Friday, 1st December 2017
Lower School Newsletter
Learning in the Lower School
Lots of learning and rehearsing this week!
Kindergarten, Reception and Year 1 visited Willows farm on Thursday. They went to visit Santa who was stopping there for a rest and travelled by tractor to meet him. All of them were very excited to meet Santa in person and they all got a gift from him too. Whilst they were at the farm they got to see and meet a range of animals including horses, sheep, rabbits, pigs, but sadly no penguins! Several of the children also got a chance to feed the animals. It was a cold day that was filled with lots of warmth. Above are some of the pictures from their adventure!
Year 6 learnt how to become fully qualified First Aiders as part of their Wow lessons. They were taught by Mark who is a representative of Safe and Sound. Mark works in many schools and he was very complimentary about being part of the learning process with our Year 6 class. This is the quote he sent us after Year 6 had completed the course:
Today was awesome – I want to be a biology teacher in a private school! How many children do you know who know what the Pons Varolii is? Or how it connects to the medulla oblongata? They really know their biology. The Head Injuries topic went first into biology and then the laws of motion. With Burns we started to look at the laws of thermodynamics. These kids lead you into what they need to know. They have been taught so differently. They don't just learn parrot fashion. They lead the course and you provide the information.
Throughout the week Kindergarten, Reception, Year 1 and Year 2 have been rehearsing their show Penguin Pete. They have a full dress rehearsal on Monday in front of the rest of the school and they have two shows for Parents on Tuesday and Wednesday. We are really excited and we cannot wait to see the show!
Years 1 and 2 attended a storytelling puppet show on Monday, hosted by the school. It was about a lazy evil wizard and his adventures with a magic map, magic carpet, a young boy and lots of animals (including twelve camels!). Year 2 student Lizete enjoyed it and Matan, also in Year 2, said it was funny.
Year 3 were visited by one of our parents who is a graphic designer to help them design some Christmas cards for the school to send to other schools. There brief was that it had to have the Dwight logo, it had to display the IB logo and it had to reflect our website and the Learner profile and attitudes.
The Year 4 class have been using google hangout to talk to Upper School teachers about their Science work. Here is a picture of some students in Year 4 contacting Mr. Carpenter. He always seems to be wearing safety goggles!
Year 5 have been taking ownership of their learning. They have been collecting data about logos. This will help them build up a database of information and they can then analyse it and learn from it later.
Maths Team Updates
Our Maths Team consisting of: Miya, Yu, Yoni and Theo took part in round 2 on Thursday. They came up against some tough questions and a lot of tough teams. Only the top 8 teams in the country will go on to represent their school at Cambridge University for the finals. We will find out next week if Dwight London will be there - Good Luck!
Football Updates
Our girl's football team played last Friday. They played with a great deal of enthusiasm, passion and commitment. Mrs. Cobbin made a special journey to go and see them. Unfortunately the A and B team both lost 3-0 and 2-0 respectively. Mr. Rehman, their coach, was proud of the attacking play demonstrated by the team and their shots on goal.
The boy's A team won their match and sadly the B team boys lost theirs. The A team beat Highgate 5-1 with goals from Antoni, Oliver and a hat trick from Noam. Mr. Williams, their coach, mentioned their good commitment, determination and attitude, especially from Amit. Our B team lost 7-4 with Sachin and Haruki scoring two goals each. It was Haruki's debut and Mr. Williams was impressed by the B team's spirit and tenacity.
Christmas Show - Penguin Pete
Kindergarten, Reception, Year 1 and Year 2 will be performing Penguin Pete on Tuesday, 5th December and Wednesday, 6th December from 9-10am in our hall. Although we are an International school and fully understand that we have a cohort of many different students from different backgrounds and cultures, it is important to respect the host country culture that will be celebrating Christmas this December. Tickets are limited to two per family. You may also be keen to know that straight after both performances we are running a Phonics workshop from 10-11am that will provide an oversight of the phonics programme and how you can support your child's progress in this very important area, To reserve tickets for the show, please click here. To reserve seats for one of the workshops, please click here.
Dwight Parent Association Events for Lower School
The DPA is organising the Winter Fair which due to popular demand is going to be a little different this year. We are going to be risk takers and run the event on Thursday, 14th December from 2-4.30 pm in the afternoon rather than on a Saturday.
We think that by having it during the school day it will mean that more children will have the opportunity to be involved and hopefully more parents will come and join us too. Some of the activities include: Meeting Santa, bric-a-brac stall, second-hand uniform, international food and many games for the children to play. Tickets cost £2 per person including children over 3 years old and will include a programme, one entry into the raffle worth £1 and 4 tokens to spend worth £2. By asking parents to buy these in advance we can provide the children with tokens so they can take part in the many activities planned. Please click here to go to your WisePay accounts to book your tickets now. For more information, please click here.
Dwight Radio
Our radio show has more new content. Click here to visit our Dwight Radio page and tune in.
Reminders
- It is now getting darker and colder. please ensure your children bring labelled coats, hats and scarves. We do expect children to play in the rain unless it is torrential.
- After school we have noticed that several families stay in the playground - This is fine if they are accompanied by an adult until 4pm. If not we suggest moving to Swan Lane Park for more outside activities.
- Parking is at a premium and the end of the school day can be a bit of a rush. Please check that you are parked legally and be aware of children crossing the road in the dark.
- PE will still take place on the field and on the playground so we ask that tracksuits are brought in, in case the weather is cold.
- We have detected several viruses recently in the school. It is our role to ask parents to take their children home if they are displaying symptoms of viruses in school to protect others from catching it.
Key dates for this term
Useful dates for the remainder of this half term
- Christmas Shows for Kindergarten to Year 2 students will be on 5th and 6th December.
- Phonics Workshops for parents 10-11am on 5th and 6th December.
- Upper School Winter Concert is at 7pm on Monday, 11th December.
- Kindergarten and Reception go to visit the Postal Museum on 12th December.
- Development Tuesday is on 12th December (school closes early at 2.30pm).
- Christmas Show for Years 2 to 6 in the morning on 13th December.
- Christmas Dinner is on Wednesday, 13th December - this is also Christmas Jumper Day and we will ask for donations for the Winter Fair.
- Our new clubs for 2018 will be sent out in the last week and will be available for parents to register during the break.
- Winter Fair thursday, 14th December 2.00-4.30pm in the Hall, Eco 1 and Art room
- School closes at midday on Friday, 15th December.
Useful dates for Next term
- Young Voices has started rehearsing every Tuesday in preparation for their concert in January 2018.
Super Question and Language of the Week
Our Super Question last week was: Which wife and husband celebrated their 70th Wedding anniversary this week? Antoni and Ava in Year 5 informed us that it was Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip who have been married for 70 years and almost 2 weeks!
This week we asked: - Who will play Russia in the first match of the 2018 World Cup?
Our Language of the Week was Spanish and Paola in Year 2, was really kind as she helped us learn some Spanish phrases - Nos Vemos!
Have a great weekend
Matt Parkin
Lower School Principal
Dwight Parent Association News and Events
Used Uniform Reminder
Uniform donations can be handed in at any office, for our second-hand uniform store. They are very handy for new Dwight families!
December Out and About
Dennis Severs' House and Holiday Lunch at Blixen
Join us for a holi-day out in Spitalfields! We'll start with a walk through the Dennis Severs House and follow with lunch at Blixen.
Dennis Severs' House is more than just a time capsule. It is both a breathtaking and intimate portrait of the lives of a family of Hugenot silk-weavers from 1724 to the dawn of the 20th century. As you follow their fortunes through the generations, the sights, smells and sounds of the house take you into their lives. It was Dennis Severs' intention that as you enter his house it is as if you have passed through the surface of a painting, exploring with your senses and imagination a meticulously crafted 18th Century world.
We'll follow with lunch at Blixen
Date: Monday, 11th December
Meet: 10.50am West Finchley tube station or 11.45am at Dennis Severs House – 18 Folgate Street – E1 6BX.
Cost: £10 to tour the house and then your lunch costs
Reservations: PLEASE contact michele@seanoneill.com asap if you can make it, so she can make the lunch reservations.
UPCOMING EVENTS
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |