish tank.
We will be having discussions about the rules we follow every day at home and at school. 
How do we learn these rules? What are the consequences when we do not follow the rules? 




Field trip next Wednesday

This notice is going home today.
Please sign and return on Monday.
If you cannot find the notice in the depths of your child's bag you can send me an email giving permission for your child to attend. 
1st May 2015

Dear Parents/Guardians of Ms. Alison’s Grade 4 / 5 Students
RE: FIELD TRIP TO RESTAURANT & REAL ESTATE COMPANY on WEDNESDAY 6th May
For our ‘Marketplace’ (How We Organize Ourselves) unit of inquiry our class will visit two family businesses.  
Choleang’s family has invited us to visit one of their restaurants - Lucky Bright restaurant (#5H, St 41 (Preah Norodom, Chamkamon).
Bun San’s family has invited us to visit The River Centre - Real Estate Development project (# 42, Street 199, Sangkat Toul Svay Prey 1, Khan Chamkarmorn).

The students will have the opportunity to ask questions to develop their understanding of the lines of inquiry:  the law of supply and demand; how a marketplace functions; and factors influencing marketing.

We will depart school at 7.45 and return to school at approximately 9.45 on Wednesday 6th May.  Mr. Puy, Mr. Wathana and Ms. Alison will accompany the students.

Please ask your child to return the permission slip on Monday, to Ms. Alison.
Thank you.
Alison Stanton
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 
Permission Slip to attend  Restaurant and Real Estate field trip

My child has permission to visit the Lucky Bright Restaurant  and The River Centre Development on Wednesday 6th May.
I authorize the teacher in charge of the excursion to consent, where it is impracticable to communicate with me, to the child receiving such medical or surgical treatment as may be deemed necessary.

Signed    ………………………………             Date: …………………

Parent/Guardian ……………......................................................................................


Student Name:    .......................................................................................................

Emergency Contact Number(s):   .....................................................................


Persuasive writing

As a class we brainstormed ideas about the pro's and con's of owning a pet.
The students worked in small groups to expand on one of the ideas we came up with.
We put all their arguments together. This is an example students can use when writing their own persuasive piece.

Introduction

There are good and bad things about owning a pet.
You can argue that pets are fantastic or that we should not have pets.

YES – It is a good idea to own a pet

We truly believe that it is a wonderful idea to own a pet. One of our reasons is that 
pet’s give you comfort. They smile at you and wag their tails. If you are an only child a pet can play with you, love you and stop you from feeling lonely.  Pets can give you company when you are bored and have nothing to do. You can run around and play with your pet, take it for walks and groom it.
Moneth and Ellie

We strongly believe that owning a pet is good because while caring for a pet you can develop learner profiles, such as responsibility, knowledge and being caring. You can also develop time management skills as you balance your time so you can care for an animal. You need to be responsible for this animal. You need to give the animal love, water, food. You need to clean up after the animal and walk it regularly so it is healthy. When you are walking a dog you have the added bonus of exercising yourself. You also become more knowledgeable when you learn how to care for your animal and meet all its needs.
Carlota, Champei, Jessica

It is a good idea to own a pet because your pet it can help keep you safe. It can guard you while you sleep, as it will alert you if there is an intruder. It also keeps your belongings safe as it deters intruders or thieves when you areaway from the house. You can put a Beware  Dog sign on your gate and no one will enter. You will also be protected when you are walking because your dog is with you. People might say it can also attack you but a well-trained dog will always be on your side.
Julian, JC

Some people may say that owning a pet is a lot of hard work and not worth the effort. It is true there is work involved in caring for an animal. It needs to be fed, bathed and walked. It also gives a lot back though. You get love and friendship in return. You learn to be more responsible by caring for an animal and learn many important skills.
Arthur and Panhaboth


NO – It is not a good idea to own a pet

Having a pet is not a good idea. Many pets are illegal to own, it is unfair to the pet and there are many consequences to you the pet owner. There are many laws against owning illegal pets. If you are found with an illegal pet you may have to pay fines and may even go to jail. Animals should not be kept in cages and small spaces. They need to be free. Animals need space to run and may suffer from depression if they are kept in small areas. They can suffer when they are not treated well and may even attack you.
Ella and Emely

We strongly believe that it is not pleasant to own a pet. Pets can be extremely difficult to train. One of the reasons you should not have a pet is the mess you will have to clean up. Animals can be very messy and get dirty. Another reason why it is not good to have a pet is they can be difficult. When they meet someone new they can be naughty and hard to control.
Molly and Hee Joo

Pets can be hard work. Some people are lazy and cannot be bothered to walk their pets. Some people do not like exercise and their pets do not get a chance to get out and run. Animals can also be difficult when you take them to the vet. They may not want to get in the car and may poo, wee or be very loud when you are transporting them. As a pet owner you need to make sure your pet has all its shots to prevent sickness. You also need to feed your pets appropriate food and organize a pet sitter for the times you will be away. Being a pet owner is hard work.
Lyka and Helen






Tuesday, April 28, 2015

Grade 5 transition

Dear Grade 5 Parents,

You are invited to a session to learn about the stages of ‘transition’. In this session together we can talk about tips and strategies for making any transition a smooth one.

Regardless of whether you have a child moving to another country, different culture and school, a child moving between Elementary to Middle School, or a Grade 12 student heading to university, there are typical stages involved. 

Where: Music Room @ Secondary Campus
When:  Friday 8th May - 08:00-0900

I look forward to seeing you.

Please email me directly if you would like to attend with your name and the grade level of your son/daughter.

Best wishes,
Karen Skelly
Counsellor

Karen Skelly | School Counselor
International School of Phnom Penh

Monday, April 27, 2015

Symmetry

The Grade 4/5 students reviewed lines of symmetry today.
They all drew an image showing symmetry to show their understanding.













Saturday, April 25, 2015

Homework due Friday 1st May

Home Learning Activities Grade 4/5 – MS ALISON    Due: Friday 1st May
Create a google doc titled (Your name) Homework due 1st May
and share it with Ms Alison. Please add all pieces of homework on this one document.
source business | Flickr
Unit of Inquiry -  How We Organise Ourselves:
CI: Markets operate in response to supply and demand.

Plan a time when you can meet with a family member or acquaintance who owns or works in a small business selling goods or services.

Design 5-10 questions to ask this person and record these questions on your Homework doc for this week.
Complete the interview and record your answers on the same google doc under each question.
You will share what you have learned about small business with the class on Friday.
read | Flickr - Photo Sharing!
Reading -
Read for 20 mins + each day and complete your class reading log.
Tape measure
Math - Measurement:
Measurement: Weight
Grade 4: This week we are exploring mass and will be having fun measuring things on the scales and starting to develop a "feel" for the weight of different items.  

  1. You are asked to bring items to school that you think would be a useful benchmark for 1kg, 500g, 250g and 100g.
  2. Look around your house and estimate the weight of some items. Record in a table on a google doc or in your homework book.
  3. Bring to school an example of what you estimate will weigh 1kg, 500g, 250g and 100 g. We will weigh these items and check the accuracy of your estimates.

Grade 5: Volume
This week we are learning about metric measures of volume.
TASK:
  1. Plan a time with your parents to go grocery shopping OR help whoever does the shopping put items away when they return OR if you cannot do either of the above then spend some time looking in your pantry, food cupboard or fridge.
  2. Your job is to estimate the volume in millilitres and litres of bottled items, then read labels to check out how close you were with your estimates.
  3. Record both your estimate and the actual volume in a table on a google doc or in your homework book.



Writing: The art of persuasion

Using the format we have used class write a persuasive piece.

Write a persuasive letter - minimum 3 paragraphs to me (Ms Alison).
Do you think it is a good idea OR not a good idea for students to work in groups on a Marketplace Minecraft activity.

You need to consider:
  • How is Marketplace Minecraft going to link to your current school work?
  • What things you might learn or practice from using it?
  • How is Minecraft better than other lessons we could do in the computer lab?
  • Which learner profiles and attitudes it might help you practice and develop?

You need to clearly state your opinion in the introduction.
You will also need 3 arguments that support your opinion (one per paragraph) or 2 arguments and one counter argument.


Reminders this week
Monday: Music
Tuesday: FL, PE, Library (book swap)
Wednesday: FL, PE
Thursday: Art, Swimming

Friday: FL