The children in Pre-Recption and Reception enjoyed a fantastic day out hunting for treasure on Tuesday. After finding a map and instructions in their classroom they had to complete a number of tasks to find the hidden treasure!  They had lots of fun being pirates - sailing on the lake, playing pirate games, following instructions to find the treasure and eating a delicious pirate picnic!

International Mindedness is a key part of the underlying philosophy of the IMYC curriculum. At La Garenne we regard this as an important element in the development of Global Citizenship in our students. The learning goals for International Mindedness are shown below. They are not linked to any one particular subject, but are related to many of the ‘Big Ideas’ in the IMYC.

• Know about the key features related to the different lives of people in their home country and, where appropriate, their parents' home countries.

• Know about the key features related to the different lives of people in the countries they have studied.

• Know about ways in which the lives of people in the countries they have studied affect each other.

• Know about the similarities and the differences between the lives of people in different countries.

• Be able to explain how the lives of people in one country or group are affected by the activities of other countries or groups.

• Be able to identify ways in which people work together for mutual benefit.

• Be able to develop an increasingly mature response to the ‘other’.

• Be able to appreciate another country, culture, society while still valuing and taking pride in one's own.

• Be able to show consideration for others when making choices and decisions both in and outside of the school community.

• Be better able to recognize the nature of friendship, how to make and keep friends and display effective social relationships.

• Develop an understanding that there is value in knowing and understanding both the similarities and the differences between different countries.

• Develop an understanding of the impact of culture, law and economics on host countries when groups migrate.

We are currently looking at the threats posed to the continent of Antarctica by humanity. The students examined eighteen real and potential threats to Antarctica and then worked in pairs on a ‘diamond nine exercise’ (inspired by www.teachitgeography.co.uk) to discuss and visually display their ideas on what might constitute the most serious threats to the continent.

An example from a pair of students in Year 7 is shown below. The final stage will be a role-play exercise in which the students will work together to discuss how Antarctica might be protected, and to draw up a charter. They will take the roles of conservationist groups, petrol companies, scientists, tourist operators, and governments, for example, with potentially opposing views. This has links to several of the learning goals and should increase the students’ awareness of what will surely be a major issue in their lifetimes. To deal with these threats successfully will require Collaboration, Communication and Leadership; which are the three ‘Big Ideas’ the IMYC students have been exploring this term.

In Science, our topic this term is 'Properties and Change of Materials'. We have been carrying out weekly investigations and experiments, and the two pictures show us separating different materials and also looking at which were soluble or insoluble, to make solutions. The children have also been learning the key vocabulary for this topic, as well as enjoying kahoot quizzes to check their understanding.

In Maths this week, we have been working on long division using the 'chunking method', which has been a new challenge for the children. They have shown resilience and risen to this challenge! We also revised Roman Numerals, converting numbers up to 3000!

In IPC, our topic of 'Moving People' has proved extremely interesting to the children, broadening their ideas about the world and developing empathy for others. Today we debated whether the UK (like many other countries) should except more refugees. 

In Literacy, the children have written empathetic poems, with rhyming sentences, to show their thoughts about their sense of culture and what it would feel like to lose it. We had lots of thoughtful, deep ideas and real empathy for those children that have lost their homes and left their countries due to a number of reasons, in extremely difficult circumstances. All our work this term has linked to our class reader 'Boy Overboard' by Morris Gleitzman.

Each year the children in Year 3 to Year 9 at La Garenne work towards taking a Cambridge exam. The Cambridge exams are designed and developed to motivate children to learn and improve their English. They cover four language skills - reading, writing, listening and speaking - and bring learning to life.

At the beginning of the academic year our students are assessed and divided into levels - Starters, Movers, Flyers, KET, PET, FCE. The official Cambridge textbooks and materials are used by our teachers, once a week, to prepare the students for their exam at the end of the year. The Cambridge exams are linked to the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR) - the international standard to describe language ability. This makes it easy to see the progress each child is making in English, and for employers and educational institutions to recognise their ability when they leave school.

La Garenne School is proud to be an official preparation centre.

Exam Dates at La Garenne:

• Young Learner Exams (Starters, Movers & Flyers) - Wednesday 16th May
• KET & PET (Speaking) - Thursday 31st May
• KET & PET (Reading, Writing & Listening) - Saturday 2nd June
• FCE (Reading & Use of English, Writing & Listening) - Wednesday 30th May
• FCE (Speaking) - Thursday 31st May

Good Luck Everyone!

Information for Parents - taken from the official Cambridge website.

- Which English language skills are needed for the future?

We surveyed 5,300 employers in 38 countries. We found that English is important all over the world. Even in countries where English is not an official language, over two thirds of employers say English is important for their business.

Did you know?

• Roughly 85% of international organisations use English as one of their working languages.
• Over 80% of academic journals are written in English.

‘English is the real global language and is important in education, relations and business. I am the Chairman of one of the largest Italian Bank Foundations and we are dealing with more than 100 countries. Our work language is English.’

Professor Francesco Profumo, Politecnico di Torino, Italy

Cambridge English Qualifications and tests are recognised by over 20,000 universities, employers and governments in countries all around the world.

Even in countries where English is not an official language, half of employers say that there are career benefits for people with good English language skills. These benefits include:

• better starting salaries (50% of employers)
• faster progression through job grades (50% of employers)
• higher salary increases (49% of employers).

What do employers say are the most important English skills?

Overall, employers say they want all four language skills (reading, writing, speaking and listening). So it’s important to practise all of them.

Employers say that the most important language skill is reading (in 12 industries) and then speaking (in eight industries).