Summer Term!

Welcome back to all students for their final term in the Primary Section of OBS!

I hope everyone visiting the Blog had an enjoyable Easter break.

The students in Form 5 have now entered an intensive period of the academic year. Next week they will sit the Cambridge Checkpoint Examinations for English, Mathematics and Science. They have worked extremely hard up to this point and I am very proud of how they have displayed a responsible and dedicated attitude towards personal revision.

Keep up the hard work everyone, only a few more days of revising left!!

Play Scripts

Some students asked me if they could take home the play script to learn their lines over the Easter break. 

There will be plenty of time after the Checkpoint Examinations for students to learn their lines in class, and at home, as this will be the primary focus of the year group. 

I would urge students to maintain concentration on their revision of English, Mathematics and Science to maximise the results they will achieve in the Checkpoint. 

Some students decided not to take their script home and therefore will receive it after Easter. 

Happy Revising!! 

Parents Evening

Thank you to all parents who attended the Parents Evening this week.

I hope everyone has an enjoyable and relaxing Easter break.

Progression Tests

I was extremely happy with the recent results achieved in the Progression Tests and would like to congratulate each student for the dedication and motivation they have shown towards their studies so far this year.

The class managed to achieve:

English - 9 Gold and 8 Silver
Mathematics - 9 Gold, 8 Silver and 1 Bronze
Science - 11 Gold and 6 Silver

Gold level means that, according to the test results, the learner is working above the expectations for the stage,

If the class achieve similar results in the Checkpoint Examinations, I would be one very, VERY, happy teacher!!

Grammar Games

Practise the parts of speech with these online grammar games:

http://www.sheppardsoftware.com/grammargames/pandapopPartsofSpeech.htm

http://www.sheppardsoftware.com/grammar/popup_adjectives_11.25.swf

http://www.funbrain.com/grammar/

http://www.arcademics.com/games/invasion/invasion.html

Poetry Eisteddfod

Well done to the mixed 5B and 5L group who performed ‘Dinosaur Rap’ by John Foster in the Poetry Eisteddfod. Follow the link below to watch the video.

http://youtu.be/h7lLe5ocMlk

Debate

Today, the the Form 5 students enjoyed an afternoon of debating. Last week students were given a topic and asked to research evidence which either supported an argument for or against the topic. It was a great opportunity for students to work in teams and carry out research at home in preparation. 

The topics covered were:

• Should Portugal reinstate Capital Punishment?
• Should Form 5 finish the school day at 3:30pm?
• Should Primary school students be allowed to bring mobile phones to school?

We would like to thank Miss Weston (English secondary department), Mr Evans and Mrs Robinson for offering to be on the judging panel. Mr Bridges and I also selected a student from each class to be on the panel so that they had the opportunity to offer a students perspective on the topics discussed. 

Mr Bridges and I were glad that we did not have to judge the competition as we would have found it very difficult to decide between the groups.

After the scores were counted and verified it was revealed that both classes won 3 debates each!! An excellent result for 5L and 5B and proves that everyone was able to research their topic in detail and contribute to a wonderful afternoon of debating. 

Photographs will follow on the 'class photographs' page. 

Well done to everyone for their participation!

Revision Packs

It is clear from the Progression Test results that most students are completing revision at home in preparation for the Checkpoint Examinations. 

I hope everyone is finding the Homework/Study Club on a Tuesday afternoon useful.

Each student was given a revision booklet for English, Mathematics and Science yesterday. For the next three weeks students should only complete the pages set. After that they can be completed as preparation for the Primary Checkpoint exams.

Mock Checkpoint Examinations

To prepare students as much as possible for the external Checkpoint Examinations, Form 5 will sit practice Checkpoint Examinations for English, Mathematics and Science on March 23rd, 24th and 25th. A timetable closer to the time will be given to all students but it will be similar to the Progression Tests timetable.   

If you have any questions regarding this please do not hesitate to contact me.

Progression Tests

Well done to all students who completed the Progression Tests last week.

The students have been given an examination report today that gives their marks in percentages and states if the mark qualified for a gold (G), silver (S) or bronze (B). Basically, gold means above expectations for the year group, silver means meets expectations and bronze means below expectations for the year group. The examination report also breaks each subject into strands so that learners and parents can better understand their strengths and weaknesses. The report compares the individual to an average of all Cambridge Primary pupils across the world.

The report will provide students with the opportunity to discuss with their peers, and myself, any areas they found challenging. It will also enable students to understand specific topics/concepts that they should revise before the Checkpoint Examination.

Thank you to all parents who ensured their child arrived on time for the exams.