Several methods are used at SBB to assist children in their language development. The children learn by hearing. They are encouraged to take risks and attempt to speak in a new language. Your child has already begun to learn to speak and listen. As they get older and move up the year levels they will develop this skill to learn to read by reading, and write by writing. There are big books to read with the teacher and small books to read by themselves. Children quickly adapt to take  responsibility  for their own reading and writing.  Everyone learns a new language at a different rate and we know over time all students will be successful bilingual speakers 

Your child has successfully learnt to communicate through oral language. The skills, taught by you and our Early Childhood teachers will probably remain your child’s most used method of communication throughout life. However, there is more than one language to communicate in while at SBB and that is through the use of English and Bahasa. English is our language of instruction, but don’t worry, our classes are structured so that there is one teacher who can speak English and one fluent in Bahasa Indonesia.

To allow students to develop across the Primary and Secondary years of school, we have carefully aligned our Mathematics and English programmes to the PYP Maths and English Scope and Sequences. One of the benefits of the system is the way it closely aligns with the Indonesian National Curriculum. This means that all areas of Mathematics and English expected to be covered in International Schools will also be covered here at SBB. 

Students are provided with online resources to assist their learning. In mathematics SBB subscribes to DREAMBOX  and in English we subscribe to EPIC, which provides great online books for students. Both of these programs complement our homework program. 

A transdisciplinary theme, is a unit of work that integrates authentically a number of subject disciplines. Authentic in this context means naturally fitting. We do not integrate every subject into every unit. Maths for instance is often taught as a ‘stand alone’ subject because many mathematical concepts are unable to be authentically integrated.

In the PYP, there are 6 transdisciplinary themes studied throughout the course of the school year. Each grade studies the same theme, but with different ideas that build upon previous learning. The 6 themes are:

• Who we are

• Where we are in place and time

• How we express ourselves

• How the world works

• How we organize ourselves

• Sharing the planet

As future citizens and leaders of the world, we also try to incorporate both local and global issues into the curriculum. Students’ skills, knowledge and attitudes are developed within the themes.

In the final year of the PYP (Year 5), all IB PYP students around the world must carry out an extended, in-depth, collaborative project known as PYP Exhibition. The PYP exhibition is the culminating event of a primary students’ education. The Exhibition asks students to conduct an in-depth inquiry into real life issues or problems.

Using this approach, PYP students synthesize all of the essential elements of the PYP in ways that can be shared with the whole school community and allows students a significant opportunity to demonstrate the attributes of the IB learner profiles gained over the years through their engagement with the PYP.

Library Borrowing  We have a well resourced library, and students are allowed to borrow and take home books for their own pleasure. Books should be cared for and taken home in a library bag to protect the books from accidental damage. Loss or damaged books may result in a fine to replace the cost of the book. Your child’s teacher will let you know which day is their library day.

Sports Day Each class has PSPE Lessons. Students are to wear their sports uniform on these days. Your child’s teacher will let you know which day is their sports day.

Religion Classes All students are to attend Religion Classes. Currently we provide Catholic, Christian, Hindu and Islam classes. 

Assemblies

At Ketimus, Assemblies are held every  second Wednesday at 08:00am. These are led by each class, and the students will share about what they have been learning in class. All parents are encouraged to attend.

 Birthdays If parents wish to provide a birthday cake which can be shared with the whole class, this is OK. Remember to  be aware that some children may also have allergies to certain foods, so please check with your child’s teacher if there is anyone in the class that needs to be specially catered for.

Often parents wonder whether their child is making good progress. In just the same way that we all are different, we all learn in different ways and at different rates. To cope with this range of abilities in every class, teachers will use a strategy called ‘differentiation’ to meet the needs of each student more carefully. This may be by dividing students into smaller groups within the class, or teaching the same topic in different ways. Of course, sometimes students need extra support to help with their learning,. Sometimes they may need reading glasses, or help with hearing. Sometimes they just have trouble understanding. To help with these and other needs, the school also has a Student Support Team of a dedicated psychologist and therapist. They may be asked by the teacher to observe and make special plans for some children, to meet and discuss learning needs or even meet with parents. Remember the job of our Student Support Team is just that—to support our students with learning. If you have a concern and would like to have your child referred to a SST member, please contact the school or your home room teacher.

Effective communication between parents and teachers is essential to maximise the learning potential of students.  There are a number of structures in place to facilitate regular communication between home and school.

At SBB we encourage parents to contact school whenever there are concerns

Three-Way Conferences This activity is aimed at giving an opportunity for students to share their learning journey independently to their parents. Each student takes responsibility in leading the conference by sharing the process of their learning to their parents.

SBB Monthly is our ’in-house’ newsletter and is emailed to all staff as well as parents to highlight, update and share information of what has happened within a month at school.

Report cards This is a written report of student’s achievement in a semester and distributed twice in every end of term 2 (semester 1) and end of term 4 (semester 2).

Digital Portfolios The school uses an app called ‘SeeSaw’ to record and share actual students work with the family. This is a great tool to share with grandparents and other family members 

Schooling is a shared endeavor, and so to be successful, good communication is vital. There are a number of ways we foster good communication between the home and the school. The first and most successful way is to keep in touch with your child’s teacher. Your child’s teacher is always happy to meet with you to discuss any concerns or issues that you may have. However they are also busy with other parents’ children to teach too. Before and after school are often busy times so please make an appointment beforehand.

There will be New Parents Morning Tea early into the school year, as well a Parent Teacher Information session. The school also has PALS (Parents As Learners) to help parents understand what our school is teaching, child development and other interesting topics twice a year.

Video and social media is increasingly becoming a central part of our everyday landscape of communication, and it is becoming more visible as people share it on digital platforms. People make and share videos to tell stories about their personal lives, remixing home videos with popular music and images. Sekolah Buin Batu reflects this increasing use of digital technologies in society and it is an integral component of our learning and teaching programs.

Sekolah Buin Batu models respect for copyright laws and the fair use of copyrighted materials owned by others, including user generated content. As a part of our Plagiarism Policy, teachers train students to acknowledge their sources – it’s also good practice for teachers and staff members to do the same. Staff, including teachers should not use any form of social media to contact or inform parents about official school business or events. All official communication to parents must be through official school email, letters or SIMS and must be approved by the designated line manager beforehand. Whats App maybe used for informal school communication.

It is best practice to be mindful of the following: Students should keep their photos private. Once they are published online, anyone who has access to them can reuse them. Nothing lends credibility to an imposter profile more than a photo. Staff must not ‘friend’ students on Facebook or other forms of social media.

Parents are also encouraged to come and help in their child’s classroom. Please talk to your teacher about how you may be able to assist—it may be with reading or art lessons or even covering books at home. Parents being involved is rewarding for all concerned.

Sometimes during the day, students have an accident or become ill. If this happens to your child, be reassured that they will be well looked after. The school has a number of well-trained First Aiders who can deal with minor injuries, cuts and scrapes. We also have a complete first aid kit and a first aid room. If something more serious happens, we will contact the Medical Clinic on Townsite and arrange for transportation of your child to the clinic. We follow up all accidents and keep a record of treatment in our front office. Our front office and our home room teachers will always make every effort to contact you if your child is ill, has an accident or needs to go either home or to the clinic. If your child has an allergy (including asthma) please let us know so we can be prepared. If students are on medication (including vitamins) it is the responsibility of the parent to administer the medication. Medicine/vitamins is NOT to be kept by the Student.

Lunches are not provided here at SBB. Eating healthy food and having regular exercise helps us to have healthy bodies and also assists with learning. Here at Sekolah Buin Batu we have a ‘Healthy Eating Policy’. This means we allow students to only bring fruit and healthy snacks to eat at both Recess and Lunch times.

Cakes, sugary drinks, candy or lollies, etc are not allowed. Please support the school with this initiative by not packing any ‘junk food’ into your child’s lunch boxes.

Our School Uniform is the same across the school. Students wear Batik most days, whilst on sports day they are to wear their sports day uniform.

We have the rule ‘No hat —No play’ to help protect our students from the sun.

All students are to wear the appropriate footwear covered black shoes suitable for walking and playing. No flip flops are allowed. The school uniform (except shoes) is available from our campus secretary. For the Batik uniform, fabric is available for purchase, and our Campus Receptionist can advise you of a number of tailors that can make this size.

Black long pants/shorts to the knee (for boys)

Black long skirts/shorts to the knee (for girls)

PSPE Uniforms must be worn during PSPE lessons. Wear hats when playing or doing activities outside. Wear covered shoes with white or black short (ankle) socks which must be visible. Only watches and studs are allowed to be visible. Long hair needs to be tied away from faces

They are:

• Be safe

• Be responsible

• Be prepared

• Be respectful

In addition to these school rules, the teacher and students in each class will negotiate an essential agreement to ensure that the teaching and learning can be shared in an environment that caters for all the participants in their own particular setting (home classroom, specialist lessons, shared areas such as the corridors, ovals, playgrounds, musholla).

Our school secretaries are situated in the office of the main Ketimus Raya school building. They can assist you with many of your general questions relating to:

School uniforms

First aid arrangements

School lunches

Books and stationery

School Bus

After School Activities (ASA)