Mrs Sim - 2024/25

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    • Mrs. Sim – Weekly Update Term 3 Week 2

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    Dear Parents,

    We’ve had a fun-filled and productive week in Year 1/2 with lots of exciting learning happening across the curriculum!

    📚 Literacy
     We have continued reading Toys in Space by Mini Grey. Year 1 students wrote imaginative sentences about what the toys might see, hear and feel as they looked up at the sky. They also practised using the prefix ‘un-’ and created their own speech bubbles for the characters, including the word ‘if’.

    Year 2 extended their learning by practising the conjunction ‘so that’ in their sentences – for example, “The robot has a key so that he can be wound up.” Both year groups also had lots of fun describing the toys using interesting adjectives!

    ➗ Maths
     This week, we explored our Maths objectives through exciting tuff trays and craft activities. These hands-on experiences really helped the children to understand and enjoy their learning.

    Year 1 Objectives
     📌 Sum.1.2 – Count in 10s
    📌 Sum.1.3 – Count in 5s
    📌 Sum.1.4 – Recognise equal groups
    📌 Sum.1.5 – Add equal groups
    📌 Sum.1.6 – Make arrays

    Year 2 Objectives
     📌 Sum.1.4 – Find a half
    📌 Sum.1.5 – Recognise a quarter
    📌 Sum.1.6 – Find a quarter
    📌 Sum.1.7 – Recognise a third
    📌 Sum.1.8 – Find a third

    If the Year 1 parents practised counting in 2s, 5s and 10s over the weekend with your child, it would be a great help. Practise makes perfect 🙂

    🌍 IPC (International Primary Curriculum)
     In IPC, the children turned into little adventurers! They made compasses, explored what pirates used to steal, and created both drawn and bird’s-eye view plans of familiar classroom objects. It was an exciting blend of geography, history and design. The highlight of the IPC lessons was definitely the birds eye plan drawing where we went outside and tried to be birds flying above the objects.

    🎉 A Special Goodbye
     On Thursday, we said a fond farewell to Ms Yun, our lovely trainee teacher. To celebrate her time with us, we had a special Easter-themed afternoon filled with crafts, mask-making, a goodie hunt, and even some playdough fun. The children had a fantastic time, and it was a lovely way to finish the week.

    Thank you, as always, for your continued support. Have a lovely weekend!

    Warm regards,
    Mrs. Sim

    Have a fantastic weekend!

    Mrs. Sim – Weekly Update Term 3 Week 1

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    Welcome back, everyone!

    We’ve had a fantastic start to Term 3 and enjoyed a lovely week together in class.

    This week, we welcomed our new student, Ana Clara. We’re so proud of her bravery and positivity during her first week here at HFS — she’s settling in beautifully!

    Here’s a look at what we’ve been working on:

    Literacy
     We began our new book Toys in Space with lots of excitement — some toys even came to visit our classroom! The students helped guide them back to their homes by creating maps and using name tags tied around them.

    Mid-week, the students completed a short writing task (unknowingly as an assessment) to see how much they’ve retained from their learning so far. They each selected a toy and wrote about it independently.

    As we continued reading, we were surprised to find that the toys in the story had been left alone in the garden. This led to thoughtful discussions about the toys’ feelings and an introduction to the prefix un- (e.g., unhappy, unkind, unloved). Year 2 students wrote diary entries from the toys’ perspective, while Year 1 students wrote descriptive sentences about how the toys might have felt.

    Maths Objectives

    Year 1

    • Spr.5.6 – Measure capacity
    • Spr.5.7 – Compare capacity
    • Assessment
    • Sum.1.1 – Count in 2s

    Year 2

    • Assessment
    • Sum.1.1 – Introduction to parts and whole
    • Sum.1.2 – Equal and unequal parts
    • Sum.1.3 – Recognise a half

    IPC (International Primary Curriculum)
    We kicked off our new unit, Treasure Islands, by exploring maps and learning the key components such as mainland, island, ocean, and continents. Students created their own islands using playdough and labelled them with newly learned vocabulary.

    We also used Google Earth to locate our home countries, which was a lot of fun! In P.E., we played an active game where we became ship captains, learning new map-related vocabulary while racing to different “stations” around the hall.

    To end the week, we learned about the journey of fruit — from tree to table — and discovered where different fruits come from around the world.

    Reminder
    Please remember to return phonics books every Friday, along with homework and library books. Thank you for your continued support!

    The warmer weather has made outdoor playtime even more enjoyable, and the children have really made the most of it this week. I hope you all have a lovely weekend in the sunshine! 😊

    That’s all for this week.

    Take care,
    Mrs. Sim

    Mrs. Sim – Weekly Update Term 2 Week 10

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    We made it to the end of Term 2! It has been a term packed with great learning, progress and fun. 

    Busan Science Museum

    We had a lovely trip to the Science Museum on Wednesday. The children made their own automata, explored the museum and had fun playing at the park. Here are some pictures for you 🙂

    Maths

    This week Ms. Yun, our trainee teacher has been having a lot of fun with the students on the tuff trays-wonderful hands-on learning!

    Year 1

    Spr.5.2 – Measure mass
    Spr.5.3 – Compare mass
    Spr.5.4 – Full and empty
    Spr.5.5 – Compare volume

    Year 2

    Spr.4.6 – Measure in millilitres
    Spr.4.7 – Measure in litres
    Spr.4.8 – Four operations with volume and capacity
    Spr.4.9 – Temperature

    Literacy

    Today, we finished our story “The Curious Case of the Missing Mammoth.” The students completed a little assessment where they had to write their own story based on “The Curious Case of the Missing Mammoth,” but with a new character they had created. The students worked on their plans and used them to write their stories. It was an exciting experience with lots of surprises, and the children really enjoyed all the surprises under the flip pages. 🙂

    IPC

    Thank you to those who completed the Homework booklet for Parents. I am so sorry, but we seem to have forgotten to take some of the students’ booklets out. Please do bring them after the holidays if your child’s is still in their folder. I sincerely apologize for that. I know you all went to great effort to do it with your child.

    We have finished our unit Communicators and Creators, and the children have a lovely little booklet titled “All About Me” in their bags to show you.

    Homework

    No homework was sent home today, and only some students have taken library books home. I hope you all can enjoy some family time.

    Have a lovely break, and I will see you all on April 7th!

    Take care,


    Mrs. Sim

    Mrs. Sim – Weekly Update Term 2 Week 9

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    Happy Friday! Happy White Day! And a very Happy Birthday to Mrs. Sim!

    Dear Parents,

    I hope you are well and enjoying the lovely weather this week.

    As we approach the end of Term 2, there is only one week left, and it is filled with exciting learning opportunities.

    Busan Science Museum Field Trip

    On Wednesday, March 19th, we will be heading to the Busan Science Museum for an exciting field trip. Please ensure that your child brings the following:

    • A water bottle
    • A packed lunch (that does not require microwaving)
    • A morning snack (something that isn’t too messy 🙂)
    • The school polo shirt and/or the HFS hoodie
    • Comfortable clothing

    We will be leaving at 9:00 am sharp, so please make sure to have your child at school by 8:50 am if you are dropping them off in the morning. If you have not yet submitted the permission slip, please do so as soon as possible (there are still 4 students who have yet to submit theirs).

    Maths

    This week, we have focused on the following objectives:

    Year 1:

    • Spr.4.1 – Compare lengths and heights
    • Spr.4.2 – Measure length using objects
    • Spr.4.3 – Measure length in centimetres
    • Assessment: Spr.5.1 – Heavier and lighter

    Year 2:

    • Spr.4.1 – Compare mass
    • Spr.4.2 – Measure in grams
    • Spr.4.3 – Measure in kilograms
    • Spr.4.4 – Four operations with mass
    • Spr.4.5 – Compare volume and capacity

    Maths Workbooks

    You may notice that when your child brings home their completed maths workbook, some sections may not be filled out. This is because I use a variety of teaching methods, including whiteboards, manipulatives, and tuff trays, which allow for hands-on learning. I believe that children benefit from different approaches to solidify their understanding, so I sometimes prioritize these activities over completing workbook pages.

    Literacy

    In Literacy this week, we had great fun role-playing the story with handmade hats to represent the characters. This helped the students practice using expression in their voices while learning about exclamation marks and question marks.

    We also wrote diary entries describing everything the characters saw at the museum, focusing on past tense, progressive verbs, correct punctuation, and neat handwriting.

    To finish off the week, we created speech bubbles for the characters and wrote questions and expressions in them. This exercise was a fun way to reinforce the correct use of exclamation marks and question marks.

    IPC (International Primary Curriculum)

    In IPC, we began by exploring green screens and creating weather reports, which the children really enjoyed. I hope you enjoyed watching their creative work!

    We then moved on to a music lesson where we explored how different instruments can evoke different emotions. It was a lively session full of sound, laughter, and excitement!

    We also took a look at how people communicated in the past. As part of their homework, your child has a small booklet to interview you at home. An explanation sheet is attached to guide you through the questions. Please complete the booklet with your child and return it next week along with their homework.

    To wrap up the week, we discussed modern communication methods such as emojis, AI, translators, and sign language. We examined the advantages and disadvantages of each and had fun drawing our favorite method of communication.

    Thank you for all the birthday love I received today. I had a great day with the students. We finished off the day with some delicious cake and it was so good!

    It’s been a wonderful week, and I’m looking forward to another exciting week ahead!

    Warm regards,
    Mrs. Sim

    Mrs. Sim – Weekly Update Term 2 – Week 8

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    What a lovely end to the week! Happy International Day to everyone! It was a great day filled with lots of amazing food and exposure to different cultures. Thank you to all who helped make it such an enjoyable experience. We appreciate your efforts and kindness <3

    Busan Science Museum Field Trip

    We will be taking a trip to the Busan Science Museum on Wednesday 19th March. The school will contribute 10,000 won to this trip and the children will be asked to pay 3,500 won to cover the costs of the additional activities. Please send the 3,500 won in an envelope (with your child’s name on it) by next Friday 14th March.  We will participating in the museum-led activities in the morning and will be exploring the childrens’ museum after lunch. On this day, students should bring the following:

    • Water Bottle
    • Packed lunch that does not need to be microwaved
    • A morning snack (Something that isn’t too messy 🙂
    • Wear the school polo shirt and/or the HFS hoodie
    • Comfortable clothing 

    We will leave 9am sharp so please make sure to arrive by 8:50 am if you drop your child off at school in the morning. Here is the permission slip for the trip. If you could fill it in by next Friday 14th March, that would be wonderful! Thank you so much!

    Learning this week

    It’s been a short week with the holiday on Monday and the International Day events today, but we’ve still managed to cover a lot of exciting learning!

    In Literacy, we’ve really been getting into our story, The Mysterious Case of the Missing Mammoth. It’s such an exciting one! This week, we focused on using past tense (-ed for Year 1) and the progressive form of verbs in both the present and past tense (Year 2). We wrote letters, described settings, and imagined what the characters might say to each other. I’m always so impressed with the progress the children are making in their writing!

    In Maths, both Year 1 and Year 2 completed their end-of-unit assessments today. I’ll be sending these home next week for you to take a look at. Year 1 will be moving on to length and height next week, and Year 2 will begin learning about mass, capacity, and temperature. We only have two weeks left of Term 2, so we’re definitely going to stay busy!

    In IPC, we’ve been learning about different ways we can communicate and create. The children made their very own avatars, which are now proudly displayed outside the classroom. They look so cute! We discussed how it’s safer to use an avatar instead of a real picture online. We also looked at the advantages and disadvantages of YouTube and had a fun discussion about what the children would like to communicate with the world. My example was, of course, about how to be kind! 😊

    Finally, we created our very own internet traffic lights and talked about which websites would go under green, yellow, and red. The children did a wonderful job sticking their post-its with their ideas, and the finished result turned out beautifully!

    In Phonics, the students were assessed again recently to ensure they are working at the appropriate level for their progress. As a result, your child may have moved up a colour group based on their test results. This helps us make sure they are being challenged appropriately while still receiving the support they need.

    Information

    Please be reminded to check Mr Green’s Weekly Newsletter, as well as my own each week 🙂. The links are sent out each weekend, however they can also be accessed directly from the HFS Website. 

    Wishing you all a wonderful weekend! 

    Take care,

    Mrs. Sim

    Mrs. Sim – Weekly Update Term 2 Week 7

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    It’s Friday!

    Hello everyone! Happy Friday to you all.

    I hope you have all had a nice week.

    We have had a very busy week in Year 1/2 with lots of great learning going on.

     On Monday,  we started our new Story “The Curious Case of the Missing Mammoth” in Literacy. We found some rocks and had to find out what was inside them! The children used tools to crack the rock and find out what was inside. They were very excited to find there were dinosaurs inside! We then had a little fun trying to find pieces of a jigsaw that were hidden around the classroom. We put the puzzle together and discovered a big mammoth! It was a nice introduction to the story and the children are eager to read more each day. 

    Throughout this unit, the children will be working on the following objectives.

    The Curious Case of the Missing Mammoth by Ellie Hattie

    Outcome Recount: write a letter to a historical figure

    Year 1:

    • Join words and clauses using and
    •   Punctuate sentences using a capital letter and a full stop, question mark or exclamation mark 
    •  Add suffixes where no change is needed to the root of the word e.g. -ed,  -ing, -er, -est 

    Year 2:

    • Use present and past tenses correctly and consistently  
    • Use the progressive form of verbs in the present and past tense 
    • Use subordination (apply because, when; introduce that) 
    • Use punctuation correctly – apostrophes for the possessive (singular) 

    In Maths this week we have covered the following objectives. 

    The Year 2 students sat their unit assessment. They all did very well. We are now moving on to our unit on length and height next week. I am sure it will be a lot of fun measuring items around the class. Year 1 students have continued working on their “Place Value” unit.

    Year 1 Maths Objectives

    Spr.3.3 – Count by making groups of tens
    Spr.3.4 – Groups of tens and ones
    Spr.3.5 – Partition into tens and ones
    Spr.3.6 – The number line to 50

    Year 2 Maths Objectives

    Spr.2.17 – The 5 and 10 times-tables
    Assessment
    Spr.3.1 – Measure in centimetres
    Spr.3.2 – Measure in metres

    In IPC, we started our new unit  “Creators and Communicators”. We explored the meaning of ‘Create’ and ‘Communicate’ and made posters showing the different ways we can create art and communicate with others. We also took a look at what it means to be a good digital citizen. We spoke about keeping safe online and being respectful and responsible. The students made some lovely posters showing their learning.

    Trainee Teacher Joining our class

    On March 10th we will welcome Mrs. Yun to our classroom. Mrs. Yun is a trainee teacher from Canada who will be doing a 4 week placement with myself. I will still be in the class as usual but Mrs. Yun will be teaching with me as part of her course. I am excited to welcome her here and it will be lovely to have 3 teachers in the class to support the children even more.

    I hope you all have a lovely weekend and I will see you all on Tuesday! Please remember that there is no school on Monday due to the public holiday 🙂 I hope you all do something nice 🙂

    Take care,

    Mrs. Sim

    Mrs. Sim’s Weekly Update – Term 2 week 6

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    Dear Parents,

    I hope you are all well.

    Let’s take a look at what we have got up to in Year 1/2 this week.

    In IPC, we finished up our unit “It’s Shocking!”. We looked at the dangers of electricity, what we did in the past with no electricity and made our very own torches/flashlights. The children were very good at identifying hazards in various settings and were taught how to stay safe around electrical devices. They really enjoyed making the torches. I told the children to have a go at making a tent with their bed covers and using their torch to read a book before bed 🙂

    In Literacy, we had a very intense week of writing. We have came to the end of our unit and it was therefore time to use what we have learned and write our own stories. The students created 2 of their own characters and planned out a beginning, middle and end. On Friday, they wrote their stories using pictures they had drawn to help them write their stories with no support. I will be using their stories as formative assessment to see what areas the students need to improve on.

    In Maths this week, the Year 1 students sat their end of unit tests and I was pleased with their results. Well done Year 1s! On Thursday, we started a new unit “Place Value (to 50) where the students began learning numbers 1-50, focusing on counting backwards and forward.
    The Year 2 students continued with their unit on “Multiplication and Division” and will be finishing this unit next week. They have now covered their 2, 5 and 10 times tables and also learned the foundation skills of dividing.

    We are planning a trip to Busan Science Museum next month and I am currently looking at the exciting activities they have for the children to participate in. I will email with more information soon.

    We have a new student joining us on Monday. Hanul will be in Year 1 and we are all looking forward to welcoming him.

    Wishing you all a lovely weekend.

    Take care

    Mrs. Sim

    Making flashlights!

    Mrs. Sim’s Weekly Update – Term 2 Week 5

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    Happy ❤️ Day ❤️
    I hope you are all having a LOVEly day hehe 💗

    We just finished off the week with a little Valentine’s Day craft party. We read the book “Love from the Crayons” and made these beautiful crafts. The children discussed the love that each colour brings to them. It was a very touching lesson. After our crafts, we enjoyed some crepes made by Sofija’s mummy. We melted some chocolate and rolled them up. Yummy Yummy! The children also received a gift from Elena’s mummy today and I have sent them home in their bags. Thank you so much.
    Today I gave each student a love balloon and on it. I wrote a little message letting them know what I love about them. It has been a day full of great things and nice words.

    In Maths this week we have completed the following objects. Today we spent time reviewing the objectives we have completed on Sumdog. Each Friday, I will allow the children some time using their tablets whilst I meet with each year group.

    Year 1

    Spr.2.6 – Subtract ones using number bonds
    Spr.2.7 – Subtraction – counting back
    Spr.2.8 – Subtraction – finding the difference
    Spr.2.9 – Related facts
    Spr.2.10 – Missing number problems

    Year 2

    Spr.2.8 – Make equal groups – sharing
    Spr.2.9 – The 2 times-table
    Spr.2.10 – Divide by 2
    Spr.2.11 – Doubling and halving
    Spr.2.12 – Odd and even numbers

    In Literacy, we wrote letters to the author of our book “The Lion Inside”. The students planned their letters and told them all about the things that they liked and didn’t like about thier story. We are now preparing to write our own stories and I will be working on planning it out with the students next week. 😀

    In IPC, we have had a lot of fun! Ms Temple’s class joined us to make real circuits. We used wires, batteries and light bulbs and learned how to connect them! We then spent time drawing them out using symbols and learning all about the dangers of electricity. We also had a fun walk around school looking for battery – operated devices!

    Have a great weekend everyone! See you all on Monday.

    I hope you all feel loved this Valentine’s Day! <3

    Mrs. Sim – Weekly Update Term 2 Week 4

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    Hello and Happy Friday! 

    What a cold week it has been! Time has flown by and that can only mean one thing-time flies when you are having fun 🙂

    I would like to start this update by letting you all know about a lovely moment I had with the students this week. We have a new student joining us in 2 weeks time and he came to visit us for a morning. Every single student made me so proud with their kindness and help. They were showing him where to go, helping him at break and making him feel so welcome. It was so great to see! 

    Report Cards

    Report cards have been sent home today and I look forward to meeting you all next week to discuss your child’s school life and answer any questions or concerns you may have. I must let you know that I talk too much and really need to try and stay on schedule 🙂 Haha! You will see there is a sign up outside my door with a list of appointments. If I am still in a meeting when you arrive please have a seat on the red sofas and I will be with you as soon as I can 🙂I will see you all then 🙂

    Let’s take a look at what we have been learning this week!

    Maths

    Year 1 Objectives

    Spr.2.1 – Add by counting on within 20
    Spr.2.2 – Add ones using number bonds
    Spr.2.3 – Find and make number bonds to 20
    Spr.2.4 – Doubles
    Spr.2.5 – Near doubles

    Year 2 Objectives

    Spr.2.3 – Add equal groups
    Spr.2.4 – Introduce the multiplication symbol
    Spr.2.5 – Multiplication sentences
    Spr.2.6 – Use arrays
    Spr.2.7 – Make equal groups – grouping

    Literacy

    This week in Literacy we finished our story “The Lion Inside”. We looked at how brave the mouse was and wrote about what he should tell himself when he feels scared. The students wrote very heartwarming sentences “I should believe in myself”, “I should be confident and trust myself” and “I am brave!”. We then looked at the lion and mouse’s friendship and wrote a diary entry showing how happy they were to have made friends with each other. The students enjoyed taking part in a role play to help them with ideas for their writing. We focused on using past tense verbs and using connectives such as ‘and’ because’ and ‘then’. The students writing has really improved and I love watching them grow. 

    IPC

    In IPC, we learned all about static electricity and took part in lots of explorative activities. The children had a lot of fun making their hair stand up, sticking balloons to the wall and testing materials. We discovered that plastic materials work best at attracting static electricity. 

     It looks like it is going to be a great unit! Thank you for sending in the toys, we had a great lesson looking at them all and presenting them to the class. 

    Mrs. Sim – Weekly Update Term 2 Week 3

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    Dear Parents,

    I hope you are all well, having a wonderful week and looking forward to the Seollnal celebrations.

    Let’s take a look at what we have been learning this week!

    Maths

    In Maths this week both the Y1 students and the Y2 students sat their end of unit assessments and they all did very well. I have sent the results home for you to see. I was very proud of them for doing so well.

    Year 1 

    Use a number line to 20
    Estimate on a number line to 20
    Compare numbers to 20
    Order numbers to 20
    Assessment

    Year 2

    Two-problems (Money)
    Assessment
    Recognise equal groups(week 3-6)
    Make equal groups

    Literacy

    In Literacy this week we continued reading “The Lion Inside” and looked at the different animal characters. We used masks to pretend that we were the animals and shared our thoughts of the mean Lion Character. The students had to write their opinions of the Lion from the point of view of the characters. We then zoomed in on our quiet mouse character and looked at what he needs to do to become braver! I am very pleased with the students’ overall performance in writing. Each week, they are writing more and more and it is lovely to see.

    In Phonics, the students contine to work hard in their small groups. Phonics books have been sent home today along with library books.

    *Please note, there is no homework this week. Enjoy some family time together.

    IPC

    We have now completed our unit  ‘Push Me, Pull You’ and I am really quite sad it has come to an end. It has been endless amounts of fun experiements and investigations. This week, we experimented to see if air can push too! The children loved the Malteser Chocolate Ball/Straw activity where they had to try and blow the ball all the way to the wall. Then afterwards, they had to try and pull it up with the air from their straw and drop it in to their cup. We also used boats in water to see if the children could blow them from one side to the other. Lots of fun was had by all!

    Parent Teacher Conferences

    Mid Year reports will be sent home on the 7th February and Parent Teacher Conferences will be held in Week 5 (Week beginning 10th February). Please sign up to make an appointment with me to discuss your child’s progress. It is a lovely opportunity to meet and ask any questions you may have. 

    PTC sign-up form

    I hope you all have a lovely Seollnal vacation and I will see you all back in school on Monday 3rd February.

    Take Care,

    Mrs. Sim 🤩

    Happy Seollnal! 🙂 Wishing you all the happiness, love and laughter in 2025!