BPS Newsletter
Issue 3 - 4th September 2020
Back in the Swing of Things
Dear Parents and Guardians,
As we complete the second academic week of the year it is great to report that the Section has hit the ground running!
It has been evident from the outset that all students have settled well, and that high quality learning is taking place throughout the Section. It is a pleasure to walk through the nursery seeing happy and engaged new members to our community enjoying school life, all the way to our eldest role model students in Year 6.
Speaking of role models, apart from the TES Mascot who appeared in our newsletter last week.....we are currently seeking students for the following positions:
- Head Boy and Head Girl
- Sports Leaders
- Playground Mediators
Within the BPS we believe that giving children opportunities, and a voice to enact positive change, is a fundamental aspect of an excellent educational experience. Presently, students have been busy applying for these positions and successful recruits will soon hear the news - following a rigorous application and interview process. This also supports the strategic direction of embedding key Learner Profile traits, ingredients designed to ensure that our children have empathy, outstanding communication skills and become well rounded and responsible global citizens. Further news on this process will follow!
Thursday, it was a pleasure to present our BPS Strategic Action Plan via Zoom, which was well attended by the community. We believe that it is important to share the planned and completed developments, key objectives and vision for the section with all stakeholders. As you are aware, any outstanding school should be relentless for continued improvement and success, and a key aspect of this is transparency, so that our community can all pull in the same direction to ensure that our most important stakeholders - the children, flourish!
Finally, I would like to wish you all a happy and rewarding weekend,
Best wishes
Luke Chaeter
Early Years Workshop: The Importance of Play - by Mrs Jennie Bonnalie
Please join Jennie Bonnalie for an online workshop.
Date: 15th September
Time: 8:15 am - 9:00
Join Zoom Meeting: https://tes-tp.zoom.us/j/3890197073
Meeting ID: 389 019 7073
This workshop will aim to look at:
- What is play?
- How do we foster play in a school environment and achieve learning outcomes?
- How can you support play in your home?
- How do you know when to intervene?
- Questions and Discussion
This workshop would suit any parents with young children or parents who interested in Early Childhood.
Mrs Jennie Bonnalie
Head of Nursery
EAL Parent Workshop Tuesday, 15th September at 8:15 - 9:15am - by Mr Peter Collier
I would like to invite parents to attend this term’s Introduction to EAL workshop where you have the opportunity to find out more about the English as an Additional Language programme offered at TES.
The workshop will examine what it means to be an EAL learner, some of the unique challenges faced by students, and ways that we can all work together to help new learners of English achieve their full potential as they become confident speakers, readers and writers.
A focus at TES is the integration of language learning into all aspects of the curriculum and the EAL team is at the heart of supporting each language learner as an individual, both in the classroom and in targeted pull-out sessions through a carefully designed, supportive curriculum.
You can join the meeting via Zoom at the link below. I look forward to seeing you soon and sharing the excellent practice at TES.
EAL Parent Online Workshop
Date: Tuesday, 15th September
Time: 8:15am - 9:15am
Join Zoom Meeting: https://tes-tp.zoom.us/j/91354107893
Meeting ID: 913 5410 7893
Peter Collier
Head of EAL (BPS)
Digital Learning Day and Device Loan Survey - by Mr Craig Gamble
In preparation for the Digital Learning Day on October 5th 2020 I ask that you kindly complete the attached survey. This is designed to give our IT team an indication of the number of devices that we can expect to have to 'loan' out to our students to ensure that they have access to their digital classroom for the day.
Please note that completing this form does not pre-book a device for your child, it is merely to assist us in making the day a success for our community.
Please click the link below for complete the survey by Friday 11th September 2020. Thank you
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScneRCdvMUyJyuIbynwrWABC3ILJiRzyoVNu5pjGW8UAJ_Qww/viewform
Parent Teacher Consultation - by Mr Craig Gamble
The British Primary Section is holding the first Parent Teacher Consultation session of this academic year on the 16th of September 2020 between 15:30 & 19:30 for all class and EAL teachers and all bookings will be made using the School Cloud Booking System that we have used previously. Due to Covid restrictions all consultations will be held via Zoom and a Zoom meeting link will be emailed to you by your child's class and EAL teacher where necessary. You will be admitted to a virtual waiting room prior to your appointment and at the allotted time the teacher will begin the meeting. Due to the online nature of this session we urge all parents to be prompt and politely remind you that the sessions are a maximum of 10 minutes in length. We will not be offering consultations with specialist or Chinese Language & Culture (CLC) teachers at this stage although there will be an opportunity to discuss your child's progress with these teachers in November.
A letter giving explicit instructions on how to access the system will be emailed to parents. Please read this carefully before making a booking to avoid frustration. The booking system opens on Monday 7th September at 0900 and closes on Monday 14th September at 0900. After this time no further bookings can be made.
Should you require a Mandarin speaker to be present then please arrange for a translator to be seated alongside you or book an appointment prior to 4:30 whenever possible as our Mandarin speaking Learning Assistants will be available until that time to assist with translation services.
Although the system is closed for bookings at the moment, you can still access the main screen via the url: https://taipeieuropean.parentseveningsystem.co.uk/ and I would recommend you do this to check that your login details are correct.
英國小學部將於9月16日下午3點半至7點半舉辦本學期第一次家長座談會。這次主要是與班導師及EAL老師面談,請各位家長透過School Cloud Booking系統預約面談時間。因為新冠肺炎疫情的影響,這次將使用Zoom做線上座談會,班導師及EAL老師會通知家長有關Zoom座談會線上連結。家長在每個與老師面談的時段,最多10分鐘。此次座談會只有班導師及EAL老師,不包括科任老師及中文老師。科任老師及中文老師的面談進度將安排於11月。如何進行線上預約,我們將會再以電子郵件的方式,向家長們說明,敬請詳細閱讀,以避免耽誤預約。
線上預約系統將於9月7日星期一上午9時開放預約,直至9月14日星期一上午9時。逾時者將不再受理預約。如需要翻譯,請自行安排或請預約下午4點半前的時段,學校可安排助教提供翻譯服務。目前預約系統尚未開放,但仍可點選 https://taipeieuropean.parentseveningsystem.co.uk/ 進入首頁,確認是否能成功登入系統。我們建議您,在開放預約前,先行測試帳號密碼是否正確,有任何問題,請盡速與我們聯絡。
Year 3 New Parent Orientation - by Mr Chris Bonnet
On Tuesday, the Year 3 team had the honour of welcoming our new families onto the campus. After a fantastic week with the children, who have all settled in wonderfully, it was great to show off our facilities and to share our plans for this academic year.
The tour started in the classrooms where we spoke about our integrated approach to learning in Year 3. Our new families were able to see the IT opportunities we offer our children and also to have a look at our new outdoor classroom (complete with three planting beds). The tour included a look at our Art, Music, Cookery, IT and STEAM room - all available to our year group.
We were happy to answer a range of questions about the year ahead. If you are interested to know more about our approach to learning in Year 3 then please do not hesitate to contact us.
Year 4 Deadly 60 Dress Up Day
Make Learner Profiles Flourish! - by Miss Sarah Kuo
Walking through all the classrooms at TES, you will see one thing in common- our Learner Profile posters! This year, we’re incorporating Learner Profile into our learning environment. In our induction week, teachers participated in a training session, aimed at developing the Learner Profile attributes in class and making them visible in learning, behaviours and actions.
The Learner Profile is a set of attributes and values that has been co-constructed by the students, staff, parents and community that form the heart of the British Primary Section learner at Taipei European School. As times change and the world evolves, education must too.
The TES Learner Profile has been created to enable our students to foster the best possible attitude towards life-long learning.
From our first day back, KS1 students have talked about the definition of each Learner Profile attribute, and class teachers sent out certificates to recognize students as an Adventurer. In KS2, students discussed and defined these attributes, demonstrating their understanding by sharing their ideas of what they can do to represent the Learner Profile.
Our school community is aware that future success is not just about the academic marks you receive. The future education our students receive will hinge on their ability to cope, adapt, strategize, connect and behave in ways that are respected worldwide. Through the Learner Profile, BPS students are enabled to thrive in whatever future situation is presented to them. We encourage all of our community to live and breathe these attributes and consciously consider them as part of daily interactions.
CPR and AED Training - by Mr George Demetriou
During our induction week, the new staff from both EPC and ESC were taken through an intense 180 minutes of training in regards to CPR and AED. The training was led by a professional doctor and her team, who were very supportive and helpful throughout the process. In the beginning, we were taken through the emergency steps of the rescue technique and how to react in different emergency scenarios. Our progression led us to practice these emergency steps in a role play situation in groups of three. We played the role of the rescuer, supporting members of the public and we performed the resuscitation technique on a plastic doll created for just this purpose. Once everybody had practiced the technique and were confident to move on, we progressed to the AED section of the course.
The medical team explained the stages of the AED and we then practiced in role play in an emergency situation. The course was very informative and provided all our staff with the consistency needed to react in an emergency situation if it ever occurred. We all received a CPR and AED certificate, which is valid for two years.
During the course all staff and professionals respected the pandemic rules.
Summer School at TES - by Miss Annie Bagley
Whether you are new to the TES, or are returning for another year, Summer School is a great place to be. Learning together in blended classes provides the opportunity for children to make friends across their year group.
An array of teachers, give learners environments with varied teaching styles and language delivery. Interaction with different age groups offers the learners a chance to negotiate social situations that they may be unfamiliar with and are encouraged to ask questions of each other.
The “head start” the children get in summer school, increases their self-confidence while working in the classroom, hones language skills and further develops their independent learning skills. Additionally, interaction and cooperative learning increases the use of purposeful language and communication skills.
Students benefit from these learning opportunities that better prepares them for the start of the academic year. They are getting ready for the challenges ahead whilst having a whole lot of fun!
Important Reminder by Mr Luke Chaeter
Sun Hats
Mark Late after 8am
Morning Drop Off (Traffic)
Please be reminded that vehicles are not to park on the Yellow line directly outside the main entrance when dropping children to school in the morning. This is specifically a 'drop off zone.'
Traffic flow is currently being monitored, parked vehicles will be asked to move, persistent offenders will be reported.
請注意,上下課時間的接送車輛,不可停於學校大門的黃線區。黃線區只允許上下車。為控制校門口前的車流量,停在學校大門前的車輛將被勸導離開。屢勸不聽者,則將通報交通隊。
Another way to connect is via our class reps. Nominations end today and soon we shall have reps for every class. Each class will also have a Line group where parents can ask quick questions (eg. PE tomorrow? Has anyone got my child’s jacket?) and get quick answers. Participation in the class chatroom is purely voluntary, but it is a useful channel for getting information. Class reps are administrators of these chatrooms, so if you want to be in your class Line group, please approach your class reps once you know who they are, and give them your Line details.
Finally, the PTA has organised a workshop for this academic year’s class reps to explain responsibilities in detail and to provide guidance. Further information will be sent out to class reps soon.
Have a lovely weekend.
Jessica
Taipei European School British Primary Section
Website: https://taipeieuropeanschool.com/index.php?id=120
Location: No. 99, Fuguo Road, Shilin District, Taipei City, 111
Phone: +886-2-8145-9007
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/British-Primary-Section-Taipei-European-School-1781787432102978/