KG Class Blog

Sawadee Pee Mai!

Kindergarten will be taking part in Songkran activities during Thai class at the end of the day on Thursday and are welcome to wear Thai dress on that day. Swimming classes will be taking place as usual, so please send their swim bags as well.
On Friday morning, KG will join EY1 and EY2 for some water play and are again welcome to wear swim clothes (or play clothes that they can get wet). Please feel free to send colourful, Songkran clothing for your child to wear after the water play.

World Book Week is coming soon…

First week of Term 3 we will be celebrating the love of books with World Book Week.

We have lots of activities during the week and also we encourage parents to come read with us.

 

If you would like to join KG teachers for Book Character Dress Up, we will be dressing as crayons from the book The Day the Crayons Quit by Drew Daywalt. It’s a simple costume by wearing your favorite colour and we will make cone hats to match in class. Just let us know if your child would like to join the teachers.

WorldBookWeek

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KG Guest Readers
Last week, KG students got to listen to these stories from our guest readers.
On Tuesday, Ganta’s parents came to read the story Paper Bag Princess by Robert Munsch and Michael Martchenko in both Thai and English.

“When the fiercest dragon in the whole world smashes Princess Elizabeth’s castle, burns all her clothes, and captures her fiancé, Prince Ronald, Elizabeth takes matters into her own hands. With her wits alone and nothing but a paper bag to wear, the princess challenges the dragon to show his strength in the hopes of saving the prince. But is it worth all that trouble?” (Amazon.UK)

On Thursday, Rainie’s dad read us The Big Book of the Body by Minna Lacey and Peter Allen in English.

This book illustrates the remarkable ways the human body works. We learned about a giant skeleton,  how the heart pumps blood, what’s inside our heads and what happens to the food we eat.

On Friday morning, Mark’s mum read us a poem in Russian, then 2 stories: Dinosaurs Don’t Draw, by by Elli Woollard and Steven Lenton, and Be Careful Barney by Lucy Barnard, both in English.

Dinosaurs Don’t Draw
“Dinosaurs aren’t known for their drawing – they’re known for their stamping and stomping and ROARING! All except for one creative young dinosaur who just can’t seem to stop! He transforms rocks, chalk, sticks and mud into the most wonderful works of art – much to the confusion of his fierce, fighting dinosaur family. But when everyone hears the THUD of a terrifying T-Rex, they soon see just how effective art can be. Especially art in the form of an even bigger dinosaur!

A vibrant and uplifting story about the joy and the power of art – and daring to be different.” (Amazon.UK)

Be Careful, Barney
“Barney thinks being daring is great fun…but when Barney’s class go on a school trip,  the little fox discovers just how dangerous  his behaviour is. Despite being told not to go  near the river, Barney tries to cross it, falls in  and is carried away! Barney’s friend Trevor  finds a branch and manages to save a very  scared Barney .

The next day, while at the park, Barney is  tempted to hang upside down as usual,  but then he remembers how scared he felt  when he fell in the river and how worried his  mummy had been. He runs to find his friends  and soon discovers that he can have just as  much fun without taking so many risks.” (Amazon.UK)

On Friday afternoon, Jett’s dad read The Creepy Pair of Underwear by Aaron Reynolds in English.

This is a story of a brave rabbit and a very strange pair of underwear.

“Jasper Rabbit is NOT a little bunny anymore. He’s not afraid of the dark, and he’s definitely not afraid of something as silly as underwear. But when the lights go out, suddenly his new big rabbit underwear glows in the dark. A ghoulish, greenish glow. If Jasper didn’t know any better he’d say his undies were a little, well, creepy. Jasper’s not scared obviously, he’s just done with creepy underwear. But after trying everything to get rid of them, they keep coming back!” (Amazon.UK)

A big thank you to these parents for taking the time to come share with us. We look forward to Nadine’s mum, Bella’s mum, and Suniya’s parents who have volunteered to come read for us this week.

If there are any more parents who would like to sign up to come read to KG, please click on the link below, choose an available time slot, and send us an email to let us know when you can come.

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1ZhaqTaPsRv6Wp_MNISC1TKCwRr-IRejDe9ZvPyDhgFo/edit?usp=sharing

You are welcome to read any story in any language, mother tongue or otherwise.
Thank you.

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Library Books
Students will not be bringing home books this week.
Our regular library visits will recommence after the Songkran break. Thank you.

 

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Important Dates

Ongoing…	KG Classroom Readers (please come read us a story)
Thurs. 4th Apr.	Songkran Celebration (in Thai class)
Fri. 5th Apr.	Water Play with EY1 & EY2; Songkran Assembly
Songkran Holiday	April 6th – 21st (NO SCHOOL)
Mon. 22nd Apr.	Start of Term 3
Tue. 23rd Apr.	World Book Day (Book Character Dress-Up Day)
Mon. 29th Apr.	KG Coffee Meeting #3 at 8:10 am in the KG classroom
Wed. 1st May	Labour Day (NO SCHOOL)
Mon. 6th May	H.M. The King’s Coronation (NO SCHOOL)
Wed. 8th May	KG Field Trip to Sea Life Ocean World …details coming  soon

wbw1

First week of Term 3 we will be celebrating the love of books with World Book Week. We have lots of activities during the week and also we encourage parents to come read with us.

If you would like to join KG teachers for Book Character Dress Up, we will be dressing as crayons from the book “The day the crayons quit”. Its a simple costume by wearing your favorite colour and we will make cone hats to match in class. Just let us know if your child would like to join the teachers.

 

 

Thank you to those parents who  joined Ms Kirsten and myself this morning at our Reading at Home Workshop. I have attached the presentation for those unable to attend.

Ms Lisa

http://online.fliphtml5.com/qyos/xuun/

Reading at Home

Last week, ArtiGras began with a short assembly with a few performances, a House origami challenge, and a Freeze Dance taught by Ms. Lynn.

Origami – Thank you to Rintaro’s mom, Nadine’s mom, and Otto’s mom for volunteering their time to help KG students with their origami creations.

And thank you to Ms. Nok for helping everyone else make their contribution to Ms. Daisy’s origami installation.

Thai Cultural Performance – Last Thursday, students attended a wonderful Thai cultural performance in the auditorium. We learned about different ways that the dancers expressed emotions using their bodies.

Toward the end of the performance, some students volunteered to go up on stage to practice the gestures of a couple of the characters. Joe from KGC got to be Hanuman.

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World Water Day
Thanks to all who wore blue last Friday and made a donation to the Mercy Center.

Your contributions are very much appreciated.

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Guest Readers
Last week, KG students got to listen to these stories from our guest readers.
On Wednesday, Peam’s parents came to read the story Pond Goose by Caroline Jayne Church in both Thai and English.

This is a story about a clever, but lonely little goose, who outwits a fox and makes lots of new friends in the process.

“Pond Goose is an outsider on the farm, and the other geese laugh at his muddy feathers. Until one moonlit night a fox comes and chases them all down the hill – all, that is, except Pond Goose, whose muddy feathers mean he can’t be seen. This is a visually dramatic and humorous story, with a neat surprise ending.” (Amazon.UK)

On Friday, Leia’s dad read The Snail and the Whale, by Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler. 

“One little snail longs to see the world and hitches a lift on the tail of an enormous whale. Together they go on an amazing journey, past icebergs and volcanoes, sharks and penguins, and the little snail feels so small in the vastness of the world. But when disaster strikes and the whale is beached in a bay, it’s the tiny snail’s big plan that saves the day!” (Amazon.UK)

A big thank you to these parents for taking the time to come share with us. We look forward to Ganta’s parents, Mark’s mum, and Jett’s dad who have volunteered to come read for us this week.

If there are any more parents who would like to sign up to come read to KG, please click on the link below, choose an available time slot, and send us an email to let us know when you will come.

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1ZhaqTaPsRv6Wp_MNISC1TKCwRr-IRejDe9ZvPyDhgFo/edit?usp=sharing

You are welcome to read any story in any language, mother tongue or otherwise.
Thank you.

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Picture Day
Just a friendly reminder that KG students will be having their school photos taken on Wednesday 27th March in the morning. Please ensure that students are wearing their regular KIS school uniform on that day (blue shirt with the white collar).

If your child has PE on this day, please send the PE uniform for them to change into afterwards. Thank you.

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Library Books
Please return library folders on Friday. Thank you.

 

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Important Dates

Ongoing…	KG Classroom Readers (please come read us a story)
Wed. 27th Mar.	KG Class/Individual Photos
THIS Thurs. 28th Mar.	NO SWIM CLASSES TODAY
Thurs. 4th Apr.	Songkran Celebration
Songkran Holiday	April 6th – 21st (NO SCHOOL)
Mon. 22nd Apr.	Start of Term 3
Tue. 23rd Apr.	World Book Day
Mon. 29th Apr.	KG Coffee Meeting #3 – 8:00 am in the KG classroom
Wed. 1st May	Labour Day (NO SCHOOL)
Mon. 6th May	H.M. The King’s Coronation (NO SCHOOL)

A friendly reminder…
Regarding birthday celebrations, if you are bringing in treats for your child to share with his/her classmates, please ensure that they contain NO NUTS or nut oils.

Also, individual cupcakes/cake pops/cookies/donuts etc. are very easy to distribute and are usually an appropriate size for small tummies.
Please consider this for future reference.

Thank you so much.

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KG Swimming
Next week’s swim classes will take place as follows:
KGB on Mon. 25th March
KGA & KGC on Tues. 26th March

Please have your child wear his/her swim clothes under their school/PE uniform on their swim day.

(We will not have swim classes next Thurs. 28th March.)

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please click on the link below to view the full content of this week’s blog post:
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This Friday is World Water Day!
Friday 22nd March, 2019

“Whoever you are, wherever you are, water is your human right.”

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ArtiGras is here…

This week, PYP will be highlighting the arts with a series of activities.
Ms. Daisy will run a community art project all week centered around the ancient art of origami. If any parents are available to visit KG and help with the Origami Center this week, that would be greatly appreciated. Please email us to let us know.
Thank you.

* * * * *

Literacy Connections: KG Guest Readers
Last week (and today), KG students got to listen to these stories from our guest readers.
On Friday, August’s dad came to read the fable The Fox and the Monkey (狐狸和猴子) in Mandarin and English. In this story, a fox and a monkey think of a way to cross a river to get to the other side in order to eat the delicious peaches on the tree over there. They worked together to make a bridge with a large log, but then the greedy fox tricked the monkey and pushed the log into the river so that the monkey couldn’t cross and that he could eat all the peaches himself.

Then the monkey said to the fox, “Even though I cannot cross the river to eat the peaches, you cannot cross back to this side of the river! What will you do when there are no more peaches?” The moral of the story: It never pays to be greedy.

August’s mom read a book about Tippers. This story about a building site shows the importance of taking your time to complete a task with care to get it done properly.

This morning, Anakin’s dad read The Day the Crayons Quit, by Drew Daywalt and Oliver Jeffers, a playful, imaginative story about a boy and his crayons.

“Poor Duncan just wants to colour in. But when he opens his box of crayons, he only finds letters, all saying the same thing: We quit! Beige is tired of playing second fiddle to Brown, Blue needs a break from colouring in all that water, while Pink just wants to be used. Green has no complaints, but Orange and Yellow are no longer speaking to each other. What will Duncan do?”

A big thank you to these parents for taking the time to come share with us. We look forward to Peam’s parents and Leia’s dad who are also scheduled for this week.

If there are any more parents who would like to sign up to come read to KG, please click on the link below, choose an available time slot, and send us an email to let us know when you will come.

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1ZhaqTaPsRv6Wp_MNISC1TKCwRr-IRejDe9ZvPyDhgFo/edit?usp=sharing

You are welcome to read any story in any language, mother tongue or otherwise.
Thank you.

* * * * *

Unit of Inquiry: Family Histories
Students have been exploring their identities and their family histories. They are using their fine motor skills to illustrate their unique physical features and connecting them to people in their family.

This week and next week, students will continue exploring their identities by making connections to different elements such as the foods they eat, the language(s) they speak, celebrations that they take part in, etc.

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KG Swimming
This week’s swim classes will take place as regularly scheduled.
Next week Thursday (March 28th), Mr. Max will be away attending a Ror Dor meeting, so there will be no swim classes on that day. KG swim classes will be rescheduled for another day next week. We will let you know which day your child will be swimming once the schedule has been finalized.

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Bottles and Caps

Some grade 5 students are collecting plastic bottles and caps for their 2019 exhibition project.

If you happen to have any plastic bottles or bags with you while on school premises, and you no longer need them, please drop them in this collection unit located near the school entrance by the PYP office. Thank you.

* * * * *

Library Books
Please return library folders on Friday. Thank you.

 

* * * * *

Important Dates

Ongoing…	KG Classroom Readers (please consider volunteering)
Fri. 22nd Mar.	World Water Day (Wear blue and donate a bottle of water.)
Mar. 18th – 22nd	ArtiGras
Wed. 27th March.	KG Class Photos
NEXT WEEK Thu. 28th Mar.	NO SWIMMING
Tue. 23rd Apr.	World Book Day (details to come)
Mon. 29th Apr.	KG Coffee Meeting #3 – 8:00 am in the KG classroom
Wed. 1st May	Labour Day (NO SCHOOL)
Mon. 6th May	H.M. The King’s Coronation (NO SCHOOL)

 

Dear Parents,

KG has a lovely train set kindly lent to us by Ms. Lisa. We have been using it in different and interesting ways all year. However the trains included in it are well worn and don’t work effectively. As we are moving on towards our next inquiry we will be exploring more scientific concepts such as forces and energy. If any families have any trains from the Tomy series of products at home(which work well) and which you no longer use we would love to have them in KG. If you do please contact a teacher a new fleet of trains would be really useful…….

 If you are viewing this message via email,
please click on the link below to view the full content of this week’s blog post:
https://klearning.ict.kis.ac.th/kblog/kg/

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Unit of Inquiry – KG Assembly
Thank you, parents, for coming out to the assembly last Friday. It was wonderful once again to see everyone celebrating the many cultures in our classroom.

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Literacy Connections: KG Guest Readers
Last week, KG students got to listen to stories in Thai and English:
Hague’s mom read เจ้าจุดกับเจ้าลาย, a story about 2 best friends (a zebra and a cheetah) who wanted to look exactly alike, but then learned to appreciate their differences when they realized that that’s what made them so special.

Avani’s mom read a few moral short stories: The Thirsty Crow, whose message was that in adverse situations, if you’re a thinker and put your mind to something, you can come up with solutions to problems. She also read The Most Beautiful Child from a collection of Akbar and Birbal Stories from India, which had a message about how true beauty isn’t about the way a person looks on the outside, and that we are all beautiful in the eyes of our parents.

Leia’s mom read the book, You’re a Big Sister by David Bedford and Susie Poole, which showed what it’s like to have a younger brother or sister in your family and the important role we play in their lives as an older sibling.

A big thank you to these parents for taking the time to come share with us.

If there are any more parents who would like to sign up to come read to KG, that would be wonderful. Kindly send us an email to let us know what day(s) you are available and we can arrange a time. You are welcome to read any story in any language, mother tongue or otherwise. Thank you.

* * * * *

Numeracy: Numbers, Time, and Patterns
This week, students will be taking on some new challenges in their daily data management.

We will be looking at different ways to make ten using Numicon resources, making connections to our daily schedule by looking at time, and making predictions about classroom job roles.

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Sunflowers from our KinderGARDEN
Today, students used their fine motor skills to create illustrations of the beautiful sunflowers that we grew in our garden.

Some students explored the form of different parts of dried sunflower plants…

Then, after school, KG students sold the sunflowers along with mushrooms and morning glory from our garden. Thank you, parents, for your donations and supporting our learning.

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World Water Day – Friday 22nd March, 2019
“World Water Day is an annual UN observance day (always on 22 March) that highlights the importance of freshwater.  The day is used to advocate for the sustainable management of freshwater resources. World Water Day is celebrated around the world with a variety of events. These can be educational, theatrical, musical or lobbying in nature. The day can also include campaigns to raise money for water projects. The first World Water Day, designated by the United Nations, was commemorated in 1993. Each year many countries celebrate World Water Day.”

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_Water_Day

This year at KIS, Kindergarten is in charge of raising awareness for this special day. For this we will be hosting a dress-down day ‘fundraiser’ of sorts: On Friday 22nd March, we’re asking students, staff, parents, and everyone else in the KIS community to wear blue and donate a bottle of drinking water. Donations will be given to The Mercy Centre.

“The Mercy Centre is an NGO located within the Klong Toey slum in Bangkok. It is an organisation that is deeply connected with the community and has been working with the community to improve their lives for almost 40 years. The centre does a lot of great work and provides crucial services to the community. It provides a home for 200 orphaned or homeless children, legal aid for children in need, an HIV Aids healthcare program, 23 preschools and a community center.”

https://www.heatheronhertravels.com/volunteer-thailand-mercy-centre-bangkok/

“Whoever you are, wherever you are,
water is your human right.”

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Bottles and Caps

Some grade 5 students are collecting plastic bottles and caps for their exhibition project. This collection unit is located near the PYP entrance by the office.

If you happen to have any plastic bottles or bags with you while on school premises, and you no longer need them, please drop them here. Thank you.

* * * * *

Charity Book Drive

Parents and Students

Thanks again for your donations. We still have about 2 more weeks until the deadline. If you come across any old books at home, please consider donating them to the drive. 

Book Drive Fundraising Flyer

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Library Books
Students brought home their library folders today.
Please return the folders on Friday. Thank you.

 

* * * * *

Important Dates

Ongoing…	KG Classroom Readers (please consider volunteering)
Fri. 22nd Mar.	World Water Day (Wear blue and donate a bottle of water.)
Mar. 18th – 22nd	ArtiGras
Week of Mar. 25th – 29th	School Photos
Tue. 23rd Apr.	World Book Day (details to come)
Mon. 29th Apr.	KG Coffee Meeting #3 – 8:00 am in the KG classroom
Wed. 1st May	Labour Day (NO SCHOOL)
Mon. 6th May	H.M. The King’s Coronation (NO SCHOOL)

Please click on the link below to view the full content of this week’s blog post:
https://klearning.ict.kis.ac.th/kblog/kg/

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Literacy Connections: KG Guest Readers
Last week, KG students got to listen to stories in English, Tagalog, and Portuguese:
Jett’s dad shared his favorite book, The Book With No Pictures by BJ Novak, which proved that a book can be quite entertaining even if it contains only words. Lucas’ mom read Ang Batang Ayaw Maligo (The Boy Who Doesn’t Like to Take a Bath) by Beng Alba, which had some great messages about healthy habits. Louise’s mom read Patinho Feio (The Ugly Duckling) originally by Hans Christian Andersen, which had the message that being different isn’t a bad thing. This story was somewhat reminiscent of Guji Guji which gave the students opportunities to make connections and share their thoughts on the similarities and differences between the two stories.

If there are any more parents who would like to sign up to come read to KG, that would be wonderful. Kindly send us an email to let us know what day(s) you are available and we can arrange a time. You are welcome to read any story in any language, mother tongue or otherwise.

Thank you.

* * * * *

Unit of Inquiry – KG Assembly this Friday
KG students will be showcasing their learning in a brief assembly this Friday at 8:00 am in the auditorium. We will be highlighting our family histories and how they connect to us as individuals.

Students should come to school on Friday dressed in an outfit that shows an aspect of their culture/nationality. Please be sure that your child arrives to school on time (or preferably, early) this Friday as we will be heading straight to the auditorium after the 7:50 am bell.

Students will be singing the song We All Sing With the Same Voice. Music and lyrics are in the attached video. Please allow your child to practice at home.

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Book Drive
Parents and Students
Thank you so much for your generous donations so far. We still have about 3 more weeks to collect used books and/or magazines to go toward the Book Drive. Please donate if you can. Books should be gently used, not torn or broken. This is an excellent time to clean out your bookshelves and give to those in need!
Book Drive Fundraising Flyer

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Library Books
Please return library folders every Friday morning. Thank you.

 

* * * * *

Important Dates

Ongoing…	KG Classroom Readers (please consider volunteering)
Fri. 8th Mar.	KG Assembly (In the auditorium at 8:00 am)
Week of Mar. 18th – 22nd	ArtiGras
Week of Mar. 25th – 29th	School Photos
Tue. 23rd Apr.	World Book Day (details to come)
Mon. 29th Apr.	KG Coffee Meeting #3
Wed. 1st May	Labour Day (NO SCHOOL)
Mon. 6th May	H.M. The King’s Coronation (NO SCHOOL)

Thank you to those parents who have dropped off books to KG to support the Grade 4 Book Drive. As you can see, we have had a large number of books already donated. 134 books donated so far. There is a prize for the most books donation by grade – a Pizza Party! So lets get behind the book drive and win the pizza party.

Update: Grade 1 are currently ahead of KG with 50 more books. Come on KG!