From the Head of Primary 09.11.2019
After being away from school at the EARCOS conference last week, it has been lovely to be back at school and in classrooms.
This week I had the pleasure of talking to Early Years parents about the importance of play in the Early Years curriculum. We had a very open and honest discussion about the pressure of tutoring and the effects that it can have on our children if it encroaches on free time to play. Researchers and educators across the world have found that play can help enrich learning and develop key skills such as inquiry, expression, experimentation and teamwork.
Play Encourages Communication
Play allows children the opportunity to develop speech and language skills as well listening skills. Children talk and listen while they play.
Play Improves Cognitive Development
Children who engage in pretend play tend to have more sophisticated levels of interaction with others.
Moreover, if children are deprived of play, their long-term capabilities related to problem solving, social skills and academic areas (e.g. literacy, math and science) could be lessened.
Play Encourages Relationship Building
Play helps to promote the development of social skills. Children who play with their parents and peers learn how relationships work through their play experiences. As play becomes more important in a child’s life, an increase in the number and quality of friendships has been seen.
If you would like to find out more about the Early Years curriculum at KIS please do speak to your class teacher or pop in to see me.
Christmas Fair
The Primary Christmas Fair is just around the corner and your school needs you! As part of the KIS community, we are looking for parents and friends of the school who would be willing and able to volunteer their time on Saturday 7th December. The Fair will run from 10.00 – 2.00 and any time that you can spare to support it would be very much appreciated. In particular we are looking for help to run games for the children and to help serve food at various stations. We are also looking for donations of quality items for the tombola. These can be sent to my office and will be gratefully received.In order to encourage support, we are offering parents a discounted rate of 50RM per table to sell arts, crafts and baked goods etc.
As with International Day, we will be selling tickets in advance for games and Santa’s grotto. These can be purchased from the front of school from Monday 18th November. Please contact me via Class Dojo, email or in person if you are interested in supporting this event. We really do hope to make this a Christmas Fair to remember!
Wishing you all a wonderful weekend.
Joanne Smith
Head of Primary
Year 5 Trip to Mari Mari Cultural Village, 31st Oct
Year 5 students enjoyed a fascinating trip to the Mari Mari Cultural Village recently, as part of their topic on Tribes. The students are learning all about local Sabah tribes and the visit to the cultural village formed the basis for their research, which will be developed into their own non-fiction books about a tribe of their choice.
The day started with an informative talk from the village guides about the main Sabahan tribes we would learn about throughout the visit. Then it was off to explore each tribal house and their customs and traditions. Throughout the tour, everyone was able to develop the skill of taking notes learned in class, following the detailed presentations our guides gave. As one student quoted on our return to school “I learned so many things about tribes that my head is about to burst!”
The tour included opportunities to sample traditional tribal food after watching how it was prepared, examine houses and living environments, learn about how some tribes made clothes and look at particular tribal traditions. This was just a small selection of the many other wonderful things the visit allowed us to do. It all ended with a performance of tribal dances and music followed by a buffet lunch of traditional tribal food. It was a great experience that provided lots of learning which Year 5 are looking forward to following up on back in the classroom.
Following the day’s visit, the pupils reflected on many highlights that they particularly enjoyed. Food tasting and sampling throughout the visit was a definite favourite, along with many of the experiences and facts learned:
“My favourite thing that I did was the trampoline from Murut Tribe house and the best bit was I jumped really high!”
“It was fascinating to go to Mari Mari Cultural Village. The honey was delicious and I liked the Murut trampoline.”
“The Bajau cook was the best!”
“My favourite part of Mari Mari is tasting the Kadazan food and the Lundayeh honey tea.”
“The three special dances in the performance was amazing, but the first dance was especially funny.”
“The Bajau tribal food was delicious. I would rate it 5 star!”
“You don’t want to make the Murut tribe angry as they will chop your head off!”
“I really like the Bajau pancakes made from coconut milk, wheat flour, rice flour and pandan.”
