Soft copy of Newsletter 5 March 08

Dear Parents,
We have come to the end of Term 1. Kindly take note of the following updates:

Feedback on CA1
The girls sat for their CA1 this Term. Their marks obtained will constitute 10% of their final grade at the end of the year. Kindly note the feedback given on the various subjects in the table below.

English – Composition & Situational Writing
Strengths
Pupils did moderately well in Composition Writing. They do have the basic content. Pupils did not fare too badly in Situational Writing as well.

Areas for improvement
Pupils need to work on developing their stories more thoroughly, providing more details and descriptions.

English – Paper 2
Strengths
Nil

Areas for improvement
The girls did quite badly for their English paper across the level. Do not be disheartened by the English scores of your daughters. There is a marked increase in difficulty level and expectations on language use competency from P4 - P5. Pupils need to read more widely in order to improve their vocabulary. The reading comprehension questions were also not handled well. The girls need to comprehend the questions and understand the passage at a deeper level.

Mathematics
Strenghts
Pupils did quite well for the MCQ section and they were able to do perform the basic operations. With the use of calculators, most of the pupils were also able to complete the paper on time.

Areas for improvement
Pupils fared poorly in word problems. They need to read the question carefully and make use model/diagrams to help them solve the problem. Topics that need more revision and practice include: Area & Perimeter, Product of Fractions and whole Numbers and Product of Fractions.

Science
Strengths
Majority of the pupils were able to recognise and state the science concepts tested.

Areas for improvement
Pupils need more revision for P3 and P4 topics (e.g., magnets, heat and light energy). In terms of answering techniques, pupils need to learn to show comparison between experimental set-ups and be more precise in their explanations.

Do rest assured that the respective subject teachers will monitor your child’s progress closely and keep you updated from time to time.

Revision
Next week will be a one week break for the girls. It would be a good time for the girls to revise their work in Term 1. Some useful websites and tips are provided below.

English
http://www.english-zone.com/index.php?ID=161
http://www.internet4classrooms.com/skills_5th_lang.htm
http://www.bbc.co.uk/skillswise/words/spelling/recognising/homophones/quiz.shtml

Tips for parents:
* Modeling of proper language use at home (i,e, use of Standard English and Standard English Pronunciation)
* Exposing children to the language through extensive reading (different genres), watching and discussing movies
* Encouraging kids to keep and build a word bank that they can use.
* Monitor kids' tuition/enrichment progress or the quality of the tuition or enrichment. Know exactly what your daughter is getting out of her tuition and enrichment and how that helps her in her developing language competency. Ensure that you are given frequent feedback from her tuition or enrichment teachers on her progress.
* Get involved with your kids' learning! Language use is a social activity. It is best acquired and perfected in a social environment!

Mathematics
Order of operation: http://www.mathgoodies.com/lessons/vol7/order_operations.html
Rounding Off:http://www.staff.vu.edu.au/mcaonline/units/numbers/numrou.html
Fractions:http://www.aaamath.com/fra.html
http://www.visualfractions.com/
http://www.bgfl.org/bgfl/custom/resources_ftp/client_ftp/ks/maths/fractions/index.htm
http://www.funbrain.com/fract/
http://www.jamit.com.au/fraction-games.htm
Word Problems:http://www.mathplayground.com/wordproblems.html
http://www.stfx.ca/special/mathproblems/


Tips for parents:
* Practice makes perfect. An appropriate amount of practice in the weak areas would definitely help.
* Make Math relevant. Show your daughter the application of Mathematics in daily-life. For instance, talk about fractions when you are trying to divide a pizza, discuss about rate and proportion when you are baking/cooking, revise on decimals/money when you bring your child out on a shopping trip, get her involved when you plan your next holiday trip (working within a budget). The idea is to let your child know that there is a reason to what she is learning in school. When she sees the relevance, she will probably be more interested in the subject.
* Test her mental sums. Revising Math does not mean plain drilling. It can be informal. For example, you can ask her some questions in between commercial breaks while watching the television.

Science
Fun with Science experiments: http://www.kids-science-experiments.com/
Magnets: http://www.coolmagnetman.com/magindex.htm
Light: http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/ksbitesize/science/activities/light_shadows.shtml
Heat: http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/ks2bitesize/science/activities/keeping_warm.shtml
Solar System: http://www.scienceyear.com/wired/?page=/planet10/
http://www.harcourtschool.com/activity/moon_phases/
http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/ks2bitesize/science/activities/earth_sun_moon.shtml
Cells: http://www.cellsalive.com/
http://ebiomedia.com/prod/LC/LCcellunit.html

We hope this newsletter has been useful. Should you need any further clarification, please feel free to approach your child’s Form Teacher. She would be most willing to assist you. Thank you.

Yours sincerely,
Primary 5 Level Teachers
5 March 2008