Cambridge International School 11/2014 Newsletter All the CIS students and staff managed to get to the reception area unnoticed and surprised our Director with a group ‘Happy birthday’ on October 14th. It was a very nice moment, we managed to stay more or less in tune and a couple of tears were allegedly spotted. You can see Mr Radoja in the picture holding his birthday present—a real living gingko biloba tree! Director’s Foreword Upcoming events 2 Dear Parents, Welcoming party 3 We hope you had a relaxing half-term break at the end of October. Children are back at school Competitions 5 energised and enthusiastic for another busy time in the run-up to Christmas. So although What’s happening around CIS 7 the nights have drawn-in and afternoons are getting darker, there is much exciting activity Clubs and courses 10 happening around school and good learning being achieved by all. Enjoy this November Your children in action 14 newsletter with its many vibrant accounts of Features 24 the past month of school. Peter Radoja Children’s corner 24 Upcoming Events 7.11.2014 | Maths and Science Day A crime has been committed on the school grounds! We need the assistance of our Primary detectives to help us solve the mystery and find the villain. The children will have to think hard, use the skills they gained in Maths and Science lessons and cooperate to get the answers. 11.11.2014 | Remembrance Day Remembrance Day is observed on November 11th each year. Poppies are now worn to commemorate the fallen of all wars as they are able to grow in the devastation of battle fields. They are sold for a voluntary contribution to collect money to help war veterans and their families. Paper poppies, bracelets and other items with a poppy theme are on sale at the reception for a voluntary contribution. Proceeds from the sale will go to the Poppy Appeal. 24.-28.11.2014 | Individual Parent Evenings Individual meetings of parents and class/subject teachers about the progress of their children. More information about the upcoming events to follow. Our ‘12 Days of Christmas’ production rehearsals have already started and both Primary and Secondary children are busy preparing for the big premiere in December. 2 Welcoming party Our first big event at CIS is behind us and we've got a lot of good memories to look back to. Both our parents and chil- dren were having fun and you could almost cut the creative atmosphere with a knife :). The pumpkins they created decorated our school all week till our Halloween celebrations. ‘Ghosts making’ workshop Enjoy the photos :) We would like to thank all the involved parents for making this great event possible! A special thank you goes to the workshop leaders–Mrs Kmecová, Procházková, Klima, Šikulajová, Chisnell, V a r m u ž o v á , Koščálová, Conticello, Mr Vašečka, and all our teachers. Leaf painting workshop 3 Traditional pumpkin Making fridge magnets Soap making More photos on www.cambridgeschool.eu 4 Competitions Children's chess tournament Children from across Bratislava took part in the annual School Chess Tournament. The event was held at ‘Centrum voľného času’ and more than 20 children in 9 teams took part in seven rounds in the under 15 years old category. Our school team members (Samo and Arash from Y6 with YeJun from Y4) improved their skills and gained valuable experience while having a lot of fun. It was great to see so many players from so many different schools enjoying playing chess, making new friends and appreciating the experience, regardless of whether they became champions or not. The game of chess dates back to sixth-century India and has long been associated with strategy and concentration. Schools and after-school clubs are capitalizing on the game as a way to teach students how to think critically and manage difficult situations. Some of the academic and social benefits of children playing chess: • It forces them to think outside the box - every move you make has a consequence. • It helps enhance maths skills - chess is a game of calculation. • Chess also helps you think like a programmer - there’s symmetry between chess and coding. • Playing also helps socializing skills - Chess School Club expand horizons by having young players compete against players of all ages. • Chess is the original role-playing game: once you start to do it, it’s absolutely addictive and a lot of fun. (Mr Peter Hodossy, Teacher of PE and ICT) 5 CROSS COUNTRY RUN: Cambridge girls’ impressive run Our children participated in a race around Horský Park on 24. September. A few of our Primary girls (Bibiana and Petra from Y6 with Paula from Y7) grabbed the second place. Our boys were successful as well – Matej and Šimon (Y6), Nino (Y7), Ján, Michal and Renatus (Y10) finished in the top 10. Linda (Y10) finished 8th in the secondary individual girls run. Our students came across the line tired but earned their placing. Well done! Primary Girls Results: 1. Evanjelické Lýceum Primary School 2. Cambridge International School 3. Vazovova Grammar School 4. Mudronka Primary School 5. Vazovova Primary School In the running club we are focusing our training on staying healthy and getting better week by week. We are planning to run the Bratislava-Devín Kids Marathon and the Kids Spartan Race next year too. (Mr Peter Hodossy, Teacher of PE and ICT) All the children were awarded certificates for their Our Cambridge Primary running team effort and good results, some of the best even got a medal! 6 What's happening around CIS October was a very busy month with many different things happening around the school. We've had a bake sale organised by our Year 6 and Ms Judi, who is very fond of baking, and would make both her class and all the staff come to school every Friday just to taste another of her delicious creations! The temperature has dropped, but our children put their thick jumpers and hats on and wouldn't be stopped from going outside. This is Ivana Prokesova from 10S. She set herself the target to be more organised this year and she has created a filing system locker in her for each subject that she takes. Frankenstein Theatre Trip 39 students from 8T, 9H and 12P visited Teatro Wüstenrot to see a stage production of ‘Frankenstein’ on Wednesday 1st October. The play adaptation, written and performed by TNT Theatre Britain, was based on a classic English novel, which was originally written by Mary Shelley. It explored the fascinating myth through a Gothic comedy that mixed popular entertainment with a serious exploration of the darker themes within the story. Many of the students particularly enjoyed the humour of the slow-motion acting scenes – Kornel, Chanah and Jakub Uhazy (Y8) said that the actors ‘had epic faces’ at this point. Nela (Y8), Nina (Y9) and Adriana (Y9) said that their trip to the theatre ‘was very interesting and amazing. We would love to go to the theatre again.’ In fact, it was such a success that we are organising another trip to the theatre for 8T, 9H, 10S and selected 12P students in November, to see a play entitled ‘Shakespeare’s Women’. (Ms Claire Smith, Teacher of English Language and Literature) 7 The Student Council has been elected for this academic year and Mr Hayes will be in charge of monitoring and guiding it. The 2014/15 team is comprised of these students -Angelika and Renatus (Y10), James, Artur, Adela and Nina (Y7), Nela, Jakub (Y8), and Antónia with Jin Woo from Y9. Even though there were 4 Y7 students elected, they will share their roles. Only two Y7s will be present at each meeting. Its role within the school will be to provide a voice for the students and help to resolve any student issues that may arise throughout the school year. The first meeting discussed ways of improving the new gym facilities and a possible fundraising event before Christmas. The student council hopes to be very active this year, improving school life for all students. (Mr Declan Hayes, Teacher of History and Geography) John Cabot University is an unconventional American college located in the heart of Rome and offers thirteen BA programmes including Art History, Business Administration, International Business, Communications, Economics, English Literature, Humanistic Studies, International Affairs, and Marketing. With a diverse, international student body, 180 different courses to choose from, study abroad opportunities, JCU offers individA representative from John Cabot University in ualized attention in small classes. Extra- Rome, Italy, visited our school to tell our senior stu- curricular activities and internships with dents about their possibilities of studying at a liberal leading multinational organizations allow arts college. students to benefit widely from their experience. 8 Miss Maria and her 7S class presented an assembly to the secondary students to celebrate World Food Day (16th October 2014) and to commemorate the creation of the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) in 1945. The students learned some startling facts, such as: • one in six people in the world do not get enough food to be healthy and lead an active life; • the world’s 2.7 billion poorest people spend up to 80% of their incomes on food; • a third of the food produced in the world for human consumption every year (approximately 1.3 billion tons) is lost or wasted. Students learned a range of strategies that might help them to waste less food in the future – for example: making a shopping list before going to the supermarket, looking carefully at ‘use by’ dates, considering meal portions carefully and freezing or re-using any food that isn’t eaten. 7S students then shared some of their own favourite foods with the other secondary students. Fedor (10S), Viki (8T), Adriana (9H), James (7S) and Renatus (10S) all enjoyed eating potato pancakes, dried seaweed, cornbread and muffins. (Ms Claire Smith, Deputy Head Academic) Year 3Ws have been studying the Romans and created beautiful projects connected to the topic which were displayed in our school reception area. The children voted the aqueduct by Jan the best project. 9 Clubs and courses It has been a month since our afternoon activities started. The children have been crafting, straining their brains, chilling and having fun after school as well as exercising and improving their fitness in various clubs and courses we offer this school term. Take a look at a few pictures of what happens when lessons finish: Chess Club with Mr Masoud Arts and Crafts Club with Ms Elena and Ms Judi— the children are making bracelets, and the most skilled ones even advanced to making key chains! 10 Cartoon Club with Mr David— the children were watching different cartoons and colouring their own Angry birds comics. Among other artistic activities, the children were creating ‘Thank you’ and ‘Happy Birthday’ cards in the How to be an artist club with Mrs Csilla The Sewing and knitting club with Mrs Edita is one of the quietest clubs at our school. The children were very disciplined and concentrated as they know using a needle recklessly can be dangerous. 11 Ball games with Mr Peter are very active Floorball with Mr Bohman — our school team and fast – it was really hard to take a pic- WASPS participates in many tournaments over ture because the children were moving so the year. At the moment, our boys are the 3rd in quickly! the Children Floorball League. Kickboxing training by Mr Topercer helps to make the whole body fit as it includes fitness training, stretching, strenghtening excercise and kickboxing itself. 12 Pottery with Mrs Macová—the children are learning how to create clay bowls Girls are warming up and stretching before the Hip Hopping with Enrico begins 13 Your children in action Primary school Y2S strives to bring real life experiences to science. We tried to understand the Life Cycles of living things - of humans, plants, and animals. We know that all living things have life cycles that include being born, growing up, reproducing, and dying. The children observed a living thing, a real hen, how it breathes, eats, drinks, moves and lays an egg. We recorded all of the data and compared it to a non-living thing - a rock. Mr. Zoli and Ms. Ľubka helped us catch the hen on the go, so thank you very much. (Ms Katarina Schultzova, Year 2S Class Teacher) Year 2D have had a wonderful time over the last few weeks at school. We have continued exploring numbers. We have done a lot of counting. We have also studied some lovely books and looked at the variety of features the authors used to make their books exciting. We had a go at some characters’ descriptions and we used some wow words and answered many questions about the stories we’ve read. During our Habitat investigation we went to Horsky Park to explore the local habitat. After our predictions we were able to discuss the results and we talked about why our predictions were or were not accurate. Now we have scientific proof of plants and animals that live in Horsky Park. (Mrs Veronika Darwell, Year 2D Class Teacher) 14 We finished our scary stories in Year 3M. That was a big task. Children really put a lot of time and effort in it. They each wrote their story, reviewed it, read to their classmates, got feedback, corrected and re-wrote again. The stories are on our display board now. The whole school can now read our stories and get scared! (Mr Masoud Motlagh, Year 3M Class Teacher) 3W has had an epic start to the Autumnal months. We explored the ancient Roman ruins in Austria, walking along 2000 year old roads and visiting old Roman marketplaces. The incredible journey around the rebuilt city was a pleasure, it captured the imaginations of all the children and even the teachers. We could see the children making links between what they had discovered in the classroom and what they were experiencing outside of it. The children have been enjoying We did an assembly on their 'smelly science' lessons. Autumn in front of the They were testing the effect of primary cohort. Descri- food and drinks on our teeth by bing the changes that seeing which liquids rotted fresh are currently happening eggs. The results were revolting! in a poem. Every child In English we wrote some of the did their best to speak best scary stories I've seen. I was clearly to their audien- completely horrified. ce. (Mr David Wells, Year 3W Class Teacher) 15 Year 4 became Ancient Greeks for the day. The children's costumes were fantastic and Zeus even came to visit! The children practiced their Greek Alphabet by exploring the school for clues in our Ancient Greek Treasure Hunt. We went back in time and made our own delicious Greek desert of oranges, honey and cinnamon! Year 4 got dramatic and followed the Ancient Greeks tradition of acting out a story! We all got to watch our friends act out the story of Pandora's Box. In the afternoon, we had our own Olympic Games. The children were in four teams: Athens, Sparta, Crete and Mount Olympus, they competed in a javelin competition and an obstacle race. We had so much fun! Ask Year 4 what it is like to be an Ancient Greek! (Ms Heidi Crowhurst, Year 4C Class Teacher, Ms Faye Smith, Year 4S Class Teacher) 16 In Year 5J this month we have continued to study the life cycle of plants. Following our investigation into the conditions for seed germination, the children had the opportunity to each plant their own seeds and decide which conditions would be best for them to germinate in. Since then they have taken full responsibility for ensuring their plants continue to grow. Apart from a couple of issues with over watering some of the seeds, the results are starting to look very good. Soon the classroom will look as though it is a jungle! (Mr Jason Harrison, Year 5J Class Teacher) In Year 5E we worked hard in Topic comparing different countries (Botswana, Slovakia and Iceland) focusing on their geographical, economic and social situations. We also learned about the importance of tourism and shared ideas on how to attract more tourists to countries. At the end, the children made holiday leaflets to try and help attract more tourists to Botswana because in this country they really need more money and other benefits that tourists could bring. 17 In English we were studying a book called Kensuke’s Kingdom by Michael Morpurgo. It is an exciting adventure story which inspired us to do many different activities. The main task was to write a letter from the principal character Michael to his parents. In the book everyone thinks that Michael dies but he actually gets stranded on a deserted island with a WWII veteran called Kensuke. Here is a photo of a display outside our classroom showing off our learning. (Mrs Edita Harrison, Year 5E Class Teacher) On Friday 10th October, Year 6, along with Year 3, set off to spend a day at Carnuntum Roman Archaeological Centre in Austria. What an amazing place it is! The replica Roman buildings are actually built on top of genuine Roman ruins and there is a real feeling of authenticity to the place. You almost expect to meet a Roman soldier or someone dressed in a toga as you enter the houses or shops. 18 Y6 particularly loved the replica shops with real food in them; the bath house and of course the communal toilets. They enjoyed having their photographs taken there! Such trips are of course enjoyable and make a change from regular school days but they also enhance learning. We look at pictures and talk about life in ancient Rome during history lessons but actually experiencing the ‘almost’ real thing makes a huge impact on their learning. The audio visual centre at Carnuntum is also wonderful and needs to be watched at least twice to take in all of the images and information. It is certainly a place that is well worth visiting. (Ms Judi Easton, Year 6E Class Teacher) 19 Secondary school Science Year 10 students are learning about Year 7 students are learning about major or- separating methods - they are perfor- gan systems - they are exploring different types of jo- ming crystallisation of copper sulfate, ints that are in our body during science lessons. filtration and evaporation during Che- (Maria Sirnikova, Teacher of Science and Chemistry) mistry lessons. History & Geography The Year 10s went on a Geography field-trip to Stupava earlier this month to prepare for the IGCSE Geography Paper 4. Throughout the morning, they took various measurements of the river system at two very different sites along the river course. Measurements included the river's width, speed of river's flow, gradient and size of it's load (pebbles). They then graphed their results and analysed their results against their hypotheses. They enjoyed their day out doing river fieldwork and are looking forward to doing some Urban fieldwork in Bratislava's old town later in the academic year. (Mr Declan Hayes, Teacher of History and Geography) 20 English As part of their AS Level English Literature course, Year 12P students are required to study the poetry of the First World War poet Wilfred Owen. The students have analysed a number of his poems and have begun to identify the features that are pertinent to his poetry. In order to challenge the students further, they were required to write a few stanzas of their own in the style of Owen’s poetry and then to reflect on the process. Poem and Commentary by Paulína (Year 12P): Wrinkles and scars, It was when he returned Creases the strife, forced upon his youth, left A hero of merciless bloodshed, praised for behind. murder. Not only on frame but the soul it holds. It was then that he noticed the dull ache, Grey eyes, never set alight by a child’s laughter, It was in him, silenced by anger of guns, For he had none. Ever since he made his first kill. Wrinkles and scars, Wrinkles and scars, And old man’s arrogance, a reward of youth’s The face of an old, tired man, verve. But inside a frightened youth. But not his. His served a reminder Forever caught in the fires of war, Of the crimson slaughter, the fallen troops, That wasted his day away. His dying brothers. I attempted to create a poem written in a style similar to Wilfred Owen’s. For this I had to take into account his theme of pity of war, and his views about the effects of the war upon the soldiers. To convey this I used graphic imagery of suffering by using emotive language and colour. In the second stanza I used a contrast to show the difference between a civilian’s life and a soldier’s. Overall, I tried to keep the tone of the poem serious and dark, putting emphasis on how war damaged this man’s life. (Ms Claire Smith, Teacher of English Language and Literature) 21 10S are studying ‘Romeo and Juliet’ (by William Shakespeare) as part of their IGCSE English Literature course. We have used a range of strategies to enable them to become familiar with the plot, the characters and the language of the play. The images depict one lesson in which the students were given a few lines from the play to perform and create freeze frames to demonstrate their interpretation. "Part, Fools! Put up your swords; you know (Ms Claire Smith, Teacher of English Lan- not what you do." Prince Escalus guage and Literature) "Did my heart love till now? Foreswear it, "I will withdraw; but this intrusion shall, sight! For I ne'er saw true beauty till this Now seeming sweet, convert to bitt'rest night." Romeo gall." Tybalt Art The previous half term started very excitingly in the Art Room. After the first week’s “warm up” of line drawing assignments, where students produced beautiful works of Name Designs, we have continued our exploration of lines and patterns working with paper. The second week was all about the technique of Paper Weaving. Weaving is one of the most ancient forms of human creativity. This time, students used different coloured and textured paper to endless variations of patterns and designs. Well done to everyone and let’s keep up the good work! (Mrs Csilla Conticello, Teacher of Art) 22 German Learning foreign languages is sometimes more difficult than for example Maths. Language is almost as a living body reacting to various external impulses and situations. This is one of the reasons why students feel certain psychological obstacles to speak freely in the target language. One of the ways we can change it is to give them opportunity to speak about something they know and they could prepare in advance. Such opportunity is project presentation. Students speak about chosen topic and present their own ideas. They are also supported to use as much creativity as needed. In Y8 students have prepared exceptional work and presented their work to a very high standard. I am very proud of their work and continuous effort to learn German. (Ms Elena Turoňová, Teacher of German) 23 Features We would like to introduce to you our PE and ICT teacher, Mr Hodossy. He’s been to and worked at different places, and if you would like to learn more, read the following interview: Which places have you been to (and what did you do there)? I have seen all of United Kingdom, France, Germany, Italy, Switzerland, Croatia, Central Europe and Egypt. I lived in London for 4 years where I was studying and working, but most of my travels were related to active relaxing, in winter it was usually skiing. What jobs have you done and whereabouts? During my time as a student at university I was working as a handball referee and had a part time job in a translation company. After I moved to UK I started to work as a lifeguard (you know the guy with red shorts on :)), later I became a personal trainer in a gym, but the best job I've ever had has been working as a teaching assistant. I worked with children with special needs and I was truly blessed to be a part of their lives. They made me laugh and they were a delight to be around. It was a lot of hard work, but it was certainly worth it! Why did you decide to become a teacher? Why did I decide to become a PE Teacher? This is a good question. When I was a child I loved basketball. Basketball was my life. I wanted to be a professional basketball player but it wasn´t a dream come true. Then I decided to make a living as a PE Teacher. That’s why I studied a five years degree in Physical Education. I love teaching because everyday there is a kind of magic in the classroom. In short, to work as a teacher was one of my burning ambitions… and currently it’s a dream come true. What do you do in your free time? Children's corner I love to hang out with my Can you guess who the girl on the pictu- friends sports re is? Just a hint—she used to be called basketball, beach vol- baby Bo. Please submit your answers to like and play ten- your class teachers by the end of the ne- nis. Photography is one of xt week, November 15th. As usually, my hobbies too, also dan- one correct answer will be rewarded by a cing, and fun people :) sweet prize. leyball, football, P: +421 2 207 206 79 M: +421 918 121 892 24 E: [email protected]