Grade 1 and 2 children went for a walk to the forest and celebrated Samichlaus. They had a pleasant surprise when they found Schmutzli and Samichlaus in the middle of the forest near a roaring log fire.
Samichlaus spoke to each grade, giving them his words of wisdom about their school performances and made some suggestions on how they could improve in all other areas.
Samichlaus complimented Grade 1 on how much they have all learned since they started Primary school and that they are doing such a great job in transferring this knowledge into their reading and writing. Samichlaus also mentioned how they have developed in their overall responsibility as first graders: they are working well together to maintain all the school rules and expectations.
His message for grade 2 was that they were becoming very aware of the world around them in connection with their class science topic.
Samichlaus gave all the children in both grades some suggestions to work on. For example, that they must make sure they are treating everyone with respect and kindness; display good sportsmanship during sports lessons and in the playground; make sure that all children are involved and no one is left out of any games, especially during their breaks.
The children then sang a cheery, festive version of “Jingle Bells” and were all rewarded with a Grittibänz from Schmutzli.
It was a delightful afternoon and celebrating Samichlaus in the forest made it extra special.
Priscilla Bitton (Primary 1 & Primary 2 English teacher)
On Friday, 2nd December, Primary 2 and 3 participated in a candle dipping activity at the local church. After bundling up to brave the cold air, we marched down the street.
Upon arriving, a group of ladies from the church explained the process of making a candle. We received a long wick and a drying cloth. First, we dipped the wick into a container of hot wax and afterwards in water to cool it down. We chose the colors we liked most and used the cloth to dry the water from the candle after each cooling. After adding different colored layers of wax, we could decorate the candle with pieces of wax or by carving into it. The whole process took us an awesome hour of fun!
You should go candle dipping with your family, too. First, it’s a great activity for a cold, winter day. As well, you can show your creativity with your favorite colors. You also get to choose how thick your candle will be. In addition, candles are useful and even light up the room. Moreover, it’s just plain fun and calming. You come away relaxed and with a beautiful candle to make the Christmas season joyful.
So, find the nearest candle dipping location and start dipping.
Scott Warner, Teacher Primary 3
Farben erwärmen die Seele
Dies zeigten uns die jungen Künstlerinnen und Künstler der 3. und 4. Primarklasse im ersten Quintal. Der Auftrag war: «Male einen Fantasiebaum». Angelehnt an den Lehrplan 21 galt es, eigene Bildideen aus der Fantasie- und Lebenswelt zur Natur zu entwickeln und daraus mittels verschiedener Drucktechniken, schraffiert oder gezielt deckend, zu malen. Das Malen gestaltete sich wahrlich als meditativer Anlass an zwei Freitagnachmittagen. Es war wunderbar zu erleben, wie die Kinder zusammen in ihre Welt abtauchten und an ihrem Baum malten, bis er fertig war. Ein erholsamer Gegenpol zu den kognitiv lastigen MINT-Fächern, zum Beispiel. Was anfangs noch ein bisschen karg wirkte, entpuppte sich am Ende als wunderschönes Kunstwerk. Hier ein Amuse-Bouche der jungen Künstlerinnen und Künstler von SIS-Pfäffikon.
Lebenselixir Energie
Beim Thema Energie im Fach NMG (Natur, Mensch, Gesellschaft) haben wir im zweiten Quintal gut hingeschaut. Die Schülerinnen und Schüler wollten wissen, wo überall Energie ist und wie sie auch gewonnen werden kann. Das NaTech 4-Buch hat uns dabei mit spannenden Aufgaben begleitet.
Dabei haben sich die Schülerinnen und Schüler grad selbst mal reingegeben und alle möglichen Bewegungsarten ausprobiert und überlegt, um was für eine Energie es sich wohl hier handelt. Dabei stellten Sie fest, dass Energie ein steter Begleiter in unserem Alltag ist – ob via Licht, Wärme, der Nahrung, Elektrizität oder Bewegung und vielem mehr – Energie findet sich überall.
Als Energiespürnasen wollten die Schülerinnen und Schüler es wissen und ab ging es in den ersten Schnee! Und so verwandelten wir schnell mal unsere Lageenergie in Bewegungsenergie und rollten vergnügt den Hang hinunter. Bei unserem Miniausflug versuchten die Kinder sich aller Energieformen stetig bewusst zu machen und so verging die Zeit wie im Fluge und die «Energieumwandler-Truppe» kehrte fröhlich wieder ins Schulzimmer zurück.
Sandra Lendi, Klassenlehrperson Deutsch Primar 4
For the Secondary 3 students, the last compulsory year in the French subject is ambitious and challenging. The topics to be covered this school year are extremely interesting and suited to the interests and expectations of our teenagers. The books that are used, which were recently published, deal with themes related to the life and interests of teenagers, thus allowing for the consolidation of knowledge and at the same time the expansion of vocabulary and more complex and intense structures.
We all know from experience that the fascination of the Cinema is almost irresistible. It uses as a means of expression a dynamic language which is universal and persuasive. Content is more easily apprehended because of its power of suggestion, it is capable of motivating the interest of teenagers, to whose spirit it communicates ideas and experiences embodied in the dynamism of the images.
For much of this semester, our Secondary 3 students have had the privilege of studying a unit entirely devoted to the cinema in their French classes. They began by understanding the importance of the Lumière brothers when it comes to the origin of the cinema, going through the detailed history of French cinema and finally delving into the universe of French filmmakers. They also had the opportunity to take a little trip back in time by getting to know some of the older films and their actors, ending up in a more contemporary and current context. Students presented a list of the most famous French actors who regularly feature in recent movies and even in today's TV series.
The next task was to present a review of an original French movie of their choice. Each of the students watched an original film individually, which enabled them to create a very interesting work, where the genre of the movie was included and discussed, along with the director, the characters, a synopsis and an individual comment regarding their personal appreciation. The results were extremely gratifying, and everyone was eager to learn more about the French seventh art.
A class visit to the movies is therefore being planned for the near future. This way our students can experience the real magic, of sitting in front of a big screen and enjoying a new French film in an educational and entertaining setting.
Manuela Mendonça, Primary & Secondary French Teacher