The holidays are only a day away and the little elves in Grade 2 have been busy getting ready for DSKI's Christmas Market and their musical performance too!
Please come out and support a good cause as all of the profits from our sales will be donated to charity.
The students have been busier than Santa and his elves on Christmas Eve as they worked hard to create cute reindeer crafts to go with some delicious Reindeer Poo!!
The students will be working in shifts at the Grade 2 Booth taking turns to sell our Reindeer Poo and decorations. When they are not scheduled at the booth, they are free to visit other shops together with their parents. Please check the schedule below and make sure that they show up on time for their work shift!
Grade 2 Xmas Market Shift Schedule 2019
10:00 - 10:15
10:15 - 10:30
10:30 - 10:45
10:45 - 11:00
Aita
Ellie
Sophia
Rafael
Lucas
Yoshika
Yeonjae
Simran
Sakura
Kanna O
Junsu Y
Yua
Junsu P
Kanna H
They will also be performing my personal favourite Christmas carol, Carol of the Bells! Despite some issues with synchronizing their tempo early on, as well as overcoming the challenges of learning how to play a new instrument, they are finally ready to perform for an audience!
Then after a visit from a special visitor dressed in red and white, it will be time to pack up and get ready to go home around 1pm.
Please enjoy the market and our performance tomorrow, and of course have a wonderful winter holiday with your family.
Last Wednesday, Grades 1 and 2 went on an excursion to Nadahama Science Square as part of our unit on inventions. Before entering the Science Square, they enjoyed a nice picnic lunch out under the autumn leaves. Those who ate quickly also had some time to run around and played tag before heading inside. Once inside, we watched a short video on how coal is burned to create electricity, and how iron is melted down to create many different metallic objects.
Then we had some time to check out how different things work! Check it out below!
Also, a reminder that we are still collecting things for our inventions unit so please send in some recyclables and broken items for us to take a look at and to inspire our curiosity.
Swimming Term 2
Please also note that the term schedule will be changing from next Monday, December 9th so Grades 1 and 2 will be going swimming on Mondays until March 16th. So don't forget to pack your swim gear next Monday!
Next Wednesday, November 27th, (if the weather cooperates with us) Grades 1 and 2 will be going on a field trip to Nadahama Science Square from 12:00 - 14:45 as part of our unit on Inventions. Students will bring their lunches (we will take the school lunches with us as well) and we will eat them at a park nearby before visiting the museum. Should it rain, the trip will be postponed to the following week.
Invention Unit
We have been busy at work reading and researching important inventions and inventors in our unit on how our needs, interests and curiosity lead us to new discoveries and ideas. Next week, the students will start to plan their own invention which they feel can help others. If you have items at home which can be used for this project such as empty boxes, cylindrical cardboard containers, tubes, spools, and such, please feel free to have your child bring them in.
Also, if you have any old broken toys or other things around the house that the students might find interesting to open up and explore, please send them in by this Wednesday, November 27th.
Reading and Writing Procedures
To connect with our unit on inventions, the Grade 2 students have been spending some time looking at how procedures are organized and at reading and following procedures as well as doing some procedural writing of their own. To test their ability to follow a procedure the students had a chance to make chocolate milkshakes. It was a lot of fun and yummy!
At this time a year, things get quite busy at DSK with a number of events taking place over a short period of time.
Right before our Autumn Break, we had our first assembly of the year, which was hosted by our Grade 2 class, who presented a number of slightly fractured Fairy Tales to demonstrate what they learnt in our first unit of the year on getting along with others and resolving conflict. A video of the performance will be shared just as soon as I am done editing it.
Halloween
Just a couple days after the assembly, we all got to have fun again by celebrating Halloween. Students and teachers came to school wearing all types of wonderful costumes and danced and paraded around the MPR and even did some Trick or Treating around the school. The second-graders really enjoyed the break from our normal routine.
Coming up this week we have our next two events, St. Martin's and the Osaka Christmas Market at the Umeda Sky Building.
St. Martin's (Tuesday, November 12, 16:00 - 17:30 / 18:00)
As part of our whole year unit on how we express ourselves, we have been looking into the different light festivals around the world such as Diwali, Loi Krathong, Las Falas and of course St. Martin's. In preparation for this coming Tuesday, the students have been practicing songs during music time and making their own lanterns to carry around with them. After looking at several different types of lanterns from different lantern festivals around the world, the students were free to choose the type of lantern that they wanted to make. Some made Jack-o-Lantern style lanterns of plastic bottles, while others made theirs from paper plates and wax paper. Please come join us as we parade and sing with our lanterns lit up this Tuesday evening. So that I know who will be attending and how they will be returning home on the day please complete this St. Martin's Google Form.
Osaka Christmas Market
Our second special event this week will be on Friday, November 15th as the second-grade students will join with the rest of the elementary school students at DSK to sing some songs at the grand opening of the Osaka Christmas Market. The students will be lending their voices to the songs Silent Night in both English and Japanese, as well as We Wish You a Merry Christmas! Please encourage them to practice singing these two songs at home this week! We will be practicing together with the rest of the school each day this week right after Wake-up, Shake-up so please make sure your child arrives on time this week! See you all at the Umeda Sky Building on Friday!
Thank you to everyone who came out and supported school by volunteering and helping out at Oktoberfest. It was a great day and I had a lot of fun being MC.
Our first unit of the year recently came to an end and the students decided to take their new understanding of how to get along with others and put their newly learnt problem solving skills to work by helping others solve their problems. To find others with problems, they searched for Fairy Tale characters who typically face a lot of conflict. Once they chose a Fairy Tale, then they worked in small groups and identified the characters involved in the conflict as well as the reason for the conflict. Once they could identify the characters and the problem, they then went about brainstorming ways that the characters to resolve their conflicts in a friendlier way. They rewrote or modified fairy tale scripts. They will act out their plays at the Grade 2 assembly on this Wednesday, October 23rd. Please come join us in MPR at 3:00pm.
Suma Rikyu Field Trip
Last Friday, the school children went on our annual school trip before Oktoberfest. Once again this year, we went to Suma Rikyu Park. The weather forecast was calling for rain, but lucky for us, it turned out to be fine! The students had a great time climbing, swinging, then sliding around. Please enjoy the video highlights of the trip.
Reminder
Parent-Teacher Conferences are this week and the week after the holiday. If you had not yet signed up, please do so by this link here.
Halloween
On Friday, October 25th we will celebrate Halloween at DSK. Please encourage your child to dress up for the occasion. There will be prizes awarded for the best costumes!
As we have been learning about how other people think and feel, we took some time to explore how certain colours make us feel. Early on in the unit when we discussed feelings and emotions, we discovered that often the colours are tied together with certain feelings, such as RED = Anger, BLUE=Sad, etc. In our exploration of the element of colour, we have been looking at different types of colour schemes such as primary, secondary, warm and cool, and this week we learnt about complementary colours (those that are opposite each other on the colour wheel, such as red and green, blue and orange, as well as purple and yellow. To see how artists use these colours, we looked at some artwork by Wassily Kandinsky and also learnt about his extraordinary condition called synaesthesia, which enabled him to hear colours, and see sounds!!!
To further explore the relationship between the different colours, we created our own study of colours by making our own Kandinsky Circles to help explore the different colour schemes. Check out some of our work below!
Oktoberfest is this Saturday, October 12th and we are still looking for volunteers to sign up for shifts, particularly for helping out with the BBQ and food. If you haven't volunteered yet, then please do so here.
Healthy Snacks!
Recently it has been brought to my attention by the students that some of their classmates are not bringing healthy snacks. As I mentioned at parents' night, I don't want to be policing their snack time to make sure that they have healthy snacks, nor do I want to call out each individual every time it happens (the other students are always much more critical of each other's snack). As a parent myself I know that sometimes there's nothing "healthy" in the house and we just pick something quickly for the day, and I'm not worried if it is something that happens rarely. The same can be said for those who do add a little sweet treat, along with other healthy things, don't worry, I understand that balance is important, but for those who regularly pack something sweet and ONLY something sweet (or junky) please try to provide a healthier snack. Please remember, that the other students are keeping an eye on what their classmates are eating. Also on that note, students should not be sharing snacks with each other. We have a few students with allergies, so it is unsafe and also unfair for them if others are sharing or trading snacks.
Examples of unhealthy snacks: Candies, chocolate, potato chips, etc.
Next Friday, October 11th will be our first field trip of the year! The school will be empty of students, but full of parents and other volunteers to help set up the school for Oktoberfest on Saturday, October 12th!!
All of the classes from Preschool to Grade 5/6 will be heading to Suma Rikyu (Athletics) Park for the day. To see the full details about the trip please read this letter.
As we continue inquiring into how we can get along with others, we took some time to do some collaborative work in art and music. As somewhat of stand-alone lessons, we also began inquiring into the elements of art and music.
In music, we began by looking at rhythm (also known as the beat) and then form. With a partner, the students created beats using objects found around the classroom. Next, they worked on the form of the music by creating patterns using their two different objects found within the class. They created their own music score by writing down their musical patterns and followed their created musical scores when it was time to share them with the class.
In art, we also began learning about the elements of art. Coinciding with our line of inquiry on feelings, we began with a discussion on the symbolism of certain colours, such as how green means jealous, or red means angry, and blue means sad.
We also discussed what makes them feel those different emotions.
Getting back to art, the students worked on some aspects of colour theory, by mixing their own colours for their colour wheels. Students then got into groups and used their new knowledge of primary, secondary, warm and cool colours to create a group abstract art painting.
We have been off to a busy start these first few weeks, and I have been very busy sorting out all of our club activities for this term. If you haven't signed your child up for a club, but are still interested, you can do so online here.
Sports Day is on Monday!
Our first big event of the year, Sports Day will be on Monday, September 16th! It looks like it will be a hot, sunny day so please make sure that you and your child have lots of water and don't forget your hats and sunscreen! See you there!
It was so hot earlier this week that Mr. Waite had to keep the 2nd Graders inside for PE.
Oktoberfest is Coming!
Speaking of special events...a reminder that DSKI's annual Oktoberfest (October 12th) is just a few weeks away! This year, the Grades 1 and 2 families are tasked with helping Ms. Rost with the Tombola. Please make sure you sign up for a time to volunteer. Many volunteers are also needed on the day before Oktoberfest (Friday, October 11th) to help set things up.
Music, Feelings and Artistic Interpretations
As we have been discussing the central idea of our first unit, "We can get along with other people by learning about their thinking and feelings, and communicating our own" we looked into how music has the power to make us feel different emotions. In our art lesson, we listened to four different songs and drew pictures of what the music made us feel or envision.
Here is what the students came up with:
Homework
The first homework grid for the year was sent home with your child on Friday, September 13th. The goal is to complete 2 lines or more on the grid over the next 2 weeks and is due on Friday, September 27th. Along with this, the students should be reading, and completing their reading logs each night. If you have any questions about these, please let me know.
A new group of students joined the Grade 2 class at DSK today. I was happy to welcome back many familiar faces from last year's first-grade class, as well as two new faces! In the morning, they spent some time working with a partner to do a scavenger hunt around the classroom to find out things about their new classroom and weekly schedule. We also had our first music lesson of the year together and practiced singing a couple songs for the Preschool Enrollment Party next Monday.
You can find out important information about things such as the class schedule for the year via the links at the top right corner of this page.
After lunch recess the Grade Two students had Japanese and then a few periods of Unit of Inquiry time where we listened to the story, "Have You Filled a Bucket Today?" before making some little buckets of their own.
To find out more about what they will be doing this year in Grade Two, I look forward to meeting many of you at Parents' Night, next Tuesday evening.
Together with Grade 1, the Grade 2 students finished the year with an Art Exhibit to display and share all of the wonderful works of art that they created during our final unit on How We Express Ourselves. This was a great unit for the students to finish off the school year with as it allowed them to share their interests and express who they are. It was great getting to know all of them this year, and I'm excited to see what they will do next year in Grade 3 with Mr. Justin! I wish them all the best, and am looking forward to a new group of Second Grade students in a few weeks!
Here's a look at the wonderful Art Exhibit from the end of June:
Enjoy the last few weeks of your holidays everyone and see you on the 22nd!
The schedule is set for Student Led Conferences next Tuesday, Thursday and Friday, please check over and record your allocated time slot for your child's SLC. Please note that BOTH you and your child must attend the conference as they will be leading you around the room/ school to show you their work. If there is a problem with your scheduled appointment, then please let me know ASAP.
Grade 2 STUDENT LED CONFERENCES Schedule 2019
Tuesday, June 11th
Thursday, June 13th
Friday, June 14th
15:45 – 16:30
Aruto, Richard
(Richard - with Mr. Brabant first, then to Ms. Rose)
Stella, Tiago
(Stella & Tiago - with Ms. Rose first, then to Mr. Brabant)
The busiest time of year is upon us now as the end of the year quickly approaches! The last few weeks have been really busy with preparations for the International Kids Day (IKD)last week and the upcoming Student Led Conferences (SLC) and End of the Year Party (and new member joined Mr. Brabant's family on May 23rd)!
Student Led Conferences - June 10-14
Coming up next are the SLCs between June 10th and 14th. For the second grade students, we will offer SLCs on Tuesday, June 11th, Thursday, June 13th and Friday, June 14th. Please follow this link to a Google Form to sign up. Complete the form by choosing a couple possible times by next Monday, June 3rd and Ms. Rose and I will arrange the schedule and get back to you with a confirmed time for your child's SLC early next week.
International Kids Day / Lion King Preview
Thanks to all that took part and supported the performances at the IKD last Saturday, the kids put on a great show this year with a mix of songs and club performances.
If you joined the IKD you had a sneak peak at some of the songs that the Grade 3 and 4 learners will be presenting in their performance of The Lion King as the culminating project for their year-long drama unit (How We Express Ourselves).
All DSKI learners and staff will have the opportunity to attend the full dress rehearsal assembly on Wednesday 19 June 2019.
The main performance will take place on Thursday 20 June at 19:00 (doors open 18:45). This production is open to DSKI parents, friends and previous learners. If you would like to join us please complete this Google Form to support our planning.
End of the Year Party
From 11:55 am you are invited to join other families and staff for a buffet style lunch. Each class will be responsible for bringing food to share. Look at the list below to find your child's class. Please make sure you provide enough food for 4 - 5 people. If you are bringing more guests, kindly provide an extra portion for them. Your child can bring the food to school in the morning and hand it over in the hallway to the PTA members who will be in attendance. Alternatively, parents can bring the food with them before the start of the program. Please bring a picnic mat to sit on in the outside area too.
● Pre-K & Pre-school Drink(2Lx2) & fruits
● Kindergarten Rice or bread
● G1, 2 & 3 Main dishes Final Unit of the Year - How We Express Ourselves
Our final unit of the year has us focussing on the different ways we can express ourselves so it has brought out the artist in all of us! We have had several special art lessons with guest teachers, for example Ms. J worked with Grades 1 and 2 for dance lessons, Ms. Faye taught them how to do watercolour painting, I covered mask making and we have two more special guests coming in to teach photography and sculpture. You'll be able to see all of the art we've been creating at our mini-exhibition during the Student Led Conferences, but here's a fun preview of what we've done so far!
I hope everyone had an enjoyable Golden Week holiday and is ready for the final month and a half of the school year. This is an incredibly busy time of year with many events popping up as the school year starts to wind down.
Although the year is coming to an end, we actually had a new student start last week. We are extremely happy to welcome Miller to our class! She has been busy getting to know the other members of our class and has been making her presence felt in by actively joining in the lessons and she hasn't been shy to share her thoughts and ideas.
Before the holidays, we had completed our unit on shelters, and the students demonstrated their learning by creating some shelters of their own out of materials found in different environments. Their amazing models are on display at the top of the stairs on the second floor, please take the time to check them out if you happen to be in the school.
Last week, we also began our 6th and final unit of the year under the transdisciplinary theme "How We Express Ourselves." Throughout this unit, the students will be inquiring into how "Our uniqueness is expressed in creative and artistic ways." We began by defining the word uniqueness, and then drew self-portraits and wrote about what makes each of us special. Then we compared ourselves to a classmate to find similarities and differences between us, to truly uncover what it is that is so different and special about each of us.
