Distance Learning in Primary

Where we are at...

With two weeks of school behind us, our focus during distance learning will start to steer in new directions. All of our teachers have been focusing their attention on building classroom community and establishing important practices around responsible digital citizenship, both requiring intentional planning and teaching as we navigate this new way of bonding and learning. With these beginning-of-the-year routines established, your child will begin to have his/her time structured more fluidly between independent, small group and whole class sessions, which may include the broader teaching team in some classes/subjects. Our students are becoming more comfortable with being able to move between different synchronous sessions, pace themselves during independent work, and collaborate in a group. It has been wonderful to see how quickly they are picking up a variety of digital skills.

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Where we are headed...

Now that the time needed for whole class sessions will start to decrease, we will be aiming to provide more balance between online and offline learning. Teachers have begun reflecting on ways that students can continue/extend their learning in ways that do not rely on screen time. Whether that is reading, drawing, playing outdoors, building, exercising, or playing an instrument, we want our students (and families) to find a manageable balance of learning each day. In two more weeks, we look forward to gathering another round of feedback from families to see how things are going after one month of school.

Focus on students: Finding the beat in G5 Music Class

This week, our G5 students were busy dancing, tapping, clapping and discussing, as they learned the difference between a beat and a rhythm. It was great to see so many smiles as Ms. Joanna had them up on their feet and moving around!

Primary (Virtual) Talent Show

The AISL Virtual Primary Talent show is coming soon! The date is set for Friday, September 18th at 11:00 am staged on the SEESAW Virtual Talent show blog. This show is to be a celebration of our many talents. There will be no prizes; anyone who has the courage, persistence, and commitment to prepare an act is a winner!
A parent letter was sent on 10 August outlining the criteria for student performance plans and video submissions. We are able to extend the deadline for submissions to Friday 21 August. For those students who have already submitted a performance plan, the timeline for preparation will continue as follows: 
Monday, 17 August – Friday, 28 August (2 weeks): Plan and Practice performance 
Monday, 31 August-Friday, 4 September (1 Week): Submit performance to Seesaw Virtual Talent Show class.
Monday, 7 September - Friday, 12 September: Receive Feedback/Practice and Polish if needed.

If you have any questions or comments, please email Ms. Natalie (ncoombs@aislusaka.org), Ms. Elisa (eingles@aislusaka.org. Thank you for your support!

Continue communicating with us...

As always, we are here to help. If you have any questions, concerns or comments, please do not hesitate to reach out to your child's homeroom teacher, if it pertains to the classroom, or to the Primary Principal if it pertains to something else. 

Wishing you a wonderful rest of your week,
Darlene Huson, Primary Principal
Christine Kelly, Primary Assistant Principal/PYP Coordinator
Tony Potts, Primary Assistant Principal/Technology Integration Specialist