13 February 2023
Upcoming Dates to Remember
February 14 – Last Day for Donations
February 16 – Friendly Pioneer Ball game against British International
February 20 – 22 – Russia Week
February 22 – Maslenitsa
March 3 – End of Term 3
Предстоящие даты, которые нужно запомнить
14 февраля – Последний день для пожертвований
16 февраля – Товарищеская игра Pioneer Ball против British International
20 – 22 февраля – Неделя России
22 февраля – Масленица
3 марта – Окончание 3-го семестра
Notes from Primary
Dear Families,
Thank you to those of you who came to the school last week to meet with teachers and discuss the progress of your children. We have a lot coming up in the next two weeks. Please be on the lookout for an informational letter about Russia Week.
Donations Reminder
On Friday, we sent out a letter to you via email and also Edupage to inform you of our intent to collect items for donation to people in need, as a result of the earthquake in Turkey and Syria.
Donations will be accepted until 17:00 on Tuesday, February 14.
Primary School Spirit Day – February 14
For St. Valentine’s Day, students are encouraged to wear the colors red, pink, and white. Classes will organize some activities for students to celebrate the people and the things they love.
Pioneer Ball Friendly – Thursday, Feb. 16
We’ve organized a sports event for Primary this week. Year 5 and 6 students will play a friendly game of Pioneer Ball against a team of the same age from the British International School.
Reminder: CIS GOT TALENT
There is still time to prepare. Auditions are in April. Remember, you are welcome to organize a “family act” with family members performing alongside students.
Have a wonderful week!
Kind regards,
Ms. Michelle
Head of Primary
Дорогие родители!
Спасибо все тем из вас, кто пришел в школу на прошлой неделе, чтобы встретиться с учителями и обсудить прогресс ваших детей. В ближайшие две недели нас ждет много событий в школе. Пожалуйста следите за информацией в письме о Неделе России.
Напоминание о пожертвованиях
В пятницу мы разослали вам письмо по электронной почте, а также Edupage, чтобы сообщить вам о нашем намерении собрать предметы нуждающимся людям, которые пострадали от землетрясения в Турции и Сирии.
Пожертвования будут приниматься во вторник 14 февраля, до 17:00.
День единства духа в начальной школе, 14 февраля
В день святого Валентина студентам предлагается надеть что-то красное, розовое и белое. В классах для учащихся будут устроены занимательные задания в виде игр чтобы по достоинству оценить то, что они любят.
Игра пионербол, четверг, 16 февраля
На этой неделе мы организовали спортивное мероприятие для Начальной школы. Ученики 5 и 6 классов сыграют товарищескую игру пионербол против команды (того же возраста) из Британской международной школы.
Напоминание: CIS GOT TALENT
Еще есть время подготовиться. Прослушивания будут проходить в апреле. Напоминаем, что вы можете организовать семейный номер с членами вашей семьи и выступить вместе с учениками школы.
С наилучшими пожеланиями,
Мишель Кабрера
Руководитель Начальной школы
From the Head of Secondary
Dear Parents and Caregivers,
Уважаемые Родители и Опекуны,
Last week was very active and full of positive emotions. After a very contended match, the Green House won the CIS Volleyball championship. As a prize for the efforts and teamwork they enjoyed a well-deserved pizza party during snack time on Friday. Thank you to Ms. Marina Vorobeva and Mr. Rim, our Head of Operations, and his team for their hard work and support in making this event such a great success.
Прошедшая неделя была очень активной и полной положительных эмоций. После напряженного матча «Зеленый дом» выиграл чемпионат CIS по волейболу. В качестве приза за приложенные усилия и командную работу у них была Пицца-вечеринка в пятницу. Спасибо Мс. Марине Воробьевой и Мр. Риму, нашему операционному директору, и его команде за усердную работу и поддержку в обеспечении успеха этого мероприятия.
I have also seen a lot of activity happening in the classrooms as we get closer to the end of the term. I kindly want to remind all families that the last day of the term is Saturday March 4. We will also be having very colorful Russia Week activities during the week before that will involve students actively. I want to strongly encourage you to help your child attend all classes by planning your trips accordingly.
По мере приближения к концу учебного периода, я замечаю всё большую активность в классах. Я хочу напомнить всем нашим семьям, что последний день учебы перед каникулами– суббота, 4 марта. В период с 27 февраля по 3 марта течение недели до этого у нас пройдут очень красочные мероприятия Недели Русской культуры, в которых будут активно участвовать студенты. Я настоятельно призываю Вас помочь своему ребенку обеспечить посещение всех занятий, и соответствующим образом запланировать свои поездки.
Thank you for actively supporting your child with complying with the school uniform requirements. Together we have gone a long way. I want to also remind parents that the use of mobile phones by students in the dining hall is not allowed. Students who struggle to comply with this school requirement will be asked to keep their phones in dedicated boxes when entering the dining hall beginning this week. I have observed that when mobile phones are absent from the dining table, students are more likely to engage in meaningful and active social activities interaction with their peers. Thank you again for your support.
Спасибо, что активно поддерживаете Вашего ребенка в соблюдении требований относительно школьной формы. Вместе мы прошли долгий путь. Также хочу напомнить родителям, что использование учащимися мобильных телефонов в столовой не допускается. Учащимся, которые не в состоянии или отказываются выполнить это школьное требование, будет предложено хранить свои телефоны в специальных коробках при входе в столовую, начиная с этой недели. Хочу отметить, что когда за обедом отсутствуют мобильные телефоны, учащиеся чаще участвуют в осмысленных и активных социальных взаимодействиях со своими сверстниками. Еще раз спасибо за Вашу поддержку.
This week we will also celebrate Friendship Day, on Tuesday, February 14. During this day only, Secondary students will be allowed to wear non-uniform colors, as long as their clothing have no pictures on them.
На этой неделе мы также будем отмечать День дружбы, во вторник, 14 февраля. Только в этот день учащимся средней и старшей школ будет разрешено носить одежду, не соответствующую школьным цветам, если на ней нет изображений.
Finally, I want to inform you that Secondary school teachers have started publishing their consultation/tutorial after-school hours on EduPage. Our students are encouraged to sign-up for them to clarify their questions and receive extra academic assistance from their teachers.
Наконец, я хочу проинформировать Вас о том, что учителя средней и старшей школ начали публиковать свои внеурочные консультационные часы в EduPage. Нашим студентам предлагается записываться на это время, чтобы получить дополнительную академическую помощь от своих преподавателей.
Have a great week!
Желаю хорошей недели!
Best Regards,
Juan Cárdenas
Head of Secondary Education
From the Classroom
Mr. Carlos (Spanish)
We continue to work on differentiation, trying to perfect the coordination that this requires: control time, design complementary activities and bet on autonomous learning.
In Year 7 we have a new student with the experience of having lived in Spain, and thanks to whom we will be able to enrich the contents.
Year 8 students have started taking end-of-term tests. They have learned to contrast the present, past and future tenses, and to talk about their favorite food, and to order it at the restaurant.
In Year 9 we have a new student starting to study Spanish now. It is an interesting class in which different stages of knowledge of the language coexist. For this, students are aware of their daily work, and must coordinate and help each other to meet their individual goals.
In Year 10 and Year 11 students with different levels also coexist, and each of them is in charge of reinforcing their autonomy as students. Despite having different stages of learning, the results are being positive.
In Year 12 we have had the mock exam, and we are currently preparing to reinforce the oral part. In speaking they have the extra challenge of having to prepare an oral presentation and then defend it in conversation.
Mr. Kennedy (Business, Geography, Global Perspectives)
This week involved the final preparations for the vending machine business for the business students. We would like to thank all the parents who responded to the survey where we requested feedback on the idea. Due to a unanimous vote in favour of the idea, we will be installing a vending machine at school which will be run completely by the students. This gives the opportunity to put theory into practice and teaches students the principles of business by experiencing those concepts first-hand.
The geography students have been learning about natural resources, population, weather, climate, and tropical storms and will soon be moving onto development and food production. Term tests are soon approaching so students will be preparing for these both at school and at home.
My classroom is open for extra lessons for all students on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Fridays from 15:40 – 16:15 for whichever students may need additional geography or business studies support.
Mr. Jenkins (History)
The mocks gave an excellent insight into where all the year 11s, 12s, and 13s are academically, and will inform our lessons for the remainder of the year; the results were encouraging, overall.
Regards year 10s: after the addition of two new students the class has become reinvigorated, and we’ve welcomed some fascinating new perspectives.
The KS3 students are progressing well. Year 9s are developing writing skills to ready them for the big step-up necessary for their entry into year 10, while the 7s and 8s are coming on leaps and bounds with their acquisition of fundamental history skills.
Mr. Alm (English and Literature)
Year 13 English Language completed their unit on English in the World. Students examined global and local issues related to English as a lingua franca, prescriptivist and descriptivist critiques of variations of English, and possible courses for the evolution of the English language. In Year 12 English Literature, the class continued to read Atonement by Ian McEwan, examining elements of Postmodernism and analysing text excerpts through a variety of literary lenses. Year 11 English Literature has begun to read the play Journey’s End and will explore the language, structure, and dramatic forms employed to communicate its themes. Year 11 Global Perspectives have formed groups for their team project and will explore issues related to demilitarisation and child labor over the next two months.
Ms. Victoria (ICT and Computer Science)
In this term, students of Year 7, Year 8, Year 9 learn how to write algorithms and use the basics of various programming languages like Python, JavaScript and SQL. This week, they learn to solve simple problems using these languages.
В этой четверти ученики 7, 8, 9 классов учатся составлять алгоритмы и использовать основы различных языков программирования таких как Python, JavaScript и SQL. На этой неделе они решали простые задачи с использованием этих языков.
Mr. Cárdenas (Mathematics)
Students in Year 10 are exploring ways to measure surface area and volume of tridimensional shapes. As a result they should be able to approximate the surface and volume of real-life objects, such as buildings, or even the ZSD toll road.
Year 11 is learning about Statistics and data representation while Year 12 is beginning its dive into the adventures of Probability Theory. Year 13 students are learning how to prove or disprove a hypotheses involving random variables that are distributed binomially or normally. Lots of learning and challenges this week.
Mr. Watkins (English, Geography, and Global Perspectives)
What a year 2023 has been so far! The year 9 Geography class wrapped up their Africa unit and had the choice of completing an essay or presentation based on glaciers.
The year 10 and 11 English classes have been looking at extended writing based on their IGCSE mock assessments, as well as intensive comprehension tasks.
The year 12 English class has been working on narrative texts, where multiple students are collaborating on a series of multiple short texts. The focus for these texts is creating suspense and excitement within the writing by developing an effective structure.
In IELTS class, we have been focusing on reading and extracting relevant terminology from longer texts (in order to answer comprehension questions). We have also been looking at IELTS university requirements.
Mr. Sickles (Science)
Year 10 students have continued their study of chemistry. They looked at different property trends found on the periodic table, including halogen reactivity using displacement reactions. Currently, they are finishing up their study of chemical bonding and chemical formula deduction. In Year 11, students finished up their study of plant reproduction and are finishing up their exploration of the interactions within ecosystems and different impacts humans have on ecosystems. They also took some time to carry out electrolysis of brine (concentrated salt water). Year 12 AS Biology students finished up their mock exams, including a practical assessment, and their study of DNA and protein synthesis. They also tried to extract some DNA from a few different fruits. A Biology (Year 13) finished up studying inheritance and regulation of gene expression and is currently investigating the different methods through which natural selection and evolution occur.
Ms. Liuba (Russian and English)
The Year 8 student dived into the topic of the noun and Russian cases. We continue to learn poems by Russian poets and have started a new book for home reading.
In Year 10, the students started reading Pushkin's story "The Captain's Daughter" analyzing not only the actions of the heroes of the novel, but also the historical, social and geographical aspects of the story.
Ms. Marina (Physical Education)
First two weeks of February secondary students have had House Volleyball Tournament. Every student who was interested in volleyball had a chance to participate in this competition. The winner of the tournament is Green House in both lower and upper secondary. Everyone who participated and supported their houses did a very good job.
Mr. Lyons (Mathematics, Science)
Lower secondary mathematics has been all about sequences and straight-line graphs, two neatly linked topics. Whether investigating the relationship between terms, deriving a straight-line equation, or plotting graphs, all the students have shown a really encouraging level of understanding and proficiency. Next stop, ratios and percentages.
Year 7 science is focusing on energy – the different types, conversions and sources. Students are often encouraged to use all their potential, and they have certainly done so in our lessons, using all the energy accumulated by climbing the stairs and converting it into electrical energy to power their brains!
Electronics is the name of the game in year 12, as we have explored the basic principles of circuitry and the formulae that accompany it. Lab time has given us the opportunity to test these principles, such as the relationship between resistance, voltage and current and the charge supplied over a period of time. Now moving on to Kirchoff’s laws – series and parallel circuits – we will soon be able to design practical circuits involving thermistors and light dependent resistors.
Mr. Claasen (Science)
The last few weeks all of the lower secondary students that I teach worked on completing their chapter and activity videos as well as posters. They will do two batches of these assignments during the year and it forms a significant part of their mark for the year.
The Year 8 class has been learning about metals, non-metals and corrosion. They focused on the differences between metals and non-metals, how the physical properties of metals make them a useful material and why some chemical reactions are not useful. Skills we focused on were planning an investigation to test an idea, identifying important variables; choosing which to change, control and measure and making predictions using scientific knowledge and understanding.
The Year 9 class studied learned how to prepare salts. To do this they had to show a chemical reaction as a balanced symbol equation and how to make a salt using the reaction between an acid and a metal or metal carbonate. This chapter is quite skills heavy, and students had to learn how to write explanations using their scientific knowledge and understanding, choose the correct apparatus to carry out a method as well as explain how to make results more reliable, and reduce errors.
The Year 12 Chemistry class is looking at the states of matter in which they learned about the kinetic theory of gases, the ideal gas law, and what it takes for a gas to approach ideal behaviour. They then moved on to the kinetic-molecular model of the liquid state after which they learned how crystalline solids have a repeating, ordered arrangement of atoms or molecules called a lattice.
In Year 13 Chemistry we’ve been learning about entropy and Gibbs free energy. They learned that Entropy (∆S) is a measure of the disorder or randomness of a system and that the entropy change for a given process can be predicted as positive or negative based on the second law of thermodynamics, therefore it can be calculated. They then moved on to the standard Gibbs free energy change of reaction where they learned that the spontaneity of a reaction can be determined by the sign of ∆Gθ and that the effect of temperature change on the spontaneity of a reaction can be predicted by examining the standard enthalpy and entropy changes.
Ms. Irina (Mathematics – Russian Program)
А в математике все стабильно. Ребята из yr9 в курсе алгебры изучили системы уравнений с двумя переменными и теперь умеют их решать тремя способами, а также применяют новые навыки при решении текстовых задач. Многие ученики показывают очень хорошие результаты.
Девушки из yr13 планомерно готовятся к ЕГЭ, вспоминают изученные темы, решают тренировочные варианты.
У ребят из yr12 ЕГЭ только в следующем году. Но и в этот учебный год они трудятся, как говорится, «не поднимая головы, не покладая рук». Не смогла удержаться и с удовольствием запечатлела этот кадр.