Gong Xi Fa Cai!

Parents are asked to take a look at the Malaysian Studies blog. Ms. Tan has just put out some information on Chinese New Year.

Xin Nian Kuai Le! (Happy New Year)

Ms. Tan

In class, students have been very busy.
Language Arts: 
Students are now reading James and the Giant Peach as a class. We are studying the characters, and students will soon begin to focus on one character in particular, and write a 4 paragraph character sketch on that character. They have been enjoying the novel so far, especially meeting all of the interesting characters that Roald Dahl comes up with.
Students are also working on finishing their stories from before the break. Hopefully they will have their first draft complete, and typed on their Google Drive. We will start doing peer revision next week, so if they have not yet finished typing, they may want to spend a bit of time over the weekend getting their story onto their Drive.

Math:
We are still working with Fractions. Students seem to be grasping the new concepts fairly quickly, which is rather impressive, as Fractions tend to be quite difficult.  They are encouraged to be using IXL as a tool to reinforce the concepts we are discussing in class.

Social Studies:
Students are enjoying the unit of Ancient China. They have done a great job applying their knowledge from our earlier unit of mapping and landforms towards this new unit, to help them better understand China.

Track & Field Day

Students had a great day running, jumping and throwing during the Track and Field Day. They pushed themselves hard, even through the heat of the afternoon. Students should be proud of their efforts, achievements, and great sportsmanship, as I heard several 4B students congratulating, or consoling their competitors.  Also, a big thank you goes out to the many parents that came out to cheer our students on, and to volunteer wherever they were needed.  Here are some pictures of the day, or you can go to our 4B Photos page.

Bring on 2014!

Welcome back and Happy New Year!

Hopefully we are all returning, refreshed and ready to tackle the second half of the year. 

A lot of exciting things have been going on in 4B and around MKIS, but first and foremost, I would like to welcome Florencia and her family to our school, and to our class. She started today, and she is another great addition to 4B.

Regarding lessons, we have started several new subjects since returning from the break. 

Language Arts:
As a way to recognize Martin Luther King Day which was celebrated on Monday, we have been reading about Martin Luther King Jr and the influence he had on America, and the world. Next week, we will be starting our new novel study of James and the Giant Peach. As we read this novel, we will be focusing on character development, and studying Dahl's methods of getting the reader to know about a character. Students will then be doing a character sketch on one character from the novel. We have also been revisiting our stories that we started before the long holiday. Students will be finishing up their first draft soon, and then we will move on to the next stages of the editing process. 

Math:
We have started learning about fractions. This can be rather challenging, especially as we get further into the more complex aspects of fractions, so it is crucial that students are doing their homework each night. We will continue working on IXL as well, as another way of reinforcing the concepts. 

Social Studies:
We are now studying Ancient China. This is a very fascinating unit, and I am certain that the students will be surprised to learn just how much influence the ancient Chinese had on our modern way of life. 

Message regarding new Chromebooks:

The ES now has new Chromebooks in the classrooms.  In order to maximize their usefulness we would like each student to bring headphones to school starting as soon as possible.  These headphones will stay at school and be used by your child for listening activities tied to the curriculum. For your convenience the school store will have earbuds and over the ear headphones available.  Of course, if you already own a set of headphones feel free to send those in.

Track and Field Day UPDATE:
IMPORTANT date change:

Please note that the Grade 2-5 Track and Field Carnival has been moved to a new date. It will now take place on Wednesday, January 29th, 2014. Sign up sheets are available outside the classroom door.
The events for Grades 4 and 5 start at 1pm and will run until 3pm. This is planned as a fun event to build on our wonderful school spirit and to help identify athletes for our elementary track and field team. The 4B team colors are BLUE. and the children are encouraged to come to school on Wednesday indicating their team color by way of tee shirts, hats or hair ribbons. etc.
We need parent helpers for this event. A sheet has been placed on each classroom door for parents to volunteer. YOU WILL ONLY BE REQUIRED TO HELP OUT AT YOUR CHILDS GRADE LEVEL CARNIVAL. On Thursday your child will need to bring to school their hat, water bottle, the correct colored shirt, sunscreen and bug spray or patch.If you have any further queries please contact Mike Mitchell, Richard Hastings, Gavin Murdoch or Andy Hill via email: m.mitchell@mkis.edu.my, r.hastings@mkis.edu.my; g.murdoch@mkis.edu.my or a.hill@mkis.edu.my.

Looking forward to seeing you at the carnival,
Yours Sincerely,
M.Mitchell, R Hastings, A. Hill. G. Murdoch 

Chinese New Year Holiday:
In case you missed the notification prior to the holiday, February 3rd will also be a school holiday in order to allow families and staff to celebrate the Chinese New Year.

Love and Logic Parenting class:

Parents are reminded that the Love and Logic Parenting class starts next Tuesday January 28th from 8:45-10:45 am in the new multipurpose room.  Parents can either pre-pay (50 rm) to Ms. Guna, or just show up and pay the first day.  The money is for the workbook that they will receive.  

Ellen and Kalei

Health Screen:

In March, the health office will be performing student's eye testing examinations. 4B is scheduled for March 5th at 9:00am. Please send your child to school with their glasses, if they already wear some. 
Thanks,