BPS Newsletter
Issue 10 - 1st November 2019
November....already! - by Mr Luke Chaeter
Dear all,
I hope you all had an enjoyable, peaceful and relaxing holiday last week. As the heading to this newsletter suggests, where has the time gone, incredible to think that the countdown is now firmly on Christmas, and the end of the year!
Year 5 have had a great time in Camp Taiwan.....sleeping under the stars, and getting back to nature! This has been a tremendous experience, and I am sure that this will live long in the memory of the children!
This week, High School students visited our Year 1 department as they have been completing a mathematics project which has included them designing Halloween hats for the children, which has been enjoyed by all. Following on from this, Reception students have been involved in 'trick or treat' activities across the campus, supported by some particularly scary looking teachers, who also dressed up for the occasion! I must say....some of the teachers do not need to dress up........only joking!
I was very impressed to be invited to the Year 5 Space Blast Off showcase, this has been a very successful project, which culminated in some fantastic models, work and collaboration. The quality of the projects was 'out of this world.'
Thursday afternoon, I once again met with the Parent Teacher Council to ensure that all are informed of developments within the school. It is wonderful working closely with committed members of the community to ensure that we continue to drive the school forward.
On Thursday and Friday, we were visited by four very well known schools, Dulwich Shanghai, North London Collegiate Jeju, British School Guangzhou and Discovery Bay which looked at assessment practices, moderation and leadership training. This has been a big drive at the British Section, and further evidence of our commitment of providing the best educational experience possible.
Finally, I would like to wish you all a wonderful weekend.
Best wishes,
Luke Chaeter
Tri-Section Trick-Or-Treat - by Ms Jenny Chien
“When is Halloween?” “Is it tomorrow?” “Is it today?” “Is it time for Trick-or-Treat?” have been asked many times by the children - the excitement of Halloween has filled Reception classrooms all week!
175 children participated in The Tri-Section Trick-or-treat, involving Reception, German Kindergarten and French PS, MS and GS. We made it eco-friendly by asking parents to bring lunch containers or shopping bags to collect treats.
The surprise behind every door and visiting different classrooms made it memorable for the children … being involved in Tri-section events is always exciting!
Halloween - by Mr David O'Connor
We had a fantastic Halloween this year in Year 1! We were extremely fortunate to have the H1 children come down from the secondary campus to do some fun filled activities. The Year 1 children designed a hat they would like for Halloween. The H1 children worked with this and designed and decorated a hat for them based on their specifications as part of a maths project. The H1 children presented our kids with a hat and then led a selection of games; using toilet roll to wrap them up like mummies as well making a spider. A huge thank you to the H1 children and teachers for all their work - the Year 1 children loved it! We look forward to having you back again next Halloween!
Blast Off with Year 5 Space Projects - by Ms Jeni Wong
What a great way to finish off our Blast Off - Space topic with a Space Expo. Approximately 7 weeks ago, the children were given their Blooms Taxonomy Grid of space activities to allow them to process their topic learning in a variety of ways. It was great to see so many creative projects and we particularly enjoyed the support families gave, making a team effort. The children then had to present their projects this week, working on their public speaking skills. They also had to be prepared to set up their projects and engage with the feedback from visitors. Thank you to our Year 2 buddy classes, Year 4, Mr Stallwood and Mr Chaeter, for all showing your support.
Year 5 at Camp Taiwan - by Mr Tom Newman
This week, four intrepid classes ventured away from the comforts of home to experience the excitement of Camp Taiwan. For the first time for many of the children, they would spend two nights away from home taking part in all sorts of activities including zip lining, river tracing and rock climbing.
After a wet trip in year 4, the children were hoping for slightly better weather this year. However, it was indeed a very wet week, though the downpours did not dampen the spirits of the campers who threw themselves into outdoor activities with full enthusiasm. In fact, seeing the resilience of the children and their positive attitudes in the face of wind and rain made the trip even more special.
We thank all the Camp Taiwan staff for their hospitality and support, the TES staff who came along, the parents who prepared the children for the camp and most of all the wonderful children of year 5 who made the week such a success.
We look forward to a dry weekend and a bit of sunshine!
Ain't No School Like The Old School! - by Mr Sean Monks
On Tuesday and Wednesday, the Year 2 children travelled back in time to experience what school life would have been like for their grandparents and great grandparents. We took the MRT to the historical street of Bopiliao where we learnt about Taiwan's past thanks to the wonderful guides they provided for us. Whilst we were there, the children got to play with toys and games from many decades ago but the highlight was the old school lesson they received. The children were given a number instead of a name and had to sit in rows at wooden desks whilst they recited their timetables and wrote sentences. If there was any disobedience, the strict teachers would administer a couple of whacks with the ruler to keep everyone in line!*
It was a fantastic way to start our new topic, Hello Teacher!, as it was such an immersive experience. Thank you to all the adults who accompanied us on the trip as without you it would not have been possible and an even bigger thank you to Ms Trehern who was so instrumental in organising it for us.
*No children were actually harmed during this trip!
2019 STEM Design Asia Invitation Tournament - by Mr Dipak Mondal
An exciting opportunity has been given to our year 6 students to participate in the first-ever SAM Labs Asia Tournament in STEM Design. On December 15 (Sunday), the tournament will take place in Taoyuan. Teams from registered schools from across Asia and Middle East countries will travel to Taoyuan to test their skills that combines different elements including management, hands-on constructions and interactive programming within an exciting competitive environment.
The theme for this Tournament is Smart City. The challenge is to identify one problem in the city that participants are living in and the impact of future society (such as health, economy or social) if left unresolved using SAM Labs suite of products. SAM Labs is an app-enabled construction kit, designed for people of all ages to learn STEM, play, and create with technology and the Internet of Things.
Tribe Competition - by Mr Corné Coetzee
Today during the Junior assembly three of the Bunan Tribe Councilors and friends, presented a few slides about the Bunan tribe. They did a fantastic job and it was very interesting to learn more about the fascinating Bunan tribe and how adaptable they are to the mountain climate. In the year 2000, the Bunun people numbered 41,038.
Did you know: According to Bunun legend, in times long past, two suns shone down upon the earth and made it unbearably hot. A father and a son endured numerous hardships and finally shot down one of the suns, which then became the moon. In its wrath, the moon demanded that father and son would return to their own people to tell them that they had to obey three commandments from now on or face annihilation. The first was that they had to constantly observe the waxing of the moon and conduct all rituals and work according to its rhythm. The second commandment stated that all Bunun people had to conduct rituals throughout their lives to honor the spirits of Heaven and Earth. The third commandment told them of forbidden behaviour and forced them to become orderly and peaceful people.
Next week we will introduce the Paiwan tribe in the Junior assembly and Ami tribe on Friday 15th November. The infant children learned about the Rukai tribe this morning during their assembly. The tribe councilors will repeat their presentations to the Infant Assembly one week later.
That means that Year 1 and Year 2 children will wear their Bunan shirts on Friday 8th November, Paiwan on Friday the 15th November and Ami on Friday the 22nd November.
First Tribe Competition:
This November will host the first Tribe competition of the school year. The Junior students will have a chance to take part in a “rap” competition themed - TES Values.
Children from Y3-Y6 can start small groups within their tribes. The final competition will be held during the last assembly of November. Children can get together during playtime and lunchtime to practise. More details will be given to children during the course of next week. I am really looking forward to this and I know it will be a great way for children to show off their creativity and rap skills.
Have a lovely weekend and enjoy the BIG RUGBY tomorrow!!!
Bebras Tournament - By Mr Dipak Mondal
The Bebras Computing Challenge introduces computational thinking to students.
It is organised in over 50 countries and designed to get over 2 million students globally excited about computing. It’s also a fantastic opportunity for BPS children to apply their computational thinking skills into action and justify their score against UK schools score and British schools overseas.
The Bebras challenges are made of a set of short problems called Bebras tasks and are delivered online. The tasks are fun, engaging and based on problems that Computer Scientists often meet and enjoy solving using logical thinking.
There are six separate challenges this year for six age groups. Unlike many other competitions, this is suitable for students of all abilities – the aim is to solve as many problems as you can in the allotted time. Age groups are:
England and Wales:
Elite: Years 12 & 13
Seniors: Years 10 & 11
Intermediates: Years 8 & 9
Juniors: Years 6 & 7
Castors: Years 4 & 5
Kits: Years 2 & 3
Scotland:
Elite Years S5 & S6
Seniors: Years S3 & S4
Intermediates: S1 & S2
Juniors: Years P6 & P7
Castors: Years P4 & P5
Kits: Years P2 & P3
Northern Ireland:
Elite: Years 13 & 14
Seniors: Years 11 & 12
Intermediates: Years 9 & 10
Juniors: Years 7 & 8
Castors: Years 5 & 6
Kits: Years 3 & 4
The challenge will take place next week within a 40-minute time slot during the Computing lesson. As a reward, there will be the following types of certificates available to students in each age group:
Certificate of Participation
Certification of Merit
Certificate of Distinction
Best in School
The top achieving students in the four oldest age groups will be invited to attend a final round and celebration in the new year. This will take place in Hertford College and the Department of Computer Science at Oxford University. The top 10% of students in these age groups will also be invited to enter the TCS Oxford Computing Challenge in March. Last year TES had two students Jessie and Barren from BSHS (year 7) attending in the final round in Herford College at Oxford University, and Jessie was awarded joint 3rd place and gained the bronze medal for her age group. They both scored distinction for the same challenge while they were in year 6. Last year, BPS was fortunate to have twenty year-6 students scoring top 10% worldwide among nearly 60,000 students and was rewarded the opportunity to participate in the TCS Oxford Computing Challenge.
This prestigious International Contest on Informatics and Computer Fluency is organised by the Hertford College at Oxford University and generously funded by Google.
External meet up and moderation - by Mr Aidan Stallwood
This week saw a meet up with a range of International schools in the Asia region hosted by Taipei European School British Primary Section. It was a chance to discuss current educational guidance and practice to advance the student success at each of our schools. Having been developing this group over the past few years it is only the second time we have managed to host such an event and gave us an opportunity not only to showcase our school to the teaching community but also to share best practice. In addition, we had the chance to externally moderate the learning for a range of year groups, which confirmed that we have rigorous and reliable processes currently in place. We will continue to nurture these friendships and are already looking to set the next date later in the year.
Important Reminder by Mr Luke Chaeter
Green Transport Day
Next Wednesday, November 6th will be our TES Green Transport Day. We would like to encourage all staff and students to leave cars and motorbikes at home for one day and travel by bus, bike, MRT or on foot.
Friday Music Corner - LET'S ENJOY THE MUSIC!
Taipei European School British Primary Section
Website: https://taipeieuropeanschool.com/index.php?id=120
Location: 99 FuGuo Road, ShiLin District, Taipei 11158, Taiwan
Phone: +886-2-8145-9007
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/British-Primary-Section-Taipei-European-School-1781787432102978/