Bradbury Newsletter 28 April 2016

PRINCIPAL’S MESSAGE

Greetings to you all!

Last Saturday, 23 April 2016, we had two teams attend the Tournament of the Minds (TOM) competition at Kowloon Junior School.  This is a fast paced competition where teams of students work to solve problems in a number of disciplines: applied technology, language, maths, engineering.

Our teams did a great job representing Bradbury and I would like to congratulate each member on their very positive contributions in thinking, problem solving and team work.

Thank you to Mr. Allan who led the team for doing a great job.

Congratulations also to the Maths and Engineering team who were presented with the ‘Spirit of Tournament of Minds’ award for their team work and collaboration.

Kind regards.

Sandra Webster

Principal

PACK A SCHOOL RAINCOAT

Sandra Webster – Principal

IMPORTANT DATES

ADMISSIONS NOTICE

This is a reminder that if you intend to withdraw your child from Bradbury School at the end of this academic year, you are required to complete the student withdrawal notice and return it to the school office, via email, on or before 24 May 2016. Otherwise, we will assume that your child is returning after the summer holiday and parents will be liable to pay tuition fees for September 2016, even if the student does not return to school.

The Student Withdrawal Notice is available on the school website (www.bradbury.edu.hk).

John Ainsworth – Vice Principal

MINDSETS – STRATEGIES, STUDY AND OTHER SKILLS

Carol Farrington – P.S.E. Leader

P.T.A. NEWS

May 5   Sausage Sizzle

May 6   Year Book Cover Competition Deadline

May 20  School Disco

2015/16 YEAR BOOK

YEARBOOK COVER COMPETITION

Deadline for entries – Friday 6 May

See attached poster for details.

As part of the PTA Membership Fee, each family will receive one copy of the yearbook. If you would like to order additional copies they will be available for $150. Please complete the form below and return to your child’s teacher or Lin in the PTA shop.

SCHOOL DISCO

Our first school disco will be held in the hall on Friday 20 May.

Tickets will be $100 and include entry to the disco and pizza!

3.00pm – 4.00pm Years 1 to 3

5.00pm – 6.30pm Years 4 to 6

Ticket order forms will be sent home at the end of next week. Please return to your class teacher or to the PTA shop.

We would love your help with this event! If you would like to volunteer please email me at PTA@Bradbury.edu.hk

Don’t forget to check out the PTA Facebook page!! https://www.facebook.com/BradburyschoolPTA/

Julia Dunn – PTA Chairperson

“A Memento of Your Child’s Year”

Dear Parents,

The PTA, with support from the School, will produce a Bradbury School 2015-2016 Year Book. The Year Book is a beautiful memento of the school year and records the variety of activities your child has and will continue to experience at Bradbury school.

The book will be predominantly a colour publication in A4 size.  It will feature photographs and pictures with a contribution from every class in the School. The book is due for release in June 2016.

Each of our Bradbury families will receive their first copy of the Year Book as part of their PTA Membership Fee. If you would like to have any extra copy, please complete the form below and return it to your class teacher by Wednesday, 4^th May 2016 so that the print run can be arranged. The cost of each extra copy of our Year Book is HK$150.

BRADBURY SCHOOL YEAR BOOK ORDER (2015-2016)

NAME OF CHILD:                                                                      CLASS:                                   

I would like to order ___ extra copy/copies of the Bradbury School 2015-2016 Year Book at HK$150 for each copy.

I enclose a cheque made payable to “Bradbury School PTA Limited” for HK$                                .

Name of Parent:                                                             Signed:                                               

PLEASE RETURN THIS FORM & CHEQUE TO YOUR CHILD’S CLASS TEACHER BY Wednesday 4 May 2016.

Thank you

Bradbury School PTA

A strength of our school is the strong support that we receive from our parents and we want to keep working with you  as partners in your child’s education.

Sandra Webster – Principal

YEAR 1 DISCOVERY DOME

Amanda Bremner – P.Y.P. Co-ordinator

DIGITAL LIFE FOR OUR CHILDREN

COMMON SENSE ON DIGITAL LIFE

DIGITAL LITERACY AND CITIZENSHIP IN A CONNECTED CULTURE

What’s the Issue?

We may think of our children’s online, mobile, and technological activities as “digital life,” but to them it’s just life. In their world, being able to connect and communicate 24/7 from just about any location is normal – and expected! Between kindergarten and fifth grade (Year 6 in ESF), children go through rapid growth in learning about many topics, including digital media technologies. From playing games on their mum or dad’s cell phone, to learning how to point and click a mouse, to navigating online by themselves, children this age are participating in a connected culture.

Why Does It Matter?

Young children need to learn early how to make good choices so they can take advantage of the powerful technologies available to them. And to make these good choices, children need parental guidance.

The stakes are high because our children’s technological abilities can be greater than their maturity and judgment. Having unrestricted access to information and people can result in gaining a wealth of information and experiences. But it can also mean accessing inappropriate content and making inappropriate contact with others. The difference between a great experience and an iffy one lies in the decisions children make. Just as children learn to eat properly, swim safely, or drive a car carefully, they need to know how to live in the digital world responsibly and respectfully. Their ultimate success depends on their abilities to use digital media to create, collaborate, and communicate well with others. Those who master these skills in using digital tools will benefit from the digital world’s awesome power.

 Tips

Use bookmarks and safe search. Teach your child to bookmark his or her favourite sites. This way, your child is less likely to go somewhere online you don’t want. Use safe search options on Web browsers, such as Google or Bing, to make sure your child can search safely.

Consider using filtering and blocking software. Some parents find these tools to be useful to help protect younger children from accessing inappropriate content.

Have older siblings help. Have your older children help teach your younger children how to be responsible and safe online. Let the older ones know that you want them to help you protect their little brothers or sisters online.

Share wisdom. Children often don’t understand the implications of their actions. But we do. So we have to remember to extend our basic parenting wisdom to the digital world. We teach children to choose their words carefully, play nicely with others, and respect their teachers. Now we have to extend those lessons to a vast, invisible world.

Pass along your values. As a parent, you can translate your values into the digital world and help children understand the implications of their actions. Oftentimes the same rules that apply in the real word apply online, such as “be nice to others,” “don’t say mean things,” and “think critically about information.”

Seek balance. It’s hard to know how much freedom to give children. We want them to explore, enjoy, communicate, and create. We also want to be sure they are protected. If our children are going to thrive with digital media, we must balance the negative with the positive, privacy with protection. As our children grow, they need more independence and privacy. But parents have to be sure their children know how to be safe and responsible before letting them loose.

Keep an open mind. We don’t see the world the way our children do. And we don’t help our children when we judge their lives through the lens of a non-digital world. It’s important for us to understand that our children will spend much of their lives in a connected world, where everyone creates and communicates. We need to help them to enjoy it and learn from it.

Sources: commonsensemedia.org/sites/default/files/uploads/classroom_curriculum/k-5-familytip-digitallife.pdf

Steve Fennelly – Vice Principal/ Head of Learning Technology

NON-FICTION ENTRY BY AIRIANA CHAN – YEAR 4L STUDENT

Who was the first emperor of China?

Qin Shi Huang (259 BC-210 BC) was the earliest emperor to rule over China. Like other Chinese emperors, he was very mean to his subjects. If somebody disobeyed or disagreed with him, he would either force them to build The Great Wall of China or execute them. Sometimes, their family members might also be punished even though they were innocent. Qin Shi Huang wanted to enhance his own power in China, so he burnt many historical books and executed recalcitrant scholars. On the other hand, he was a well organized and capable person because he set up a lot of big projects, such as The Great Wall of China, the existence of the Terracotta Warriors and many more. These projects are now huge treasures for China. The Terracotta Warriors were also known as the Terracotta Army.

Why did Qin Shi Huang want the Terracotta Warriors to be placed in his tomb?

Qin Shi Huang wanted the Terracotta Warriors to be buried with him in his tomb as a show of his glory. To remember the army that triumphed over the warring states to unite China, and people used to believe that objects like statues could be animated in the afterlife. Important or royal people like Qin Shi Huang required an after-death army to be concealed with him in his tomb.

How do the Terracotta Warriors look?

The size of a warrior is about 5 feet and 8 inches tall. Terracotta Warriors were painted in a variety of colours, but since they were exposed to air, some of them have turned either grey or black. Luckily, some still have their colour. If you look closely, all the warriors’ facial features are unique. Even a facial recognition expert used a Neoface Facial Recognition, they still couldn’t find a pair of warriors that looked identical. Some of the warriors were holding swords, others were battling with crossbows, some were riding on chariots pulled by 2 horses, and a few were just riding on horses. It took more than 700,000 people and more than thirty years to complete this gigantic project.

How were they positioned?

They were all arrayed facing to the direction of east. Most warriors were placed in the first vault, the largest and most impressive vault in Qin Shi Huang’s tomb. There were around 8,000 warriors, 130 chariots and 670 horses. In total that is 8800! The tomb is in Xi’an China.

When and how were they found?

The Terracotta Warriors excavation was regarded as one of the greatest discoveries of the 20th century. Vault one was discovered when farmers were digging a well in 1974. Vault two and vault three were found 2 years later. They were about 20 meters away from vault one. Archaeologists predicted the construction started when Qin Shi Huang was at the age of 13.

What was the shape of a team and what does a general look like?

The warriors were divided into groups, and each group had to defeat an enemy. If a team failed to defeat their opponent, the whole team will be killed. Each team had a general to lead the team. The generals were built slightly taller than the other warriors. They all had a mustache and a goatee. Their hands were overlapped, with his right hand’s index finger pointing to the left while their left hand was resting on top of his right hand. The general of each team was wearing gears that looked like they were made out of metal instead of terracotta.

How did they know how to make such amazing weapons?

The swords that the warriors were using could go through hard-wearing armour. Nowadays, the swords being found are still very sharp and not rusty at all. Scientists found out the swords were being coated with a layer of Chromium, which will need 4000 degree Celsius to melt. Such technique was only developed in Germany in the 20th century. Their crossbows were made from bronze pieces. All the arrowheads were so powerful that it could pierce a hole through the enemy’s body. Their armours were made from alloy; alloy is a mixture of metals and many other elements. The armour they wore was called stone armour, which gave very strong protection. Where  the knowledge in Qin Dynasty came from still remains as a mystery. Some scientists even believe that Qin Shi Huang had come across with some creatures from outer space, and they told him which materials he should use and how to carve them. With those weapons, they could win almost every single battle.

Conclusion:

When I wrote this article, I did lots of researches, from articles to pictures and  from pictures to videos. The more I studied, the more interesting it felt. One day, if you have a chance to go to Xi’an, China, do not miss seeing Qin Shi Huang’s tomb! Who knows, you might find a tiny stone that is magical. According to the Chinese historical book called Shi Yi Ji, it mentioned that the aliens whom Qin Shi Huang had came across with some unusual creatures from outer space, the creatures used a piece of stone no bigger than a grain to help them survive. With that stone, they could light up a whole room at night! They could even throw that piece of thing into a river, then the whole river would boil and bubble!

Reference:

(Internet)

Wikipedia

Daily Mail News (article-2516445)

Lives-Science

Ai-journal

Dio english (A Chinese Historical Book, Shi Yi Ji)

(Youtube)

National Geographic China’s Ghost Army Terracotta Warriors (2010)

PHOENIX’S WINGS BY SOPHIA LI – YEAR 5G STUDENT

“ Time to sleep Phoenix!” yelled mum.

“Okay! Right away mum!” replied the ten-year-old girl Phoenix in a relaxed voice. Phoenix always went to bed with the same dream every time. Suddenly, Phoenix wondered,

“ I always dream that I am a human turning into a butterfly. But I wonder if I’m a human turning into a butterfly or a butterfly turning into a human?” She snuggled into her blanket, ready for bed.

The next day, Phoenix’s Coo-coo clock woke her up at eight.

“Time for Breakfast!” mum shouted.

“ Okay!” Phoenix replied.

Phoenix went into her bedroom trying to find her orange slippers. Instead, she found one of the small sized Terracotta Warrior statues. Phoenix remembered her dad once told her a story about the statue; the king told his soldiers to make many warriors when he died to protect him. The soldiers were made out of clay and they all look different.

All of a sudden, Phoenix felt that her body tingled. Nothing happened.

She looked down into the eyes of the statue; the statue was staring back at Phoenix. Phoenix felt that tingling touch again. It was like the Terracotta Warriors that she was holding sprinkled a handful of magical dust on Phoenix.

Phoenix found herself back in the olden days where the soldiers just finished building the statues!

“ Why did I just land on a tree and this is ridiculous!” she thought.

“ Hi, aren’t these statues beautiful?” said a voice appearing from nowhere. Phoenix was puzzled. A boy suddenly appeared in front of Pheonix’s eyes. Phoenix blinked hard, but the boy was still there.

“ Hi, my name’s William. What’s yours?”

“ My name is Phoenix.” Phoenix mumbled,

“ So, was it you who made the talking sound?” she continued.

“There’s no time for questions, first we have to get rid of your butterfly wings.” William said.

“ Butterfly wings?” screamed Phoenix.

“Yep.” said William. Phoenix looked; there really were butterfly wings!

“Well, help me get rid of them!” William giggled. He whispered to Phoenix that she had to go past the soldiers and grab the blue agate gemstone as big as a tennis-ball.

Phoenix saw eight thousands soldiers that were five-feet tall. Phoenix climbed down the tall leafy tree that she was on and tried to find a way to get past them. Phoenix saw the soldiers coming alive.

“What do you want?” asked the one of the soldiers pleasantly.

“ I want to get past you guys please.” replied Phoenix in a mellow voice.

“ Why?” asked the soldier.

“ I need to get the agate gemstone.” continued Phoenix.

“ Why?” ask the soldiers

William interrupted, “Because…” The soldiers let them pass.

“ Oh.” laughed Phoenix. She was so joyous that she came to another world.

“ Run along now, we don’t have much time.” said William,

“ You only have until sundown, and if you can’t get the blue agate in time, you have to stay with your butterfly wings for another year!” he continued.

“ Oh no! I can’t spend another year like this, I must get the blue agate before sundown!” Phoenix was a bit panicky and a bit jittery.

“ Come on! Let’s run!” Phoenix said to William.

“ Okay Phoenix.” They ran as fast as they could. William was a bit jealous about Pheonix’s butterfly wings. He thought that they were so pretty with all those colors; Phoenix’s wings had all the rainbow colors. The colors on Pheonix’s butterfly wing were really bright.

“ We are finally here William.” said Phoenix, all out of breath.

“I can see the blue agate! Just right ahead of us!” William smiled.

“ Oh boy, I feel very …… exasperated!” William continued. Phoenix waited no longer and grabbed that blue agate.

All the soldiers said at the same time, “ Closing, closing.”

“ What? Closing!” said Phoenix in a shocking voice.

“No!” screamed William. Phoenix had an idea.

“ I’ll try talking to the soldiers again.”

“ Great!” William thought.

Phoenix stepped forward to the statues and said in a crystal clear voice, “ Please may William and I pass through you lot?”

“ No!” said the soldiers.

“Please let us pass through!”

“ Okay” the soldiers said.

“ Yay!” Phoenix said as she jumped up and down.

“ Hold on a second, only one of you can pass through.” the soldiers said.

“You should be the one who goes past them,” William said.

“Thanks!”

“ Anytime.” he replied.

“ I’ll go to the other side, soldiers.” Phoenix answered. The Terracotta Warriors led a path all the way back to the tree where Phoenix started her adventure.

Before Phoenix left, she hugged William and said, “ Thank you!”

“ You are welcome, you better go, it is almost sundown.” William said, Phoenix gave a last goodbye wave to William.

This time, she ran faster than ever, feeling the wind pushing into her face.

“ There it is! The tree where I met William! I better be quick or I’ll have these wings for another year!” Phoenix said in her heart. She climbed up the tree and placed the blue sparkling agate on that tree. Something started to happen. She had that tingling feeling on her body again and she blinked hard and found herself back at her home.

* * *

“ Phoenix! Come down and eat your breakfast!” yelled mum.

“ Coming.” Phoenix shouted. She put down the statue and she was confused about why it was still breakfast. She ran down the curvy stairs and ate her breakfast.

“ Well you are fast, we’ve been waiting for you for two minutes only!” said Dad.

“ Two minutes?” Phoenix thought. She started to think that two hours in the olden days meant two minutes on planet earth!

“ What an adventure!” she said out loud and tried to feel if her wings were still there.

The following companies are currently hiring our facilities to provide Extra Curricular activities for students. You may browse the school website under “Community” for their programs and enroll your child directly to the company:

ESF Educational Services Ltd. – Language and Sports Programme, contact Candy Leung at 2760 3900 or cleung@esf.org.hk website: www.esf.org.hk

Adventure Sports Academy Ltd. – Soccer & Basketball Training, contact Eilis Cheung at 3998 4042 or info@adventuresportsacademy.com website: www.adventuresportsacademy.com/#!basketball-schedules/c1ovn

Brainchild Ltd. – DIY Robotics and Technology Workshop, contact Ice Chan at 2528 6862 or icechan@brainchildltd.com website: www.brainchildltd.com

Brilliant Learning International Ltd. (Sanskriti) – Sanskriti/Hindi Language Class, contact Geeta Dhar at 3563 4300 or sanskriti@sanskriti.com.hk website: www.sanskriti.com.hk

HoYinPingChess / Hong Kong Junior Chess Club – Chess Class / Junior Chess Tournament, contact Yin Ping Ho at 9215 2682 or hoyinpingchess@gmail.com website: www.HoYinPingChess.com / www.hkjuniorchess.org

Primary Matters – Writing Workshop, contact Marion McNally at 9465 4468 or primarymattershk@gmail.com website: www.primarymattershk.com

RugBees Ltd. – Rugby Play Programme, contact Kit Wong at 2117 3055 or kit@rugbees.com website:  www.rugbees.com

Starlit Voice Ltd. – Drama Programme, contact Clarissa Evans at 2108 2182 or info@starlit.hk website: www.starlitvoice.com/site2/voice/home/page.html?cid=5&aid=137040132800913

World All Styles Martial Arts Association – Martial Arts Class, contact Ka Lok Ho at 9120 4689 or wamakfyip@yahoo.com website: www.wama-karate.com

Percy Mak – Finance & HR Manager
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 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.