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School Newsletter 12th January 2018

25-26, Lane 1570, South Pudong Road 上海浦东南路1570弄25-26号，邮编：200122

+86-21 5068 9695 | enquiry-sh-pudong@etonhouse.com.cn | http://sh.etonhouse.com.cn

By Anne Champion position-Principal

Dear Parents,

Welcome to the Week 2 Newsletter outlining yet another busy week. I would like to take this opportunity to thank all parents for supporting your child to quickly settle into their respective class routines, which includes arriving at school at the correct time of 8:30 am to commence the daily learning program. Please note, this is the most important time of the day as children are immersed in explicit teaching strategies where they are exposed to new concepts and/or rehearsing newly acquired concepts. When a child is not present for these sessions each morning, it becomes very noticeable that their learning is compromised, particularly related to the acquisition of Numeracy and Literacy concepts.

Music

Choral singing again commences from the beginning of Week 3, where all classes will learn new songs and play percussion instruments. The pianists have been busy practicing new songs ready for the children to burst into song! Again, please continue to ensure your child arrives at the correct time each morning, to prepare for the music lesson so that they can fully participate in all the learning that is designed for these sessions. Thank you.

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New Pre Nursery Teacher

25-26, Lane 1570, South Pudong Road 上海浦东南路1570弄25-26

号，邮编：200122

As mentioned in last week’s Newsletter, we have a new Core teacher, Miss Kate, commence in Pre Nursery this term. Please see below for information about our new teacher from an

informal interview with Ms Kate:

Q: Where were you born and raised?

A: I was born and raised in a lovely city Stavropol in the south of Russia, surrounded by mountains with good ecology and nice people.

Q: What do you love most about teaching?

A: I teach because there is an excitement and joy and suspense in the journey. Teaching is like gardening: we work hard, plant seeds, love and nurture growth, and in all of that, be-lieve in our hearts that we can do something, even if it is just a little at a time, to make this a better world!!!

Q: Reasons for coming to Shanghai.

A: Well, I love my homeland a lot but suddenly in 2011, I decided to change the scene of my life, get a new experience in my career and meet new interesting people. Also I wanted to improve my Mandarin and get HSK6.

Q: Your opinion of how teaching differs from other places around the world.

A: It is of little wonder that teaching in other places around the world differs markedly. Cultural features, variety of approaches, methods and models of education build different systems in teaching. For example, all Russian schools start on "Knowledge Day". Regardless of whether it's a holiday or a weekend, all students start a new school year on September 1st. Students in China on average receive the most homework. Schools in France take a very strong stance on lunchtime, schedule one- to two=hour lunch-es that are fully prepared in order to teach students about food preparation, manners, etc before they go back to regular class. In Iran, boys and girls are taught in separate environments. The teachers must also be the same sex as their students. For some stu-dents in Australia who are isolated, lessons are transmitted over radio in Australia. The School of the Air broadcast their lessons every day for students who live in exceptionally rural areas of Australia. "Summer" vacation in Chile takes place from mid-December to early March. They don't have an official Christmas break, but have several other smaller breaks throughout the year.

Q: Your place of choice if they could live anywhere around the world.

A: I have a dream about living in Singapore. Eton House is a Singaporean International School which aligns with my future plans one day, but it is more than that. It is a a gorgeous city where people can speak both: English and Mandarin. Coincidence? Who knows?! I'm sure my Universe helps me to make my dreams come true. I don't know whether I chose Eton House or Eton House chose me, but the thing I want to say is that I am extremely happy to be a part of such a friendly and incredible team!

Q: Why do you want to be a teacher？

A: I teach because, I believe that it is my calling to help students become excited about learning, en-gaged in the learning process and to excel in all that they do. I also want to instill a love of learning in students, so that they will always have a desire to grow and develop.

Q: The best thing about living abroad.

A: You start a brand new life.You are challenged and you grow. And another amazing thing is that your mindset can be broadened.

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International Baccalaureate

25-26, Lane 1570, South Pudong Road 上海浦东南路1570弄25-26号，邮编：200122

+86-21 5068 9695 | enquiry-sh-pudong@etonhouse.com.cn | http://sh.etonhouse.com.cn

All teaching staff received further professional learning on the International Baccalaureate(IB) curriculum on Wednesday afternoon. This session was presented by a neighboring Principal from EtonHouse in Wuxi, who immersed staff in a variety of activities, which assisted them further with implementing the IB into their respective classrooms.

This term, Ms Adika has been selected to be the Primary Years Program (PYP) IB Coordinator where she will oversee the implementation of the IB curriculum from Nursery 2 to Year 2. Ms Adika has had previous experience in implementing the curriculum in previous schools so her skills and knowledge will hold her in good stead to lead the implementation.

For families new to the school this semester, the International Baccalaureate Primary Years Program (PYP) is offered on our campus for students for Nursery 2 through to Year 2/3. Through combining the inquiry-based Western Australian curriculum, children are encouraged to participate in the development of learning experiences and are challenged to hypothesise, reject, question and test in order to construct their own understandings and thus gain further knowledge.

After commencing this internationally acclaimed framework in Term 1, the staff have continued to immerse themselves in student different learning styles, pedagogy and assessment strategies within a transdisciplinary framework for the delivery of the curriculum, which brings individual subjects together into a coherent whole, while preserving the essence of each single subject. The approach to learning focuses on children developing skills and acquiring knowledge that will assist them in becoming successful life-long learners.

Classroom Parent Meetings.

On Monday 22nd

and Tuesday 23rd

January, each classroom teacher will be presenting a brief Parent Meeting session in order to outline the Semester 2 learning program including IB Units of Inquiry, classroom expectations, Homework expectations ( for older children), events scheduled for the second semester, school holiday dates, and a question and answer section for parent inquiries.

Teddy Bear Picnic

On Friday 26th

January we will be holding a Teddy Bear’s Picnic Day/Pyjama Party for our students. Each class will organize a range of activities where the children can dress up in their pyjamas and slippers, and bring their own teddy bear from home, to join in with related songs, dance, art/craft activities, cooking etc. for the day.

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More Photos to share with you...

25-26, Lane 1570, South Pudong Road 上海浦东南路1570弄25-26号，邮编：200122

+86-21 5068 9695 | enquiry-sh-pudong@etonhouse.com.cn | http://sh.etonhouse.com.cn