Newsletter - Term 2 (Week 6)

Dear Parents,

Week 6 has arrived and the children are just about to start their summative assessment for the unit. The children have enjoyed several experiments in recent weeks and are now in a position to do some quality control testing of their own!

Reflections – 2nd – 6th February

Last week began with the Year 3-6 cross country races. Thank you to all parents and supporters who braved the cold and wet conditions to support the children. Last week also saw the children focus on our third teacher question, why do we need quality control tests? Children learned about recent product recalls and what can happen in the case of companies who sell defective products, eg. the recent case of contaminated milk being sold in China. Late in the week we also formed small groups to test the elasticity of 2 different brands of rubber bands with the children supporting each other to develop their own hypothesis and quality control tests. The end of the week saw the children tested on their understanding of division concepts taught throughout the Term 2.

Weekly News: 9th — 13th February

Unit of Inquiry
This week we turn our attention to our summative assessment and answering student-initiated questions. In the early part of the week the children will form small groups and choose a product type, eg. nappies, batteries, toilet paper, etc. and compare different brands and perform various quality control tests to determine the best quality products. They will also be asked to examine which of the chosen brands offer the best value for money. In performing these tests, the children will need to demonstrate good thinking skills and come up with accurate and fair quality control tests.

Mathematics
Following last week’s division test, the children will spend some time going over their test results and clarifying any misunderstandings they might have. We will also begin work on fractions this week which we were unable to start last week due to time constraints. While the children are improving their application and understanding of both written and mental strategies for division, many children still need to practise their times tables to 10. While we regularly practise these at school, children really need to be doing time tables exercises and games as part of their maths practise at home. In our class maths groups we will continue working on measuring the mass of different objects through a variety of problem-solving tasks.

English
The children will consolidate their understanding of how to accurately present and write science lab reports. They are now familiar with the various parts of a lab report and will demonstrate their understanding of this genre as part of their summative assessment task. Reading groups will continue to focus on good reading and comprehension strategies, with a particular focus this week on how to respond to different questions showing good thinking skills.

What can I do to help?
· Maths - please continue to refer to the information booklet that was distributed to parents in Term 1. This document has valuable information about different strategies and methods used to teach maths.

Upcoming Events and Reminders:
· Year 6 will be going on a field trip to Jeronimo Martins wharehouse in Azambuja on Monday, 9 February. A BIG THANK YOU to Mr José Silva Ferreira for helping to organise our excursion. Don’t forget that children will have lunch and snack provided on the day and will need to bring a warm coat to wear on the excursion.
· This week students in Years 4 and 6 will participate in the International Schools Assessment. The testing will take place from Tuesday, 10 February to Thursday, 12 February between 8:30am and 10:30am. The assessment tasks are designed to inform international schools of their programs and identify priorities for the future. Please note that results from the testing do no count towards student grades and reports. Given that testing starts at 8:30am, it is very important students arrive at school no later than 8:25am so that testing can begin at 8:30am. Students that are late will be excluded from the test.
· Portuguese Poetry and Mother Tongue Language Day – 19 February.
· Carnaval - as in previous years, we will be celebrating Carnival with a parade. This will take place in the afternoon of the 20th of February. The children dress up in fancy costume and we all gather in the Gym hall for a parade and an afternoon of music and dancing. Please prepare a carnival costume for your child. We regret that we are unable to invite parents on that day.
· Half–term break: 23 – 27 February.
· Music - from term 2 all music sheets will be posted only on Ms Balazs’ blog. If you need a hard copy, you should contact your Ms Balazs.

With thanks,
David Barrett, David Gocentas and Ms Isabel Costa Pereira