Dear WIS Community,
I love the WIS assemblies in the Primary School, and this week’s assembly perfectly demonstrated how we embrace inquiry as a community of learners. Being an inquirer extends far beyond textbooks, and encourages our students to explore the world around them.
Our Grade 2 students took centre stage, showcasing their inquiry into Rosh Hashanah as part of their unit on celebrations, leaving us all inspired.
A guest talk by the Director of the Namibian Museums Association enlightened us on the many benefits of visiting museums in Namibia.
You may have read about Namibian Heritage Week in the Namibian last week. Our dedicated Librarian, Jeannette Washington, took the stage next, shining a spotlight on Namibian Heritage Week. She inspired our audience by asking thought-provoking questions, such as: "Why do we need to celebrate cultural heritage?"
The responses from our inquirers and thinkers:
"Without a past, there is no future. We celebrate cultural heritage and our past to celebrate your future."
"It's good to celebrate other people's culture so they feel included."
Following our assembly, our youngest learners from EY1/2 boarded the safari bus for a Namibian adventure. Their destination? A rendezvous with the majestic rhinos at Las Vegas Namibia. When students return, Ms. Katja told me the children will engage in a literacy experience using the describing bubble, demonstrated to us last week during the literacy training- I can’t wait to see what our youngest learners come up with! Many thanks to parents Cintia and William from Karibu Safaris for helping with this field trip!
In my classroom visits this week, I was delighted to see the teacher inquiry spirit alive as teachers tried out strategies learned from our Literacy Consultant, Stephen Graham. Our PD WhatsApp group was abuzz with teachers trying things out.
This dedication to professional growth resonates deeply with our commitment to fostering a culture of continuous improvement at WIS. Stephen Graham's expertise has really enriched our teaching practices, and our teachers are embracing the functional linguistics approach to teaching literacy because they see it works. On Monday, some of us will spend time putting together a plan for how we intend to roll this approach out so that it has maximum impact on the success of our learners across the school. Even our school leaders have their inquiry hats on when it comes to exploring the impact on student learning!
At WIS, we celebrate the curiosity that drives us to ask questions, seek answers, and embrace our local environment and the world. It is through inquiry that we grow and thrive as a community of learners!
Enjoy your weekend.
Warm regards,
Marcelle van Leenen
Primary School Principal
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