All about me and Halloween

This week, the preschoolers kicked off their new unit of inquiry under the transdisciplinary theme, Where We Are in Place and Time.

During this unit we will be exploring,

"Personal histories allow us to reflect on and celebrate growth and change"

The students started to think about their particular information about themselves. Information about their personal and individual choices, which make them unique.

With squeals of delight the students viewed photos of themselves as babies and toddlers. They giggled as they saw photos of themselves, and their friends as tiny, chubby-faced tots.

We wanted to share all the cuteness with the school community, therefore, teachers and students have been invited to "Guess the baby!" in the hallway outside our classroom. The preschoolers look forward to seeing the results next week!

We ended off the week enjoying Halloween together! The students came dressed in the most creative and thoughtful costumes, and enjoyed trick-or-treating around the school. Thank you to our wonderful PTA parents for decorating the hallways and for arranging all our sweet treats!

Have a lovely weekend, everyone!

Ms Theona 🌼 

Trip to the Police Station

This week, the preschoolers visited the Higashinada Police Station to observe some of the responsibilities of police officers. The students enjoyed getting into the driver's seat of a police car and police motorcyle. The police officers patiently answered a number of the students' questions about their day-to-day tasks, in an effort to keep us safe. It was also the perfect opportunity for the students to brush up on which emergency numbers to call for specific emergency situations.

The cherry on top was that we got to watch a group of officers take part in martial art training, which is part of how they apprehend criminals and keep the public safe. The training was fast-paced and riveting - the students even cheered for the officers as they completed their drills. We were very fortunate to get to witness something like this!

Over the course of this unit, the students have grown in knowledge, responsibility and their appreciation for those who play roles in our different communities.

 And so, our How We Organise Ourselves unit of inquiry has come to a close. 

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Our caterpillars entered the chrysalis stage earlier this week. They may emerge as butterflies next week. Good luck to our insect friends!

Enjoy the Autumn break!

Ms Theona

🐝

Using Our Imagination and Visiting the Fire Station

The preschoolers certainly had a busy bee week! 

The students were posed with a question... "Can you imagine that?" 

Can you imagine yourself as a lifeguard? Can you imagine yourself as a police officer? Can you imagine yourself as a scientist?

The students created portraits of themselves dressed as a chosen community helper. They included the environment, the equipment and even the vehicles that they would use as the chosen community helper.

It seems like the preschoolers most certainly can imagine that! 💭

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With great excitement, the preschoolers took a walk to our school neighbourhood fire station.

From the get-go, the students fired questions at the firefighters and paramedics. The students got to step inside the fire truck and the ambulance. The friendly community helpers patiently answered all the students' questions and showed them some of their important equipment.

Before we made our way back to school, the students presented the firefighters and paramedics with a thank you card. Not only are we so grateful for the time that they set aside to have our young inquirers come and visit, but also for their skills and bravery that these community helpers display everyday, to keep our community safe! 

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The preschoolers were treated to a reading by the Grade 2 students, which were written and illustrated by the students. Their stories are based on their ideas from their Who We Are unit of inquiry. The preschoolers enjoyed asking the writers and illustrators questions about the process.

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We have another pair of caterpillars to care for as a class (thanks to Jun and family)! Hopefully we will get to witness our pair of parsley-eating caterpillars turn into butterflies, too.

Have an awesome weekend, everyone!

Ms Theona 🌿

Community Helpers

 This week, the preschoolers explored the different community helpers in our communities. 

We delved into the the different equipment, vehicles and buildings that community helpers use to fulfil their roles in our community.

The students enjoyed creating their own drawings of various community helpers. Together, the students matched their drawings with various types of responsibilities. 

We ended off the week with the students starting to imagine themselves as the community helper roles that we have been exploring. More to follow next week!

Field trip to Expo 2025 Osaka

The students enjoyed the day at the Expo. We visited the Singapore and Germany pavilions, which both offered wonderful interactive activities for the students. The students showed exemplary responsibility and self-management skills.

Farewell, dear caterpillar

Sadly, our third caterpillar entered who entered the chrysalis stage, did not emerge as a butterfly. Instead of simply discarding the chrysalis into the rubbish bin, the students opted to bury the deceased creature to acknowledge the life lived. 

Have a wonderful weekend, everyone! See you at Oktoberfest! 🎉 🎊

Ms Theona