Panama Viejo
Trees, rocks, animals and more
Objectives foe Development and Learning
· Demonstrates knowledge of print and its uses
· Demonstrates phonological awareness
· Compares and measures
· Demonstrates knowledge of the alphabet
· Uses number concepts and operations
· Uses scientific inquiry skills
Dear Parents,
Trees and forests are magnificent places teeming with a huge diversity of life. They are essential for life on Earth. They impact our lives in so many ways, from the air we breathe to the wood we use. Eight of 10 species found on land live in forests, and almost 300 million people, particularly in developing countries, live in forests, too.
Despite the fact that trees and forests are so important to us, and too many different species, we are losing them at an alarming rate. This is due mainly to expanding agriculture, an increased population, and shifts in diet. Once a forest is lost to unsustainable agriculture, it is usually gone forever—along with many of the plants and animals that once lived there. This week we talked about who lives in trees and some ways we can save them. A fun way to explore is to use binoculars and magnifying glasses outdoors for the children to use. Invite them to look for insects and other animals in trees.
As an expanding learning activity of our unit about nature (rocks and trees), we went to The Ruins of Panama Viejo. We had lots of fun observing rocks and trees and we had a blast playing the treasure hunt game.
AT HOME
Here are some ways you can help the trees and the Earth. Please discuss with as a family and make up your own ways to save our forests/trees.
- Reuse all of your scraps of paper
- Use paper made from 100% recycled paper.
- Use paper made from other plants like hemp and cotton.
- Bring your own travel mug or bottle with you wherever you go so that you can get a drink in your own container instead of using paper or plastic cups.
- Use cloth napkins instead of paper napkins and paper towels.
- Recycle everything that you cannot reuse.
· Get your friends, parents and your school to do these things too!
Thanks for doing your part to protect the trees and the environment. We all make the difference and we are all part of the circle of life! Remember to treat everyone and everything with respect, and together, we will make this a better world!
Reminders
Friday, March 23rd Fire Drill
No school from March 26th to March 30th
Dear ISP Parents,
During the past several years ISP has been committed to continuing its process of developing and sustaining a variety of programs, activities and policies that will support our students’ physical, social and emotional wellbeing. The purpose is to promote awareness and education in our community, founded on research-based information in order to make positive and safe choices. We strongly believe in working together with our school community and engage as active learners. Therefore, on Tuesday, March 20th from 8:00 – 10:30 am our ES, MS and HS counseling department will be hosting a parent workshop on Child Protection and Empowerment.
Our goal is to activate our channels of communication and increase our understanding of how we can be proactive, create awareness and take effective actions towards keeping our children and community safe. Our main topic of discussion will focus on Child Sexual Abuse Prevention and Awareness. By educating our students, parents, and staff, we are setting the grounds for a safe environment that will allow students to thrive as healthy individuals in all areas of development. A key element of prevention is awareness, therefore having the opportunity to openly discuss these topics is definitely a step in the right direction.
***This is similar to the workshop that was presented last year, it is being presented again as part of our on-going review of such vital topics.***
Please RSVP to Katherine Ghinaglia at kghinaglia@isp.edu.pa or Raul Alvarado at RAlvarado@isp.edu.pa if you are planning to attend. This workshop will be presented in English and have simultaneous translation in Spanish available. We ask that you please RSVP by March 19th and let us know if you will need translation services so that we are prepared.
Please come and join us on Tuesday, March 20th from 8:00 -10:30 in the Performing Arts Center (PAC), to hear more information about how you can be part of raising our community’s consciousness on this topic and thereby minimize the risk for our children by empowering them.
Kindly,
ISP Counselors
Thank you to our mystery reader of the week!
books of the week
During Choice time and small groups
Panama Viejo
LITERACY ABC'S -OUTDOOR ACTIVITY
Here are some activities that you can do at home with your child
Emergent activity
Developing Activity
Challenging Activity
Advanced Activity
What is the difference between phonemic awareness and phonics?
Phonemic awareness is an understanding about spoken language. Children who are phonemically aware can hear the word (b – a – t) said in three separate sounds and tell you it is bat. They can tell you all the sounds in the spoken word dog. They can tell you that, if you take the last sound off cart, you would have car. Phonics, on the other hand, is knowing the relation between specific, printed letters (including combinations of letters) and specific, spoken sounds. You are asking children to show their phonics knowledge when you ask them which letter makes the first sound in bat or dog or the last sound in car or cart. Recent longitudinal studies on reading have demonstrated that the acquisition of phonemic awareness is highly predictive of success in learning to read, and to decode (i.e., sound out a word, blend it together to figure it out) in particular. If children understand that words can be divided into individual phonemes and that phonemes can be blended into words, they are able to use letter-sound knowledge to read and build words.