EMBRACE - Sekolah Bogor Raya Newsletter Apr. 2020

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Foreword

From our Academic Adviser

Dear Parents and Guardians,

If you had asked me a year ago if the world could be turned upside down in a matter of
months I most certainly would not have believed you. However here we are in the midst
of a global pandemic which has seen many workplaces moving online including schools.
I thought I would use this message in Embrace to give some advice for any parents out
there struggling with being at home and the rigors of having children at home for such
lengthy periods of time.

Firstly Children who are old enough to follow the news may be afraid, for example, that
they or their parents are going to die. The medical research about COVID-19 shows that
healthy people under 60 are very unlikely to get very sick or die. Talk with children about
any frightening news they hear.

https: //www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/coronavirus- age -sex- demographics/

Secondly one of the best things to do is establish routines. This is especially important
for young learners but help us all even as adults. Losing this routine can leave children
unsettled. Invite your child to help you create a routine and try to stick with it. Build in
breaks, and if you can, try to find time for your child to go outside. Think about spaces that
are best for working and learning—sharing these can be challenging. Try to carve out a
corner or counter space for your child to consistently work.

Next, Praise success because children need to know when they do something bad—and
when they do something good. Notice good behavior and point it out, praising success
and good tries. This is particularly important in these difficult times, when children are
separated from their friends and usual routines.

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Allow time for attention. The most powerful tool for effective discipline is attention—to
reinforce good behaviors and discourage others. When parents are trying to work at home
with children who are out of school or child care, this can be tough. Clear communication
and setting up expectations, particularly with older children, can help with this.
Finally make sure you look after your own health, this can sometimes be overlooked. It is
however very important to try and think about your overall health and condition because
it’s hard to deal with stress when your body is not in peak condition. The best way to do this
is to add some form of exercise to your families routines, eat a healthy and balanced diet
and try to get a little bit of f resh and sunshine each day. This will help with lifting of moods
but also allow for students to work at their best.
I hope this advice is of some help and I want to acknowledge that that you have been
doing a great job so far and that we appreciate all the work you are doing to help us as a
community not only survive but to thrive. I hope you are all healthy and are looking out for
one another.

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Tips of the Month

By Henny Anggraeni, Primary Level Principal

Enjoying Earth Day During The Pandemic

Earth Day In The Middle Of A Pandemic

As we celebrated the 50th year of Earth Day on April 22nd this year, we are also experiencing
the society altering Covid-19 pandemic. Everything changed suddenly, when people were
asked to limit their outdoor activities, students are studying at home, even people are
asked to practice their religious activities at home. Even though we can’t celebrate our
planet with community tree plantings, cleanups and national park visits this year, there are
outdoor activities to enjoy within the vicinity of your home that are good for the planet and
good for our health.

Walk The Earth
Take a walk or run through the neighborhood. Go alone and relish our solitude, enjoying
the time for f reethought or listening to a podcast. Or take advantage of the opportunity for
quality time with our loved ones and stroll with our family and dog by our side.
It’s safe to do so if we make sure we can “keep our distance f rom other people” outside of
our family. People need to be aware of their distance f rom others to be respectful and not
crowd them, and not have other people crowding us. If people are respectful, it should be
pretty simple to stay sufficiently far apart from other people so that there’s really no risk.

Biking for Strength and A Good Mood
Cycling through our neighborhood, on a trail or into town is permissible, as most people on
bicycles are reasonably far apart from each other. And since we would be speeding down
a road or path, there’s not much opportunity to transfer the virus by closely talking with
people. Just be courteous to those around us. If we do need to come to a halt, be sure we’re
maintaining the proper distance from other cyclists or pedestrians.

Stay in touch with the Earth by gardening
This activity is quite interesting. Be active in our garden on Earth Day to keep in touch
with nature and appreciate whatever we pull from its soil. One study found gardening
may prevent brain shrinkage in older adults. Our cognitive abilities, including learning and
memory, partly depend on the size of our brains. Horticultural therapy is rooted in the
idea that interacting with plants contributes to well-being. Caring for plants can improve
our mood, blood pressure, heart rate and stress hormone levels. But we may also have
a philosophical lesson to learn from plants. At first, a seed may appear dormant and

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hopeless. What does it need to grow? It requires sun and water, and patience, courage
and conf idence f rom you, to name a few. We could use those things as we navigate this
unsettling time.
Enjoy the Meditative Qualities of Nature
If the weather’s nice, give meditation outside a shot if we can find a quiet space it would
be a good choice. Numerous studies bolster the slew of benefits meditation has to offer: It
may help keep our immune system functioning optimally. A consistent practice can help
us better respond to stressful situations by reshaping our brains to become more resilient.
In studies of meditation newbies, scientists found improvement in the region of the brain
that regulates emotion, contributing to a state of mindfulness. Meditation may even slow
aging in your brain.
Virtual Earth Day Activities
Stream an eco-documentary on the Discovery Channel or Netflix. Throughout the rest of the
week, EarthxFilm, an international nonprofit environmental organization that showcases
environmental films, is streaming shorts and films that raise awareness for dozens of
environmental issues.
How we’ll celebrate Earth Day this year may be unusual, but there’s no shortage of enjoyable
activities that are good for our health and the planet and that will keep you safe during a
pandemic.

Taken f rom:
Rogers, Kristen. “Earth Day activities that are good for you and the planet during the pandemic”.
April 22, 2020. CNN.
https://edition.cnn.com/2020/04/22/health/earth-day-ideas-coronavirus-wellness/index.html. April
25, 2020.

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Special Events

SBR supports the movement of Fight Covid 19 in Kota Bogor

Sekolah Bogor Raya donated 200 masks through Pemkot Bogor on the 13th of April 2020.
The masks were given to Kelurahan Cilendek Barat and Kelurahan Kayumanis.

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At the other day, on
Wednesday 22nd 2020, SBR
also donated 200 masks to
Kelurahan Tanah Baru.

On the 16th of April 2020, Sekolah Bogor Raya also participated in supporting the movement
of Fight Covid 19 together with the Badan Penanggulangan Bencana Daerah of Pemkot
Bogor by donating 1000 Personal Protective Equipment (Alat Pelindung Diri or APD)-
hazmat suits and 1000 masks. We hope this donation will support the medical practitioners
and off icers who work in the referral hospitals for Covid 19.

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Happy Learners

K1 - K2

K1

Starting the new theme with E-Learning makes the children adapt to new ways of teaching.
“Day and Night” is the fourth theme for K1 students. In this theme, the students learn about
different kinds of natural changes, kinds of activities that can be done at the day and night
time, and the protection to face the different weather. In the first two weeks, the students
learned about the Sun, Moon, stars, and clouds, and when they see them in the sky. To
support the theme, K1 students made a Mr. Sun and cloud artwork. They used paper to
make Mr. Sun and cotton for the clouds. Even though the students learn f rom their homes,
they seem so happy making the artwork. It can be seen from the photos they gave as
evidence.

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K2

Welcome to Theme Four! In this theme, “How We Organize Ourselves”, K2 students are
learning about different kinds of transportation and their purposes and how transportation
connects people and surroundings. As we are facing the current situation about the global
pandemic caused by the spread of coronavirus in Indonesia, the teaching and learning
activities within this theme are conducted using the Online Learning Program. The
students are learning from home and all the teaching resources and evidence are shared
through Padlet and Google Drive.

In line with the current situation, we ask the students to apply one of the healthy habit
procedures which are 7 steps of washing hands at home as a part practical life lesson. We
also conduct the Circle Time Meeting by greeting and communicating with the students at
home using Zoom Meeting Application. It is a great moment to see and communicate with
the kids. Stay healthy and happy K2!

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PYP in Actions

K3 - Grade 6

K3

K3 is starting off our fourth theme strong, as we refuse to let the pandemic bring our
learning spirit down. In our fourth theme, Where We Are in Place and Time, K3 is learning
about public places. We are not allowed to go out much these days, so K3 students are
being provided with videos, lots of pictures and of course, topics to discuss: Where would
you go once everything goes back to normal? What would you do there ?
We certainly miss seeing each other, but we make it up by having scheduled circle time via
Zoom Meetings to say hi to each other, and to let our friends know that we, too, are itching
to go back to school! K3’s circle time always has a nice topic to discuss like, their favorite
toy while staying at home, the fruits and vegetables that they have eaten these days, and
reminding each other to stay clean and to take care of their health.
It is a shame that the places we can go to are now very limited, but we made sure that K3
students are equipped with the adequate knowledge on what the public places look like,
what we do there and how we behave when the situation calms down enough and we get
the chance to see them for ourselves. And of course, we are praying so we can go back to
school as soon as we can, to play and learn new things together again!

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Prep

Going further with our f ifth theme, “Sharing the Planet”, Prep students are learning how
to save the environment by making the 3R Poster (Reduce, Reuse, Recycle) and doing the
Environmental Campaign. The students are going to make sculpture arts f rom recycled
materials through Visual Arts and learn to sweep the floor through Practical Life. Even
though this theme is a bit different because we are doing all activities at home due to the
ongoing coronavirus pandemic, Prep students are happy and excited whenever we have
Zoom Circle Time hosted by the classroom teachers. The Zoom Meetings are held twice a
week in order to stay connected between teachers and students. In addition, our librarian
also provides some Ebook resources for the students to read during the Library Time. To
ensure that students have a structured schedule in doing the eLearning, we thoroughly
plan and arrange all activities through the Padlet which is shared every Monday morning.
We do hope that the students still enjoy their time learning even though they do it at home.

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Teacher’s View of Online Learning

Hello, my name is Ibu Nur Riarahmah, my students and fellow teachers call me Ibu Ria. I
currently teach Prep level and I am given the opportunity to share my experience during
the Home Learning and Teaching activities. In this situation, everything that the teachers
have planned before is all stopped or delayed.
Although online classes take out the benef its of having f riends to socialize with, the
students still continue their education through online learning and via the Zoom App with
their teachers, as the best alternative to keep the learning and teaching going for safety
reasons.
Personally, I miss the direct interaction when I taught my students in a normal situation
and I believe the students feel the same way too. However, I feel that online classes are a
good alternative to normal in-school classes, plus the students have more flexible time to
do their assignments.
Let’s hope that this pandemic will end soon and we can go back to our normal lives. Have
fun with your Home Learning students!

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Primary Level

As an IB school, Sekolah Bogor Raya community should be ready for any changes happening
around us. As has been mentioned in the IB mission statement : to develop inquiring,
knowledgeable and caring young people who help to create a better and more peaceful
world through intercultural understanding and respect and allow to encourage students
across the world to become active, compassionate and lifelong learners who understand
that other people, with their differences, can also be right, this mission is also touching
bigger community in order to face ,survive and aexcel the changes related to the global
pandemic (covid19). The fact that parents, guardians and all adults are involved in students
learning as part of the learning community, the role and actions taken f rom adults to
support the students are now becoming more essential.

Every change needs action to adapt in order to give appropriate responses and to fulfill
the students needs for learning as our priority. In coherence with the government policy
to prioritize students’ needs for cognitive and wellbeing, there are many adjustments that
should be managed. IB supported all IB schools to adjust the learning engagement by
providing guidelines of online and blended learning due to pandemic.

The guideline allows schools to develop teaching strategies, communication rules, devices,
solutions and policies to support the online home learning (OHL) in our school community.
We developed a plan that is simple and clear for learners, teachers and guardians as how
to learn and teach online. Parents and guardians play an essential role in online learning
for they have to guide their child to learn at home. Therefore, the communication among
teachers and parents is very important in order to ensure what we have planned can fulfill
students’ needs in learning.

In this dynamic situation, teachers and parents are hand in hand to work for the sake
of students. Teachers try to develop learning activities that are engaging, relevant and
significant for students to learn and develop their skills and profile, while the parents are
with the students at home to learn together. Feedback, thoughts and suggestions are very
welcomed to develop ways to learn that are effective yet doable at home. Here, teachers
share their experiences to plan and provide online learning in their levels, as well as sharing
from parents as the important partners of this learning.

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Grade 1

At the end of theme 5, Sekolah Bogor Raya community started Online Home Learning
(OHL) and it was challenging in the first week. For grade 1, it is the first experience dealing
with google classroom.

As a teaching team, we have to make sure that instructions are easy to understand both
by parents and students. Furthermore, we also design the activities that are possible to be
done at home and still tailored to students’ needs.

In transdisciplinary How We Organize Ourselves, grade 1 investigates food, such as how
food changed before reaching our table, the needs of food processing and the process of
food distribution.

We have interviewed some of Grade 1 parents related to the OHL home learning. They
shared their experiences, stumbling blocks and tips and tricks. It is very challenging to deal
with children’s mood, internet connection which is not always f riendly, and managing the
time between children’s learning, work and house chores. It requires more effort when the
parent is not at the same location with the child. It is amazing that they are still able to
manage learning situations f rom faraway through technology. Here are the tips and tricks
that are applied by our parents:

(1) Communication. Discuss and adjust the schedule with all family members. The children
also should be aware of their parent’s schedule (working hours, online meeting and others).

(2) Cooperate with family members. For example: identifying the subjects that are under
mom’s/dad’s supervision and vice versa. This includes supervision during the online meeting
sessions and completion of assignments

(3) Prepare learning materials and assignments earlier (the night before) to avoid hustle. For
example, write and post online meeting codes on a paper that are displayed in a prominent
spot (e.g: near the computer), so that the codes are easy to be found when needed.

(4) Set necessary agreement with the child. For example, the child is allowed to adjust
the schedule for working on the assignments but she is only able to play after mandatory
Zoom meetings are finished.

(5) Be consistent. Workdays are work days - wake up and start the day as usual, like we
always do before this pandemic, no excuse. More relaxed time on the weekend.

(6) Minimize distractions during the mandatory synchronous class.

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(7) Always update with information, such as weekly schedule and submission date.
(8) Have a break when you are stuck. Take a deep breath and whisper to yourself the “magic”
word (patient … patient….patient).

Using technology not only for conference, but also for library time by accessing Getepic

Practicing skills at home Parent’s support from a distance.

“Every cloud has a silver lining.” However, there are many positive things that we obtain
in this hard situation. Here are some advantages of home learning that parents have
shared with us: strengthening the bonding among family members, having a detailed
picture of learning at school, improving children’s independence, being more familiar with
technology and information. We really hope to see the students at school after all. (H)

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Grade 2

Hello everyone, greetings f rom the Grade 2 Team.
As we all know now, we are in the middle of a global pandemic. It has created so many
things that we have to adjust in our daily lives. Teachers, parents and students and all
members of the Sekolah Bogor Raya community are also making lots of adjustments. We
practiced good hygiene, social distancing, and of course home learning.

Home learning situation Playing a song on a piano

Online Home Learning (OHL) is something that is very new to everyone. Everybody is learning
the curve and doing the best we can in this situation. Our daily schedules in a week includes
live conferences, Google classroom, spending some time in front of the computer, doing
the assignments, completing projects, playing the piano, doing gymnastics movements,
solving Math problems, and creating some artwork.

The Grade 2 students are currently in the middle of theme 6 “How We Organize Ourselves”
in which we explore “money”. The students dig deeper about the history of money, why
people need money, and how people use money nowadays. We did activities to ensure
the students understood about using money as a tool of payment and how to use money
wisely in our daily lives.

By doing OHL, this theme became very interesting. We strive to do our best by overcoming
all the challenges. Every single day in the home learning process would start with two live
conferences (synchronous class) led by the classroom teachers, in which the students are
compulsory to attend. We have discussions, teachers explain about the material, question
and answer session and working on our daily assignment. The parents also take a huge
part in the learning process as of course it is happening at home. We learned how to utilize
the Google Classroom together, overcome all the technical difficulties found, and became
masters in multitasking.

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We had the opportunity to ask some of the Grade 2 parents their thoughts of the OHL.
Most of them said that the home learning experience started off as quite challenging, but
gradually as time went on everybody started to handle everything very well. The Grade 2
team sends the lessons by using Google Classroom, which is done by the students with
the supervision of the parents. The students managed to use their time wisely throughout
the day as well as the parents. According to the parents, at home they create schedules
for every single day, so that their time is productive and useful. Another challenge that
we all face during home learning is the sometimes unstable internet connection or other
technical problem during live conferences. The parents also remind the children, even
though they spend time at home, it is not a holiday, it is actually school days.

Students create a summary from a video Writing sentences to create a paragraph

After spending more than a month of home learning, we all agree on many things.
1. Communication is key: everything can be discussed and solved together
2. Create a stable daily routines to develop a good habit
3. Prepare our work in advance, check our timetable
4. Focus in doing our tasks
5. Practice good hygiene and practice social distancing.

As many parents have told us, they have grown a new appreciation for teachers during this
situation. Teachers also salute the parents for assisting their child at home and help them
in completing the tasks. We are all in this together. We shall overcome this and become a
stronger community. (YK)

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Grade 3

Everything has changed quickly. Who imagined the beginning of 2020 would be like this.
The spread of the coronavirus around the world requires us to do some adaptation in doing
our daily activities including our learning and teaching activity.
Prior to the early condition of the pandemic, at the end of theme 5, SBR students started
to study from home, which led us to switch our classical learning and teaching that we
usually do at school, to home learning. These are absolutely a challenge for all parties,
teachers and parents and students, especially in grade 3. In this home learning program
we, and grade 3 students are using Google Classroom for the first time. Based on the
interview that we did with parents and students, about our home learning activity, it has
raised some challenging times in the first week. For example, some applications were new
to the teachers, parents and students, as well as trying to handle the mood of the students
to still make a happy learning environment and much more.
However, slowly but surely, those obstacles are decreased and the home learning process
so far can be well accepted and runs smoothly every day. Some of the parents say that
by doing this home learning activity is it so helpful in this current situation, even if they
cannot go to school the children can still learn, they know what their child is learning at
school, and they can learn together with their child.
Hopefully, this condition will immediately stop and go back to normal so we can come
back to class and school as before.

Still following the school routine

Even when they are learning from home, some students still follow the school routine such
as wearing the school uniform while having the home learning.

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Waiting for the “school” to start

Patiently waiting to start the home learning conference with their beloved teachers and
school friends.

Listening carefully to the teachers instructions Having an interactive online learning

Following the steps provided by the teacher in doing each lesson just as they do at school
and having interactive home learning so the students still have the chance to be active in
every conversation in the conference. (INCA)

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Grade 4

More than 300 million students worldwide are having their education disrupted by the
spread of Coronavirus. In this uncertain environment condition, it’s important that learning
continues. Grade 4 students are excited to participate in this Home Online Learning
system, in which they are still connected to their teachers and friends from home to do
some learning activities. Under the transdisciplinary theme “Where We Are in Place and
Time”, grade 4 students are now learning about how world history influenced our national
history. They were full of curiosity to identify the cause and effect of World War I and II, the
awakening era against colonialism in Indonesia, important events and important people
behind the independence of Indonesia. They also observed the life values that they can
learn from our national heroes and heroines which still can be applied in our daily life
nowadays. The students keep participating and showing their effort to participate well in
every activity although we cannot do the learning process as what we usually have in the
classroom.

We listen carefully to our teacher’s instruction to do the assignments

Discussing home learning, there are several concerns and perspectives coming from the
teachers and parents. Both teachers and parents think that this home learning activity
could make a “room” for the teachers and parents to communicate intensively for the
students’ progress.

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Some benefits and challenges of this online home learning for the teachers are:
1. Teachers need to be more creative to produce any learning materials or media which can
support the students’ home learning activities.
2. Teachers need to enrich their skills to select the most appropriate online resources and
media for teaching that are fit with students’ needs and learning objectives.
3. Teachers need to f ind ways to deal with Internet connection that potentially can disrupt
the class learning activities.

Some gymnastics movement we do in PE class

While for parents, this online home learning brings some benefits and challenges such as:
1. Spending extra time and creating strong bonds with their children
2. Having flexible time for helping their kids studying
3. Able to observe and monitor their kids’ learning activities directly.
4. Developing multi-tasking skills
5. Facing time management problems, especially for those who have more than one child
joining home online learning activities.
6. Unsupported situation or condition for their kids to study (too noisy at home, lack of
internet connection)
7. Short time duration to do the assignment sometimes made the students feel depressed
to finish their work in a rush.
This pandemic Covid 19 can temporarily make a distance between us, the teacher and the
students, but we are so grateful to see how cooperative the parents are in supporting the
children to continue their learning process through this distance learning. We do appreciate
the efforts that the parents have done so far to support this home online learning can be
done well for their kids. Keep healthy and safe! (NPH)

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Grade 5

So, here we are in the last theme of the academic year 2019/2020. Who would expect that
the pandemic was coming? It affects all aspects of human life in almost every country,
including Indonesia. Social distancing is applied, people work from home, and students do
the Online Home Learning. It was not easy at first, but the learning experience is not only
something that you can get from school. It is around you, and it happens anytime.

Theme 6 in Grade 5 is the theme of “Sharing the Planet” that allows students to explore.
ways our behaviors towards the environment can affect its sustainability. Students
correlated the current situation in the world, when the coronavirus not only affects the
aspect of human life, but also the condition of the environment. The students began with
gathering information about the virus and as it turned out they were very much aware of
the condition.

We learn online using different kinds of platforms and try to make it as effective as possible,
both for students and teachers. But, what about the parents? What do they think about
this way of learning? Each level has different experiences and faces different challenges
while doing the Online Home Learning. This time, we are going to know from the parents’
perspective about it. Some of Grade 5 parents are being interviewed to share their
experiences, challenges, as well as the tips and tricks in doing the Online Home Learning
(OHL).

Me and kinds of 3D shapes at home Exploring the website that the teacher asked me to

This OHL has been happening for almost a month. With this way of learning, parents have
more time with their kids and also opportunities to check out the things that the kids
are learning. Parents also said that their kids are becoming more independent and being
more aware of their responsibility at home. Online home learning also gives their kids
opportunities to meet their f riends and teacher virtually.

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Most of the parents say that this way of learning is fun and challenging at the same time.
First, sometimes they have problems with the internet connection and it makes the OHL
not run effectively. Second, parents also have diff iculties providing the tools and materials
that the kids need to do certain tasks. Parents sometimes need more time to help the kids
preparing the materials. Third, some parents have problems with the irregular sleeping
time of the kids. They sometimes struggle to make the kids wake up in the morning to do
the online meeting. Next, some parents think that the explanation that they give to their
kids is not as much as what the teachers usually do. Some kids think it would be better if
we can directly ask the teacher whenever we have diff iculties like when they are at school.
More challenges arise when parents have more than one child at home who are doing the
OHL at the same time.

Despite all of the problems, parents shared some tips
and tricks for this OHL. They ask their kids to read the
materials beforehand so the kids know what things to
ask the teacher in the online meeting. Parents make
some agreement with the kids that they have to do all of
the assignments before playing. Parents and students
go through the schedule and make a daily and or weekly
plan to balance activities at home. Parents try to find
some activities to do with their kids, such as telling
stories, feeding pets, and doing sports.

Thanks to technology, I can meet my teachers and f riends virtually

It was a blessing to have parents who would like to support their kids to keep learning in
this situation. Some parents are concerned about whether or not their kids can adjust with
the lesson after this pandemic is over. However, we are in this together. We need to have
the optimism that if we support each other, the learning process will still happen, and the
students will still have room to grow.

Thank you parents for all of your encouragement and never ending support for your kids
to keep learning. (PS)

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Grade 6

The Covid19 pandemic has changed how society runs their daily life, including how millions
of children are educated. For the grade 6 teachers, it gave us a new insight on how we will
deliver the new way of education that could still have meaningful purposes for the long
term. Online Home Learning (OHL) or School from Home has been SBR’s choice before the
WHO announced the pandemic. One thing for sure during this temporary OHL is, we are
expected to maintain relationships between or with teachers, our students and parents.
There may be no experts here on doing the distance learning, but it’s a must for the teachers
to guarantee that they will provide the best way of having it. The teachers try to search
for innovative solutions in a relatively short period of time. A nd here we are now, having
a learning journey for the last theme, How We Organize Ourselves, by really organizing
ourselves while dealing with these new big changes! The topic of Covid 19 pandemic also
filled most of our discussion topic during learning. It’s really fun to learn about something
that has become the world’s highlight.

What we can do during the Covid 19 pandemic is….to learn f rom home

For the teachers, togetherness, digital technology awareness and communication are the
keys for having a successful distance learning. For the grade 6 students, this is our time to
have more power and ownership on how we will manage the way of doing independent
learning at home, at “school time’. We do face challenges! Some of us considered time
management as a big problem regarding the daily sleep pattern and how we set time to
finish our work. Some of us feel too comfortable and it’s also dangerous because we might
loosen up things. Technical issues during video conference sessions are also a problem.
We shared our concern during synchronous class in Bahasa Indonesia session. We also
shared our tips to overcome it, like having enough sleep, trying not to do lots of gaming
that makes us sleep late, reduce stress by doing the assignments one by one, managing
our time and reading instructions carefully.

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Home Learning, a chance for having more ownership in learning independently

What about parents? Some parents shared their experience with having their children do
the Home Learning. Parents did realize that at the beginning, no one is really prepared for
this situation. The school community included teachers, kids, parents still find the best way
to maintain and balance both academic goals and kid’s spirit or motivation. Parents could
see that Home Learning is actually the best alternative way to make sure that children can
still learn and get an education at home while maintaining their health. The atmosphere of
learning at home is more flexible too. Studying at home is good at avoiding the spread of
Corona, but the question of effectiveness is questionable. Due to the fact that some parents
might have many other roles and responsibilities at home, they also faced challenges in time
management and maintaining strategy to help their children to learn. It was challenging
for the parents to keep a positive mindset and give the children understanding that this
Home Learning is temporary. While parents have to deal with helping their children to
understand the material and to make sure that the learning activity runs smoothly, we are
proud to know that they have become the second teachers for the students. They shared
their knowledge about how Covid 19 has affected everyone in the world, ensured balanced
nutrition for maintaining health, made agreements due to schedule at home to make sure
that the children own the daily routine, and the most important thing is they put their trust
in children. No matter how chaotic and noisy the situation at home, no matter how bad the
internet connection during video conference meetings or how rough the discussion with

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the children to help them with their school works, we are thanking the parents for their
commitment. At the end, Home Learning is about collaboration between the teachers
with children and parents. It’s about understanding the meaning of responsibility, being
wise in using time and making choices, also a chance to create more positive physical and
emotional bonding within the family member at home. We hope that we can maintain this
positivity ahead for better purposes in educating the children. Thank you, Parents! (WA)

Parents support and more bonding with children during Home Learning,
one of blessings in disguise

26

Secondary School News

Grade 7 - Grade 12

Arts and PE OHL

by Benedict Rinne
One of the hidden benefits during this time that we are all spending at home, is the
opportunity for both teachers and students to start exploring new ways of learning and
engaging with their subjects in exciting ways that had not been done before.
We often think about visual arts as needing to be very hands-on during the lessons, but in
order to create, we must first discover what has been created before, and the best way to
do that is through exploring different genres and periods of art. During the online home
learning, the grade 10 students were able to do just that, with virtual tours through a variety
of galleries and museums that have made their collections available to all for free online.
One such link to many of these museums can be found here https://www.travelandleisure.
com/attractions/museums-galleries/museums-with-virtual-tours?fbclid=IwAR0jT42haQn
E4GQK3Ygt1ERhMq1qPjL3jGEhYmunIeuSPHnWEc0WfwcdMu4. Guiding questions helped
the students analyze and interpret why an artist chose to display their pieces the way they
did according to the site where it was displayed, and the effect that it had on the relationship
between the art, the artist, and the viewers. Here is a lovely response from a student as she
reflected on one of the installation pieces she found from the National Museum of Modern
and Contemporary Art in Seoul, Korea.

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I think this artwork is interactive because as a visitor, I can move the rocks around however
I would like. I can create my own situation, my own environment. The artwork is kind
of open-ended. It’s like an open-ended story where the reader gets to pick the ending
however they’d like it to end, the same goes for this artwork. The viewers can pick how this
work will be displayed. As a visitor, I get to contribute to the artwork, I get to decide what
the outcome will be. The visitors get to contribute to the final outcome of this work.
-Cheryl Esther Lyandar Grade 10 - Art Gallery Visual Tour
One other aspect to consider during this time, is our mental, emotional, spiritual and
physical health. We sometimes take for granted how active we normally are during the
school day as we move from class to class, climbing up and down the stairs as we go from
canteen to science labs to the rooftop basketball court. In order to encourage our students
to maintain their physical fitness, they have been practicing a wide variety of exercises at
home, and posting photos and videos of their activities to their Google Classrooms. One of
the more energetic activities was their dancing to a One Direction song!
Maintaining healthy habits is also critical during this time, so in addition to their physical
exercise, the students are also working to identify and recognize the benefits of a healthy
lifestuyl;e, and creating a collaborative document to share. Topics such as nutrition, mental
health, and the importance of rest are all investigated by the students. What a fantastic
way to maintain our health during this time!

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Various Online Learning Tools at SBR Secondary School:
From Quizizz to Easy Sketch

Distance learning has allowed teachers, students and parents to stay connected, especially
in the time of a pandemic like this. Everybody can still maintain communication and is able
to be productive despite the distance.

A good example comes from Grade 8 civics. The Grade 8 students have been doing a
class activity to discuss “Sumpah Pemuda” using Quizizz. The activity allows them to do
a student-paced formative assessment in a fun and engaging way. They can discuss the
topic and get enriched with the information about the values of “Sumpah Pemuda”.

Quizizz is an online platform that takes the hassle out of a quiz. The platform provides
an opportunity for a wide range of questions, creative answers decorated with images
from the internet, auto-save students’ progress, and many other features. Besides that,
Quizezz’s reports give students detailed class-level and student-level insights for every quiz
conducted.

Another online learning example comes from Bahasa Indonesia in Grade 9 where students
have the f reedom to build their own experience and knowledge. To aim for it, platforms like
Kahoot, Slideshare, and Easy Sketch have been employed. A practical example can be seen
in a subject topic of facts and opinions. Students were presented with an Easy Sketch video
which was then used to identify and determine facts/opinions in the video.

Online learning might give a sense of disconnection due to the distance. However, it could
also be a tool to provide social interaction to students, in the time of lockdown. Online
learning allows students to keep maintaining physical distance that can be dangerous for
their health, but at the same time engaging with interaction with their peers through the
internet. It is good for both the physical and mental health of our students, teachers, and
also parents. (AA)

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Math and ICT at SBR Secondary during Home Learning Time

In the time of Pandemic due to Covid 19, SBR teachers continue to give their best effort to
keep the learning process meaningful, fun and rewarding. The process proves that students
are independent learners and with sufficient guidance they are able to meet the standard
given. It is also showcasing lifelong learners as students see how the teachers are also
learning to cope with all the new technology that will support the learning process.
Grade 7 students have learnt to create a website using javascript. Over the four weeks of
online home learning students have added their knowledge into the website that they’ve
developed and are close to the final result. For the warm-up activities,the teacher provides
a small quiz in quizizz, a website used to provide quizzes for all lessons. With limited
instructional time, it is crucial that students learn independently and are well prepared
before joining the class. Small hands-on activities provided by the teacher will help students
understand the process of creating a website while giving room for students to show their
creativity and personal touch into it.

IGCSE mathematics in grade 10 has become another playground for students to develop
their math skills in a fun way. After the hussle and bussle of IGCSE test preparation, now
both teacher and students are able to dig deeper and enjoy the process of learning math.
This time Grade 10 is revisiting the materials they have learned in the past as well as learning
new things. In the early weeks of online home learning, students learnt about integration
and differentiation, new topics that will be useful in the following grade. During the lesson,
aside from using the usual platform such as google classroom and quizizz, Grade 10 students
are also assigned to watch short tutorials prepared by the teacher in edPuzzle. During the
lesson the teacher uses mathcha.io as a substitute for a whiteboard where the teacher can
type all the formulas used then the pages shared for students’ reference.

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Seeing students’ enthusiasm in learning, although it is not easy for all of us, really made us
proud. We pray that we can get through it together and be able to go back to school again
in the near future.

Making Our Own Food Journal

In Biology Grade 7, the students are asked to make a Healthy Food Style Web Blog‘. The
web blog contains information about what is meant by nutrients, types of nutrients and
their functions, the students’ daily food journal and their reflection.
The aim of this web blog is to actually let the students reflect on their daily diet and make
them realize the importance of different types of nutrients so that they can have a balanced
diet later on. The web blog task was started a couple of weeks ago by recording the food
and beverage consumption including the number of calories in the form of a food journal.
The food journal will be embedded in a web blog with some related information.

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The progress of the web blog is checked during the synchronous sessions. At this time, the
teacher gives feedback and suggestions. Not only from the teacher, but also from the peer
students. They can also make a suggestion to their f riends. This is needed as the students
need to interact among them, even though it is in a virtual situation.

This is one of the web blog:
https: //sites.google.com/sbr.sch.id/michelle -7a/my- current- eating-habits?authuser=1

How We Learn about Chemical Bonding
through the Online Learning

In Grade 8 chemistry class, the students are learning about chemical bonding, especially
giant molecular structure. Students are asked to do research with their group during their
asynchronous time and collect information related to the structure, properties and the use
of diamond, graphite, and silicon (IV) oxide. As the outcome of the discussion, students
are asked to make infographics. The progress of this work is checked regularly during the
synchronous sessions (the Zoom meeting).

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Social Science

To support our students affected by the global COVID-19 pandemic, the teachers are
working diligently and committed to creating high-quality, interactive, video-based lessons
in their online classes. It is our absolute priority to keep the learning process meaningful
and ongoing so that students will stay on track with the academic curriculum and still
continue to gain personal developments.

Grade 9 geography offers an inside look at what the students have been doing. One of the
teaching platforms that is used is the Padlet application. It is a great online tool for doing
a collaboration in real time or offline. This term, the topic is water supply and shortages.
Students were asked to add photos, videos and documents to make the text come alive.
It is amazing how students select the photos and videos. Creativity and research skills
are more enhanced provided that the students are engaged with the Internet to kill the
time, and this means the learning becomes attractive and engaging! In order to assess
the students’ understanding, students make comments on their f riends’ work. To make
the learning more interesting, the teacher incorporates Kahoot online educational games.
Students love this because while they are playing, they are also studying. So, it is a “two
in one” concept. This is a great strategy to escape students’ minds from the stay-at-home
enforcement.

As for Grade 10 History, students are now learning about the democracy of Romania and
Bulgaria. In their online class, students were asked to make a digital presentation and
present it during the synchronous learning. This digital oral presentation has great benefits
to the students’ speaking skills, especially to those who always have issues in speaking their
minds in a face-to-face situation. These struggling students can compose their speech in
advance and will feel more relaxed as the audience is virtual graphics.

Ultimately, the students’ well being and their academic progression in future stages of life
are at our top priority amid the extraordinary pandemic.

33

Counselor Cabin : Weekly Online Session
During Online Home Learning

During this pandemic situation caused by the coronavirus, many schools worldwide have
closed. However, students continue their education through online learning and via video
applications with their teachers. This is currently the best alternative as keeping schools
open poses a safety risk for students.
With this home learning online program, not only teachers, but also counselors from
secondary level try to reach out for secondary students.
The student services department has designed counseling online programs; one of the
programs is Counselor Cabin which is scheduled every Wednesday at 10:30am - 11:00am.
In the Counselor Cabin program, students can join a zoom meeting or Live IG where the
counselor holds a public discussion or information education session to spread insightful
advice related to young people or students current issues. The f irst Counselor Cabin led by
pak Ganjar was on April 8th 2020, the theme was about how to deal with anxiety during
this pandemic situation. The second session led by ibu Dewi on April 15th 2020, the theme
was about understanding 5 love languages on how to build a healthy relationship with
our beloved ones during this stay at home time. For the 3rd session on April 22nd 2020, Pak
Goentoer talked about preparing for university admission.

The counselors have invited all SBR students and parents to join the sessions to get
information needed from personal discussions to academic reviews. This program provides
us with insights that will teach us something new.

34

Student Lead Conference During Quarantine Time

“It takes a village to raise a child” Af rican proverbs. From that proverb, we understand
that educating students is the responsibility of all parties, ranging from teachers, parents,
to the students themselves.

During the learning process, reflection is an important practice that students must do. To
do this, students must know themselves, their strengths and their weaknesses well. They
must also be able to know the goals of learning. By knowing this, the students are expected
to develop strategies to achieve these goals, implement the strategies and always make
continuous improvement in their learning. They need to do reflection to make it happen.

The school is aware of this and considers it important. For this reason, twice a year, the
school dedicates a special time for this program, where students can do reflection and
show the results to their parents. They showcase them in the form of digital portfolios.

But unfortunately, with the covid-19 pandemic at the end of term 3, this program cannot
be conducted at school and must be done at home. However, this did not dampen the
enthusiasm of students and parents in conducting the student led conference program.

With great attention devoted to the education of their children, parents enthusiastically
make special time for their children so that this program can be implemented. They
see how their child grows and develops. They use this moment as quality time between
parents and students. Through a digital portfolio that has been prepared by students, they
proudly show the results of their learning which are not limited to academic achievement
only, but include the development of their soft skills such as time management, resilience,
discipline, punctuality, being attentive and focused in class, and being active during group
or class activities. They analyze their strengths and weaknesses so that they know what
areas they need to sharpen and what areas they need to improve in by making clear steps
with support from parents and teachers. They also set their next goals as well as arrange
steps to achieve their goals.

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All of these are the skills needed by the students in stepping towards their future. Parents
attentively listen to their child’s presentations and provide support for their child. What a
quality time between parents and their children.

Graduates of 2019-2020: Strong, Tough, and Persevering

Thirty-four students of grade 12 will graduate from Bogor Raya Secondary School this year.
Based on the current data that we have compiled so far, 74% of them will continue their
studies overseas and 18% will continue their studies in Indonesia. We are proud to say that
some prestigious scholarships have been awarded with the acceptance offers received
by our students who will study overseas. A few of the students are still in progress with
their university admissions since the admission period has just started for those colleges/
universities.

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Every year, the university admission process is indeed challenging, and even more this
year. Deliberate and informed considerations were made to choose their places for future
study, with the support f rom parents and the school. But, there was a difference in the
process for this academic year. It wasn’t the admission process, but the current situation
with the COVID-19 pandemic. Here are what our students say about it:

I guess the most challenging part of facing this situation is accepting that we cannot
spend our senior year and share memories with our friends. Most of us have grown so
close with one another to the point where we’ve become so attached. The thought of each
of us separating ways after graduating is already so sad, not to mention that some of us
may go abroad for uni. The quarantine just prevents us from spending more time with
our closest ones even though our time as twelve-graders is already limited. - Cintya W.
D jayaputra

Although this year the National Examination was cancelled, their success is not merely
based on examinations, but by their hard work and dedication throughout their school
career, and all of the processes with teachers, f riends, and their family. This commitment
is now continuing with the students working and studying at home to be safe, all while
still setting their hopes high for a better future. The situation gives them the opportunity
to reconnect with themselves, with their family, and place more value in their f riendships.

I think this pandemic has brought on good and bad consequences. The bad being, of
course, the loss of jobs, economic instability, and deaths. Yet, on the other hand, it has
allowed people to focus on themselves, spend much needed time with family, and f ind
innovative ways to keep busy or gain an income. This pandemic I feel will generate more
productive individuals because of these issues that we are facing in quarantine. It can be
said that it has forced us to subtly evolve. - Celine Tchaptchet

Again, congratulations to all grade 12 students of the academic year 2019/2020, for the hard
work, university acceptances, scholarships, but most of all for becoming a better individual
for a better future.

37

IB Diploma Insights

Grade 11 Updates

It gives me great pleasure to note down for you all just a small glimpse of all that Grade 11
students have been doing and achieving during these trying times.

As we first moved into an online mode of teaching there was a healthy mix of excitement
and apprehension among the students, as well as the teachers. Before we went into home-
schooling mode, we spoke to the students and explained the challenges ahead, to them. We
explained how this crisis gives us an opportunity to learn new skills and to push ourselves.
Our students have risen to the occasion magnif icently. They have made themselves true
partners in the teaching-learning initiatives and have helped make the systems more
robust and workable. We are truly proud to see the values that the school espouses on full
display in our students.

In this term, students have been exploring various ways in which to increase their
engagement with their subjects. In the science classes, students have designed and
conducted experiments at home as well as through virtual labs. In the language classes,
students have worked through themes of dystopian literature. Despite the constraints of
staying at home, the originally planned collaborative interdisciplinary units are still going
ahead and the grade is working hard towards conceptualising an event to showcase this
work. Students have also been working on creating their TOK presentations and even
recorded some of these as early trials. A healthy level of extracurricular work is being kept
up through their CAS experiences.

As we learn from our experiences and build further capabilities, I am confident that we will
continue to maintain a high quality of education and our students will continue to produce
work of outstanding quality.

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Goals Achievers

Secondary Level

WMI 2020
● Michelle Aurelia Yudianto 7A (Gold Medal)
● Jason 9A (Silver Medal)
● Michael Suteja 9B (Silver Medal)
● Adriano Fadlan Juwono 10A (Silver Medal)
● Moreno Aurelio Santosa 11A (Bronze Medal)
BORNEO MATH ONLINE CONTEST 2 - 2020
● Michelle Aurelia Yudianto 7A (Gold Medal)

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“We” Community
of Learners

Learning Together - with SBR Student

In this edition of the SBR newsletter, we would like to highlight one of our students whose
writing hobby enables her to create narratives that are useful for both herself and others.
We are proud to share our students’ achievements and an explanation about their hobbies
to give positive motivation to our school community members to pursue those activities
which they are passionate about.

Nareswari Ayu Prabowo (Nares) is currently a Grade 8
student in SBR. She just joined SBR in Grade 7 last year
as she wants to gain valuable experiences through
learning that will be useful as she prepares to study at
a higher level in the future. Her hobbies include writing
poems, reading and playing badminton. She feels
that it is very important to have a variety of hobbies
to sharpen different skills so she will be ready for any
challenges that she may encounter in the future.

Her most memorable experience related to writing
activities was working with other authors on an
anthology, and she is working on creating her own
anthology soon. For her, writing poems is not just
about expressing what she sees or feels about things,
but also being able to speak her mind, to connect
to the writing forms. And to make it happen, all she
needs is an idea, along with her notebook and pen.

Recently, she has also been nominated as the youngest poet to be published in two poetry
anthologies: “Puisi adalah Jembatan” (Poem is a Bridge) and “The Name of Mother”; both
were published by Bengkel Sastra Indonesia (BSI-LB). There are 15 poems she has written
which have been included in the anthologies. Nares started her hobby writing poems since
she was in Grade 2. Every time she got inspiration from her daily experience she would
start to write poems in her notebook. She has a dream that in the future she will publish
her own poetry anthology.

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It goes to show that you never know when and how other writers, even the popular ones,
might ask you to join with them in such a creative collaboration!

If it is done with passion, a hobby can result in great success. It will take time and energy,
but the effort will pay off. Nareswari Ayu Prabowo f rom Grade 8B has proven that her hobby
writing poems has given her an amazing opportunity to exhibit her work to many people.

Good luck, Nares!

Tangga Melingkar
Karya: Nareswari Ayu Prabowo

Sudut melengkung
Raut wajah sembarang
Mata tiga lemburan
Ku bersinggah antar anak tangga
Berteduh…
Jalan masih panjang
Jejak hampa
Berputar ke arah yang salah
Tapi, aku tak merasa lelah
Deru angin menerpa daun
Jatuh antar tubuh melingkar
Ku tak kan membangkang
Hingga ku mencapai di puncaknya

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Learning Together - with SBR Teachers

Ibu Agnes Budi Kuntari (Ibu Tari) was born on
November 14, 1979. She took her bachelors degree in
Sanata Dharma University, Yogyakarta majoring in
English language education and is now taking her
Masters of Education in Universitas Pelita Harapan,
Jakarta. She joined Sekolah Bogor Raya in 2012 and
is currently a Grade 6 teacher.

Her best teaching experience is when doing
mentoring and collaborative working with
colleagues, as well as students in the Exhibition
process for the past 5 years. Planning and creating
learning experiences together with the kids and also
with colleagues from the scratch to the action that
the student can do to the communities, make the
learning more meaningful. It brings excitement and dynamic learning experience for them.
Besides, discovering new ideas, practicing creative thinking also will be a fun thing to do
in that learning process. Other than that, working collaboratively and sharing knowledge
and ideas with colleagues to do the lesson planning are exciting too. Her other excitement
as a teacher is when students have the willingness to come to her, to share their problems.
Listening to their stories and trying to solve problems together creates an emotional bond
between them.

Ibu Tari has written an article in a book about best practices of Literacy implementation in
Sekolah Bogor Raya. This book, “Merayakan Literasi, Menata Masa Depan” was published
by Kementrian Pendidikan dan Kebudayaan Indonesia in 2017. This book is shared for f ree
to schools, teachers and practitioners to give insight and ideas.
You can f ind the link to this ebook here: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1MSGNREv1s
lFbgcxVOEyWcWQosHGsjmXz0m0ZJPpchiQ/edit

Other than teaching formally in SBR, there are some
activities that she does, such as doing some literacy
volunteer work with Provisi Edukasi. In that activity, Ibu
Tari and her f riends share the experience of teaching
using storybooks and read aloud to teach.

Pic: Be presenter in a national seminar about
Implementation of Technology in Education conducted by
Vocational Program, Universitas Gajah Mada, Yogyakarta.

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She was also a children’s story writer and storyteller
for kids in an event “Pinku dan Talut: Read Aloud and
Fun Art with Agnes Budi Kuntari dan Mata Aksara”, 2
December 2018. (Gambar 1). Another achievement is
writing 4 books of Students Supplementary Materials for
Kurikulum 2013, Penilaian Autentik, published by Libri.

The next volunteer project will be with the Tanoto
Foundation to share teaching and learning experiences
with teachers in remote areas.

Writing a children’s story and
Reading Aloud Activity

Her personal philosophy is “Learning is as much of an art as teaching”.
Her Personal motto is “It takes a big heart to help shape little minds”.

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SBR Coronavirus Advice

Fight Covid 19 Together

Sekolah Bogor Raya has implemented more prevention activities to keep the school clean
and hygienic to fight covid 19. As instructed by the local government and following the
standard f rom education and health ministries, SBR keeps maintaining the prevention
systems through cleaning such as regular disinfectant application, and the use of an
ultraviolet sterilizer.
Ultraviolet germicidal irradiation (UVGI) is a disinfection method t hat uses short-
wavelength ultraviolet (ultraviolet C or UVC), light to kill or inactivate microorganisms by
destroying nucleic acids and disrupting their DNA, leaving them unable to perform vital
cellular functions. (en.wikipedia.org)
SBR keeps communicating the actions that have been implemented on a regular basis
to all SBR community members through weekly NTP and social media during this self
quarantine period. The enthusiasm to fight covid 19 together is supported by SBR families
to ensure the readiness of school facilities when everyone goes back to school.

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Students Work

PG-K Level

K1 students made a Mr. Sun K1 students made clouds
artwork using paper and a using cotton and pasted

plastic plate them on the paper

Pre-writing activities for preschoolers
are not only helping to learn the
shape and structure of the letters
in the alphabet, but also serving a
number of other functions as well. Pre-
writing practice teaches directionality
in writing, encourages fine muscle
development and coordination, and
also helps students process sensory
information critical to the writing
process.

For this activity, The students can roll
dough into the small balls and form
letters by bending and joining the
balls together.

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In this theme, students learn about public place, they draw
a park using their imagination freely

Audryna Sculpture Art
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Primary level

Grade 1: Students not only strengthen their skills, but also express ideas through their work.

Grade 2: The students created a poem to Grade 2: Making a drawing to explain
express their feelings favorite type of art

Grade 2: Describing art in a paragraph
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Grade 3: One of the projects that the Grade 3: “In this theme grade three
students did in theme 5 is creating their students learn about beliefs and culture.
own advertisement as one way to deliver
messages .. students used their creativity We are not only learning about some
to create their own slogan as a hook to traditions in Indonesia, but also learning
catch people’s attention, special deal and
about some famous traditions around
contact to call. the world. One of them is the Diwali

festival from India. Diwali festival or also
known as “Festival of Lights” symbolizes
the spiritual victory of light over darkness,

good over evil, and knowledge over
ignorance. Here are some drawings
of grade three students related to the

Diwali festival.”

Grade 4: We made a photo editing using MS. Word and MS.Paint
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Grade 4: We use graphite transfer drawing technique to develop the f igure of
important person that we chose into realistic style drawing

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Grade 5: “What is Corona Virus?” - Making a mind map using Brain-Pop features

Grade 5: Never let the quarantine limits your creativity
“Before They Disappear” Art Projects
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