News from Primary school

Dear parents, legal guardians,

"Attention! Attention! Important message! Winter is here and the freezing weather has come to town. The iron railings in front of our school are often the cause of accidents. Metal objects become sticky due to frost and it is dangerous to touch or even lick such objects… “

At the beginning of this Friday's letter, I have borrowed the already popular report from the school director from the film Obecná Škola. Since Monday, I have had an unquenchable feeling that it will be heard from our school radio at any moment. I wouldn't be surprised if I saw a sleigh pulled by Varel Frištenský here because the Open Gate campus has literally been gripped by severe Arctic frosts and it looks like the North Pole. From Monday, heavy equipment with blades have been moving here and the snow blowers have been running at full speed. In addition, the demand for cross-country skis, bobsleighs, jumper cables and antifreeze has increased. Of course, the snow has caused some complications for all commuting teachers and children, but the view of the Ladova winter in the region has really been worth it. Our youngest pupils – first and second-graders- who devote every free moment to fun in the snow, have welcomed the snow. However, you are certainly curious about what happened in the individual classes last week, so here you have a detailed overview.

This week the first-graders played with Jeskyňky and Smolíček. They also thoroughly researched different versions of the fairytale Little Red Riding Hood. They counted snakes and rode the bus. Counting passengers is already a game for them. They ended the week of Masopust with a carnival.

Class 1 had a full week of learning. We started the week writing the names of family members and playing a memory game using our newly written words. We also did lots of reading and focused on when to use f and ff. Finally, we made some masks to get ready for Masopust and played some new games to celebrate.

Snowy February – stronger fields. And our 2^nd graders also had enough strength. From Monday, they worked together on the construction of an igloo and had a lot of fun. On their travels around the Asian continent, they read, wrote and solved mathematical problems. Along with Grandpa Lesoň they were counting animals and managed to write a letter to a friend. They visited the OG library and chose a book with a child hero to read in the weekly reading workshops.

Class 2 had a busy week. We began the week by creating a restaurant menu in groups. Then we practised using our phrases "Do you like…? Yes, I like….and No I, don't like….in a role play. We also learned all about the Lunar New Year and created lanterns, oxen, and even Chinese characters! Finally we learned all about our sense of hearing with some exciting challenges. 

The researchers from 3rd grade have another full week of experiences behind them. Can you imagine that they already know another song about enumerated words? They can also count the uncountable and fulfill many challenges! They sculpt from snow, make wishes and research together with Dr. Kyslíková and Associate Professor Dusík in the living and inanimate nature. Water was the main role of the experiments. They already know that it has three states, and they have all thoroughly researched them. Badík prefers a solid state, because he has said that it is the most fun for him - do you know why?

Class 3: Class 3 started off the week getting acquainted with the American/Canadian holiday of Groundhog Day which falls on February 2^nd each year. Did you know a groundhog has many nicknames including whistle pig or woodchuck? We also proudly started Unit 5 in Incredible English. We practiced how to ask for the price of common supermarket items and what kind of currency is used in the UK. We finished the week with discussing healthy and unhealthy food and learning which of our favorite foods have the most sugar.

In class 3 with Luke, we did an online wellness, health and mindfulness activity to help us during online learning and quarantine. We created some lovely plans that we can hang up a home to help us stay well and healthy!

The well-known meteorologist Dagmar Honsová sat in the Hot Seat in the 4^th grade classroom, and she spoke to the children in an engaging way about the climate and weather. They focused on both the Czech Republic and the world, and dug into all climatic zones. The most interesting part was about climate change and, of course, all the questions from the fourth-graders.

This week class 4 presented their headlines and current events stories in speaking class. There is so much happening in the world! We continued our work in Incredible English by reading more about aquariums and learning what a leaflet is. Our grammar focus continues to be irregular verbs and the past simple tense. We did lessons in phonics and finished the week with PET preparation.

The fifth-graders read about Masopust and the folk traditions associated with it, deepened the subject matter of adjectives, and learned to translate units of content. In addition, they searched for biographies and works of classical composers.

In class 5 this week, we learnt about animal rescue sentences and adopting wildlife animals to help support them. Some of the animals can be adopted but not taken home, though quite a few class 5 students said they would like a pet badger running around at home!

Nothing else will fit into this Friday's letter. We wish you a nice end to the carnival season, enjoy some winter sports and especially good health to everyone!