DBIS News

May 14 Newsletter Update

Dear Parents

Curriculum Enhancement: From the start of next term Year 1 through to Year 6 will be using the International Primary Curriculum resource.  This is a teaching resource that will enable us to build further upon our enquiry or investigative approach to learning.  Use of the International Primary Curriculum resources will facilitate this process for our students and staff within the foundation subjects, while continuing to use the broader National Curriculum of England and Wales.  The foundation subjects are geography, history, science, art and design technology. 

The teaching materials will enhance our curriculum in a number of ways such as providing opportunities to further develop investigative skills, emphasizing the importance of learning how to learn rather than just memorizing facts, incorporating ICT in different subject areas, developing leadership skills and an increasing global awareness. It ensures that the needs of children with a variety of learning styles are identified through fun and stimulating activities. This resource has been tried and tested over a number of years, in a variety of countries and has received very good reviews from the OFSTED inspectors. 

School Spirit Awards:  Our School Spirit Awards Assembly for Year 3 to Year 7 students was held last Friday.  Once again, a maximum of two students from each class could be nominated.  Parents of the nominated students attended this special event on our school calendar.  Our school orchestra, the school choir and soloists performed beautifully at this special assembly where all nominees and recipients were honoured by their peers, staff members and parents.

While all of our students present strongly within the range of criteria, the nominees below were considered to be outstanding by their respective teachers.  The criteria for the School Spirit Awards are as follows:

• Having a positive attitude to school. • Always making the best effort.

• Being hard working and cooperative. • Being courteous to adults and classmates.

• Being a good friend.                 • Welcoming and supporting newcomers.

• Respecting personal and school property. • Wearing the correct school uniform.

• Being willing to participate and try in a 

variety of school events.

The nominees for this year’s awards were:

Y3KY     Patricia Raimann and Adrien Doneux

Y3LR      Libby Barnett and Alyssia Harries

Y3BM     Hannah Bluck and Holly Keefe

Y3TE      Dain Yoon and Roan Murdoch

Y4KR     Margaux Mahoudeau-Campoyer and Tegan Pye

Y4FW     Luke Williams and Zoe Schmelzer

Y4LT      Cezanne Penders and Alexander Weir

Y4MM    Mehek Mashud and Justin Heaton

Y5LP     Clara Maeve Fong and Jemma Keefe

Y5JE      Owen Turner and Rahel Samarakkody

Y5PA     Robyn Morgan and Geroge Wyatt

Y5RL     Verena Penders and Ryan Clahan

Y6EC     Amane Kabbaj and Giulia Andraghetti

Y6HC    Michael Keating and Jessica Baird

Y6KS     Yanis Park and Megan Pickles

Y6BL     Paula Leite and Barney Leung

Y7LT     Jakob Ryd

Y7KT    Youri Penders and Sandra Zamora

The recipients of the 2008 - 2009 School Spirit Awards are:

Y3 – The Hanbury Award                Dain Yoon

Y4 – The Jo Roger Award                         Margaux Mahoudeau-Campoyer

Y5 – The Nicola and Mark Barnett Award Jemma Keefe

Y6 – The Benjamin and Andrew Newman Award Yanis Park

Y7 – The Year 7 School Spirit Award         Sandra Zamora

Swimming Lessons:  All Primary and Secondary classes are involved with their swimming lessons each week at the Residents’ Club pool.  The weather has been very warm and sunny this term.  While it is not compulsory, I ask that you make every effort to have a rash swimming top for your child to wear during swimming lessons.  The application of sun screen is also vital.  Teachers have been reminded to ensure that students are wearing their rash tops, if they bring them to school, and to apply sun screen.

Dogs Brought to School:  A growing number of families walk their dogs to school in the morning and at the end of our school day.  While it is good to have pets as part of our school community, please remember that some of our students become quite concerned with dogs present.  It takes very little exuberant activity by a dog to exacerbate such concerns.

In an effort to find common ground, please ensure that all dogs being walked to school are tied up to the boundary fence of our school pitch only.

Kind Regards

Grant Ramsay

Principal

Community Notices

Disclaimer - The following notices are presented as a community service.  While the content is proofed and generally summarised, it is important to state that the information contained in these Community Notices in no way reflects Discovery Bay International School policy or practices.

Animal Charity PALS, based in Mui Wo, is running one of its regular Animal adoption days in the DBIS car park on Sunday 31st May between 12 and 2.30pm.

If you are interested in volunteering or adopting of fostering a cat, dog or one of their other rescued animals then please come along. For a current listing of PALS adoptions, please go to our website on http://www.pals.org.hk or contact Jacqui 9197-4371 or Okka 9544-9181.