Dragon Final

Elementary News September 2017 Some words from our Principal Mr. Clive.The month of September has been a busy one. I want to start by thanking the parents for theirsupport in many areas. Firstly, it has been so great to see so many parents coming to coffeemorning. It makes for a more stimulating environment having many thoughts and opinions.Thank you for your questions, comments and commendations at those meetings. We also hadrecord attendance at our Open House afternoons. Being informed parents is really important inyour child’s development. Thank you for your contributions during donation week. Thank you alsofor respecting our new security measures in the morning.The question has come up about security during pick up time. We have thought of many differentsolutions but none of them are feasible as we try to get children to their parents or drivers asquickly as possible and keep the traffic flowing smoothly. If you have some suggestions wewould like to hear them.ISM works hard to have an inclusive and tolerant school community. We have started to noticesurprisingly intolerant comments from children that must have been overheard from the adultsin their life discussing some big issues. Children are quick to pick up the attitudes of the adultsthey are with! They may be little, but they have big ears, good memories, and are always copyingadults.A few years ago, I had a young student who said he didn’t like the president. I asked if he hadever met the president personally? No. I wondered how he could dislike someone he has nevermet? He could disagree with his policies, but since he didn’t know him, how could he dislikehim? This was a classic case of a child repeating what he had heard an adult say. He was tooyoung to think it through until encouraged to. The point of the story is to please be careful ofwhat is being said around your children.Dates to remember: Monday 2 October-Friday 6 October Thadingyut Holidays No School Wednesday 11 October Coffee Morning Wednesday 11, 18 and 25 October After School Activities Monday 16 October-Friday 20 October Book Buffet Thursday 19 October Parent Teacher Conferences. 12:00 dismissal of students (no school for P.S.) Friday 20 October Parent Teacher Conferences 12:00 dismissal of students (no school for P.S.) Monday 23 October-Friday 27 October Scholastic Book Fair Tuesday 24 October–Friday 27 October Health Week Friday 27 October Student of the month assembly Coffee /Social Morning Character trait for September Wednesday 11 October 2017. Room 108, 8:15am

Phawe Phawe, from room 405 rewarded in recognition of showing the character trait respect Proud and respectful Students, James and Scarlet fromstudents, Tyler and Min Jue room 305 displaying their from room 107 certificates in acknowledgment of showing respectAt our August Student of the Month assembly we were treated to a video filmed and acted bygrade 5 students, this showed how important it is for students to learn and be encouraged to persevere and build resilience.Please mark this date on your calendar! Lots of fun, entertainment and food. Bring the whole family.

On the 6 September we had our monthly coffee morning. Counselor Katy, welcomed the parents and thanked the musicians (student piano players) for an enjoyable introduction to coffee morning. Katy went over the Character Trait of the Month and gave some parenting tips for parents about perseverance. Ms. Balidon, a nutritionist and dietician gave a presentation on healthy eating and snacking. She approached the subject from the angle of healthy eating should be a family lifestyle and kids should have a say in helping to make this change! She also answered parent’s questions. Mr. Clive answered parent’s questions and asked parents to write down positive and negative observations about the school.Do You Recognize These Members of Our Effective TeamAunty Amy and Ms. Thuzar Ms. Phyu Phyu and Ms. Kyu Kyu Ms. Myat and Ms. Kay resource room front office photocopy room

Do You Recognize These Members of Our Effective Team?Ms. Htet Htet, our front Mr. Htet Lin, our expert with Ms. Rachel, our building receptionist computers and internet problems manager

I am always surprised by the way the ISM Community gives so generously, one example being Donation Week. These donations will support ISM in our Service Learning programs and instill in students a sense of empathy for those less fortunate than themselves.Student’s Seon Woo, Ei Cho and Su Shwe in room 203 helping Ms. Katy sort donated goods. \"Reading Is to the mind what exercise is to the body\" Why you should read everyday! The benefits of reading are, gaining knowledge, stronger thinking skills, extending vocabulary, better writing skills, memory improvement, improved focus and concentration, mental stimulation and free entertainment. Ivy and Jacinda from room 105 stand beside a poster in the Information Center that contains important Information, showing students how to choose appropriate books dependent on their reading ability, to enable students to get the most enjoyment and satisfaction from books.

Perseverance Means!! To not give up but keep trying even when things may be difficult Perseverance is a critical character trait for children to develop in order to become successful. We all know that life is full of challenges to overcome! ISM’s Elementary Character Trait program focuses on ‘perseverance’ during the month of September. I wanted to share some parenting tips that focus on perseverance so that you can support your children in developing this trait outside of school.To encourage persevering children Choose your words wisely! The phrases “I can’t” or “This is too hard” should not be allowed at home! Use positive sayings that help children succeed, for example “I’m having a hard time with this, what can I do to make things easier?” “Who do I know that can help me with this task?”. You should correct your child and guide them to these sayings whenever they feel that something is “too hard” and they “can’t do it.” Give your child the opportunity to Persevere and encourage them to do it! Set realistic goals Be a role model Get them to try another way Understand that mistakes are part of learning Connect hard work to success Ensure there is a balance between school work and relaxing (being a kid) Recognize their achievements and help them overcome difficulties Children cannot persevere if we help them with every difficult situation! We cannot expect children to be ready to persevere when an important time comes, we must teach them how to persevere little by little. Giving children consistent chores to do at home, giving them time to solve homework problems for themselves, and making sure they do what they say they will do can all help them develop perseverance. Rooms GO2 and 411 Rooms 310 and 207

In an effort to make the concert more convenient for all parents and students,we are trying something new this year for the Winter Concert. This year theWinter Concert will take place on 6 December for all 2nd – 5th graders. It will be inthe gym, as usual. But, it will begin at 1:00 PM. This new time is being tried outbecause we want all students to be able to participate in the concert. Because ofthis new starting time, no students will miss the concert due to car problems ortraffic.Here is the schedule for the 2nd – 5th grade Winter Concert: 1:00 – 1:30 PM-2nd and 3rd graders will perform 1:30 - 1:50 PM-Elementary School Choir 1:50 - 2:20 PM-4th and 5th graders will performThe Early Years (Preschool, Pre-Kindergarten, Kindergarten and 1st grade) WinterConcerts will be on 11 and 12 December. Those concerts will also be during theschool day in room 202. When we have set times they will be advertised in theDragon Chronicle.Please plan ahead so that you are able to attend your child’s concert.Thank youMatt KellyES MusicSHOES If your child wears shoes with laces, please make sure they know how to tie them up so they stay tied up. This is for the safety of your child. If your child prefers to wear shoes that have no back to them then buy those sort of shoes. At the moment we have a number of students who do not tie their shoe laces up and who walk on the heels of their shoes. Both of these practices are unsafe.

Room 407 working together in teams showing creativity by utilizing spaces and their bodies to interpret music. ROCK CYCLERoom 406 are studying the formations of differenttypes of rocks. Below you will see the posters thestudents have completed showing the processes.

Geometrocity: A City Made of Math By Cun Sue & Steven (407) Edited by Ms. ChocoThe class from Room 407 was chosen by the City Council of Geometrocity to design a new city made entirely outof math concepts. We were the lead architects responsible for creating a city that had specific design elementsthat had to be included in parts of the city. There were many phases that we had undergone to create the finaloutput. In Phase 1, we had to get our permits. We took many quizzes before we were approved to build. In Phase2, we designed parts of the city, using math concepts such as lines, 2D shapes and more. Before we put upbuildings, we had to choose the layout of our city in Phase 3. Then in Phase 4, we cut out some nets to make 3Dshapes to glue onto our maps. Phase 5 was all about assessing how well we worked together by circling if weachieved, fair, good or excellent. Lastly, in Phase 6 we made postcards to tell visitors about Geometrocity. Wemade this city because we were learning about 2D and 3D shapes. During this project, we felt very tired but inthe end, it was still fun building it.

During Social Studies and Myanmar Studies Grade 3 havebeen learning what makes up different types of communities,that some of the students belong to and others that they arenot part of.On our field trip to Bogyoke Market and Junction Cityshopping center the students got the opportunity to practiceinterviewing skills and researched to find out if there was aconflict of interest with these two shopping areas. Later backat school they compared and contrasted these two shoppingareas. Room 408 caring for our Earth by recycling trash and creating artistic items.

Pie Graphs by room 402Did you know that the total of the percentages is equal to 100?

In Grade 3 we have been learning all about simple machines and what they might be used for, so inthe science lab we decided to build our own! We used cardboard, wooden blocks, bottle caps, tape,and newspapers. Once finished, we tested our simple machines by making the wheels spin as far asthey could, spiraling around the screws with our fingers, making the levers fling paper balls acrossthe room and dropping marbles down the inclined plane. It was so much fun!

After School Activities (ASA)Today, in the science lab, room 411 learned how erosion works and how itcan affect the Earth. Erosion is the gradual destruction of something by naturalforces. We experienced and observed that erosion is caused by flowing rivers,wind, flood, and rain. At the flowing river station, we poured water into a funneland watched as the soil gradually eroded. At the wind station, we blewair into the straw, and noticed the stronger we blew, the quicker the soil eroded,much like a sand storm. At the flood station, the teacher dropped a lot of waterfrom the top. Floods are caused by a lot of rain, and the water not going downthe drain. Finally, at the rain station, we sprayed water, which represented 1,000years of rain for every spray. All of the experiments were made of soil. Room 411had a great time at the science lab. We all learned new things and that’s whatschool is about. On the 2nd floor, room 206 are creating math fun by inviting passing visitors to fill in the digits on the number grid

Room 209Room 405 Researching and Discovering Room 305 Family History

Some Parents Have Some Pretty Amazing Jobs! 88 Turtles Released in Chindwin Myat Moe AungENDANGERED Myanmar roofed turtles being bred in captivity have increased to about 900 turtles and88 have been released into the Chindwin River, said Dr Kalyar Platt, director of Turtle Survival Alliance(TSA) on August30.The Myanmar roofed turtle is one of the endemic species that only survives in Myanmar, according to theReferences of Turtles and Tortoises of Myanmar guidebook.“This species is the second rarest animal in the world and only eight are left outside of captivity; “saidDr Kalyar Platt. We thought it was extinct in Myanmar. But we found a fresh deserted shell near theDokhtawady River:'Roofed turtles used to live in an array of rivers , including the Ayeyarwady, Thanlwin, Sittaung, Shweli,and Chindwin. But now, they only survive in the Limpha incubator for Myanmar roofed turtle area, Ta.manthivillage, Lawkarnada wildlife sanctuary, and Yandarna Bone Zoological site.Molly ''We sent 25 Myanmar roofed turtles to Singapore Zoo to protectRoom them from potential diseases. If all turtles were to die in Myanmar,208 at least those 25 will survive in Singapore;' said Dr Kalyar Platt. There are 32 species of turtles and tortoises in Myanmar. Among them, the Myanmar roofed turtle, Myanmar star tortoise, Rakhine forest turtle, Myanmar flapshell turtle, Burmese­ eyed turtle, and Burmese peacock softshell turtle are all endemic species. Wildlife trafficking and consumption are major threats to these species,according to national biodiversity strategy and action plan (2015-2020).

S T U C O Thank You StucoOn Wednesday the 23 of August members of the elementary school Student Council (StuCo)visited the high and middle schools.Firstly, we wrote down some questions for high and middle school StuCo to answer. Wetravelled by bus to high school where our questions about how to be a student leader wereanswered by older members of StuCo.After all the discussions, we were hungry so we went to La Min Tha and ate fried rice andfruit which was delicious. With full tummies we walked back to middle school where wetalked about the importance of StuCo and what it means to be a student leader. For example,being responsible, attending meetings, listening to suggestions and making announcementsto classes of events StuCo is hosting.StuCo members Mabel and Shin Shin gave a speech, then we played games with the 7thgraders. After returning to elementary we shared ideas, planned and got organized ready totake action with different projects. Examples of these projects are recycling of bottles, cansand paper. Creating posters to advertise events, plan Everybody Can Play Day, the tee shirtdesign competition and the elementary Talent Show where we help to set up the gym andjudge performing acts.This was a pleasure to be invited to go and discover what the functions of StuCo are both inthe middle and high Schools. I want to say Thank You to Mr. Clive for planning this excitingday for us. Iris 402







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Tips for Raising a Global ChildBy Stacie Nevadomski BerdanAs parents, we all want what’s best for our children. But how to give them “what’s best” is not always clear.In today’s interconnected global world, one of the greatest gifts we can give our children is to prepare themto thrive in the new world marketplace. But what does that entail? Well, we must inspire our children to becurious about the world and to become globally aware. We must teach our children to appreciate,communicate and interact with people across different cultures and in other countries. As our childrenbecome adults, going off to college or into the workforce, we must help them apply these skills so theycan become the global workers that organizations demand.But how do we do it?Understand what a global mindset is and why it’s important to helping your kids develop it.A “global mindset” is defined as the ability to work successfully across cultures. At the most basic level,having a global mindset means having the skills that are proven to work cross-culturally. The reason they’reimportant? As 21st century global workers, our children will need cultural sensitivity; the ability to interpretdiverse situations, information and facts while being an empathetic team player; and a passion and curiositythat enables them to enjoy the cultural diversity we share.Encourage the development of soft skills critical to cross-cultural competence.Global awareness is not just a knowledge of geography, speaking another language and having traveledthe world. It begins with the basic things: EVERY parent can teach a child. Skills such as patience and theability to wait and watch before rushing to conclusions or decisions, are among top skills identified bymany researchers as being crucial to a global mindset. Of all the traits assessed in my surveys for all fourbooks, curiosity and the ability to question things stand out as the most common and probably the mostimportant attributes needed for developing a global mindset. This makes sense: a child has to be curiousand interested in the world before being motivated to learn about it. The ability to carefully listen andobserve is essential for learning new information, as well as being able to understand and relate to peoplearound you. Having these skills leads to empathy and flexibility, two more critical soft skills identified asimportant to a global mindset. Encouraging independence and calculated risk-taking by balancingreasonable concern for safety helps children learn to make mistakes and learn from them. We must avoidthe overprotection trap so as to inspire them to explore the world, not be afraid of it.Provide a solid grounding in your home culture.In order for children to be comfortable in the world they must have a solid foundation from which to explorethe world. The sense of “home” develops early in ways that are remarkably similar in all the places in theworld. Understanding this process is important because it offers an explanation of how and when to teachchildren about the larger world. It’s important to note that part of our social development, proceeds outwardgradually from child to immediate family, then to extended family and community, on to nation andeventually to the entire world. Having a strong grounding in one’s home culture also enables theinterpretation of another culture in comparison to one’s own.Have fun with global food, music, books, art, museum exhibits and friends.Cultural exposure needs to be incorporated into an individual’s lifestyle, mindset and belief system. Makeexposing your children to other cultures an aspect of everyday life. The rich excitement of new cultures, thesmells and tastes of foods, the colors and drama of art, the shapes of stories, and rhythms of music engagechildren’s senses. And those fulfilling sensual encounters teach children that the new and different can bewonderful, rather than scary and strange. In turn, such happy experiences build curiosity and appetite forother cross-cultural experiences and adventures.Travel with your children as a fun yet educational way to broaden their minds.When you travel with children, they are out there observing and experiencing things first hand. It’s as muchabout the journey as it is the destination. If you do go abroad, children will see that the world is made up ofmany different people, speaking many different languages, practicing many different religions and doingeveryday things, such as eating, working, socializing, in many different ways. It’s not just about visiting asite to say you’ve been there. The benefits include appreciation for other cultures and customs, counteringor preventing prejudices, boosting self-awareness and self-esteem and learning that different isn’t bad!