Al Sedra Newsletter 2019/20 Issue 28

2nd April 2020

YOUR WEEKLY UPDATE ON ALL THAT’S GOING ON AT THE GULF ENGLISH SCHOOL

2nd April 2020

HELPFUL TIPS Dear Parents

there for a child during a difficult time.

Helping our pupils navigate the stress and strains of

It’s not the amount of time we spend with them that

the world we live in is more important than ever.

is important but rather the quality of the experience.

All our children are capable of extraordinary things.

Make sure the time you spend with your children

There is no special happiness or success gene. The

is undivided, put your mobile phone or tablet away

potential for happiness and greatness lies in all of

and engage with them. Talk about how they are

them, and will mean different things for different

feeling about school, home and whatever is going

children. As we have seen in recent weeks, we can’t

on around them. Let them know you care and are

change the challenges they will face in life, however,

interested. Give them an opportunity to share with

we can give them the skills to face these challenges

you, this way they will know they always have a safe

face on without these breaking them.

space to open up.

We can build their resilience.

2. Healthy sleeping patterns

Resilience is being able to bounce back from stress,

Many children today struggle to sleep. They are

challenge, tragedy, trauma and adversity. When

constantly tired, dark circles under their eyes, under

children are resilient, they are braver, more curious,

performing at school. A lack of good quality sleep

more adaptable and more able to face the world.

has many negative consequences such as negative

Developing children who are resilient isn’t about

effect on memory, ability to concentrate, cognitive

removing the obstacles and stress, but rather about

function and decision making.

helping them to navigate, learn and grown from

One of the fastest ways to improve sleep – for all of

these.

us – is to limit screen time before bed.

I know in today’s hi-tech world it’s difficult to ban

In this ever changing world there are a couple of

electronic devices completely, however, I would

very easy things we can do to help develop this skill

encourage each family to switch off electronics at

in our children:

least 1 hour before bedtime. The hour before bed is an excellent opportunity to encourage reading, (this

1. Have one –on-one time with each child, without

could be an opportunity to have that quality one on

distractions

one time).

Resilience comes from relationships; children need nurturing. Inner strength does not develop on its own, it does not suddenly appear, it develops through supportive relationships - someone being

2nd April 2020

HELPFUL TIPS 3. Get out and exercise

opportunity to try something that is difficult for

Regular activity is important for everyone. However,

them and perhaps they fail at. Find everyday

it is also proved to help children with brain function,

opportunities for your child to work things out on

physical growth and development and emotional

their own, try different strategies and persist even

resilience. I understand that during this time of

when things get tough. When this happens don’t

isolation it is difficult to get children out to

jump in to solve the problem for them, give them

participate in sports activities however a short walk

guidance but allow space for them to find a solution.

around your villa or a bike ride around your

A certain amount of frustration can lead to positive

compound is enough to get them out and away from

results and builds up persistence. Once complete

the TV and electronic screen. Again this would be a

talk about the lessons learnt. Talk about setbacks

perfect opportunity to kick the ball around outside

and disappointments, help them make sense of it,

with your child, jump rope, hit a soft tennis ball,

this is the best way for them to learn from the event

throw a frisbee or play basketball, one on one

and develop the skills intended. There are many

quality time that they will not forget.

examples of this in our day to day lives e.g.: Baking a cake or cookies, reading the recipe and following

4. Teach delayed gratification

the instructions. Climbing the obstacle course at

Resilience means understanding you can’t always

the park, completing some homework / projects at

have what you want as soon as you want it. This is an

home independently, building a Lego set etc.

important skill to pass onto our children who live in a world where everything is instantly accessible.

And above all else...in these difficult and challenging

Psychology teaches us that we are much happier

times, make sure that your child knows they are

when we understand that we do not always get what

loved unconditionally.

we want when we want it, we need to help our children understand that. One of the best ways of teach-

Unconditional love gives them a solid foundation to

ing this is playing board games with your children.

come back to when the world starts to feel wobbly,

Board games require impulse control,

when changes happen that our out of their control.

turn- taking and mental flexibility. It involves decision

Eventually they will learn that they can give that

making, emotional regulation and yes, resilience. It

solid foundation to themselves. A big part of

is a perfect way to teach them that we can’t always

resilience is building their belief in themselves.

win, how to be a good loser and this in turn teaches resilience.

Kind Regards Carol de Jongh – Head of Primary

5. Expose your child to challenges Children can’t learn if we don’t give them the

2nd April 2020

IMPORTANT INFORMATION Dear Parents, ďżź Following yesterday's update regarding Cambridge international exams being cancelled, Edexcel have also now announced ALL international GCSE and AS exams will be cancelled. All exams have now been cancelled.

No exams will be taking place and there is still no clear indication how qualifications will be awarded, therefore: Students are still expected to access the virtual learning platform on Microsoft Teams and Firefly.

Teacher assessment and student engagement from the past two years may be taken into consideration.

Students need to ensure all coursework and externally assessed work needs to be handed in on time so teachers can assess the pieces of work.

Teachers will continue to cover the content of the course to ensure engagement from students. ďżź As we stated yesterday, we recognise the hard work students are putting into to prepare for exams. The exam boards do not want to disadvantage students when awarding qualifications and certificates, so it is vital teachers can gather more evidence to support students. We will update you once we receive more details from exam boards.

We wish the best outcomes for our students and will work continuously for them. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact the school.

Leadership Team

2nd April 2020

IMPORTANT INFORMATION Dear Parents, We hope you and your family are well. Firstly, we would like to thank you for your continued support during this unprecedented situation. We would also like to thank you for all your positive feedback given through our parent survey on our distance learning system. We have reviewed the feedback and taken action to alleviate some of the problems you have communicated to us.

From today we have instructed our dedicated teachers to reduce the amount of tasks being issued on Firefly. This is to enable our students to access a more streamlined curriculum and to support you in helping your child succeed. Please note that lessons will continue to follow the timetables issued previously as live lessons will continue. However, some of these lessons will now be modelling lessons or question and answer sessions without tasks attached to them.

Furthermore, where possible we will reduce the amount of printed material needed to complete tasks. Your child will be encouraged to answer questions on their Firefly task page. This may not always be possible as some tasks will require your child to physically handwrite answers to build up their fine motor skills and practice their handwriting.

In addition to this, to help you locate the correct tasks on Firefly so that you can follow the timetable all task titles will be formatted like the example below: Title Formatting – “date (dd-mm)”, “period (P_)” “(time(hh:mm))” “Subject-Topic title” For Example: 22-03, P2 (09:30) Maths-Addition using column method 25-02, P6 (11:00) Using connectives Moreover, your child’s work will be marked and feedback will be given up to three days after the task has been set. The task will then be archived to reduce the content of your child’s task page, so that active tasks are more visible.

Again, we would like to thank you for your hard work and support in ensuring your child is accessing and completing education during this difficult time. Our team of teachers are here and available to offer any support required. Please do not hesitate to contact them.

Yours faithfully, GES Leadership

2nd April 2020

INFANTS Al Sedra Article: Learning Support GES Infants.

As Term 2 in Learning Support approaches an end, we will reflect on some of the learning that has taken place. I'm pleased to say that the students have continued to make progress using the Catch Up Numeracy and Read Write Inc programmes. They have actively engaged in their learning and have enjoyed using a variety of resources and games to enhance their knowledge and skills.

In Numeracy, the students have developed their knowledge of number concepts and mathematical vocabulary. They have learned new skills and methods by observing teacher modelling before undertaking the task independently with some pleasing results. As the students have grown in confidence, they are now able to reflect on their learning, which is a great skill to have.

In Literacy, the students have been developing their phonetic knowledge and vocabulary. They have learned new sounds every week and have used this knowledge to read words by blending. The students are recognising and identifying an increasing number of common exception words and enjoy fun activities using these words.

During the past few weeks, the students have been busy completing learning activities online through Firefly. These activities have include reading, writing, phonics, and numeracy tasks. It's essential during this time that all students taking part in extra reading and numeracy activities as this will help to reinforce their learning and consolidate their skills and knowledge.

2nd April 2020

JUNIORS As adults, we often take it for granted that learning to read is difficult. It can be an effortless activity for us, but it can be very challenging for some of our children! Reading is a very complex process where our brain engages in several tasks simultaneously.

Children need to master each reading skill separately when they learn to read. They are then required to integrate these connected skills into one fluent action.

There are four essential skills needed to learn to read: 1. Phonics: Learning the sounds that letters and their different combinations make.

2. Vocabulary: Learning and understanding the meanings of words that are read.

3. Fluency: Practising the ability to read with speed.

4. Comprehension: Understanding what the text (sentences and paragraphs) means.

This is sometimes referred to as 'Reading for meaning.'

Part of the focus in the Year 3 and 4 Learning Support classes is to assist students who find reading difficult. We do this by working on two primary target areas: Target 1 To improve the decoding and blending of words when reading, through better letter sound knowledge (phonics) and whole word recognition.

We use the following to meet this target: 1.1 - Levelled texts that cover a wide range of topics including stories, recounts, explanations, report and descriptions.

1.2 - Vocabulary and phonics flashcards, lists, computer programmes and worksheets.

1.3 - Voice recorders that allow the pupils to listen to themselves and self-correct their mistakes, improve their fluency and practise expression.

Target 2 To improve 'Reading for meaning' (reading comprehension) through an improved focus on working memory. We use the following to meet this target: 2.1 - We practise creating mind pictures (visualisation skills) about the text we have read.

2.2 - We use recounting (remembering) techniques, including chunking skills, that is, taking small 'packets' of text and verbally summarising them.

2.3 - We undertake multisensory approaches to reinforce what is read, including actions and acting out the text.

2.4 - We use skimming and scanning techniques - identifying keywords and the main ideas.

2.5 - We sequence events (What happened first, second, third, etc.?).

2.6 - We practise identifying word meanings through clues in the text.

2.7 - We practise making predictions (What do you think happens next?).

We aim to engage our readers to improve their reading skills so that they can access the curriculum more confidently. Our work together is making a difference!

Tim Jackson Learning Support Teacher

2nd April 2020

SECONDARY Year 11 Graphic Communication I would like to firstly greet all students and families with good wishes for your health at this difficult time. Year 11, I would like to apologise for the abrupt end to your school year. For the Graphic Communication class it has been a challenge, to say the least.

Your excitement when joining me for Media Studies was soon diminished in Term Two, 2019, when we were told AQA would no longer be in Qatar and you would be undertaking Graphic Communication instead. Although disappointed, you persevered, learning how to draw instead of film, and advertising instead of editing. As time went on you embraced and adapted your graphic communication skills, which became strong and you created great concepts.

So here we are in the most unexpected situation, I always said, “Be prepared and well organized.” but I forgot to share the phrase ‘Expect the unexpected.’ The pressure of exams have been alleviated, yet I empathise with your uncertainty. Rest assured, you have worked hard and dedicated valuable time and effort into your class work and course work; well done! As I say in class “Give yourself a big pat on the back.”

To round off what will be a successful year: Congratulations on commitment, hard work and outstanding resilience! I wish you all the very best for the future it’s been an absolute pleasure teaching you.

2nd April 2020

SECONDARY Media Studies I would like to firstly greet all students and families with good wishes for your health at this difficult time.

Year 12, I would like to apologise for the abrupt end to your school career, the circumstances are unprecedented, however, I would like to remind you to stay positive. You have worked hard throughout this year, facing many challenges, learning new software, creating films and understanding complex media theories through debate and discussion.

You have grown in confidence, from refusing to embark on presentations to volunteering to go first. Your communication skills, articulation and knowledge have developed immensely. Rest assured, the time and effort that you have put in will be to your credit.

You have shown commitment and personal growth, in this short space of time; I believe you are ready and well prepared for the next chapter in your wonderful journey.

Wishing you the very best for the future.

By the way, stay up to date with media, always!!!

2nd April 2020

CONTACT The Gulf English School PO Box 2440, Doha, Qatar Main School: Tel: +974 44578777 Main School: Fax: +974 44861256 Infant Unit: Tel: +974 44886791/90 +974 44886201/93 Infant Unit: Fax: +974 44876821

Email: info@gulfenglishschool.com

Website: www.gulfenglishschool.com