Bradbury Newsletter 28 November 2016
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PRINCIPAL’S MESSAGE |
| Greetings to all of the Bradbury School Community!
Our annual night market is fast approaching. This is one of the biggest events that the P.T.A. runs. To be sucessful, it calls for huge coordination, organisation and cooperation. Many thanks in advance to everyone who is giving their time to help make this night a success. We really appreciate it and I look forward to seeing you all there.
I have a new blog post, this one is on classroom environments- are lively ones, stimulating or distracting? This topic was raised in a staff meeting recently and has prompted plenty of discussion and ‘food for thought.’ I would be interested in hearing what you think, so please leave a comment if you wish. Thank you.
Sandra Webster Principal |
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IMPORTANT DATES |
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UPCOMING COMMUNITY ACTION EVENTS |
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We have two more community action events for the upcoming year in December 2016. We need volunteers to help pack around 3,380 fortune food bags and then distribute the food bags to elderly in need with Sunshine Action. The dates for these events are: Saturday 3 December (International Volunteer day) – PACKING DAY 8.50am-12.30pm HKMA David Li Kwok Po College MTR OLYMPIC Station Exit D crossing to a big mall and then the bus terminal on street level, the school is one block further Yau Ma Tei Station Exit B2 and 43M Minibus Telephone 2626-9100 Contact for the day Clayton Heggie 61850129
Saturday 10 December – Distributing Food bags – DISTRIBUTION DAY 8.50am-12.30pm Caritas Elderly Centre Lai Kok Estate Lai Hoi House 3 Floor Cheung Sha Wan MTR Station Exit A1 then walk up to the second floor platform. Contact for the day Amanda Bremner 63864899
Please let Ms. Fritzi know on reception if you would like to participate in any of these events.
Amanda Bremner – P.Y.P. Co-ordinator /Clayton Heggie – Y5 Teacher |
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CALLING FOR MORE RECIPES! |
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| This year the Bradbury PTA and the EcoDudes are joining forces to produce a school cookbook. The aim is to promote healthy eating, healthy lifestyles and to reduce the amount of over packaged lunch/snack food being bought into school which causes environmental waste. The Eco Dudes want to encourage families to cook together and for students to become more aware of what they are eating.
We are looking to gather a variety of favourite recipes from all members of our community. We would love parents/families to contribute a recipe by completing the following link to a google doc where we ask you to provide the following information: · A title for the recipe · Information about the chosen recipe e.g where it came from, why you have chosen this recipe etc · Serves (number of people the dish will feed) · Preparation time · Cooking time · Ingredients needed · Method · Tips e.g how the food can be served, alterations to the recipe etc Next term, we will be asking parents/families to bake/make and bring the dish into school for staging and photographing by professional photographers/chefs.This will ensure the photos in our cook book meet the printing specifications and will enhance the overall look of the book.
Please read the instructions and complete a submission by 10 December. https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/0ByIuKhe9hq2fb2l0azluZmlQbWM?usp=sharing
Thanks and we look forward to reading your recipes.
Amanda Bremner, Lorinda Thomas and Queenie Ho |
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POWERFUL PROVOCATIONS |
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| A powerful learning strategy that our teachers often use to get our students really thinking about concepts and ideas associated with Units of Inquiry or a curriculum area is the “ Provocation”. A good provocation should ‘provoke’ students, build their interests about the upcoming learning and leave them asking questions. It may push students to think outside of their comfort zone, and hopefully it will leave a lasting impression. A provocation can be used right at the beginning of a new unit of work, or at a strategic point during the learning cycle.
“Provocations” can be done in many different ways. It might be a scenario experience or exposure to new materials and resources. It could also be a provocative book or film that challenges students’ thinking and gets them inquiring and considering different perspectives about targeted issues and concepts. I am continually impressed by the creative and varied ‘provocations’ that our teachers design and implement to engage our students. Here are a few examples of ‘powerful provocations’ this term: Year 1. As a lead into inquiring about the roles and responsibilities of people in our communities. the Year 1 team organised a morning that started very differently from any other. After the morning whistle blew for students to line up, no teachers turned up to help students or take them upstairs as usual ( students were in fact being secretly watched by us!). Soon all the Year 2 students were whisked away by their teachers and our Year 1 students were left alone. Eventually they just started to line up themselves, some wondering where the teachers were and what was happening. Our Librarian was on the playground and she soon came along and ‘theatrically’ asked our Year 1 student what was going on and where were the teachers ( yes, we had rehearsed this all!). She then told them they had better go and see what was happening and sent them off ‘on their own’. Our Year 1 students took themselves up the stairs, and even with no one to be ‘seen’, still mostly followed their morning routines and headed into classes. Once in classrooms they found their teachers were not really doing their job at all! They were in fact theatrically engaged in other things. One was asleep on the desk, another was having breakfast and another was reading a book. Teachers told students they were ‘too tired’ or “too busy” doing something else and that the students should get on with their learning on their own. They then kept busy with ‘not’ doing their job and left the students to sort things out themselves. Classes reacted in different ways, ranging from students sitting on the carpet and waiting and waiting for something to happen, to students going and getting some books out and starting to do some ‘work’, to a few students in one class taking on the role of the teacher and organising the class and trying to do the register. We were actually very impressed with just how much they did do on their own before they started to feel lost or frustrated. Eventually when some level of frustration was becoming apparent for students the teachers intervened and let the students in on the secret. The brainstorming and discussions that followed about what happens when people don’t do their expected jobs and how the students had felt during the ‘unexpected’ session, were full of ideas and showed a great level of understanding and interest sparked from the ‘provocation’. When I visited classes that day I did have quite a few students tell me that I hadn’t been doing my ‘job’ that day, as I hadn’t been on the playground that morning. Year 2. As part of a Unit of Inquiry where students investigate into different ways that we can find out about the past, the teachers set up a fabulous ‘provocation’ where all students became archeologists. For this provocation the teachers gathered together a wide range of artefacts and pictures of artefacts and had them all individually wrapped in brown paper and string and then buried them all in our large sandpit (big thanks to the parents who helped with wrapping and burying ‘stuff’). Following some input about how artefacts from the past can tell about people’s lives and then watching a film about archaeologists and what they do, students then had an archeological ‘dig’ session in the sandpit. What a frenzy of digging and excitement! As items were unearthed students had to carefully unwrap them, or dust them off with brushes. They then had to decide what they might be, try to match them against contemporary images of their counterparts, order them from oldest to most recent, and formulate questions that they wanted to investigate about the items and their uses. I smiled when a music tape-cassette, just like the ones I used in the 80’s, was unearthed and was brought to me by a student excitedly declaring that he had dug up an ‘ancient radio’! Another student thought that a VCR tape had to be a book as it opened like one. The intensity and interest displayed by all students was infectious, and in this developmentally appropriate and engaging ‘provocation’, the students’ curiosity to find out about the past by examining artefacts stayed strong throughout the Unit of Inquiry. Year 6. Our Year 6 teachers designed a ‘powerful provocation’ to inspire some wonderful descriptive writing from our senior students earlier this term. Students had first examined quality examples of descriptive writing by published authors, with a focus on ‘scarey’ story opening scenes. The teachers planned and delivered a series of lessons where students deconstructed the language and grammar choices that the writers had used in their story openings. The teaching team then set up a ‘sensory’ provocation experience where they turned one of the shared areas between two classrooms into an eerie, spooky, intriguing room for students to experience and gain sensory inspiration for their writing. This included ordering in some dry ice to create a room shrouded in mist, putting together strange and ‘scarey’ things to feel, smell and listen to. Students then spent time going through the room- which was enormously popular! They then collaborated to come up with vocabulary and language ideas that captured the sights, sounds, textures and emotions that they had just experienced. These ideas were then used by the students to produce some wonderful ‘story starters’ in their own writing. See the students experiencing the provocations by clicking the link: Provocations Movie Therese Gallen – Vice Principal |
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STUDENTS FROM CLASS 4T TAKES ACTION |
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Take Action: Reduce, Reuse and Recycle to Minimize Landfill. Landfills are holes in the middle of the ground that we fill with rubbish. In Hong Kong there is a lot of rubbish and our landfills are becoming full. We are running out of space to put all the waste we create. If everyone makes a small change we can make a difference. Here are three suggestions.
First, when you go to the supermarket, look for fruits or vegetables that are not wrapped in plastic. Many fruits have their own skin to protect them from being damaged, so the plastic it comes wrapped in is not needed. By buying loose fruits, you are reducing the waste that goes into landfill. Even if you get fruits from the supermarket, you should not use plastic bags; instead, you should bring your own cloth bags or paper bags because you can reuse them for many times or many years. Second, instead of buying school snacks in lots of little packets, you should buy one big packet. These snacks can be put into a container that can be transported to school. This helps to reduce the amount of landfill. Finally, if you buy food in a cardboard box, you shouldn’t throw it away. It could be reused for an art project or recycle it. For example, you can make a diorama. Cardboard is made from paper, which comes from trees. This means, you are not cutting down trees, we are helping animals habitats and reducing landfill. Also, you are saving your own life because trees give you oxygen.
In conclusion, we can save the environment so we can save lives, and we can live a better life, plus we can make the world a better place in the future. If we dump a lot of waste, we will run out of space. We will not live for a long time. So to sum it all up, now we should reduce, reuse and recycle!
By Lily, Khushi, Yelena, Sophie, Victoria and Nikita – 4T Students |
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P.E. NEWS |
| AFTER SCHOOL ACTIVITIES – TERM 2
The registration for Term 2 activities will commence on Gateway, this Monday, 28 November at 8.30am and will close on Friday 9 December at 2.30pm Please do not try to sign up before this as you will not be able to access the process. FOOTBALL The football team performed exceptionally well against a tough opposition at the ICHK Tournament at Kings Park, this Tuesday. The boys won – three, drew – two and lost – 1 to make it through to the Cup Semi Final where they were beaten by a strong Harrow team. The way was paved by Calvin Powell with an industrious work rate and some deft touches. He was closely supported by the Ip brothers, Markus and Moriz, who consistently worked the wings with grace. An admirable effort by all the boys involved proving truth in the phrase, ‘you reap what you sow’.
Ally Maclay – P.E. Leader
N.B. Term 1 After School Activities will finish on 2 December 2016. |
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MOVEMBER |
| The teachers (a.k.a the Bradbury Bandits) are 3 weeks into growing their mo’s for their bros. There are some great efforts, some dodgy attempts and a range of styles. Some are itching to shave and most are becoming very attached to their new found furry friends.
Please, please, please donate for this excellent and meaningful cause, the Movember Foundation. They’re tackling some of the most significant health issues faced by men. Your donations will help them stop men dying too young. Click here to dontate : http://moteam.co/bradbury-bandits Ally Maclay – P.E. LEADER |
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THE HONG KONG YOUNG WRITERS AWARD 2017 |
| Bradbury School is entered in this year’s Hong Kong Young Writers Awards. This competition is an opportunity for children to write for a different purpose, both the competition itself and to also showcase their writing at school, as all entries will be displayed at school.
A meeting will be held on Monday next week over the lunch breaks for all interested students to gain information about how to enter and ideas about the theme. To support students getting started both myself and Ms. Thompson will be available to answer questions and offer support during scheduled morning tea and library sessions, where students can drop into the library to work on their entry and have a chat about it. Students’ entries will be due into school by Friday, 13 January, so they will have over seven weeks, including the Christmas holiday, to work on their entry. It is important for parents to note that all work must be the students’ own work, unassisted by adults or older students. Of course parents are able to help by looking at the online website with students and supporting them in discussing their ideas and following through with them. This year’s theme is “The New Tales of Old Shanghai” and all entries must be based on this theme. Students from Years 1 to 6 are eligible to enter the following categories: · Fiction · Non-Fiction · Poetry · Cover Art. Please click on the link below for more information about the competition. Happy writing ! Therese Gallen – Vice Principal/ English Leader |
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P.T.A. NEWS |
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THE FINAL COUNTDOWN!! ONLY 1 WEEK TO GO!
WINTER NIGHT MARKET: 2 DECEMBER 5.30PM – 8.30PM This is the major annual fundraiser for the Bradbury School PTA and ALL proceeds from this event benefit our children through the various projects the PTA sponsor. These include the new Spiderweb, the Artist in Residence program and annual donations to support the library and year 6 Graduation!! HOW TO HELP For this event to be a success we need your HELP!
VOLUNTEERS We still need lots more parent volunteers on the night! In particular we need help on the INDIAN, CHINESE and PIZZA food stalls plus the TOMBOLA and YEAR GROUP GAMES stalls. We also need help with setup from 3.30pm. Please contact Julia Dunn juliaedunn@gmail.com, the PTA pta@bradbury.edu.hk or your class parent is you can spare any time. Even 30 minutes will make a huge difference!
USED BOOKS We are now collecting books and games for the used bookstall. Please go through your bookshelves and cupboards to find a few to donate! We are particularly looking for children’s books, adult fiction, cookery books, puzzles and board games. Please drop off in the PTA shop or book collection boxes in the school/hall entrance.
NEW TOY / GIFT ITEMS / PRIZES Please drop off any unwanted, NEW toys or gifts or prizes to the PTA Office.
UNIFORM This year we have a second hand uniform stall. If you have any uniform you would like to donate please make sure it is clean and in good condition and drop off in the PTA shop.
CAKES We need lots of delicious cakes, brownies and biscuits for the British stall so please get baking. Please drop off at the British food stall on the night.
WINTER NIGHT MARKET NEWS
This year I am excited to announce that DISCOVERY DOME will be running ‘Amazing Space’ sessions throughout the evening. Each session will be $50 (all of which goes straight to the PTA!) and lasts for 15 minutes. Sign up at the Discovery Dome stall on the night. SPACE IS LIMITED SO SIGN UP EARLY!!!!! I would like to say a MASSIVE thank you to our wonderful Bradbury parents Lorne and Rachel Ali, who are running the whole session as a donation to the PTA and on Lorne’s birthday no less! Look out for Discovery Dome posters around school for more information.
CASH COUPONS This year we will only be accepting coupons on all the PTA run stalls including the games, craft, international food stalls and the bar. Coupons in books of $100 can be purchased on the night at ticket sales booths or in advance from the PTA shop.
SHUTTLE BUS Kwoon Chung will be running a shuttle bus to School from the General Post Office in Central and the Cricket Club. Times as follows: GPO to Bradbury Bradbury to GPO 5:00pm and 6:00pm 7:30pm and 8:30pm HKCC to Bradbury Bradbury to HKCC 5:00pm, 5:30pm, 6:00pm, 7:30pm and 8:30pm 6:30pm and 7:00pm
Lastly I would like to say huge thank you to everyone who helped out at the Sausage Sizzle last week and to Marilu Logudic for her amazing organisational skills!! It was our most successful sizzle yet, raising almost $15K!!! Don’t forget to check out and like our Facebook page for all the PTA news and upcoming event details! Julia Dunn – PTA Chairperson Email: pta@bradbury.edu.hk. Website: https://www.bradbury.edu.hk/pta-2/ |
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BOX OF HOPE |
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Thank you all so much for your thoughtful and generous donations for this year’s Box of Hope appeal. We had an amazing response with over 500 boxes being picked up by Box of Hope on the 14 November. As well as brightening Christmas for hundreds of children this Christmas, we hope that you and your children have enjoyed working together to take action and make a difference in our community and the wider world. The recipients of Boxes of Hope in Hong Kong are: Harmony House, Po Leung Kuk, Emergency Care Ward, HKSPC, The Duchess of Kent Children’s Hospital, SOCO, Hong Kong Adventist Hospital Foundation, TREATS, Christian Action, Caritas Lok Yi School, Small Group Homes, Home of Loving Faithfulness, Enlighten Action, Hong Kong Child & Youth Services, ISSHK, Tung Wah Hospitals SGH. Salvation Army, Vision First, Hip Hong, Pathfinders, Saviour Lutheran School for Mentally Disabled Children, Kowloon. Princess Grace Children’s Hospital & The Adventist Hospital Foundation, HK. Box of Hope also ships boxes to charities in Macau, China, the Philippines, Kenya, Cambodia, Vietnam and Nepal. Steve Fennelly – Vice Principal/Upper Phase Leader |
 LIBRARY NEWS |
| A big thank you for your support with this year’s Book Fair. It was a wonderful success with many of our students purchasing books. It was lovely to hear the discussions about which books to buy as well as seeing them use their mental calculation skills to work out how much they were spending!
The school has received HKD$8000 from Bookazine to spend on books for the library and we have already selected many titles which I am sure students will enjoy borrowing from the library. Thank you again.
Jane Thompson (Teacher Librarian) & Connie Leung (Library Assistant) |
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THIRD PARTY AFTER SCHOOL ACTIVITIES |
| 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 enrol 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 Backershagen B.V. (LanguageOne) – Global Mother Tongue Education, contact Leandra Lok at 5501 5262 or leandra.lok@languageone.nl website: www.languageone.nl Banana Art Club – Art Class, contact Megan Lee at 6020 5476 or bananaartclub@gmail.com website: www.bananaartclub.com Brainchild Ltd. – DIY Robotics and Technology Workshop, contact Ice Chan at 2528 6862 or icechan@brainchildltd.com website: http://brainchilddiyworks.wixsite.com/brainchild/school–activites or https://www.facebook.com/Brainchild-DIY-Workshop-305849122876304/?fref=ts 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 Canadian Children’s Technology Workshop (Asia) Ltd. (The Genius Workshop) – Engineering & Mechanic Workshops, contact Vince Fung at 2591 0100 or vince@g-workshop.com website: www.g-workshop.com/schools/bradbury_2016-17 CentreStage Studios HK Ltd. – Singing, Dancing – Ballet, Jazz, Tap Dance, contact Imogen Taylor or Kaijah Bell at 5236 7960 or 2689 2272 or admin@centrestagestudioshk.com website: www.centrestagestudioshk.com Discovery Dome Hong Kong Ltd. – Astronomy Club with a Portable Mobile Planetarium (Year 3-6 students), contact Lorne Ali at 9754 4081 or lorneali@hotmail.com, website www.discoverydome.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 or www.hkjuniorchess.org Kate’s Kids – Kindermusik, Music & Movement Activity, contact Kate Leung at 9019 6793 or catherine@kindermusik.hk website: www.kateskids.com.hk 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. – LAMDA Musical Theatre (Tuesdays) & Group Drama (Thursdays), contact Vincent Warren at 2108 2182 or info@starlit.hk website: www.starlitvoice.com
Percy Mak – H.R. & Finance 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. |
