KSS Weekly update

We have now moved to using an app to update parents on the latest news in school. 

Week Beginning 19th November 2018

We are now mid-way through the second term of the year and the school is starting to look ready as we begin the countdown to Sinterklaas and then the Festive season.

This week on Tuesday, the shoeboxes were collected by Mr George and delivered to the depot in Schiedam. The KSS location collected 64 boxes with a total of 136.90 Euros raised to send them. Across the HSV, the total was 321 shoeboxes- a fantastic amount.

Wednesday saw the ID 4 to 6 classes being taught by the colleagues from ID R to 3, whilst Mr Beattie, Ms Cassie and Mr Matthew attended a study day at the Nassaulaan location. This was an opportunity to work in year group teams, look at our provision for EAL learners and consolidate understanding of various curriculum initiatives.

On Thursday, the School council lead a very thoughtful assembly on the effect of plastics on our oceans. As our school mascot is the Dolphin, it seemed apt to link the plight of the dolphin to the state of the seas. The children talked about a competition to design and name the school mascot and we look forward to many entries being submitted.

Sinterklaas Surprises

The children in ID 4, 5 and 6, have now drawn lots for the surprises that they need to go and make in the coming week and half. We ask that all families really get involved in making something to hide the gift they have purchased. If everyone does this well, it makes for a very special morning on the 5th December.

Teachers out of school next week

• Monday 26th November- Ms Jess is out – Ms Alice teaches ID 1
• Monday 26th November- Ms Trish is out in the afternoon
• Tuesday 27th November- Mr John is out- Ms Clare teaches ID 6
• Friday 30th November- Ms Toebes is out- Ms Denise helps in ID 1
• Friday 30th November- Mrs Wittenberg is out in the afternoon

Week beginning 5^th November 2018

Thank you to all those parents who attended the parent-teacher meetings this week. We hope that you found the discussions informative. If you were unable to meet with one of the specialist teachers, please feel free to contact them to arrange an appointment before or after school one day soon.

Our assemblies had a focus on respect this week. The older children heard about the 100^th anniversary of the end of World War I, and how we should show respect and understanding for those affected or lost their lives in conflict. The younger children watched a cartoon clip about animals not showing one another respect and thoughtfully explained how those animals could have been more respectful and avoided conflict.

Class Parents Meeting

I would like to thank those parents who attended the class parents meeting today to discuss the role and how we can further extend the active role of parents in our school community- we are really happy to have as many of you involved as possible, so please make contact! We are still looking for a class parent for ID 3, please let Ms Hager know if you can help out this year.

What’s Happening Next Week?

• Tuesday 13^th November- Information Meeting about Secondary Transition for ID 5 and 6 parents- in the gym at KSS. Starts at 18:30.
• Thursday 15^th November- ID 5 to Ontdekhoek in Rotterdam
• Saturday 17^th November- Sinterklaas arrives in The Netherlands and the fun begins!

Teachers out of school next week:

• Monday 12^th November- Ms Hager is out- Ms Clare teaches ID 3
• Friday 16^th November- Ms Laura is out- Ms Alice teaches ID R
• Friday 16^th November- Ms Toebes is out- Ms Denise helps ID 1

Week Beginning 15th October 2018

We have come to the end of a long first half term. We’ve had a great book week, lots of trips in the local area, welcomed many new faces to the school and most importantly, learnt a lot already! This week I’ve had the chance to sit in on some of the lessons and have really enjoyed seeing how the children learn.

One of the new initiatives we want to try at KSS this year, is a Friendship cup. Staff and pupils can send nominations in and each week we will choose someone from ID R to 2 and someone from ID 3 to 6 who have really demonstrated good friendship skills. We are looking forward to hearing of the first nominations after the holidays.

Shell Generation Discovery

We are lucky to have this interactive science experience close by the school and this week, the children in ID 3 to 6 spent a morning at the Malieveld, getting hands on with science and technology. The children were very enthusiastic and the feedback from ID 5 was that it was even more exciting than last year. A big thank you to all the parents who have helped out with this visit.

Stenden Students

For the past two weeks we have enjoyed hosting Ms Maddie and Ms Laetitia, two students from Stenden University. They are in their first year of teacher training and have had the chance to observe and work with children across the school. They will be back in January to start a longer placement

What’s happening after the holidays?

• Tuesday 30th October- ID 2 visit Scheveningen to learn about Dutch clothes from the past
• Friday 2nd November- ID 6 are visited by a Product Design student

Teachers out of school after the holidays?

• Monday 29th October- Ms Hager is out- Ms Clare teaches ID 3
• Friday 2nd November- Ms Toebes is out- Ms Denise helps in ID 1

Week beginning 8th October 2018

This week we have celebrated Kinderboekenweek – Children’s Book Week. Thank you to all those parents who have been in to read books in English or Mother Tongues, the children have all enjoyed having you in. It has also been great to see classes reading with one another, writing stories around Friendship and carrying out a whole host of activities. A big thank you to our Book Week Committee- Ms Vivienne, Ms Laura and Mr Beattie who have co-ordinated the activities and made it a fun week in school.

We have also had a lot of visits out of school this week. ID 6 had the first Cultuurschakel visit of the year to the Haags Historic Museum. They also visited the Kinderboekenmuseum near to Centraal Station on Friday to have a lesson in Dutch linked to Book Week.  
Meanwhile ID 1 and 5 visited the Gemeentemuseum today to have two separate lessons on art. Both classes returned enthusiastically and had been complimented on their behaviour and attention to the lesson- well done for being great HSV ambassadors.

What’s Happening Next Week?

• Tuesday 16th October- Ms Lizelle (SEN) is at a Bar Modelling Course

• Wednesday 17th October- ID 3 to Shell Discovery

• Thursday 18th October- ID 4 and 6 to Shell Discovery

• Thursday 18th October – ID 3 to Miniworld Rotterdam

• Friday 19th October- ID 5 to Shell Discovery

Teachers out of School next week

• Monday 15th October- Ms Hager is out- Ms Clare teaches ID 3

• Monday 15th October- Ms Laura is out- Ms Alice teaches ID R

• Monday 15th October- Mrs Wittenberg is at VHS for the day- Mr Beattie is lead teacher

• Friday 19th October- Mr John is out- Ms Alice teaches ID 6

• Friday 19th October- Ms Toebes is out- Ms Denise helps in ID 1

Week Beginning 17^th September 2018

Thank you to all the families who participated in the picnic last week. It was good to see people welcome our new families and share foods from their home countries. We have some amazing cooks!

This week has been short in school, but still busy with learning. On Monday the staff worked on ideas for the school plan for the coming 4 years and also looked at a new way of moderating the children’s writing.

We also celebrated Walk to School Day on Thursday and International Day of Peace on Friday. Well done to all those families who made an extra special effort to walk, cycle or use public transport to come to school on Thursday.  Ms Lizelle, led a thoughtful assembly on peace and making change with the older children and Ms Alice led an interaction story with the younger children to help develop the idea of peace.

On Friday, we were also visited by a group of teachers from Finland. They enjoyed seeing the classrooms and finding out about our unique school. They shared information about how the education system is in Finland, where children start formal learning at age 7. It is always interesting to find out how schools are set up around the world.

Finally this week, we had our first trip. ID 5 went to the Rijksmuseum in Leiden to have an interactive workshop on Ancient Greece. The children are studying Ancient Civilisations in their IPC this term and had the chance to look at vases from the Greek times and make one of their own.

Next week, the ID 6 children will be on camp from Tuesday-Friday and they are very excited about this. We wish them good weather and a lot of fun!

What’s happening next week?

• Monday 24^th September- Hindi mother tongue lunch
• Tuesday 25^th– Friday 28^th September- ID 6 on school camp
• Friday 28^th September- ID 1 to apple orchard, Olmenhorst
• Friday 28^th September- Farsi mother tongue lunch

Teachers out of school next week

• Monday 24^th September- Ms Laura is out- Ms Alice teaches ID R
• Monday 24^th September- Ms Hager is out- Ms Clare teaches ID 3
• Friday 28^th September- Ms Toebes is out- Ms Denise helps in ID 1
• Friday 28^th September- Ms Cassie is out- Ms Alice teaches ID 5

Week beginning 3rd September 2018

This week the children in the ID 1 to 6 classes shared what they had learnt in the Learning to Learn IPC unit. The younger children had made some impressive mistake monsters, with one child telling us that “mistakes train your brain”. In the older classes there was some scientific knowledge about the brain, recipes to be a successful learner and posters to promote Growth Mindset. This unit has set the children up for the rest of the year and we look forward to seeing learning shared at other points in the school year.

Welcome Back Picnic

Please join us for the welcome back picnic on Friday 14th September- bring some finger food and a picnic rug to the park outside the school and get to know the parents of your children’s classmates. We hope to see you all there.

School Closures

Thank you to those parents who have expressed their support of the upcoming teacher strike on Wednesday 12th September. Please remember that school is also closed on Monday 17th and Tuesday 18th September for a study day and Prinsjesdag respectively.

What’s Happening Next Week?

• Wednesday 12th September- school closed due to Teacher Strike
• Friday 14th September- Welcome back picnic

Teachers out of school

• Monday 10th September- Ms Jessica is out- Ms Alice teaches ID 1
• Monday 10th September- Ms Hager is out- Ms Clare teaches ID 3
• Thursday 13th September- Mr Beattie is out- ID 4 covered internally
• Friday 14th September- Mr Beattie is out- Ms Sanne teaches ID 4
• Friday 14th September- Ms Toebes is out- Ms Denise helps ID 1

Week Beginning 27th August 2018

The first week has flown by! On Monday there was the usual buzz of excitement as children and parents caught up with other families and we welcomed a number of new children to the school. We still have spaces in some year groups, so will no doubt be welcoming other new families in the coming weeks.

This week our focus has been on “Learning to Learn”, where the children have been exploring themselves as learners. We have also been looking at the importance of making mistakes, a key feature of the learning process. Next week the children will share their learning in assembly and I look forward to finding out what they have learnt!

School Guide and Annual Update

New families will have received a copy of the School guide today. All families were issued with a copy of the annual update. Please keep this safe as it has important information about contact details and events in school.

Communication

The email groups have been updated and you should have received an email about the information meeting next week as well as the first newsletter. If you have changed your email or not received communication please let us know.

What’s happening next week?

• Monday 3rd September- new ID R children start
• Thursday 6th September- Parent Information meetings ID R to 3 at 18:30 and ID 4 to 6 at 19:30

Teachers out of school next week

• Monday 3rd September- Ms Hager is out- Ms Clare teaches ID 3
• Friday 7th September- Mr Beattie is out – Ms Kate van der Veen teaches ID 4

Week beginning 2^nd July 2018

This week saw the first of our Year 6 leaving traditions, the exhibition for the parents. For the past seven weeks the children have been working on art, drama, music and dance pieces around the tales of the Brothers Grimm. The audience of parents, siblings and staff were treated to a fantastic evening which showcased the children’s talents and highlighted how confident they are to perform. Thank you and well done to ID 6 and their teachers!

The annual end of year reports were issued today. We hope that you are as proud of your child’s achievements as we are. If you can find time to write a comment on the report and send it into school, please do so. The staff very much enjoy reading your feedback.

Please remember that the school year finishes at 12:30 next Friday 13^th July.

What’s Happening Next Week?

• Monday 9^th July – ID 6 go to Efteling with Mr Toby, Ms Alice and Mr Mark
• Tuesday 10^th July – ID R to 2 classes visit Rotterdam Zoo
• Tuesday 10^th July- ID 3 to 5 classes visit Drievliet
• Thursday 12^th July- Leavers’ Assembly – ID 6 parents are welcome to attend
• Friday 13^th July- School finishes at 12:30

Teachers out of school next week

• Monday 9^th July- Ms Hager is out- Ms Clare teaches ID 3
• Monday 9^th July – Ms Marjon is out- Ms Janet teaches IDR
• Monday 9^th July – Ms Jessica is out-Mr John teaches ID 1
• Monday 9^th July – Ms Toebes is out – Ms Denise helps in ID 1
• Wednesday 11^th July – Mr Tim is out

Weeks beginning 18^th and 25^th June 2018

There has been a lot happening in the past two weeks, with little time to update the latest news. We have had two fantastic sports days, which were well organised by the gym team and highly enjoyed by the children. It was good to hear that the children participated in a sporting manner and have developed the resilience to cope if they did not win.

On Friday 22^nd June, we enjoyed our annual summer party. Whilst the weather was not as warm as we may have liked, it was a very enjoyable afternoon with some delicious food, fun activities and a lively talent show. A big thank you to the parents who provided the home cooked food and for those who helped on the day with the various activities. Ms Marjon deserves a special thank you as she organised the whole event perfectly.  We have made a profit of €480, which we would like to add towards the purchase of a new stage for the KSS location.

Next week will be a big week for our ID 6 children. On Tuesday evening they will present their exhibition to their parents and staff from the school.  We are looking forward to seeing the various art, music, dance and drama elements of their work on the Brothers Grimm.

What’s happening next week?

• Monday 2^nd July- New ID R parents information evening at 18:00
• Tuesday 3^rd July- ID 6 present their exhibition about the Brothers Grimm
• Friday 6^th July- End of year reports are issued
• Friday 6^th July- New children for ID 1-6 classes next year visit

Teachers out of school next week

• Monday 2^nd July- Ms Hager is out- Ms Clare teaches ID 3
• Monday 2^nd July – Ms Toebes is out- Ms Denise helps ID 1
• Tuesday 3^rd July- Mr Beattie is late in- Ms Helene teaches ID 5
• Wednesday 4^th July- Ms Eileen is out
• Friday 6^th July- Ms Helene is out

Week Beginning 11^th June 2018

On Friday, a team of children from ID 4 and 5 went to Breda to compete in a football tournament against the other Dutch International Primary Schools (DIPS). At the time of writing, the children have just returned clutching a trophy. They came third out of thirty teams- an amazing achievement, even more impressive when I heard that the children had not practised together very much. What was also wonderful to hear from Mr Adam, who accompanied the children, was the fact that our children were complimented on their sporting behaviour and good manners. We are very proud of the team and delighted for their success.

Next week Wednesday, we will have the first of our annual sports days and whilst the competition is a big part of the morning, I always enjoy hearing about the sporting behaviour of the children. I hope they will do the KSS location proud next week.

Trips

On Thursday ID R visited the Sealife centre in Scheveningen as part of their ‘Sand and Water’ topic. They had a lesson dedicated to looking at seahorses and they learnt how important the father seahorse is as he carries the young and raises them.

ID 5 joined with the ID 5 classes from the other locations for an excursion to the Neeltje Jans Delta project in Zeeland. This is an integral part of their finding out about the water defence system in The Netherlands and the children had a valuable learning experience.

Summer Party

We are all looking forward to the Summer party on Friday 22^nd June. We are still looking for helpers, so please do sign up on the boards in the playground. Remember many hands make light work!

What’s Happening Next Week?

• Wednesday 20^th June- Sports day for ID 4 to 6 classes at HDM field, Theo Mann Bouwmeesterlaan
• Friday 22^nd June- Summer Party from 15:30-18:00

Teachers out of school next week

• Monday 18^th June- Ms Hager is out- Ms Clare teaches ID 3
• Monday 18^th June- Mr Adam is out- Ms Alice teaches ID 4
• Monday 18^th June- Ms Toebes is out- Ms Denise helps in ID 1
• Tuesday 19^th June- Ms Jessica is out – Ms Clare teaches ID 1

Week Beginning 11^th June 2018

We have been active in our use of technology this year. This has been evident this week with two classes making use of the ipads. The children in ID 4 have been working on a collaborative movie making project, making short films in different genres around the school. We are curious how their movies will turn out once the editing process is complete.

Meanwhile, our younger children in ID 2 worked together to make a film of the KSS location. This was made to show their pen pals in Italy, who they have been writing to regularly this year. The film captures the KSS location well and the children were clear presenters. Great job ID 2!

ID 3 have been looking at the use of technical Lego in a project for their current IPC unit, Bright Sparks. We had a team of Lego experts come into school to lead two sessions and this has really engaged the children.

What’s happening next week?

• Monday 11^th June- ID 2 visit the Museon for a cultural lesson
• Thursday 14^th June-ID R visit the Sealife centre
• Thursday 14^th June- ID 5 visit the Deltapark project in Zeeland
• Friday 15^th June – HSV participates in the DIPS football tournament in Breda

Teachers out of school next week

• Monday 11^th June- Ms Marjon is out- Ms Janet is in ID R
• Monday 11^th June- Mr Toby is out- Ms Alice is in ID 6
• Monday 11^th June- Ms Hager is out- Ms Clare is in ID 3
• Monday 11^th June- Mrs Wittenberg is at the Tarwekamp location from 11:00
• Tuesday 12^th June- Mrs Wittenberg is at the Tarwekamp location
• Wednesday 13^th June- Ms Eileen is out
• Thursday 14^th June- Mrs Wittenberg is out a.m. In from 13:00
• Friday 15^th June- Ms Toebes is out- Ms Denise helps ID 1
• Friday 15^th June- Mr Adam is at the DIPS football tournament- Mr John teaches ID 4

Week Beginning 28^th May 2018

It is incredible to think that it is already 1st June, it feels like the final weeks of the school year are zooming past! This week we had a wonderful games day for the IDR and 1 children on a beautiful, sunny day. Mr Mark organised a variety of team games, some demanding physical skills others needing good thinking and collaborative skills. The children in ID 5 lead the small groups around the activities and are to be complimented on their interaction with the children in their care. We also invited children from the Lighthouse Special Education school and the level of integration was impressive. At the end of the morning there was a relay race and a picnic in the park. A big thank you to Mr Mark for organising such an enjoyable morning.

On Wednesday, ID 1 had a beach trip, in our playground. The children brought in all the things needed to have a fun morning and Ms Jess provided the ice lollies. This was the entry point to the children’s final IPC unit of the year, Holidays.

ID 5 had a special art workshop on Thursday on impressionism. The children had already done their own research into this style of painting and were guided by a professional art teacher to look more closely at their painting techniques and choice of colours and paint mixing. Mr Burford was very pleased with the levels that the children achieved through this session.

Our English as an Additional Language (EAL) teachers organised a networking day for the colleagues in other Dutch International Schools (DIPS) on Thursday and this was well attended. Eowyn Crisfield, an expert in bilingualism, gave a presentation and some of the children from the bilingual department at the Nassaulaan location showed how they learn English.

What’s happening next week?

• Tuesday 5^th June- Day of the overblijf (lunchtime co-ordinators)

Teachers out of school next week

• Monday 4^th June- Mr Adam is out- Ms Alice teaches ID 4
• Monday 4^th June- Ms Toebes is out- Ms Denise helps ID 1
• Thursday 7^th June- Mr Beattie and Ms Jessica are at the Power of Reading course – Mr John teaches ID 5, Ms Janet teaches ID 1
• Friday 8^th June- Mr Beattie is out- Mr John teaches ID 5

Week Beginning 21^st May 2018

We started the week with a day off for Pentecost and so the rest of the week has flown by! On Tuesday, ID R had a fabulous visit to an interactive theatre production in the Zeeheldentheater,  which was their second cultural visit of the year. That same afternoon, ID 5 had a Dutch cultural visit with Ms Vivienne to the Kinderboekenmuseum. Many year groups have visited this local resource and have enjoyed workshops tailored for their age. It is good to hear from Ms Vivienne that the children really use their Dutch in these lessons.

A number of staff have also been learning this week. Mr Beattie, Mr George, Miss Pinelopi and Mrs Wittenberg all had fire safety and evacuation training on Wednesday afternoon. On Thursday it was the turn of teachers who needed to update their First Aid training and today, Friday, Ms Jessica in ID 1 had the chance to attend an outdoor learning conference in Dusseldorf. We are looking forward to her bringing many ideas back into school.

What’s happening next week?

• Tuesday 29^th May- ID R and 1 Games Day; ID 5 children help lead the activities
• Thursday 31^st May – ID 5 have a special art workshop

Teachers out of school next week:

• Monday 28^th May- Ms Marjon is out- Ms Alice teaches ID R
• Monday 28^th May- Ms Hager is out- Ms Clare teaches ID 3
• Tuesday 29^th May- Ms Catriona is out- Ms Clare teaches ID 2
• Wednesday 30^th May- Ms Eileen is out
• Thursday 31^st May- Ms Trish is at the EAL day at the NSL location
• Friday 1^st June- Ms Toebes is out- Ms Denise helps in ID 1