BPS Newsletter
Issue 9 - 18th October 2019
Celebrating Diversity - by Mr Luke Chaeter
I would like to begin this week's newsletter by saying how wonderful my first International Day was. It was excellent seeing a global community firstly come together under various flags, which makes the school such a wonderful place for children to learn. It is important for us to recognise where we 'come from' but even more important to ensure that we attend a school where the community is global, and that we celebrate difference as a strength, and an asset which enriches children's education. In an ever increasing globally competitive work environment, I truly believe that Taipei European School enables students to become successful, and provides an environment where children appreciate diversity as a strength.
Secondly....the food....the food was outstanding, I wish the Global Food Market located in the atrium would be available every week. Tasting the food from around the world was special, and I must admit, I ate far too much! Thank you to all the staff, and parents for making this such a memorable and special occasion!
This morning, it was great seeing the first 'Tribe' points being awarded and celebrated at assembly, as well as the introductory tribe presentation. Over the coming weeks, members of the council will provide an insight into the various tribes, to further develop a collegial spirit around the school. The council have also been working hard to promote the Playground Leaders and Pupil Mediator initiatives which will help to support student leadership skills, and make the play and lunchtimes a far more enjoyable experience. Further news on this will appear soon.
Finally, I would like to thank you for the support you have given the school over the first half term, and wish you all a well-deserved and enjoyable break,
Best wishes
Luke Chaeter
Year 4’s Mystery of the Missing Mouse - by Mrs Elizabeth Bottomley Chang
This Friday, the children from Year 4 presented their show, Mystery of the Missing Mouse. Parents were able to follow the investigation with Officer Hops, Nick Wild and the Missing Mammal Unit leading the way.
The children took their audience to four different biomes, where a whole host of animals, most of which were deadly, were interrogated as to the whereabouts of Maisie the Missing Mouse. With the hawks being identified as the kidnapping culprits, peace and harmony was restored in Zootopia!
It was a show stopping end to this half term and after all the hard work, the children and teachers of year 4 can now enjoy the half term holiday.
A big thanks to all the parents who helped with all the different aspects of the show including making the scenery, costumes and of course for being such a great audience.
First Aid Training with Year 5 - by Ms Jeni Wong
‘The new first aid classes are part of the government's relationships, sex and health education First aid lessons begin in 1,600 schools curriculum, which will be taught in all state-funded schools in England from September 2020.
'Landmark commitment'
The British Red Cross is one of a number of charities that has been campaigning for first aid classes to be mandatory in schools for more than a decade.
Joe Mulligan, the charity's head of first aid education, said: "The launch of first aid on the school curriculum in England celebrates a landmark commitment by the government to create a future generation of life-savers.
"We want to make sure our pupils have a well-rounded education that equips them for life outside of school as well as in it, and part of this is giving them the skills and confidence to act if they are faced with an emergency." BBC News, 12th September 2019 https://www.bbc.com/news/education-49663090
As part of the Year 5 PSHE and integrated curriculum, Basic First Aid Training and CPR has given the children opportunities to be prepared to act with the knowledge and confidence to understand their own health and how to help those in need. In an evolving society, where humanistic skills become more and more desirable, PSHE lessons such as first aid have become an important asset.
On the afternoons of 14th & 16th October 2019, Year 5 children had hands-on opportunities to try basic first aid and life saving skills, such as CPR (Cardiac Pulmonary Resuscitation) and using an AED (Automated External Defibrillator), guided by professionals and volunteers from the Red Cross Society (Taiwan) www.redcross.org.tw/english
The afternoon included a presentation about a basic understanding of the human body and CPR. Children were introduced to the important chain of events needed when administering CPR and using an AED. Equipped with Little Annie dolls, the children set into action following through the important sequence of events to pumping the dolls with chest compressions and listening carefully to the instructions given by the AED.
For the other part of the session, children were trained with basic First Aid skills: nose bleeds, stopping bleeds, cleaning wounds, dizziness, foreign object removal and excessive sun exposure. They also checked the contents of a first aid kit to find the essential equipment. A very informative yet action packed afternoon was had by all and we would like to express our ‘Thanks’ to those who made our afternoon a success and especially The Red Cross Society, Taiwan.
Year 5 Trip to the Astronomical Museum - by Mrs Rebekah Massey
On Thursday Year 5 went to the Astronomical Museum as part of our Blast Off topic and what fun we had! The weather was kind during our walk there and we even had some time to relax by the planets in the park before entering the museum. Once inside we were treated to an expert guide who showed us parts of the exhibition including a model of a spaceship toilet! Thanks to our lovely parent helpers who acted as translators for this section.
Next we watched an IMAX movie about the Earth’s Rotation which included information about the constellations. The screen was 360° around us which made it really feel like you were looking up into the night sky. After that we all put on our 3d glasses to learn about Leonardo Da Vinci, the Mona Lisa and a solar eclipse! More fun was had on the Cosmic Adventure ride. Shrieks of excitement could be heard (from children and adults) as we travelled through space, encountering some aliens on the way, and luckily we all made it back to planet Earth at the end. A quick look at some of the interactive exhibits was enjoyed by all before walking back to school in time for lunch. What an action packed morning we had, we only wish we could have stayed longer!
Friendly Football Match – TES v DIS - by Mr Peter Poulton
On Wednesday, we welcomed Dominican International School (DIS) to play a friendly match. This enabled our U9 and U11 teams to gain valuable experience in competitive football.
Following the TISSA requirement, our teams were evenly split in terms of ability to help create a fair competitive environment. The U9 teams lost both their games, but they learned a lot from the experience and we now have areas to focus on in preparation for the TISSA tournament in November. Our U11 teams won their games continuing their great performance so far this season.
Well done to all involved!
Tribe News by Mr Corné Coetzee
Dear Parents,
It has been a very busy few weeks for the Tribe Council. In an effort to raise the profile of the Tribe council at TES this year we have made some changes. It has been amazing to see the positive attitudes and effort that the children have put into making the Tribe council a success so far this year. I am proud of each member of the Tribe Council and looking forward to working with them for the rest of the year. Here are a few things we have done so far this year:
Introduced the TC to the whole school.
TC will be wearing tribe T-shirts on meeting days.
TC members received bright orange hats to be more visible on the playground.
TC members met with SLT and PTC to discuss the action plan and progress so far this year.
Re-launched the Tribe Point system where we will celebrate tribe points (merits) for each tribe on a weekly basis during assemblies.
The TC will help introduce each of the four Tribes at TES over 4 weeks during the Friday assemblies.
The TC will coordinate the Reverse Christmas Tree fundraiser for Tabitha, Cambodia again this Christmas.
This morning in the KS2 assembly we introduced the Rukai tribe. Children in KS2 from the Rukai tribe wore their tribe T-shirts to honor the Rukai tribe. It was great to learn more about this amazing tribe. Did you know the Rukai were called ‘Tsarisen’, which means “people living in the mountain”. Additionally 12700 people belong to the Rukai tribe. They are the 7th largest Tribe in all of Taiwan.
After the Mid-Term break, we will be learning more about the Bunan tribe. I can’t wait.
Fond Farewell - By Ms Gillian Smith
This week we say goodbye to Mr. Jeffrey Stapleton and while we are sad he is leaving us, we are so grateful for everything he has given to our community. Please join us in thanking Jeffrey for his valuable contributions as we wish him all the best in his next adventure!
Looking ahead in the Learning Support Department we are excited to welcome Peter Beairsto as our new Learning Support Teacher for the 2019-2020 school year. Peter has 27 years of experience working in special education and holds a Masters Degree in Special Education. Peter's experience and expertise will be a strong addition to an already successful team. Please join me in welcoming Peter to the team.
Friday Music Corner - Music before Half-term Break! Enjoy!
Important Reminder by Mr Luke Chaeter
Safeguarding
Although a great improvement has been seen regarding parent and carers clearly displaying their lanyards, it is still noticeable that some adults, once on sight, do not wear them. Please ensure that this is always clearly displayed, and do not be offended if you are challenged regarding this. The safety of all at the EPC is our number one priority.
Morning Pick-up
A huge thank you to all who have made the morning drop off at school a safer and more efficient process process. However, please also remember that vehicles should not be parked at the kerb during the afternoon pick up. Local traffic enforcement has been notified, and if deemed necessary, vehicles will be towed away if causing unnecessary risk.
Adjustment to Parent Teacher Consultations - December
We have made some adjustments to timings for the Parent Teacher Consultations in December and wanted to give you the news in advance so that you are best prepared.
The new timings for the class teacher meetings will be split:
Friday 6th December 2019
7:30- 16:00 (School closed for consultations)
then evening appointments will be held on
Tuesday 10th December 2019
15:30-19:00
All specialist and Chinese Language teachers will run over both days for the following times:
Friday 6th December 2019
7:30- 16:00 (School closed for consultations)
Tuesday 10th December 2019
7:30 -19:00
All ECA's led by teachers on Tuesday 10th December, will be cancelled.
More details will be shared nearer the time including the booking procedures.
BP PTA Updates by Mrs Nadia Thul
By the end of last school year, some classes decided to donate their class fund left overs to Greenpeace and to PTA with the mission to buy new books for the library. At the beginning of this school year the PTA transferred 2000NT$ to Greenpeace. For the book donation we had to be more patient. Rachel Chen, our Book Fair team leader, checked with our librarian Emma Crofts which books were needed and sent out the order. Happily we received the books and were able to pass them to the grateful library team. At this point I want to thank all classes which donated their money, enabling our kids to enjoy new books worth over 4000NT$. Also a big thank you to Rachel for organising everything.
For the upcoming weeks we have many events on our bucket list I want to share with you. On Monday the 28th of October, we will have a second hand uniform sale from 8am to 9:30am and from 2pm to 4pm. Many clothes in good condition and different sizes for colder seasons are available. Furthermore Halloween is coming soon. Kids are allowed to wear their costumes on the 31st of October and the French section will have a Halloween themed bake sale, open to all EPC students, on the same day.
In November we will begin the Christmas Season with a PSC Christmas Bazaar “Kick Off” meeting on the 5th, followed by our Christmas Tree Lighting ceremony in the Atrium on the 15th. Due to capacity issues, only parents of performers and volunteers can join this event. Also there is a Christmas Carol, with non alcoholic mulled wine, at the infant area in the planning phase (date will be sent out soon). If you still not in the Christmas mood, please join our Christmas Bazaar at 30th of November. Finally on 4th of December, we will organise a Winter themed bake sale.
Have a nice autumn break!
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/