Parent's Letter

Dear Parents, 

Welcome to the final Parents blog post of the year.

 As you all know, we have just finished a fantastic project week where the students have been rotating through a range of experiments in different classes. It has been really nice to see the 6^th graders taking on mentoring and leadership roles as they have helped organise, and work with, the younger students. The maturity levels shown by the 6th graders has been commented on throughout the week, and I have had many teachers in the staffroom mention how well they have been doing in their classes. This is something they can be very proud of.

A few weeks ago, Frau Franke and I had the opportunity to go and watch the boys play in the CS Cup, but unfortunately we were unable to make it to the girl’s tournament the previous week. The organisational skills the students showed prior to the tournament to come up with uniforms, team lists and tactics was a credit to both the girls and boys teams. During the tournament it was great to see the boys running around having a good time, and from what I have been told, it was the same for the girls. I am sure that most of the students who participated will cherish the memories of representing their school with their friends.

Over the upcoming weeks we are very busy. We have nature day, sports day, poetry jam and the summer fest, plus the final few weeks of SIS for the 6^th graders. Keep an ear out for information on all of these events.  

On the topic of Poetry jam, the students have been writing some fantastic poetry. They are able to use all of their amazing descriptive techniques to paint very vivid pictures for the reader. So far we have used the Kennings Style of poetry, and over the upcoming weeks , we will express our ideas through a range of different  poetry styles.  Ask your child to see some of their work, it´s very impressive. I am looking forward to seeing them present their poems for you all, so you can see how far they have progressed with their writing over the previous 2 years.

On a personal note, thank you for the past 2 years. It has been nice getting to know you all and it has been great working with your kids. They are a fantastic bunch and I will have tremendously fond memories of my time with them. There are some real characters in this year level, and I am sure they will all continue on the positive path they are heading on at the moment. Every day I have spent with them has brought me lots of enjoyment, laughter, pride, amazement and…the occasional headache. 

As I am sure most of you know by now, I will be heading back to New Zealand towards the end of summer with my wife, and brand new baby  daughter. Thank you for all your well wishes and kind words. It will be a very bitter sweet moment when we fly out, as my wife and I truly love Switzerland and we will be eternally grateful for our time here, but as we  have a ´Swiss` baby, we will have a great reason to return in the future.

Thanks again, we are looking forward to seeing you all over the upcoming weeks.

James Allen and Nina Franke.

Liebe Eltern

Liebe Eltern

Das Schuljahr vergeht wie im Fluge und schon befinden wir uns im zweiten Semester.

Kurz nach den Sportferien fand zunächst der Schneetag statt, der mit wunderbarem Wetter zu einem sehr schönen Erlebnis wurde.

Ausserdem nahmen die Schüler am Känguru Wettbewerb teil, bei dem vor allem die Freude am mathematischen Denken und Arbeiten im Mittelpunkt stand. Jeder Teilnehmer wird nach dem Vorliegen der Auswertung eine Urkunde mit seiner Punktzahl erhalten.

Im vierten und letzten Quartal dieses Schuljahres werden wir im Deutsch- und Englischunterricht wieder Gedichte verfassen und zusammen mit der 2. Klasse einen Poetry Slam veranstalten.

Ausserdem findet am 16. April  die Autorenlesung des Werkes Das coole zweite Buch statt,  bei dem einige Schülerinnen und Schüler der 6. Klasse mitgewirkt haben. Das Buch beinhaltet Texte des Kreativen Schreibkurses.

Wir freuen uns Sie bald bei den Elterngesprächen und einem der Events begrüssen zu dürfen.

Wir wünschen Ihnen allen schöne und erholsame Osterfeiertage.

Mit freundlichen Grüssen

Nina Franke und James Allen

Hier noch ein paar Bilder zur Sonnenfinsternis:

 

                                                                                                                                                                    

Reading Videos

In reading this quarter, we have been learning to identify and examine character´s points of views. We have been learning to do this as it helps us understand the text, while giving us an insight into what characters may be thinking and feeling.

After reading our first short short story, students were asked to create a role-play in the style of a news report, examining and portraying their character´s point of view.

Cobras
Chameleons

Christmas songs

Hello 6th Graders, here are the links to our Christmas songs so you can practise in front of all your friends and family at home.

Have Fun!!

Bald ist Weihnachten



So this is Christmas

Persuasive Writing

The 6th grade were given the task of convincing me to add one of their chosen subjects to our school curriculum. The students were told  they could choose any activity they wanted, and to use all of their persuasive language to help me see their point of view.

Enjoy reading through these texts by clinking the link below.

Link to 6th grade persuasive texts

Mr. Allen

Parent Newsletter

Hello 6th grade parents,

Welcome to another Blog Update. The quarter so far has seen the students take part in some interesting lessons and further develop their skills across the curriculum. Here is a brief rundown on what has been going on in the educational life of the 6^th grade.

In English the students have been working hard to convince and persuade their audiences on a range of topics. While in the process, they have been developing their persuasive writing skills. Recently they have been using their most persuasive techniques to convince me to include their subject of choice in the school’s curriculum. We have had a wide variety of subject choices, ranging from cooking to base-jumping, helicopter building to self-defence.  It is clear to see that these students really know how to put up a convincing argument when they want something.

Our math lessons have seen the students continue to develop their skills and ability to solve problems involving fractions. It has been nice to see the overall improvement and understanding of the students as the year has progressed. There have been many ‘light-bulb’ moments for the students, which makes life as a teacher very rewarding and worthwhile. Hopefully these improvements continue to occur as the efforts inside and outside of the classroom take fruition.

Our Humanities/Science topic so far has seen the students learn about the formation and location of Switzerland’s mountains. Students have been asked to use the internet, online books, handouts, plus their prior knowledge to locate and record information regarding this topic. As this topic continues, we will take a look at the Rhine and the influence this river has played in Switzerland over time and continuing into the future.

Over the upcoming weeks the students will remain busy as they continue with their learning and also begin to prepare for the festive season. As usual, there will be Christmas singing this year, so there will be lots of practise and preparation involved in that.  We will also be decorating our floor of the building by taking part in a hands-on workshop mixing the 5^th and 6^th grades.

So, this has been our quarter so far, please do not hesitate to contact us if you wish to discuss anything regarding your child’s education as we move forward together.

Thank you for your ongoing support at home and best wishes over the upcoming weeks. See you all at Christmas singing.

Kind regards

James Allen and Nina Franke.

Day 4

Donnerstag

Heute haben wir Spannendes über die Vergangenheit und darüber wie die Menschheit sich entwickelt hat gelernt. Herr Daniel zeigte uns die einzigartigen Stücke des Museums Latenium. Zum Schluss durften wir uns ein Symbol der Macht aus verschiedenen Epochen aussuchen und ein Theaterstück dazu erfinden, das wir dann vorführen. Es war für uns das spannenste und lustigste Museum, das wir erkundigten. Danach wehte uns der Wind während der Bootsfahrt durchs Haar und wir genossen unsere fruchtigen Lollipops. Am späten Nachmittag streiften wir durch die Gassen des alten Neuchatels. Zum Abendessen freuten wir uns auf die selbstgemachte Pizza aus dem vorgeheizten Ofen. Für die Girls wurde ein Beautyabend von Frau Franke organisiert. Die Jungs genossen die späte Abendsonne beim Fussballspielen. Zum Schluss durften wir es noch krachen lassen und alle waren traurig, dass das Klassenlager schon zu Ende war. Wir bedanken uns ganz herzlich bei: Nina Franke, James Allen und Rene´Janser.