Director of Studies
As Term 3 comes to a close one word continues to enter my mind, perseverance. Over my three decades in education, I have seen a vast array of educational contexts, but none compare to what the Tesla community has had to endure over the last several months. As COVID has passed through our staff, students, and families the wheels of the educational machine have just kept turning. I have been both amazed and impressed with the ability of every member of the community to adapt to the constantly changing environment and persevere in our collaborative efforts to educate the students in body, mind, and spirit.
At the core are our students. They have truly demonstrated the qualities inherent to becoming a lifelong learner and a member of a global society. It has been amazing to see them exhibit patience and resilience while being consistently tested for the virus and simply accepting the outcomes. Regardless of the teachers and students sent home to resume online learning, the students have continued to persevere in every circumstance. I have been extremely impressed and I feel it is important to thank the families. It is only with their unwavering support that these young ladies and gentlemen could so graciously endure the vacillating learning environment throughout the challenging year.
I am cautiously optimistic that Term 4 will be a stable environment and look forward to observing great achievements. This year will be Tesla’s inaugural Grade 5 PYP Exhibition. Most of the grade 5 class has been at Tesla for several years so this is a fantastic opportunity for them to reflect on their learning experience. As I watch their journey unfold over the next couple of months I look forward to seeing them mature very quickly because the challenges of the independent project will require their full attention and efforts.
Kindest regards,
Tim VanderpoolDirector of Studies
UOI English Teacher
Unit 4 saw students learning about the pros and cons of hydroelectric dams. As part of their summative assessment, students were required to compile a report to present to community members to help them make an informed decision regarding a proposed Hydroelectric Dam project. Leading up to the summative assessment, students participated in a debate where they needed to conduct research, structure, and communicate their “for” and “against” arguments.
Following the current Unit of Inquiry (Sharing the Planet), and focusing on the idea of taking action in a build-up to Earth Day on the 22nd of April, the grade 4’s were tasked with looking through the Sustainable Development Goals (or Global Goals) developed by the United Nations, and identifying the goals and forms of action that are relevant to the unit’s central idea. Students were then required to come up with their own forms of action and present their final posters to the class. Throughout the unit, students have been exploring and showing some brilliant connections around the key concepts of change, connection, and responsibility.
KG Homeroom Teacher
KG students are beginning to go into the end of Unit 3: “How the world works”. Students gave a presentation about animals that are about to become extinct and how to protect them. Each of them has shown their personality and confidence through this activity. In particular, they all realized the importance of endangered species protection. In addition, KG students participated in outdoor activities to develop life skills “Washing and drying towels”! We hope that students will help their parents at home with small actions through this lesson.
Early Years Teacher
We are skincare technicians with cute, cheerful, energetic, and sociable personalities. We are pleased to welcome you to our beauty spa services. Thanks to the teacher’s dedicated guidance, we can confidently perform in the role of the beautician. Now we know how to keep our skin beautiful and healthy. These are the pictures of activities during our class “exploring how to take care of your skin”.
Early Years Teacher
Little Explorers students are in the stage of physical development, so the practice of motor skills is very important. Not following familiar exercises, students had the opportunity to approach new sports in Multi-Sport. Besides, a variety of age-appropriate exercise equipment and creativity in movement games helped students be more engaged in class. Through that, the students became stronger, more confident and active.
