Dear Families,
We would like to extend a warm welcome to all our families from the Primary School. Our Primary School is made up of students ranging from ages of 3 to 11 (Early Childhood 1 to Grade 5).
Our curriculum is based on the International Baccalaureate Primary Years Programme (IB PYP) and we are extremely enthusiastic and dedicated to its approach and philosophy as it supports our school’s mission.
The PYP is a ‘best practice’ educational framework that aims to develop inquiring, knowledgeable and caring young people; citizens who help to create a better and more peaceful world through intercultural understanding and respect. OWIS has been implementing the PYP since 2008 and received official re-authorisation in May 2016.
One of our defining attributes is the school’s spirit and its friendly, community atmosphere. As a school, we have always worked hard to maintain and actively promote this, as we believe this is what makes One World International School a wonderful place for learning. OWIS is committed to fostering the development of responsible and caring future world citizens. Daily life in the school involves raising children’s awareness and appreciation of the IB learner profile attributes and attitudes. These are fundamental in building the foundation for values in an internationally minded person.
We have a House System in place. Each child is placed in Ubin (yellow), Brani (red) Tembakul (green) or Satumu (purple) and siblings are placed in the same house. We use the house system to inspire students to work towards personal goals, work together in teams and promote citizenship. Merit points are given to students for effort, good work, sporting achievements and modeling the learner profile attributes and attitudes. As well as providing students with a strong academic education, we also value and promote active participation in sports and the arts. We bring the primary school together on a weekly basis to celebrate these. This time is also used to share appreciation for members of our school community.
At OWIS we have an open door philosophy. Parents are welcome to make arrangements to meet with their child’s class teacher. Equally, teachers may request additional meetings with parents if they need to discuss their child’s progress or experiences in school. We realise that when having discussions about a child, it can potentially be an emotional time. However, we believe that both parents and teachers always have your child’s best interests at heart. Therefore we feel it is important to remember that during meetings everyone interacts in a positive, productive manner and that the focus is on target setting and/ or best solutions for your child.
Parental involvement at OWIS is always welcome. Throughout the school year you will receive invitations to participate in your child’s learning experiences through end of unit celebrations, to watch performances, to help with field trips and to assist with classroom lessons and activities. Please contact your child’s class teacher if you would like to assist with any activities in the classroom, either on a regular basis or when you have some spare time. Similarly, please contact your child’s class teacher to offer your support to the Parents and Friends Association (PFA), whose purpose is to positively and actively support the aims of our school community.
Your child’s class teacher will provide you with further information specific to their grade level during our ‘Meet the Parents’ orientation evening and updates will be provided throughout the year. Please see our website for calendar dates and check regularly throughout the year. While your first point of contact is your child’s class teacher, I am also always available and very happy to meet you.
We look forward to working with you and your child.
Kind regards,
Michelle Dickinson
Head of Primary
Primary Years Coordinator
One World International School is an authorized school for The Primary Years Programme and is an IB World School. These are schools that share a common philosophy - a commitment to high quality, challenging, international education that One World believes is important for our students.
For further information about the IB and its programmes, visit http://www.ibo.org
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Message from the Grade 4 Class teacher
Dear Parents,
I would like to formally welcome you to this new academic year. We have already been busy making sure everything is ready for the students and their first day. The school is looking good, the staff are rested and ready and we are all excited to be back.
It has been another big Summer for me. I married a wonderful lady last year and so this year we have moved from a condo to a house. Not much rest involved in moving house and yet I feel calm and well grounded. I grew up in a house and as such our new place feels like a home.
I hope everybody had a great Summer and the students are prepared for the new challenges ahead. By the time you read this letter, Grade 4 will have already had their first day at school. This day will have been filled with activities such as getting to know one another again, completing an essential agreement and setting targets for the class for the term ahead and information about the upcoming school year.
There are a few important dates to start off the year which are coming very soon. Student council elections will begin during week 1. On the 16th of August there is a Meet the Teacher session and I hope to see you there. Of course there will be a lot more dates throughout the year and I will keep you up to date through the school website.
As always, if you have any questions or would like to discuss anything, please feel free to contact me:
Welcome once again
Mr. Holland
Grade 4 teacher and House Coordinator
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Table of Contents
1 Message from the Head of Primary / Primary Years Coordinator
2 Message from the Grade 4 Class teacher
3 Table of Contents
4 OWIS Mission, Vision and Values
5 OWIS Teaching Staff
6-8 Grade 4 Routines:
Expectations;
What to bring to school;
Making friends and social expectations;
Code of Conduct - Essential Agreements;
Portfolios;
Timetable.
9-10 Learning at Home
11-12 Parental involvement
13-25 Grade 4 Programme of Inquiry:
English;
Mathematics;
Science;
Social Studies;
Physical, Social and Physical Education;
The Arts;
Mandarin.
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OWIS – Mission, Vision & Values
Our Mission
One World International School aims to develop inquiring and independent lifelong learners whilst nurturing compassionate, accepting, internationally minded individuals, within the school and the wider community.
Our Vision
To provide the best learning community and create an environment where learning, values and relationships are at the heart of everything we do. This community will be collaborative, take action and be one with the world.
Our Values
• The IB Learner Profile is the centre of our learning community.
• Our school is an internationally minded community of learners with responsibilities as global citizens.
• All individual members of our community are valued and have a right to be heard.
• We encourage respect and open communication from everyone within our community.
• We allow students to develop in a safe and caring learning environment.
• We encourage collaboration and cooperation within our community in an inquiring and reflective environment.
• We strive for dynamic growth and academic excellence for all members of our community.
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OWIS Teaching staff
OWIS is an international school, offering an international curriculum to international children. All our teachers come from a variety of cultures and we recognise the unique values they bring. OWIS teaching staff are qualified, experienced and dedicated to our students’ pastoral wellbeing and academic progress. Along with OWIS’s continuous professional development programme, this helps to ensure that your child receives an excellent international education.
Grade Level / Teaching staff / EmailEarly Childhood 1/2 / Teacher: Reema Monk
Teacher Assistant: Ellie De Silva /
Preparatory / Teacher: Francesca MacAlpine
Teacher Assistant: Gowri Kannan /
Grade 1 A / Lesley Polson
Michelle Dickinson
Teacher Assistant: Ramapriya Rajagopalan /
Grade 1 B / Carly Pearlman
Teacher Assistant: Ramapriya Rajagopalan /
Grade 2 / Mandy Ritchie /
Grade 3 A / Myles Chapman /
Grade 3 B / Genevieve De Santis
Grade 4 / Gary Holland /
Grade 5 / Alice Nixon /
Specialist Teachers
Mandarin (Coordinator) / Pan Caifeng /
Mandarin / Yulin Zhang /
Art / Kerry Hacking /
Music / James Felix /
Physical Education / Glyn Martin /
Library / Anjana Sarda /
English as an Additional Language / Niluka Rooke /
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Grade 4 Routines
Expectations
Grade 4 students will be collected from the auditorium at 8.25am by myself (Mr. Holland) and will leave promptly, as the bell sounds, in order to start the first session at 8.30am. It is imperative that students are punctual as arriving late interrupts lessons. Obviously, there are times when lateness is unavoidable – in these circumstances, your child must report directly to the main office.
Students will be escorted to the auditorium at the end of the day, by myself, to be collected or to join their respective bus line. Should you wish for your child to leave school independently then we must receive explicit permission in writing to allow this to occur. If another adult is picking up your child, then we must receive notice of this too. If you arrive late for collection, please report to the office.
Students in Grade 4 are always expected to try their best at all times. Written work is expected to be titled with the lesson’s learning objective, dated and produced neatly. It is the student’s responsibility to ensure that any resources that they require for school each day are brought.
Timetabled library sessions occur once a week and it is the responsibility of the student to return and check out books on a weekly basis.
Frequently, letters are given to students to take home and it is the responsibility of the student and parent to ensure that these are dealt with accordingly. It is the student’s responsibility to give any notes from parents to their classroom teacher. It is also the student’s responsibility to find out about any Learning at Home tasks and class learning that has been missed due to an absence.
What to Bring to School
• Library bag – should be brought each Tuesday for the timetabled library session;
• Water bottle – should be at school each day and taken home regularly to be washed;
• Hat – should be brought to school each day;
• Snack and lunch – should be packaged appropriately;
• Swimming bag – to be brought on Mondays, as per school calendar swimming sessions;
• PE kit – should be worn each Wednesday and Friday;
• Permission slips – each letter has its own submission date for responses;
• Completed Learning at Home tasks – should be brought to school each Friday.
• Medication – this should be given directly to the Nurse with clear instructions;
• Instrument tuition (if your child has subscribed to these) – instrument and books.
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Making Friends and Social Expectations
One World International School prides itself on its inclusive ethos. Friendships and positive relationships are important and form a significant part of our Mission and Values. All students assist in the pastoral care and social development of each other. New students are allocated a class ‘buddy’. Students are made aware that the welfare of all students is everyone’s responsibility.
Code of Conduct - Essential Agreement
At the beginning of each academic year, each class – students and Class teacher - collaboratively agree to a set of rights and responsibilities. These are referred to as an ‘Essential Agreement’. These rights and responsibilities are created, reviewed and decided upon by the Grade 4 students and teacher. They are then displayed in the classroom as reminders of agreed behavioural expectations. Playground rules are agreed as a collaborative whole school approach.
Portfolios
Portfolios are an accumulation of your child’s work that is designed to demonstrate successes, growth, higher order thinking, creativity, assessment strategies and reflection. Within the portfolio, pieces are included that have been teacher selected and also student selected. Pieces in the portfolio are collected throughout the school year from all subject areas. The portfolio is designed to show progress in the transdisciplinary skills and attitudes.
Seesaw
Seesaw empowers students of any age to independently document what they are learning at school.
Students capture learning with photos and videos of their work, or by adding digital creations. Everything gets organized in one place and is accessible from any device.
The student’s work will be shared with classmates and parents. Seesaw gives students a real audience for their work and offers parents a personalized window into their child's learning. This will work in conjunction with the school portfolio to provide a comprehensive picture of your child’s learning.
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Timetable
OWIS Timetable / Grade 4 / 2016/17Period / 1 / 2 / 3 / Break / 4 / 5 / 6 / Lunch / 7 / 8 / Pickup
8.00-8.25 / 8.30-9.10 / 9.10-9.50 / 9.50-10.30 / 10.30-10.50 / 10.50-11.30 / 11.30-12.10 / 12.10-12.50 / 12.50-1.30 / 1.30-2.10 / 2.10-2.50 / 2.50-3.00
Monday / English / English / Maths / Maths / Mandarin / UOI / Music / UOI
Tuesday / Maths / Maths / Library / English / English / UOI / Music / PSPE
Wednesday / Maths / Maths / English / Mandarin / PE / English / UOI / UOI
Thursday / Maths / Maths / AVP / Mandarin / Art / Art / English / UOI
Friday / Assembly / Maths / English / Mandarin / English / English / PE / UOI
Timetables are subject to change in various circumstances. Reasons may include preparation for events; school sports events; public holidays.