Feb. Updates

Lots going on here!

On Thursday, Feb. 20th, 4B will be having a pool party as their class reward. The students earned a reward and voted on this as their choice. Please remind them to come to school on Thursday with their regular PE clothes, AND their swimming attire. We will have regular PE at 8:30 am and then we will end the day with our pool party, from 2:15-3pm.

We have TWO visiting authors this month. Debbie Hickman, a former 4th grade teacher here at MKIS will be in on Thursday to read aloud he book that she has recently published, and then next week, we will have Chris White speaking with us about his poems. Both of these visits will be great experiences for the students, and will certainly get the juices flowing for some creative writing ideas!

A friendly reminder,  term 2 book reports AND term 2 current events are due by March 11th, 2013. Students can present either project anytime between now and then.

Please note that our information night regarding the upcoming trip to Ipoh is next week (Feb. 25th). This will be a very useful session to attend, as this trip is new to our Grade 4 students. See "Important Dates" page for more details regarding this.

Come join the fun!  Yes, the MKIS Fun Fair is just around the corner.  This year each grade level will have their own table and fun events.  If you would like to volunteer please click on the link below.  Thank you for making this event fun for our students!
https://docs.google.com/document/d/11El4kUS9UUiDe3-OAU6J9PdQkWrJV0QXFDfFkCkLUsI/edit?usp=sharing Also, the donation box for the used book sale at the fair is located on the breezeway. Please donate!

IXL App now available

The IXL App is now available to download from the iTunes store.  Make math tangible with IXL Math Practice! Over 2,000 standards-aligned skills provide comprehensive coverage of K-12 math content, while hundreds of colorful awards celebrate important milestones. From skip-counting with pictures to multi-step story problems, IXL's interactive practice formats bring the joy of learning right to students’ fingertips.  

https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/ixl-math-practice/id693689912?mt=8

The best part is that your child can use their school account so that no matter where you are they can practice their Math skills!  If you do not have an Apple product your child can still use IXL by going to http://www.ixl.com. 

Access to The Link

Dear Parents,

Please note that you will need to set a new user name and password to access the Link. Once you have set this up you can access the Link from the MKIS Website or it can also be reached directly through the URL below.
Here are the directions for accessing the Link:

For New User:
Step 1: Click on this URL link http://thelinkmkis.wix.com/thelink
Step 2: SIGN UP using you current email/password
Step 3:The site administrator will notify you via email once your request has been approved.

Already have a user (After Sign Up)
Step 1: Click on this URL link http://thelinkmkis.wix.com/thelink
Step 2: Click LOG IN
Step 3: Type you email address and password to LOG IN

Updates

There are several new events on the horizon, and updates to previously mentioned events. Please read through carefully to know what will be coming up in the next few weeks here at MKIS and in 4B...

Photos:

4B will have their class photo taken on Feb 12 at 11:50am. Retakes and make-up pictures for new students will also be taken that day, or on the 13th. Students are reminded to wear their cleanest MKIS white polo on that day so that we are all looking sharp for the year book!

Info. Session on Overnight Trip:

The date for this meeting has been moved to Tuesday, February 25th and will be at 7:00 p.m. in the New Multi Purpose Room. Hopefully you can all make it to find out more about this great opportunity!

Internet Update for Upper Elementary:

Dear Parents,

       Upon return from the Winter Holidays, the grade 3-5 students returned to 8 new Chromebook laptops for student learning in each of their classrooms. The Chromebooks integrate with the Google accounts that students started using mid October. Google Apps for Education and the Chromebooks are enhancing our students anytime/anywhere access to online learning tools.

       To fully access the learning potentials with Google accounts and Chromebooks, Grade 3-5 students will be given school e-mail accounts through Gmail starting mid February. They will have a lesson on e-mail etiquette and a review of M’KIS Digital Citizenship practices with the 3-5 IT Facilitator, Sara Best, prior to receiving e-mail access. Student e-mail accounts will be limited to messages to/from M’KIS students and teachers within their respective grade levels and receiving  account verification e-mails from online educational tools that are part of the school Google Apps for Education.

Upcoming Alternate Dress Day for Conservation week (April 21st-25th)

As the Alternate Dress Day for WWF (Conservation Week) falls on Friday, April 25th while we are on our overnight trip, the Grade 4's & 5's will have their alternate dress day on Tuesday, April 22nd ...the day before the grade 5s leave for their trip. The rest of the school would remain on Friday, April 25th. Students will be reminded of his closer to the date!

Science project completed (Erosion & Weathering):

Students were working hard on creating a final project for Erosion and Weathering, before the long Christmas break. We final managed to get the last pieces of it together, and it is now published online. Each student has posted the final piece on their Google Site, but you can also access it by clicking on the following link. Students should be very proud of their final product, and their efforts along the way. They made use of the Ipads, their Google Docs, Google Presentations and the computers in the lab here at school, and applied their understanding of erosion and weathering to put together a very informative and interesting newsletter!

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,