A unique Primary School, offering a British based, child centred education in the Turks and Caicos Islands
Look at the wonderfully ‘funny face pulling’ that went on during our Science lesson on Teeth. Year 3 were checking to see how many incisors, canine, premolars and molar teeth they had. Many had lost some of their ‘primary teeth’ and were counting how many ‘adult teeth’ they already had. Year 3 are really growing up!
Later we got to observe carefully and draw our own set of teeth – pulling even more expressive faces. Can you identify whose teeth belong to who?
Thank you to all the parents who came into class and joined in the Ancient Egyptian celebrations. The children’s home projects were amazing. We had stories; games; dress up; singing and dancing; numerous presentations; talking mummies; a hieroglyphic quiz; pyramids that sparkled and lit up and had incredibly delicate models inside; read and nut tasting, models of ancient Egyptian buildings, with additional models and facts about the River Nile; mummified dolls and people models that we could dress up. What a lot creative ideas!
We even got a chance to share our D.T. project of the ‘resurrected mummies’ where we used our pneumatic knowledge to make the mummy wake up…ekkk scary!
Year 3 have been super busy using different mediums to explore some of the historical elements of Ancient Egypt.
We used water colour pencils to draw and paint our 3D pyramids.
We used wax crayons to design and colour our sarcophagus and two other inner coffins – ekk!
We used oil pastels to design and decorate our own beautiful ancient Egyptian head dresses.
And finally, we used pencil and coloured markers to decorate our own portraits masks. Can you guess who is who?
Check out the photos to see some of the wonderful pieces of art work created by all.
Year 3 have once again been making mathematical explorations with the Cuisenaire rods. As we are looking at the Ancient Egyptians, we thought it would be an idea to build a flat 2D shape of a pyramid using the rods.
Once built, we observed and recorded what we noticed and what we wondered about our creations. These ideas were shared and discussed – check out our photos to see what original ideas we came up with!
A HUGE thank you to ALL of you who participated and bought gifts in for the ‘Santa in the Streets’ event. It was so, so wonderful to see all of your generous donations taking over the stage area; Santa was getting surrounded by your kind and generous offerings.
The School Council assisted Santa in the important task of distributing your gifts to all the children at the ‘Ashley Learning Centre’ and the ‘Oseta Jolly’ School during this final week of school.
The School Council were AMAZING! They not only assisted Santa in giving out the gifts, they also helped with packing boxes, sorting gifts, organizing the books AND gave out food and drinks all the children. The parents – Kristen and Joan, and I were truly proud of how the School Council went ‘above and beyond’ their call of duty and responded to each task with care, kindness and hard work – what a fantastic attitude to have. Councillors, you were marvelous!
Do you remember the rainy Thursday we had a few weeks ago? Well on that day, the Year 3 students put their rainy day ‘poet hats and shoes’ on and wrote some super gorgeous poems to celebrate. Our inspiration came not just from the looking and listening to the rain, but by also ‘feeling’ the rain. We had a great time splishing and splashing around in all the water that had accumulated in our playground – it was great fun and really inspired us.
We composed a class poem by using each person’s favourite line from their poem. We hope you enjoy it:
Last week Year 3 questioned whether rocks can absorb water. To test our predictions we used the pipettes to carefully place the drops of water onto each rock.
But how did we make this experiment ‘fair’? Well, we placed the same amount of drops onto each rock – therefore the variable we kept the same was the drops of water, and the variable that we changed was the rock!
We closely observed what happened to the water. Did it sit on top of the rock, run off the rock or did the rock absorb the water? We found some interesting results, and amazingly many of our predictions were correct. Great observations Year 3 and such careful use of the pipettes – well done!
Just like a sponge, porous rocks have the ability to absorb water. I wonder if they increase in weight and size as they take in water? How could we measure this? I also wonder whether they absorb other liquids – perhaps you can explore at home.
There has been some interesting ‘I wonder’ and ‘I notice’ moments experienced during last week’s Numeracy lessons in Year 3. One of the tasks was to ‘estimate’ how many cubes or lollypop sticks were in a given pile. As the piles became bigger, we soon discovered how much easier it was to begin placing the objects into groups of either 2, 5 or 10, finally counting them using our times-tables knowledge – hurrah! Our counts became much quicker and far more accurate; we certainly got better and better at both estimating and counting!
The class were also given the Cuisenaire Rods with some problem cards. The cards asked them to find out ‘how many different ways’ they could create the same length. They re-discovered that the numbers could be made using lots of different colour combinations – hence they could be made using different number combinations. After some discussion and sharing of findings, some of the children noticed that these patterns could also be related to the different ways of making even bigger numbers, especially when looking carefully at the value of each digit.
By the end of the week, Year 3 had become ‘estimation’ and ’equivalent’ experts! Good work, Year 3! [Read more…]
A warm welcome to our new School Council. Congratulations for being chosen to represent your classes and your school. Thank you to ALL the students who put themselves forward for election. Every teacher commented on how well you represented yourselves, you should be very proud of having the courage and enthusiasm to have ‘had a go’! Well done!
In our first meetings, we have already been busy talking about adjusting the playtime schedule as well as revisiting and reminding us all about trying to use metal and reusable cutlery and NO to STRAWS! We have also been talking about more ways in which we can keep our school environment cleaner and more litter free. Any ideas – please let your Councillor know.
Let us see what we can achieve this year! [Read more…]
As part of our Social Studies topic this term we have been looking at the life and times of the Native Americans. A story that we really enjoyed listening to was a traditional tale that may have been retold around a tipee fire. The story is called ‘The Clever Coyote’.
Listen to how the talented Year 3 re-wrote the tale from story format to a playscript. They had so much fun using their voices (and some of their facial and hand expressions too) to assist in retelling the story, using their newly written scripts. Fabulous team work and such great expression. I hope you enjoy the story as much as we did.
This month the School Council have had quite a busy schedule. They helped organise getting the message of WE SAY ‘NO TO STRAWS’ out. We had a poster competition, made cards for our lunch boxes to remind us NOT to use straws, we even made a card to take out with us to show how proud we are of not using straws in cafes and restaurants.
We were also asked to participate in the ‘Food for Thought’ campaign – a very worthy cause that provides Breakfast Boxes to schools where students in need, can go to get something to eat. Thank you to everyone that participated in bringing something to fill up those big blue boxes. Super donations where made by all. Wonderful to think that we have helped other children on this island get to eat a hearty breakfast. THANK YOU.
To end the month of busy-i-ness. This month’s decided Dress Down Day became a bit of a challenge. Each class was asked to decide on a ‘secret theme’ whereby, on the day, everyone had to try to guess what each classes chosen theme was?
Year 5 winner
All the children from Year 1 to 6 were invited to participate in a poster competition, advertising the ‘SAY NO TO STRAWS’ theme. Well done to all the winners and to everyone who took the opportunity to participate.
With such creativity and thought, what a challenging task it was to choose the winners. Take a look at the winning posters and some of other the entries below…
Year 3 are leading the way, creating some ‘NO TO STRAWS’ cards to help remind everyone to join the DECR ‘WE SAY NO TO STRAWS’ campaign. The idea is for them to take the cards out with them when their family is dining out, helping them to specifically ask for no straws when ordering their drinks.
With permission of the venue, we hope to make a collection of photographs of the children with their straw-less drinks. Many local restaurants are already joining in with the campaign and perhaps our cards and photos will encourage more and more to consider following suit. Please send in the photos to principal@provoprimary.com
The Year 3s have also made cards to be placed into their lunch boxes to help them remember not to bring straws to school.
This campaign is to create awareness of our beautiful marine environment and how we can take small actions each day to conserve and protect it! No Straw is a simple choice that can make a big difference. [Read more…]
This year’s Earth Day (22nd April) was the kick off for the DECR ‘WE SAY NO TO STRAWS’ campaign and Provo Primary is in full support.
Through encouragement from our School Council, we have taken on the challenge to try not bring any straws into school, especially those attached to juice cartons. The straws that have been bought in are being recycled and used during art and craft sessions – a great idea from our Year 6!
We have also managed to encourage everyone to recycle and/or use metal cutlery during our eating times at school.
Look out for further blogs this week about our ‘No Straw’ mission.
Shopping at IGA
The past few weeks Year 3 have been extremely busy preparing our brains and developing our Numeracy skills for the yearly class shop to IGA.
We have been learning how to measure liquids using milliliters and liters; estimating and reading weight using grams and kilograms; plus we have been learning how to estimate, add and subtract using a decimal point – tricky, tricky!
We had a fabulous time at IGA, practicing these skills, estimating our shopping bill, paying for it and checking the change – it was a lot of FUN! A big thank you to IGA for hosting us.
We concluded our Math topic by creating an edible gingerbread house. Each ingredient had to be recorded, added up and paid for before we then happily devoured our amazing creations YUM! Well done Year 3.
A great day was had by all on the last Friday of this month, as the Provo Primary School Council had decided to do a ‘Teacher/Student Dress Swap Day’.
It was fabulous to see how everyone (teachers included) participated in the fun. Many laughs and giggles were heard throughout the day and there were some astonishing ‘similarities’ between students and teacher impersonations!
One of the most amusing parts of the day was when the Year 6 students presented our Celebration Assembly – taking on the roles of the Principal all the teachers, and giving out awards. Great job Year 6. In fact, GREAT JOB to everyone for making it such a fun day!
click on to see a slideshow of all the photos…
In Year 3 we have been realising not only the FUN, but also the importance of working together. Whether it is with one person, a group or the class. When set a task that involves working with others, we realised we had to think about a few things. For instance:
* To listen with open ears to the ideas and points of view of others.
* To share and participate – make sure we do our bit!
* To show respect to other people’s ideas, strengths and weaknesses – we can’t be good at everything!
* To recognise when things are going well or not so well – do we need a new plan?
* To celebrate the successes of all members of the team.
* To be prepared and recognise that sometimes things don’t work out the first time, that’s ok, we can just try again and even try another way!
Take a look at some of the things we have achieved ‘together’ in Year 3. We used our ‘working together’ skills admirably and even managed to have a little bit of fun too…
Recently, we the Provo Primary School School Council had a super smashing time in South Caicos. The main purpose of our trip was to visit two schools that had been hit quite hard by Hurricanes Irma and Maria – The Calvary Christian School and The Iris Stubbs Primary School.
At school, we had been shown photos of the devastation that had occurred to the classrooms and school buildings. Having seen the damage, we wanted to help in some way.
We wanted to connect with the children and offer a hand of friendship from one school to another. So, it was decided that we would start a penpal outreach programme with the two schools.
Below are just some of the amazing facts that Year 3 researched into and presented to the class. We learned so much, and had lots of fun finding out new things. How incredibly wonderful and marvelous the world around us is! Thank you Year 3 for sharing your findings with us.
Did you know…
One of the largest snowflakes ever recorded was 40cm long.?
A rose has between 20 – 40 petals, depending on the type of rose?
It takes a whole year for a palm tree to grow 30cm?
Volcano ash can travel as far as the length of Provo which is around 17 miles!
“Well done”
“Good job”
“Do you think we could…”
“Shall we try again?”
“It looks amazing!”
“We’re not giving up!”
These were just some of the phrases that were shared during our ‘team building tipi’ session this week. Year 3 were given the challenge to build group tipis – very much related to our Native American study of the Sioux tribe this term – Two groups worked with their own ‘build your own tipi’ set, which came with a pack of instructions – that alone was a challenge! And one group were asked to build a tipi using our fabulous new ‘loose parts’ playground equipment.
Did you know – flamingoes’ legs can sometimes be longer than their entire body? Flamingoes can also live up to 30 years old, and sometimes even 50 if they live in a protected place away from predators. To attract a female flamingo, the male flamingoes perform a synchronized dance whereby they stand together stretching their necks upwards, uttering calls while waving their heads and flapping their wings? We all had fun trying to imitate this dance in Year 3. We wondered if the flamingoes laughed and had as much fun as we did…what beautiful happy birds they are!
Each year, we dedicate a week to learn in-depth about the local wildlife in our environment here in the Turks and Caicos. This year we are exploring the world of Flamingoes. In previous years we have studied ospreys, sharks and turtles. These are all extra special to us here at Provo Primary as our classes are named after these local animals. Each year, we invite local experts in to talk to us and share their knowledge of the animals, their habitats here in the TCI and about why it is important for us to protect them.
During MindUp this term one of the things we have been talking about in Year 3 is the word ‘Gratitude’. We had lots of fun making our Gratitude Post Box, plus thinking, talking, discussing and role playing what the word actually meant! After much deliberation, we came to the conclusion that to us it meant being ‘truly truly thankful’ for all good things, however big or small that passes our way.
A BIG, BIG thank YOU and a HUGE well done to all student, parents, teachers and friends of Provo Primary. Through the PTA Movie Night ($638) and the School Council Hats for Haiti Dress Down Day ($174), we have managed to raise a staggering $812. How fantastic is that!
The amount is being donated to the ‘Hope For Haiti’ Charity that assists the children that suffered most, during the aftermath of Hurricane Matthew. For more information about the charity go to HopeForHaiti.com
It goes to show what wonderful things we can achieve when working together to help others.
When we had finished reading the story of Little Red Riding Hood, we began to wonder how the poor old wolf felt. He always seems to be portrayed as the wicked, mean and nasty character in the story. But was he really so mean?
During our earlier MindUp/P.S.H.C.E session we had just been talking about the importance of having an ‘open mind’ and the value of being able to sometimes take on a different perspective, especially during problem solving. We talked about how ‘perspective’ allows us to consider more than one way of understanding a behaviour, event or situation.
So how did the wolf really feel to make him act in such a way?
We decided to think of other words that could describe other feelings the wolf may have had. Thesaurus’ were used to find alternative words to describe these feelings. Eventually we got to the really FUN part. In our ‘feelings’ groups, using our body language, tone of voice and our facial expressions we acted out the story. But this time from the possible wolf’s perspective!
Looking at the photos below, can you guess which ‘feeling’ is being conveyed by each facial expression?
Maybe the wolf really wasn’t that bad after all?
Every last Friday of the month is ‘Dress Down Day’. Funds that we raise are passed on to the school council to decide how to use. Funds that are raised in Term 1 are allocated to a global need, Term 2 a local need and Term 3 a school need. There was much debate as to where the Term 1 funds would go. Where could we as a school help make a difference?
Usually we help charities that support children, but an older member of the School Council suggested helping animals and this created a buzz of interest. Class discussions took place, research began and we discovered the animal charity called Born Free. Contact was made and we discovered that we had raised enough funds for each class from Years 2 to 6 to adopt an animal, from the wild, for a whole year.
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