BRADBURY NEWSLETTER – 18 OCTOBER 2019
致白普理學生家長
Greetings to the Bradbury School Community
Welcome back to the second half of term 1, which is always busy.
A highlight of this term is always the PTA Winter Night Market. Thank you in advance for your support of this event, which is the major fundraiser for the year. The PTA is looking at using the funds raised to improve our playground and outdoor facilities. To do this, you are invited to be a part of a working party to decide on what new equipment/facilities will be provided for our children..
Please let me know if this is a group you would be interested in joining.
Sandra Webster
Principal
Important Dates
N.B. Dates and Activities may change from time to time. Please check the online calendar for the weekly updates on www.bradbury.edu.hk calendar. Thank you.
| DATE | EVENT | TIME |
| 21 October 2019 –
24 October 2019 |
Redress Asia Clothing Drive | |
| 21 October 2019 | Year 1 DTaP-IPV Immunizations | a.m. |
| 22 October 2019 | Community Gardening Day | 9.00 a.m. |
| 23 October 2019 | READING WORKSHOP FOR PARENTS, CAREGIVERS, ETC. |
8:45 a.m. |
| 23 October 2019 | Get Redressed Day | |
| 24 October 2019 | Year 6 Cake Sale | 10:00 – 10:30 a.m. |
| 24 October 2019 | Parental Consultations 2 | 3:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m. |
| 24 October 2019 | Island School Campus Tour | |
| 25 October 2019 | Bradbury CPD Day (No Classes) | ——– |
| 25 October 2019 | Last day to order Techni Photo | |
| 29 October 2019 | Year 4 Camp Meeting | 5:00—6:00 p.m. |
| 29 October 2019 | Feeding People In Need | 6:00 – 7:30 p.m. |
| 30 October 2019 –
01 November 2019 |
Book Fair | 8:30 a.m. – 2:30 p.m. |
| 31 October 2019 | Diwali Celebration in School | |
| 04 November 2019 –
06 November 2019 |
Class 5C/5B Camp | |
| 11 November 2019 –
13 November 2019 |
Class 5T/5M Camp | |
| 12 November 2019 | Year 6 Camp Meeting | 5:00 – 6:00 p.m. |
| 14 November 2019 | P.T.A. Sausage Sizzle | 12:00 – 1:00 p.m. |
| 19 November 2019 | Year 5/ Year 6 Sports Day | |
| 24 November 2019 | Hike for Hunger | TBC |
| 28 November 2019 | School Production | |
| 29 November 2019 | Bradbury School Night Market | 5:00 – 8:00 p.m. |
| 29 November 2019 | Last Day for After School Activities (P.E. Led) | |
| 02 December 2019 –
04 December 2019 |
Class 4A/4B Camp | |
| 04 December 2019 –
06 December 2019 |
Class 4S/4V Camp
|
|
| 09 December 2019 –
12 December 2019 |
Year 6 Camp | |
| 13 December 2019 | LAST DAY OF TERM | 2:40 p.m. |
| 16 December 2019 –
03 January 2020 (inclusive) |
Christmas Holidays | —— |
| 06 January 2020 | Classes Begin for Term 2 | 8:30 a.m. |
| 14 January 2020 | Year 3 / Year 4 Sports Day | |
| 14 January 2020 | SIS Experience Day | TBC |
Reading Workshop (23/10/2019)
By Mike McKee, Vice Principal and Amanda Bremner, PYP Coordinator
Next Wednesday 23 October we are holding a Home Reading Workshop for our early readers from 8.30am to 10am. This is open to parents, helpers or family members that help your child with their reading.
We will cover:
- Why reading is important
- Strategies to help your child with their reading
- Reading programmes at school
If you are interested to attend this workshop, please sign up at https://forms.gle/jGd6EkHL4tfpdoEr6
Community Gardening Day (22/10/2019)
By Amanda Bremner, PYP Coordinator
On Tuesday 22nd October, Bradbury School is having a Community Gardening Day where we are inviting keen gardeners into Bradbury to grow fresh produce / plants / flowers (season dependent), develop existing garden beds, connect to our surrounding environment and get an opportunity to do satisfying work. Our community gardening days will allow for all of us to have a good chat, share a few laughs and exchange ideas and will hopefully be an ongoing community event in the Bradbury calendar.
You don’t need to know how to garden to participate in this community adventure. We will provide some tools, soil, water, and gardening tips but if you have any of your own, please feel free to bring these into school with you.
Everyone is welcome to commit for as much time as they can spare during the school day starting at 9:00 AM. This will also be a great way to celebrate World Environmental Day!
Please sign up at https://forms.gle/Bu3Z4xvBRFz6zVLEA
Techni Photo (Order by 25/10/2019)
By Techni Photo
The order forms for Techni Photo have been distributed by the teachers this week. Please return your order to the school on or before 25 October 2019. You can also place your order online at www.techni-photo.com.
PTA News
By Monica Brennand, PTA Chairperson & Lin Gong, PTA Administrator
PTA Shop hours are from 8:30 AM to 11:30 AM.
Year 6 Cake Sale
The Year 6 cake sale will be held on Thursday, 24th October 2019. We would be grateful if each year 6 Student could contribute one dozen (only) individual sized cakes for this event. Please have your child deliver the cakes to the school hall on Thursday morning. If you would like your container returned, please clearly label both the top and bottom with your child’s name and class.
Reminder: No Single use plastic please! Please bring the cakes in reusable containers which are clearly labelled on both the top and bottom with your child’s name and class. Any single use plastic containers will be sent home!
Please remember:
NO NUTS OR NO NUTS PRODUCTS (incl. NUTELLA)
NO INDIVIDUAL PLASTIC WRAPPING REQUIRED
Although brownies and cupcakes are very popular, there is a school wide focus on health this year. To encourage children to make healthier choices we would love to see some alternatives that more nutritious and lower in sugar.
Volunteers – we require 9 helpers on the day between 9:30am and 11:00am, please email your class parent or the PTA at pta@bradbury.edu.hk or call 2893 2256 if you can help.
If you would like your child/children to buy a cake, please provide them with $10 and they will have an opportunity to buy a cake at morning break on Thursday.
Winter Night Market – Volunteers & Donations
You should have all received an email from your class parent outlining how you can help with the WNM preparations.
The PTA office are now collecting donations for the following:
Prizes for Tombola/ Cash donations/ Items towards year group hampers/ new & used books/ new & used uniforms.
We will also need lots of volunteers for the following:
Food & Cake stalls/ Craft stall/ face painting/ Game stalls/ Book stalls/ Uniform stall & Raffle/Tomobola/ Silent Auction
If you you’d like to volunteer on the night or help with preparations before the event, please do get in touch pta@bradbury.edu.hk
Volunteers for the PTA Sub – committee
The first sub-committee meeting will take place in the next few weeks and we still have two spots up for grabs! . If you think you can add value, or have any interesting ideas for school improvements you’d like to share, please get in touch with us at pta@bradbury.edu.hk
Winter Night Market Vendors
We have a great selection of vendors lined up but still need more! If any parent works for or has a connection to a toy manufacturer/ stationery supplier – we’d love to hear from you.
PTA Facebook page
Thanks to everyone for following us on Facebook. If you haven’t had a chance to do so, now is the time. Lots of community updates coming soon! https://www.facebook.com/BradburyschoolPTA/
Feeding People In Need In Our Community (29/10/2019)
By Amanda Bremner, Action Leader
Our upcoming community action event with Sunshine Action is on Tuesday 29th October 2019. This is a great opportunity for families to serve in the community together and to help people less fortunate than themselves. During this event we visit people living on the streets to deliver a hot meal and some basic food and toiletry items such as biscuits, fruit, and soap. Please find the details below:
Where: Nam Cheong MTR Station Exit A – meet across the road outside Fu Cheong Mall
Time: 6.00pm to 7.30pm (meet 5.45pm)
Who: Year 2-6 students and families/friends (students must be accompanied by an adult)
How: MTR Tung Chung Orange line from Central MTR Station
Cost: $200 per person attending (this covers the cost of the hot food we deliver and is payable when we meet on the evening)
Bring: Recycled shopping bag
Wear: Comfortable clothing, walking shoes
At Bradbury, we provide our community with various events across the year, in which we can help others. ‘Feeding People in Need’ is one such event. If you are interested in taking part, please sign up at https://forms.gle/aLgqU3iy9gikx4th8 .
I will contact you closer to the time with more details.
Library News
By Jane Thompson, Teacher Librarian
FUN TO READ
A reminder that the Library is looking forward to hosting our annual Book Fair. This year we are inviting Fun to Read to Bradbury to sell their books in the Library. The Book Fair will be open from 8.00 am until 2:30 pm on Wednesday 30th October, Thursday 31st October, and Friday 1st November. Parents are welcome to browse at any time.
Students will have an opportunity to browse and make purchases during their assigned class time.
If you would like your child to purchase one or more book/s on their allocated day please send them with an appropriate amount of money in a secure purse or container. The cost of most paperback books will be around $100 and hardback books are generally priced between $150-$220. Please remind your child to be responsible for both their money and purchases. If you are concerned about your child handling money, please feel free to do your own browsing and purchasing together in their allocated class buying time.
Reminders and the class schedule will be sent out closer to the date of the book fair.
Box of Hope
By Steve Fennelly, Vice Principal
Six years ago, Bradbury began supporting the ‘Box of Hope’ charity. We will be participating again this year and the appeal will be organised mostly by the student councillors.
Box of Hope is an annual charity project aimed at providing useful/educational gifts to underprivileged children in Hong Kong & Asia, donated by Hong Kong school children and local organisations.
Your child’s role is to fill old shoe boxes with NEW, interesting and EDUCATIONAL gifts at home and drop them off at a collection point. Bradbury School is a collection point. The boxes are then collected and delivered directly to the children in need. Some of these children have never received a gift. Each child has been given a set of stickers that they will need to stick on their box of hope.
I received information about this year’s appeal late last week, and although your child should bring home an informative sticker to be stuck on the decorated Box of Hope shoe box next week, I wanted to flag this now, just in case you are looking for an activity for the last weekend of the break!
As the collection week is in mid November, please encourage your children to start making up their boxes over the next week or so. We will start collecting them up from next Monday.
You can find out more information at http://boxofhope.org/home/main/en/
What to Pack
All items must be NEW. Please try to include 2 items from each category.
Remember to make your box both FUN and EDUCATIONAL!
Please include essential hygiene items.
TOYS – something to love – Bear, soft toy, tennis ball, finger puppet, jigsaw, yo-yo, small musical instrument, torch(incl batteries), playing cards, small trucks and cars, doll, jewellery, make-up, hair accessorises
EDUCATIONAL SUPPLIES – something to do – books – (simple english), Felt pens, pens, pencils, pencil sharpener, rubber, colouring book, notepad, picture/puzzle book, chalk, pencil case, stickers, calculator, etc.
HYGIENE ITEMS – something to use – Toothbrush & toothpaste, hairbrush, comb, hair clips, a bar of wrapped soap, flannel. NO LIQUIDS PLEASE.
OTHER ITEMS – something to wear – Sunglasses, cap, sun hat, bangles, necklaces, watch etc…
What not to Pack
NO FOOD / MEDICINE / WAR RELATED ITEMS toy guns/soldiers/knives / CLOTHING (other than listed above) / FRAGILE ITEMS Glass containers/mirrors / LIQUIDS of any kind including blow bubbles/shampoo/bubble bath/toiletry sets/aerosols / DANGEROUS ITEMS Marbles/sharp objects/scissors/razors.
How to make your box
http://boxofhope.org/info/children/how/en/
On behalf of our student council and the children who will enjoy a happier Christmas due to your donations, thank you very much for your support!
Redressed
By Amanda Bremner, PYP Coordinator
This October we are supporting local environmental charity Redress in their environmental awareness campaign ‘Get Redressed Month’. Through education, Redress’ goal is to help reduce textile waste, address over-consumption and educate students about the environmental impact of the fashion industry.
Why is fashion so polluting?
The fashion industry is one of the most polluting industries in the world, affecting everything from our land and water to the air that we breathe:
- It causes around 10% of the world’s greenhouse gas emissions – more than the aviation and shipping industries combined – and is the second-biggest polluter of clean water.
- Globally, one garbage truck full of textiles is landfilled or burned every second, and in Hong Kong alone we dump 370 tonnes of textile waste into our landfills every single day. Yet 95% of textiles that are thrown away every year could be re-used, recycled or repaired.
- The world’s appetite for fast fashion, business models that promote new clothing in stores every week (as opposed to every season), and our habits of wearing clothing only a handful of times before throwing it away are exacerbating the problem. Globally, we currently make and consume over 100 billion new garments every year.
Get Redressed Clothing Drive
One of the simplest ways to reduce the environmental impact of our clothes is to make sure they receive a second life through re-sale, re-use or recycling when we don’t want them anymore. Redress Asia will be collecting unwanted clothes from parents, students and staff through a donation box located in our school office.
Please drop off your unwanted men’s, women’s and children’s clothes between the 14th Oct and the 24th Oct. Please note that shoes, school and work uniforms and home textiles e.g. towels, blankets etc. are not accepted.
All clothes will be carefully sorted by Redress and either re-sold at the Redress Educational Pop-Up Shop, redistributed for re-use by 20+ local charities including Pathfinders, Impact HK, Crossroads and J Life Foundation, recycled, downcycled or repurposed.
Get Redressed Day will be on Wednesday 23rd October
Suggested donation is a coin donation.
Get Redressed Day promotes healthy attitudes towards our consumption of clothing and celebrates alternatives to buying new clothes, such as swapping, borrowing or buying secondhand. Students should come to school wearing something that was not purchased from new. For example:
- Clothes purchased secondhand
- Clothes that have been fixed e.g. patch, altered, darned, new zips/buttons added
- Clothes that have been borrowed or swapped with a friend/family member
- The oldest item in their wardrobe
- Hand-me-downs
- Homemade or up-cycled clothes
- Items made from recycled yarns/plastic
Students taking part in Get Redressed Day are requested to bring a coin donation. All donations will go back to the charity Redress Asia and their work to prevent and transform textile waste in Hong Kong. The funds raised help Redress deliver public education projects and enable them to collect, sort, recycle and redistribute clothing donations received by the public all-year round.
For more information about Get Redressed Month please visit:
www.redress.com.hk/getredressedmonth
The Fewer Toys Children Have, The More They Play
By: Raisedgood.com/toys-children-less-play/
“Leave them. They’ll have some there. Let’s travel light,” said my husband, referring to our son’s set of buckets and spades.
Thirty-six hours, two plane trips, a ferry ride, two shuttles, and a taxi later, jet-lagged but beyond excited, we arrived at our island in the middle of the South Pacific. We wasted no time; dropping our bags in our room and heading straight to the beach for a dip in the ocean. They’ll have a set of buckets and spades, I thought. Nope. So, we headed to the gift store. None. The next day, we went to the local market. Buckets and spades? No. We messed up.
How was my son going to play all week? How were we going to entertain him? What kind of parents don’t bring toys to the beach?
I felt like a failure…only my son wasn’t bothered. Without skipping a beat he started playing in the sand with shells. He used his snorkel to dig holes and build caves and castles and tunnels. He found sticks and drew dinosaurs. He gathered empty coconuts, filling them with sand and water to make mud. He played with hermit crabs, floated leaves in the waves and spotted fish from the shore. A few days later, we found a set of buckets and spades. We decided not to buy it.
Our son was having too much fun, his imagination running wild. We felt as though we were witnessing his creativity expanding with each passing day. They say that the fewer toys kids have, the more they play. It seems that they were right. So, let’s dig a little deeper to understand why that is.
Remove the toys and kids play more
Two decades ago, a German project called, “Der Spielzeugfreie Kindergarten” (the nursery without toys) wanted to see what would happen if they took toys away from kindergartens. All toys from participating classrooms were removed for three months.
The aim was to nourish self-confidence, imagination, creativity, problem-solving abilities and socialization. A video of the children was taken each day. On the first day, the children appeared confused and bored as they peered apprehensively around their big empty classroom. But, by the second day, the kids were playing with chairs and blankets, making dens by draping blankets over tables and weighing them down with shoes. Soon they started running around the room, chatting and laughing excitedly. By the end of the third month, they were engaged in wildly imaginative play, able to concentrate better and communicate more effectively.
Stages of toy discovery: exploration versus play
Kathy Sylva, Professor of Educational Psychology at Oxford University, concluded after studying over 3000 children aged three to five that “when children have a large number of toys there seems to be a distraction element, and when children are distracted they do not learn or play well.”
Dr John Richer, Pediatric Psychologist at John Radcliffe hospital in Oxford explains that when children receive a new toy they go through two stages: exploration followed by play.
During exploration mode, a child asks: “What does this toy do?”
And in play mode, a child asks: “What can I do with this toy?”.
It is during play mode that creativity, imagination, initiative, and adaptability thrive.
The potential impact of too many toys
Claire Lerner, Psychotherapist and Director of Parenting Resources at Zero to Three specialize in early childhood development. Claire conducted a government-funded study into the potential impacts of excessive toys, reporting that children, “get overwhelmed and over-stimulated and cannot concentrate on any one thing long enough to learn from it so they just shut down. Too many toys mean they are not learning to play imaginatively either.”
Christopher Willard, Clinical Psychologist and Author of Child’s Mind, reminds us that repetition has a purpose; reading the same books, singing the same song, playing the same games. Repetition serves to cement learning while enhancing cognitive development. After all, play is the work of childhood.
“Play is the highest form of research.” Albert Einstein
On the flip side, fewer toys help children use and develop their imagination, lengthen attention span, promotes taking care of and valuing the toys they do have more while creating greater opportunities to explore nature.
What type of toys are more likely to invite more play?
If our kids have fewer toys we want to make sure that the toys they do have provide the greatest play value. When assessing a toy, always be mindful that the play is in the child, not in the toy. If a toy lights up or makes noises, and all the child needs to do is press a button, that toy holds very little play value. These types of toys provide an immediate dopamine rush, make the child and the giver excited, but they are short-lived. On the flip side, toys like wooden blocks or magnatiles or silk scarves don’t dictate the play to the child – they hold greater play value as the child is free to use their imagination for endless play possibilities.
“As you decrease the quantity of your child’s toys and clutter, you increase their attention and their capacity for deep play.” Kim John Payne
Another way to choose toys is to determine if they are OPEN or CLOSED toys. Closed toys are generally defined as those that serve one purpose, once they’re completed, they’re done. Whereas, open-ended toys can be used for many different purposes. For example, coloured blocks can be used to build a castle, a bridge or for counting, sorting or balancing. Open toys ignite a child’s imagination. Having said that, some closed toys can also be wonderful – like puzzles and shape sorters.
Let’s simplify our kids’ toys together
The great irony is that, as a modern parent, it feels as though it is more difficult to have fewer toys in our homes than more. Having fewer toys, just as reducing our kid’s schedules, screen time or simplifying their lives, takes an intentional approach in our “more must be better” society.
“Minimalism is the intentional promotion of the things we most value and the removal of everything that distracts us from it. It is a life that forces intentionality.” Joshua Becker
When we say no to more toys, we say yes to more important life lessons. We give our children the opportunity to be able to learn to truly value what they have. And we communicate that they don’t need to look to external sources of materialism to bring them temporary happiness or reassurance.
Third-Party Organised After School Activities
Dear Parents,
The following companies are currently hiring our facilities to provide extra curricular activities for students. You may browse the school website under “LIFE AT BRADBURY” for their programs and enroll your child directly to the company:
ESF Sports, contact 2711 1280 or sports@esf.org.hk website: www.esf.org.hk
Soccer & Basketball Training – Adventure Sports Academy Ltd, contact Eilis Cheung at 3998 4042 or
info@adventuresportsacademy.com
website: www.adventuresportsacademy.com
Sanskriti/Hindi Language Class – Brilliant Learning International Ltd., contact Geetanjali Dhar at 3563 4300 or
info@sanskritiglobal.org website: www.sanskritiglobal.org
Chess Class & Camp – HoYinPingChess, contact Yin Ping Ho at 9215 2682 or hoyinpingchess@gmail.com website: www.hoyinpingchess.com/index/lesson.html / www.hoyinpingchess.com/index/camp.html
Swedish Language and Culture – Swedish Cultural Society, contact Linda at 9316-6599 or
svenskaskolanhongkong@hotmail.com
Website: www.svenskaskolan.hk
SeeWrite, Creative Writing, contact Vickie Yeung at 2559 9882 or info@seewritehk.com website: www.seewritehk.com
N.B. Bradbury School is not responsible for the quality and safety of programmes offered by third parties. However, please note that all hirers are required to provide third party liability insurance. Parents are urged to take steps to ensure that they are satisfied with any and all aspects of the after school programme(s) they elect to opt in to.
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