Tag: Class News

BIBA ES 3rd Cyclical Newsletter

This last cycle we learned.

  • How to find the best ways to share books
  • Find people to effectively share books with
  • What a proper Writer’s Notebook entry looks like
  • How to effectively use a writing partner
  • How to generate ideas for a story.
  • Simple Past Tense, regular verbs
  • The commutative property of factors in a multiplication sentence.
  • How to skip count using arrays.
  • How to find related multiplication facts
  • Modeling division questions in multiplication using unknown factors.
  • What fossils are
  • How to understand what dinosaurs looked like.

We have not started our Social Studies Unit yet.

Next Cycle we will learn.

  • How to check for comprehension by using context clues and asking yourself (the reader) questions as you go.
  • How to use a Storyteller voice in your writing.
  • How to write clear details and specific details to clarify the story for the readers.
  • How to take stock of your own progress as a writer
  • How to paraphrase.
  • Interpreting the quotient of division questions
  • Skip counting to find answers in multiplication questions.
  • Using the Distributive Property to find related facts
  • Model the relationship between multiplication
  • How fast a dinosaur was, and compare that to ourselves
  • How animals inherit traits from their parents.
  • What future animals may look like.

We have not started our Social Studies Unit yet.

Quote of the Cycle

Learning is not about perfection but about progress. Each step forward opens the door to endless possibilities.

~ Grade 3 Team

In class we are learning from “Stone Fox.” If your child does not have access to this book please prepare one, or contact your Homeroom teacher.

A Review from the Parent Student Handbook:

This cycle we will go back to the Code of Conduct section of the Parent and Student Handbook and look at the Rs in turn. We will begin with the first of BIBA’s Rs, Respect.

CODE OF CONDUCT

All members of the BIBA community are to conduct themselves with regard to four overarching attributes and skills of Respect, Responsibility, Rigor, and Relationships.

BIBA STUDENT
PROFILE
ATTRIBUTES
海嘉学生行为准则		PRINCIPLES
原则		RIGHTS
权利		RESPONSIBILITIES
责任/义务
RESPECTI have self-respect and respect the culture, values and traditions of the school and of others in the school community.I have the right to have my culture, values, and traditions treated with respect.I have a responsibility to respect myself and my culture, values and traditions, as well as those of the school and of others in my school community.
尊重我尊重自己以及学校社区内其他成员的文化、传统和价值观。我有权利秉承自己的文化、传统和价值观并受到尊重。我有责任尊重我自己以及社区内他人的文化、价值观和传统。

At Home

Have discussions with your children about Respect. Discuss with them ways we show respect at home and at school or work. What respect we give to others, what respect we give to ourselves, and What respect we hope others will give to us.

BIBA ES 2nd Cyclical Newsletter

These Past 2 Cycles we learned.

  • How to treat books with care
  • How to find books that are the right level for us to read.
  • How to set goals for our reading year.
  • What Writers do, and how they work effectively
  • How to use our Writer’s notebooks effectively.
  • The type of Writer I am right now, and what type of writer I want to be by the end of the year.
  • Simple Past Tense, regular verbs
  • That equal groups are used in multiplication
  • To relate the picture model to multiplication questions
  • To relate the array model to multiplication questions
  • How to interpret factors in a multiplication question.
  • How to understand the concept of the unknown in division questions.
  • How to understand the unknown in an array model.
  • What fossils are
  • How to understand what dinosaurs looked like.
  • How fast a dinosaur was, and compare that to ourselves
  • How animals inherit traits from their parents.
  • What future animals may look like.

We have not started our Social Studies Unit yet.

Next Cycle we will learn.

  • How to find the best ways to share books
  • Find people to effectively share books with
  • What a proper Writer’s Notebook entry looks like
  • How to effectively use a writing partner
  • How to generate ideas for a story.
  • Simple Past Tense, irregular verbs
  • The commutative property of factors in a multiplication sentence.
  • How to skip count using arrays.
  • How to find related multiplication facts
  • Modeling division questions in multiplication using unknown factors.
  • About natural and artificial selection of traits
  • About behavioral traits, and learned traits.

We have not started our Social Studies Unit yet.

Quote of the Cycle

Mr. Chad:  Love your classmates, you are stuck with them all year!

In class we are learning from “Stone Fox” If your child does not have access to this book please prepare one, or contact your Homeroom teacher.

A Review from the Parent Student Handbook:

Mobile Device Policy
Students are not allowed to use mobile phones, smartphones, smartwatches, MP3/4 players, portable CD players, radios, and other electronic devices on the BIBA campus unless permission is granted by the teacher for the use of such items for a specific purpose. Students in possession of these items during the school day, without permission, will have these items confiscated.

Confiscated items will be returned at the end of the school day. Parents may be requested to come to the school to collect confiscated items should the student commit repeated offenses and not respond to warnings by the school. Mobile phone and camera functions are not to be used, i.e. picture-taking, recording, etc. without the express permission of the classroom teacher or administration at any point on the school grounds.

Writing Celebration Update

On Friday we had an amazing event. I hope the parents had a great time. We had a scoring system that included everyone, because I knew that I would be distracted between hosting and keeping some of the children engaged.

The score sheet gave everyone present (Students, Parents, and myself) the chance to score everyone on 3 categories:

  • Was this a good topic for the child?
  • Did they present well (Can be heard, eye contact, didn’t read from their speech)
  • Did they convince the listener to agree with them.
  • Audience Skills (Only I did this one)

Our class parents brought a large amount of snacks for the children. The children would have a lot to eat while they listened.

We would have 5 presenters, then a snack break, and then repeat until we had gone through all of the speeches. This gave the children a brain break, and some time to see their parents between segments.

At the end of the day, I collected the score sheets and copied the scores into the computer. my vote only counted as 1 of the 47 votes. The scores below are a combine all the categories, and are presented by the speaking groups.

  • Emily Zou – 86%
  • Oscar Lv – 85%
  • Audrey Jiya – 86%
  • Joy Chen – 86%
  • Chris Wen 73%
  • Laurence You – 81%
  • Daniel Cui – Had Stage Fright.
  • Dido Wu – 74%
  • Lucas Wang – 79%
  • Ethan Wu – 62%
  • Meimei Li – 88%
  • Vivien Liao – 92%
  • Michelle Wang – 96%
  • Adam Wang – 84%
  • Stephenson Sun – 72%
  • Steve Zhang – 75%
  • Della Yang – 89%
  • Victor Xue – 92%
  • Rita Sun – 76%
  • Fang Zhang – 86%
  • Candice Zhang – 82%
  • Abigail Tang – 84%
  • Jason Wang – 76%

Now clearly, these are not the photos from the event. You can find those on our Class WeCom Social Group. I am still wary of posting photos of the children due to our school’s Social Media policy. Please understand.

Almost everyone did amazingly, and even those who did not meet the expectations made me proud. They had been working on these speeches for a couple of months, and some students where meticulous in their research and note taking, and others had more difficulty with their organization.

On Tuesday is a Competition pitting Our Michelle and Victor against the other Grade 3 Class winners, to earn the trophy!

The top four students from our class will earn Medals even if they do not win the Grade level contest. On top of this, our “Most Improved” student will win a medal, but I would like to keep that student a surprise until Tuesday. They deserve it and have had a lot of personal struggles to overcome.

AR

We have been working with AR for a few months now, and I have noticed some confusion still surrounds it. I will try to make things a bit clearer for everyone.

我们已经与AR合作了几个月，我注意到它仍然有一些困惑。我会尽量让每个人都把事情说得更清楚一些。

AR stands for Accelerated Reader, and it is a reading assessment system. It is a quick way to check the children’s reading comprehension, and fluency. The AR Program is used in conjunction with STAR and MyOn. But these are not the same things.

AR代表Accelerated Reader，它是一种阅读评估系统。这是检查孩子阅读理解和流利程度的快速方法。AR 程序与 STAR 和 MyOn 结合使用。但这些不是一回事。

AR, as mentioned is a Reading comprehension system.
STAR is the online platform that can test the children using a computer instead of the pen and paper like AR used to be. Using STAR, children can read almost any book, then look it up on their website and do an AR Quiz on the computer or iPad.
MyOn is a digital library, like our Raz-Kids. Here the children can read books on their iPads or computers, and then immediately do an AR quiz from the website.

如前所述，AR是一个阅读理解系统。
STAR是一个在线平台，可以使用计算机而不是像AR那样使用笔和纸来测试孩子。使用 STAR，孩子们几乎可以阅读任何书籍，然后在他们的网站上查找并在计算机或 iPad 上进行 AR 测验。
MyOn是一个数字图书馆，就像我们的Raz-Kids一样。在这里，孩子们可以在iPad或电脑上阅读书籍，然后立即从网站上进行AR测验。

The Quizzes can only be completed during school hours, so normally we do these in class time. But on Holidays or other days, the children can still try them before 5:00.

测验只能在上课时间完成，所以通常我们会在课堂上进行。但在节假日或其他日子，孩子们仍然可以在 5：00 之前尝试。

What we are asking for at home, is that the children spend their time reading. Not doing the quizzes, but just reading. Making notes in their Reading Logs, is also beneficial, and can help the children remember books to be quizzed on in school.

我们在家里要求的是，孩子们把时间花在阅读上。不做测验，而只是阅读。在他们的阅读日志中做笔记也是有益的，可以帮助孩子们记住在学校要测验的书籍。

Statistics say that 25 minutes of reading is necessary for a good study habit. More if possible is always good, but less is detrimental to the child’s education.

统计数据表明，25分钟的阅读对于良好的学习习惯是必要的。如果可能的话，多一点总是好的，但少一点对孩子的教育是有害的。

Text Translated by Bing Translator

International Day

Friday March 29th 2024 was International Day at BIBA, and the school was dressed up for a great time. For this International Day the children of 3B were learning about Ireland.

Guests

Mr. Quinn Explaining Irish Facts to the children.

To prepare for this day the children and I did quite a few things; we learned about Irish culture through our Guest Speaker Mr. Patrick Quinn. Mr. Quinn, BIBA’s Early Years International Curriculum Coordinator, is from Ireland, and he delighted the children with information about the country, and introduced them to the story of the Giant’s Causeway.

Finn McCool Making the Giant’s Causeway.

Myths & History

The children read myths and fables about Ireland, learning about the Giant, Finn McCool, his wife Oonagh, Saint Patrick, leprechauns and other myths and monsters. The children discovered that Ireland is the origin of one of their favorite foreign celebrations, Halloween.

Multimedia & Interactivity

Irish Dancing through Ireland.

The students made a video where they explained some interesting things they learned. We had a class on Irish Dancing. Some volunteers: Joy, Emily, Audrey, Michelle, Vivien, helped me make a video of their dancing, which we put together into a class video.

Interviews with the beautiful scenery of Ireland.

The Student who volunteered to be interviewed: Emily, Chris, Oscar, Victor, Michelle and Steve, got to explain their favorite facts about Ireland. They were really excited about sharing, even though they were nervous to be on camera.

The Day Arrives

Trying to put Penguins on the melting ice… -_-!

On The Actual International Day, students and I dressed up in our best Leprechaun costumes, and walked about the school. Our first stop after the performances and parade in the morning, included Antarctica! (Really just the Science Lab) The children learned about what animals are living in Antarctica, and how global warming is causing their habitat to disappear. Some student, who answered questions fast enough earned prizes, and everyone walked out of Antarctica with Ice-cream, Yum!

A stuffed penguin, Excellent Prize!

Our Next Destination was the international Food booths. The children got to try food from all over the world arranged by our Parent Volunteers. We all really enjoyed this. Some of us, myself included, wanted to just skip the next activity and continue to eat. (he, he, he…)

Our next activity was a Tug of War Contest amongst the Grade 3 Nations. I am proud to say, Ireland (3B) came 2nd place in this contest, only losing out to the Netherlands (3F). Excellent work Everyone!

After this we enjoyed our Lunch, and then began our World Tour! We traveled to different countries in the world (Really just other classes), and did activities to learn about those countries. We visited India, Mexico, Papa New Guinea, South Africa, Argentina, and Norway.

At the end of the day we were all very tired, but happy.

Our Brochures made by the students.

News: March 25th

This morning, Day B, I had the opportunity to talk briefly with the student who had been on time. I was able to discuss some of the news from this week with them, and feel it is a busy enough week for us to write about here.

Monday:

Today four volunteer students and I practice some Irish dancing in the basketball court. I truly appreciate the help in this from them. I know they enjoyed it, but also Irish Dancing is not easy and requires a very high level of energy that I was having a hard time keeping up with. I am so glad they were able to.

Tuesday:

The Leopard store opens up tomorrow, and so I will probably be giving out the last of my leopard cards in the morning. This store opens only once a month, the children can spend their Leopard cards that they earned through the month on things they wish to own.

Children earn these leopard cards by following the 4 Rs of BIBA, (Rigor, Respect, Responsibility, and Relationships)

Tuesday will also be the day that my volunteers and I video about Ireland. Some will video the dancing, some will be asked to video what they learned in the classes or through their individual research.

Tuesday we will also be using a class to begin our Research into Natural Disasters. as that is what we will be showcasing during the Biba Science Fair in April.

Wednesday:

This is the last day student can use to finish their Ireland Brochures. They have been writing and sending me pictures to put on their brochures. Thursday I will be printing them, but I will also post them here for you to see.

We also have a Maths Practice test on Wednesday. Of course a practice will be sent home.

Thursday:

I will be printing up the students work and final Brochures, we will be putting final posters on the walls for International Day and finishing up all student work that needs to be put up to showcase Ireland. I will also be letting the children view their video that they recorded on Tuesday and Wednesday.

Thursday is also a Maths Test. Our final test for geometry.

Thursday we will have our second class on Natural Disasters. We will be learning about Hurricanes and how they are dangerous. We will also learn about how to help people who are victims of hurricanes, and other wind storms.

We will finally get to meet our new student in 3B and welcome him to the class. Lucas will finally be able to join us. We are all looking forward to meeting you.

Friday: International Day

There are so many things happening on this day it is hard to explain.
first there will be presentations, performances and parades.
Then we will learn about the international community living on Antarctica, and how they survive and meld together.
Then we will have the chance to try food from around the world
We will have our International Day Tug of War contest, to see which country comes out the strongest.
In the afternoon we will be traveling to different classrooms representing different countries from every continent on the world.

Spring Break:

Immediately after the International Day festival, we will have 11 days of no school for Easter, Qing Ming, and Spring break all rolled into one. Classes will begin again on Wednesday April 10th.