Good afternoon,
This week seemed very busy in KG1, what with planning ahead for student-led conferences and reflecting over the year so far for our pages in this year’s ABIS yearbook, alongside our regular learning!
Student-Led Conferences – What to Expect
For those who are new to the concept, student-led conferences are an important and meaningful part of the learning experience at IB schools worldwide. During these special sessions, students take the lead in sharing their learning journey and school experiences with their parents or caregivers. This week, the children worked together to choose the learning experiences they would like to share with you during the conference. They also created a step-by-step plan (through drawings) to guide you through some of the activities they enjoy most at school. This is a special opportunity for them to take on the role of ‘teacher’ and show you what school life is like through their eyes.
To make the most of this experience, we kindly ask that you arrive ready to engage in playful and hands-on learning with your child. If possible, please switch off your phone and arrange for younger siblings to stay at home with a caregiver so you can focus entirely on your child during your 30-minute session. Please note that this time is not intended for parent–teacher discussions about progress. After handing your child their plan, I will step back so you can enjoy this valuable experience together.
Don’t forget to sign up for your 30-minute session with your child if you haven’t already!
Construction Play: More Than Just Blocks
One area of exploration that is always popular in our class is construction. We are fortunate to have a wide variety of construction resources available—both large and small—which can be used in many different ways. While engaging in construction play, children are actually developing a wide range of important skills. These include:
- Social development, as they learn to share, take turns, and consider the ideas of others
- Language development, through negotiating, planning with peers, and acquiring new vocabulary
- Mathematical thinking, as they explore shape, space, and measurement
- Problem-solving and reasoning, as they plan, test ideas, and adapt when things don’t go as expected
- Motor skills, both fine (when handling small pieces) and gross (when using larger-scale construction materials)
Please enjoy the photos below, showing some of the lovely construction play taking place in class this week.
Finally, a reminder that next Thursday, 17th April, students are invited to dress as a favourite book character, as a way to celebrate the end of Book Week! We hope to see many of our favourite story characters in class on this day!
