REMINDERS: MONDAY 28TH NOVEMBER-FRIDAY 2ND DECEMBER - Parent-teacher conferences FRIDAY 2ND DECEMBER - UWCT & Thanyapura Christmas Fair - Children to remain with teachers until their performance on the Thanyapura stage at approximately 16:00. Please send in red, green or white clothing and a Santa hat for your child to change into after school. Please collect your child (and their bag) near the stage after their performance. MONDAY 5TH DECEMBER - HM King's Birthday - no school MONDAY 12TH DECEMBER - Constitution Day - Teachers' Work Day - no school for students FRIDAY 16TH DECEMBER - Term 1 ends at 14:30 MONDAY 9TH JANUARY 2017 - First day of Term 2 - all students FIELD TRIP TO VANICH FARM Preschool students, teachers and parents thoroughly enjoyed the field trip to Vanich Farm last Tuesday. We explored corn crops, learned how to plant rice seedlings, cared for a buffalo by feeding and washing it and also fed rabbits and sheep. ECC GARAGE SALE
Thank you for supporting Preschool students in taking action! Special thanks to the following teachers, students and their parents who sold items and generously donated half of their profits (many more than 50%). We raised a total of 17,010 Baht! Special thanks to: Krya and Kru Olivia, Kru Caryl, Kai and Kru Heidi, Mandy, Clayton and Sai Mai, Kru Kathy, Derek and Vanessa, Liam, Stella and Daniela, Jessica, Jayden and Joy, Alexia and Kathy, Nana and Yuriko, Mia and Liz, Karate and Sinnion, Keani and Christina, Lexi, Tess, Ben and Denise, Cooper and Michelle, and Jasmine and Jongrak. We will keep you updated as to how we are supporting Baan Paklong Cheep School with these funds. DATES FOR YOUR DIARY TUESDAY 22ND NOVEMBER - All preschool classes to Vanich Farm - Buses will depart UWCT at 8:20 a.m. FRIDAY 25TH NOVEMBER - ECC Garage Sale -Sign up for tables closing Tuesday. Come along and grab a bargain! FRIDAY 2ND DECEMBER - UWCT and Thanyapura Christmas Fair (Preschool performance at approximately 4 p.m.) ![]() UWCT AND THANYAPURA CHRISTMAS FAIR Preschool students will have the opportunity to perform a song at the Christmas Fair. Students are encouraged to wear green, white or red clothing with a santa hat. To allow the PSG and other parents time to set up for the Christmas Fair, students are invited to remain in their classes after school. Teachers and teaching assistants will change children into the clothing and meet you at the stage at Thanyapura ready to perform at approximately 4 p.m. Students will then need to be collected by you from the stage after their performance. Please let you child's teacher know if you will not be attending as you can collect your child from school at the usual time of 2:30 p.m. SHARING THE PLANET Last week all of the ECC took part in a planting week. Students weeded flower beds, transported soil and planted many seeds. We observed and sorted lots of living and non-living things and tried to define the characteristics of these. We are looking forward to our field trip to Vanich Farm on Tuesday 22nd November. OUTDOOR PLAY AND INQUIRY
Students love the opportunity to start their morning outdoors. They enjoy playing with friends from other preschool classes and having the playground to themselves. A wonderful start to the day! UWCT and Thanyapura Christmas Fair The Christmas Fair will be on the Friday 2nd December 2016, please save the date. Preschool students will be performing a song on stage. The time of the performance will be confirmed ASAP. Your child will need to wear a Christmas coloured dress or top (red, green or white). Please let us know if you have a santa hat at home. Advance Notice: Parent Teacher Conferences will take place in the week of November 28th - December 2nd. Sign up sheets will be available next week. New Year long Unit of Inquiry We have just started our new unit of inquiry, under the Transdisciplinary theme of 'Sharing the planet'. Central idea Living things have certain needs in order to grow and stay healthy. Lines of Inquiry: ● Characteristics of living things ● The needs of plants and animals ● How we care for plants and animals Concepts: Form, Function, Responsibility Learner Profile: Principled, Caring Attitudes: Appreciation, Commitment, Integrity Preschool students went on a nature walk around the UWCT campus to find living and non-living things. Students drew pictures of livings and non-living things they found around school. The children were encouraged to look at the plants, insects, and photos of different living things provided for them. Teacher questions: What is a living thing? Can you give examples of living things? What does a living thing need in order to grow? How can you take care of living things? Maths: Counting Back
Students have been learning to count back from 5 and 10. We read stories, sang counting songs and made rocket ships and/or caterpillars. Advance Notice: Parent - Teacher conferences are on from 28th of November - 2nd of December 2016. Details about signing up at a convenient time for you will be sent out next week. Letter Kk Our letter sound of the week was letter Kk. Preschool classes have been very busy making and decorating kites. We also made some fruit Kebabs, Kiwifruit dipped into dark chocolate, and kiwi birds using kiwi fruit. The children had fun flying their own kites. Summative Assessment Task
TASK: Students worked together to design a new role play area for our classroom. They were then asked to design and create an item that could be added to this area. As we conclude our unit of inquiry 'play', Preschool students were able to make and create their own toys and food for the toy shop, food shop and supermarket. They were actively engaged in creating and designing their own food or toy to sell. They used various recycled materials. They took pride and were very proud of their work. Field Trip to Khao Phra Taeo National Park Educational purpose: Developing a relationship with the national park. Our Unit of Inquiry ‘How We Express Ourselves’, inquires into how and why we play. One line of inquiry is ‘imaginative use of everyday materials’. The children will have the opportunity to play and explore a natural environment safely and with guidance. Please ensure your child is wearing:
Preschool students will go on a field trip on different days. Please return the permission slip. Preschool H - 1st of November Preschool C - 3rd of November Preschool O - 4th of November Language - Phonics What starts with letter Cc? Preschool students have been exploring words or things that start with the letter c through various arts and crafts, as well as cooking. Here are some snapshots from each class. Number Talks Number Talks are used in Preschool and throughout the Primary School to encourage a group of children to talk about and make sense of numbers. We aim to improve students accuracy, flexibility and efficiency by talking about numbers and explaining. The main area that Preschool focus on is subitising. This means they will have the ability to recognise the number of objects in a small group without the need to count. Resources we use to support this are dot cards, five frames, ten frames and rekenreks. ![]() UWCT Parent Book Club The aim of the Book Club is to provide parents with an opportunity to discuss books about parenting and advocating for children. The next book we will be reading is Raising Girls by Steve Biddulph. "Biddulph explores girlhood through five stages: security, exploration, learning to get along with others, finding one's passion or "spark", and preparing for the freedom and responsibilities of adulthood." This book is recommended for parents of girls of all ages. You may even want to read this book if you are a parent of a boy! We will read the book over several weeks (one-two manageable chapters each week) and meet every Friday starting from Friday 11 November from 0820-0900. You will need to purchase your own copy of the book or eBook. If you are having trouble ordering a digital copy these can be ordered through Amazon priority shipping. Estimated cost approximately 800-1000THB. If interested, please give 1000THB to Heidi Sanchez by Tuesday 1 November and any extra money will be refunded. Please RSVP Heidi. We have got to the end of the half term! To celebrate, we have Wheel's Day this Friday 14th October. Please encourage your child to bring along their scooter or bike and helmet. 15-24 October - Mid-Term break - school resumes on Tuesday 25th October. 28th October - ECC Costume Day and Diwali. Wear Indian costume or green, orange or white. Highlights from Week 8This week, our letter sound for the week was "Nn". On Friday we made nachos! We grated cheese and carefully placed it on the nacho chips and then put it in the oven. We watched the cheese melting and bubbling. When it had cooled down we ate it with a dash of sour cream, accompanied by carrot and cucumber sticks. A delicious healthy snack, yum! Setting Up a New Area of Play
Unit of Inquiry: How We Express Ourselves Line of Inquiry: Imaginative Use of Everyday Materials In each class, we discussed creating a new area of play within our classroom. The children took ownership by voting on their favourite area and then we discussed what things we would need to set it up. The children helped to physically create the area and use everyday materials to create things they needed. Preschool Hedgehogs and Orchids have made a supermarket/shop and Preschool Cats have made a hospital. Upcoming EventsFriday 7th October - ECC Parent Social , 7 - 9 pm Where: Tycoon Ting Restaurant, Corner Naithon beach Price: 750 baht nett per person Includes: Welcome Drink & 3 course meal. Food will be served as a per table set. Canapés -Bacon + Cheese,Wasabi Crab, Shrimp with Lemongrass, Deep Fried Spicy Minced Pork and more Main -Chicken Matsaman Curry, Guitar Duck, Steamed Shrimps with Garlic and Glass noodle, Stir Fried Mix Vegetables, Steamed Rice and more Desserts- Mixed Thai Desserts and Fruit Please let your class teacher or ambassador know if you are coming by today, Monday 5pm! Payment on the door upon entry. Friday 14th October - ECC Wheels Day - please encourage your child to bring along their scooter or bike and helmet 15-24 October - Mid-Term break - school resumes on Tuesday 25th October. Please have a look at our Music page which has been updated by Kru Frederick. Cardboard ChallengeThe Global Cardboard Challenge takes place every year all over the world. It is a chance to celebrate child creativity. In September, kids of all ages are invited to build anything they can dream up using cardboard, recycled materials and imagination. In Preschool, we are working with our Grade 3 buddies to create something out of cardboard. So far, there has been lots of creative and imaginative ideas and the children are engaged in making their ideas come to life! This relates to our line of inquiry: imaginative uses of everyday materials. Social and emotional learning and mindfulnessIn Preschool, every day we are learning about interacting with our peers, how to manage our emotions and be mindful. We learn specific tools and strategies to help us. We 'season the day' with moments of mindfulness and try to balance the day with activities that have a 'breathing out' quality (for example role play or a focussed lesson) and then a 'breathing in' quality (for example a drawing activity or puzzle play).
We include the three aspects of mindfulness: stillness (breathing exercises), movement (yoga) and reflection (sharing our thoughts and feelings in a group). Dates for your diary 14th October - ECC Wheels Day - please encourage your child to bring along their scooter or bike and helmet 15-24 October - Mid-Term break - school resumes on Tuesday 25th October UWC Day On Wednesday, 21st September it was UWC Day, when UWC schools all over the world celebrate and remember the school mission: UWC makes education a force to unite people, nations and cultures for peace and a sustainable future. Preschool students enjoyed a variety of activities - baking, creating art, singing, dancing, making cards, making plant pots and planting seedlings. It was great having the Grade 11 students there to interact with our younger students and help them with the activities. ECC Family Picnic and International Cuisine Day
Thank you for coming to our family picnic and bringing such interesting, healthy and authentic dishes from all over the world! It was great for the children to try different foods and share with their friends and family. UWC Day UWC Day is an annual reminder and celebration of all that's positive about being part of the UWC community. On the same day, people from across the UWC community participate in activities all around the world, ranging from large organised events to small reunions with fellow UWCers. In 2016, the UWC movement will celebrate UWC Day on Wednesday 21st September. This year at UWCT we are demonstrating that we can live the mission: UWC makes education a force to unite people, nations and cultures for peace and a sustainable future. This Wednesday 21st September we will have a day of environmental action where Primary and Secondary will be working together. In the ECC, the children will be working with Grade 1 and Grade 11 students on a variety of activities related to sustainability and diversity which are appropriate to their age and ability. The children will be doing gardening, cooking, making art and crafts and creating a video. Please note that there will be no swimming for Preschool on Wednesday because of UWC day. International Cuisine Day On Friday 23rd September we invite you to join us for our first ECC Fun Day of the year. This coincides with a Grade 11 initiative to celebrate International Cuisine Day as part of "THE EXPERIENCE". Please bring along a plate to share a healthy breakfast (low sugar, free of artificial ingredients), from your home country or a country where you have lived. We will meet from 8:20 a.m. in the garden to the left of the Lower Primary Building. Students and parents from Nursery, Preschool and Kindergarten are invited. We have some beach mats but please bring along a picnic rug or mat if you have one. If there is wet weather, we will move our picnic to the ECC kitchen and adjacent undercover outdoor area. highlights of Week 5Teddy Bear Tea Party or Picnic As part of our phonics focus on the letter sound 'Tt', we had a Teddy Bear and Toy Tea Party/Picnic. Our toys enjoyed the party and we got to practice our polite manners. Mathematics: Data Handling
As part of our Unit of Inquiry on play, the children have been collecting data. Asking questions such as 'What is your favourite area of the class to play?' and 'What is your favourite colour?', they have been learning about each others' likes and how to display this information using a tally chart. play around the worldLast week, we used a thinking routine called, 'I see... I think...I wonder' to help us consider what play looks like around the world and how it is valued. Students selected a picture and answered the three questions above. This was a great opportunity to make each student's thinking more visible. Developing new areas to play in the playgroundStudents were a great help this week in helping us to set up a new area to play in the ECC playground. The wai kru ceremony is a Thai ritual in which students pay respects to their teachers in order to express their gratitude and to develop the student–teacher relationship. In Preschool, we celebrated this during our Thai Language and Culture lessons. ECC fun day - an international breakfast On Friday 23rd September we invite you to join us for our first ECC Fun Day of the year. This coincides with a Grade 11 initiative to celebrate International Cuisine Day as part of "THE EXPERIENCE". Please bring along a plate to share a healthy breakfast from your home country or a country where you have lived. We will meet from 8:20 a.m. in the garden to the left of the Lower Primary Building. Students and parents from Nursery, Preschool and Kindergarten are invited. We have some beach mats but please bring along a picnic rug or mat if you have one.
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