Week 4: Exploring, Creating, Learning
Welcome to Week 4
Another busy and productive week at Halio, with classes, projects, clubs and Areas of Responsibility all now well underway. It has been great to see so many different parts of school life taking shape, with children learning in the classroom, taking on responsibilities, sharing their work and contributing their own ideas to the school.
There is plenty happening again this week, including our Friday trips, sports clubs and the next theme for our student café.
This Week
Despite the rain, Rugby Club and Football Club will continue as normal this week.
Coffee with Mr Vincent will continue on Wednesday morning from 8:30–9:30 a.m. Parents are very welcome to drop in for a coffee and a chat, whether you have a question, something you would like to discuss, or simply want to catch up.
Wednesday Café - Following Native American Day on 25 September, this Wednesday our student café will explore aspects of Native American culture. Children will be making dreamcatchers and serving some Native American-inspired food. All parents are welcome to attend.
This will also begin a new weekly theme for the café, with children exploring a different country or culture each week through food, activities and other ideas.
Friday Trips
The Crystal Tigers will be heading to T-Rex Badminton on Monday as part of their PE class.
Kindergarten and Lower Primary will be swimming this week. Please make sure children bring their swimwear, goggles, towel, a change of clothes and appropriate sun protection.
Upper Primary and Middle School will be heading to Khao Tao, where they will visit Wat Khao Tao, and visit the Khao Tao Weaving Centre.
Looking Ahead
A reminder of some important dates coming up in October:
Wednesday 7 October – Lower Primary Parent Morning: Lower Primary parents are invited to join Mr Vincent from 8:30–9:30 a.m. for a short presentation about our Lower Primary programme and curriculum. We will share more about what and how children are learning, how the different parts of our curriculum work together, and answer any questions you may have. More information will follow, but we hope as many Lower Primary parents as possible can join us.
Tuesday 13 October – King Bhumibol Remembrance: We will hold a small gathering at school to commemorate the anniversary of the passing of the late King Bhumibol Adulyadej. Parents will be welcome to join us for the ceremony and to bring offerings if they wish. Further details will be shared closer to the date.
Wednesday 21 October – Halloween Party: Save the date for our annual Halio Halloween Party. This will be an evening event for children and families, normally finishing at around 8:00 p.m. We will also have a shared dinner together, so we ask each family to bring a dish or some food to share. More details will follow soon, but we would love to see all our families there.
Thursday 22 & Friday 23 October – Mid-Term Break: School will be closed for our two-day mid-term break.
Highlights from Last Week
We had a very successful trip to the beach at Queen’s Park. The weather was kind to us and held out, giving the children plenty of time to explore the beach and its local ecosystem, as well as enjoy some time playing in the park before heading back to school.
Upper Primary and Middle School had their first swimming lesson of the term. It was a very successful session, and it was great to see everyone getting involved and doing so well in the water.
Congratulations to Matthew, who completed his online Business and Finance course with an average score of an impressive 97%. He also achieved 100% in his final exam. A fantastic achievement and something we are very proud of.
The Polar Bears made some delicious coconut jelly, created artwork using leaves and prepared a cordial drink using infused basil, which they shared with the rest of the school to try.
Our student café opened for the first time this term with a Japanese theme. The children served rice balls and organised an origami activity alongside the café. Thank you to our Events Team (Alisa, Amanda, Ping An and Toa) for organising the afternoon and to the Road Safety Team (Jude, Tar Ping and Yuzu) for helping everyone cross the road safely on the way to and from the café.
Circle Time Highlights
Thank you to Maithai, who donated some more books to the school, including a book for one of our anonymous contests.
We had plenty of winners in our anonymous contests this week. Tar Ping, Eden, Rowin Skye, Alisa and Chafia won Korean money, Liya won the Top Model book, and Alisa and Ben won 3D-printed shells.
We also enjoyed several club showcases. Our Improv Theatre group led a short improvisational theatre activity and performance, with Techit, Fan, John, Max, Boyko, Winston and Pep all taking part. Our Dance group also performed, and children shared some of the plushies, greeting cards and Play-Doh they have been making.
During our Morning Reading Circle, students were introduced to music from different parts of the world while they read. This week we listened to the kora, a West African string instrument, and the sitar, an Indian string instrument, which led to some interesting conversations about the instruments and where they come from.
The Agent Owls, Hummingbirds and Sabertooths shared some of what they have been learning in Stories in Motion. They introduced the school to the work of Diego Rivera, Vincent van Gogh and Katsushika Hokusai, including Hokusai’s famous The Great Wave off Kanagawa. They have also been exploring different storytelling techniques and are now developing their own stories, which they will share next week.
The Sabertooths continued finding new uses for their tie-dye fabrics, turning them into sewn bookmarks and wallets.
The Hummingbirds shared some of their learning about different climate zones, including polar regions, rainforests, deserts and temperate regions, and discussed some of the differences between these environments.
Relationship Class
The Polar Bears
In relationship class this week, the Polar Bears practiced building healthy friendships by inviting, responding, and listening to each other’s words and body language. They also learned to repair relationship by asking "Are you okay?", taking responsibility and naming what they will try next time. In relationship class this week, the Polar Bears practiced building healthy friendships by inviting, responding, and listening to each other’s words and body language. They also learned to repair relationship by asking "Are you okay?", taking responsibility and naming what they will try next time.
The Agent Owls
The Agent Owls discussed responsible and irresponsible behaviour through a range of different scenarios, focusing on the choices made by the students in each situation. We highlighted how we are all responsible for our own choices, regardless of what others around us may be doing.
The Hummingbirds
The Hummingbirds learnt what makes a compliment meaningful: being specific and focusing on what someone does or who they are. Students paired up with classmates they don’t usually spend time with, made their own compliment cards and wrote a kind message for their partner. They also practised receiving compliments with a simple “thank you”.
The Sabertooth Group
The Sabertooths explored friendship and social interactions through an interactive game of Friendship Bingo. They looked at different scenarios, considered possible outcomes and discussed different ways they could respond to help build positive friendships and navigate social situations.
The Silver Sharks
The Silver Sharks continued their focus on leadership and being positive role models. They explored different leadership styles, discussing the positive and negative aspects of each and how different styles can affect a group. Students also reflected on their own leadership styles and considered which approaches they currently use. Next week, they will begin using role-play activities to put some of these leadership styles into practice in different situations.
Crystal Tigers & Penguins (Crispy Penguins)
The Crispy Penguins explored the seemingly simple question: What is happiness? This developed into a rich discussion about whether happiness comes from immediate, short-term gratification or whether some forms of happiness take time, effort and hard work to achieve. They considered when making a sacrifice now for potential happiness in the future might be worthwhile, and when that sacrifice might not be worth making. What began as a simple question led to some thoughtful discussion and very different ideas about what happiness means to each of us.
Closing
Thank you, as always, for your continued support. It has been another full week at Halio, and it has been wonderful to see so many different examples of children learning, creating, taking responsibility and sharing their ideas with the wider school community.
If you have any questions or need to discuss anything with us, please do not hesitate to get in touch.
Warm regards,
Mr Vincent and the Halio Team
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