Suzie, the Green Turtle, Returns Home to the TCI

Suzie, an adult female green turtle and first turtle in the Turks and Caicos Islands (TCI) to be fitted with a satellite transmitter tag, arrived back in the TCIs’ coastal waters on Sunday after an amazing 6,000 kilometre migration around the eastern Caribbean.

Earlier in the year, Brian and Natasha from the Department of Environment and Coastal Resources (DECR) came to visit our Year 3/4 class to talk about sea turtles (See our previous blog post).  The children created some turtle art work and this is currently displayed at the Environmental Centre opposite the Children’s Park in the Bight.   Click on to learn more about Suzie and her travels.

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Muliplication Table Interactive Games

With reports going out this week, it is common to see learning a particular set of multiplication tables written as one of a child’s targets for improvement.  We often hear “How can I help my children memorise their multiplication tables at home?”  Well it’s basically all down to practise, practise and even more practise, so here are a couple of website links that will help you support this practice at home with a variety of fun interactive online games to keep you all from boredom and frustration.  Let me know your favourite games and let’s hope they help your child achieve those targets by the end of term!   Of course in my day, I recall just reading and reading them over and over from my no-nonsense, pink “The Old Fashioned Multiplication Table Book.” No fun computer games in my day!  Click on to find the game links…

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Join the Reading Rush!

Year 5 teamed up with one of our Year 1 Literacy groups to read some information texts together. This linked in very nicely with our Turks and Caicos Education Department’s ‘Join the Reading Rush 2010’ celebrations

Both classes really enjoyed the session and a variety of  knowledge was absorbed!  Well done, everyone!

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Why are our Almond Tree’s Leaves falling?

There was a distinct feel of autumn/fall time in the playground yesterday.  Over our half term break, the leathery leaves of our almond tree have started to turn red and brown and many have fallen to the ground.   There are very few deciduous trees here in the Turks and Caicos and so this was an exciting rare experience to enjoy on our return back to school.  Read on and see photos of the children enjoying the leaves.

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JK – Our Future Turks and Caicos Plumbers?

The Junior Kindergarten are learning about people who help them in the community.  One of their dad’s is a plumber and he came in to talk to them about his job.  He brought in lots of water pipes, levers, switches and tools for them to explore and connect.  Together, they made a model of a simple desalination plant, which changes salt water to fresh water.

Since his visit, the children have continued to enjoy using the water pipe pieces in their free play.  When creating hotels, homes and hospitals with the big bricks and waffle blocks, they include the water pipes to construct water systems and take on the role as plumbers and maintenance workers.

Here is a slideshow of the children building with the water pipes. This project has introduced lots of new vocabulary, encouraged logical thinking and provided lots of practise of using fine motor skills.  Best of all, it has used real life materials that have tremendously enhanced and extended their play.

A message from Ms. Suzie

Hello Provo Primary! Since leaving Providenciales in 2004, I have never forgotten our friends and colleagues at Provo Primary School.  My family (Husband Brent and son Russell) and I hold many great memories of living on the island and meeting so many wonderful people.  I frequently peruse the Provo Primary website and blog and really enjoy reading the current events and looking at photos of so many familiar faces.

I now work at an ESL school, in Toronto. I continue to have a passion for fundraising and when the Haiti disaster occurred, I wanted to help. My thoughts and prayers were with our many friends on Provo, from the Haitian community. Our school, ILSC-Toronto held a week long fundraising event. [Read more…]

TCI Times – Year 3/4's Fairy Tale Newspapers

Year 3/4 has been working exceptionally hard during their Literacy lessons to learn how to become journalists!

After studying a variety of local newspapers and  identifying their key features, the class split into pairs and chose a fairy tale or story of their choice to write a report about.  Some chose Little Red Riding Hood, Matilda, Cinderella or Snow White. Each pair was given the task of reporting the story from a different perspective.

The children impressed their editor so much that all the children’s reports made the front page!  This of course meant the children had extra work and had to prepare headlines, photographs with captions and even create appropriate adverts!

If you would like to read the children’s front page stories they are in the Library and Miss Steph’s classroom…

Capturing the Magic in their Smiles

Children grow up so quickly and every parent wants to remember each step of their child’s life.

School photos have a special place in every  families’ hearts.  Each year, for as long as I can remember, an amazing team from ‘Brilliant by Tropical Imaging’ have come to take ours, capturing the vibrancy and diversity that is the beauty of our school.   They seem to have the natural ability to connect with each child, to capture their unique personalities and the magic in their smiles.    Thank you Anita, David, Kellie and Krys for your wonderful work, tremendous patience and boundless energy.  You really make this day a fun day for all.

School photos allow every child to cherish a keepsake of themselves and their fellow classmates, so don’t forget to order yours, today.

Please visit the Brilliant by Tropical Imaging’s blog to see some of this year’s amazing photos.

Kindergarten Minibeast Classroom Tour

Yesterday, a special family tour was arranged by the kindergartners, to share all the wonderful minibeast topic work that they had been doing this past month.

The room was buzzing (excuse the pun) and the children were really keen and proud to show everyone around and to talk about what they had been learning about.  The tours were very thorough and no areas were left out as they circulated the room.  Parents expressed their thanks and appreciation, and went on to say that it was really lovely to see both the creative side and the more academic areas being explored and covered through this topic.

Well done to Miss Tracy and all the children, and thank you to everyone who came along.  The  Kindergartners’ next topic is ‘families and pets’ and I am sure that in a few weeks time they’ll want to have another tour to share all their learning again.  Until next time…

Year 1 'Geckos' Inspired by Aboriginal Designs

Year One’s art topic this term has been texture and pattern.  Last week, they looked online at some aboriginal paintings.  They used their interactive whiteboard to look closely at the patterns and talked about how they could imitate them using everyday objects from their classroom.  As their classroom is called the Gecko room, they decided to make geckos.  First, they created a sandy background by marking brown, yellow and beige paint with their fingers.  Then they each printed a pattern on their geckos using the wrong end of a small paintbrush.  These were inspired by the aboriginal designs that they had seen.  Click here to see a slideshow of them  printing their geckos.  Look at the level of concentration on their faces.  This activity required a great deal of patience and careful control of their fine motor skills.  Do come and see all of the children’s geckos displayed in their classroom.  I’m sure the children would love to show you their art work.

Preschool learning through 'Messy Play'

The Preschool has been exploring a variety of sensory experiences that we like to call ‘Messy Play’  Together they have made ‘Clean Mud’, which is made from soap and tissue paper. They have also created ‘Wet Mud’ with soil and water.  Drawing in shaving cream sprayed onto a table top is also a favourite activity.

Through ‘Messy Play’ they have had experience and practise of small motor skills, language development and multi-sensory exploration.   Click here to see a slideshow of the children busily enjoying their ‘Messy Play’.

Community Support in Times of Need

We deeply admire the out-pour of care and support from our school community when others are in times of need.

Last term, our Christmas Drive resulted in an amazing response of donations of toys, household and toiletry items, clothing and food for the new Provo Children’s Home.  The children there are now settled in their new home and all of the items have been gratefully received and are being used.  A heartfelt thank you again, everyone.

In our ‘Celebration Assembly’ on Friday, Miss Beki, who volunteers at the home, told us that these donations were also being appreciated by some Haitian orphans who are staying there this week.  This is a touching story of how our children are directly helping other children in our community.

Support in our school community was once again generous for our neighbouring Haitian community who experienced a devastating earthquake a few weeks ago.  [Read more…]