Issue 23

THE BULLETIN BPS NEWSLETTER

The Bulletin BPS Newsletter

24 th February 2017

I F YOU BELIEVE YOU CAN, YOU MIHGT. IF YOU OU KNOW YOU CAN, YOU WILL – STEVE MARABOLI

Coding for kids in the BPS Curriculum! You may have heard about the recent global trend to teach coding in schools and BPS is no exception, in fact we've been ahead of the game, as we've embedded coding into our curriculum for a number of years now. Our students learn to use block based programming approaches to control robots, characters on screen, and to create their own solutions to problems. In each year group the challenges become progressively more complex, so in Year 1 we learn to program BeeBot to move to different places on a map and by Year 4 we are using MIT Scratch to code our own online Maths games. We learn about the uses of coding, programming and robotics in society. Did you know it’s 50 years since the first robots began work on car production lines? For most children it’s a really fun lesson and they often ask if they can do extra work at break times or at home. ‘Common Sense Media’ is a useful resource for teachers and parents alike to find out about more ways to use technology at school and at home. If you’d like to find some ideas for Apps and websites for coding please visit https://goo.gl/eETfEk - ideal for cold and

by Mrs. Mel Hall

rainy long weekends! Have fun and learn to code together.

THE BULLETIN BPS NEWSLETTER

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Eco Warriors by Miss Elizabeth Bottemley As we educate children to prepare them for an ever changing world, it is imperative that we don't forget about the importance of teaching those in our care to protect the planet on which we live. Earth, and many of the species which inhabit it, are being put ut at risk by the human race and it is our responsibility to do something about it. Preparing our students to be global and environmental citizens is very important. It is for our children and generations yet to come.

Our Eco Warriors are also on the lookout for litter bugs in the playground and reminding children and adults to make sure their litter goes into the bins and is recycled where possible. We only have one planet and we need to work together to preserve it. it

Within Years 3 and 4 we are starting small (acting locally thinking globally) with the aim to grow into something much bigger over time. We have appointed our very own Eco Warriors who have the responsibility to remind others of how their actions impact on the environment. Although we know that hat switching off the light when we leave the room or closing a door to conserve energy used by the air con is the right thing to do, many of us forget. These children are tuned into reminding us to carry out these actions so it becomes a positive habit in our daily routine. We are mid way through ''Switch Off Fortnight'' which will see how our eagerness to conserve energy through switching off lighting, heating and air con has had an impact on the school’s electricity usage.

Puppet theatre in class

by Miss Sophie Hockey

Inspired by our trip to the puppet theatre and museum, the children in Reception have enjoyed setting up their own theatre and ticket station within their play. During our shared reading sessions, we have been focusing on the traditional stories of Little Red Riding Hood and The Three Little Pigs. The repetitive phrases and simple story progression has helped the children to retell a story, identify the beginning, middle and end, as well as the characters and

settings. They have explored language and expression expres through this and many children have been very keen to make their own books and even write their own stories! The Reception teachers are very proud of the children's efforts and application of their phonic sounds. Imagine what they will be able to write writ by the end of the year!

THE BULLETIN BPS NEWSLETTER

Year 6 Reading Challenge

Issue23

by Katrina Millward

This week Year 6 students have been set a library challenge to complete as a 92 strong team. The students have been placed into teams of four and challenged to read two level appropriate books each from differing categories. Following the completion of each eac book students will give a book review on video, this will then be

Mystery Trip

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uploaded to Seesaw. Once ALL teams have read their 8 books and completed their videos the WHOLE team will celebrate with a picnic by the river. Watch this space and encourage our Year 6 students to rise to the library challenge.

by Dean Kirt

The intriguingly titled Mystery Trip took place this week in Year 6 on Thursday. As a kick start to our new topic, “Adventurous Mind and Spirit”, it was deliberately designed to take the children on an exploratory journey into the local area. When the mysterious location was revealed as Jiantan Shan the children faced the challenge of a long, undulating hike with pleasing determination nation and resilience. Armed with their maps and compass the

children then set out to identify distant landmarks and plot their way along the ridge trail. The trip was a great success thanks to the support of our Year 6 parents who accompanied us. The children ch now have a real experience of the uncertainty and ultimate satisfaction of any explorer who has ever dared to step forth into the unknown.

All entries MUST be handed into the year group baskets in the library by Wednesday 1st March at 3pm

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Air Quality Control monitoring and notification- School procedures by Mr. Kerry Nockolds In Taipei we are fortunate that most days the air quality in the Taipei area is pretty good, however TES monitors the air quality every morning and has a policy which takes certain actions to protect our students from the potential harms of poor air. Each morning, the nursing unit of EPC and ESC check the Environmental Protection Administration Executive Yuan Website’s Taiwan Air Quality Monitoring Network http://taqm.epa.gov.tw/taqm/en/AqiMap.aspx , to evaluate the air quality for the coming day. Just before Christmas, the units for measuring this, on the site, changed to the more globally used AQI (Air Quality Index) system, and so we wanted to let parents know a little more about these measures and the school’s policy on protecting the students on bad air days.

The full policy is viewable on the TES website, but the basic concept is as follows:

The AQI has several levels: Green 1-50: Good air quality Yellow 51-100: Moderate air quality Orange 101-150: Unhealthy for sensitive groups Red 151-200: Unhealthy Purple 201-300: Very unhealthy Mauve 301-500: Hazardous

On most days we have Green or Yellow level AQI, as per picture, in which case all is good and no action is required. However, if it is near Orange, or in Orange level, the nursing unit will monitor every hour to check if levels are rising (or falling) and then notify Section Heads if it reaches higher Orange level in preparation for potentially hitting the Red level. At Orange level, a message is sent to teaching staff to make sure they are aware of the poorer air quality should they have sensitive children with asthma or other respiratory issues. In such cases if the child is uncomfortable they may sit out of physical activities taking place outdoors. When levels reach Red, the policy kicks in with outside break cancelled; outside PE relocated inside and outside ECAs relocated inside or postponed/cancelled. In the case of field trips if the levels are Orange it will take place as scheduled but should it turn Red during the day the leaders will try to reduce outside activity especially of a physically demanding nature. In addition to these internal notifications, parents who wish to be updated on AQI in Taipei can visit the school website, where the AQI flag will be displayed on the news page should the levels be Orange or higher. Also, following local school procedures, there will be a flag system used outside the gates of each campus, showing the level of the air quality each morning. This will enable parents to advise sensitive children to be vigilant and let the teacher know if they are feeling any effects from the poor air quality that day. The flags have been ordered from the Department of Education and are expected to be delivered in March/April. The school has been following these policies over the past few years and we appreciate each section newsletter for helping us communicate the new policy given the new governmental AQI system.

THE BULLETIN BPS NEWSLETTER

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THE BULLETIN BPS NEWSLETTER

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Year 5 CLC Lesson

Nursery Playtime

(Mon) 27 Feb

- School INSET Day (no school)

(Tue) 28 Feb

- Peace Memorial Day (Public Holiday)

(Thu) 02 Mar

- Year 6 Trip to Tamsui Forts and Tamkang Maritime Museum

06-10 Mar

- Year 6 Kenting Trip (B6.3/ B6.4)

13-17 Mar

- Year 6 Kenting Trip (B6.1/ B6.2)

16-19 Mar

- FOBISIA Maths Competition – Team to KL

(Tue) 21 Mar

- Year 5 Trip to Yingge Pottery Village (B5.3/B5.4)

(Wed) 22Mar

- Year 5 Trip to Yingge Pottery Village (B5.1/B5.2) - Early Years Foundation Sports Day (BN/ BR)

(Thu) 23 Mar

- Key Stage 1 Sports Day (Year 1-3)

(Fri) 24 Mar

- Key Stage 2 Sports Day (Year 4-6)

23-27 Mar

- FOBISIA Music Festival – Team to HK

For more details of the school academic calendar, please click the link below: http://www.taipeieuropeanschool.com/calendarM.php

Reception PE Lesson

Year 4 Maths Lesson